Relationship and sexuality education research has largely centred on adult perspectives, particularly in exploring home-based sexuality education. This study shifts the lens to youth voices by examining how adolescents from LGBTQ+ families in South Africa experience and actively participate in home-based sexuality conversations. Using arts-based collage-creating methods with the adolescent participants, youth interpretations of sexuality learning in LGBTQ+ family homes were explored. The findings reveal that youth are not passive recipients but active co-creators of family sexuality knowledge, developing critical literacies about heteronormativity through ongoing and responsive home-based conversations. Youth identified home as a distinct pedagogical space characterised by safety, personalisation, ongoing responsive dialogue, inclusivity of diverse sexual and gender identities, and responsiveness to their developmental needs. However, youth also navigate tensions between LGBTQ+-affirming home environments and heteronormative public spaces, developing sophisticated strategies for managing these boundaries. This study contributes empirical evidence for valuing informal sexuality education spaces and positions youth from LGBTQ+ families as knowledge producers whose experiences can inform more inclusive, dialogue-based approaches. The findings have implications for supporting family-based sexuality education and challenging adult-centric assumptions about youth capacities in sexuality learning.

ABSTRACT The physical environment of learning, the architecture, the interior design and the infrastructure of schools and classrooms have always played an important role in educational history research, as they reveal a great deal about the educational and teaching concepts of a particular era or pedagogical movement. In this study, the concepts of three school experiments from the era of Hungarian socialist pedagogy, which were the precursors of the later alternative schools after the system change in Hungary, are presented and analysed with regard to the pedagogical space: the school concept in József Zsolnai’s programme for imparting values and promoting skills, as well as the ideas regarding the school building and the design of the educational space in the educational programme of György Horn’s Alternative Economic Gymnasium and Márta Winkler’s Treasure Hunters’ School. The primary aim of the analysis is to answer the question of how the various school trial concepts envisaged the design of a pedagogically appropriate space and, where applicable, how this was realised: the layout of classrooms and common rooms, the furnishings of the various school rooms and the staff room. In the course of the analysis, the ideas formulated in the original concept regarding the physical environment – the school building, the learning and common rooms, etc. – were considered on the basis of primary sources such as original works, school building plans, films and photos taken about or in the school.

ABSTRACT As global migration reshapes school demographics, migrant teachers often face symbolic racism, subtle yet pervasive exclusion through deficit framings, epistemic violence, and the devaluation of non-Western knowledge. This article examines how migrant teachers navigate (c)overt forms of racialization within systems shaped by colonial and white supremacist ideologies. Grounded in the principles of Critical Race Theory (CRT), the study reveals how racialized norms of “proficiency” and legitimacy impact teachers’ positioning. However, rather than focusing solely on their marginalized experiences, the study highlights migrant teachers’ agency, resistance, and resilience toward dominant ideologies and practices. Through qualitative methodology, the article explores how they challenge dominant discourses, create affirming pedagogical spaces, and assert themselves as capable educators and transformative leaders. The study contributes to broader conversations on racial justice in education by centering the counter-narratives of migrant teachers who both endure and reshape the institutional boundaries that seek to confine them.

ABSTRACT While monoglossic educational approaches continue to marginalise the linguistic resources of multilingual learners, limited research has explored how informal educational settings can disrupt these constraints and actively support cultural identity formation. This qualitative case study examines how a six-week Freedom School summer literacy programme operated as a ‘Third Space’ for Adam, a second-grade Chinese American child who initially resisted his heritage language. Grounded in Third Space Theory and Critical Translingual Literacies as complementary frameworks, the study analyzes how pedagogical design and student agency work recursively to support identity transformation. Drawing on ethnographic observations, video recordings, student artifacts, home visits, and interviews, findings identify four interconnected conditions that fostered Adam's trajectory from linguistic resistance to confident cultural contribution: (1) routine multilingual invitations normalising linguistic diversity, (2) multimodal literacy activities legitimising visual and embodied expression, (3) culturally affirming texts with dialogic facilitation, and (4) family engagement repositioning home knowledge as academically valuable. Findings demonstrate that cultural identity transformation emerges from dynamic interplay between intentionally designed pedagogical spaces and translanguaging practices students enact within them.

Background/Objectives: Folk dance represents an educational and cultural practice that is capable of promoting psychological well-being, social cohesion, and identity formation. However, few studies have integrated students' voices regarding their lived experiences in these practices. This study aimed to analyze the perceptions of children and adolescents about their participation in school folk dances, exploring their impact on psychological well-being, self-confidence, and body awareness. Methods: A qualitative study with an exploratory and descriptive design was conducted with a purposive sample of 76 elementary and secondary school students who participated in the School Folk Dance Encounter "Heartbeats of My Land", organized by the Metropolitan University of Educational Sciences (Chile). Semi-structured interviews were applied, and a thematic analysis was performed on 285 statements, organized into two dimensions: Psychological Well-being and Self-Confidence (PWS) and Body Awareness, Expression, and Communication (CEC). Results: The analysis revealed a predominance of the (PWS) dimension (85.3%), focused on positive emotions, self-confidence, and emotional regulation. Students' testimonies highlighted dance as a means of release, self-esteem, and joy. To a lesser extent (14.7%), the (CEC) dimension reflected the perception of the body as a vehicle for communication and symbolic expression. Conclusions: Folk dance emerges as an integral pedagogical space that enhances emotional well-being, self-confidence, and cultural identity. Its systematic inclusion in Physical Education is proposed as a strategy to foster meaningful learning, mental health, and social cohesion.

ABSTRACT This article reimagines Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in South Africa as a space of collective critique rather than adaptation. Guided by Paulo Freire’s pedagogical framework and a participatory action research process, it draws on life narrative interviews and Learning Cycle Group (LCG) discussions with National Certificate (Vocational) graduates in Gqeberha. These engagements reveal how students make sense of structural inequality, question dominant success narratives, and act collectively. Rather than viewing TVET as a neutral site for skills training, participants voice disillusionment and use dialogic spaces to articulate a shared refusal of its narrow utilitarian promises. The paper explores how agency emerges not as individual resilience but as relational, politicised practice. It shows that pedagogical spaces grounded in dialogue and collective reflection can unsettle dominant policy framings and open possibilities for more socially engaged understandings of education. The study contributes to theoretical debates by moving beyond developmental approaches’ logic of adaptation to foreground a Freirean emphasis on refusal and solidarity. Situating the South African case within wider conversations on vocational learning in the global South, it reimagines TVET as a site of collective theorising and social transformation, expanding ‘vocational’ education beyond skills delivery towards practices of dialogue, care, and critical agency.

Objective – To design and implement a rainwater harvesting and irrigation automation system for food plant beds located in a community garden under an impermeable roof, reducing dependence on manual irrigation by volunteers and promoting sustainable water management. Methodology – This applied research, with an exploratory and experimental approach, included bibliographic and technical surveys on rainwater harvesting systems, irrigation automation, and sustainable urban agriculture. The project was developed through field measurements, hydraulic efficiency tests, and component adjustments, resulting in the installation of an automated irrigation system at Horta das Flores, located in the eastern region of São Paulo, Brazil. Relevance – The proposal integrates engineering, automation, and urban sustainability by applying accessible technology for rainwater reuse in a community and educational context. The studied garden functions as a pedagogical space, hosting events and educational activities on sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), thus reinforcing the connection with the 2030 Agenda. It stands out for its replicability in small-scale urban gardens and its direct contribution to SDGs 2, 3, 4, 6, 11, 12, and 13. Results – The system proved technically and operationally feasible, ensuring regular water supply and reducing manual effort. Field evaluation enabled hydraulic improvements and automation adjustments, confirming the potential for optimizing water use and increasing efficiency in urban water management. Methodological contributions – The study broadens the debate on the application of sustainable technologies and automated systems in urban agriculture, providing technical and academic foundations for replication in other urban contexts. Social and environmental contributions – The project strengthened the integration between university and community, encouraging environmental education, social participation, and shared water governance. By promoting rational water use and local food production, it reinforces the importance of integrated solutions for sustainable cities.

The article explores the theoretical and methodological foundations of using the natural ecosystem of the Bondarivske swamp (Chernihiv region) as a unique pedagogical space for the spiritual and intellectual upbringing of youth. In the context of the technocratic paradigm of modern education, the problem of the spiritual "detachment" of youth from the natural world becomes acute. The modernization of the educational process requires the search for effective tools to harmonize the personality, develop moral values, and deepen intellectual reflection. The research aim is to substantiate and test a model for forming spiritual and intellectual competencies through immersive interaction with a natural ecosystem. The object of the study is the process of spiritual and intellectual upbringing, and the subject is the pedagogical conditions for using the contemplative and heuristic potential of the wetland ecosystem. The uniqueness of Bondarivske swamp lies not only in its biodiversity but also in its deep symbolic potential as a space for self-knowledge. The practical approbation of the model was carried out through the adapted educational program "Bondarivske Swamp: Super Mission". This program, based on the principles of contemplative and inquiry-based pedagogy (an analogue of IBSE ), reinterprets the study of ecological processes as a path to understanding fundamental worldview questions. Activities such as "Water in Motion" are used for intellectual reflection on the flow of life, "The Role of Carbon" for understanding the cycles of being and human responsibility, and "Trophic Chains" for fostering empathy and realizing the interconnectedness of all living things. This approach transforms learning from passive assimilation of information into an active process of spiritual self-discovery and intellectual search. The conclusion is made that the integration of such nature-oriented practices into education is an effective tool for forming a holistically developed personality.

This study examined the structural insecurity and “existential dispossession” experienced by the South Korean youth after the 1997 International Monetary Fund financial crisis through an analysis of Kim Ae-ran’s Paper Fish (2004), Lee Ki-ho’s Prisoner (2005), and Park Hyeong-seo’s Soy War (2004). In the aftermath of the crisis, young adults were reorganized as self-managing subjects within unstable labor markets and expanding social exclusion, which ultimately led to the collapse of social recognition and relational foundations. Drawing on the concept of “multiple disasters” and the notion of dispossession proposed by Judith Butler and Athena Athanasiou, this study argues that dispossession is not a mere lack of resources but an event in which linguistic, affective, and relational grounds are dismantled; however, simultaneously, it is a moment that opens new possibilities for rethinking relational ethics. The three works expand the narrative of dispossession from the individual to the social and global dimensions: Paper Fish depicts the personal isolation caused by the collapse of language, Prisoner portrays the transformation of the youth into functionally confined subjects within a control society, and Soy War illustrates the global-scale consumption of young lives amid the planetary crisis. These narratives expose the dispossession of the contemporary youth while calling for renewed ethical sensibilities toward others and the world. This study findings have important implications for literature education. Narratives in which the young protagonists lose their linguistic, communal, and worldly connections illuminate how learners in the post-disaster era may recover the capacity to interpret their lives and to reconnect with others; an essential goal of narrative self-understanding and relational literacy. Engaging with texts that articulate dispossession enables students to reflect on human vulnerability and to imagine new forms of ethical relationality within a fractured world. By reading post-IMF youth narratives not merely as generational stories but rather as dialectical narratives of dispossession and relational recovery in an age of multiple disasters, this study demonstrates that literature continues to serve as a pedagogical space where ethical imagination can reconnect individuals with others and with the world.

This bi/multilingual intimate ethnography examines the educational experiences of four transnational Saudi women living in the United States, tracing how Ulfa (الألفة) as theorized through Tectonic Ulfa shapes their navigation of multilingual, racialized, and geopolitically charged academic spaces. The methodology of this study is grounded in a framework that conceptualizes Ulfa as cyclical entanglements of structural linguistic violence, collective resistance, and healing. The study draws on qualitative ethnographic conversations, fieldnotes, and artifacts, among other modalities, with participants. Findings show that English-only environments produced intimate educational harms, including epistemic erasure, linguistic coercion, and the exhaustion of perpetual linguistic labor. Yet the women created tectonic ulfa by refusing colonial linguistic hierarchies through critical analysis of language and colonialism, collective knowledge-making, humor, sensory home-making practices (bakhour, coffee, handwritten Arabic signs), and creative self-authorship. These practices formed pedagogical spaces where vulnerability, brilliance, and belonging could coexist despite rupture and surveillance. For example, artifacts such as square Kufic jewelry illustrate how language became both subtle defiance and intimate self-narration in monitored environments. The study advances “Tectonic” Ulfa as a theoretical and methodological contribution to postcolonial education research, demonstrating that the learning and survival of Saudi women educators are not sustained by violent educational institutions but through relational, affective, and multilingual practices that hold resistance, and hope together.

This article examines how castles function as central allegorical structures in Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, shaping both the narrative progress of quests and the moral “fashioning of a gentleman.” Its purpose is to demonstrate that castles are not decorative romance backdrops but architecturally concentrated sites where virtues, vices, and ideological conflicts are staged and resolved across the six completed books. Methodologically, the study employs close textual analysis and formalist analysis of key castle episodes as Lucifera’s House of Pride and Orgoglio’s fortress (Book I); Medina’s and Alma’s castles (Book II); Castle Joyous and Malbecco’s castle (Book III); Corflambo’s stronghold and the fortified Island/Temple of Venus (Book IV); Pollente and Munera’s castle, Geryoneo’s usurped city-castle, and related sites of justice (Book V); and the castles of Briana, Turpine, Aldus, and Belgard (Book VI)—in dialogue with relevant Spenserian criticism. The analysis argues that these structures consistently externalise inner states and ethical configurations through a system of binary oppositions: House of Pride and Orgoglio’s dungeon versus the restorative House of Holiness; the temperate castles of Medina and Alma versus Acrasia’s Bower of Bliss; Castle Joyous and Malbecco’s stronghold versus the Garden of Adonis; and, in later books, unjust fortresses of extortion, tyranny, and discourtesy versus more muted images of right rule, justice, and courtesy such as Mercilla’s court and Castle Belgard. The study finds a clear shift from predominantly spiritual and erotic architectures in the early books to legal, political, and social architectures of justice and courtesy in the later ones. The article concludes that Spenser adapts the medieval castle-building tradition into a fully allegorical poetics: his “sandcastles” become durable pedagogical spaces where spiritual, moral, and civic virtues are materially tested, corrupted, or reformed.

Within the framework of European policies for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, promoted at supranational level by ENQA, Students participation is considered a structural element of university evaluation and continuous improvement processes. In addition to meeting regulatory requirements, such participation has a clear educational value, constituting a formative experience capable of developing skills relevant to the academic citizenship and future professionalism of the students involved. This paper analyses Students participation in quality assurance systems, taking the European Standards and Guidelines as a reference and proposing the Italian case of the Self-Assessment, Evaluation and Accreditation (AVA) procedures devised by ANVUR (National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes) as an example of the national implementation of European policies. The focus is on the role of Students Evaluation Experts (SEV), understood as active participants in situated learning, co-responsibility and Peer training. The contribution adopts a theoretical framework oriented towards a reflective-experiential approach based on the analysis of active representation practices, Peer Training courses and feedback activities, which show how the involvement of Students in QA processes can promote the development of transversal skills such as critical thinking, evaluation skills, institutional communication and the assumption of responsibility in the organizations where they work. In conclusion, the contribution proposes interpreting Quality Assurance processes as learning environments and university governance as an advanced pedagogical space, in which Students participation contributes to the construction of a European culture of quality based on awareness, participation and skills development. Finally, the article proposes a reflection that recognizes Quality Assurance processes as learning environments and university governance as an advanced educational space, promoting a culture of quality based on informed participation, skills development and shared responsibility.

The article examines the informal educational environment as a factor of adolescents’ personal self-development. The author emphasizes that informal education represents a multivariate pedagogical space encompassing cultural, social, creative, and engineering forms of activity. Special attention is paid to engineering and technical initiatives as one of the directions for realizing the potential of non-formal education. The pedagogical value of project-based and event-driven formats that foster adolescents’ value attitude toward knowledge, communicative and reflective competencies, and motivation for professional self-determination is analyzed. It is concluded that engineering educational practices contribute to personal growth and the development of subjectivity while remaining a component of the broader informal education system.

The Architecture of Encounter: Intercultural Communication, Collaboration, and Community Immersion as Pedagogical Space

This article examines the competencies and practices that underpin effective individual consultations (ICs), contributing to the evolving professionalisation of tertiary learning advising in Aotearoa New Zealand. Responding to Malik’s (2021) invitation to co-construct a national core competencies model, it focuses on Core Competency #3: “Plan and conduct successful advising interactions in one-to-one … settings.” Drawing on an autoethnographic methodology which foregrounds practitioner reflection, the article reflects on three consultations with undergraduate students at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), each involving the use of asynchronous academic literacy resources. The article argues that ICs should be understood not as remedial or transactional encounters, but as pedagogical spaces that require clearly articulated professional competencies. It explores how Tertiary Learning Advisors (TLAs) integrate institutional tools, respond to diverse learner needs, and foster student agency. The vignettes illustrate challenges related to unfamiliarity with assignment types, academic integrity, and neurodiversity; discussion of each vignette highlights the transformative potential of relational advising and digital resource integration. By identifying salient themes, attributes, and values relating to ICs, this study contributes to the co-construction of a national competencies framework that reflects the full scope of TLA practice: pedagogically grounded, institutionally aware, and committed to inclusive, student-centred learning.

Introduction: This article frames citizenship education as an urgent educational endeavor in contexts characterized by inequality, social conflict, and low levels of democratic participation, underscoring the formative potential of school physical education as a pedagogical space for civic development. Objective: The study examines the state of knowledge on the relationship between citizenship education and physical education in school settings, with particular attention to the Colombian context, to identify prevailing trends and theoretical and pedagogical gaps. Methodology: A scoping review of academic literature published between 2010 and 2024 was conducted, guided by clearly defined inclusion and exclusion criteria, systematic searches across databases and institutional repositories, and rigorous processes of document systematization and critical appraisal. Results: The 45 studies selected reveal a growing body of research in the Americas and Europe, the identification of six major lines of inquiry, Colombia’s relative leadership in the field, and a marked emphasis on conceptual developments, policy analyses, and school-based programs. In addition, the findings highlight experiences developed from and for physical education that promote coexistence, democratic values, and inclusion. Discussion: The analysis indicates that, despite regulatory frameworks and diverse educational initiatives, citizenship education is frequently reduced to instrumental competencies, fragmented across specific subject areas, and tends to undervalue the capacity of physical education to critically engage with power relations, social conflicts, and inequalities in school life. Conclusions: The study concludes that re-signifying school physical education as a key setting for citizenship education is imperative. This requires implementing cross-curricular projects and socio-motor practices that integrate movement, reflection, and participation, thereby strengthening schools’ capacity to foster individuals who can coexist, deliberate, and democratically transform their social realities.

ABSTRACTWhile research on the belonging of diverse student populations has grown over the past decades, it tends to overlook the ways subjective feelings of youth are embedded within inequitable societal and institutional structures. Drawing on concepts from critical affect theory, this article studies the experiences of racialized students at an urban secondary school to identify how teachers' affective practices structure their belonging in pedagogical spaces. The study included 16 students (7 female; 9 male), all of whom were adolescents aged between 14 and 17. The findings based on qualitative interviews with students and a constant comparative analytical method illustrate the ongoing role of earlier racialization experiences in figuring into their affective histories and shaping their present encounters with teachers. Student narratives particularly demonstrate how the systematic dismissal of their feelings, presence, and questions by teachers reinforced an atmosphere of alienation in their previous schools. Alternatively, in their current schools, teachers' attunement to students' emotions and diverse learning experiences, along with their ability to tune into students' lifeworlds through humor and friendly banter, seemed to generate an atmosphere of belonging. It is through such humanizing pedagogical practices that students who are marginalized by dominant power structures are affirmed as engaged learners who deserve equitable attention, care, and joy. By studying belonging as an affective praxis, this paper expands our understanding of belonging as a relational and political phenomenon, highlighting the need to develop teachers' critical emotional literacy and praxis.

Socio-educational exclusion, intensified by neoliberal policies, shapes an adverse scenario where inequalities are justified through the logic of individual effort, rooted in meritocratic discourses. Within this framework, Youth and Adult Education (YAE) emerges as a space of contestation and redefinition in response to the consequences of school failure and dropout. This article analyzes the meanings and practices of merit in YAE as a critical response to these dynamics, through a multiple case study conducted in Chile and Spain. Using participatory analysis roundtables with 25 educational actors—school leaders, teachers, and students—three alternative understandings of neoliberal merit were identified: care and equity as resistance to exclusion; participation as a democratic and civic exercise; and collectivity as an emancipatory model. These elements redefine merit through the recognition of disrupted educational trajectories, prioritizing equity and social justice over individual performance. In contexts marked by structural precariousness, YAE constitutes an alternative pedagogical space that challenges dominant narratives and promotes emancipatory pedagogy. The study concludes that YAE provides key insights for deconstructing the neoliberal discourse of merit, reclaiming the right to education through care, participation, and collective engagement.

In the era of globalized education, integrating international perspectives into higher education curricula has become extremely important to equip students with the skills, knowledge, and cultural competencies required in a globally connected world. This study explores the strategic development and implementation of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) as a tool to internationalize the curriculum in Language Materials Development classrooms. Drawing on interdisciplinary frameworks from curriculum studies, educational technology, and applied linguistics, the study investigates how MOOCs can serve as content delivery platforms and as pedagogical spaces that foster intercultural competence, digital literacy, and learner autonomy. The research employs a qualitative case study approach, examining the design process, instructional integration, and learner engagement of MOOCs. Findings reveal that MOOCs, when thoughtfully contextualized, promote collaborative learning, expose students to diverse linguistic and cultural resources, and support the development of globally relevant language materials. However, access, localization, and instructional design challenges also emerge, highlighting the need for adaptive strategies in MOOC implementation. The paper concludes by offering practical guidelines for integrating MOOCs into English language education curricula and underscores their potential to transform local classrooms into globally networked learning environments.

In rapidly evolving 21st-century EFL education, fostering higher-order thinking skills has become a critical priority, yet many classrooms continue to rely on traditional, teacher-centered practices that offer limited cognitive challenge and minimal opportunities for analytical engagement. Addressing this pedagogical gap, the present study investigates how Task-Based Language Teaching empowered through debate activities can serve as an integrative pathway for enhancing learners’ HOTS within an EFL setting. Using a qualitative phenomenological design, data were generated through in depth semi structured interviews that elicited the lecturer’s narratives about task design, classroom enactment, and perceived learning outcomes. The interview transcript was analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six phase thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns in strategies, challenges, and perceived impacts. The findings reveal that carefully scaffolded debate cycles, explicit modeling of argument structures, and sustained language support help students move from surface level participation toward more analytic reasoning, improved fluency, and greater confidence. At the same time, the lecturer reports constraints related to time, uneven language proficiency, and the need for institutional support. Overall, the study demonstrates that debate based TBLT can function as a powerful pedagogical space for integrating language development with higher order thinking. The results contribute phenomenological insights into lecturer agency in shaping cognitively challenging EFL tasks and offer implications for curriculum design, teacher professional development, and policy initiatives that seek to align EFL teaching with global demands for critical, reflective, and socially responsive graduates.