Comprehensive Teaching Research Articles

Teacher’s belief of metacognitive reading strategies and awareness in reading classrooms

While studies on students' application of reading strategies have gained prominence, there is a paucity of research on teachers. The study aims to investigate how teachers’ beliefs about metacognitive reading strategies impact their metacognitive awareness in reading classrooms. The samples involved 82 teachers from public secondary schools. This study used a quantitative research design. Research findings demonstrated that teachers significantly believed in and used metacognitive reading strategies, whereas a small number of teachers believed in them but did not implement them. The result of this study indicated that teachers possessed high metacognitive awareness levels while teaching reading comprehension. Analysis underscored the significance of implementing metacognitive reading strategies through a series of implications and suggestions. While some teachers believed in metacognitive reading strategies but did not use them, this study found that teachers believed in and employed them. Additionally, the study indicated that teachers exhibited high levels of metacognitive awareness during reading comprehension instruction, suggesting a strong understanding of their cognitive processes. Based on these results, the study suggests that reading classrooms should gradually use metacognitive reading strategies while taking into account the Malaysian English as a Second Language (ESL) context and traditional teaching methods. The implications of this research underscore the importance of fostering teachers' metacognitive awareness and strategically applying reading strategies to enhance student learning outcomes.

The effectiveness of the teaching program “scientific creativity in practice”

This study examines the impact of the Scientific Creativity in Practice program on students’ scientific creativity. This comprehensive teaching program aims to foster general creative skills, domain-specific competencies, and certain personality traits in science education. The program includes a variety of interventions and reflection tools that focus on divergent thinking, problem-solving, bisociation, imagination, and metacognition, which promotes strategies for developing, selecting, and evaluating creative solutions to scientific problems. The study used a two-group, repeated-measures design in Austrian secondary schools, with 26 classes taught using teaching techniques from the program and 12 control classes using traditional teaching methods. The effectiveness of the teaching program was assessed using the Divergent Problem-Solving Ability test, which was administered at the beginning and end of the school year. The results showed that the intervention classes achieved significantly higher scores, indicating improved divergent problem-solving ability.The study also emphasized the importance of intervention fidelity, with the quality of implementation (adherence) having a significantly higher impact on outcomes than the quantity (number of interventions). The results confirm the effectiveness of the Scientific Creativity in Practice program in fostering academic creativity and emphasize the importance of a well-structured teaching program. Future research will focus on measuring the impact of individual techniques of the program on different aspects of scientific creativity.

Analysis of the Impact of Inductive Reasoning on the Mathematical Thinking Style of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students

In this paper, we combine the teaching and learning situation of deaf and hard-of-hearing students in the Linear Algebra course of the Computer Science and Technology major at the Nanjing Normal University of Special Education. Based on the cognitive style of deaf and hard-of-hearing students, we apply example induction, exhaustive induction, and mathematical induction to the teaching of Linear Algebra by utilizing specific course content. The aim is to design comprehensive teaching that caters to the cognitive style characteristics of deaf and hard-of-hearing students, strengthen their mathematical thinking styles such as quantitative thinking, algorithmic thinking, symbolic thinking, visual thinking, logical thinking, and creative thinking, and enhance the effectiveness of classroom teaching and learning outcomes in Linear Algebra for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

Design of Multimedia Teaching Software Based on Distributed Network Architecture

With the leap of network technology and the vigorous development of online teaching, many universities are actively adopting online means to optimize teaching and course management. This paper focuses on building an efficient and comprehensive auxiliary teaching platform that integrates functions such as student learning monitoring, course management, online testing, and teacher–student interaction, aiming to improve the quality of education. Designs based on distributed B/S architecture and web technology to ensure efficient resource allocation and expansion, meet the needs of large-scale concurrent learning, and achieve cross-platform access to enhance user experience. The platform features personalized learning support, enhanced interactive collaboration, and the construction of a multimedia teaching database through data analysis. The innovation lies in using neural network technology to create an intelligent question answering module, utilizing cosine similarity to automatically group teaching resources, and using graph convolution and variational autoencoder techniques to construct a student performance monitoring model. Experimental verification shows that the platform runs stably, effectively reduces the blocking rate, and significantly improves students’ academic performance, pass rate, and learning interest. This design not only successfully completed the teaching task, but also provided valuable experience for the application of online-assisted teaching systems in subject education.

Theorizing Digital Dialogic Comprehension Pedagogy With Rural Primary Teachers: A Relational Praxis of Knowledge, Space, and Time

This grounded theory study explored how primary-grade teachers perceive and enact dialogic English Language Arts (ELA) comprehension pedagogy in the novel context of pandemic-induced digital learning. The study involved nine diverse rural primary teachers teaching digitally during the coronavirus disease pandemic. The researchers followed a constructivist, postmodern orientation to co-construct substantive theory with the knowledge of participating teachers. The researchers conducted two rounds of virtual interviews and collected digital artifacts of ELA comprehension instruction. Qualitative data were analyzed using constant comparative analysis to address teacher perceptions and enactments of digital dialogic comprehension instruction. The emergent substantive theory represents connected, iterative processes of teachers perceiving and enacting dialogic, digital instruction. First, teachers espoused a dialogic stance toward ELA instruction based on their beliefs in various comprehension paradigms, diverse funds of knowledge, and multiplicity of voices in discourse. Relatedly, teachers responded to particularities of virtual contexts, digital discourses, and pandemic times to enact dialogic ELA comprehension instruction through a reconstruction of literacy pedagogies. Implications for research and practice are discussed, including the need for ongoing negotiation of dialogic pedagogy in diverse instructional contexts, to cultivate teachers’ dialogic literacy practices in locally and culturally responsive ways.

A Case Study of Rural Elementary Teachers Integrating Social Studies with the Science of Reading

This study presents a qualitative case study that occurred in a rural school and was bound to the seven second and third grade teachers who taught English Language Arts, their instructional coach, and their 106 students over the 14 weeks they participated. The researchers provided professional development around supporting linguistic comprehension with interactive social studies read alouds. Data sources included professional development materials, lesson plans, videos/transcripts of lessons, grade-level debriefing interviews, individual teacher exit interviews, student artifacts, and instructional materials. The data coding process utilized a priori and open coding. Findings indicate teachers a) recognize social studies aligns with the Science of Reading, b) had a high level of implementation when pairing social studies content knowledge with textual knowledge, and c) implemented strategies aligned with active-self regulation the least. Implications for linguistic comprehension instruction and professional development within the context of Science of Reading are discussed.

Exploring the Views of Spanish Pre-Service Teachers on Phonics From a Quantitative Research Perspective

English is especially demanding for Spanish speakers due to the greater number of sounds, the complex letter-sound relationship, and prosodic features. English phonics programmes may offer clearer, more comprehensive instruction. 84 pre-service teachers completed a questionnaire on the use of phonics in Spanish EFL preschool and primary classrooms. Results show that specific training is needed, not all participants favour this method, and a more eclectic approach to early literacy is advocated.

Reading is complex: Implications for research and practice

Reading, like all areas of human learning, is complex and multidimensional. Educational psychology has an opportunity to contribute further to a science of reading, and potentially to a science of reading instruction, by expanding its traditional theoretical and methodological orientations to embrace this complexity. Topics central to this effort are discussed in the five papers in this special issue. They make apparent the need to reconceptualize reading comprehension as involving a multitude of cognitive and metacognitive processes shaped by the purposes and sociocultural contexts of its enactment and reflecting developmental, linguistic, and ethnic variation among learners. Addressing this complexity is critical to equitable reading comprehension instruction and assessment that meets the needs of an increasingly diverse population.

FROM PAGE TO SCREEN: EXPLORING MALAYSIAN TEACHERS' PERSPECTIVES ON THE FEASIBILITY OF A MOBILE READING MODULE

Among the significant challenges several Malaysian teachers face, especially those teaching in primary school, is the need for more resources to teach reading comprehension. The implementation of mobile technologies provides favourable opportunities to facilitate teachers’ teaching competencies in teaching reading comprehension instructions. Nevertheless, the successful implementation of the mobile reading module depends on the perceptions and contributions of teachers. This study investigates the viewpoints of Malaysian primary school teachers regarding the needs and development of a mobile reading module. A survey with open-ended questions was sent to nine Year 5 teachers in Sabah, Malaysia, to collect their perspectives. All the teachers who participated in the activity provided constructive opinions regarding a mobile reading module, highlighting the potential advantages of using the mobile reading module to facilitate teaching instructions. The findings offer significant viewpoints from Malaysian primary school teachers regarding developing and implementing mobile reading initiatives. These findings may influence the development of mobile reading materials that are both relevant to the context and coordinated with teachers to improve teaching comprehension skills among teachers in Malaysia.

Enacting Reading Comprehension: Using Diverse Literature to Engage Children's Critical, Sociopolitical Knowledge

AbstractThe current climate of K‐12 education in the United States has seen a narrowing of literacy instructional practices, exponential amounts of book bans, and contrived hysteria about liberal indoctrination and Critical Race Theory (CRT). Yet, as the world becomes increasingly connected across difference, and as research increasingly demonstrates that we must engage young children from all backgrounds in discussions about sociopolitical issues, it is urgent that classroom teachers foreground children's experiential knowledge in comprehension instruction. In this article, we address the following question: In three early elementary literacy contexts, how did educators use culturally sustaining practices with diverse children's literature to enact reading comprehension and engage young children in critical, sociopolitical meaning making? Three teacher educators of Color share findings from qualitative studies in the United States Northeast and Southwest that examine this integration with the use of diverse children's literature. The first finding illustrates how teachers utilized book introductions to situate a diverse group of early elementary‐aged students in various sociopolitical issues and engage them in critical readings about texts. The second finding illustrates how a series of after‐school literature circle discussions enabled first‐grade African American children to make meaning dialogically and communally about enslavement. The third finding illustrates how the teacher created space for second‐grade Latinx students to translanguage as they drew on multiple reading comprehension strategies and made sense of immigration. The implications from these studies invite a rethinking of the dominant paradigm of reading comprehension instruction.

Kuran’a Göre Bütünleşmesi Gereken Kavramlar

This article argues that Islam is a comprehensive teaching that covers all aspects of life, challenging the separation between religion and worldly affairs. It emphasizes that Islam not only focuses on individual worship but also provides rules for social, economic, and political life. The article highlights the Qur’an and the universe as two interconnected books, and stresses the importance of understanding them together. Furthermore, it discusses the necessity of the harmony between reason and revelation, and how knowledge and faith complement each other. Keywords: Islam, religion-world separation, Qur'an, universe, reason-revelation balance, knowledge, faith, Islamic law.

Preparing students for success

With increased demand for skilled professionals in science and technology, universities are broadening entry requirements resulting in students entering these specialised degrees with potential knowledge gaps. This presents an opportunity to uplift student capability through personalised learning journeys, enhancing their university readiness. This report details the Monash College's new maths uplift program, which uses skills analysis tools and self-assessment processes to determine “where students are” on their learning journey, both at entry to the Monash College and through to their first year of university. Mapped to the maths requirements of their chosen degree, this program comprises three key components: (1) a comprehensive Teaching and Learning progression that maps the learning trajectory via six core domains of mathematics, (2) a set of skills analysis tests aimed at different entry and exit points in mathematics, and (3) a large set of self-paced online learning modules recommended to students based on the outcomes of their individual skills analysis tests. The three key components work together to provide a tailored educational experience supporting students towards their destination degrees. This paper reports on the development of this uplift program and presents preliminary findings indicating positive impacts on student preparedness and engagement.

Evaluating the Oral Method in Foreign Language Teaching: Historical Perspectives, Modern Applications, and Pedagogical Insight

This article explores the Oral Method in foreign language teaching, focusing on its historical significance, core principles, and relevance in contemporary education. Originally developed by Harold Palmer and A.S. Hornby, the Oral Method emphasizes verbal repetition, situational learning, and structured grammar acquisition as foundational tools for language proficiency. Through an analysis of its strengths—such as pronunciation accuracy, fluency development, and practical application—and its limitations, including restricted learner autonomy and cognitive engagement, this study highlights the method’s enduring value. The article also discusses the potential of integrating the Oral Method with communicative and task-based approaches, leveraging digital tools and personalized techniques to enhance its effectiveness for diverse learners. Ultimately, the Oral Method’s adaptable principles make it a valuable component of a comprehensive language teaching framework.

Patient Teaching Plan for Type II Diabetes: Addressing Genetic Predisposition and Hypertension

Type II diabetes, characterized by insulin resistance and eventual beta-cell dysfunction, is a global health crisis exacerbated by genetic predisposition and comorbidities such as hypertension. This review proposes a patient teaching plan aimed at managing Type II diabetes in individuals with genetic risk factors and concurrent hypertension. Recognizing that genetic predisposition significantly heightens the risk of developing Type II diabetes, the review underscores the necessity of incorporating genetic insights into patient education and care strategies. Hypertension, prevalent among those with Type II diabetes, complicates disease management and increases the risk of severe complications, necessitating a dual focus on both conditions. The review outlines a comprehensive teaching plan that includes education on the genetic aspects of diabetes, lifestyle modifications, and strategies for managing hypertension. It emphasizes the importance of a balanced diet, regular physical activity, weight management, stress reduction, and medication adherence. The plan also highlights the role of continuous monitoring through tools such as blood glucose logs and blood pressure measurements to track progress and adjust treatment as needed. Family involvement and support systems are identified as critical components of the teaching plan, providing emotional support and reinforcing healthy behaviors. By integrating personalized education, lifestyle changes, and ongoing support, the plan aims to improve patient outcomes, enhance quality of life, and effectively manage the combined challenges of Type II diabetes and hypertension. Keywords: Patient Teaching Plan, Type II Diabetes, Genetic Predisposition, Hypertension.

Text readability: its impact on reading comprehension and reading time

Recently, the readability of texts has become the focus of reading research because it is believed to have implications for reading comprehension, which is of utmost importance in the field of English as a foreign language (EFL), particularly in the teaching, learning and assessment of reading comprehension. Unfortunately, the influence of text readability on reading comprehension (and reading time) has not been well studied in the EFL context. Most text readability studies are conducted in medical contexts, but these studies are often limited in predicting readability scores for sample texts. To address this gap, the current study aimed to evaluate the influence of text readability levels (based on the Flesch-Kincaid grade level (FKGL)) on students’ reading comprehension and reading time. Data were collected through reading test and analyzed using SPSS version 22. The Friedman test revealed that the distribution of students' reading comprehension score (X2=197.532, p=0.000) and reading time (X2=215.323, p=0.000) are different in each text, suggesting that the readability of texts has a significant influence on both. This study contributed to the practices of reading instruction and assessment. Limitations and suggestions for further research are briefly discussed.

Seq-Scope: repurposing Illumina sequencing flow cells for high-resolution spatial transcriptomics.

Spatial transcriptomics technologies aim to advance gene expression studies by profiling the entire transcriptome with intact spatial information from a single histological slide. However, the application of spatial transcriptomics is limited by low resolution, limited transcript coverage, complex procedures, poor scalability and high costs of initial setup and/or individual experiments. Seq-Scope repurposes the Illumina sequencing platform for high-resolution, high-content spatial transcriptome analysis, overcoming these limitations. It offers submicrometer resolution, high capture efficiency, rapid turnaround time and precise annotation of histopathology at a much lower cost than commercial alternatives. This protocol details the implementation of Seq-Scope with an Illumina NovaSeq 6000 sequencing flow cell, allowing the profiling of multiple tissue sections in an area of 7 mm × 7 mm or larger. We describe the preparation of a fresh-frozen tissue section for both histological imaging and sequencing library preparation and provide a streamlined computational pipeline with comprehensive instructions to integrate histological and transcriptomic data for high-resolution spatial analysis. This includes the use of conventional software tools for single-cell and spatial analysis, as well as our recently developed segmentation-free method for analyzing spatial data at submicrometer resolution. Aside from array production and sequencing, which can be done in batches, tissue processing, library preparation and running the computational pipeline can be completed within 3 days by researchers with experience in molecular biology, histology and basic Unix skills. Given its adaptability across various biological tissues, Seq-Scope establishes itself as an invaluable tool for researchers in molecular biology and histology.

The teacher’s role in teaching reading comprehension skills to Grade 9 English Home Language learners

Background: The high number of poor-performing learners in reading comprehension in South African schools is a concerning factor that calls for studies to mitigate this problem. The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) of 2021 indicates that about 81% of South African Grade 4 learners who participated, failed to reach the required benchmark in the test. Research indicates that teachers are not conversant with theory and explicit teaching of reading comprehension strategies.Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the role played by teachers in developing Grade 9 learners’ reading comprehension skills in English Home Language and establishing which reading comprehension skills and strategies are taught to learners.Method: This study used a qualitative approach. Four data sets were utilised to collect data including a document analysis, a questionnaire for learners, interviews with teachers of English and lesson observations.Results: The findings of the study show that there is little guidance on how to teach reading comprehension skills. It also emerged that instead of teaching reading comprehension skills, teachers merely ‘test’ learners’ answering skills.Conclusion: This study suggests that there is a need for re-training and assisting teachers in explicitly teaching reading comprehension skills to learners. Learners may benefit from the enhanced expertise of teachers and become more proficient in reading comprehension.Contribution: The study has provided invaluable insights into the current teaching practice of comprehension skills with actionable insights for teachers, teacher educators, and policymakers to support learners’ academic success and bridge the gap between praxis and theory.

Construction and Optimization Strategies for an Online Teaching Platform for College Students' Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education

With the advent of a new era, college student entrepreneurship education has garnered significant attention from universities and society at large. The aid of information technology brings new opportunities for the smooth execution of this work. Traditional education modes, affected by objective factors, have clear drawbacks. To enhance contemporary students' innovative abilities and core competitiveness, it is necessary to build a comprehensive online teaching platform for entrepreneurship education based on actual development conditions. This platform can leverage the advantages of the internet and information technology to accurately analyze students' learning abilities and needs, providing them with personalized educational resources. Moreover, incorporating virtual laboratories and simulated entrepreneurship into practical teaching can effectively cultivate students' problem-solving abilities, fostering the development of entrepreneurship education in universities and nurturing more well-rounded talents for society.

Closing the Gap: Implementing Gender-Sensitive Care to Address Healthcare Disparities

Abstract Background Women still face a higher mortality rate after a heart attack compared to men, and the reasons remain unknown. The project HeartGap aims to investigate the disparity between evidence-based guidelines and the integration of Gender-Sensitive Care (GSC+) in clinical settings. By exploring healthcare providers’ attitudes and knowledge on GSC+, the project seeks to develop holistic recommendations for its effective implementation. Methods The project HeartGap employs a mixed-methods approach, including a scoping review, qualitative focus group interviews, and quantitative surveys. The focus of this abstract will be on the qualitative survey. From June 13, 2023, to April 26, 2024, a total of 18 focus group interviews were conducted in 9 hospitals of varying sizes and levels of care in Germany. These interviews involved separate groups of 3-8 nurses or physicians to explore attitudes, knowledge including the european guidelines for cardiology and current implementation of GSC+ into clinical practice. Facilitating factors and barriers were also discussed and in which fields measures should be applied. The results were evaluated using a qualitative content analysis. Results The interviews revealed discrepancies in healthcare providers’ awareness of GSC+ and identified both facilitating and hindering factors in its implementation. Facilitating factors included increased awareness, more evidence by considering gsc+ in research, university and professional education, support from hospital leadership and politics. Barriers included a lack of time and knowledge, other priorities and vague content on GSC+ in medical and nursing guidelines. Conclusions Gender-sensitive care is crucial for personalized healthcare, yet its implementation remains inconsistent in clinical practice. Targeted strategies are necessary to enhance awareness, knowledge, and guidelines and policy support for GSC+. The Identified recommendations for action are transferable throughout Europe. Key messages • Gender-sensitive care is pivotal for addressing healthcare disparities but faces implementation challenges. • Comprehensive strategies, including awareness, teaching and policy support, are indispensable for integrating gender-sensitive care into clinical practice.

Infodemic management in higher education: Mapping opportunities at the University of Belgrade

Abstract Background Effective infodemic management (IM) requires a multidisciplinary approach and the use of various skills originating from natural, social, and medical sciences. Personnel involved in IM activities have diverse backgrounds from medical doctors and data scientists to communication specialists and journalists. However, the IM framework is rarely introduced into the existing teaching programs, compromising the training of a competent workforce. Objectives Our goal was to identify opportunities for integrating the IM framework into the existing teaching programs at the University of Belgrade. A team of researchers reviewed the curricula of 31 faculty and identified the courses that already covered IM skills or had the potential to include them in their teaching programs. The research was conducted as part of the U.S. Federal Assistance Award within the University Partnership Program between Emory University and the University of Belgrade. Results After conducting independent reviews and reaching a consensus, over 40 different courses and/or teaching programs have been identified to include or could potentially integrate IM skills and competencies. These courses are found across all major academic clusters (natural sciences and mathematics, technology and engineering, medical sciences, social sciences, and humanities). Faculties of medicine, pharmacy, and dentistry lead with the number of courses and interested teaching staff, followed by social sciences (psychology, sociology, political science). Most of the identified courses are related to information, data science, and communications. Conclusions There is a promising opportunity to introduce IM skills into the current teaching programs at the University of Belgrade. Faculties from the medical sciences group have a solid potential to lead such a process. Collaborative efforts are needed to establish comprehensive teaching programs to ensure a competent public health workforce and certification. Key messages • University of Belgrade has the potential to introduce infodemic management skills into its existing teaching programs, respecting the multidisciplinary nature of this discipline. • Medical and social sciences faculties can lead the process of mainstreaming infodemic management in their curricula, ensuring a competent public health workforce and certification.