Search Results (598)

Persistent disparities in literacy outcomes affect deaf learners, who may experience writing instruction that does not align with their linguistic contexts. This study examined how teachers’ instructional reasoning about writing developed during participation in an online Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) professional development (PD) program. Nineteen teachers of deaf students completed a 30-hour virtual PD that combined asynchronous modules and synchronous collaborative sessions focused on evidence-based writing instruction. Teachers completed video-based situational simulations at three time points across the PD; responses were scored using a 5-point holistic scale to assess growth in pedagogical content knowledge. A post-workshop survey also asked teachers to rate prior use, anticipated implementation, and readiness to implement SIWI-aligned practices on a 3-point scale. Survey results indicated relatively low pre-workshop use of practices and higher anticipated implementation and readiness after PD. Repeated-measures analyses of simulation scores indicated significant improvement over time, reflecting strengthened ability to identify instructional priorities, integrate language and writing instruction, and justify responsive teaching decisions. To illustrate what this growth looked like in practice, the manuscript includes an embedded illustration of one teacher’s scenario responses across the three time points, showing a shift from more general/imprecise instructional commentary to more SIWI-aligned, objective-driven reasoning that explicitly links language supports to targeted writing instruction and next instructional steps. These findings suggest that video-based simulations offer a feasible, practice-oriented way to assess teacher learning in online PD, and that programs preparing teachers of deaf writers should pair self-report measures with simulation-based tasks that document how teachers apply pedagogical content knowledge to writing instruction. Full article

Background/Objectives: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major public health problem driven partly by inappropriate antibiotic use. Students of health studies represent future healthcare professionals with an important role in patient education, infection prevention, and antimicrobial stewardship. This study assessed knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours regarding antibiotic use and AMR among students of the Faculty of Health Studies, University of Mostar. Methods: An anonymous cross-sectional online survey was conducted in March 2025 using a self-selected convenience sample. The questionnaire was adapted from a previously published survey among Cypriot university students and distributed through student WhatsApp groups and by e-mail. Of 1113 invited students, 220 completed the survey, yielding a response rate of 19.8%. Results: During the previous 12 months, 39.5% of respondents reported antibiotic use. Most respondents reported adherence to medical instructions regarding dosage and duration of therapy, while 20.5% reported self-medication with antibiotics and 29.5% reported keeping unused antibiotics at home. Approximately 42% perceived antibiotics as easy or very easy to obtain without a prescription. Only 36.4% of respondents correctly distinguished antibiotics from other medications. Although most respondents recognised that bacteria can develop resistance, misconceptions persisted regarding humans and viruses. Differences between study programmes were observed for some attitudes and perceptions, whereas gender and year of study were not significantly associated with most responses. Conclusions: Health studies students demonstrated partial knowledge of antibiotics and AMR, together with behaviours that may contribute to inappropriate antibiotic use. Strengthened curricular content on rational antibiotic use, infection management, infection prevention, and antimicrobial stewardship appears justified. The findings are also consistent with the need to consider broader stewardship measures, including better enforcement of existing prescription-only dispensing requirements in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Full article

Background: Digital health technologies have expanded access to home fetal heart rate (FHR) monitoring devices, enabling fetal surveillance outside clinical settings. However, evidence on women’s awareness, acceptance, and experiences with these devices remains limited. Objective: To assess awareness, adoption, user experience, perceived reassurance, and attitudes toward home FHR monitoring among pregnant and postpartum women. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire distributed via Google Forms. Eligible participants were women aged ≥18 years who were currently pregnant or had been pregnant within the previous two years. The survey evaluated awareness and use of home FHR monitoring devices, usage patterns, sources of recommendation and instruction, emotional responses, perceived reassurance, mobile application integration, and overall attitudes. Descriptive statistics and exploratory subgroup analyses were performed. Results: A total of 225 women completed the survey; 166 (73.8%) reported using a home FHR monitoring device during pregnancy. Most users reported positive emotional experiences, with calmness as the most common response. Home monitoring was generally perceived as reassuring, and many participants felt calmer on days of device use. Gynecologists were the primary source of device recommendations and usage instructions. Participants highlighted the importance of professional guidance, clear instructions, and mobile application support. Primiparous women had significantly higher adoption rates than multiparous women (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Home FHR monitoring was widely accepted and commonly perceived as reassuring. These devices may support patient-centered prenatal care when accompanied by appropriate professional guidance. Further prospective studies are needed to assess their clinical utility, safety, and integration into prenatal care pathways. Full article

In early childhood initial teacher education, a growing number of mature-aged students with diploma qualifications and years of professional experience are undertaking their early childhood teacher degrees through online modes. Given the national staff shortage of early childhood teachers and the important role of higher education in professional development, it is crucial to support these students’ success in their online learning. Drawing on the critical reflection theory and the notions of “reflection-in-action” and “reflection-on-action”, this autoethnographic study examines a university lecturer’s perspective on the challenges of teaching mature-aged students in online Bachelor of Early Childhood Education programs. Four themes have been identified from the current study: the need for step-by-step technical support for the online learning system; acknowledgment of students’ practical experience contributes to online tutorial classrooms; the need for guidance for ethical and responsible use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in class discussions; and interactive dialogic guidance to support their assessment preparation. This study also included specific pedagogical adaptations to support these students, including offering technical support to assist mature-aged students in transitioning to university study, drawing on students’ professional knowledge to promote active engagement, providing interactive guidance to support understanding of assignment instructions, integrating open discussions about the use of GenAI in online class activities, and asking follow-up questions to encourage critical thinking. This study deepens our understanding of how university educators support mature-aged ECE students in their online learning through tailored pedagogical adaptations that align with their unique needs. Full article

Vision-and-Language Navigation in continuous environments (VLN-CE) requires embodied agents to ground natural language instructions into reliable long-horizon motion decisions under partial observability. Despite their strong semantic understanding and reasoning abilities, Multimodal Large Language Model (LVLM) struggle when directly applied to VLN, as they lack explicit spatial grounding, embodied memory, and awareness of geometric and reachability constraints, leading to perceptual misalignment and cascading decision errors in complex scenes. To address these limitations, we propose STAMP, a Spatial-Temporal Anchored Motion Planning framework for zero-shot VLN-CE, which systematically bridges the gap between pretrained world knowledge and embodied navigation. STAMP adopts a hierarchical design that decouples high-level semantic reasoning from low-level motion execution, enabling a frozen LVLM to operate over a structured, navigation-oriented abstraction. Its core novelty lies in a multimodal spatial-temporal anchoring mechanism that explicitly encodes instruction-relevant landmarks, action semantics, depth-aware geometry, and historical navigation context, together with an explicit Chain-of-Navigation reasoning process that constrains decision-making to navigation-critical cues. Furthermore, STAMP incrementally constructs an online, backtracking-enabled topological map, supporting robust planning under uncertainty. Extensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed STAMP framework, achieving performance comparable to state-of-the-art zero-shot methods on VLN-CE benchmarks and in real-world settings. Full article

Background: Parents play a pivotal role in influencing children’s oral health; thus, effective oral health education (OHE) is essential to equip them with the knowledge needed to support their children’s oral health care. In countries such as Pakistan, apart from limited access to dental care and socioeconomic barriers, the widespread lack of OHE is also an important factor contributing to the high prevalence of oral diseases. Conventional OHE approaches are often limited by passive delivery, lack of tailored content and poor accessibility. Social media platforms such as Facebook offer an accessible platform for health education; however, structured, validated, and tailored content is required. Aim: This study aims to develop and validate an online OHE module for Pakistani parents using the ADDIE instructional design model. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in two phases using the ADDIE model. Parental OHE needs were identified through a questionnaire. An Urdu-language module was developed based on these needs and expert recommendations. Content validation was performed by six experts, followed by face validation with 15 parents. Results: Needs assessment guided the development of a culturally appropriate module covering six main topics. Item-level Content Validity Index ranged from 0.83 to 1.00, with a Scale-level Content Validity Index of 0.94 and a Scale-level Face Validity Index of 0.97. Conclusions: The developed Facebook-delivered OHE module demonstrated high content and face validity and may serve as an accessible and practical strategy for improving parental OHE. Further studies are required to evaluate its effectiveness in improving oral health-related behaviours and outcomes. Full article

Objective: Online patient education materials (OPEMs) are important resources for patients seeking health information. While the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and American Medical Association (AMA) recommend a sixth-grade readability level for OPEMs, commonly available material often exceeds such criteria. Large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT and Gemini, have emerged as tools for health education with potential applications in simplification of health material. This study assesses the utility of ChatGPT and Gemini in enhancing the readability of OPEMs for peripheral nerve surgeries. Methods: Eleven common peripheral nerve surgeries were used as online search terms. The first 20 unique search results were assessed; results were excluded if they did not include patient-facing material. ChatGPT and Gemini were instructed to rewrite the text of the OPEM at or below a sixth-grade reading level. Readability metrics were calculated for original OPEMs, alongside ChatGPT and Gemini rewrites. LLM responses were reviewed for accuracy/quality (five-point scale) and comprehensiveness (three-point scale) using predefined criteria. Results: A total of 220 websites were assessed. In total, 155 OPEMs met the inclusion criteria; 65 websites were excluded because they were academic journal articles or other provider-facing materials. The average Flesch–Kincaid grade level (FKGL) of OPEMs was 11.3, significantly greater than the NIH/AMA-sixth grade recommendations (p < 0.001). The average FKGL of ChatGPT rewrites was significantly lower than that of OPEMs (11.3 vs. 7.5, p < 0.001), as was the average FKGL of Gemini rewrites (11.3 vs. 5.6, p < 0.001). ChatGPT rewrites were of higher accuracy/quality (4.5/5.0 vs. 4.0/5.0, p < 0.001) and comprehensiveness (2.0/3.0 vs. 1.0/3.0, p < 0.001) relative to Gemini rewrites. Conclusions: The readability of online patient education materials for peripheral nerve surgery significantly exceeded NIH/AMA recommendations. ChatGPT and Gemini were able to significantly simplify the reading level of these OPEMs. LLMs may serve as tools to improve the readability of peripheral nerve surgery OPEMs. Full article

This study examines how learning input quality shapes students’ trust, perceived learning value, and post-exposure behavioural intentions, and whether AI-supported instructional content contributes to conceptual learning. Grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model, trust theory, and the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning, the study proposes the Learning Input Quality, Belief, User Learning Experience, and Continuance (LBUC) model. Data were collected from 320 university students in Türkiye via an online survey. To evaluate the proposed framework in an authentic instructional setting, participants watched NotebookLM-generated instructional videos in Turkish and completed pre-test and post-test knowledge measures together with Likert-type scales assessing Audio and Narration Quality, Perceived Visual Design Quality, AI Trust and Persuasion, Instructional Design Effectiveness, Perceived Learning Value, Using Intention, and Recommendation Intention. Learning gains were assessed using paired-samples t-tests, and the proposed LBUC model was evaluated using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling. The findings showed a significant within-group increase in post-test scores, suggesting short-term conceptual gains after exposure to the videos. In the structural model, Audio and Narration Quality strongly predicted AI Trust and Persuasion, whereas Perceived Visual Design Quality significantly predicted Instructional Design Effectiveness but did not directly predict trust. Both AI Trust and Persuasion and Instructional Design Effectiveness positively influenced Perceived Learning Value, which in turn strongly predicted Using Intention and Recommendation Intention. The results suggest that students’ immediate post-exposure Using Intention and Recommendation Intention are associated less with visual appeal alone than with pedagogically coherent narration, AI Trust and Persuasion, and Perceived Learning Value in the context of NotebookLM-generated instructional videos. Full article

Purpose: This mixed-methods study examined how teachers implement evidence-based components of beginning reading, how this relates to teachers’ literacy knowledge levels, and teachers’ own views on classroom practice. Method: An online survey reached 507 teachers (mean age = 40 years) who taught reading in the first three years of schooling, with quantitative items measuring the reported frequency of five instructional strands and open-ended questions eliciting qualitative data on classroom practice. An optional TULIP test assessed knowledge of phonological awareness, phonics/encoding, fluency, oral language, and comprehension (n = 122). Data were analysed with repeated-measures ANOVA, linear mixed-effects modelling, and inductive content analysis. Results: Many respondents reported adopting core code-based routines, modelling phoneme awareness, and integrating phonics into daily lessons. However, systematic phonics and spelling instruction, two essential elements of the science of reading, were found to be applied inconsistently. Some classrooms were combining evidence-based elements with traditional whole-word practices. Average TULIP knowledge accuracy was 66%. The mixed-effects model showed that phonics knowledge interacted with instruction, where high-knowledge teachers allocated more time to phonics and word structure than low-knowledge peers. Qualitative themes, including societal constraints, structural/resource pressures, and limited transfer from initial teacher education into practice, explained why evidence-aligned practice is inconsistently realised. Conclusions: While the teachers endorsed core code-based routines, systematic phonics with aligned decodable texts and spelling instruction were implemented unevenly. Enhancing early literacy outcomes will require coordinated policy; sustained professional learning that addresses the identified knowledge gaps in phonics, encoding, and oral language; and access to evidence-based resources. Full article

This mixed-methods study investigates Italian primary school teachers’ perception-based attributions of giftedness, with specific attention to how gendered classroom recognition patterns may shape the visibility of girls in everyday educational practice. International research suggests that teachers’ professional judgement can be shaped by cognitive biases and gendered classroom norms, while many girls perceived as gifted may appear less visible within classroom recognition processes because their behaviours are often interpreted as more closely aligned with school expectations. Against this backdrop, the study examines whether similar dynamics emerge in the Italian context, where early recognition often relies on teachers’ classroom observation and educational decision-making. Quantitative data were collected through an online questionnaire administered to Italian primary school teachers in 2024. The survey explored teachers’ reported experience with pupils perceived as gifted (not formally assessed), their estimates of how many such pupils are present in their class, and the gender distribution they attributed to these pupils. Qualitative data were collected in 2025 through three focus groups, designed to deepen understanding of the observational criteria teachers use and the instructional decisions associated with recognising giftedness. Focus group transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Across the Italian sample, teachers widely reported having taught pupils they considered gifted; however, within teachers’ perception-based attributions, recognition was more frequently associated with boys than with girls. Focus group discussions corroborated this pattern and helped clarify its educational mechanisms: teachers frequently linked giftedness to behavioural salience and participation styles (e.g., visibility, assertiveness, and, at times, disruptiveness), whereas, within teachers’ accounts, girls perceived as gifted were often represented as more compliant and discreet, which may make them less visible through informal recognition criteria centred on behavioural salience. Overall, the findings point to a visibility gap in early classroom recognition and underscore the need for teacher education and practical, gender-responsive observational tools that broaden conceptions of giftedness beyond overt performance and support more equitable differentiated instruction, reducing the risk of missed recognition of gifted girls in primary school. Full article

This study examined rural pre-service teachers’ preferences for online learning platforms, Telegram, WhatsApp, and Moodle discussion forums in the Open Distance e-Learning environment. This group of students experiences digital illiteracy, limited access to assistive technologies, and network challenges, which may prevent them from optimally utilising formal learning platforms such as Moodle. They can, however, use Telegram and WhatsApp, as they regularly engage informally on these platforms. Against this backdrop, this study explored rural pre-service teachers’ experiences with Moodle and these social media platforms in an Open-Distance e-Learning space. This study employed a descriptive, qualitative case study with semi-structured interviews, guided by Siemens’s Connectivism theory. Fifteen student teachers from the College of Education in an ODeL institution were purposively sampled to provide in-depth insights into their lived experiences of platform use. The findings revealed that, although each platform served a unique instructional function, their perceived professionalism, safety, and interactivity differed substantially. Social media platforms such as Telegram and WhatsApp were lauded for their immediacy, accessibility, and low bandwidth usage, chiefly among rural pre-service teachers from economically disadvantaged communities. However, participants perceived these platforms as unprofessional, disruptive, and unsafe. Conversely, Moodle’s discussion forum was viewed as a credible, structured space that fostered academic discipline through the presence and guidance of lecturers. These contrasting perceptions highlight tensions between accessibility and academic regulation within ODeL environments. Although prior studies support incorporating social media platforms into LMSs, this research extends this discourse by emphasising the need to balance accessibility, interaction, and academic integrity within resource-constrained contexts. The study concludes that social media platforms and discussion forums can complement each other in ODeL, encouraging student interaction and inclusion, while discussion forums ensure educational rigour, safety, and institutional integrity. Full article

The effectiveness of instructional modes in higher education—particularly online learning versus face-to-face instruction—remains a critical question for designing sustainable and high-quality educational practices. Understanding how these modes influence student learning outcomes is essential for informing evidence-based and sustainable teaching strategies across diverse courses and student populations. This quantitative study addresses this question by analyzing data from 3651 students enrolled in the “Advanced Arabic Language” course over six academic years at the German Jordanian University. Three years of face-to-face instruction (2016/2017–2018/2019) were compared with three years of online learning instruction (2021/2022–2023/2024). Independent samples t-tests showed that face-to-face learning significantly outperformed online learning, with online learning students scoring on average 6.2 points lower, corresponding to a moderate effect size (d = 0.55). ANOVA revealed a significant interaction between learning mode and students’ major type, indicating that instructional effectiveness varies with academic background. These findings underscore the importance of continuously evaluating instructional methods to ensure effective and sustainable learning outcomes. By situating the analysis within both global and local contexts, this study contributes to the literature by advancing understanding of the impact and sustainability of online learning versus face-to-face instruction in higher education. Full article

The teaching and assessment of veterinary professionalism are essential components of veterinary degree curricula. The content of veterinary professionalism education programs has been informed by multiple stakeholders including educators, practitioners, and regulatory bodies. Since student perceptions also represent a powerful force in shaping the curriculum, the aim of this study was to explore the perspectives of final-year veterinary students on professionalism teaching and learning within their veterinary program. A mixed-methods study was conducted across three veterinary schools (Massey University–New Zealand; Murdoch University–Australia; University of Nottingham–United Kingdom). An online survey captured final-year veterinary students’ opinions on professionalism teaching and the suitability of their current professionalism curricula. Subsequent focus groups explored perceptions in greater depth. Of 81 survey respondents, 66% perceived professionalism instruction to be essential, 79% agreed that their current professionalism instruction included appropriate content, and 58% perceived the instruction to represent adequate preparation for interaction with clients and professional colleagues. Only 39% of respondents, however, agreed that professionalism teaching was well integrated into the rest of the program. Three themes were identified following thematic analysis of the transcripts from the 11 focus groups conducted: ‘the challenges associated with teaching and assessing professionalism’, ‘the influence of clinical teaching faculty on student professionalism development’, and ‘the importance of adopting effective teaching methods to teach professionalism’. Findings from both studies showed that students placed the greatest value on learning and assessing professionalism within an authentic clinical context, while also appreciating interactive teaching formats and group work. Educators should, therefore, consider integration, authenticity, and interactive delivery as they continue to develop their veterinary professionalism curricula. Full article

Effective laboratory training is essential in engineering education, yet conventional on-site instruction is often constrained by time, accessibility, and safety considerations. To address these challenges, this study presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of a web-based virtual reality (WebVR) representation of a large-scale engineering laboratory constructed from massive colorized point cloud data. This study proposes a novel WebVR approach that integrates Unity and Potree for high-fidelity point-cloud visualization combined with advanced interactive capabilities in a browser-based virtual laboratory. It supports immersive first-person exploration, guided navigation, interactive hotspots conveying equipment and safety information, and emergency evacuation simulations. The usability, usefulness, and acceptance of the virtual laboratory were evaluated through an anonymous questionnaire administered to students and laboratory staff. User evaluation results indicated consistently positive feedback, with 100% of respondents rating the interface/navigation and visual/interactive content as good or excellent, 88.6% identifying scene realism as the biggest system strength (the most frequently selected), 74.3% reporting significantly higher engagement compared with traditional online laboratory training, and 82.9% indicating they would definitely recommend the system as a learning resource. In addition, a thematic analysis of qualitative feedback was performed to inform future enhancements of the WebVR environment. Overall, the findings demonstrate that the WebVR-based virtual laboratory can effectively complement conventional on-site laboratory instruction, offering a scalable, accessible, and low-risk platform that enhances learning experiences in engineering education. Full article

Learning management systems (LMS) are essential for sustainable teaching and learning procedures due to the growing integration of digital technologies in higher education. Despite the widespread adoption of platforms such as Moodle, limited research has examined the students’ behavioral engagement and their subjective learning experiences. Addressing this gap, this study investigates the relationship between learning analytics indicators and academic performance, and how students’ experiences influence their participation in online learning environments. It adopted a convergent parallel design. Quantitative data were collected from the Moodle-based BirDeHa platform, drawing on learning analytics logs of 137 pre-service teachers enrolled in various programs within a faculty of education. Key indicators included frequency of material downloads, system usage, video engagement, and quiz performance. Qualitative data were collected via focus group interviews with nine participants. The results revealed a clear relationship between students’ interaction patterns within the LMS and their academic performance. Indicators of active engagement, particularly time spent on the platform and frequency of interaction with course materials, emerged as strong predictors of academic success. Qualitative findings further indicate that students perceive the LMS as flexible, inclusive, and supportive of their learning needs. Overall, this study underlines the importance of integrating data-driven insights with student-centered perspectives to achieve a comprehensive understanding of online learning environments and to inform effective design. The findings contribute to the sustainability of digital learning environments by providing behavioral indicators that can inform data-driven instructional design. Full article