Educational Space Research Articles

Impact of school gardens on secondary schools' agricultural science education in east Berbice Corentyne, Guyana

This study aimed to investigate gender disparities among Agricultural Science teachers in Region 6, East Berbice Corentyne, Guyana, focusing on their perceptions of school gardens and their influence on the pedagogy of agricultural science in secondary schools. Data were collected via electronic questionnaires from 30 teachers across 17 secondary schools to examine the integration of school gardens and their impact on teaching agricultural science. The results revealed that students participating in school gardening activities showed a greater propensity towards considering agriculture as a potential career and demonstrated an enhanced understanding of its practical aspects. Furthermore, incorporating school gardens facilitated interdisciplinary learning, bridging agricultural science with subjects such as social studies, language arts, and mathematics. This interdisciplinary approach promoted a deeper understanding of real-world applications across various disciplines. The findings emphasised the significance of creating conducive learning environments to support effective agricultural science instruction. Providing teachers and students with comfortable teaching and learning spaces fosters engagement and enhances pedagogical efficacy. This study contributes to the expanding body of literature advocating for integrating school gardens into educational curricula, particularly in agricultural science instruction. By recognising the multifaceted benefits of school gardens, educators and policymakers can better support the development of holistic and engaging learning experiences for secondary school students.

Symposium 3: Networked learning in the time of pandemic

Digital networking technologies have allowed lecturers and students to remain connected while being physically isolated during global lockdowns resultant from the COVID-19 pandemic. We argue that the increased utilization of online spaces for teaching and learning during the time of isolation has brought the question of intersubjectivity and alienation in cyberspace to the forefront. As part of an ongoing phenomenological analysis of the virtual, we survey the experiences of networked learning reported by a group of South African university students in their end of course surveys. We track particularly their experience of alienation, their capacity to engage with material in the online environment, and their awareness of self as a learner. For Merleau-Ponty there resides in intersubjectivity a founding corporeity that serves to explicate the composition of the intersubjective world as based in a plurality of anonymous subjects and in the intersubjectivity of intellectual consciousnesses. In terms of the virtual, a redeployment of Merleau-Pontian thought (and particularly his concept of the flesh) reveals that the body-subject and digital technology artefact are co-implicit in the generation of the virtual. The virtual serves as a point of networked intersubjectivity that concretely expands and constrains human experience and behaviour. Furthermore, in the virtual we navigate a reified landscape. Virtual reification, though seemingly a contradiction, sees us treating the virtual as concrete from the basis of our embodiment. This leads us to an alienated networked intersubjectivity, whereby all potentialities are founded in ordered and carefully arranged systems that promulgate pragmatic and capitalist logics. We investigate how reification makes up the virtual, and how our engagement with the virtual points us back to the nature of alienation (indeed, for Marx, alienation is an intersubjective social relation). We find in the virtual therefore not isolation, but rather a deficient mode of intersubjectivity. While the individual never becomes atomized, for even in the virtual a deficient mode of intersubjectivity remains nevertheless a mode of intersubjectivity, we find that the individual functions as part of a deficient and distorted network. We suggest in conclusion certain teaching methods that may minimize or mitigate students’ experience of alienation.

The Role of Mosque Istiqlal Osaka, Japan: Preliminary Observations on Islamic Religious Practices for the Indonesian Migrant Worker Society

This research paper presents preliminary observations on the role of Mosque Istiqlal in Osaka, Japan, in facilitating Islamic religious practices for the Indonesian migrant worker society. As globalization has led to increased migration flows, many Indonesian workers have moved to Japan in search of better economic opportunities. However, living in a non-Muslim majority country presents challenges for practicing their faith. The study aims to investigate how Mosque Istiqlal serves as a religious and social hub for the Indonesian migrant worker community in Osaka. Through qualitative research methods including interviews, participant observations, and document analysis, this research explores the various functions of the mosque in supporting the religious needs and social integration of Indonesian migrants.The findings reveal that Mosque Istiqlal plays a crucial role in providing a space for collective worship, religious education, cultural events, and social support for the Indonesian migrant worker society. The mosque serves as a center for fostering a sense of community, preserving cultural identity, and offering a familiar environment for religious practices in a foreign land.Through this preliminary study, we highlight the significance of religious institutions like Mosque Istiqlal in supporting the well-being and integration of migrant communities in host countries. The research underscores the importance of further exploration into the role of religious institutions in facilitating the religious and social needs of migrant populations, contributing to a better understanding of the intersection between religion, migration, and community building.

Особенности обучения иностранному (английскому) языку студентов языкового вуза в полилингвальном образовательном пространстве (на примере Республики Татарстан)

The purpose of this study is to identify the features of teaching English-speaking speech to students of a language university in a multilingual environment. In the work, special attention is paid to the positive and negative factors of the interaction of languages, as well as the influence of the multilingual educational environment of the university on the language abilities of students. The article analyzes Russian and foreign developments devoted to the specifics of the multilingual educational environment of the university when learning English; identifies the features in teaching a foreign language in modern conditions in higher education institutions; The authors have conducted research to understand how students at a language university feel about having three languages in their curriculum. The analysis of theoretical and practical material on multilingualism is devoted to the phenomenon of the multilingual educational environment, as well as the influence of the multilingual environment and bi- and polylinguism on English language learning. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the study and disclosure of the features of the organization of foreign language teaching in the multilingual educational space of a language university. Therefore, using a multilingual educational approach that takes into account all the benefits and drawbacks identified during this study can help learners feel more comfortable when acquiring a foreign language and improve their interlanguage communication skills.

Space agnostic or space, place and delivery mode specific – one or the other: Addressing the privileging of the classroom over online learning

Purpose The purpose of this viewpoint paper is to address the privileged position that classroom learning continues to hold over online learning and to consider the nuances associated with space and place in learning design and teaching for online learners. Design/methodology/approach It is often believed that the learning that is undertaken in the classroom is superior to the learning designed and delivered for online delivery. In many instances online learners have been subjected to learning and teaching designed for the classroom – learning that is designed for a very different delivery mode, one in which space and place have a significantly different impact on learning, and where connectedness with teaching staff and other students is assumed. Findings No findings as this is a viewpoint paper. Research limitations/implications No research implications as this is a viewpoint paper. Practical implications This paper has practical implications for learning designers and those involved in the design and development of online learning events. Originality/value No originality value as such as this is a viewpoint paper.

Who Needs Academic Campuses? Are There Advantages to Studying on an Academic Campus Considering the Experience of Online Teaching Five Years after COVID-19?

This study explores students’ perceptions of the advantages of academic campuses as the location of studies that involve social interaction, with a focus on the role of social interaction in the learning experience. The study examines students’ perspectives approximately five years after the time of COVID-19, when online studies have become more prevalent. Participants were 1048 students from several departments at two academic institutions, a university and a college, of whom 39.1% (407) were male and 60.9% (633) female. The age of the respondents ranged from 18–23 (30.4%), 24–30 (60.3%), and 31–63 (9.3%). Among all respondents, 64.2% were studying social sciences and 35.8% engineering. A mixed methods research design was employed, combining qualitative and quantitative analysis. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized to test the goodness-of-fit of the presented model. The research findings showed that measures of comprehensibility, concentration, and contact with the lecturer enhance learning in a physical classroom more than learning via online teaching. However, interaction with peers does not improve one’s studies at all and is not a sufficient reason to attend classes. These findings are based on analysis of survey responses, after applying SEM to test the goodness-of-fit of the presented model. The final model showed a good fit: CMIN/DF = 1.26, CFI = 0.999, NFI = 0.996, TLI = 0.994, RMSEA = 0.02. The findings of this study may hold importance for leaders of higher education when endeavoring to plan teaching, learning, and evaluation at academic institutions and for shaping the academic campus as a significant educational space in the future. Moreover, the findings may have important implications for education management strategies towards sustainable development. Higher education institutions need to re-evaluate the role of the physical campus and social interaction within it in the era of remote learning.

Hip-hop and education: A literature review of experiences

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to describe educational initiatives that use hip-hop culture as a means of socio-educational action. To this end, the authors carried out a systematic review of relevant articles published over the last 10 years in high-impact peer-reviewed journals and written in English, Spanish, Portuguese or Italian. After applying inclusion/exclusion criteria, 68 articles were analysed. This analysis revealed how most of the reported experiences refer to formal secondary education. Although a third of these experiences are linked to critical pedagogies, these were not derived from the critical use of hip-hop – which was largely instrumental. But by means of a thematic content analysis, the authors identify the main strengths and limitations of hip-hop culture as an educational medium. Among the strengths they highlight are its potential to build culturally relevant educational contexts for students traditionally excluded from the academic curriculum, its fostering of students’ political and social participation, and its facility to promote critical thinking. Among the challenges encountered in using hip-hop culture in educational spaces are some educators and families’ perceptions of hip-hop as anti-educational, the imposition by educators of a vision of hip-hop that is not shared by young people, and the lack of systematisation of experiences that can provide guidance on how to carry out this type of initiative.

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Podcasts for professional development certainly aren’t new, but there's been an incredible surge of new options within the higher education space, from policy and PR to student support and faculty development.

Re-imagining performance spaces and locations in ecological dynamics: Implications for pedagogical practices in physical education

Many places and locations for physical education, and the associated pedagogies, limit the enrichment of the individual–environment system. Strengthening this relationship can provide children and youth with greater functionality to navigate a diverse range of environments more effectively, leading to a positive relationship with sport and physical activity across the lifespan. The purpose of this position paper is to draw attention to the role that environmental constraints play in shaping the relationship between places, locations, and pedagogical practice in physical education. More specifically, we demonstrate how the design of spaces for physical education, and movement competencies more generally, emerges under political, historical, cultural, and socioeconomic factors. Ecological dynamics is presented as an explanatory framework to position the concept of open spaces as a means of enriching individual–environment interactions via guided discovery and exploratory behaviour. In unpacking these key concepts, we highlight innovative approaches to the design of open spaces for physical activity and sport, exemplified by the Skills Garden and PLAYCE initiatives. To move beyond the theoretical arguments presented in this article, we encourage practitioners and applied scientists to collaborate and integrate sub-disciplines, applied ideas, and research methods to re-imagine the design of spaces for learning. To take full advantage of redesigned spaces in strengthening the individual–environment system, practitioners need to adopt a model of physical education that complements these contemporary learning spaces.

SPREADING THE UNDERSTANDING OF WOMEN'S IDENTITY WITHIN THE METO CULTURE THROUGH THE CHRISTIAN EDUCATION SPACE USING THE CONTEXTUAL TEACHING AND LEARNING MODEL

Women in Meto culture have a uniqueness that can only be understood if they understand the construction of Meto culture. In general, many people always associate women's issues with patriarchal culture whose assumptions are oppressive and unfair to women. Women are often seen as marginalized. This paper aims to build a new understanding of women's identity in Meto culture that is more positive in patriarchal culture. There are discussions of women's identity in the Meto culture and its approach through Christian education. This positive understanding is then formed in dialogue with the appropriate biblical texts. Furthermore, the process of seeding this understanding can be carried out in the Christian education space with the Contextual Teaching and Learning learning model. This research was carried out using a literature study that is relevant to the issue of women’s identity in the Meto culture and the results found as content in the Christian education space are that the identity of women in the Meto culture is unique, relational, collective, and cosmic.

Psychological and pedagogical conditions for teaching residents of foreign language professional communication based on an integrated approach

Importance. Proficiency in a professional foreign language at the present stage is one of the key requirements determining competitiveness in the labor market. The formation of professional foreign-language communicative competence of medical specialists gives them access to specialized research and journals, since most of them are published exclusively in English. However, in practice, when receiving medical education in residency, the main attention is paid to the study of natural sciences, while learning a foreign language is of secondary importance. Using an integrated approach to learning, it becomes possible to organize a more effective educational process through a comprehensive study of a subject discipline and a foreign language in a single educational space. The purpose of this work is to identify the psychological and pedagogical conditions of training residents of foreign language professional communication based on an integrated approach.Research Methods. The study was conducted using theoretical and empirical methods that allow to study and analyze scientific and methodological literature on the organization of foreign language teaching based on an integrated subject-language approach. The analysis of the literature revealed certain patterns that actualize the need to comply with a number of psychological and pedagogical conditions when teaching residents of foreign language professional communication based on an integrated approach. Based on the available research, the external and internal factors underlying the psychological and pedagogical conditions aimed at optimizing the educational process were summarized.Results and Discussion. In the course of the conducted research, the following psychological and pedagogical conditions for teaching residents of foreign language professional communication based on an integrated approach were identified: 1) motivation of residents to study professional English; 2) possession of professional foreign language competence by residents at the Advanced Mid level on the ACTFL scale; 3) formation of an integrated course of professional foreign language communicative competence and competence in the field of professional communication by the teacher; 4) the methodological dominant in the educational process are professionally oriented cases.Conclusion. The process of teaching residents of foreign language professional communication is not an axiomatic phenomenon, therefore it is directly dependent on a number of psychological and pedagogical conditions. The identified psychological and pedagogical conditions are of a recommendatory nature and act as a starting point for teaching residents of foreign language professional communication based on an integrated approach. The results of the study can be used in the methodology of teaching foreign languages to medical students and residents.

Design-based approach to technology innovation: Teacher educators’ experiences with tablets as instructional tools in South Africa

The role of higher education in improving educational practices and access through research in technology innovations across the wider spectrum of schooling has especially increased in the information driven 21<sup>st</sup> century lifestyle. Pre-service teacher training plays a significant role in this transformation. For South Africa, research in technology integration has not provided requisite skills for teacher educators to bring about this envisaged transformation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the affordance of the design-based research (DBR) when combined with community of practice (CoP) framework in mitigating context-based technology integration related challenges and professional development in teacher education through the social learning theory. The qualitative paper explores the experiences teacher educators had of using tablets in a DBR as technology integration tools for contextual pedagogical practices. Teacher educators (n = 10), in one university in South Africa were given tablets to use over a year before they responded to semi-structured interviews about their experiences and were also observed as they engaged in both the CoP and in classroom practice. After a thematic analysis, the main results were that the CoP provided space for teacher educators to improve their confidence and technology integration skills. The combination of DBR and the CoP was found to be complementary in bridging the gap between theory and practice for teacher educators. The CoP provided the much needed safe space for professional growth and confidence building for teacher educators. However, learning engagements were limited by inadequacy of ICT tools for the students. In light of this, the implication of the study is that professional development plans for teacher educators in technology integration skills must be context based and subject specific through DBR programs for practical results and sustainability.

Research on the Design of Blended Teaching of "Food Physical and Chemical Inspection" Course

The blended teaching mode is a cutting-edge teaching approach in current higher vocational education. Compared with traditional teaching methods, it has advantages such as rich teaching resources, intuitive teaching methods, no time and space constraints, and strong student classroom participation. These advantages effectively stimulate students' enthusiasm for learning and improve classroom teaching effectiveness. This paper takes the core course "Food Physical and Chemical Inspection" of the higher vocational food inspection and testing technology major as an example. Based on online classrooms and simulation training platforms, a complete blended teaching design case is designed, covering pre-class preparation, in-class tutoring, post-class summarization, and reflection evaluation. Practice has proven that the blended teaching mode of online and offline fully utilizes teaching time inside and outside the classroom, mobilizes students' enthusiasm and initiative, and achieves the expected teaching objectives.

Surviving, thriving, and resisting: Reimagining the ordinary gendered lives of TESOLers

AbstractThe guest editors introduce five studies in this special issue on gender equality. The five articles address the gender disparities in English language teaching as they intersect with learner and teacher identities. Despite progress made in the field for the past 20 years, we are reminded that women and queer individuals in our educational spaces, such as students and practitioners, continue to experience gender‐based oppression such as recent bans on abortion, control over their bodies, lack of access to education, basic needs such as food and housing security (Kendall, 2020), gender violence, homophobia and transphobia, and the silencing of teachers' racial and queer justice efforts in schools. Patriarchy, misogyny, and sexism—systems predicated on a gender binary and hierarchies—materialize in our educational contexts through homogenous views of identity and language that erase difference. These systems reward competition and hierarchical thinking while punishing creative border‐crossing practices. Therefore, understanding how social issues make their way into our language classrooms becomes important for all TESOLers and other educators as they directly shape students' learning, pedagogical practices, curriculum design, etc.. However, the authors of these studies also demonstrate that women and people with non‐conforming gender identities are still here and very much present in English language classrooms, surviving, resisting, and reimagining collective action for all to learn in more equitable conditions. This article builds on the studies presented in the special issue to suggest additional professional practices in order to mitigate gender‐based oppressions in the field.

Characteristics and challenges of teaching and learning in sustainability-oriented Living Labs within higher education: a literature review

PurposeThis study aims to bring together the available scattered knowledge about teaching and learning in Living Labs within higher education, and to explore their potential for supporting students’ sustainability-oriented transformative learning.Design/methodology/approachA literature review was conducted, applying a realist approach. A sample of 35 articles was analyzed qualitatively, mapping the data according to the realist constructs “context,” “intervention,” “mechanism” and “outcome” and using the constant comparison method for data analysis.FindingsThis study identified multiple characteristics of teaching and learning in sustainability-oriented Living Labs, namely, two socio-physical teaching and learning contexts, two pedagogical approaches as interventions therein, four learning processes as (potential) mechanisms and six sustainability-related learning outcomes. Two main challenges were also identified.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that brings together the scattered results from previous studies into a comprehensive description of characteristics and challenges of teaching and learning in Living Labs as sustainability-oriented learning spaces in higher education. The findings can support educators in making scientifically grounded informed choices for teaching and learning in Living Labs and inform future empirical studies to examine when, how and why certain characteristics of teaching and learning in Living Labs, as identified in this study, can support sustainability-oriented transformative learning in higher education.

Listen and Learn: Six higher ed marketing podcasts to queue up

Podcasts for professional development certainly aren’t new, but there's been an incredible surge of new options within the higher education space, from policy and PR to student support and faculty development.

지속가능한 평생교육 공간으로서 에코뮤지엄에 대한 연구

Objectives The purpose of this study is to study the potential of the ecomuseum as a sustainable lifelong education space. In this study, the potential of the ecomuseum as a sustainable lifelong education space was derived through analysis of the meaning and structure of the ecomuseum from a lifelong education perspective. Methods This study was a literature study and collected domestic and international literature focusing on the topics of sustainability, lifelong education, educational space, and ecomuseum. This study analyzed domestic and international literature collected using educational elements and educational system of lifelong education as an analysis framework. Results First, from a lifelong education perspective, the meaning of the ecomuseum appeared as a region-based expansion space, a connection and integration space of the local environment, and a learning space centered on local residents. Second, from a lifelong education perspective, the structure of the ecomuseum appeared as a cultural heritage learning space of various types in the horizontal dimension and as a learning space of various generations in the vertical dimension. Third, the potential of the ecomuseum as a lifelong education space were as a self-directed learning space for knowledge, a reflective learning space for action, and a community learning space for living together. Conclusions As a sustainable lifelong education space, the ecomuseum needs to build an integrated learning space to improve learners’ potential, a systematic learning space for learners’ continuous growth, and a local community-based learning space for learners’ community learning.

PHARMACY STUDENTS' KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES ABOUT PROBIOTICS

Objective: Probiotics are an important and fast-growing functional food group. Pharmacy students, as pharmacists of the future, need to have sufficient knowledge on this subject. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate pharmacy students' knowledge, attitudes, and practices about probiotics. Material and Method: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted among students of Suleyman Demirel University Faculty of Pharmacy in Türkiye between 9 October and 30 October 2023. The paper-based questionnaires consisted of 23 questions and were administered for approximately 10-15 minutes. Result and Discussion: The questionnaires were answered by 347 (74.7%) students. The mean±SD of the knowledge score was 5.14±1.53. The majority of respondents (79%) correctly identified probiotics. Approximately half of the participants knew the type of bacteria used in probiotic production The mean±SD of the attitude score was 11.13±1.44. Most respondents (91.9%) believed that probiotic consumption was beneficial for health. The mean±SD of the practice score was 3.72±2.77. 45.2% of respondents stated that they had used probiotic supplements before and 31.1% stated that they had sought additional information about probiotics from various sources. 40.6% of the respondents stated that they recommend probiotics to their family/close relatives. This study showed that although the attitudes of pharmacy students were acceptable, they had some knowledge deficiencies and their practices were poor. To increase the knowledge and practices of pharmacy students about probiotics, this subject should be given more space in undergraduate education and relevant scientific events should be organized.

The management of digital transformation of education in the context of the implementation of constitutional amendments

The amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which came into force following the results of the all-Russian vote in July 2020, directly affected issues of public administration in education. These constitutional amendments refer to the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation to establish a unified legal framework for the system of education and upbringing, including continuing education. At the same time, the strategic directions for the development of the state outlined by the President of the Russian Federation after the publication of amendments to the Constitutiondetermined the need to achieve digital maturity of key sectors of the economy and the social sphere, including education. The article examines the issues of managing the digital transformation of education based on the constitutional thesis on the continuity of education, as well as taking into account the principle of unity of education and upbringing established at the legislative level, the unity of the educational space on the territory of the Russian Federation.

An urgent call to center AsianCrit in Chinese/English dual language bilingual education programs

ABSTRACT In recent years, neoliberal interests in U.S. Chinese/English dual language bilingual education (DLBE) programs have emphasized white, English-speakers’ use of Mandarin for economic and political gains. Such interests reify white supremacy and contribute to the erasure of Chinese and Chinese American voices, histories, and cultures in curriculum and instruction. While early literature on Chinese DLBE contexts examined program success based on students’ academic achievement and biliteracy development, there has been limited attention to cultivating critical consciousness to resist the commodification of language and multiculturalism for capitalist enterprise. Therefore, we propose a cohesive programmatic framework informed by Asian Critical Race Theory (AsianCrit) for Chinese DLBE programs to cultivate critical consciousness as a foundational educational goal. In this conceptual paper, we apply the seven tenets of AsianCrit to U.S. Chinese DLBE contexts to reimagine a community-based, historically-situated, and equity-oriented educational space. We hope this proposal will inform efforts toward just and innovative Chinese DLBE pedagogies and inspire new lines of critical research in the field of bilingual education.