Development Of Learning Environments Research Articles

Investigating the motivating factors that influence the adoption of blended learning for teachers’ professional development

Blended learning (BL), a teaching method merging online and face-to-face learning, is lauded for its potential to enrich educational outcomes and tackle challenges entrenched in conventional teaching practices. In countries like Pakistan, where equitable access to quality professional development remains an obstacle, BL is a promising avenue to surmount training barriers. While BL adoption has evolved swiftly, research into its integration within teacher training remains limited. Notably, no comprehensive model exists describing the motivational factors influencing teachers' perceptions and intentions regarding the blended mode of teacher training. This study aims to identify the motivational elements that motivate schoolteachers in teacher training institutions in Pakistan to incorporate blended learning into their programs. The motivational factors identified in BL literature have been employed to craft a motivation model grounded in their causal relationship. This quantitative study examines the interplay between multiple motivational factors and their impact on BL adoption within teacher training and the BL environment. Surveying 350 schoolteachers (participants) from teacher training institutions, we employed Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) techniques with Smart PLS 4.0 for data analysis. Results reveal that extrinsic and intrinsic motivational factors significantly influence teachers' motivation to adopt BL for training. Notably, "overall training quality" and "educational environment" were non-influential. Overall, the findings underscore that considering a blend of extrinsic and intrinsic factors can wield a 65 % influence on BL adoption. The study's results provide practical guidance for educational leaders, curriculum designers, and faculty members aiming to cultivate a unified blended learning environment for teacher professional development. These insights also underscore the importance of incorporating essential motivational factors into forthcoming blended learning training programs.

Approaches for sustainable professional skill development for vocational education students in Thailand.

This article presents a research study that aims to explore sustainable approaches for developing professional skills in vocational education students in Thailand. This is the second phase of the research, which utilizes a qualitative research methodology. The key informants in this study are administrators of vocational education institutions, teachers, and students currently enrolled in vocational education institutions in Thailand, totaling 36 participants. The research uses a purposive sampling method and snowball sampling method. Data collection methods include document analysis, in-depth structured interviews, and observation. The results of the interviews are analyzed, and the content analysis is summarized. The research process consists of 4 steps: 1) literature review, 2) data collection, 3) data analysis, and 4) verification and confirmation. The research findings highlight several key considerations, including: 1) factors influencing the development of professional skills among vocational education students, such as curriculum design, support and counseling, practical training in workplaces, interactive learning, problem-solving and analytical thinking skills development, practical learning, and supportive learning environments, 2) approaches for sustainable professional skill development involve employing the appropriate approaches for self-development. The steps include setting clear goals and plans, active learning and training, technology skill development, experiential learning, problem-solving skill development, participation in professional activities, self-reflection, and continuous self-improvement. These approaches aim to enhance the competencies of vocational education students, ensuring quality and efficiency as part of lifelong learning and sustainable development.

Development of learning content selection agent based on the progress of the participant for training courses with gamification

The work involved research, development and implementation of an educational content selection agent with gamification elements. Achieving the goal is due to the study of methods of selecting educational content based on the progress of the participant, as well as various approaches to the gamification of the process. According to the results of the study, the agent for selecting educational content is implemented. Approbation of the agent's work was carried out by introducing it into the developed learning environment.

Didactic possibilities of using computer graphics programs in the educational process

This study investigated computer graphics programs and their several types and their capabilities in teaching drawing geometry classes in all technical and technological education areas of the Institute of Engineering Technology. - site created and supported with lesson notes and related learning resources on drawing techniques and theory. An exercise in drawing each line using the software and drawing the models was accompanied by video and audio recordings from local and international sources. Students had the opportunity to access the lessons in an interactive format. Throughout the program, hyperlinks to a variety of resource materials were provided to encourage non-linear access to knowledge, enhance repetition, and encourage exploration of the full potential of the and program. The learning model adopted simple and embedded technology, with ease of access being the focus. The study was successful in creating a suitable learning environment for skill development using technology. Overall, it can be concluded from the research that Solid Works is an effective tool for covering the topics of drawing geometry within several programs and for perfecting each detail using selected learning models and student needs.

Self-directed learning skills and motivation during distance learning in the COVID-19 pandemic (case study: The university of Jordan)

This study aimed to assess the effect of distance learning on students' self-directed learning skills and motivation during the lockdown period of the COVID–19 pandemic. The study relies on a quantitative methodology. The data were collected using an administrative online survey distributed to 427 respondents with different majors (BBA) enrolled in the learning skills and scientific research skills course (obligatory course) in the second semester of the academic year 2020/2021 at The University of Jordan. Regression analysis was used to analyze the proposed hypotheses. The results showed that the independent variable (Distance Learning) positively influenced students' motivation and self-directed learning skills. The recommendations based on the outcomes of this research are useful for educational specialists to develop learning environments about the effects of distance learning on students’ self-directed learning skills and motivation. In terms of limitations, the analysis was performed in one university only; therefore, attention must be paid when generalizing the results.

How to Care: Teaching from the Ethics of Care for More Equitable Learning Environments

Faculty typically care about students; we are fond of them, want them to succeed, and have their best interests in mind. But knowing how to develop learning environments that demonstrate care and respond to students’ unique needs is no small feat. While it might seem simple to express care, a general and undefined conception of care may cause problems, particularly for marginalized students. Taking our lead from Ethics of Care, this paper offers a normative framework to help faculty from various disciplines practice care in light of the social inequities that structure their students’ experiences.

TEACHERS’ PERCEPTION OF 2013 CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

The aim of this study was to examine English teachers’ perceptions and concerns about the implementation of the2013 curriculum in Junior high school in Indonesia. This study reports findings from interpretive case study design in a private junior high school in Medan region, Indonesia with 2 teachers. Data were generated using questionnaires, focus group interview, classroom observation and documentation. The research focus was on how the English teachers have implemented the 2013 curriculum. The findings indicate that the implementation of the curriculum was still problematic due to the teachers’ lack of knowledge of the 2013 curriculum and the teachers’ pile of work. In addition, one of the teachers was still confused with the implementation of the 2013 curriculum, to work with teenagers’ students, overcrowded classrooms, learning environments, and insufficient teaching and learning materials and facilities. This study recommends that to improve the current situation and attain quality provision of junior high schools, teachers need to develop their professional knowledge through socialization and the in-service training. The government policy planners need to provide initial teacher education that suit junior high school contexts, professional development, and conducive teaching and learning environments with available resources for effective teaching and learning practices.

In-service teachers' TPACK development through an adaptive e-learning environment (ALE).

Due to the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on educational institutions, schools had to close and switch to online education. Training in-service teachers to incorporate and utilize technology as part of Internet-based instructions was a challenge and pressing necessity. TPACK is an essential framework for comprehending how teachers employ technology in teaching. Despite the significance of adaptive learning environments in recent years, research has not addressed how to use these environments to improve the TPACK of in-service teachers, particularly during crises. Consequently, our objective was to design an adaptive learning environment that provides in-service math, science, and English teachers with substantial and continuing support for each TPACK component. A total of 173 in-service teachers were divided into two groups: an experimental group of 83 who used adaptive learning and a control group of 90 who used Zoom techniques. TPACK questionnaires were administered before and after the experiment. The experimental group improved TPACK more than the control group. All teachers believed that adaptive learning training helped them to build technology-integrated lesson plans. This study provides ideas and practices for developing an adaptive learning environment for the in-service teachers' TPACK development. The challenges to adaptive learning environments have been highlighted, identifying the potential for future investigations.

The Role and Impact of ICT in Improving the Quality of Education in Reference to NEP 2020

ICTs are making drastic changes in society. They are influencing all fields of life. Similarly, there is no doubt that ICT brings a enormous change in the field of education also. It makes teaching- learning process more effective and interesting. To know the impact of ICT in education we need to know two basic terms- ICT and education. The ICT is an umbrella that includes any communication device or application, encompassing, radio, television, cellular phones, computer, and network hardware and software, satellite system and so on, as well as the various services and applications associated with them, such as video conferencing and distance learning. Such technologies are used for educational purposes, namely to help and improve the learning of student and develop learning environments. ICT can be considered as a sub field of educational technology. The paper discusses the role and effect of ICTs, and how they can promote time ahead growth and development. In educational system, the inputs are teachers, students, classroom materials, equipment of teaching, methods of teaching and the outputs are quantity as well as quality of student learning result. The proper unification of ICT with teaching/ learning environment increases the chance of gaining education along with increased productivity. Information communication technologies are influencing all fields of life including education. They are promoting positive changes in working style, handling and exchanging of information, teaching- learning approaches . One area in which the impacts of ICT is significant, is education. ICTs are making major changes in the teaching approaches and the ways students are learning. ICT-based learning environment facilitates active, collaborative, creative, integrative, and evaluative learning as an advantage over the traditional method. In addition, the major advantages of ICTs use in education systems of developing countries focus on training teachers in new skills and introducing innovative pedagogies into the classrooms, investing on ICT infrastructure for schools and creating networks among educational institutes, improving overall standard of education by reducing the gap in quality of education between schools in urban and rural areas, initiation of smart school with objectives to foster self-paced, self-assessed, and self-directed learning through the applications of ICTs, and developing ICT policy for education and training.

Home learning environment and physical development impact children’s executive function development and literacy in rural Côte d’Ivoire

Previous research suggests executive functions mediate the effects of socioeconomic status (SES) on literacy. However, this research has primarily focused on high-income countries. Comparatively less is known about the mechanisms that link SES and literacy in low-and-middle-income countries, where childhood experiences of poverty are consistently linked to cognitive development through two sets of predictors: a child's physical development reflective of adequate nutrition and educational scaffolding at home (i.e. home learning environment). The influence of children’s physical development and home learning environment (i.e., family literacy, caregiver interactions) on executive functions and literacy was examined in 630 primary-school children (6–14 years) in rural Côte d'Ivoire. SES had an indirect effect on literacy, mediated by executive functions. The home learning environment and a child’s physical development showed distinct contributions to executive functions. The results suggest that improved home learning environments and supplemented nutrition could support executive function development and reduce the negative impact of socioeconomic disadvantage on literacy. • Poverty is linked to poor literacy outcomes in children in rural Côte d’Ivoire. • Executive functions (EF) mediate the link between SES and literacy. • Children’s home learning environments and physical development support EF. • Home learning environments and physical development show distinct contributions to EF.

A Learning Experience Design Approach to Online Professional Development for Teaching Science through the Arts: Evaluation of Teacher Content Knowledge, Self-Efficacy and STEAM Perceptions

ABSTRACT Traditional teacher professional development (PD) programs frequently lack sufficient face-to-face preparation time to adequately support the implementation of evidence-based pedagogical strategies in classrooms, with teachers citing insufficient preparedness and training time for new methods. To investigate potentials for online PD methods to effectively address these issues, while increasing sustainability, this study examined teachers in Title-I elementary schools spanning multiple school districts participating in a large-scale online PD certificate program preparing teachers over 10 instructional weeks to implement Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) (S)cience, (T)echnology, (E)ngineering, (A)rts, (M)ath (STEAM) curricular instruction with goals of increasing teachers’ science content knowledge, self-efficacy to implement STEAM instruction, and STEAM teaching perceptions. Paired sample t-tests indicate teachers’ life science content knowledge, self-efficacy, and STEAM perceptions increased significantly after completing the online PD. Multiple regression analyses identified teachers’ science content knowledge and STEAM perceptions as statistically significant predictors of teachers’ self-efficacy to implement STEAM instructional strategies. Teachers’ posttest course evaluations were gleaned, highlighting three emergent themes: learning experience design, modality, and online teacher collaboration. Utilizing a mixed method approach, these qualitative insights corroborated the quantitative trends, describing how specific aspects of the pedagogical learning experience design (LXD) framework operationalized in the online course fostered a practitioner development learning environment, focused on supporting teachers’ learning needs. Results suggest practical design implications for sustainably increasing the efficacy of PD through online teacher training developed in conjunction with LXD models for iterative improvement and design of high-quality online instructional PD programs.

Comparative Analysis of Student’s Academic Performance in Online and Face to Face Teaching of Biochemistry at HITEC-IMS Taxila

Background: During Covid pandemic the teaching/learning shifted from face to face to online. All institutions around the world developed learning environment for the students to facilitate distant learning. Subsequently assessments also followed online. After opening of the institutions on campus learning and assessments were carried out as usual. Objective: To see the effectiveness of teaching methods (online versus on campus) and to suggest improvement in both methods of teaching. Study Design: Retrospective comparative study Place and Duration of Study: Hitec-IMS, Taxila Pakistan from 1st September 2021 to 29th February 2022. Methodology: One hundred and ninety six academic performances of students in both the methods of learning were enrolled. Using purposive sampling technique, the EOB results of online and on campus were analyzed. Results: The better performance of student in term of summative assessments during online learning. Conclusion: Students found online environment better for learning and performing during examinations. Keywords: HITEC-IMS (Hitec Institute of Medical Sciences), NUMS (National University of Medical Sciences), EOB (end of block)

Survey and 10-Day Diary Data on Infant Nutrition, Development, and Home Learning Environment during the COVID-19 Pandemic from the LEARN-COVID Pilot Study

The LEARN-COVID pilot study collected data on infants and their parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Assessments took place between April and July 2021. Parents (<em>N</em> = 357) from Switzerland (predominantly), Germany, and Austria answered a baseline questionnaire on their behaviour related to the pandemic, social support, infant nutrition, and infant regulation. Subsequently, parents (<em>n</em> = 222) answered a 10-day evening diary on infant nutrition, infant regulation, parental mood, and parental soothing behaviour. Data and documentation are stored on Zenodo, <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6946048" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6946048</a>. These data may be valuable to researchers interested in infant development and parenting during the pandemic as well as to researchers interested in daily variability in infant behaviour, parenting, and nutrition.

Toward learning progression analytics — Developing learning environments for the automated analysis of learning using evidence centered design

National educational standards stress the importance of science and mathematics learning for today’s students. However, across disciplines, students frequently struggle to meet learning goals about core concepts like energy. Digital learning environments enhanced with artificial intelligence hold the promise to address this issue by providing individualized instruction and support for students at scale. Scaffolding and feedback, for example, are both most effective when tailored to students’ needs. Providing individualized instruction requires continuous assessment of students’ individual knowledge, abilities, and skills in a way that is meaningful for providing tailored support and planning further instruction. While continuously assessing individual students’ science and mathematics learning is challenging, intelligent tutoring systems show that it is feasible in principle. However, the learning environments in intelligent tutoring systems are typically not compatible with the vision of how effective K-12 science and mathematics learning looks like. This leads to the challenge of designing digital learning environments that allow for both – meaningful science and mathematics learning and the reliable and valid assessment of individual students’ learning. Today, digital devices such as tablets, laptops, or digital measurement systems increasingly enter science and mathematics classrooms. In consequence, students’ learning increasingly produces rich product and process data. Learning Analytics techniques can help to automatically analyze this data in order to obtain insights about individual students’ learning, drawing on general theories of learning and relative to established domain specific models of learning, i.e., learning progressions. We call this approach Learning Progression Analytics (LPA). In this manuscript, building of evidence-centered design (ECD), we develop a framework to guide the development of learning environments that provide meaningful learning activities and data for the automated analysis of individual students’ learning – the basis for LPA and scaling individualized instruction with artificial intelligence.

Teachers and Participatory Action Research for Developing Learning Environments

This research aims to develop learning environments through Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology in a specific context of the Department of Electronics, Nong Han Industrial and Community Education College. Three development outcomes are expected: (1) changes in expected and non-expected outcomes of action; (2) action-based learning in the researchers, research participants and the institute and (3) knowledge from the grounded theory. The results are as the followings: 1) there are positive changes in both expected and unanticipated outcomes consisting of the implementation of the co-designated development approaches and the nature of the expected learning environments, 2) the researchers, research participants, and the institute learn about the efficiency of working together, which makes everyone realize how inefficient working alone was in the past, and 3) a body of knowledge gained from practice describes the relationship between the expected changes, and the driving force and resistances to change as well as ways to overcome the resistances.

Virtual Reality Training Using Nintendo Wii Games for Patients With Stroke: Randomized Controlled Trial

BackgroundStroke is a leading cause of disability. It is difficult to devise an optimal rehabilitation plan once stroke survivors are back home. Conventional rehabilitative therapies are extensively used in patients with stroke to recover motor functioning and disability, but these are arduous and expensive. Virtual reality (VR) video games inspire patients to get involved in their therapeutic exercise routine in a fun way. VR in the form of games provides a fruitful, secure, and challenging learning environment for motor control and neural plasticity development in rehabilitation. The effects of upper limb sensorimotor functioning and balance are the main focus of this trial.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to compare the effects of VR training and routine physical therapy on balance and upper extremity sensorimotor function in patients with stroke.MethodsIt was a single assessor-blinded randomized clinical trial. A total of 74 participants with their first chronic stroke were included and rehabilitated in a clinical setting. The lottery method was used to randomly assign patients to either the VR group (n=37) or the routine physical therapy group (n=37). The VR group received a 1-hour session of VR training for 3 weekdays over 6 weeks, and the routine physical therapy group received different stretching and strengthening exercises. The outcome measuring tools were the Berg Balance Scale for balance and the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (upper extremity) scale for sensorimotor, joint pain, and range assessment. The assessment was done at the start of treatment and after the 6 weeks of intervention. Data analysis was done using SPSS 22.ResultsThe trial was completed by 68 patients. A significant difference between the two groups was found in the Berg Balance Scale score (P<.001), Fugl-Meyer Assessment for motor function (P=.03), and Fugl-Meyer Assessment for joint pain and joint range (P<.001); however, no significant difference (P=.19) in the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for upper extremity sensation was noted.ConclusionsVR training is helpful for improving balance and function of the upper extremities in the routine life of patients with stroke; although, it was not found to be better than conventional training in improving upper limb sensation. VR training can be a better option in a rehabilitation plan designed to increase functional capability.Trial RegistrationIranian Registry of Clinical Trials RCT20190715044216N1; https://www.irct.ir/user/trial/40898/view

Preparing Pre-Service Physics Teachers to Diagnose Students’ Conceptions Not Covered by Physics Education Textbooks

To date, there is a lack of research on learning environments for pre-service physics teachers that allow them to learn and practise diagnosing students’ conceptions that are (currently) not covered in physics education textbooks (e.g. students’ conceptions about viscosity). In this study, we developed and piloted such a learning environment, which was implemented and piloted twice in a seminar for pre-service physics teachers. As coping with a diagnostic process is particularly demanding for pre-service physics teachers, our accompanying research aims to identify learning barriers within our developed learning environment. The results indicate that the participants experience the learning environment with varying degrees of difficulty. One main difficulty for pre-service physics teachers seems to be in interconnecting their content knowledge with their pedagogical content knowledge in the diagnostic process.

A Challenge-Based Learning Intensive Course for Competency Development in Undergraduate Engineering Students: Case Study on UAVs

Accelerated advances in science and technology drive the need for professionals with flexible problem-solving abilities towards a collaborative working environment. The advances pose a challenge to educational institutions about how to develop learning environments that contribute to meeting the aforementioned necessity. Additionally, the fast pace of technology and innovative knowledge are encouraging universities to employ challenge-based-learning (CBL) approaches in engineering education supported by modern technology such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other advanced electronic devices. Within the framework of competency-based education (CBE) and CBL are the design, implementation, and evaluation of an intensive 40 h elective course which includes a 5-day challenge to promote the development of disciplinary and transversal competencies in undergraduate engineering students whilst relying on UAVs as the medium where the teaching–learning process takes place. Within this credit course, a case study was carried out considering the framework of an exploratory mixed-methods educational research approach that sought a broad understanding of the studied phenomena using various data collection instruments with quantitative and qualitative characteristics. An innovative academic tool was introduced, namely a thematic UAV platform that systematically exposed students to the principles underlying robotic systems and the scientific method, thereby stimulating their intellectual curiosity as a trigger to solve the posed challenge. Moreover, students came up with innovative teamwork-based solutions to a designed challenge while having an enjoyable and motivating time flying drones on an indoor obstacle course arranged by themselves. The preliminary findings may contribute to the design of other CBL experiences, supported by technology applied for educational purposes, which could promote the development of more disciplinary and transversal competencies in future engineers.

Management of Teachers’ Soft Skills Development and Flexible Learning Environment as a Correlate of Teachers’ Effectiveness in Unity Schools in South-Eastern States, Nigeria

This study investigated the management of teachers’ soft skills development and flexible learning environment as a correlate of teachers’ effectiveness in Unity schools in South-Eastern states of Nigeria. The correlational research design was adopted for the study. Two research questions were answered while two hypotheses were tested. The population of the study comprised all the 901 teachers of the 14 Unity schools in the 5 South-Eastern states of Nigeria. Stratified and disproportionate sampling techniques were used to select 399 sample size that was determined from the population using Taro Yamane Formula. Two sets of instruments titled; “Management of Seamless Technology Integration Questionnaire” and “Teachers’ Effectiveness Questionnaire” were used for data collection. Face and content validity was ensured by five experts including the researcher’s supervisors. The reliability coefficients of the two instruments were calculated to be 0.79 and 0.81 using Cronbach Alpha method. Multiple and simple regressions were used to answer the research questions. Analysis of variance associated with multiple regression and t-test associated with simple regression were used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 alpha level. It was found that management of: teachers’ soft skills development and flexible learning environment positively correlate (0.92 and 0.86 respectively) to teachers’ effectiveness in Unity schools in South-Eastern states of Nigeria. Based on the findings, it was concluded that management of seamless technology integration is positively and highly significant to teachers’ effectiveness in Unity schools in South-Eastern states of Nigeria. It was therefore recommended among others that school administrators in the 14 Unity schools in the South-Eastern states should immediately embark on self-development in the management of seamless technology integration.

Stimulating boundary crossing learning in a multi-stakeholder learning environment for sustainable development

Purpose Sustainable development requires multiple stakeholders to work and learn across practices, in other words, it requires boundary crossing competence. To prepare students for their future sustainability professions, higher education should facilitate the development of boundary crossing competence in its curricula. This study aims to confirm whether boundary crossing learning can be stimulated by workshop-based support in multi-stakeholder projects. Design/methodology/approach This quasi-experimental intervention study (N = 122) investigates the effect of a series of supporting workshops on students’ boundary crossing learning in multi-stakeholder projects. The workshops allowed students to adopt four learning mechanisms (identification, coordination, reflection and transformation) theorised to stimulate learning across boundaries between practices. Students followed zero, one, or two workshops. By analysing the student learning reports, the study examines the effect of the workshop intervention on students’ self-efficacy for stakeholder collaboration, the number of reported student-stakeholder collaborative activities and the reported boundary crossing learning mechanisms. Findings The results show that a series of two workshops increase the number of reported collaborative activities and activates the students’ boundary crossing learning in terms of reflection and transformation. Research limitations/implications These findings support the evidence-based design of multi-stakeholder learning environments for sustainable development and contribute to the body of knowledge regarding learning across practices. Originality/value Boundary crossing competence receives increasing attention as an asset for sustainable development. The added value of this study lies in its confirmation that the boundary crossing theory can be translated into directed educational support that can stimulate students’ boundary crossing learning.