Education Students Research Articles

Designing, implementing and evaluating childbirth training protocol for undergraduate midwifery students with a computer and mobile application based on gamification method: study protocol

BackgroundClinical education plays a very important role in creating the necessary abilities and skills in the students of medical sciences. Any problem in clinical education complicates the patient safety and quality of health care delivery. In this regard, "continuous evaluation", "educational innovation", and "participatory learning" will contribute to more efficiency, and all the mentioned items can be implemented in gamification. The present study is to design, implement, and evaluate a childbirth protocol training application based on gamification in midwifery students.MethodsThis educational scholarship study will focus on all midwifery students entering Babol University of Medical Sciences in 2020 and 2021 during the second semester of the 2023–2024 academic year. The educational intervention will cover six childbirth protocol topics presented through gamification to two groups of midwifery students. Students will complete a demographic and Sibria Sherring's emotional intelligence questionnaire before the intervention, the childbirth protocol knowledge questionnaire and performance checklist at the mother’s bedside before and four weeks after the intervention, and the training method satisfaction questionnaire four months’ post-intervention. Data will be analyzed using SPSS 28 software with a significance level of less than 5%.ResultsThis study will involve preparing, teaching, and evaluating six childbirth protocol topics through a game. It is assumed that the findings indicate that the educational method of gamification is better than the lecture method and by increasing the learning rate, the teaching process will be improved and the students will be fully satisfied with the teaching method.DiscussionThe effectiveness of the gamification method has been reported in various studies in the education of nurses, cardiopulmonary neurology for students, and health professions for medical students. Therefore, this approach can be effective in the delivery of protocol education for midwifery students. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Smart University of Medical Sciences (IR.SMUMS.REC.1402.029) and the study protocol was registered in the Iran Clinical Trial Registry (IRCT20180218038783N7).

Evaluation of international educational programme student engagement in Spanish classes in a multilingual learning environment

Importance. The main goal of the study is to study the impact of multilingual education of uni versity students on the degree of their involvement in the educational process, as well as to prove the positive impact of involvement on the level of mastery of a second foreign language – Spanish. Although the impact of engagement on student achievement in traditional learning has previously been extensively researched, less is known about how it influences student learning in the context of multilingual learning. The research contributes to the study of student learning engagement in higher education by exploring the less studied context of learning in a multilingual environment.Materials and Methods. The study involves 2 groups of 3rd year undergraduate students (N = 47) of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. To identify the degree of student engage ment in the process of learning Spanish, questionnaires, testing and statistical methods are used.Results and Discussion. In the experimental group (N = 23), a multilingual approach is imple mented. In the control group (N = 24), the English Medium Instruction-based approach is used. The Student Engagement Scale is measured using the three most common dimensions identified by researchers (behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement). Paired samples Student’s t-test and Pearson’s correlation test are performed to analyze descriptive statistics.Conclusion. Based on the results of student engagement, it can be concluded that students in the experimental group show a higher level of emotional and cognitive activity.

Students’ Technological Readiness and Online Learning Self-Efficacy in Physical Education

The study of ‘technological readiness and online learning self-efficacy’ has been thoroughly examined across multiple fields in recent years. Most investigations on this topic have consistently shown a contradictory relationship between the two factors. Moreover, there is a dearth of studies undertaken in the field of Physical Education within higher education, particularly in the setting of the Philippines. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between Technological Readiness (TR) and Online Learning Self Efficacy (OLSE) among a sample of 305 Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) students in a higher education institution in the Philippines. Correlational and predictive analyses, specifically Pearson-r and Multiple Regression, were employed to ascertain the association between the four aspects of TR (Optimism, Insecurity, Innovativeness, and Discomfort) and OLSE. The findings indicate a positive and direct correlation between TR and OLSE. Moreover, the four dimensions of TR, exhibit a positive correlation with OLSE. According to the results, PETE students’ inclination to utilise advanced tools through online learning platforms could greatly enhance their online learning self-efficacy. The following recommendations and prospective research initiatives are hereby provided.

Prevalence of insomnia among university students in Saudi Arabia: a systematic review and meta‑analysis

Abstract Background Insomnia is a prevalent sleep disorder affecting cognitive functions critical to academic performance. University students, particularly in high-stress academic settings, are highly vulnerable. Despite its significant impact on students' health and education, there is limited research on the prevalence of insomnia among university students in Saudi Arabia. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to assess the prevalence of insomnia among university students in Saudi Arabia, focusing on demographic variations and academic settings, to provide evidence for targeted interventions. Methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted across databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, with additional manual searches. Inclusion criteria were cross-sectional studies addressing insomnia prevalence among Saudi university students, using standard diagnostic criteria. A total of 11 studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising data from diverse faculties, including medical and non-medical disciplines. Quality assessment was conducted using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Statistical analyses were performed using a random-effects model to account for heterogeneity. Results Eleven studies, involving a total of 8297 university students, were included in the analysis. Insomnia prevalence varied widely, ranging from 19.3% to 98.7%, with a pooled prevalence of 43.3% (95% CI 28.9–58.2%). Subgroup analyses showed a prevalence of 38.6% among medical students and 38.7% among female students. The analysis revealed high heterogeneity (I2 = 99.17%), indicating significant variability in study designs, populations, and diagnostic methods. Conclusions Insomnia is highly prevalent among university students in Saudi Arabia, with significant variations across demographics and academic contexts. The findings underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions, including stress management, improved sleep hygiene education, and support systems to mitigate the impact of insomnia on academic performance and overall health. Future research should explore the longitudinal impacts of insomnia and the efficacy of tailored interventions in this population.

The green seed: The influence of pro-sustainable orientation on social entrepreneurship in higher education students

This study explores the influence of Portuguese higher education students’ pro-sustainable orientations in promoting social entrepreneurship when mediated by perceived feasibility and desirability. The sample was collected through a questionnaire of 391 Portuguese higher education students, and the Partial Least Square (PLS) method was applied to a proposed research model. The pro-sustainable orientation of Portuguese higher education students positively influences the social entrepreneurial intention and the perceived desirability of starting an entrepreneurial activity. Furthermore, the pro-sustainable orientation of these students positively affects the social entrepreneurial intention when mediated by the perceived desirability of starting an entrepreneurial activity. The study fills the gap by relating sustainable development, the general theory of entrepreneurship, and the paradigms of social entrepreneurship. Considering the pro-sustainable orientation of entrepreneurs, perceived viability does not significantly affect social entrepreneurial intention, challenging the core assumptions of the theory of planned behavior and the entrepreneurial event model.

Using artificial intelligence in education: decision tree learning results in secondary school students based on cold and hot executive functions

Improving educational quality is a universal concern. Despite efforts made in this regard, learning outcomes have not improved sufficiently. Therefore, further investigation is needed on this issue, adopting new perspectives (conceptual and analytical) to facilitate the understanding and design of effective actions. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of executive functions (considering both cognitive and affective processes) and their interactions on learning outcomes in Language and Literature and Mathematics in Spanish students, through the use of artificial intelligence, based on the machine learning approach, and more specifically, the decision tree technique. A total of 173 students in compulsory secondary education (12–17 years old) from the same educational institution participated. The school’s educational counsellor provided information on student executive function levels by completing the BRIEF2 questionnaire for each participant. She also reported on the learning outcomes achieved by students in the subjects of interest for this research (Language and Literature and Mathematics). R software was used to model the regression trees. The results revealed groups of students characterised by different profiles, i.e., by different combinations of difficulties in various executive functions and varying levels of learning outcomes in each academic area. However, regardless of the academic area considered (Language and Literature or Mathematics), working memory was identified as the most relevant executive function in all of the students’ learning outcomes. Understanding the combination of executive functions that predict learning outcomes in each group of students is important since it enables teachers and other educational professionals, policymakers and researchers to provide individualised educational resources according to the diverse student profiles and needs. It constitutes an effective mechanism to improve students’ learning results and, ultimately, to enhance an equitable and more effective educational system.

Adequacy of Copyright Information or Documentation, the Need for Training in, and Evaluation of Mechanisms for Delivering Copyright Education in Academic Libraries in Ghana

Abstract With academic libraries becoming increasingly involved in copyright issues, the ability to responsibly identify a copyright-protected material is becoming important in the administration of reprographic materials in academic libraries. A mixed methods approach was employed to evaluate the adequacy of copyright information or documentation, the need for training, and the mechanisms for educating library users on responsible use of reprographic materials that ensures a balance of stakeholder rights. Quantitative data was collected from 38 library staff and 530 postgraduate students, while qualitative data was collected from four head librarians (through one-on-one interview sessions), and two groups of six postgraduate students each from two public and two private universities in Ghana (through focus group discussion sessions). Only 21.4 % stated that copyright information or documentation on copyright policies on their university campuses was adequate. Copyright education for both staff and students was generally low in all the four institutions. Only “classroom training” had significant impact on users’ understanding of copyright laws and policies. “Professional associations,” “study visits,” and “consultant training” had little impact on the understanding of students about copyright laws despite most library staff being either “comfortable” or “very comfortable” with their level of knowledge on copyright issues. There is therefore the need to incorporate copyright issues in the school curriculum for students as well as institute CPD programs for professional librarians if academic librarians are to efficiently and adequately play their roles as agents of copyright education to the university community.

The Role of AI-Based Learning Systems in Enhancing Biology Education for Secondary School Students: Impact on Performance, Engagement, and Retention

The Role of AI-Based Learning Systems in Enhancing Biology Education for Secondary School Students: Impact on Performance, Engagement, and Retention

Wargaming Preferences: How Participating in Educational Wargames Changes Student Preferences on Learning

Educational wargaming has shown its clear value in the classroom, leading to deeper and more long-lasting learning. Yet, it is unclear how students respond to the use of games in the classroom and whether they perceive them to have educational value above and beyond “having fun.” This study of the War at Sea wargame at the U.S. Naval War College provides evidence that students see wargaming as a valuable learning activity, that they consider it appropriate for the PME environment, and that participating in a wargame makes them more likely to want to learn via wargames in the future. These findings provide evidence in support of the ongoing effort to increase wargaming in professional military education (PME) curriculum, and suggest that early exposure to wargames creates buy-in among students that can be harnessed throughout their careers.

DIGITAL STORYTELLING IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL: STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION AND ACADEMIC PERSPECTIVES

Digital storytelling (J. Lambert) is an interdisciplinary tool that helps teachers to personalize educational process and students to acquire learning material better, improve st century skills and develop agency. It implies narratives and animated presentations of ideas, created by students with the use of computer-based tools. The work on a digital story improves students’ computational thinking skills and multimodal literacy, associated with visual perception, understanding and responding to digital and multimedia texts. In order to study learning potential and students’ perception of such educational technology the research was conducted by The Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Contemporary Childhood in March, . It was completed on the basis of School № in Kashira within the government assignment «Development of technology for overcoming adolescent risks: school theater based on role-playing experimentation».  adolescents took part in  lessons in Fine Arts. After reading “Letters about the good and beautiful” by Dmitriy Likhachev, they fi gured out the appropriate statements to develop them into digital stories of moral choice. Having sketched the plots of their stories in pencil, the schoolers worked on animated fi lms in stop-motion technique. That work included drawing scenery and characters, taking and editing photos, processing photos into short animated fi lms, adding sound and subtitles. Adolescents completed  digital stories. Due to their  refl ective journals, fi lled in the form of open-ended questions, they mostly experienced interest, pleasure and fun at the lessons. Adolescents wrote that they learned to work in teams, be attentive to others and overcome interaction challenges. They found diffi cult to come up with visual metaphors and story plots, but all their new skills might be practical for other school projects. To conclude, digital storytelling may be incorporated into the curriculum to update and enhance studying as well as bridge Literature, IT and Fine Arts together.

Can AI teach me employability? A multi-national study in three countries.

This paper examines the impact of using an Artificial Intelligence (AI) teacher for current Higher Education (HE) students from three countries. The study utilized an AI avatar powered by a fine-tuned Large Language Model (LLM), OIMISA, which is trained solely for teaching and learning applications. The AI teacher provided a 9-lesson course on employability and transferable skills. In total 207 students across the three institutions enrolled in the programme. The results demonstrate a noteworthy completion rate of over 47%, along with high levels of engagement across all student cohorts and high satisfaction rates from the students. These show the potential for AI-based virtual teachers across countries for students of HE compared to the use of MOOC platforms.

Perspectives of Greek Adults Who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing About Their Educational Experiences

Abstract Fifteen Greek adults who are deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) were interviewed as part of a qualitative study examining their perspectives as students during primary, secondary, or postsecondary education. Research on the perspectives of adults who are DHH involving all three levels of education is limited in Greece. This study focuses on four primary questions addressing the following topics: academic and social experiences in elementary and secondary school; preparation for postsecondary education; academic and social experiences in postsecondary education; and suggestions to improve the education of students who are DHH. To explore these questions in depth, an interview guide was developed consisting of 31 items, nine demographic and 22 yes/no or open-ended questions. Responses to a subset of the yes/no or open-ended questions are highlighted in this article. Several themes emerged from the data including deficiencies in vocabulary, language, and literacy skills; concerns about general education classrooms; limited communication access; insufficient educational supports; difficulty developing friendships; shortcomings in teacher preparation, and a lack of variety in teaching methods. Based on these themes, the article concludes by suggesting areas Greece needs to address to improve the educational experiences and outcomes of students who are DHH.

Social Work and Psychoeducational Markers Regarding University Education for Students with Disabilities

The main purpose of this article is to theoretically present a perspective for social work and the field of education regarding psychoeducation, as a way to ensure an inclusive approach to quality education in university studies for disabled students. The approach of the research topic is a theoretical one, based on the fact that psychoeducation is a new method of psychosocial intervention; its role is to support various categories of beneficiaries, aiding medical professionals, psychotherapists and social workers. The discussions part of our research concentrate on the fact that psychoeducation focuses on the educational methods that can be used to facilitate the acquisition of information and skills by a person or their relatives, when there are incidents of various psycho-cognitive or behavioral illnesses that raise medical, social, psychological difficulties for the integration of the person in a family, community, inter and intra-personal level, with the aim of medically and socially rehabilitate the beneficiary in all aspects of their existence. Psychoeducation involves a series of direct interventions, which are focused on the education of the participants and on the support and development of their adaptation skills to the social context in which they live. The conclusions chapter emphasizes on the issue that psychoeducation has become a common technique in social work practice since the 1970s, as it involves educating participants about the significant challenges of the client's illness, helping them develop their social skills, personal resources, and ability to manage existing or new challenges they face.

THE INFLUENCE OF DIGITAL CULTURE ON THE LITERACY PROCESS

This study addressed the relationship between digital literacy and the literacy process, with the aim of analyzing how digital literacy impacts the acquisition of writing in contemporary pedagogical practices. The methodology used was a bibliographic review, which allowed the selection and analysis of relevant works in the area of ​​education and technology. The results showed that digital literacy is an essential skill for the education of students, providing dynamic and engaging learning. In addition, the need for ongoing training for educators was identified, so that they can integrate digital media into their pedagogical practices. The analysis revealed that the use of digital tools in the school environment enriches the teaching-learning process, facilitating the acquisition of reading and writing skills. The final considerations indicated that, although pedagogical practices that incorporate digital literacy are promising, there are still challenges to be overcome, such as educators' resistance and the need to assess students' digital skills. The study highlighted the importance of future research that explores the implementation of these practices in different educational contexts.

Дуальное обучение как условие формирования экологической компетентности студентов в системе среднего профессионального образования

The system of secondary vocational training in Russia is undergoing significant changes regarding the quality of training of competent specialists who are able not only to carry out professional activities in modern socio-economic conditions, but also to successfully compete in those sectors of the national economy where they will work after graduation. As noted in the state program of the Russian Federation “Development of Education” until 2030, special attention is paid to the development of dual education and environmental education of students. In this regard, since 2014, dual (practice-oriented) training has been successfully implemented in secondary vocational education institutions in the country, within which students acquire basic theoretical knowledge in college classes and acquire practical skills at the enterprise. The purpose of the article is to study ways of developing students’ environmental competence in the system of secondary vocational education. Materials and research methods include an analytical review of scientific research related to the formation of environmental competence in dual learning conditions. The results of the study and their discussion are determined by the choice of approaches, technologies, methods, techniques and forms of work to develop students’ environmental competence. In conclusion, the results of the study are summarized.

L1 and L2 reading comprehension in Dutch higher education students with and without dyslexia: effects of test type and linguistic skills

ABSTRACT Reading is one of the most important skills in higher education. Various students show problems with reading, which can lead to problems with text decoding, reading comprehension, or both. In this study, we investigate the L1 (Dutch) and L2 (English) reading comprehension performance of students with and without dyslexia. Participants were presented with two short texts, and their reading comprehension was tested via two different test types: (1) a free recall test (i.e. summary writing) and (2) a true/false test, composed of literal and inferential questions. In addition, the students were timed during text reading and tested on L1 and L2 language proficiency and print exposure, to study if and how these skills relate to their reading comprehension performance. In L1, both student groups performed equally well on literal true/false questions, but students with dyslexia performed poorer on inferential questions and summary writing. In L2, students with dyslexia performed worse on both types of true/false questions and the summary writing. Language proficiency was shown to play the most prominent role in reading comprehension skills of higher education students.

Proofreading student writing: a research-based stakeholder tool focused on ethical practice

This article presents a research-based stakeholder tool informed by a study of the various types of changes proofreaders may make when proofreading a student text. Whilst the tool can be used to advise higher education students, (non-)professional proofreaders/editors, English for Academic Purposes (EAP) lecturers, writing centre tutors, and university policy makers as to appropriate forms of third-party intervention, it is primarily intended to be used as a framework that assists academics in deciding which kinds of third-party intervention are un/ethical when allowing their students to have work proofread. As such, the stakeholder tool serves a heuristic purpose in that it: 1) displays the various types of interventions proofreaders could make for an academic to consider which interventions they wish to allow, from the lightest-touch (e.g., correcting typos or spelling errors) to the heaviest-touch (e.g., substantial, wholesale rewriting of the text by the proofreader at the level of content); 2) advises academics about un/ethical forms of proofreading intervention; 3) confirms an academic has given permission for a student to seek out proofreading support whilst specifying what in the academic’s opinion is un/ethical in terms of proofreading intervention; and 4) educates and trains stakeholders in academically sound proofreading practices. This stakeholder tool is timely when considering that some current university proofreading policies are poorly worded and ambiguous, and when considering the lack of clarity about or knowledge of university proofreading guidelines by stakeholders such as staff and students.

Relationship between Family Background and Academic Achievement of Business Education Students in Delta State Tertiary Institutions

This study investigates the relationship between family background, specifically parenting styles, and the academic achievement among Business Education students in higher institutions in Delta State, Nigeria. Utilizing a quantitative research design, data were collected from 200 students through structured questionnaires that assessed parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and neglectful) and academic performance metrics. The results suggest that authoritative parenting significantly enhances academic success, while authoritarian and neglectful styles negatively impact students' performance. The results highlight the critical role of a supportive and balanced parenting approach in fostering academic achievement. These results highlight the significance of parental involvement in education and suggest that targeted interventions for parents could improve academic outcomes for students. The study concludes with recommendations for parental education programs, enhanced school-parent collaboration, and further research on the socio-cultural factors influencing parenting and academic success.

Impact of Self‐Regulated Learning Programs in Primary Education: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACTThe aims of this systematic review were to identify, describe, and synthesize the characteristics and effectiveness of self‐regulated learning training programs on primary education students' self‐regulated learning and academic achievement. The study implemented a systematic review protocol that encompassed both primary and complementary literature searches to ensure the comprehensive inclusion of unbiased studies. Subsequently, the results were analyzed by narrative content analysis. After the selection process, 10 studies were finally qualified for data extraction and review. The results revealed that the selected interventions had a statistically significant positive impact and effectiveness in fostering students' self‐regulated learning. Additionally, many of them seemed to be effective in terms of improving pupils' academic performance. Nevertheless, this systematic review emphasizes the necessity for additional studies employing robust evaluation research designs to enhance the quality of research in this domain.

Antecedents of academic actual help-seeking behaviour and support services utilisation among distance education students.

The purpose of the study was to unravel the determinants that necessitate academic help-seeking intentions and promote the utilisation of support services among distance education students. This study adopted a quantitative approach based on cross-sectional survey design. The target population of the study comprised all distance education students of the College of Distance Education, University of Cape Coast. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select a sample of 290 respondents for the study. The main data collection instrument was a questionnaire and the data was collected from June to December, 2023. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used to analyse preliminary data, while the main data was analysed by structural equation modelling technique. The study found that social support, subjective needs, and availability of help were the antecedents of actual academic help-seeking behaviour among distance learners. Depressive needs were not considered as an antecedent of help-seeking behaviour. Thus, social support, subjective needs, and availability of help were significantly related to actual help-seeking behaviour among distance learners. The study further found that actual help-seeking behaviour among distance learners was also significantly related to the actual use of support services available to these learners. Finally, actual help-seeking behaviour among distance learners significantly mediated the relationship between social support, subjective needs, availability of help, and actual use of support services available to distance students. It was therefore recommended that authorities of distance education should make support services available to distance learners online and in-person to be able to meet the needs of different categories of students as well as the provisions of platforms for building social support systems among distance learners.