Search Results (823)

In recent years, Ireland has engaged in intensive curriculum change and redevelopment. A key principle of this process has been a concern to maintain pedagogical continuity in the way children experience the curriculum in transitioning from early childhood education to primary school. This concern was prompted by research indicating that a pedagogy of play was becoming less of a feature of curriculum enactment for children in primary school. Prior to examining the current position regarding a pedagogy of play across early childhood and primary curriculum frameworks in Ireland, this paper provides an overview of the broader policy directions of the early childhood and primary school systems. Barriers that have been identified in enacting a pedagogy of play at the system, setting/school, teacher and child levels in preschool and primary school will be considered, and enablers are suggested to support the effective enactment of curriculum experiences that include an understanding of the pivotal role of learning through play for all children. Full article

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has become a central priority in international education policy, increasing expectations for teacher education systems to prepare future teachers for sustainability challenges. This study examines how sustainability, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and higher-order cognitive expectations are embedded within teacher education policy frameworks in Hungary, Finland, and Poland. Using qualitative document analysis supported by MAXQDA, national policy documents, teacher education regulations, and programme frameworks were systematically analysed. Sustainable Development Goals were used to examine policy content, while Bloom’s Taxonomy provided a framework for investigating cognitive expectations in teacher education requirements. The findings reveal substantial cross-national differences in how sustainability is conceptualised and operationalised within teacher education. Finland demonstrates the most comprehensive and transversal integration, whereas Hungary primarily adopts a disciplinary approach and Poland places greater emphasis on digitalisation and innovation. In the Hungarian teacher education qualification requirements, lower- and intermediate-level cognitive processes are more frequently represented than higher-order processes, while the Finnish and Polish frameworks also contain explicit expectations related to higher-order thinking. Beyond comparing national frameworks, the study demonstrates how qualitative policy document analysis combined with SDG mapping and Bloom’s Taxonomy reveals pedagogical priorities within teacher education systems. The findings suggest that national policy frameworks may shape how sustainability competences and cognitive expectations are represented within teacher education requirements, offering policy-level implications for sustainability-oriented teacher education. Full article

Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) can provide adaptive explanations, practice, feedback, and learner modelling at a scale that conventional one-to-one tutoring cannot readily achieve. Yet learning gains alone do not establish that an ITS is sustainable or beneficial to social well-being. This critical review integrates evidence on ITS effectiveness with research and policy guidance concerning learner agency, psychological well-being, inclusion, accessibility, data governance, algorithmic fairness, teacher roles, institutional capacity, and environmental responsibility. The review identifies a persistent evaluation gap: many studies privilege short-term achievement while under-measuring distributional effects, autonomy, emotional safety, teacher workload, lifecycle cost, and computational impact. To address this gap, the paper proposes the Human-Centered Sustainable Intelligent Tutoring Systems (H-SITS) framework as a conceptual and integrative framework for organizing candidate dimensions of sustainable tutoring and guiding future empirical validation. The framework organizes seven interdependent dimensions: pedagogical effectiveness; learner agency and well-being; inclusion and accessibility; trust, privacy, and fairness; teacher augmentation; institutional and economic viability; and environmental responsibility. It also presents a staged implementation roadmap and a research agenda emphasizing longitudinal, participatory, and equity-sensitive evaluation. The central conclusion is that sustainable tutoring is not a property of an algorithm alone. It is an outcome of socio-technical design, governance, and continuous evidence-based adaptation that keeps human flourishing, educational justice, and public value as primary objectives. Full article

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is increasingly recognised as an evidence-based framework for promoting inclusive education through flexible curriculum design. In 2015, Ghana adopted UDL in its inclusive education policy to address the diverse educational needs of all children. However, existing research has not developed instruments to assess teacher educators’ incorporation of UDL-aligned practices in preservice teacher preparation, particularly true in low- and middle-income countries. In this study, we developed and explored the factor structure of the UDL Incorporation Scale (UDL-IS) and examined teacher educators’ self-reported incorporation of UDL-aligned practices in their preparation of preservice teachers in Ghanaian colleges of education for future teaching. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 156 teacher educators from three public colleges of education in Ghana. The 36-item UDL-IS, which was developed using the Centre for Applied Special Technology (CAST) UDL Guidelines, was derived from considerations/checkpoints across the three core UDL principles of representation, engagement, and action and expression. We used descriptive statistics to summarise the data, reliability analysis to assess internal consistency, and exploratory factor analysis to examine the scale’s factor structure. The exploratory factor analysis provided preliminary evidence of a multidimensional structure comprising three empirically derived and conceptually interconnected dimensions: Engagement, Relevance and Meaningful Learning; Action, Expression and Strategic Learner Support; and Reflective and Socially Responsive Learning. These dimensions drew on practices across the original CAST principles rather than reproducing the theoretical three-domain structure. The three empirical dimensions demonstrated acceptable to excellent internal consistency. Among the 132 participants with complete data across the 35 retained items, teacher educators generally reported high incorporation of UDL-aligned practices. Reflective and Socially Responsive Learning recorded the highest mean, followed by Action, Expression, and Strategic Learner Support, while Engagement, Relevance, and Meaningful Learning recorded the lowest mean. Regression analyses showed distinct associations between selected demographic and professional characteristics and reported UDL incorporation across the empirical dimensions; however, most models were not statistically significant, and individual coefficients were therefore interpreted with caution. This study provides preliminary psychometric evidence for the UDL-IS as a measure of teacher educators’ reported incorporation of UDL-aligned practices in preservice teacher preparation and suggests that these practices may be organised around interconnected pedagogical dimensions within the Ghanaian teacher education context. Further research using larger, independent samples is needed to examine the factor structure through confirmatory factor analysis and provide additional evidence of the scale’s psychometric properties. Full article

Education plays a fundamental role in promoting sustainability by equipping learners with the knowledge, skills, and values required to address complex environmental, social, and economic challenges. In this context, STEM education has emerged as a powerful framework for fostering interdisciplinary thinking, problem-solving, and innovation aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. This review examines recent advances in the integration of sustainability into STEM education across different educational levels, from primary education to higher education. Particular attention is given to current pedagogical approaches, interdisciplinary learning, teacher training, emerging digital technologies, and institutional strategies that facilitate the incorporation of sustainability into STEM curricula. To complement the qualitative discussion, a descriptive publication analysis is presented to identify research trends, major thematic areas, and emerging directions in the field. Furthermore, a conceptual framework is proposed to organize the relationships among educational context, resources, pedagogical processes, learning outcomes, and societal impact. Overall, this review highlights the opportunities and remaining challenges for developing sustainability-oriented STEM education and provides recommendations for future research, curriculum development, and educational policy. Full article

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into pre-university education has emerged as a priority area for educational research and development, prompting renewed attention to teacher preparation, curriculum design, and digital literacy. Motivated by Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) and the principles of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), this study presents a systematic literature review (SLR) examining research trends in AI education within pre-university educational settings. Following PRISMA guidelines, the review analysed 42 studies published spanning the period from 2009 to May 2026, although most were published from 2019 onwards. The findings identify four major thematic areas: teacher education, curriculum development and pedagogical foundations, AI literacy and ethical competencies, and the educational implications of generative AI. The evidence indicates that effective AI integration depends on teacher preparedness, structured curricular frameworks, and critical and ethical approaches that promote responsible digital citizenship and inclusive educational practices. The review also highlights the need to strengthen institutional policies, regulatory frameworks, and professional development. Research gaps include the scarcity of longitudinal studies, limited classroom-based empirical evidence, and the lack of standardised instruments for assessing AI literacy. Overall, the findings may inform inclusive, interdisciplinary, and pedagogically grounded educational models that enable the critical and responsible integration of AI, aligned with the development of equitable, resilient, and sustainable educational systems. Full article

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is being absorbed into education as a new infrastructural layer, promising individualized tutoring, instant feedback, translation, and accessibility support at marginal cost. Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) calls for inclusive and equitable quality education for all, yet the evidence on whether GenAI advances or undermines that goal points firmly in both directions at once. At the task level, GenAI and intelligent tutoring systems repeatedly compress performance distributions, with the largest gains accruing to lower-skilled and lower-baseline participants. At the system level, a parallel literature on access, AI literacy, language, disability, teacher capacity, and over-reliance finds that benefits are conditioned by resources that track prior advantage. These two literatures are usually read as being in tension, and the tension is usually resolved by privileging one of them. This article argues that both are correct and that the appearance of contradiction is an artifact of conflating distinct stages of a single pathway. We develop the divide cascade: a four-stage filter model—access, effective use, benefit realization, and durable learning—in which each stage has a pass rate that correlates with prior advantage. Because pass rates compound multiplicatively across stages while compression acts additively within a stage, a technology can compress outcomes among those who clear every filter and still stratify outcomes across the population as a whole. We formalize this structure, derive the condition under which the stratifying force dominates the equalizing one, and state three predictions that distinguish the cascade from an access-centred account: that access-only interventions should attenuate rather than close benefit gaps, that a single intervention can narrow one gap while widening another simultaneously, and that measured equity gains should decay as the evaluation horizon lengthens. We also specify what would falsify the model. The framework is then used to identify the conditions that set the sign of GenAI’s distributional effect, to map those conditions onto SDG 4 targets, and to derive a testable research and policy agenda. A recurring corollary is methodological: the strongest evidence for compression comes from workplace-productivity studies that measure produced artifacts rather than durable learning, so its transfer to education is an open question that the cascade locates precisely rather than assumes. GenAI, we conclude, is neither inherently an equalizer nor an amplifier; it is a multiplier whose sign is set by how completely the cascade is engineered for the learners who start behind. Full article

This study examined teacher-, school-, and student-level factors associated with classroom learning outcomes among junior high school students with special educational needs in inclusive education settings. Data were drawn from the 2012 wave of the Special Needs Education Longitudinal Study (SNELS), part of a nationwide longitudinal research project in Taiwan. The analytic sample comprised 1479 students across multiple disability categories, with learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, and physical disabilities among the largest groups represented. SNELS was selected because it provides large-scale data on students with special educational needs and their educational experiences, allowing factors across multiple ecological levels to be examined within a common analytical framework. Pearson correlation analysis and hierarchical multiple regression were conducted to examine associations among the study variables and incremental changes in explained variance. Peer relationships and disability-related impact showed relatively large bivariate associations with classroom learning outcomes, while teacher attitudes toward inclusive education, resource teacher support, and teacher collaboration were also associated with classroom learning outcomes. The full hierarchical regression model accounted for 21.6% of the variance in classroom learning outcomes. These findings highlight the value of considering factors across multiple ecological levels when examining classroom learning outcomes in inclusive education. By integrating teacher-, school-, and student-level factors using a nationwide dataset, this study provides historical baseline evidence regarding inclusive education in Taiwan prior to subsequent policy developments and offers an empirical reference point for future research examining changes in inclusive educational practices and support systems over time. Full article

The rapid emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools has significantly transformed academic writing practices in higher education. While AI technologies offer potential support for language learners, they also raise concerns regarding academic integrity and the erosion of students’ critical thinking, particularly in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classrooms where writing development and independent reasoning are core learning outcomes. This study explores Saudi TESOL teachers’ strategies for balancing AI use with academic integrity and critical thinking in Saudi higher education. Using a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 EAP instructors at four Saudi universities. Data were analysed thematically to identify and interpret patterns of AI use and academic integrity challenges across participants’ responses. A tripartite framework integrating sociotechnical systems theory, academic integrity scholarship, and critical thinking pedagogy provides a theoretical lens for understanding teacher-mediated AI integration in TESOL contexts. Thematic findings revealed that teachers hold an optimistic yet cautious view of AI highlighting the critical role of guidance and reflection in AI-mediated environments. They employ an emergent, four-dimensional Connect–Guide–Reflect–Assess (CGRA) pedagogical framework to manage the tension between AI and integrity in language classrooms. They demand a shared responsibility between teachers and institutions through clear and consistent AI policies for curriculum, assessment and faculty professional development. This study contributes empirical, practitioner-generated evidence of how TESOL teachers in the Saudi context navigate AI in EAP classrooms. Grounded in participants’ accounts, the proposed CGRA framework offers language educators, curriculum designers, and institutional policymakers a replicable approach for navigating the AI era. Full article

Australian rural education policy has undergone sustained reform, yet persistent gaps in teacher retention and outcomes suggest a fundamental misalignment between policy frameworks and rural realities. This paper argues that the misalignment is not a failure of implementation but of epistemology, and that it undermines policy’s claim to authority, that is, its claim to know what it governs. Tracing the policy trajectory across a decade of national teacher education reform, it shows how the “classroom ready” construct, built from metropolitan evidence, cannot recognize rural knowledge. Drawing on Fricker’s framework of epistemic injustice and its development by Medina, Dotson and Pohlhaus, it diagnoses two mechanisms of what it terms place-based epistemic exclusion. The first is testimonial injustice: rural practitioners’ deep contextual knowledge of what enables teachers to thrive is discounted when policy is formed. The second is hermeneutical injustice: the lived experience of marginalised rural students is barely represented in the research base, a scarcity that marks it as unrecorded rather than unheard. As a conceptual synthesis of three completed studies, the paper identifies a patterned gap in the evidence base rather than a causal relationship between that gap and rural educational outcomes. It proposes principles for an epistemically equitable approach within a federated policy system, arguing that epistemic equity is the condition under which policy’s evidentiary claim could be made good. Full article

Globalization has led to the widespread adoption of dominant Western understandings of creativity in music education curricula and educational policies worldwide. These Western understandings often emphasize particular markers of musical creativity, taking for granted the need for exploration, improvisation, creation, originality, and individual expression. However, a growing body of research in certain East and Southeast Asian educational settings reveals persistent mismatches between these imported understandings and local classroom realities. In this conceptual paper, we claim that musical creativity, as conceptualized by Western scholars, should not necessarily be the core of music teaching and learning practices in Asian classrooms. To make this case, we synthesize findings from empirical studies conducted in these Asian contexts, focusing on teachers’ practices, stakeholders’ beliefs, and scholarly discourses on musical creativity. We argue that music educators in Asia should not evaluate their practices against imported Western understandings of musical creativity. Instead, we advocate for a reorientation toward developing culturally meaningful and contextually appropriate musical practices. We propose that the concept of musical creativity does not need to be abandoned, but if used, it should be decentered and locally defined. In conclusion, we call for a glocalized approach to musical creativity that is globally aware of dominant Western ideas, but prioritizes locally situated musical practices. Full article

This article presents a systematic review of recent literature on classroom pedagogy adopted in early and primary education to address linguistic diversity in early childhood and primary education. The study aims to answer the research question: ‘What does the literature say about current pedagogical practices and trends in addressing multilingualism in early and primary education?’ The review synthesizes evidence from a period of five years (2019–2024), utilising keywords such as “multilingualism,” “classroom pedagogy,” and “early and primary education.” From an initial screening of 806 studies, a total of 46 studies focusing on pedagogical practices in early childhood and primary education were included in this review. Findings highlight a shift towards multilingual pedagogies that recognise and build on learners’ linguistic and cultural strengths, particularly through translanguaging, multilingual and multimodal scaffolding, culturally responsive teaching, and practices that promote student agency, identity, and well-being. Emerging trends emphasise flexible use of learners’ full linguistic repertoires, digital and multimodal learning, and more formative and inclusive approaches to assessment, while highlighting the need for sustained teacher professional development and systemic changes to curriculum, assessment, and language policy to move beyond persistent monolingual norms. These findings have practical and policy implications, highlighting the need to strengthen teacher professional learning and develop curriculum, assessment, and language policies that embed multilingualism as a resource for learning. This synthesis contributes to a deeper understanding of how educational systems can adapt to and embrace linguistic diversity, ultimately improving educational outcomes for early and primary school-aged learners. Full article

This exploratory descriptive-correlational study analyses the perceptions of 257 adult students (doctoral, master’s, and teachers) at DPPD, USV Iași, during the 2025–2026 academic year regarding hybrid education, teaching quality, and environmental sustainability. Using a structured Likert-scale questionnaire, the analysis indicates good-to-excellent internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha values ranging between 0.886 and 0.901, and a high overall global average score of 4.64. The findings reveal strong support for the hybrid model. Perceived teaching quality received the highest subscale rating (M = 4.80), closely followed by the perceived ecological impact (M = 4.65). The analysis indicates strong Pearson correlations, specifically between the hybrid learning experience and perceived teaching quality (r = 0.818), as well as between the perceived ecological impact and pro-sustainability attitudes (r = 0.809). Regarding academic mobility, the estimate indicates 81,283 km of avoided commuting travel and approximately 12,295 kg of avoided commuting-related CO₂ emissions, based on self-reported distance, means of transport, and number of physical attendances replaced by online activities. These findings suggest that hybrid learning may represent a relevant managerial option for university sustainability policies. The model appears well suited to postgraduate programmes addressed to employed adults, although the ecological benefits should be read as partial and do not displace perceived teaching quality as the central factor. Full article

This paper examines the emergence of generative Artificial Intelligence and its increasing integration into educational processes, highlighting the significant impact this transformation has had on teaching practices. The rapid spread of these technologies has contributed to a reconfiguration of teaching and learning methods. It has also highlighted the need for teachers to develop specific digital skills, particularly regarding the critical, ethical and pedagogical use of Artificial Intelligence. Reflecting this concern regarding teacher training for emerging areas in the educational environment, such as Artificial Intelligence, this paper presents the results of a study conducted in Portugal and Brazil based on the Pedagogical DigCompEdu Reloaded framework, specifically regarding digital competences related to Artificial Intelligence, as present in each of the four areas of the pedagogical dimension considered in that framework. The results obtained highlight significant training gaps and critical areas for intervention, clearly indicating that teachers’ proficiency levels in pedagogical competences associated with Artificial Intelligence are generally low. These findings are particularly relevant for educational sustainability, as insufficient AI-related competences may limit teachers’ ability to create inclusive, resilient, and equitable digital learning environments. Although Portugal and Brazil have different educational frameworks and policies, the findings reveal very similar patterns. This suggests the existence of common constraints. These findings reinforce the need for educational policies and training strategies geared towards the critical and pedagogical integration of Artificial Intelligence into education systems. The findings also suggest that strengthening teachers’ AI-related competences is a necessary condition for fostering more inclusive and sustainable educational ecosystems, capable of supporting the ethical and pedagogical integration of Artificial Intelligence while mitigating emerging forms of digital inequality. Full article

The Cambodian Ministry of Education Youth, and Sport (MoEYS) has, over time, made noticeable progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG-4) to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. However, the pace and extent of that progress remain uneven, particularly in the area of teacher training, which is central to achieving inclusive and quality education. Utilising a document analysis framework, this study draws upon national policy reform documents including the Teacher Policy Action Plan to examine the extent to which the MoEYS’s policy commitments to professionalise the teaching workforce are meeting SDG-4.c goals. Changes to pre-service programmes including the 12 + 4 programme, investments in teacher training centres, and continuous professional development (CPD) frameworks have strengthened the system. Yet, significant challenges persist. Limited access to effective CPD, high student/teacher ratios, teacher shortages, especially in rural locations, and resource constraints continue to undermine the consistency and quality of instructional practice. A contention of this paper is that for Cambodia to fulfil its SDG-4.c target relating to teacher preparedness, progress is contingent upon sustained investment, targeted support for rural and remote regions, and stronger implementation capacity to ensure all learners benefit from well-trained and effectively supported educators. Full article