Search Results (1,421)

Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education has been increasingly recognized for its potential to promote early childhood development, while inclusion has become a fundamental principle of early childhood education. However, research and practice on STEAM in reverse inclusive activities remain limited. This study aimed to explore whether STEAM in reverse inclusive activities in preschools works and how it works. Participants included 6 children with special education needs and 22 typically developing children aged 4–6 years from a public preschool in China. The Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System Chinese version was used to assess children’s early childhood development in daily routines and during STEAM in reverse inclusive activities. The findings indicated that STEAM in reverse inclusive activities in preschool was effective, with both typically developing children and children with special educational needs demonstrating developmental gains. Children’s early development within the activities was facilitated by the integration of art, embodied learning, effective peer interaction, and flexible teacher support responsive to children’s inquiry problems. Overall, this study provided initial evidence regarding the implementation and effectiveness of STEAM in reverse inclusive activities and offered practical implications for promoting early childhood development. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the sequential mediating roles of school belonging and prosocial behavior in the effects of parent–adolescent and teacher–student relationships on adolescents’ academic achievement. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, the study included 523 adolescents (61.6% female, 38.4% male) aged 13 to 19. Data were collected with the Mother–Adolescent Relationship Quality Scale, the Teacher–Student Relationship Quality Index, the School Belongingness Scale, and the Student Prosocial Behavior Scale, together with subjective (perceived achievement) and objective (school grades) indicators of academic achievement. Results: Both parent–adolescent (β = 0.25) and teacher–student (β = 0.44) relationships significantly predicted school belonging; school belonging significantly predicted prosocial behavior (β = 0.22); and prosocial behavior, in turn, significantly predicted academic achievement (β = 0.22). The direct effect of parent–adolescent relationships on academic achievement was significant (β = 0.26), whereas neither the direct effect of teacher–student relationships (β = 0.13) nor the direct effect of school belonging on academic achievement was significant. The indirect effects of both relational contexts on prosocial behavior via school belonging were significant, and school belonging predicted academic achievement indirectly through prosocial behavior; however, neither the total indirect effect of parent–adolescent relationships on academic achievement, nor its specific serial indirect effect through school belonging and prosocial behavior, reached statistical significance. The corresponding specific serial indirect effect for teacher–student relationships was statistically significant, although small in magnitude and not accompanied by a significant total indirect effect. Conclusions: These findings indicate that school belonging is more closely tied to socio-emotional processes than to academic achievement directly, and that the associations between relational contexts and academic achievement followed a differentiated rather than a uniform pattern: parent–adolescent relationships were linked to achievement primarily through a direct association, and their hypothesized distal indirect pathway to achievement via school belonging and prosocial behavior was not statistically supported. Teacher–student relationships, by contrast, showed no significant direct association with achievement, but the corresponding distal indirect pathway was statistically supported, although the effect was small and imprecisely estimated, underscoring the need for cautious interpretation of these relational mechanisms. Full article

Team sports are an important component of physical education (PE), and teachers’ instructional decisions shape students’ learning experiences and outcomes. This study examined associations between teacher age and didactic preferences in team sports pedagogy among 1856 Slovak PE teachers. A cross-sectional survey design was used, and participants were categorized into three age groups (≤30 years, 31–50 years, and ≥51 years). Associations between age and didactic preferences were analyzed using chi-square tests, adjusted standardized residuals, and ordinal and multinomial logistic regression models. Significant age-related differences were identified for didactic approach (χ²₍₄₎ = 14.67, p = 0.005, V = 0.063), teaching style (χ²(4) = 15.25, p = 0.004, V = 0.064) and methodological-organizational form (χ²(8) = 21.71, p = 0.006, V = 0.076), although effect sizes were small. Teachers aged ≤30 years had higher odds of preferring a technical rather than combined approach than teachers aged 31–50 years (OR = 1.958, 95% CI = 1.344–2.852, p < 0.001) and teachers aged ≥51 years (OR = 1.563, 95% CI = 1.019–2.399, p = 0.041). Teachers aged 31–50 years showed stronger preferences for practical rather than command teaching styles than both younger (OR = 1.455, p = 0.018) and older teachers (OR = 1.386, p = 0.023). Pearson’s chi-square test did not identify significant associations with teaching-unit duration (p = 0.052); however, ordinal logistic regression indicated significant overall age-group effects (p = 0.022). No significant age-related association was observed for preferred game activity (p > 0.05). The findings indicate that teacher age is associated with selected didactic preferences in team sports instruction. Although the observed associations were small, they may reflect variation in professional socialization and teaching experience and may have implications for PE teacher education and professional development. Full article

As educators are increasingly expected to integrate technology into meaningful learning experiences, higher education institutions face growing demands to prepare digitally competent STEM teachers. This study examines an interdisciplinary IoT-enhanced project-based training involving pre-service teachers from the Computer Education and Instructional Technology (CEIT) and Science Education programmes, focusing on pre–post changes in computational thinking, collaborative processes, project development experiences, and participants’ perceptions of how the training contributed to their professional development. The study involved 36 pre-service teachers from CEIT and Science Education programmes and employed an embedded mixed-methods design combining computational thinking assessments with qualitative analyses of project and collaboration processes. Results showed statistically significant pre–post increases in decomposition in both groups and in algorithmic thinking among Science Education pre-service teachers. The overall Computational Thinking Skills Test (CTS Test) score did not change significantly in the CEIT group, whereas the corresponding change in the Science Education group was interpreted cautiously because it was at the conventional significance threshold. No statistically significant changes were found in pattern recognition or abstraction in either group, and the subdimension findings were treated as exploratory given the small sample and the absence of correction for multiple testing. Furthermore, active participation in collaborative meetings was associated with stronger teamwork practices, while limited engagement was associated with reported implementation challenges. Because attendance was self-selected, these associations cannot be interpreted causally. Participants perceived their IoT learning experience as making a positive contribution to their professional development and future teaching practice. Taken together, the findings suggest that interdisciplinary IoT-supported project-based learning (PBL) may provide a promising framework for supporting selected dimensions of computational thinking and collaboration in pre-service teacher education, while also offering an accessible instructional model that supports participation among learners with different levels of prior technical expertise. Full article

The physical and multisensory conditions of classrooms influence students’ well-being, motivation, and learning, yet much of the available evidence comes from high-income contexts and from primary education, and it rarely evaluates integrated interventions in settings with fewer spatial and social resources. This study assessed the effect of a human-centered, multisensory architectural classroom intervention, developed through a participatory process with students and teachers, on students’ life satisfaction, school satisfaction, school motivation, and classroom satisfaction in a public school in Greater Concepción, Chile. A quasi-experimental repeated-measures design with three assessments (baseline, pre-intervention, and post-intervention) was used with students aged 12 to 14; the intervention was implemented in two classrooms of traditional typology (54.5 m² each) and analyzed as a single condition. The results showed significant improvements in classroom satisfaction and school motivation, whereas the more global dimensions, school satisfaction and life satisfaction, did not change. The effects followed a proximity gradient: they were largest for the dimension most directly linked to the modified space and attenuated toward the more distal dimensions. The findings indicate that classroom-scale interventions were associated with improvements in the school experience of adolescents. Moving toward a design that goes beyond the merely functional to incorporate the sensory dimension and elements that afford flexibility and choice within constrained spatial conditions constitutes a concrete pathway to improve that experience, particularly in resource-limited public schools. Full article

In early childhood education (ECE), eye-tracking research has primarily investigated in-service teachers’ visual gaze and reflective practices in pedagogical settings. However, little is known about how pre-service ECE teachers’ visual information-processing is oriented by their pedagogical goals, particularly in authentic play-based contexts. This paper addresses this gap by examining how pre-service ECE teachers adapt their professional vision during children’s play. The study involved two pre-service ECE teachers with work experience. The data consisted of video recordings and mobile eye-tracking data collected during authentic play situations involving children aged 3–5, participants’ written pedagogical plans, and cued retrospective recall interviews with mobile eye-tracking recordings as interview stimuli. Integrating these data sources enables a process-oriented analysis of professional vision by linking observable gaze patterns with participants’ retrospective accounts of what they attended to and why. The data demonstrate that professional vision is a goal-oriented process in which pre-set goals guide pre-service teachers’ gaze allocation, shaping their interpretations of children’s play in pedagogically relevant ways. The analyses also reveal instances of unaddressed pedagogical opportunities. These instances restrict teachers’ ability to reorient their attention in response to children’s initiatives. The study conceptualizes visual information-processing in play-based contexts as a dynamic relationship between pre-set pedagogical goals and ad hoc adaptation, thereby offering insights into emerging aspects of developing adaptive expertise. Full article

The present study examines teachers’ experiences of using a didactic model for teaching science content in the Extended Education setting of Swedish school-age educare (SAEC). The model was developed based on previous studies of what science education can entail in this context. Eight teachers from two SAECs participated in a mangling process. In this study, mangling refers to the iterative testing, accommodation, and refinement of a didactic model in practice. The process was carried out through workshops, focus group discussions, and teaching activities during the 2023/2024 academic year. The empirical material consisted of audio recordings from focus group discussions with the teachers, which were analysed thematically in relation to Pickering’s theory, the mangle of practice, and the concepts of what works, resistance, and accommodation. The results show themes related to what teachers experienced as supportive, what forms of resistance they encountered, and the accommodations they suggested to further develop the model. The findings contribute to knowledge about how the model functions and how it can be further developed. They also contribute to an understanding of how teachers’ contributions can play a central role in the mangling of didactic models. Full article

The transition from secondary school to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) higher education may be hindered when science is perceived as abstract or disconnected from everyday experience. This descriptive educational-practice report presents Beyond the Magic, a participatory science station implemented during the annual ConCiencia FACTA outreach event at the Faculty of Food Science and Technology, National University of Comahue, Argentina. Approximately 200 students aged 15–18 from eight regional secondary schools attended the event in October 2025. During approximately 45-min visits in groups of 10–15, students encountered eight short chemistry and physics experiences organized around prediction, observation, guided explanation, and discussion. Retrospective facilitator observations were organized into descriptive categories: predictions and alternative explanations, spontaneous questions, everyday-life connections, changes in willingness to participate, questions about university study and research, and participation by accompanying teachers. The facilitators perceived broader participation as each visit progressed. These observations were not counted, coded, independently assessed, or collected as contemporaneous transcripts, and no measures of learning, situational interest, STEM identity, or educational aspirations were administered. The contribution is therefore a replicable implementation design rather than evidence of educational effectiveness or changes in STEM pathways. Full article

The increasing deployment of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) within higher education has highlighted the need for systematic frameworks that support technology adoption among digitally diverse users. This study presents a human-centered evaluation framework for analyzing the adoption of VLEs by digital immigrant teachers within higher education systems. The framework was examined using qualitative evidence obtained from thirteen educators aged 50 years and above at a Philippine state university through Husserlian descriptive phenomenology and Colaizzi’s seven-step analytical approach. The analysis identified three interconnected framework dimensions—System Transition Challenges, Adaptive Configuration Strategies, and Technology-Enabled Instructional Opportunities—representing the progression from initial system adoption to sustained digital integration. Findings indicate that technical complexity, increased workload, and interaction constraints initially hinder effective VLE utilization. However, structured professional development, instructional redesign, and collaborative support functioned as key framework components that improved system usability, digital competence, and instructional performance. The proposed framework conceptualizes VLE adoption as a socio-technical process integrating user capabilities, institutional support mechanisms, and digital platform functionality. These findings contribute to the design of more resilient, user-centered, and scalable VLE implementation strategies for higher education information systems. Full article

Background: Tattooed teachers are increasingly visible in schools, yet the norms governing their professional acceptability remain poorly understood. This study tests whether pluralistic ignorance—private acceptance systematically exceeding the acceptance attributed to others—operates in attitudes toward tattooed teachers, and identifies individual-level predictors of this misperception. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 1226 individuals in Hungary across four groups: physical education (PE) teacher trainees, university students from other disciplines, secondary school students, and in-service teachers. Participants rated their own acceptance of tattooed PE and academic-subject teachers and the acceptance they attributed to other teachers and to parents, and reported tattoo status, gender, and professional background. Results: Own acceptance exceeded attributed acceptance in all four groups and for both reference targets, consistent with pluralistic ignorance; gaps were largest among secondary school students and smallest—though still positive—among in-service teachers. Personal tattoo experience was the strongest individual predictor of acceptance after group membership, and among teachers both age and experience were negatively associated with acceptance. Acceptance was predominantly conditional, structured by a visibility hierarchy in which arm placements were most acceptable and facial or neck placements least so. Conclusions: The apparent disapproval of tattooed teachers reflects collective misperception more than genuine consensus, suggesting that making actual peer attitudes visible could reduce conformity pressure and support more authentic professional self-expression. Full article

Socio-emotional skills are essential for teachers’ wellbeing, classroom functioning, and promotion of students’ social–emotional development. Digital game-based learning (DGBL) represents a promising approach to promote these competencies through engaging and experiential learning processes. Empathy Quest is a DGBL experience—aimed at fostering emotional intelligence—designed by a multidisciplinary group involving game design, educational psychology, media communication, and teaching expertise. An exploratory evaluation involved 83 teachers in training (74 female; mean age = 46.11 years). Our research questions inquired about teachers’ perceptions of Empathy Quest in terms of game enjoyment, user experience, motivation toward DGBL, and interest in emotional intelligence. After completing a gameplay session, participants filled in the individual interest questionnaire, situational motivation scale, intrinsic motivation inventory, user experience questionnaire, and ad hoc items. Descriptive analyses indicated high levels of motivation, enjoyment, and interest in emotional intelligence. Participants also reported positive user experiences in terms of attractiveness, novelty, and stimulation, alongside good ratings for dependability, perspicuity, and efficiency. Although the post-test-only design does not allow for causal conclusions, the findings suggest that Empathy Quest is a promising tool for engaging future teachers with emotional intelligence and may support the integration of socio-emotional learning into teacher education and professional development contexts. Full article

Growing concerns regarding children’s disconnection from nature have increased interest in nature-based pedagogies within Early Childhood Education (ECE). This study examined how participation in a Forest School pilot project influenced children’s learning environments, play, human–nature relationships, and science process skills in three ECE settings in Northern Spain. This longitudinal study combined quantitative and qualitative data collection methods to follow 106 children aged 2–5 years throughout a complete academic year of regular Forest School sessions integrated within mainstream schooling. Data collection combined systematic observation scales, semi-structured interviews, environmental attitude measures, and family questionnaires to examine learning environments, children’s play, social interactions, environmental attitudes and science process skills. The findings indicate that forest environments provided richer opportunities for exploratory play, science process skills, and interaction with unstructured materials than conventional playgrounds. Group symbolic play occurred more frequently in forest settings, while lower levels of conflict were observed. Children progressively developed more ecocentric environmental attitudes, empathy toward living beings, and relational forms of environmental care through repeated interaction with nearby ecosystems. Teachers reported that children demonstrated increasing science process skills—including observation, exploration, representation, and communication—through direct interaction with natural phenomena. The study suggests that regular nature-based learning may support the development of science process skills, environmental care, and holistic child development within mainstream ECE contexts. Full article

Teacher resilience (TR) is essential for teacher well-being, professional commitment, and educational quality. Although recognition, authority, and resilience have received considerable scholarly attention, limited research has examined how recognition and professional authority interact to support TR. Guided by Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this exploratory qualitative study investigated these dynamics through semi-structured interviews with 12 purposively selected teachers (≥3 years’ teaching experience), 12 purposively selected Primary 4–6 students (aged 10–13), and 12 purposively selected parents from selected urban public primary schools in Kigali, Rwanda. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings suggest that TR is a relational process shaped by interactions among recognition, authority, and supportive professional relationships. Recognition was perceived to foster teachers’ sense of relatedness through student success, parental trust, collaborative engagement, and collegial affirmation, while authority was associated with competence and autonomy through pedagogical expertise, fairness, and care. Based on these findings, the study proposes a preliminary SDT-informed interpretive framework in which recognition and authority function as interconnected relational resources that may support TR. By integrating recognition and authority into a single explanatory framework, this study contributes to TR scholarship and offers insights for strengthening teacher well-being and professional sustainability in resource-constrained and evolving educational contexts. Full article

This study used archival data from 30,453 students enrolled in 289 adult education programs in the state of Georgia, United States during the 2018–2019 school year. We explored how student-, teacher-, and classroom-level factors predict student attendance and academic performance (reading, language, and math) over time. Results indicated several student-level factors predict attendance and educational performance, including age, gender, race/ethnicity, previous educational attainment, low-income status, special needs status, reported barriers to education, and dual enrollment. Depending on the academic subject, age, race, previous education, special needs, and dual enrollment predicted academic growth over time. Teacher-level factors such as teacher experience predicted educational performance; classroom factors such as whether the course was an Integrated Education and Training (IET) class predicted attendance, and distance classes predicted attendance and performance. Certification predicted growth over time for language, and employment status and designation as a distance class predicted growth over time for math. These findings will help state officials improve the delivery of services to further enhance and improve student outcomes. Full article

Many children, particularly those with disabilities, do not meet the recommended amount of physical activity per day, which can increase the likelihood of poor health outcomes. Beyond the potential health benefits, physical activity breaks are associated with increased academic engagement and decreased stereotypy and off-task behavior. It is important to increase periods of physical activity in naturalistic settings like schools. The purpose of this article is to describe two pilot studies that examined the feasibility of integrating exergaming bike breaks into daily school routines for students with disabilities. Across the studies, data were collected on physical fitness, mood, classroom behavior, and acceptability. In Study 1, 13 students ages 9–13 with autism participated in exergaming biking for 15 min, 3 days per week for 6 weeks. No significant differences were observed between ride and non-ride days for teacher-reported behaviors; however, researcher-observed disruptive behaviors were significantly lower on ride days. In Study 2, six students with disabilities ages 9–17 who had a behavior intervention plan participated in biking for 5 days per week for 10 weeks. There was a significant increase in the percentage of time students were on-task and a decrease in time students were reported to be disruptive based on teacher behavior reports. Physical fitness remained low following intervention. Overall, exergaming biking was an acceptable and engaging form of physical activity that can be integrated into students’ daily routines. Use of the bikes was associated with some improvement in classroom behavior. We discuss implications for practice and recommendations for future research. Full article