Learning Community Research Articles

Outcomes of Community-Friendly Schools in Hong Kong

Amid growing competition and evolving demands, schools must rethink their roles in addressing the needs of various stakeholders. Community-friendly schools in Hong Kong, which integrate community resources to help students understand and contribute to social issues, not only facilitate students’ engagement in learning activities and their learning attitudes but also positively impact students’ willingness to serve the community and the school’s reputation. This research adopted both qualitative and quantitative methods, utilizing questionnaires and interviews as data-gathering instruments. The sample included students, teachers, and community stakeholders for the questionnaires, while interviews were conducted with a smaller group, consisting of participants from each of these groups. The performance of these schools was assessed in terms of their impact on students' understanding of the community, willingness to serve, and school reputation. These aspects were evaluated through three tiers of community-friendly schools: community learning activities, activities in cooperation with community organizations, and community services organized by the school. The data analysis employed descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, and linear regression models to highlight the significant impacts of these institutions. Key findings revealed that community-friendly schools significantly boosted student engagement in community activities, deepening their understanding of social issues and fostering a stronger sense of civic responsibility. Students' involvement in these programs was strongly linked to a deeper understanding of the community and a greater willingness to serve. These initiatives also positively impacted the school's reputation, as stakeholders perceived these schools as fostering meaningful community connections and shared responsibility.

Beyond Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Supporting Young Men of Color

In the second NASIG Conference Vision session, Amy Phillips examined the shortcomings of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts taken up by libraries. Despite all these shortcomings for DEI initiatives, she highlighted library initiatives that promote DEI in libraries. Speaker Anthony Davis Jr. detailed his involvement with the establishment of the Men’s Success Initiative Center (MSI) at California State University. He outlined the history of the center, how he became involved and the help he received from the library’s technical services—also known as Collections and Scholarly Communications (C&SC) department—to set up a library in the Men’s Success Initiative Center.

Between Policies and Practices: a Quantitative Analysis of Teacher Training in Private Higher Education in São Paulo

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate, analyze and discuss the aspects, paths and perspectives that permeate teacher training in Higher Education at a private university in São Paulo. Theoretical Framework: This research is based on theories and discussions in the areas of the history and philosophy of education, teaching and learning, teacher training, curriculum theories, active methodologies, reflective and researching teachers, and French discourse analysis. Method: This research will have a mixed approach, i.e. it will be quantitative and qualitative at the same time. It will make use of quantitative processes that require logistical and numerical proof, when we tabulate the answers to the questionnaires answered by the teachers. It will also use qualitative processes when analyzing the responses from the focus group conducted as data collection in this study. Results and Discussion: This study will investigate teacher training by collecting information from the teachers themselves who work in private higher education. Therefore, the main objective of this work is to understand how the training of these educators has been carried out in order to propose new paths and strategies to enrich teaching work. Research implications: One of the possible outcomes of this research will be a proposal for teacher training based on learning communities, in which there is space for discussion, creation and reflection on teaching and learning environments in higher education. Spaces for teachers to exchange and share information. U1, the university that is part of this study, already creates moments of reflection for the institution's teachers, as we will see in the course of this article. Originality/Value: The discussion about the training of higher education teachers at private universities in Brazil does not have many studies investigating the pedagogical work of these professionals, so this study seeks to understand the pedagogical work and training of these specific educators.

Navigating the First Years: Newly Qualified Teachers’ Experiences with Professional Learning Communities

AbstractDrawing on a mixed-methods evaluation of the New Teacher Induction Programme of the South African Department of Basic Education, this paper examines the role of Professional Learning Communities in enabling the transition of newly qualified teachers (NQTs) into their professional roles in schools. The article focuses on one of the four components of the induction programme, namely, the participation of NQTs in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and examines the experiences of newly qualified teachers as members of their respective professional learning communities. It begins by examining the range of typical early career challenges and, thereafter, shows how the social capital fostered through their collaboration in communities enables to overcome a range of challenges they face. As the results of the study show, PLCs provide safe spaces where new teachers experiment, share experiences and engage in collective reflection and problem-solving. The new teachers reported a range of professional and personal benefits, including their professional growth, expanded peer networks, and a stronger sense of belonging. Moreover, their responses show how their participation in PLCs contributes to developing their self- and collective efficacy, increasing their resilience, and enabling their transition into the teaching profession. As a participatory action research study, the paper shows the dual benefits of the PLCs – both in supporting the personal and professional development of novice teachers and in informing the development of broader educational policy. The results of the study led to the expansion of the New Teacher Induction Programme and the national adoption of PLCs – illustrating how teacher experiences can inform policy in bringing about meaningful change.

Mining teacher informal online learning networks: Community commitment in unstructured learning environments

AbstractBackgroundSocial media provides new opportunities for teachers to learn, communicate and develop professional relationships. It has been proved to be a valid and helpful resource for teachers' professional learning purposes.ObjectivesWhile previous studies pursued questions like how participants feel, how to support interaction and why participants remain committed, we asked a more fundamental question: what is the structure of a massive informal online professional learning network and what dynamics can we expect regarding participants' commitment?MethodsThis work presents an empirical study of massive informal online professional networks to investigate the dynamics of learning communities and participants' commitment over time. We employed social network analysis and data mining techniques on a longitudinal data set of more than 400,000 tweets published with the hashtag “#edchat.”Results and ConclusionsWe found that around 30% of participants remained committed to the informal learning community over time. Meanwhile, as more and more people committed to the online learning community, participants tended to form smaller communities where the internal connection was stronger.TakeawaysIn informal online learning environments, participants can form stable connections. The 30% threshold can be used to measure massive informal online learning networks in terms of commitment or persistence.

Instilling pedagogy through the Shepherding process

Research on sessional teachers in legal education is underrepresented in the literature (Blackham, 2020). In law schools, sessional teachers are employed to develop and deliver bespoke intensive-based subjects at postgraduate level and are often classifiable as ‘outside industry experts’ (OIEs); this cohort has been described as atypical of sessional academics across the sector in many ways (Cowley, 2010). This poster presentation seeks to add to this area of knowledge, by presenting something of an auto-ethnographic snapshot of a ‘shepherding process’, implemented at MLS, from Educational Designers’ point of view. ‘Shepherding’ is a collaborative initiative for new subjects proposed to be taught at the MLS, enhancing curriculum design outcomes and pedagogical capabilities of new subject coordinators (most of whom lack formal training in teaching), as well as facilitating connection to the wider teaching and learning community and support services. When a new subject is proposed, would-be lecturers are usually not yet employed by the school. Having pitched an idea for a subject with the school, they work with an Educational Designer to refine a new subject proposal to be reviewed by a curriculum committee. As such, the shepherding process and the final deliverable of the new subject proposal form also forms part of the candidature process for prospective subject coordinators. Grounded in co-design principles, shepherding facilitates the integration of instructional design theories, particularly constructive alignment and backwards design, into the subject development workflow from the outset. The educational designer’s role is central to shepherding and begins with the collaborative formulation of subject intended learning outcomes (SILOs), development of an assessment regime and comprehensive subject mapping, with the aim to establish constructive alignment. Additionally, the shepherding process includes guidance on designing course content within the LMS, providing a structured and accessible online environment for students. In helping guide a new subject through to acceptance and by being a singular point of contact with new lecturers, the educational designer forms an ongoing relationship which can also help with ensuing curriculum development. Hitch et al. (2017) and Hattam et al. (2024) have both argued that sustainable and targeted professional development of sessional staff is a critical factor for increasing engagement and feelings of connection with their institution and to their roles, and that where this is lacking the consistency and quality of student educational experience can be undermined. Cowley (2010) argues for the creation of school-level programs of support for law schools, specifically aimed at OIEs, in lieu of one-size-fits-all programs at the institutional level. Because of the nature of the OIE cohort and subject delivery timelines, there is a limited window of opportunity to work towards ‘acculturating casual staff to the new student-focused learning agendas’ (Kift, 2003 cited in Cowley, 2010), towards improving student learning outcomes. By providing targeted support for OIE teaching staff, the shepherding process has represented a significant advance in MLS’s instructional design and curriculum development process, enhancing the alignment, consistency and quality of subject design. By aligning teaching practices with established instructional design theories, the process enhances the educational experience for both instructors and students.

Finally, a Researcher Development and Education Skills Framework for an Open University

While there is an ongoing advocacy for transformative higher education through a collaborative research culture in a national university system (Almores, 2024; Cubillan, 2024), there lacks an explicit and unified framework for researcher development of valuable skills and competencies to inform its typology of research training, supervision and mentoring (Villanueva, 2024). We propose a researcher development and education framework to benefit open and distance elearning programs, or ODeL programs situated in the national university’s Open University constituent unit with a wide reach of students locally and in Southeast Asia (Alfonso, 2019). The framework is a by-product of our sustained intellectual and intertextual networking, engagements with an international network of researchers in doctoral education and consultations with teacher-researchers and other stakeholders in an open university. The framework is underpinned by the identity-trajectory theory, self-determination theory and the community of inquiry for learning community building in harnessing positive research student experiences (Villanueva & Eacersall, 2024). Key areas of the framework are namely, research as a personal and scholarly practice, a reflective practice, a collaborative practice and a technology-enabled practice. Surrounding these key areas are shared values of: (i) excellence, rigor and creativity; (ii) agency and wellbeing; (iii) sense of community, social responsibility and service to others; and, (iv) integrity, agency and future-ready. Further validation of the framework was conducted through focused group discussions across three faculties of study. Collaborative reflections among faculty members and research students were undertaken to further define specific research competencies as well as mindsets. A natural outcome was the conceptualization of three courses pilot-test the application of the framework in varied learning spaces for a range of learners within the Open University unit. MyPORTAL Course 1 is a formal course for graduate-level students crafting their personalized learning plans for selected research-related outputs while ASCEND Course 2 is non-formal short course for professional research staff and students to navigate their academic writing and research with the use of Generative AIs. WORKSPACE Course 3 is a self-paced micro-course as an opportunity for faculty members to spend dedicated sensemaking on current practices in mentoring and research supervision. These courses are meant to operationalize intentional learning alliance and community building to harness researcher identity development and sense of agency among research students in ODeL programs. Further research is recommended in launching these courses and towards the creation of graduate research support teams with researcher development specialists and volunteer research trainers and learning designers. The teams are meant to go beyond administerial functions to ensure exemplary pedagogy and practices, benefiting both research supervisors and their students. The study all the more highlights the Open University’s unique identity as a progressive driver of innovation and within a dominant residential-based university system’s seeking to translate the transformative education rhetoric into actual practice at the program and course levels. Finally, we lay our claim of an ODeL research culture that is truly open, collaborative and future-ready.

Strengthening social presence and connectedness in 100% online courses through CONNECT

Over recent years, higher education has seen a significant shift toward online courses. Factors driving this change include digital technology ubiquity, diverse student populations, workforce demands, and the increasing need for more flexible learning environments (Serrano et al., 2019). However, while online course enrolments are rising faster than on-campus courses, retention rates remain lower (Australian Government, 2021). Evidence suggests that online education can negatively impact students’ sense of connection, leading to feelings of isolation and disempowerment (Roddy et al., 2017). This is also reflected in the Australian University Mental Health framework (Orygen, 2020) which emphasises creating supportive online learning environments that promote student well-being. The Australian Universities Accord (Australian Government, 2024) calls for universities to embrace TEL. However, given that research has shown the need for more professional development (PD) and support for online educators (Ahern and Biedermann, 2022; 2023), innovative, evidence-based strategies are needed for organisations to build capacity in online teaching. Drawing on a comprehensive review of literature, the authors developed CONNECT: a framework to enhance social presence and connectedness in online learning (Ahern et al., 2024). Grounded in research underpinned by Garrison et al.’s (2000) Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, the principles of Universal Design for Learning (CAST, 2018) and leveraging TEL, this framework offers educators a roadmap for nurturing a sense of community that positively influences student well-being, engagement, and overall success. Key components of the CONNECT framework are: C - Communication is responsive and supportive O - Optimal online presence N - Nurture educational and professional growth N - Networking opportunities fostered E - Engaging communities of learning C - Contemporary and authentic content T - Timely and effective feedback for learning (Ahern et al., 2024). The study follows a quasi-experimental design to evaluate the effectiveness of CONNECT in guiding teaching staff to use evidence-based strategies to promote belonging and connectedness in online education. In phase one, CONNECT was implemented within a 100% online postgraduate (PG) subject. This presentation will showcase online teaching strategies used to apply all elements of CONNECT as implemented in phase one. Phase two, also showcased, involved creating and releasing an online short course as professional development for teaching staff across two PG online courses at the authors’ university: Master of Nursing (MN) and Graduate Certificate of Diabetes Education (GCDE). After these implementation phases, the third phase will measure the effectiveness of CONNECT across the two PG courses. Data will be collected via (i) a student survey and (ii) a staff survey. Data analysis will compare the experimental group (participants enrolled or teaching in MN or GCDE) against the control group (participants not enrolled or teaching in MN or GCDE). Data will be collected from students and teachers across Australian universities offering 100% online courses. We hypothesise that by implementing CONNECT, the study will (1) Show improved student satisfaction in the experimental group and (2) Add to the body of evidence to inform and support teaching staff to develop strategies that can help build connectedness and social presence in online learning.

Institutional quality configuration for encouraging private capital participation in PPP projects: evidence from 36 belt and road countries

PurposeThis study aims to explore how institutional quality impacts private capital participation in large-scale infrastructure development, particularly in public–private partnership (PPP) projects, aiming to enhance incentives for private sector involvement.Design/methodology/approachBuilding on new institutional theory, a triangular theoretical framework was constructed to analyze the high participation of private capital in PPP projects, focusing on seven key institutional factors. Data from 1,319 PPP projects across 36 Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries from 2015 to 2020 were then analyzed using a combination of necessary condition analysis (NCA) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to evaluate the combined impact and interactions of these factors.FindingsResults indicate that high private capital participation does not hinge on a single institutional quality factor but results from the synergistic influence of multiple factors. The paths leading to high private capital participation can be categorized as regulatory-led, normative-cognitive synergistic, regulatory-normative synergistic and institutional failure-led. Among these, regulatory quality plays a central role in the regulatory-led; the synergy between political stability and voice and accountability is pivotal in the normative-cognitive synergistic, and the rule of law, in combination with voice and accountability, is essential to the regulatory-normative synergistic.Originality/valueThis research systematically examines the multidimensional impact of institutional quality, revealing how different institutional factors interact to influence private capital’s willingness to participate and behavior. It enriches applied research in institutional economics within PPP projects and provides a new theoretical perspective and methodological framework to the scholarly community.

What makes this online course tick?

The Community of Inquiry (CoI) (Garrison, Anderson & Archer, 1999; 2010) is well-established, widely accepted, and practical framework. It highlights social, cognitive and teaching presences in effective online learning communities. 23 Things International (23T) is an online, flexible course for research students and early career researchers. The course is self-directed and promotes the building of academic and research networks, familiarity with resources underpinning research, and establishing professional profiles. It was first implemented in 2020 and has been refined annually to better meet needs of participants. One of the features of the programme is the ‘pod group’ arrangement. Participants are connected to each other in groups (the pods) based on research interests. The size of the pods is kept to about ten, so to facilitate manageable and meaningful communication and discussion of topics within the programme. Each year, 23T participants have reported pleasing satisfaction levels. Using the CoI, this investigation examined possible reasons why. The study aimed to: (a) identify practices and structural mechanisms that seem to underpin the experienced success of 23T; and (b) articulate plans for more targeted evaluation-review-development. Data sources included: annual reports (2020-2023) on the course containing integrated analyses of participant evaluation data; the outline and structure of 23T, showing the fabric of the course, how it is organised and arranged and how it implemented; facilitators’ knowledge and experiences of conducting 23T. Data were organised using a simple matching process (Garrison et al, 1999). CoI elements were matched with practice examples from implementation, and evidence from the data. Positives, negatives, possibilities and conclusions were drawn about gaps and potential. Examples of evidence drawn the from the data sources about the 23T programme include: Teaching Presence: including the use of prompts built into the material presented online and the facilitators’ spoken and written interactions with participants through live activities and through blogs (boosting authentic participant application of their learning); Social Presence: pod groups and how they were arranged and supported; Cognitive Presence: range of topics covered and the participant activity surrounding the topics. To build on theoretical work investigating 23T (Stein, Sim & Rose, 2023), this study is helping us to pinpoint concrete elements that seem to be influencing online course effectiveness and enabling identification of ways to strengthen 23T’s future flexibility and attractiveness. This is pertinent because of the uniqueness of 23T, namely, that it is online, flexible and self-guided and has no formal assessment expectations and does not provide formal credit. Gauging what counts as effectiveness and success is quite different therefore from award courses normally offered by higher education institutions. Similar application of the CoI using our matching approach may be helpful for others in different contexts and settings who are planning and/or implementing online courses.

Homesign Research, Gesture Studies, and Sign Language Linguistics: The Bigger Picture of Homesign and Homesigners

AbstractStudies of homesigns have shed light on the human capacity for language and on the challenging problem of language acquisition. The study of homesign has evolved from a perspective grounded in gesture studies and child development to include sign language linguistics and the role of homesigns in language emergence at the community level. One overarching finding is that homesigns more closely resemble sign languages used by linguistic communities than they resemble the gestures produced by hearing people along with spoken language. Homesigns may not exhibit all of the linguistic properties of community languages, but the properties they do exhibit are language properties, and for the people who use them, homesigns are their language. Further, the linguistic structures in homesigns are innovated by the deaf people who use them and are imperfectly learned by their hearing communication partners. I close with a call to action: We cannot celebrate discoveries about the mind made possible by studies of homesigns and emerging languages while ignoring the pervasiveness of language deprivation among deaf people, and the relative lack of deaf participation in science, even in studies of sign languages. While the scientific community learns much from studying homesigns and sign languages, we also have a responsibility to work toward ensuring that every deaf person has access to language, communication, and education.

How action learning broke down silos, built referent power, and created sustainable capability building

This paper presents a case study of how technology support moved from being a just in time (JIT) help service to developing capability and capacity building through a process of building digital self-efficacy (DSE). By active membership of the UNSW Online Learning and Innovation Community of Practice (OLI CoP) a process of action learning cycles was undertaken in partnership to focus on pedagogy ahead of technology. By doing so, a scalable change process was initiated that brings the coalition of the willing into being core university influencers. As a result, the academics see technology become embedded into their pedagogical practice rather than a tool alone. This case provides insights from the key learnings which have, in turn, enabled a new model of technology support delivery. This model has also provided career growth opportunities for both academics and the educational technology services (ETS) team, while also supporting student learning.

Embedded online self-regulated learning activities improve student experience and learning outcomes

Self-regulated learners achieve academic success by employing specific cognitive, metacognitive, behavioural, and resource management strategies. In fully online learning environments, these strategies are critical but are often challenging for first-year undergraduates to develop. This study presents a novel approach to supporting undergraduates' development of Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) skills in a fully online first-year psychology course. Seven SRL activities were embedded as micro-assessments within the summative assessment structure. Qualitative and quantitative data from students across multiple teaching periods were analysed. Results show that embedding content-specific SRL activities improved academic performance, increased engagement, and built a stronger online learning community. The impact of deliberately integrating SRL principles into the course design and assessment structure on student Self-Regulated Learning Online (SRL-O) questionnaire scores at the start and conclusion of the course will also be discussed. Overall, this study demonstrates that purposeful integration of SRL principles into course design and assessment can improve academic outcomes and foster positive learning experiences for first-year undergraduate students who are studying online.

Implementation of Merdeka Learning Curriculum with Pancasila Student Profile Strengthening Project at State Primary School

This study aims to describe the implementation of the Merdeka learning curriculum and the Pancasila student profile strengthening project, as well as the obstacles and impacts that arise from its implementation. This study uses a descriptive qualitative research method. The informants taken in this study were 5 people who were directly related to this study. The data collection techniques obtained were observation, interviews, and documentation in data analysis using data reduction, data presentation, and conclusions. The results of this study indicate that the implementation of the Merdeka learning curriculum and the Pancasila student profile strengthening project have been implemented in stages at SD Negeri 03 Rantau Alai and are running well as intracurricular and co-curricular learning. Problems that arise in the implementation of the Merdeka learning curriculum and the Pancasila student profile strengthening project are the lack of relevant reading books, teacher competence in the use of supporting technology, and limited internet access. All existing obstacles have been overcome by adding relevant reading books, conducting teacher training forming learning communities, and adding signal boosters (modems).

Educational Leadership in Improving School Performance and Teacher Professional Development: A Literature Review

The purpose of this study is to examine and describe educational leadership in improving school performance and teacher professional development. This study uses a literature review approach and uses data collection methods in the form of journals and scientific articles related to research studies. The analysis used in this study includes a review of the latest research findings and screening of relevant research materials in sequence. This study reveals that educational leadership plays a role in improving school performance and encouraging teacher professional development. The instructional and distributed leadership models, as well as the professional learning community approach, show that collaboration, ongoing support, and focused professional development are key to achieving educational goals. Effective leadership not only improves teacher performance, but also contributes to improving the quality of education and student learning outcomes as a whole.

Special issues: The roles of special issues in scholarly communication in a changing publishing landscape

AbstractThis paper aims to enhance the understanding of the role of special issues in the evolving landscape of academic publishing, offering insights for publishers, editors, guest editors, and researchers, including how new technologies influence transparency in publishing processes, open access models, and metrics for success. Based upon original analysis, the paper also discusses the importance of special issues and opportunities to support diversity, equity, and inclusivity in special issue publishing programmes. The goal is to contribute to the discussion of maintaining research integrity through special issues, acknowledging their significance in scholarly communication, while offering suggestions for the future.

Honoring the Heartwork of Indigenous Scholars Through Lived Experiences: Voices from Native Women Scholars in New Mexico

This body of knowledge provides personal narratives of the lived experiences of Native women from an all-Native doctoral cohort. Through personal narratives, we aimed to highlight the unique learning experience created by strong and beautiful Indigenous scholars who honored Native identities, engaged learning with Indigenous knowledge systems, cultivated Native educational leadership, and mentorship necessary for student success, work-life balance, and giving back to tribal communities. Creating a learning community for an all-Native cohort disrupts colonial legacies and its ongoing practices, marking a significant step toward progress and change, and illuminates the voice and presence of Native American mothers, daughters, aunties, professionals, and scholars. Our experiences as Native women scholars are interconnected with our cultural values, family and community, and traditional teachings. Entering the academy with these embodied teachings and knowledge provided a foundation to engage with Indigenous frameworks and theories, relational practices with tribes and communities, and reclaim knowledge and ways of being that create new possibilities for Native futures. These experiences provide an understanding of the joy, compassion, successes, and negotiating life in the academy among two Native women scholars.

Implementation outcomes from a randomized, controlled trial of a strategy to improve integration of behavioral health and primary care services

BackgroundIntegrating behavioral health services in primary care is challenging; a toolkit approach to practice implementation can help. A recent comparative effectiveness randomized clinical trial examined the impact of a toolkit for improving integration on outcomes for patients with multiple chronic conditions. Some aspects of behavioral health integration improved; patient-reported outcomes did not. This report evaluates the implementation strategy (Toolkit) using Proctor’s (2011) implementation outcomes model.MethodsUsing data from the 20 practices randomized to the active (toolkit strategy) arm (education, redesign workbooks, online learning community, remote coaching), we identified 23 measures from practice member surveys, coach interviews, reports, and field logs to assess Toolkit acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility, and fidelity. A practice survey score was high (met expectations) if its average was ≥ 4 on a scale 1-5; all other data were coded dichotomously, with high = 1.ResultsRegarding acceptability, 74% (14) of practices had high scores for willingness of providers and staff to use the Toolkit and 68% (13) for quality improvement teams liking the Toolkit. For appropriateness, 95% (19) of practices had high scores for the structured process being a good match and 63% (12) for the Toolkit being a good match. Feasibility, measured by Toolkit prerequisites, was scored lower by site members at project end (e.g., provider leader available as champion: 53% of practices) compared to remote coaches observing practice teams (74%). For “do-ability,” coaches rated feasibility lower for practices (e.g., completion of workbook activities: 32%) than the practice teams (68%). Fidelity was low as assessed across seven measures, with 50% to 78% of practices having high scores across the seven measures.ConclusionsExisting data from large trials can be used to describe implementation outcomes. The Toolkit was not implemented with fidelity in at least one quarter of the sites, despite being acceptable and appropriate, possibly due to low feasibility in the form of unmet prerequisites and Toolkit complexity. Variability in fidelity reflects the importance of implementation strategies that fit each organization, suggesting that further study on contextual factors and use of the Toolkit, as well as the relationship of Toolkit use and study outcomes, is needed.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT02868983; date of registration: 08/15/2016.

Pergeseran Persepsi Budaya oleh Eksistensi Bahasa Indonesia pada Mahasiswa di Korea Selatan (2020-2024)

As time progresses, language has become one of the diplomatic tools used in the international arena. In South Korea, interest in the Indonesian language has been growing, as evidenced by the increasing number of students showing interest in learning it each year. The author identifies an urgency to monitor the perceptions formed when foreign nationals learn Indonesian—in this context, South Korean society. This research seeks to elaborate on the cultural perceptions that emerge with the presence of the Indonesian language in South Korea. The aim of this study is to understand how the construction of cultural perceptions takes shape in the minds of South Koreans when they learn Indonesian. A descriptive qualitative research method was used, with data collection techniques in the form of interviews. The findings of this study indicate a shift in cultural perceptions of Indonesia, with Indonesian language learning fostering curiosity about Indonesian culture. Ultimately, this indirectly plays a role in promoting Indonesian culture. This shift is evident both in the mindset and in social interactions within the student community learning Indonesian.

Efektivitas Komunitas Belajar dalam Meningkatkan Kualitas Guru di Sekolah

Teacher learning communities are regarded as essential means to improve education quality through collaboration and professional development. However, implementation within formal school contexts faces challenges, such as time constraints, limited structural support, and low awareness of the benefits of learning communities. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of learning communities in enhancing teacher quality in schools and to identify factors influencing teacher participation. The research method employed is a literature review, encompassing analysis of 25 articles from various relevant academic journals. Thematic analysis highlights key topics, including effectiveness, challenges, and opportunities for the development of learning communities. Findings indicate that learning communities have a positive role in enhancing teacher competence and work motivation. However, significant obstacles remain, such as lack of support from school management and limited understanding. The study also emphasizes the potential for digital technology-based learning communities, which could increase teacher participation by providing more flexible access. This study concludes that stronger policy support and further research are needed to address implementation barriers and maximize the potential of learning communities to enhance teaching quality in schools.