Search Results (98)

This paper presents a qualitative case study on the design, implementation, and validation of the Art Nouveau Path, a mobile augmented reality game developed to foster sustainability competences through engagement with Aveiro’s Art Nouveau built heritage. Grounded in the GreenComp framework and developed through a Design-Based Research approach, the game integrates location-based interaction, narrative storytelling, and multimodal augmented reality and multimedia content to activate key competences such as systems thinking, futures literacy, and sustainability-oriented action. The game was validated with 33 in-service schoolteachers, both through a simulation-based training workshop and a curricular review of the game. A mixed-methods strategy was used, combining structured questionnaires, open-ended reflections, and curricular review. The findings revealed strong emotional and motivational engagement, interdisciplinary relevance, and alignment with formal education goals. Teachers emphasized the game’s capacity to connect local identity with global sustainability challenges through immersive and reflective experiences. Limitations pointed to the need for enhanced pedagogical scaffolding, clearer integration into STEAM subjects, and broader accessibility across technological contexts. This study demonstrates that these games, when grounded in competence-based frameworks and inclusive design, can meaningfully support multimodal, situated learning for sustainability and offer valuable contributions to pedagogical innovation in Education for Sustainable Development. Full article

Background/Objectives: Schoolteachers play a central role in shaping their students’ beliefs and attitudes towards oral health. Our aim was to investigate the oral and periodontal health knowledge of schoolteachers in Riyadh and factors affecting this knowledge. Methods: Government schoolteachers from representative areas of Riyadh (n = 895) responded to a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression (p ≤ 0.05). Results: Teachers demonstrated good basic oral/periodontal health knowledge (mean score = 60.21 ± 10.68). Most knew that toothbrushing is necessary to preserve dental (78.66%) and periodontal (57.88%) health; that gingival bleeding (74.41%), swelling (64.25%), and abscess formation (52.96%) are signs of periodontal disease; about 63% identified dental biofilm as an etiologic factor, and 58% knew that periodontitis may cause gingival recession and influence systemic health (74.07%). However, only 38% knew that dental flossing is necessary to preserve periodontal health, and 66.03% believed that gingival health can be restored with a special toothpaste. Teachers who were female, older in age, worked in north Riyadh, and taught the intermediate stage demonstrated statistically significantly better knowledge than the other categories. Conclusions: The studied sample of schoolteachers possesses acceptable basic oral health knowledge but has inadequate knowledge of periodontal health. Factors influencing teachers’ knowledge were age, gender, region of work, and teaching stage. Full article

Voice disorders occur frequently in schoolteachers. The aim of the present cross-sectional study involving 124 German teachers was to investigate whether singing, voice training, and high self-efficacy are protective factors for vocal health. Furthermore, vocal self-concept was examined as a potential mediator explaining this relationship. Participants were assigned to the cases group if they had a clinically significant finding in voice examinations consisting of video laryngoscopy (VLS), auditory assessment (RBH), and the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) were assigned to the cases group. Psychosocial assessments comprised questions about singing activities and participation in voice training as well as validated questionnaires regarding self-efficacy (LSWS) and vocal self-concept (FESS). Group comparisons and mediation analyses were conducted. Analyses revealed a decreased risk of voice problems for teachers who sing regularly (OR: 0.442, p = 0.038). Furthermore, the absence of voice problems was associated significantly with higher self-efficacy ratings (t(113) = 1.71, p = 0.045). Both associations were mediated by vocal self-concept ratings (singing: ab = −0.422, 95%-CI [−1.102, −0.037]; self-efficacy: ab = −0.075, 95%-CI [−0.155, −0.022]). Participation in voice training in the past did not reduce the risk of voice problems significantly. The presented data suggest that regular singing and self-efficacy should be promoted in health care and prevention programs. Since no impact of sporadic participation in voice training activities on the occurrence of voice problems was found, efforts regarding the transfer of regular vocal exercises into daily life need to be intensified. Full article

This study aims to explore the experiences and perceptions of service providers working in direct contact with out-of-school youth to identify ways to build a more sustainable and responsive support system within the community. Individual and group interviews were conducted with eight service providers, including a team leader and five directors from public out-of-school support institutions, as well as two schoolteachers from the Board of Education, who were experienced in assisting dropout students. Reflexive thematic analysis of the interview data revealed four key themes: connecting youth to the community system, diversifying programs, minimizing disparities, and increasing societal awareness of out-of-school youth. These findings highlight how various needs and access to opportunities can be provided to all youths, regardless of their school enrollment. The study underscores the importance of shared responsibility in building an inclusive, community-based approach. It also emphasizes the necessity of cross-sector and inter-ministerial collaboration to reduce structural barriers and promote equitable learning opportunities. By centering the voices of practitioners, this study contributes to the broader discourse on building a sustainable community in which out-of-school youth can receive opportunities and resources to thrive as healthy contributing members of the community. Full article

Emotional exhaustion in schoolteachers is a critical issue due to its detrimental effects on teachers’ mental health and its potential negative impact on students’ academic outcomes. This study aimed to develop and validate the Teachers’ Emotional Exhaustion Scale (TEES). The research was conducted in three phases. First, the scale items were developed and evaluated by expert judges using Aiken’s V for content validation. Second, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed on a sample of 153 teachers to identify the scale’s factor structure. Finally, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted with a sample of 473 Chilean teachers to validate the factor structure. The EFA revealed a two-factor structure comprising Emotional Fatigue (EF) and Emotional Hopelessness (EH), which was subsequently confirmed in the CFA. The model demonstrated a satisfactory fit to the data: χ²(32) = 142.383, p < 0.001; CMIN/DF = 1.651. The goodness-of-fit indices were robust (GFI = 0.933, NFI = 0.952, IFI = 0.981, TLI = 0.974, CFI = 0.980), and the RMSEA was 0.065, indicating an acceptable model fit. The TEES is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing emotional exhaustion in teachers. These findings are particularly relevant in the Chilean educational context, where teachers’ mental health and its implications for the education system are of increasing concern. The TEES can serve as a valuable tool for the early identification of emotional exhaustion, ultimately contributing to teacher retention and the improvement of educational quality. Full article

Epilepsy remains one of the most prevalent neurological disorders affecting school-aged children, often accompanied by social stigma and misconceptions that can hinder their academic and social development. Background and Objectives: Given the critical role of teachers and school professionals in the daily lives of children with epilepsy, this study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of primary school teachers and professionals in Greece regarding epilepsy. The findings are intended to identify gaps and inform the development of targeted educational interventions that support managing epilepsy effectively. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 546 primary education teachers in Western Greece using a questionnaire adapted from a validated Italian study. This survey collected demographic information and assessed knowledge, attitudes, and school-related practices concerning epilepsy. Data were analyzed with IBM SPSS, employing descriptive and inferential statistics to explore relationships between demographics and responses. Results: Although most participants were generally aware of epilepsy, considerable gaps persisted in knowledge about prevalence, causes, and proper seizure management. Notably, over half of the participants were unsure how to manage an epileptic episode, and misconceptions about the effects of antiepileptic drugs on learning and behavior were prevalent. Participants with special education experience displayed more accurate knowledge and greater confidence in handling epilepsy-related situations. Conclusions: This study underscores the need for enhanced epilepsy education among primary school teachers and school professionals in Greece to address knowledge gaps, reduce stigma, and better support the educational and social needs of students with epilepsy. Coordinated efforts with educational authorities and health organizations are recommended to implement specialized teacher training programs. Full article

This study aims to investigate the development of empathy as a thinking skill among preservice teachers at the University of Kazakhstan. Empathy is one of the domains of critical thinking, and this article aims to reveal the domains of empathy of future teachers. The research used some questions developed by empathic abilities diagnostics The questions were tailored to the pedagogy students and their experiences, and only those related to expressing empathy skills, i.e., assessing the ability to empathize with and understand the thoughts and feelings of another person, were selected. In this article, the authors stress the importance of empathy skills and their expression for developing creative thinking skills in future teachers. The results of a study involving 114 prospective schoolteachers (80 women and 34 men) from one university in Kazakhstan are presented. The study explored preservice teachers’ perceptions of the development of empathy skills, which included areas such as the conditions and dispositions for empathy, the ability to empathize with others, and the identification of empathy expression. To summarize the empirical data, it can be said that preservice teachers are able to recognize the body language of individuals and understand others without words, react emotionally to disasters in the immediate environment, and are sometimes out of control in their vocabulary in the immediate environment (they may unintentionally offend others). Full article

Background: In Saudi Arabia, dental trauma is regarded as one of the most important issues affecting schoolchildren. This study evaluated Saudi Arabian schoolteachers’ knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding emergency dental trauma management. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 263 schoolteachers from 25 schools; 50.9% were females. A questionnaire was used to collect respondents’ personal and professional data and information on managing dental injury scenarios and the respondents’ attitudes toward dental injuries. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was carried out for the independent and outcome variable of inadequate knowledge regarding dental trauma management. Results: Male teachers had better knowledge than female teachers regarding emergency management of avulsed teeth. Compared to female teachers, male teachers would scrub a tooth with a toothbrush to replant it back into its socket if it fell onto the ground and was covered with dirt. Males had a significantly higher percentage of believing it is not teachers’ responsibility to care for tooth injuries in schools. Teachers with teaching experience of 5–10 years had a significantly higher percentage of training in dental emergencies. Teachers with bachelor’s degrees agreed on the need for teacher involvement to save the tooth in a timely manner. Compared to general teachers, physical education teachers would put the tooth back in the mouth and send the child to the dentist immediately if they were hit in the face and the upper front tooth fell out of their mouth. Teachers with a diploma level of education and teachers with a general type of teaching qualification were 2.15 times (CI = 0.98–3.11, p = 0.002) and 3.19 times (CI = 1.71–4.22, p = 0.0001) more likely to have a higher level of inadequate knowledge regarding dental trauma management. Conclusions: There is a need to raise teachers’ awareness and improve their dental trauma emergency management training. Full article

This study identifies the issue of insufficient scientific and methodological support for school research projects. To address this, the study proposes the creation of a collaborative “school–university” environment, enabling schoolteachers and students to receive necessary guidance and methodological assistance in preparing and implementing school research projects in the humanities. The study suggests leveraging the Digital Humanities field to incorporate modern digital tools for creating competitive research projects that meet not only the requirements of the Ministry of Education, but also global scientific and economic trends. The assessment of the current situation in the preparation and implementation of school projects involved a survey of more than 600 teachers from the southern region of Kazakhstan. The survey results reveal that over 80% of teachers require scientific and methodological support in preparing school research projects. Based on the survey findings and the expressed demand for methodological assistance, the development of a pilot digital platform is planned. This platform will facilitate collaborative work among schoolteachers, students, university professors, and gifted students to create research projects in Digital Humanities. Such collaborative efforts aim to address the lack of adequate preparation for school research projects. Full article

Multiselfing is a form of musicianship where one person digitally clones themself into several single selves, creating layers and a musical collective that would otherwise be impossible without the mediation of technology. There are various kinds of multiselfers. This article categorizes them as the following: singers, instrumentalists, loopers, live performers, and hybrids. While these five categories are presented distinctly here, they may often overlap. This article explores the notion of multiselfing and its implicit potential when situated in music education to develop comprehensive music skills. Comprehensive musicianship is important because it enables students to grow in broad musical knowledge and skills at all levels of instruction by synthesizing the musical materials they are working with and by making conceptual connections through performance, analysis, and composition. In addition to including many examples, this article also includes lists of resources and applications to help schoolteachers better understand how to integrate multiselfing into their pedagogic practices. Full article

Following the UNESCO guidelines for Quality Physical Education, this participatory action research study aimed to explore the potential of a Community of Practice (CoP) to empower both schoolteacher educators and preservice teachers (PSTs) to become practitioners–researchers in order to achieve inclusive practices in Physical Education (PE). This study involved a partnership between a university in North Portugal and four cooperating schools. CoP participants were six teacher educators and four cooperating teachers (CTs) who work with twelve PSTs in the schools where they developed their teaching practices. Data collection included focus groups with CoP members and PSTs, CoP meetings, and school placement meetings. A thematic inductive–deductive analysis revealed that CTs were actively engaged in the CoP, achieving mutual involvement and a shared repertoire, and making friendships beyond the CoP. Becoming practitioners–researchers made CTs more critical of their teaching and supervisory roles. Supporting PSTs to be practitioners–researchers was challenging, mostly due to PSTs’ lack of content knowledge, which made it difficult to identify the students’ problems in engaging with the proposed activities and how to solve them. Both CTs and PSTs highlighted the value of the CoP in gaining confidence and knowledge to improve their teaching to become more inclusive. Full article

Background: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of social anxiety symptoms (SASs) and its associated factors among middle-aged teachers in secondary education schools. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from December 2023 to March 2024 among 341 secondary education schoolteachers aged 45–59 in Chiang Mai, Thailand, involving an online survey. Effects of psychosocial variables on SASs were investigated, including attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, neuroticism and extraversion personality traits, loneliness, perceived social stress, job burnout, and anxiety and depression. Multiple linear regression was used to identify predictors of SASs. Results: This study found that 98 out of 341 (28.7%) teachers presented SASs. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that marital status (β = 0.103, 95% CI [0.437, 3.404]), income (β = 0.087, 95% CI [0.049, 3.758]), extraversion (β = −0.179, 95% CI [−0.573, −0.198]), attachment anxiety (β = 0.165, 95% CI [0.106, 0.359]), attachment avoidance (β = 0.145, 95% CI [0.066, 0.243]), depression (β = 0.242, 95% CI [0.248, 0.862]), loneliness (β = 0.182, 95% CI [0.099, 0.580]), and perceived social stress (β = 0.235, 95% CI [0.131, 0.373]) were significant predictors of SASs, explaining 51.1% of the variance. Conclusion: This study discovered a relatively high prevalence of SASs among middle-aged secondary schoolteachers. Full article

Background: School health education (SHE) serves as a primary pedagogical aspect of public health. This study aims to explore the curricula of preservice schoolteachers, examining whether graduate courses in Greek universities include SHE, how it is structured, and whether critical pedagogy principles are integrated. Methods: A corpus of n = 21 documents was compiled, encompassing all educational departments in Greek higher education, including Departments of Early Childhood Education and Care (n = 3), Departments of Preschool Education (n = 9), and Departments of Primary Education (n = 9). Results: Content analysis revealed the presence of SHE in 11 out of 21 educational departments. Thematic analysis uncovered significant variability in the curricula, with greater emphasis placed on health-related topics rather than the methodologies and values of SHE. Critical pedagogy principles were not explicitly evident in the curricula, while a persistent biomedical orientation left little room for the development of concepts related to social justice. Conclusions: This study represents the first of its kind in Greece and among the few internationally to examine preservice training for schoolteachers in SHE. The findings underscore the need for revisions to align with the key lessons learned from the major public health crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is imperative to acknowledge that vulnerabilities have been exacerbated, and inequalities widened, necessitating a reassessment of current approaches to health education within teacher training programs. Full article

Recent quantitative research on bilingual education suggests beneficial academic outcomes for pupils regardless of socio-economic status (SES). Bilingual education in England, a relatively novel phenomenon, may be better understood from teachers’ perspectives; however, there is a paucity of qualitative research in this area. To fill the gap, the present study explores the unique perspective of a sample of bilingual schoolteachers regarding the children who attend bilingual schools and the effects of bilingual education on children’s academic and non-academic development. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six bilingual schoolteachers, and thematic analysis was adopted to interpret their experiences in greater depth. A thematic analysis revealed four superordinate themes: Academic and Socio-Cultural Effects, Privilege in Bilingual Education, Bilingual Education Takes Time, and Special Educational Needs. These results highlight academic, socio-cultural, and linguistic benefits with important implications for promoting equity in bilingual education. Further research should focus on schools with a higher proportion of students from lower socio-economic status backgrounds. Full article

Choking stands as the fourth leading cause of unintentional injury deaths. This research aimed to evaluate the ability of young schoolchildren to grasp and remember choking-management techniques, as well as to compare the effectiveness of instructors. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of choking training on young children. We randomly selected 180 children aged 4–8 years and divided them into a training group (120 children) and a control group (60 children). We evaluated the students’ response to a choking incident with a specific scenario one day before, one day after, and two and seven months after the training, as well as once to the control group. Before the training, there was no significant difference between the groups. However, after the training, the training group’s scores showed a significant increase compared to their pre-training scores and those of the control group. Even at two- and seven-month post-training, the training group’s scores had decreased but remained higher than their pre-training scores and those of the control group. Choking training can benefit young children. Our research highlights the equal importance of both regular classroom teachers and specialized personnel in imparting these essential skills. However, further research is necessary to confirm these observations and explore methods for sustaining the acquired knowledge from the training. Full article