Educational Theory Research Articles

Emergence of Confidence with Principles of Curiosity and Information Processing

Researchers in cognitive neuroscience, developmental cognitive neuroscience, educational psychology, educational technology, education theory, and other related fields collaborate in the emerging field of educational neuroscience, also known as neuroeducation. This interdisciplinary approach aims to explore the connections between psychological processes and education. By integrating basic discoveries in cognitive neuroscience with educational technology, researchers in neuroeducation strive to enhance curricula to foster curiosity and boost confidence levels in learners. The ultimate objective of neuroeducation is to generate both theoretical insights and practical applications that offer a fresh perspective on learning across various disciplines. The development of confidence is closely related to the principles of curiosity and information processing. When people are interested in a topic, they are more likely to seek out information and engage in learning experiences that can lead to deeper understanding. This information process allows people to analyze and understand the information they encounter, which in turn can increase their confidence in their knowledge and abilities. By embracing curiosity and honing their information-processing skills, people can develop a strong self-confidence that empowers them to take new challenges and pursue their goals with determination. This review study on curiosity have uncovered a fascinating insight into its mechanisms. Researchers found that curiosity aligns with a confidence function resembling an inverted U-shape, peaking when individuals have moderate confidence in their knowledge. Moreover, heightened curiosity drives individuals to actively seek out new information, showcasing the profound impact of curiosity on knowledge acquisition. This revelation holds immense promise for understanding human behavior and learning processes. This study focuses on boosting confidence in individuals through the application of curiosity and information knowledge processing techniques to elevate the standards of education and training across both traditional and modern methodologies. The integration of these principles is poised to revolutionize the learning experience, fostering a more dynamic and effective approach to knowledge acquisition and skill development. This innovative strategy holds immense potential to empower learners, educators, and trainers alike, paving the way for a more enriched and impactful educational landscape.

A road map to engage online EFL and ESL learners: A book review in focus

The outbreak of Coronavirus in 2020 posed a significant challenge for English Language Teaching (ELT) instructors, who were obliged to transform their face-to-face classes into virtual and online ones overnight. In this new, unfamiliar context, it was crucial to keep students constantly engaged, motivated, and interested in learning. Nonetheless, rather than merely taking into account the pessimistic facets of this paradigm shift, many scholars and experts tried to concentrate on the chances that remote/online context presents for language learning and teaching communities. In effect, “Engaging Online Language Learners” is a practical book the authors of which have considered the sudden shift online connected with the pandemic as an opportunity to enhance the inclusivity of language learning while testifying that EFL/ESL learners’ engagement in remote/online language learning context ought to be an inevitable priority. Being well targeted to its ELT audience and deeply grounded in both principles of learning engagement and foreign language teaching theories the book straightly targets language teachers, whether experienced ones or those who intend to teach online for the first time. It also bestows ELT teachers with a clear road map to discern what the next steps are for innovative practices in online/remote learning and teaching contexts.

Transformative Learning as a Part of Living Theory: A Constant Evolution of Transformative Learning Theory in Lifelong Education

Transformative Learning Theory is one of the major adult learning theories. It has gained significant attention due to its potential to revolutionize education and personal development. Although its popularity has made it branch out from the adult learning theories as a distinct theory with unique characteristics and utilizations, the field of Transformative Learning has fallen into its own disorienting dilemma. The field of Transformative Learning is now in a critical phase as a field of study where it needs to refine itself to better develop its identity and grow. In this article, I will respond to the six questions regarding Transformative Learning Theory and the field of Transformative Learning that the editorial team of the journal asks.

La filosofía como una continuación por medio de la tarea educativa

The article addresses the current state of the Philosophy of Education, which seeks to understandthe nature and foundations of education to improve its effectiveness. It identifies a significant gapbetween the theoretical and practical problems of education, as they are perceived and responded to on the public agenda. This separation limits the explanatory capacity of the discipline and reducesits relevance for educational actors. Given this panorama, the article proposes to explore how to integrate educational theory and practice. The methodology of the article involves a critical analysisof Wittgenstein’s point of view, enriched with the perspectives of Williams and Medina. It examineshow these philosophers address the relationship between philosophical theory and educationalpractice, especially in terms of how beliefs and instructional processes are interrelated and can beunderstood from an integrated perspective. The main results suggest that integrating philosophicaltheory with educational practice allows not only a deeper understanding of the foundations ofeducation, but also an improvement in the effectiveness of educational strategies. In addition, finalconsiderations are raised about the current state of philosophical research in education, highlightingthe importance of continuing to explore these connections to move towards a more comprehensiveand practical approach in the Philosophy of Education.

“They just forget about the students”: Growing resilient urban farmers with a research practice partnership

A sustainable transdisciplinary research network was established through a research practice partnership (RPP) between an urban farm, faculty and staff from a Historically Black College (HBC), and researchers at a medium-sized private university. We investigate student-worker resilience at this urban farm situated on the HBC campus, drawing on literature that explores tensions between informal learning environments and formal spaces, equitable food systems and farming systems, as well as the resilience of farm work, and which is grounded critical food systems education theory. Utilizing a participatory design approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews and deductively analyzed the data. The research questions guiding this paper are: (1) What topics of discussion are most important to the student-workers and staff working on an urban farm, (2) How do student-workers and college staff members perceive and experience resilience on an urban farm? We found that what participants on an urban farm discuss, relating to their experiences, include (1) how participants were eager to engage with the local community, (2) how participants demonstrated resilience while working on the urban farm, (3) how power dynamics played a pivotal role informing the direction of the urban farm, (4) how participants consider community access to healthy foods an important mission for the farm, (5) how the college acted as a power wielding entity, perpetuating its privilege over the farmers and the farm operations. These findings have the potential to enable community organizing spaces to promote resilience for their volunteers and workers, and for urban farms top partner with their community to promote the mission of increasing access to healthy and affordable food options.

Stirred by Your Presence

Traces of you reach me through my senses. But without wondering in your presence, I cannot see you. For beings of sense and meaning such as ourselves, being stirred by another’s presence opens wondering. The implications of such claims are striking for what perception involves, for being in touch with another, and for good relationships. The paper proceeds as a series of “strobes,” from an ancient Greek word for whirling. Turning quickly about, words enact being stirred into wondering, interspersed with visual glimpses, a photographic series. Building on recent work by the author, the paper draws on Jean-Luc Marion’s phenomenology; Daniel R. Scheinfeld, Karen M. Haigh, and Sandra J.P. Scheinfeld’s early childhood educational theory, and a phrase by Martha C. Nussbaum describing the intentionality of wondering. This is deepened by attention to what the phenomenological tradition calls “passive synthesis,” and what the author, following F.W.J. Schelling, has called “positive anxiety,” the soul’s excitement around the possibility of sense and meaning.

An Analysis of the Undergraduate Program of the Police School of the University of Internal Affairs

Theoretical knowledge, skills, and practical experience of the cadets, students, and graduates are essential for the implementation of the basic functions of the police organization to effectively combat crime, maintain public order, and ensure public safety. However, all of these depend on the concept of educational programs, training theories, and development trends. Therefore, we have written this article to analyze the undergraduate programs and their implementation, and to propose some improvements. The research focuses on the analysis of the undergraduate curriculum methodology at the Police School of the Internal Affairs University of Mongolia from 2000 to 2019. It involves comparing the current four specialized programs with those of the national police universities of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Korea. After conducting the analysis, we identified both problems and opportunities. We surveyed 250 graduates of the programs to compare the quality and accessibility of education at that time to the current situation which helped us identify the issues. According to the survey, 75 percent of the respondents believe that the Police Work-Law undergraduate program needs to be improved and updated while the remaining 20 percent did not feel that it needed improvement, and 5 percent were unsure. Comparative analysis of the programs finds that there has been an increase in program content and credit hours, some courses overlap, the internship period is short, and the quality and results are weak. Upon comparing similar programs in other countries, it has been identified that implementing curricula in areas such as artificial intelligence, coding, and programming can help international law schools effectively meet the challenges of 21st-century legal practice.

Impostor phenomenon among Black undergraduates: Contributions of microaggressions, gender, and school belonging.

Racial microaggressions at predominantly White institutions (PWIs) are a major concern for Black undergraduates because these experiences evoke feelings of "otherness" and may contribute to growing impostor phenomenon beliefs (IP)-feelings of intellectual fraudulence where people question their academic abilities. School belonging (i.e., a sense of connection to one's academic institution) may be an important mediating factor that explains how racial microaggressions contribute to greater IP over time. Furthermore, these effects may be distinct for Black men and women, given their unique experiences at PWIs. The current longitudinal study utilizes moderated-mediation analyses to examine these effects among 269 Black undergraduates (Mage = 19.71, SD = 2.36, 72% female) over a full academic year at a PWI. Findings indicate that racial microaggressions indirectly predicted increased IP over a 1-year period through a negative association with schools belonging to Black men but not for Black women. These findings highlight the importance of gender and school belonging when examining how racial stressors contribute to changes in IP beliefs. Implications for theory and policy recommendations for educators and stakeholders are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Brand Communication in the Visual Discourse of the Educational Theatrical Performance

Educational theater is considered a significant behavioral mechanism within the educational system, as it plays a crucial role in the teaching and learning process, shaping ideas through visual discourse and the ability to create symbolic meanings and impactful interpretations for the learner within the space of the educational theatrical performance. The research problem revolves around the following question: (What is the role of brand communication in the visual discourse of educational theatrical presentations?), As for the theoretical framework, it includes two chapters: the first discusses brand communication between the concept and application, while the second addresses the concept of educational theater. The third chapter reviews the research methodology, and the fourth chapter presents the research results and draws several conclusions. The study concludes with the list of references.

Recruitment overhaul of Black athletes in college sport

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine the recruitment and retention efforts of Black college athletes in football, women’s basketball and men’s basketball by white head coaches at historically white institutions (HWI). This study employed Critical Race Theory (CRT) and the educational tenets of: (1) racism; (2) interest convergence; (3) social construction; (4) differential racialization; (5) intersectionality/anti-essentialism; and (6) unique voice/counter storytelling [Bell, D. (1995). Who's afraid of critical race theory? University of Illinois Law Review, 1995, 893–910; Delgado, R., & Stefancic, J. (2001). Critical race theory: An introduction. New York University Press; Ladson-Billings, G. (2013). Critical race theory: What it is not!. In M. L. Editor, & A. D. Editors (Eds.), The handbook of critical race theory in education (pp. 34–47). Routledge Handbooks Online; Solórzano, D. G., & Yosso, T. J. (2002). Critical race methodology: Counter-storytelling as an analytical framework for education research. Qualitative Inquiry, 8(1), 23–44]. A descriptive multiple case study [Stake, R. (1995). The art of case study research. Sage Publications, Inc.] was designed, and semi-structured interviews were carried out with seven male and three female former college athletes from a Power 5 institution. This study gathered common themes related to former athletes’ intersection of race and gender. The theme of race produced the following subthemes: (1) representation, (2) assimilation, (3) academics and (4) community. Furthermore, the theme of gender produced greater insight in the subtheme of (1) intersectionality. Through the aforementioned themes, the researchers call for a complete overhaul of the current practices of recruiting Black college athletes at HWIs through established offices comprised of researchers and practitioners well versed in providing resources and support for students on and beyond the campus environment.

Mentoring as a complex adaptive system – a systematic scoping review of prevailing mentoring theories in medical education

BackgroundEffective mentorship is an important component of medical education with benefits to all stakeholders. In recent years, conceptualization of mentorship has gone beyond the traditional dyadic experienced mentor-novice mentee relationship to include group and peer mentoring. Existing theories of mentorship do not recognize mentoring’s personalized, evolving, goal-driven, and context-specific nature. Evidencing the limitations of traditional cause-and-effect concepts, the purpose of this review was to systematically search the literature to determine if mentoring can be viewed as a complex adaptive system (CAS).MethodsA systematic scoping review using Krishna’s Systematic Evidence-Based Approach was employed to study medical student and resident accounts of mentoring and CAS in general internal medicine and related subspecialties in articles published between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2023 in PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, ERIC, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases. The included articles underwent thematic and content analysis, with the themes identified and combined to create domains, which framed the discussion.ResultsOf 5,704 abstracts reviewed, 134 full-text articles were evaluated, and 216 articles were included. The domains described how mentoring relationships and mentoring approaches embody characteristics of CAS and that mentorship often behaves as a community of practice (CoP). Mentoring’s CAS-like features are displayed through CoPs, with distinct boundaries, a spiral mentoring trajectory, and longitudinal mentoring support and assessment processes.ConclusionRecognizing mentorship as a CAS demands the rethinking of the design, support, assessment, and oversight of mentorship and the role of mentors. Further study is required to better assess the mentoring process and to provide optimal training and support to mentors.

Oil painting teaching design based on the mobile platform in higher art education

To improve the current oil painting teaching mode in Chinese universities, this study combines deep learning technology and artificial intelligence technology to explore oil painting teaching. Firstly, the research status of individualized education and related research on image classification based on brush features are analyzed. Secondly, based on a convolutional neural network, mathematical morphology, and support vector machine, the oil painting classification model is constructed, in which the extracted features include color and brush features. Moreover, based on artificial intelligence technology and individualized education theory, a personalized intelligent oil painting teaching framework is built. Finally, the performance of the intelligent oil painting classification model is evaluated, and the content of the personalized intelligent oil painting teaching framework is explained. The results show that the average classification accuracy of oil painting is 90.25% when only brush features are extracted. When only color features are extracted, the average classification accuracy is over 89%. When the two features are extracted, the average accuracy of the oil painting classification model reaches 94.03%. Iterative Dichotomiser3, decision tree C4.5, and support vector machines have an average classification accuracy of 82.24%, 83.57%, and 94.03%. The training speed of epochs data with size 50 is faster than that of epochs original data with size 100, but the accuracy is slightly decreased. The personalized oil painting teaching system helps students adjust their learning plans according to their conditions, avoid learning repetitive content, and ultimately improve students' learning efficiency. Compared with other studies, this study obtains a good oil painting classification model and a personalized oil painting education system that plays a positive role in oil painting teaching. This study has laid the foundation for the development of higher art education.

Developing Students Core Competencies in English Teaching Through Multi-modal Reading Instruction

General Senior High School Curriculum Standards (2017 Edition) puts forward the idea of core competencies in the English subject at the high school level, and the traditional single-modal English reading teaching mode can t meet the needs of students development of core literacy. Therefore, teachers should adopt a multi-modal teaching approach in the process of reading teaching, combined with specific teaching tasks and contents, effectively develop students core literacy in English subject. Based on the theory of multi-modality and multi-modal teaching, and with specific cases of English reading teaching, this paper aims to explore the positive role of multi-modal reading teaching in the cultivation of core literacy in English.

Strategy for strengthening local culture-based character education in class iii students at SDN Menanga 1

Character education based on local culture is values education, character education, moral education, and character education which aims to develop students' abilities to make good and bad decisions, maintain what is good according to their outlook on life and science. This is a challenge for the author to study more deeply. This research was carried out to answer the following problems: The theoretical basis of this research is character education theory by Thomas Lickona, social learning theory by Bandura and behaviourism theory by Burrus Frederic Skinner. The type of research is qualitative research with a phenomenological approach. The technique for determining informants uses purposive sampling. Data collection techniques include observation, interviews, literature study, documentation and using qualitative data analysis, namely data reduction, data presentation and verification or drawing conclusions.

On the Practical Application of Contextual Teaching in Higher Vocational Preschool Education English Classrooms

Contextual teaching is a new instructional model emerging under the innovative backdrop of educational theories and methodologies in modern times. In the context of higher vocational colleges specializing in preschool English education, this approach is particularly conducive to creating a favorable teaching environment and atmosphere. It enables students to actively engage in the learning process, thereby enhancing their subsequent application of English knowledge. This article primarily analyzes the advantages of contextual teaching in the field of preschool English education at higher vocational colleges. Furthermore, it discusses practical application methods of contextual teaching in this specific educational context, aiming to provide insights for enhancing the learning capabilities of early childhood English educators.

“It’s Like How Mom Cooks for You, Tell Her Nothing You Only Get Chicken Soup.”: Understanding Children’s Perception of Datafication Online in China

Datafication, the process where users’ actions online are pervasively recorded, tracked, aggregated, analysed, and exploited by online services in multiple ways, is becoming increasingly common today. However, we know little about how children, especially non-Western children, perceive such practices. Through one-to-one semi-structured interviews with 36 children aged 11–14 from Chinese middle schools, we examined how Chinese children perceive datafication practices. We identified three knowledge gaps in children’s current perceptions of datafication practices online, including their lack of recognition of (i) their data ownership, (ii) data being transmitted across platforms, and (iii) datafication could go beyond video recommendation and include inferences and profiling of their personal aspects. Through contextualising these observations within the Chinese context and its unique online ecosystem, we identified cultural traits in Chinese children’s perceptions of datafication. We drew on education theories to discuss how to support the future digital literacy development and design online platforms for Chinese children.

TRENDS IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE AMERICAS, EUROPE AND ASIA AND PIECING TOGETHER THE KEY SUCCESS FACTORS AND TOXIC BLIND CORNERS

The main thrust of this research was to contribute to theory building in the Theory of Higher Education (PPT) and their applicability in Oman and globally looking at the broader issues of students, academic work, and the place for higher education in society. The research explored gaps in knowledge regarding this theory as a contribution to knowledge, and in this instance, the Oman and global higher education industry was the epicentre of the research and was expected to meet foremost the needs of industry and government as employers of graduated students, then the needs of students and society in knowledge and innovation. This research was conceptual research using literature review only. A barrier is anything that prevents the system from achieving its goal likegetting enough students, doing academic work and finally poor resourcing. The main reasons giving rise to this research were the facts that some colleges and universities in the world faced challenges in assessment, quality, graduate employability and suitability for industry. The main objective of this research was to contribute to theory building in the Theory of Higher Education and identify critical success factors. The secondary objective was employability of graduates as the end product, maximising knowledge creation and innovation. Qualitative research method in the form of conceptual research was used in this research. The main findings were that lack of practicals/diverse teaching methods, lack of compulsory internship, unfair assessment, balancing classes with free time, the need for diversity in terms of faculty, uncommitted students, incompetent faculty, outdated syllabus, students from high schools not being college ready, graduates not matching industry requirements were the main issues.

Professional identity and GP trainers as educational leaders

ABSTRACT GP training in the UK has a long history of success, however that is measured. That success is in part due to the formality and credentialling that underlies preparation to take on that role of a GP teacher, which is somewhat under current threat due to workforce pressures. We identify three important factors associated with the GP trainer function [leadership, professional identity and clinical care improvement] that are not often analysed but are at some risk if preparation for the GP trainer role is reduced or devalued. Of particular note are the differing ways that GPs conceptualise their professional roles as teachers and clinicians, despite the transferable skills between them, the demonstrably improved patient care that occurs in practices that teach, and the necessary connections between educational theory and practice. We suggest that these areas define a research agenda ripe for exploration.

Merdeka Curriculum: Adaptation of Indonesian Education Policy in the Digital Era and Global Challenges

Objective: This paper examines the Merdeka Curriculum as a response to Indonesian education policy challenges in the digital era and globalization. The policy aims to enhance the flexibility and quality of education through a more adaptive approach to student needs and technological advancements. Theoretical Framework: The study is grounded in public policy adaptation theory and 21st-century education theory, which emphasizes critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and digital literacy. This framework helps understand how the Merdeka Curriculum is implemented within the Indonesian education context. Method: A qualitative approach is used in this study, employing a case study method in several schools in Indonesia. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, classroom observations, and policy document analysis. Participants included teachers, students, and education policymakers. Results and Conclusions: The findings indicate that the Merdeka Curriculum provides greater flexibility for teachers in designing learning programs tailored to students' needs. However, implementation in the field faces various challenges, such as lack of technological infrastructure and teacher training. In conclusion, while the Merdeka Curriculum has the potential to improve educational quality, stronger support in technology and training is necessary for its success. Research Implications: This study has significant implications for the development of education policy in Indonesia, especially in the digital era. The findings encourage policymakers to consider greater investments in educational technology and teacher training to ensure the success of the Merdeka Curriculum. Originality/Value: This paper offers an original contribution by linking the Merdeka Curriculum policy to the challenges and opportunities of the digital era, providing practical insights into the implementation of education policy in Indonesia. It also adds to the literature on education policy adaptation in developing countries.

“The truth that no one wants to see.” Social work practice, human rights and aesthetic mediation in a group of people experiencing homelessness in Seville (Spain)

ABSTRACT This article presents the narratives of people experiencing homelessness, highlighting the daily violation of their human rights in the city of Seville (Spain). In a process characterised by a search for the meaning of homelessness and the role of Social Work in human rights, their experiences are part of a knowledge production that reclaims the dignity to these individuals using their words and bodies. Methodologically, this goal was achieved by Collective Theatre Creation, combining artistic research with Social Work, theatre pedagogy and aesthetic mediation. This methodology enabled a group of individuals experiencing homelessness to write and perform a play entitled ‘The truth that no one wants to see’ as a result of a research process applying aesthetic mediation in Social Work. Simultaneously, it leads us to the potentiality of artistic practices in the resizing of group practice in Social Work.