Search Results (1,454)

(1) Background: Education serves as a catalyst for social transformation toward sustainability, yet limited empirical evidence exists regarding primary education’s contribution to regional sustainable development, particularly in island contexts facing unique environmental and economic pressures. This study examined primary education teachers’ perceptions, practices, and challenges in implementing Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Zakynthos, Greece. (2) Methods: A triangulated quantitative approach surveyed a representative sample of 105 primary education teachers from the Zakynthos Primary Education Directorate using a 28-item structured questionnaire assessing ESD knowledge, teaching practices, barriers, and improvement strategies. Teacher questionnaire data were triangulated with KEPEA (Center for Environmental Education and Sustainability) program documentation (103 programs, 2020–2025) and school implementation records from 75 participating schools. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Mann–Whitney U tests, Kruskal–Wallis tests, and Spearman correlations. (3) Results: Most teachers (65.7%) reported adequate knowledge of sustainable development concepts, with 75.3% incorporating ESD into teaching practice often or very often. Triangulation revealed convergent findings: environmental sustainability dominated teacher perceptions (67.3%) and KEPEA programming (78.4%), while economic sustainability received limited attention (18.1%). Female teachers demonstrated significantly higher ESD knowledge (U = 892.5, p < 0.05, r = 0.34). The majority (98.1%) considered ESD integration important, yet only 48.5% felt adequately prepared to teach sustainability topics. A notable attitude-action gap emerged: while 86.6% valued community partnerships, only 47.6% engaged frequently, and KEPEA documented 33.7% of formal collaborations. Primary barriers included insufficient curriculum time (61.9%) and limited resources (51.4%). Teachers identified training programs (71.4%) and access to educational materials (71.4%) as priority interventions. (4) Conclusions: Primary education teachers in Zakynthos demonstrate strong commitment to ESD but face structural barriers limiting implementation effectiveness. The environmental-economic imbalance suggests a need for professional development, integrating economic sustainability concepts through place-based approaches relevant to the island’s tourism-dependent economy. The attitude-action gap in partnerships indicates structural rather than attitudinal barriers requiring policy intervention. Findings support targeted teacher training, curriculum reform, and strengthened school-community collaboration to enhance ESD’s contribution to regional sustainable development. Full article

This paper aims to understand the teaching and learning practices and perceptions regarding the subject of Differential and Integral Calculus 1 (DIC1) based on the current French model, as implemented at Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (LYON 1), and the Brazilian model, as observed at the Federal University of Technology—Paraná (UTFPR). Five tutorial groups were studied at LYON 1. At UTFPR, four classes of DIC1 were analyzed. Teaching activities were observed, and teachers responded to a questionnaire regarding the frequency with which they implemented certain activities and their beliefs about which activities contribute most to student learning. Students responded to the same questionnaire, reflecting on how often their instructors employed these activities and which ones they believed were most beneficial for learning. There was general agreement between teachers and students about the instructional methodologies used in class; however, discrepancies emerged between observed practices, stated methodologies, and the activities considered essential for learning. In engineering programs, the time allocated to problem-solving—individually or on the board—emerged as a key aspect that may inspire changes and improvements in the Brazilian model. In contrast, group work and mathematical software may serve as avenues for improvement in the French model. Full article

Higher education instructors may include interdisciplinary subjects in the classroom to encourage diverse yet balanced learning. Agriculture is a challenging subject of study that includes elements of art, engineering, and science. Although it is important to know if teachers in higher education incorporate agriculture in their lectures, it is more useful to comprehend the attitudes or opinions that are expressed. The purpose of this study was to determine whether higher education instructors mention agriculture in simulated discussion prompt generation and, if so, indicate the responses of positive, negative, and neutral sentiment towards agriculture. An electronic survey asked teaching faculty from multiple land-grant institutions to respond to a randomized prompt related to their declared area of interest. Qualitative methodologies included open response coding, and reliable and validated thematic coding served as the primary analysis. The study reports that 25 of the 59 responses included comments about agriculture and 72.0% of the responses were neutral. The rest painted agriculture in positive (8.0%) or negative (20.0%) interpretations. The results of the study reveal the challenges that teachers face in making interdisciplinary leaps, including agriculture in the classroom, without risking the spread of inaccurate information. Additional research should be conducted to understand the impacts of loaded language on students’ perceptions of agriculture using the results produced by the current study. Full article

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

Ensuring sustained driver attention is critical for intelligent transportation safety systems; however, the performance of data-driven driver distraction detection models is often limited by the high cost of large-scale manual annotation. To address this challenge, this paper proposes an adaptive semi-supervised driver distraction detection framework based on teacher–student learning and deformable pyramid feature fusion. The framework leverages a limited amount of labeled data together with abundant unlabeled samples to achieve robust and scalable distraction detection. An adaptive pseudo-label optimization strategy is introduced, incorporating category-aware pseudo-label thresholding, delayed pseudo-label scheduling, and a confidence-weighted pseudo-label loss to dynamically balance pseudo-label quality and training stability. To enhance fine-grained perception of subtle driver behaviors, a Deformable Pyramid Sparse Transformer (DPST) module is integrated into a lightweight YOLOv11 detector, enabling precise multi-scale feature alignment and efficient cross-scale semantic fusion. Furthermore, a teacher-guided feature consistency distillation mechanism is employed to promote semantic alignment between teacher and student models at the feature level, mitigating the adverse effects of noisy pseudo-labels. Extensive experiments conducted on the Roboflow Distracted Driving Dataset demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms representative fully supervised baselines in terms of mAP@0.5 and mAP@0.5:0.95 while maintaining a balanced trade-off between precision and recall. These results indicate that the proposed framework provides an effective and practical solution for real-world driver monitoring systems under limited annotation conditions. Full article

This article presents the development and validation process of a qualitative data collection instrument aimed at analysing natural sciences teachers’ perceptions of practical work in lower secondary education (third cycle) in Portugal. The methodological approach combined a systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines with an analysis of relevant curricular frameworks and legal documents. Based on the triangulation of these sources, a semi-structured interview guide was constructed, validated by a panel of five experts from four Portuguese public universities, and tested through a pilot interview. The final instrument comprised seven dimensions and fourteen subdimensions, totalling 44 items. It demonstrated methodological rigour and practical applicability for qualitative data collection and analysis. Findings indicate that the instrument enables a comprehensive exploration of teachers’ practices and perceptions regarding practical work, offering a valuable contribution to the research on didactics of science and to the professional development of teachers. Also, the application of this instrument will enable teachers and researchers to characterise the dynamics of practical work carried out with young students in natural sciences education across seven structuring dimensions: (1) Conceptual; (2) Limitations; (3) Advantages; (4) Evaluative; (5) Operationalisation; (6) Textbook; and (7) Curricular. Full article

This study explores the integration of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) as catalysts for professional teacher development within the context of Mexico’s educational challenges. Adopting a qualitative and exploratory approach, a four-phase workshop was conducted with 40 high school and university-level teachers from the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN). The methodology included scientific modeling activities using traditional methods, software (Tracker, ver. 6.2.0), and AI tools (ChatGPT-3.5), while analyzing participants’ perceptions and experiences. The findings reveal a clear disconnect between teachers’ theoretical competencies and their practical skills, with persistent gaps in scientific literacy at both educational levels. However, this study documents that the workshop functioned as a genuine professional learning community, where inter-academic collaboration and peer-learning proved to be an effective strategy for addressing these deficiencies. Technology, specifically the Tracker software, served as a catalyst for conceptual understanding. Despite AI’s potential for research, its limitations in the precision of responses reinforced this study’s central conclusion: technology does not replace the teacher’s work but transforms the teacher’s role into a critical mediator, responsible for guiding students to develop analytical and critical thinking in a complex digital environment. Full article

This study examined the effectiveness of an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-supported self-coaching system designed to improve preschool teachers’ implementation of embedded instruction (EI) for young children with autism in inclusive early childhood classrooms. Using a multiple-probe across participants single-case design with four teacher–child dyads, the study evaluated changes in teacher fidelity, child learning outcomes, maintenance, generalization, and teacher perceptions. Following baseline and an initial EI training, teachers engaged in weekly AI-supported self-coaching cycles that included planning, data entry, reflection, and AI-generated individualized feedback. Results demonstrated clear functional relations between the introduction of the AI-supported system and increases in teachers’ EI fidelity. All teachers reached high levels of accurate implementation, maintained their performance after AI supports were withdrawn, and generalized EI procedures to non-targeted routines. Correspondingly, children showed substantial improvements in unprompted correct responding on individualized goals, with gains sustained across maintenance and generalization probes. Social validity data indicated that teachers found both EI and AI-supported self-coaching highly acceptable, feasible, and helpful for guiding instructional decision-making. Findings provide promising initial evidence that AI-supported self-coaching can serve as a scalable, cost-effective professional development approach that strengthens teacher practice and enhances learning outcomes for young children with autism in inclusive preschool settings. Full article

Several authors emphasize that assessment is a key tool for teachers to guide and verify learning, improve their practice, and contribute to deeper student learning. Beyond its technical function, assessment enables the creation of a meaningful pedagogical relationship with the central actor of the educational process, “the student”. This study aimed to understand how students value a system guided by the principles of formative assessment and its impact on the self-perception of acquired competencies. The “Questionnaire on the Experience of Good Practice” and the “Scale for the Self-Perception of Student Competencies” were applied to a sample of 74 students (26.4 ± 4.5) from a public university in Uruguay. The results show that the assessment system was positively rated in terms of usefulness, innovation, and replicability, although limitations were observed in terms of sustainability and fairness in grading. In addition, a significant decrease was observed in the self-perception of technical competencies and an increase in those related to pedagogical reflection and attention to diversity, suggesting a more critical and realistic view of their own professional performance on the part of the students. Full article

This paper proposes E-MOTE (Emotion-aware Teacher Education Framework), an ethically grounded conceptual model aimed at enhancing teacher education through the integrated use of the Facial Action Coding System (FACS), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Virtual Reality (VR). As a conceptual and design-oriented proposal, E-MOTE is presented as a structured blueprint for future development and empirical validation, not as an implemented or evaluated system. Grounded in neuroscientific and educational research, E-MOTE seeks to strengthen teachers’ emotional awareness, teacher noticing, and social–emotional learning competencies. Rather than reporting empirical findings, this article offers a theoretically structured framework and an operational blueprint for the design of emotion-aware teacher training environments, establishing a structured foundation for future empirical validation. E-MOTE articulates three core contributions: (1) it clarifies the multi-layered construct of emotion-aware teaching by distinguishing between emotion detection, perception, awareness, and regulation; (2) it proposes an integrated AI–FACS–VR architecture for real-time and post hoc feedback on teachers’ perceptual performance; and (3) it outlines a staged experimental blueprint for future empirical validation under ethically governed conditions. As a design-oriented proposal, E-MOTE provides a structured foundation for cultivating emotionally responsive pedagogy and inclusive classroom management, supporting the development of perceptual micro-skills in teacher practice. Its distinctive contribution lies in proposing a shift from predominantly macro-behavioral simulation toward the deliberate cultivation of perceptual micro-skills through FACS-informed analytics integrated with AI-driven simulations. Full article

This study examines how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the role of university teachers and transforming the foundations of academic work in the digital age. Building on the Dynamic Capabilities Theory (sensing–seizing–transforming), the article proposes a theoretical reframing of university teachers’ perceptions of AI. This approach allows us to bridge micro-level emotions with meso-level HR policies and macro-level sustainability goals (SDGs 4, 8, and 9). The empirical foundation includes a survey of 453 Ukrainian university teachers (2023–2025) and statistics, supplemented by a bibliometric analysis of 26,425 Scopus-indexed documents. The results indicate that teachers do not anticipate a large-scale replacement by AI within the next five years. However, their fear of losing control over AI technologies is stronger than the fear of job displacement. This divergence, interpreted through the lens of dynamic capabilities, reveals weak sensing signals regarding professional replacement but stronger signals requiring managerial seizing and institutional transformation. The bibliometric analysis further demonstrates a theoretical evolution of the university teacher’s role: from a technological adopter (2021–2022) to a mediator of ethics and integrity (2023–2024), and, finally, to a designer and architect of AI-enhanced learning environments (2025). The study contributes to theory by extending the application of Dynamic Capabilities Theory to higher education governance and by demonstrating that teachers’ perceptions of AI serve as indicators of institutional resilience. Based on Dynamic Capabilities Theory, the managerial recommendations are divided into three levels: government, institutional, and scientific-didactic (academic). Full article

The current debate on digital education is at a crossroads between the need for technological innovation and the growing concern about the impact of passive screen use. In this context, identifying sustainable pedagogical models that integrate Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in a meaningful and inclusive way is an urgent need. This article presents a case study of the Amara Berri System (ABS), aiming to analyze how inclusive and sustainable digital innovation is operationalized within the system and whether teachers’ length of service is associated with the implementation and perceived impact of inclusive ICT practices. The investigation is based on a mixed-methods sequential design. A questionnaire was administered to a sample of 292 teachers to collect data on their practices and perceptions. Subsequently, a focus group with eight teachers was conducted to further explore the meaning of their practices. Quantitative results show that the implementation and positive evaluation of inclusive ICT practices correlate significantly with teachers’ seniority within the system, which suggests that the model is formative in itself. Qualitative analysis shows that ICTs are not an end in themselves within the ABS, but an empowering tool for the students. The “Audiovisual Media Room”, managed by students, functions as a space for social and creative production that gives technology a pedagogical purpose. The study concludes that the sustainability of digital innovation requires coherence with the pedagogical project. Findings offer valuable implications for the design of teacher training contexts that foster the integration of technology within a framework of truly inclusive education. Full article

Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) in educational settings is a vital responsibility that is often inconsistently implemented. There is a need for research to bridge the gap between policy and practice. This study employed a cross-sectional mixed-methods design in six schools in the capital city of Indonesia to identify key implementation barriers, strategies, and compliance levels in OHS. Data were collected from 217 teachers using a structured KPAP (Knowledge, Attitudes, Perceptions, Practices) survey and from an additional 38 teachers via Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). Quantitatively, teachers showed highly positive attitudes (99.4% viewing OHS as a professional duty) and generally positive perceptions but implementation practices were sub-optimal (e.g., low participation in drills and PPE usage), showing a gap between awareness and action. Qualitatively, the main barriers identified were a lack of specific OHS regulation or guidance for schools, limited resources/infrastructure, and the perception of OHS as a low priority. Management strategies focused on external collaboration and ongoing in-school initiatives. In conclusion, a significant gap exists between OHS awareness and its integration into school management, highlighting the urgent need for strengthened governance, comprehensive policies, and sustained capacity-building to ensure a proactive, safe, and sustainable school environment for staff and students. Full article

The present exploratory study investigates how pre-primary and primary student teachers (STs) at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) perceive the impact of bilingual education programs (BEPs) on children’s learning experience. Specifically, it examines student teachers’ views on the benefits and challenges of implementing Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in pre-primary and primary education and explores whether there are differences between the opinions of the two groups. The analysis is based on data from six items of a structured questionnaire, validated in previous studies and completed by 170 prospective pre-primary and primary teachers at the UAM. The results suggest a shared perception among STs that BEPs enrich the learning experience of students in both pre-primary and primary education. Most STs recognize that CLIL enhances language proficiency and supports cognitive development, although they also point to insufficient teacher training and the low motivation of children with learning difficulties as major challenges. While no major differences emerged between the views of pre-primary and primary STs, subtle variations point to the existence of two distinct trainee profiles that determine their views on BEPs and that would require further mid-term investigation. The findings highlight areas for targeted support in teacher training programs. Full article

This study developed and evaluated an adaptive e-learning environment for selected number theory topics using a mixed-methods research design, conducted over an eleven-month period across secondary and early tertiary education contexts. The evaluation focused on three primary outcome domains: (1) learning-related outcomes (problem-solving accuracy and task success rate), (2) learner engagement and activity indicators (daily logins and tasks completed per day), and (3) system usability, assessed according to Jakob Nielsen’s usability dimensions. Quantitative data were collected through student and teacher questionnaires (N = 264 students; N = 52 teachers) and large-scale logfile analytics comprising more than 825,000 recorded system interactions. Qualitative feedback from students and teachers complemented the quantitative analyses. The results indicate statistically significant increases in learner activity, task completion rates, and problem-solving success following the introduction of the adaptive system, as demonstrated by inferential statistical analyses with confidence intervals. Post-use evaluations further indicated high levels of learner motivation and self-confidence, along with positive perceptions of system usability. Teachers evaluated the system positively in terms of learnability, efficiency, and instructional integration. Logfile analyses also revealed sustained growth in daily engagement and task success over time. Overall, the findings suggest that adaptive e-learning environments can effectively support engagement, usability, and learning-related performance in number theory education, although further research is required to examine the sustainability of learning-related outcomes over extended periods and to further refine error-handling mechanisms. Full article