Student Empowerment Research Articles

PEMBERDAYAAN MAHASISWA ILMU KELAUTAN UNIVERSITAS TANJUNGPURA BERSAMA MASYARAKAT DALAM KEGIATAN POROK BEACH CLEAN UP

Porok beach clean up is a voluntary effort to clean Porok Beach and marine waters so that the continuity of the marine ecosystem can continue. This activity involves students and the local community. The empowerment of Tanjungpura University marine science students together with the community in the Porok Beach Clean Up activity is to increase student and community awareness in maintaining the sustainable management of Porok beaches and waters as one of the tourist destinations on Lemukutan Island. The activity was attended by 40 students and 10 members of the public, who were actively involved in cleaning directly at the beaches and waters and continued with processing the collected waste and educational lectures by the implementing team. Based on the evaluation after the end of the activity, it showed that there was an increase in participants' awareness and enthusiasm in maintaining the cleanliness of the beaches and waters.Porok, beach clean up, ecosystem, lemukutan

Challenging the growth-prosperity Nexus: Redefining undergraduate economics education for the Anthropocene

This paper proposes a conceptual framework to guide the transformation of undergraduate economics education, anchored in integrated human flourishing and ecological sustainability. The framework moves beyond the dominant focus on utility and profit maximization to encompass holistic goals of universal human development, social equity, and ecological sustainability within planetary boundaries. It outlines current economic problems and links them to key competencies critical to addressing these issues. Accordingly, educational themes and corresponding anchor topics are developed that align with the key competencies to equip students with pluralistic, transdisciplinary perspectives and solution-oriented skills for catalyzing a just economy that sustains the web of life. The framework is based on the multidimensional concept of prosperity and includes three interrelated dimensions: ecological sustainability, social inclusion and equality, and quality of life. To implement this framework, guiding principles and targeted learning outcomes for economics are defined that emphasize systems thinking, personal development, transdisciplinarity, and collective agency for transformative change. The goal is to provide a coherent structure to transform undergraduate economics education and empower students to become agents of social change who can critique and reorient the current economic system towards justice and ecological stewardship.

Empowering AI: Recontextualizing Our Pedagogical Impact Through Supportive Uses of Machine Learning

Over time, the use of digital technologies has transformed the landscape of higher education, and the recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) are no exception. At the same time, there is a need to move from a binary of use versus eradication of AI systems in higher education toward critical examination and curation of the plurality of examples of how AI may lead to the empowerment of educators and students. This paper explores the potential benefits and challenges of incorporating AI into higher education while also discussing the implications for educators and students, as well as the ethical concerns surrounding the use of AI in education. The paper examines the benefits of using AI in higher education, including personalized learning, adaptive assessments, and predictive analytics, as well as emerging challenges, such as data privacy and algorithmic bias. The paper proposes a set of guiding ethical principles for the empowering use of AI in education, including transparency, collaboration, creativity, and accountability. Each author offers a call to action for educators who are required to reevaluate their relationship with technology broadly and the seismic shifts in interaction and communicative modes within a landscape forever changed by machine learning.

On working with poison: Reflections on painful empowerment in queer faculty-student participatory action research.

Human sexuality textbooks, like most social and health sciences products, are notoriously limited in their inclusion of queer, trans, and intersex people. While well-intentioned faculty (like the first author) do their best to address these limitations, sometimes it isn't enough. Sometimes our texts, and we, cause harm. This paper describes two phases of a participatory action research (PAR) project involving queer, trans, and intersex students and a queer, nonbinary faculty member that intended to address harm tied to a course text, support student empowerment, and move toward action to improve unjust textbook representation. Through first-person reflective storytelling, we, the faculty member and one student member of the research team, share our approach to "working with poison," including strategies for infusing trauma-informed practices into our PAR approach. We reflect on the pain of doing this work, and the ways our approach succeeded and failed. We end with recommendations for individuals, publishers, and institutions looking to minimize harm and promote justice in higher education curriculum.

Pengaruh Penerapan Growth Mindset Terhadap Kecerdasan Emosional Melalui Self-Motivation Di Lingkungan Akademik

Self-motivation is one of the main success factors whose implementation is still being questioned in various academic environments in Indonesia. This quantitative study aims to obtain information on the profile of self-motivation skills of students at Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University and influence class level on self-motivation skills. This research involved 50 students who were positioned as research subjects. Data on self-motivation skills was collected using an integrated critical thinking skills rubik questionnaire. The data collected used descriptive statistics in the form of averages and analytical statistics in the form of Chi-Square. The results of this research inform that the self-motivation skills profile of students at Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University is still in the low category. Furthermore, class level has a significant effect on the self-motivation skills have a significant level. Following up on the research findings at this time, the self-motivation empowerment of students at Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University must be further optimized through designing growth mindset plans, learning resources and self-motivation-based learning assessments.

Study of Secondary and Higher Secondary School Syllabi in India to Develop Engineering Thinking

Abstract: In this article, the authors explore and understand what constitutes engineering thinking and whether secondary and higher secondary school curricula in India empower students to make an informed decision regarding engineering as a career choice. To analyse the elements of engineering thinking, the principles of K12 level engineering by t he Na t io nal Aca demy of E nginee ri ng a nd Engineering Habits of Mind (EHoM) by the Royal Academy of Engineering are referred to. The syllabi of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and four Indian states (Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka) are studied, which reveal that CBSE includes only one element of EHoM (creative problem-solving) in higher secondary grade curriculum. The syllabi of four Indian states revealed that the principles identified by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) are missing in both grades. As an exception, the syllabus of Maharashtra has a creative problem-solving element in class-12 of higher secondary grades. The authors believe that introducing engineering thinking in schools will empower students to choose engineering as a career. Keywords: Engineering habits of mind, Engineering thinking, Indian school curriculum, STEM, secondary and higher secondary school

Are bullying experiences and developmental assets associated with education outcomes for youth in foster care?

Children and youth who have experienced foster care are a population that needs more attention as they usually face a challenging childhood. Using a positive youth development (PYD) approach, the associations of developmental assets and bullying with school grades and college aspirations were explored. The participants were 1,761 students (age M = 15.5 years, SD = 1.1) who had experienced foster care and 64,364 students (age M = 15.5 years, SD = 1.1) who had not. For all students, the main reasons for being victims of bullying were their physical appearance, weight, and gender expression. Students who experienced foster care reported a higher prevalence of bullying as victims and perpetrators, and lower school grades and education aspirations compared to youth who had not been in foster care. Being a physical bully was negatively associated with school grades and college aspirations for all students regardless of foster care experience. Lastly, the role of developmental assets is a promising tool for schools, as teacher and school support and student empowerment were associated with higher school grades and college aspirations for all students, importantly, including students who had experienced foster care.

Research on Challenges and Solutions for LGBTQ Youth

This paper focuses on the challenges and solutions faced by LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,Transgender and Queer) youth. First, Trevor is used as an example to describe the experiences of minority youth, presenting the injustices suffered by Trevor as a TGNB, again extending from specific people to the LGBTQ community. The importance of minority self-identification is then presented, pointing out the important role of schools and the current situation where minorities are more vulnerable to bullying in schools and presenting solutions Asplund and Ordway propose the SCEARE (School Counselors: Educate, Affirm, Respond, and Empower) model to help LGBTQ youth on four levels: level one is education, level two is adults who provide support to the LGBTQ community, the third level is a response plan to prevent bullying in schools, and finally, the fourth level is student empowerment access to equal treatment. The goal is to improve the mental health of LGBTQ youth so that they can grow without prejudice.

New horizons for academic library collection development: Creating a community curated collection through student empowerment

As the role of the academic library in university life changes, libraries are seeking ways to better engage their communities – university students, faculty, and staff. Student success and engagement have come to the forefront of these efforts. In 2019, Kent Library at Southeast Missouri State University implemented two programs to engage students in collection development. The first program enriched subject areas within Kent Library’s collection that were selected by the student body. The second program awarded grants to student groups for the purchase of library materials that supported their focus. This case study shares details of the two programs, their implementation, and the results, including the impact of student engagement in collections on student success and the creation of a community-curated library collection.

An interpretive phenomenological analysis of nursing student perceptions of summative assessment feedback using LEGO® Serious Play®

PurposeThe aim of the study is to explore perceptions of the impact of assessment feedback by international undergraduate nursing students. Research to date indicates that summative assessment feedback may impact significantly on student achievement but if it is undertaken sub optimally or does not provide students with the opportunity to engage with the process and reflexively respond, it can also be exceptionally damaging to the learning experience.Design/methodology/approachA scoping exercise of overall student feedback experience was initially collated via the adoption of an Interpretive Phenomenological Approach (IPA). Participants were recruited via purposive sampling and the LEGO® Serious Play® method was used to collect data. Analysis with Quirkos software was used to examine the salience as well as commonality of findings as an integral part of a recognised five-step thematic analytical approach.FindingsFeedback was perceived, by students, as significantly impacting factor in relation to their overall progression, attainment and retention rates. Themes generated from the findings evidenced student perceptions that summative feedback is a positive driver and source of motivation for academic success and progression. It was perceived that levels of attainment were related to the clarity, quality and individualised nature of feedback that students received and that this was perceived to be evident in their final grades. These were accompanied by perceptions that feedback clarity also determined the potential of breaking down perceived student barriers to learning, their perceived capacity for effective assignment planning and preparation and the likelihood of them having any positive collective or individual interpersonal relationships with their tutors. Summarised, students perceived that feedback ought to lead to student empowerment in managing their studies and as such it ought to be clear, straightforward and non-ambiguous.Research limitations/implicationsThe methodological design of the study means that generalisability from its findings was never intended or possible. However, there may be the potential transferability of findings to similar institutions and contexts of nurse education with students who have similar demographic profiling. The study was also a means of providing an insight into the lived experience of students which could be used in the prospective adaptation of feedback mechanisms for staff at a local level within Higher Education.Practical implicationsThe study reveals the perceived impact of gamification as a mechanism of summative assessment as conveyed by a designated group of students. Whilst specific recommendations for change can only be made within the context specificity of the research, there may be aspects of the findings which are potentially transferable to other similar contexts of Higher Education delivery whose pedagogical approaches mirror those in operation at the institution where the research was undertaken. It became apparent that the standardisation of feedback approaches offered many opportunities to improve existing systems. The issue of monitoring workloads is also of significance in terms of the level and degree of summative assessment and feedback that academic staff can undertake.Originality/valueThe study revealed the perceived magnitude of assessment feedback on progression, attainment and retention rates, alongside the perceived need for a universal feedback template and the opportunity to provide audio-video feedback. This study adds to existing knowledge in the field of pedagogic practice about both the execution of LEGO® Serious Play® as a research methodology and why the perceptions of feedback as articulated and illuminated by a group of contemporary nursing students ought to matter in the context of Higher Education.

Impact of empowerment for pediatric nursing students on their knowledge about climate change and its impact on children health

Background Ensuring the safe management of global climate change is a crucial objective of sustainable development in 2030. In this endeavor, the medical team’s role is as significant as that of climate scientists. This is due to climate change’s adverse impact on the health of individuals, children, and society. Numerous diseases, including skin disorders, respiratory issues, and gastrointestinal illnesses, are closely linked to climate change. Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of empowerment for pediatric nursing students on their knowledge about climate change and its effect on children’s health. Research design The pre–posttest quasi-experimental research design was used to fulfill the aim of the current study. Setting The study was conducted at the Faculty of Nursing, Cairo University. Sample A convenience sample of 200 pediatric nursing students. Tools Two were used for data collection: (a) a structured interviewing questionnaire schedule and (b) a knowledge assessment (pre–posttest). Results The mean satisfactory knowledge score after the empowerment was 67.3±3.2 and there was statistically significant differences between students’ knowledge about climate change’s effects on child’s health before and after empowerment (P≤0.05). Conclusion After the implementation of empowerment for pediatric nursing students, there was a significant improvement in the level of knowledge among them regarding climate change and its effect on children’s health. Recommendation Raising the awareness of students about climate change and its effect on all over child’s body system function so, it is urgent to add knowledge about climate change and its impact on child’s health in the pediatric nursing education curriculum.

التمكين النفسي للطلبة المتفوقين وعلاقته بالكفاءة الأكاديمية: دراسة وصفية في الجامعات الفلسطينية

The study aimed to identify the level of psychological empowerment and academic efficiency among outstanding students in Palestinian universities, as well as to identify the nature of the relationship between psychological empowerment and academic efficiency in the study sample, and also to identify the statistically significant differences for the variables of gender, academic level, college and economic level on the variables of psychological empowerment and academic efficiency. , as the research is considered a quantitative research, and to achieve the objectives of the study, the descriptive analytical correlative approach was used, where a stratified random probability sample consisting of (200) outstanding male and female students in Palestinian universities was selected, i.e. a percentage of (9.1%). The researcher used the psychological empowerment and academic competence scales prepared by her, the study reached the following results: The level of psychological empowerment and academic competence came to a high degree, and there was a positive statistically significant correlation between psychological empowerment and academic competence, هدفت الدراسة اتعرف إلى مستوى التمكين النفسي والكفاءة الأكاديمية لدى الطلبة المتفوقين بالجامعات الفلسطينية، وكذلك التعرف على طبيعة العلاقة بين التمكين النفسي والكفاءة الأكاديمية لدى عينة الدراسة، وأيضًا التعرف إلى الفروق ذات الدلالة الاحصائية لمتغيرات الجنس والمستوى الأكاديمي والكلية والمستوى الاقتصادي على متغيرات التمكين النفسي والكفاءة الأكاديمية، حيث أن البحث يعتبر من البحوث الكمية، ولتحقيق أهداف الدراسة تم استخدام المنهج الوصفي التحليلي الارتباطي حيث تم اختيار عينة احتمالية عشوائية طبقية مكونة من (200) طالباً وطالبة متفوقين في الجامعات الفلسطينية أي بنسبة (9.1%). واستخدمت الباحثة مقياسي التمكين النفسي و الكفاءة الأكاديمية من إعدادها، توصلت الدراسة إلى النتائج التالية: أن مستوى التمكين النفسي والكفاءة الاكاديمية جاء بدرجة مرتفعة، ووجود علاقة ارتباط موجبة ذات دلالة احصائية بين التمكين النفسي والكفاءة الأكاديمية.

AI-Supported Academic Advising: Exploring ChatGPT’s Current State and Future Potential toward Student Empowerment

Artificial intelligence (AI), once a phenomenon primarily in the world of science fiction, has evolved rapidly in recent years, steadily infiltrating into our daily lives. ChatGPT, a freely accessible AI-powered large language model designed to generate human-like text responses to users, has been utilized in several areas, such as the healthcare industry, to facilitate interactive dissemination of information and decision-making. Academic advising has been essential in promoting success among university students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Unfortunately, however, student advising has been marred with problems, with the availability and accessibility of adequate advising being among the hurdles. The current study explores how AI-powered tools like ChatGPT might serve to make academic advising more accessible, efficient, or effective. The authors compiled a list of questions frequently asked by current and prospective students in a teacher education bachelor’s degree program in the United States. Then, the questions were typed into the free version of ChatGPT, and the answers generated were explored and evaluated for their content and delivery. ChatGPT generated surprisingly high-quality answers, written in an authoritative yet supportive tone, and it was particularly adept at addressing general and open-ended career-related questions, such as career outlook, in a clear, comprehensive, and supportive manner using plain language. We argue that AI-powered tools, such as ChatGPT, may complement but not necessarily replace human academic advisers and that these tools may very well serve to promote educational equity by empowering individuals from a wide range of backgrounds with the means to initiate effective methods of seeking academic advice.

ChainBank: Empowering Students to Build Strong Financial Habits

ChainBank: Empowering Students to Build Strong Financial Habits

Trauma Informed Educational Strategies and Recommendations for Post-Secondary Health Science Programs

While trauma-informed care is commonly discussed in the context of interactions between healthcare providers and patients, its significance also extends to educational environments. Within post-secondary institutions, a considerable number of students begin their academic journey carrying experiences of past traumas or encounter trauma during their training. This is particularly relevant for health science education, where the curriculum involves addressing sensitive topics within classroom, laboratory, and clinical settings. These learning situations can inadvertently expose students to the risk of reliving trauma or experiencing distressing emotional responses. Hence, educators need to be attuned to their students' traumatic backgrounds and incorporate evidence-based techniques that mitigate distress, to adequately prepare students for their clinical practice roles. The objective was to systematically identify trauma informed educational (TIE) strategies or recommendations that have been implemented in post-secondary health science programs. This scoping review was completed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) scoping review methodology. A search of academic literature was completed using the following databases: MEDLINE (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO), Embase (Ovid), Education Source Complete, and ERIC. Search results were screened by two reviewers for relevance and data extraction was completed using a customized tool. Results were synthesized and aggregated in JBI SUMARI. Findings from 42 studies with diverse methodological approaches identified seven elements characterizing trauma-informed strategies (awareness, prevention, preparation, exposure, coping skills, flexibility, and structure). These elements were observed across five distinct strata of educational settings: 1) institutional, 2) curriculum, 3) educator, 4) student, and 5) equity and diversity. Integrating TIE strategies into health science education is urgently needed to create safe learning environments, better equip educators, and empower students to navigate trauma-related content with confidence and sensitivity. As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, a collective commitment to advancing trauma informed education will ultimately contribute to more resilient, informed, and compassionate healthcare professionals.

Role of Islamic Education Teachers in Empowering Students’ Mental Health in The Post-Covid-19 Era

Motivated by the profound global impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the education sector, specifically in elementary schools, a multitude of new policies have been implemented to address the challenges presented by online learning. Consequently, students often experience fatigue and a waning sense of enthusiasm, necessitating further adaptations amidst the ongoing pandemic. This research endeavours to investigate the efforts undertaken by Islamic education teachers to safeguard the mental health of students during this unprecedented era. The study primarily focuses on the perspectives of Islamic education teachers in elementary schools within the Cilacap district. Data was collected through in-depth interviews, observations, and examination of relevant documentation. The researchers employed various analytical techniques, including data reduction, data presentation, and verification of data conclusions, to scrutinize the research findings. The study underscores that Islamic education teachers possess a profound understanding of the vital importance of nurturing students' mental health. They assume a critical role in fostering well-being amidst the pandemic's trials and aftermath. These roles encompass acting as role models, providing constructive guidance, implementing engaging teaching methodologies, fostering effective communication between teachers and students' guardians, promoting positive habits, offering motivational praise, and employing disciplinary measures when necessary. The study concludes with recommendations for the government, educational authorities, and Islamic education teachers to integrate these aforementioned roles into their strategies, particularly at the elementary school level, to safeguard and promote students' mental health.

Values-based assessment and learning objectives: An invited essay in conversation with Dyer (2023)

This paper is in conversation with Dyer (2023). Grading and assessment are integrated elements of 21st-century higher education with many viewpoints, and the two papers are two of these perspectives. In this paper, I present a course structure that focuses on scaffolding with student empowerment, growth, and success at the forefront of the design. I also present options for program assessment that focuses on skills and competencies as outcomes. Each instructor and program should consider their own values, outcome goals, and the context of the student body and university when designing assessments.

Epistemological access: a case of academic development programmes at a university of technology

South Africa has made significant progress in expanding access to higher education since the end of the apatheid era. This gave opportunities to a larger portion of the population to pursue higher education studies, especially those from previously disadvantaged communities. The growth in student enrollment has not always correlate with academic success. High levels of failure and dropout rates amongst first-year students are a common challenge across universities. This implies that the challenges related to epistemic access at universities persist. To address these challenges, universities implemented academic development programmes providing targeted interventions and fostering a supportive learning environment that can help bridge the gap between formal access to universities and epistemic access. The study that informs this paper sought to explore how academic development programmes enable epistemological access to first-year students. This study employed a qualitative methodological approach and adopted a purposive sampling strategy to select the participants. The study interviewed twenty mentors participating in an academic development programme (mentorship) at a University of Technology. The findings highlights the role of academic development programme (mentorship programme) in enabling students to transition from unfamiliarity to familiarity within their chosen field of study, leading to an epistemic shift that alters their epistemological level. These findings can contribute to the broader discussions and advancements in higher education pedagogy by highlighting the importance of and understanding the mechanisms behind the mentorship programme. The implications of this study on higher education is to inform the design and implementation of effective initiatives that foster epistemological growth and empower students to engage with disciplinary knowledge more effectively

‘How was it for you?’ The impacts of student-staff partnerships in developing online teaching and learning

ABSTRACT The seemingly relentless drive across Higher Education (HE) Institutions to integrate both face-to-face and online forms of delivery to create blended approaches to teaching and learning shows little sign of abating. Yet, as blended forms of delivery become increasingly prevalent, existing literature suggests that the perspectives and experiences of students often remain overlooked. This article adopts the position that students are expertly situated to provide insider perspectives that are not always accessible to, or recognised by, those implementing these developments, with regular, intentional attempts to draw upon students’ views and perspectives remaining under-utilised and infrequent. Alongside similar studies internationally, this article reveals the potential of establishing collaborative partnerships between students and staff through a process of pedagogic consultancy to better-inform improvements to curriculum and programme design. Employing a participatory action research methodology, this article explores and analyses the lived experiences of ten undergraduate students and five academic staff members working in student-staff partnership (SSP) within a UK HE context. Findings largely endorse the use of SSP, indicating positive implications for promoting student empowerment, improvements in understanding and engagement, and the overall student experience. However, questions are raised relating to an apparent disconnect between differing epistemologies of staff and some students, the legitimacy and agency of student-researchers, and how SSP can be introduced as part of programme delivery in an authentic way. The authors advocate establishing SSP as part of provision, with the caveat that there must be broader institutional buy-in and robust infrastructure in place for it to be successful.

Technologies and Digital Competences in Portuguese Education: History of its Integration in Pedagogical Practices since the Beginning of the 20th Century

This study aims to analyse the evolutionary context of the introduction of technology in Portuguese schools, from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day, and to identify the digital competences of Portuguese teachers at different educational levels. The analysis, qualitative and quantitative in nature, allowed us to conclude that technologies had a slow diffusion in Portuguese schools, because of the scarcity of resources and residual investment in teacher training, giving the use of technology in school a more irregular and playful character rather than truly integrated in pedagogical practices to promote the quality of learning. Although in recent years there has been still some conservatism in the use of technology, very focused on its instrumental use, there have been more practices with pedagogical intent and more focused on the active participation of students, also noting the growing importance of teacher training in this field of digital technologies, with the aim of making teachers more competent and fluent in the pedagogical use of digital. Furthermore, the study focused on the teachers' perception of their digital competences in three dimensions: the teachers' professional and pedagogical competences and the students' competences from the DigCompEdu framework and the self-assessment questionnaire of digital competences built from the same framework - DigCompEdu Check-In. The analysis of the answers obtained in this questionnaire (collected from the participation of 434 teachers of Basic and Secondary Education and 118 of Higher Education) showed that teachers need to increase their levels of digital proficiency through specific training, since they present, globally, a moderate level of digital proficiency - level B1 -Integrators- being the areas 4 - Evaluation - and 6 - Digital empowerment of students, the ones that present the greatest weaknesses. Keywords: history of education, educational technologies, Portugal, teachers' digital competences, teachers' training