Educational Encounters Research Articles

‘Non-stop wokeism’: facilitating social justice teacher education amidst epistemic oppression and popular misogyny

ABSTRACT This paper considers a social justice teacher education (SJTE) course that is intellectually and emotionally demanding, time-poor, and yet aimed at generating relations of reparative coexistence. Interspersed with feminist testimony, the article exposes intensities of course facilitation as a female academic at a sandstone university amidst: 1) a worldwide rise in ‘anti-woke’ populism, and 2) a higher education (HE) sector that is epistemically hostile. Combining the concepts of affective infrastructure and discomfort, the paper develops a genealogy of Australian HE as a backdrop for analysis. Within this field, bodies are affected by and affect discomforting pedagogical encounters. The paper argues that SJTE is crucial work that is carried unevenly and that alongside honing the affective craft of SJTE, awareness be raised concerning ways in which HE institutions make this work harder and riskier for some. Affective solidarities are offered as one means of ‘staying with’ the unavoidable discomforts.

PEDAGOGICAL CHALLENGES IN TEACHING FOLKLORE TO CHILDREN IN NON-FORMAL EDUCATION: A CASE STUDY FROM BULGARIA

This study analyzes data from a survey conducted among non-formal education teachers engaged in teaching folklore to children. It investigates effective practices and challenges these educators encounter in the transmission of folklore traditions to contemporary youth. Drawing on the collected data, the research proposes targeted strategies to enhance and optimize the teaching process, addressing the specific needs of both students and educators within this cultural and pedagogical context.

Generative AI

Generative AI is developing at an exponential pace, showing immense potential for reshaping teaching and learning methodologies. Designing high-quality examinations demands careful consideration, such as incorporating diverse question types to assess different levels of understanding and ensuring alignment with learning outcomes. However, many university educators encounter challenges in designing effective examinations due to insufficient training. This paper outlines our work-in-progress in leveraging generative AI, specifically large language models, as a copilot in examination design. In this study, we are evaluating large language models’ performance in assessing examination questions based on four key quality criteria. Preliminary findings indicate that ChatGPT 3.5 achieved comparable performance to the state-of-the-art in classifying questions by cognitive complexity, as defined by Bloom’s taxonomy. Additionally, ChatGPT 3.5 demonstrated promising initial results across other criteria. In conclusion, generative AI shows substantial potential to serve as a valuable tool in assisting university educators in enhancing the overall quality of examination design.

Negotiating the structural and personal intensities of gender, affects and whiteness through culturally responsive becoming in mathematics

ABSTRACT Marked by growing cultural diversity of the student body alongside education policies grounded in whiteness, the Australian education system is both evolving while tethered to past and ongoing colonial power. Amidst these tensions, we are concerned with how schools and teachers become culturally responsive. Most Australian teachers are not only White but female, thus the White female teacher’s relation to the culturally diverse learner is structural. Utilising life history methodology, we explore how White female mathematics teacher, ‘Lara’ negotiates these relations in a learning area synonymous with exclusion. We argue: 1) culturally responsive becoming in White Australia involves disrupting whiteness; 2) whiteness in the educational encounter is not only raced but gendered and so too is school mathematics; 3) disrupting the exclusivity of mathematics has broader implications. The paper contributes to Australian scholarship on culturally responsive schooling by bringing whiteness and gender more sharply to the fore.

The structural organization of individual resources of the teacher's coping behavior

Introduction. All educators encounter stressful situations and experience negative emotions during their work, which necessitates the use of coping strategies to maintain personal well-being and uphold a high level of teaching quality. The contemporary state of the issue regarding the phenomenology of psychological resources for coping with stress is characterized by the dominance of an analytical research paradigm. This paradigm primarily focuses on individual, personal, and subject-activity characteristics as resources for coping with stress. The aim of this research is to determine the psychological structure of the coping behavior resources of educators. **Methods.** To conduct a comparative analysis of theoretical approaches to defining the resources of coping behavior, we employed conceptual content analysis, which allowed us to determine the frequency of mention of each resource for coping behavior. Subsequently, in accordance with the theoretical model, we selected diagnostic methods for these resources (26 psychodiagnostic techniques). The empirical study was conducted in educational institutions in the Kaluga region, Krasnodar Territory, Ulyanovsk, and Yaroslavl regions (Russian Federation). The study sample consisted of 901 individuals. Using exploratory factor analysis (principal component method, Varimax rotation), we identified the psychological structure of coping behavior resources. **Results.** In alignment with the theoretical model, we selected diagnostic methods for these resources, which allowed us to study both the resources themselves (their integral final values) and the components that make up these resources. The structure of coping behavior resources is formed by 114 variables, which were subsequently factor analyzed. The results of the factor analysis revealed that the psychological structure of coping behavior resources is represented by individual-psychological qualities, forming five blocks (existential, regulatory, emotional, socio-psychological, readiness for activity in uncertain situations). Factor 1 "Existential" (factor load - 24.1), Factor 2 "Readiness for Activity in Uncertain Situations" (14.9), Factor 3 "Regulatory" (13.1), Factor 4 "Socio-Psychological" (9.4), Factor 5 "Emotional" (7.5). **Conclusion.** There is a specific list of coping behavior resources that relevantly characterizes the specifics of a person's coping behavior in stressful situations. Psychological resources for coping behavior do not represent isolated psychological properties and states; instead, they form a holistic unity.

Academic reading: fear and trembling or being and belonging?

At the University of the West of England (UWE) Bristol, we are in the second year of a project to promote and improve reading skills. One part of our work has focused on embedding collaborative reading techniques within subjects to improve confidence in tackling texts, promote reading as a social practice, and boost belonging within disciplines and cohorts. Our poster presentation reviews the literature on student emotions towards reading, and how these influence their practices. We use this visual representation when liaising with academic colleagues to co-create and facilitate collaborative reading activities. Considerations of the role of student ‘affect’ foreground the motivational dimensions of the reading experience; we look at both pre-existing psychological and emotional barriers to engagement, and incentives and enablers that encourage confident reading and enjoyment of academic texts. We consider how the research literature accords with and further informs our empirical experience of running practical reading workshops. It is hoped that activities such as reading circles and textmapping relieve the individual from sole accountability for comprehension, bringing reading ‘out from the dark’. Deconstructing the process of reading through collaborative roles contributes towards the co-construction of understanding and knowledge, activating fresh insights. Discussion of reading through this shared approach potentially helps to develop student confidence, to nurture feelings of belonging, and to enhance cohort identity. However, we are mindful of the real-world impacts and outcomes of reading strategies for the diverse body of students that we encounter in higher education, with their wealth of difference in cognitive abilities, backgrounds, and cultural experiences. Through this literature review, it is intended that learning from work already published will contribute towards evolving best practice in channelling agency and easing anxiety in academic reading for all students.

Application of Paulo Freire’s Critical Pedagogy Principles to the Jewish–Arab Interface in Israel: Dialog, Awareness, and Identity

Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogy has been implemented in many, diverse fields; in this article, I will present the implementation of Freirean thought in a new field that has not been mentioned in the literature to date—the encounter between groups in conflict. I will do this through the educational encounter between Jews and Arabs in Israel. In this article I will argue that the principles of the Freirean approach, mainly the dialog proposed by Freire, are most suitable for running educational dialog between groups in conflict. The use of Freirean dialog principles in meetings between Arabs and Jews is preferable to dialogs based on psychological principles. Freirean dialog does not ignore reality; on the contrary, it originates in reality and combines it with theory. Thus, it allows the participants to reach an awareness of the conflict and their role in it, and enables them to reconstruct their identity and take action if they so desire in order to change reality.

Education beyond the limits: Addressing Violence against Women and Girls

Abstract This article is a contribution to a suite of papers on violence against women and girls. It sets out the context in which this issue is currently discussed, how it might be understood and how it can be addressed. Education is seen as a key mechanism for the prevention of gender-based violence through the transformation of the attitudes and beliefs that boys and young men hold about women and girls and what it means to be a man. This article considers the challenges of achieving this in the face of online influencers like Andrew Tate with their appeal to masculine entitlement and supremacy, often expressed in terms of misogynistic violence and coercion. Drawing on the work of Jacqueline Rose, Judith Butler and others, the paper argues that this is a task that involves creative and affective pedagogy as well as sustained critical engagement. There is, therefore, an important role for the arts and humanities in providing spaces for exploration, conversation and reflection about the embodied experience of violence and abuse. Through difficult educational encounters it may be possible to initiate a change in boys and young men from impervious thoughtlessness to a greater recognition and understanding of the impact of harassment and violence, both within the educational setting and beyond.

Understanding Professional Identity Through Pedagogical love: A Case of a Mentoring Dyad in Turkey

In this article, how a mentee’s developing professional identity is reflected in the use of pedagogical strategies is explored through the mentor teacher’s lens. Although mentoring relationships have traditionally focused on improving mentee teachers’ teaching repertoire, unstructured affective processes involved as a result of the mentoring relationship have received limited attention. As being mentored to teach is intrinsically an effective process, this study situates the mentee’s use of pedagogical strategies as a reflection of the developing professional identity within the pedagogy of love framework. Within the scope of the framework, how the mentee teacher utilizes her understanding of the pedagogical authority of the mentor teacher to develop her professional identity is reflected in the transformational role of pedagogical love. The mentee teacher steps into a self-actualization journey in which empathy, building trusting platforms for learning, and developing novice teacher intuition during the novel pedagogical encounters take precedence.

O LÚDICO NA EDUCAÇÃO INFANTIL: CONCEPÇÕES E PRÁTICASDOCENTES

This article is a section of a Master's Dissertation and aims to analyze how the knowledge of playfulness in early childhood education is contextualized in teachers' pedagogical practices based on the reality of a municipal early childhood education school. The justification is to reevaluate the pedagogical work, seeking to understand that while educators encounter challenges in developing a playful approach with young children, their practice becomes much more expressive and enjoyable for the children’s school experience. A learning environment where playfulness, creativity, and spontaneity prevail becomes far more conducive to learning. The methodological design was non-experimental, descriptive, cross-sectional, with a mixed approach. It was non-experimental because there was no manipulation of variables or comparison groups. The researcher observes what naturally occurs without interfering in any way. It is a descriptive investigation because it aims to describe the characteristics of a certain population or phenomenon or establish relationships between variables. As for the results, we emphasize that, although there was a comparison regarding the teachers’ years of service, it did not influence the findings. What became evident is that both teachers work with the same goal: to motivate the students’ learning processes through playful tools.

Virtual Piano using Assembly Language Programming

In the field of music technology and computer programming, the concept of a virtual piano represents a fascinating intersection. This project aims to develop software using assembly language and TASM (Turbo Assembler), emulating the functionality of a physical piano. The goal is to replicate the production of musical notes similar to those generated by pressing keys on an actual piano. At its core, the virtual piano program orchestrates various components seamlessly. The audio processing module synthesizes distinct notes, each defined by a unique frequency, as users interact with the program by pressing mapped keyboard keys. A thoughtfully designed user interface is crucial, as it bridges the gap between the user and the underlying program, facilitating smooth interaction. By integrating these elements harmoniously, the virtual piano emerges as a comprehensive tool that merges creativity with technology. Harnessing the intricacies of low-level programming allows for the accurate translation of user input into coherent musical notes. Additionally, a solid foundation in audio processing is essential for achieving an authentic rendition of piano sounds. Ultimately, upon completion, the virtual piano program transcends mere software, embodying a transformative musical experience. It not only serves as a functional instrument but also showcases the potential of assembly language in creating sophisticated and engaging digital applications. Through detailed audio synthesis and a user-friendly interface, this project highlights the convergence of technology and art, offering users an immersive and educational encounter with music and programming.

Pearls of Wisdom from Teaching Rounds: Reconceptualizing “See One, Do One” as Social Learning

Abstract Background Experiential education is paramount to clinical instruction in medicine. During teaching rounds, faculty can assess medical knowledge and clinical reasoning while modeling evidence-based patient care and effective communication. This study aimed to describe observed traits common across faculty who contribute to favorable learning environments. Design Students completed an Internal Medicine (IM) Student Chief elective at a midwestern United States Academic Tertiary Care Center in which M4s aided Clerkship leadership in near-peer teaching and communicating with students. Chiefs participated in rounds for experiential learning in clinical teaching. For this qualitative, descriptive study, M4s were asked to provide at least three “pearls of wisdom,” on observations about teaching and learning in reflective essays during two consecutive academic years. Twenty-nine M4s participated in the elective and submitted 238 pearls. The research team undertook document review and qualitatively analyzed content of Chiefs’ reflective essays. Detailed codes were organized into primary and secondary themes by each author, and then re-evaluated until they reached consensus. Through thematic analysis, we identified faculty traits students found conducive to learning. Results Three primary themes emerged: Attributes, Autonomy, and Achieving Engagement. Conclusion Experiential educational encounters are transformative to developing new physicians. Chiefs highlighted positive aspects of teaching rounds described previously including providing clear expectations, promoting goal setting, engagement, and instilling confidence. They also valued humor, recognizing cognitive overload, displaying humility, listening skills, and mentorship. While one attending cannot replicate all described effective techniques simultaneously, faculty development that promotes refining these approaches may improve the clinical learning environment for all learners.

Improving vaccination counseling rates in first time patients with cancer: A multi-disciplinary approach.

315 Background: ASCO guidelines 2024 recommend that “clinicians determine vaccination status and ensure that adults newly diagnosed with cancer about to initiate treatment are up to date on seasonal vaccines as well as age- and risk-based vaccines.” Prior to the study, Baylor Scott and White Hematology Oncology Round Rock (BSWHRR) clinic lacked a formalized process for vaccine education. The primary aim of this study was to increase vaccination counseling for first-time cancer patients with solid tumors or hematologic malignancies. The secondary endpoint was to optimize vaccination status for this group of patients. Methods: Inclusion criteria were patients 18 years or older with initial diagnosis of solid tumor or hematologic malignancy, receiving chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy for the first time, and treated within BSWHRR. Exclusion criteria were patients with subsequent malignancy, malignancy requiring second line chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy, or deceased. Patients meeting these criteria n=57 were collected during the pre-intervention period October 15-December 15. Post-intervention data n=52 was collected 6 weeks following the initiation of the intervention from February 18 – April 18. The intervention included a 2-sided handout containing current recommendations for vaccination schedules in immunocompromised adults. These handouts were provided along with counseling at 2 separate encounters (during the initial consult and during chemotherapy education). The handout included instructions for scheduling vaccines with the Baylor Scott and White Pharmacy and/or their PCP. This multi-disciplinary approach included nurse navigators, triage nurses, pharmacists, and physicians. A standardized documentation process was initiated and utilized for both consult and chemotherapy education encounters. Results: Following the introduction of vaccine education handouts and standardized documentation, vaccine counseling rates during the consult visit improved from 0% to 49%. Vaccine counseling rates during chemotherapy education visits increased from 0% to 71%. Overall, the number of patients that attended and were counseled during at least one of these visits increased from 0% to 70%. The secondary endpoint of increasing vaccination rates showed that non-seasonal vaccination rates improved. Pneumococcal vaccination rates improved from 33% to 42%, a 27% increase. Shingles coverage improved from 16% to 25%, a 56% increase. Conclusions: This study showed that a multidisciplinary approach, utilization of patient/physician education handouts, and standardization of documentation was effective in achieving a substantial increase in vaccination counseling rates for patients with newly diagnosed malignancy. The intervention was also effective in achieving the secondary endpoint of increasing pneumococcal and shingles vaccinations.

Research on the Psychological Impact of the Policy Practice of Preventing Minors from Indulging in Online Games in China

With the expansion of online games, there is a relatively more severe issue involving minors excessive use of games. To this end, the Chinese government has issued several policy initiatives that are intended to stop minors from getting hooked on online games. This study aims to examine the psychological consequences of these policy practices on children. Through literature review, and case study, the changes in minors mental health status before and after the implementation of the policy were assessed, and the role of family, school and social environment in the implementation of the policy was also examined. This research identified that these policies have successfully limited the overuse of online games among minors to a certain extent but at the same time, it has introduced new psychological issues like anxiety and social isolation among the young people. Also, the issues that parents and educators encounter in the process of policy execution are also worth considering. Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations, such as introducing flexible time limits and regular review of the policy, are made in order to enhance policy implementation towards the improvement of the mental health of minors.

Relocating the linguistic repertoire: from in us to among us

ABSTRACT This inquiry into the location of the linguistic repertoire was driven by a pedagogical encounter with mounting putty, the white adhesive used to attach materials to another surface. This encounter began at a community writing center during a writing workshop I was teaching on poesía bilingüe when children took up the putty, creating objects that became poetry. I wondered whose linguistic repertoire these words and things had come from and to whose they belonged. If the linguistic repertoire remains within a user, it is unified as an absolute cognitive container of language. It cannot account for the visible, audible, dynamic, and creative linguistic practices of multilinguals while accounting for inward cognitive firings within that same multilingual. The location of the linguistic repertoire implicates pedagogical practice because if the repertoire is singular, unified, and located within the bounds of a single cognitive subject, then the pedagogical responsibility of knowing and using words remains within that subject, and the educator is left to their ontological and epistemological assumptions as to what is in that linguistic repertoire, often leading to problematic pedagogies. However, if the linguistic repertoire is relocated among us, there is theoretical and pedagogical potential for learning, surprise, and ever-elusive change.

“(Not) knowing what you know”: Exploring educators’ perceptions of critical thinking in occupational therapy

Background Critical thinking is key for responsible occupational therapy practice. However, the degree to which educators understand critical thinking and the conceptualizations of such concept in teaching remains unclear. Aim This study aimed to describe occupational therapy educators’ perceptions and experiences of teaching critical thinking. Material and Methods Social constructivism underpins the study. Eight participants were included in three online synchronous focus groups. One participant was interviewed in person due to time constraints. Data were analysed using content analysis. Results This study reveals a considerable diversity of perceptions and experiences of ambiguity regarding educators’ perceptions of what they know about and how to teach critical thinking. Most educators interpret critical thinking in ways that differs from their colleagues. Furthermore, educators encounter divergent expectations pertaining to their role as educators and the readiness of their students. Conclusions This study reveal a paradox within the occupational therapy profession, where critical thinking is highly valued yet educators experience ambiguity, differing expectations of their role, time constraints, and lack of formal education to support students’ development of critical thinking. Significance This study provides the foundation for further inquiry into the invisible effects and benefits of different understandings of critical thinking on occupational therapy practice.

Adapting EFL materials and its influences on Indonesia secondary school students’ language learning

Educators encounter challenges in performing materials adaptation stemming from time limitations, institutional responsibilities, administrative demands, and a dearth of formal training in materials development resulting in improper adaptation and ineffective learning activities. This research investigated the process of adapting materials as a qualitative case study. The data were gathered from a senior high school teacher in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, by means of document analysis (e.g., teaching materials), observation, and interview. The results revealed that the instructor frequently added and modified educational resources to facilitate learning through several modalities. The act of deleting, simplifying, and rearranging was occasionally performed. Nevertheless, students’ reflection on course contents, inadequate level of difficulty, demanding tasks, and excessive reliance on first language remained as issues. This study emphasizes the role of adaptation in promoting meaningful learning experiences and urges the integration of culturally relevant themes with a variety of learning activities. Educators can use these findings to support professional developments focused on effective material adaption tactics, allowing them to reflect on their existing methods, try new approaches, and interact with colleagues to share successful practices.

Predicting online learning experiences in sports education during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for pedagogical strategies

This research aims to assess the predictors that impact the online learning experiences (OLEs) of undergraduate sports students amid the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak utilizing the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework. An online survey was employed using the cluster sampling method to systematically examine the associations among the variables related to the OLE of sports students. A sample size of 402 undergraduate sports students from two universities in China was chosen and surveyed. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to assess the validity of the questionnaires and model adequacy. Finally, a multiple linear regression analysis was performed to explore the associations of the study constructs. The results revealed that open communication, social presence, design and organization, and facilitation possess significant potential in predicting students’ OLE. This demonstrates the paramountcy of transparent communication, directs focus towards the indispensability of fostering a sense of reception and admiration among sports students, and highlights educators' sway in shaping their students' holistic and positive educational encounters. The scalability of our study highlights its potential to contribute valuable insights for developing national-level policies and educational strategies for this demographic.

Exploring L2 educators' training and professional development needs in VR English language learning

Virtual Reality technology has garnered increasing attention and utilization within language education. The research explored the multifaceted challenges and opportunities L2 educators encounter in Iran when integrating VR technology into language instruction and when focusing on educators' perceptions of VR technology and the training gaps they identify. The researchers adopted a qualitative case study design. The selection of cases involved purposive sampling. The study included a total number of 23 L2 educators from language institutions in Iran. In the current study the researchers administered a qualitative case study design, focusing on the experiences of educators in real-world settings where VR technology was being used or considered for language instruction. Research findings reveal that educators encounter significant training gaps related to VR technology, emphasizing the critical need for comprehensive training programs. The implications of this study underscore the importance of equipping educators with the knowledge and skills required to harness VR's potential for enhancing language instruction. Training programs should encompass technical proficiency, pedagogical competence, administrative navigation, collaborative learning, alignment with learning goals, and ongoing professional development. By addressing these multifaceted needs, institutions and organizations can empower educators to leverage VR effectively, fostering engaging and effective language learning experiences for students.

The unconscious online: An exploration into the emotional experience and behaviours of virtual working

The new normal in the wake of the global Covid pandemic means that more organisations are working virtually. Whilst this new working environment offers opportunities, a particular challenge relates to working together, mediated through technologies, whilst being physically apart. Online communication platforms have emerged as dominant virtual places of social, professional, and educational encounters. Spurred on by the researchers’ experiences of using these platforms at work, an online exploratory research project was developed to examine how the design affordances and constraints of these platforms influence the emotional experiences and behaviours of those using them. The researchers applied their own backgrounds to the study of unconscious processes at work in social systems to the exploration of these platforms. Self‐selecting, psychodynamically informed practitioners were invited to join three online exploratory studies. These pilots aimed to study the conscious and unconscious influence of the online platforms (Zoom and Microsoft Teams) on the groups’ perceptions, emotions, and behaviours. An adaptation of group relations methodology was used to allow processes to develop naturally within carefully designed boundaries of time, space, and roles. Key themes identified from direct observations, using researchers’ free-floating attention and subjective experiences, related to role, identity, and presence.