Search Results (230)

Education can be conceptualized as a complex socio-technical system in which teacher engagement functions as a dynamic component supporting system performance and adaptability. The present study examines how science teachers’ perceptions of sustainable education interact with their levels of work engagement, providing empirical insights into system-level relationships relevant to educational sustainability. The study sample consisted of 246 science teachers, and data were collected using the Sustainable Education Scale and the Engaged Teacher Scale. Adopting a systems-informed analytical perspective, the study employs machine learning methods (Random Forest, CART, Extra Trees, and Bagging Regression) to explore non-linear relationships and interaction patterns that may remain obscured in conventional linear analyses. The results indicate that structural factors such as weekly teaching hours and academic qualifications are associated with variations in both sustainable education perceptions and work engagement. Moreover, the findings suggest a reciprocal relationship between sustainability-oriented perceptions and teacher engagement, consistent with feedback dynamics observed in complex educational systems. Rather than proposing a new theoretical framework or algorithm, the study demonstrates the utility of machine learning as a methodological tool for examining system-level interactions and emergent patterns in education, offering empirical insights that may inform sustainability-oriented practices in complex social systems. Full article

Soils, although fundamental to life on Earth through their provision of essential ecosystem services, remain underrepresented in global environmental education at primary and secondary levels. To address this gap, we developed two versions of an interactive soil awareness workshop for primary and secondary education. The shorter ‘Soil-Hour’ format includes an introductory lesson on soil and a quiz, while the ‘Soil-Day’ format incorporates a lesson, a brief soil sample investigation, a quiz, and a creative art activity. Both formats were designed around seven keywords: new, unusual, interesting, entertaining, competitive, digital, and rewarding. Assigning multiple roles to students encourages active participation. Implemented 16 times in various schools with a total of 361 participants, the workshops have been successful in sparking curiosity about soil, improving understanding of soils, and enhancing appreciation of the fundamental role of soils in the environment. Feedback from students and teachers was positive. Students’ responses largely confirmed expectations that they would be amazed by soil sounds, surprised by the range of soil ecosystem services, and intrigued by soil biodiversity. Initial findings support further development and refinement of these soil teaching and awareness-raising approaches at the primary and secondary levels to promote greater engagement with soil science in school curricula. Full article

Incorporating STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) into early childhood education has been associated with children’s holistic development. STEM education not only enhances critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and other 21st-century skills but also contributes significantly to cognitive growth, emotional regulation, and social abilities. Within the early childhood context, the use of play and toys emerges as a natural and powerful medium for introducing STEM concepts in developmentally appropriate and engaging ways. Play and toys have a prominent role, and previous studies have provided strong evidence on their educational benefits. Toys enhanced with technological characteristics (Technology-Enhanced Toys—TETs), such as coding and interactive toys, are increasingly being viewed as cultural tools that mediate learning and nurture cognitive and collaborative skills among young learners. However, the impact TETs have on young children’s STEM learning remains largely unexplored. This qualitative observational study, grounded in a socio-cultural perspective, explored how 37 children aged 3 to 4 years in four early childhood settings in Greece exhibited STEM-related behaviours during free play with technology-enhanced toys. Data were collected through systematic video recordings and written observations over a three-month period that involved interacting with various TETs, such as Bee-Bot, Coko Robot, a remote-controlled dog, and others. Results indicate that playing with TETs enhanced problem-solving, computational thinking, and collaboration, thus affirming the positive influence of digital technology and the potential of TETs to enrich early STEM education. Implications for equity, the importance of teachers’ professional development in effectively integrating TETs into early childhood curricula and the need for further research will also be discussed. Full article

Data fluency—the ability and confidence to actively make sense of and use data—is increasingly recognized as essential for students’ civic participation and scientific literacy, yet questions remain about implementing data-rich instruction effectively. This exploratory mixed-methods study examined current practices and professional learning needs through surveys with 155 secondary Earth science educators across the United States and focus groups with 21 participants. Educators reported comprehensive engagement with data practices (91% using 5+ practice categories) but showed critical gaps: only 39% used pre-existing datasets despite their importance for investigating large-scale phenomena, 45% employed dynamic visualization tools that could democratize data exploration, and 18% did not foster dispositions for student data agency. Teachers recognized diverse student assets for data work, including community-based knowledge and problem-solving approaches, with 42% seeking support for community-connected pedagogy. Barriers included accessing relevant datasets (53%), time constraints (42%), and integrating data into lessons (47%)—challenges that reflect systemic rather than individual limitations. These findings reveal that while educators serving diverse communities envision data science as an opportunity to value different strengths and ways of knowing, realizing this transformative potential requires systematic support including accessible tools, relevant datasets, and professional learning that bridges recognition of student assets with classroom implementation. Full article

This review critically examines the implementation of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in science education, providing an integrative overview of research, methodologies, and disciplinary applications. The first section explores UDL across educational stages—from early childhood to higher education—highlighting how age-specific adaptations, such as play-based and outdoor learning in early years or language- and problem-focused strategies in secondary education, enhance engagement and equity. The second section analyses science-specific pedagogies, including inquiry-based science education, the 5E model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate), STEM/STEAM approaches, and gamification, demonstrating how their alignment with UDL principles fosters motivation, creativity, and metacognitive development. The third section addresses the application of UDL across scientific disciplines—biology, physics, chemistry, geosciences, environmental education, and the Nature of Science—illustrating discipline-oriented adaptations and inclusive practices. Finally, a section on multiple scenarios of diversity synthesizes UDL responses to physical, sensory, and learning difficulties, neurodivergence, giftedness, and socio-emotional barriers. The review concludes by calling for enhanced teacher preparation and providing key ideas for professionals who want to implement UDL in science contexts. Full article

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping how learning environments are designed and experienced, offering new possibilities for personalization, creativity, and immersive engagement. This systematic review synthesizes 43 empirical studies (Scopus, Web of Science) to examine the training needs and practices of primary and secondary education teachers for effective AI integration and overall professional development (PD). Following PRISMA guidelines, the review gathers teachers’ needs and practices related to AI integration, identifying key themes including training practices, teachers’ perceptions and attitudes, ongoing PD programs, multi-level support, AI literacy, and ethical and responsible use. The findings show that technical training alone is not sufficient, and that successful integration of AI requires a combination of pedagogical knowledge, positive attitudes, organizational support, and continuous training. Based on empirical data, a four-level, process-oriented PD framework is proposed, which bridges research with educational practice and offers practical guidance for the design of AI training interventions. Limitations and future research are discussed. Full article

Nowadays, despite the advancements in several technological areas, the education process of various subjects shows minimal evolution from the approaches used in prior years. In light of these, some fields struggle to capture the student’s attention and motivation, in particular, when the subject addresses remote locations that students are unable to visit and relate to. Therefore, an opportunity exists to explore novel technologies for such scenarios. This work introduces an educational approach that integrates 3D Reconstruction, Virtual Reality (VR), and a Large Display to enrich Geoscience learning at the university level. In this teacher-centric approach, manipulation of virtual replicas of real-world geological sites can be performed, creating an immersive yet asymmetric collaborative environment for students in the classroom. The teacher’s VR interactions are mirrored on a large display, enabling clear demonstrations of complex concepts. This allows students, who cannot physically visit these locations, to explore and understand the sites more deeply. To evaluate the effectiveness of this approach, a user study was conducted with 20 participants from Geoscience and Computer Science disciplines, comparing the VR-based method with a conventional approach. Analysis of the collected data suggests that, across multiple relevant dimensions, participants generally favored the VR condition, highlighting its potential for enhancing engagement and comprehension. Full article

This paper explores the potential of interdisciplinary teaching that combines science and fine art to foster students’ responsible engagement with environmental and social challenges, positioned as an important contribution to sustainability. Within a participatory action research project conducted over five cycles in a Slovenian primary school, the Model of Interdisciplinary Teaching in Science and Fine Art (MITSFA) was developed. It integrates problem-based science tasks, experimental work, reflective discussions, and art assignments with a strong communicative and esthetic dimension. The paper analyses activities that encouraged scientific inquiry, critical thinking, and visual interpretation of complex phenomena, ranging from material properties to sustainable spatial planning. Empirical data include students’ artworks, interviews, written reflections, and the teacher’s research diary. Findings suggest that combining scientific exploration with visual expression deepens understanding, fosters emotional engagement, and promotes environmental and social awareness. Students showed greater sensitivity to complexity, ability to recognize layered meanings, and readiness to express their worldview through art. It can be concluded that meaningful learning emerges where scientific and artistic processes are interconnected, highlighting the teacher’s role as a creative facilitator bridging investigation and interpretation. The study demonstrates how integrating science and fine art in primary education directly supports education for sustainable development by cultivating environmental awareness and responsibility. Full article

This review examines the implementation of computer science (CS) unplugged activities in K–12 education, focusing on their impact on educational outcomes, student motivation, and teacher perceptions. A total of 32 relevant studies published between 2009 and 2025 were analysed, including journal articles, conference reports, and book chapters. The findings suggest that CS unplugged generally improves computational thinking (CT) skills, particularly among younger learners and those who have not yet experienced programming concepts. Students often report greater engagement and less anxiety about coding, while teachers appreciate the cost-effective and flexible nature of unplugged lessons. However, inconsistencies are evident in the long-term retention of concepts and the degree of transfer to more advanced or “plug-in” programming tasks. The effective integration of CS unplugged activities often depends on sound teacher training and alignment with broader curriculum objectives. These findings highlight the potential of CS unplugged to improve early computer education, but also highlight the need for longitudinal studies, standardised assessments and systematic transitions from unplugged to digital practice. Given the substantial heterogeneity of study designs and outcomes—and, critically, the inconsistent operationalisation of CT alongside non-standardised testing metrics across studies—we did not aggregate effect sizes; consequently, a formal meta-analysis was not methodologically feasible. Full article

Climate change education (CCE) is increasingly recognized as a key lever for responding to the climate crisis, yet its implementation in schools often remains fragmented and weakly transformative. This review synthesizes international research on CCE in secondary education, focusing on four interconnected domains: students’ social representations of climate change (SRCC), curricular frameworks, teaching practices and teacher professional development, and emerging pathways towards transformative, justice-oriented CCE. A narrative review of empirical and theoretical studies reveals that students’ SRCC are generally superficial, fragmented and marked by persistent misconceptions, psychological distance and low perceived agency. Curricular frameworks tend to locate climate change mainly within natural sciences, reproduce deficit-based and behaviorist models and leave social, political and ethical dimensions underdeveloped. Teaching practices remain predominantly transmissive and science-centered, while teachers report limited training, time and institutional support, especially for addressing the affective domain and working transdisciplinarily. At the same time, the literature highlights promising directions: calls for an “emergency curriculum” and deeper curricular environmentalization, the potential of socio-scientific issues and complexity-based approaches, narrative and arts-based strategies, school gardens and community projects, and growing attention to emotions, hope and climate justice. Drawing on a narrative and integrative review of empirical and theoretical studies, the article identifies recurrent patterns and gaps in current CCE research and outlines priorities for future inquiry. The review argues that bridging the knowledge–action gap in schools requires aligning curriculum, pedagogy and teacher learning around four key principles—climate justice, collective agency, affective engagement and global perspectives—and outlines implications for policy, practice and research to support more transformative and socially just CCE. Full article

The purpose of this study was to engage high school science teachers as co-design partners in refining and extending instructional frameworks to support multiple-document reading and writing in science classrooms. Using a participatory mixed-methods design, the project adapted the InSPECT framework for secondary science, developed professional development (PD) materials to introduce the framework, and explored the role of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in lesson planning. Five virtual focus group sessions guided the co-design of PD activities, followed by a pilot implementation in one biology classroom. Data included focus group and interview transcripts, surveys, and student work artifacts. Analyses examined teachers’ perceptions of PD features, framework usability, and student engagement. Teachers valued PD that was practical, relevant, and feasible within classroom constraints and described the frameworks as clear, stepwise structures that supported lesson design and literacy integration. Student work showed that paraphrasing was an accessible entry point, while bridging, elaboration, and source evaluation required additional modeling. Teachers viewed generative AI as a promising planning aid but expressed concerns about accuracy and ethics. Findings informed revisions emphasizing discipline-specific exemplars, scaffolds for higher-order strategies, and AI-literacy modules, illustrating how participatory design can yield feasible, teacher-centered PD. Full article

Illustrated digital picture books are widely used for second-language reading and vocabulary growth. We ask how close current generative AI (GenAI) tools are to producing such books on demand for specific learners. Using the ChatGPT-based Learning And Reading (C-LARA) platform with GPT-5 for text/annotation and GPT-Image-1 for illustration, we ran three pilot studies. Study 1 used six AI-generated English books glossed into Chinese, French, and Ukrainian and evaluated them using page-level and whole-book Likert questionnaires completed by teachers and students. Study 2 created six English books targeted at low-intermediate East-Asian adults who had recently arrived in Adelaide and gathered student and teacher ratings. Study 3 piloted an individually tailored German mini-course for one anglophone learner, with judgements from the learner and two germanophone teachers. Images and Chinese glossing were consistently strong; French glossing was good but showed issues with gender agreement, register, and naturalness of phrasing; and Ukrainian glossing underperformed, with morphosyntax and idiom errors. Students rated tailored English texts positively, while teachers requested tighter briefs and curricular alignment. The German pilot was engaging and largely usable, with minor image-consistency and cultural-detail issues. We conclude that for well-supported language pairs (in particular, English–Chinese), the workflow is close to classroom/self-study usability, while other language pairs need improved multi-word expression handling and glossing. All resources are reproducible on the open-source platform. We adopt an interdisciplinary stance which combines aspects taken from computer science, linguistics, and language education. Full article

This systematic review synthesizes empirical evidence on the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in inclusive education. The review aimed to examine (1) the impact of AI technologies on learning outcomes and engagement among students with special needs, (2) barriers and enablers influencing AI adoption by educators, and (3) the role of theoretical frameworks in guiding AI-based interventions. A comprehensive search was conducted in Scopus, Web of Science, DOAJ, and Google Scholar for English-language, peer-reviewed studies published between 2020 and 2025. Sixteen (16) studies met the inclusion criteria and were appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Findings indicate that AI tools enhance personalization, accessibility, and engagement, particularly for learners with disabilities, while barriers such as infrastructure gaps and low digital literacy persist. Enablers include institutional support and teacher training, though theoretical frameworks were inconsistently applied. Limitations include the exclusion of grey literature and reliance on short-term studies. AI can advance inclusive education when integrated with ethical, pedagogical, and institutional strategies, while future research should prioritize longitudinal, theory-driven, and culturally responsive models. Full article

Integrated science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (i-STEAM) education has been recognized for its potential to promote interdisciplinary learning and connect scientific knowledge to socially relevant contexts. However, its implementation in school practices remains limited, often owing to conceptual ambiguities and a lack of sustained support for teachers. This study examines the role of participation in a community of practice (CoP) in facilitating the adoption of i-STEAM principles by public school teachers through collaborative lesson planning. Drawing on meeting transcripts, documents produced during the process, and interviews with participants, the analysis focused on the constitution of the CoP, the presence of i-STEAM elements in the teaching proposals, and the level of integration achieved. The results suggest that the CoP supported the development of more coherent and context-sensitive understandings of i-STEAM, while also promoting interdisciplinary design across diverse educational levels. These findings may also inform initiatives in other public education systems facing similar structural conditions, such as limited resources, disciplinary fragmentation, and restricted opportunities for collaborative curriculum development. The study highlights the value of CoPs as professional learning strategies and proposes a replicable analytical approach for evaluating how teachers engage with integrative pedagogies. Implications for teacher education and policy are discussed. Full article

Drawing from a broad and multifaceted stream of educational research and practice that has gradually emerged in recent decades within science education field, widely known as Inquiry-Based Science Education (IBSE), the current study aims to extend its boundaries within the special education field. In particular it aspires to investigate to what extent teachers foster IBSE characteristics and accommodate the specific learning characteristics of students with autism when they are called to teach them projectile motion and the concept of force. To fulfill this goal, seven secondary school physics teachers with a background in special education were recruited to develop lesson plans on mechanics for high-functioning autistic adolescents. Our findings indicate that these teachers exhibit varying levels of engagement, with certain aspects of IBSE being applied more consistently than others. Notably, the nature of the content appears to play a significant role in shaping this variability. The findings show that teachers tend to demonstrate different levels of engagement, with some aspects of IBSE being more consistently applied than others. Interestingly, the nature of the content appears to play a significant role in influencing this variability. The findings of the current study are likely to contribute to teaching and learning science content to students that with autism spectrum disorder. Full article