The mediating and moderating role of social skills in the relationship between frustration tolerance and group cohesion in Physical Education.

Background: Positive reinforcement in the classroom can take various forms, including verbal praise, tangible rewards, privileges, or symbolic incentives. Its use is still relatively sparse and selective in many primary schools in Bangladesh. Educators frequently use punishment or occasional rewards in place of systematic reinforcement procedures, resulting in inconsistent behavior regulation. Aims: Using survey data from 300 primary school students’ and 50 teachers in Bangladesh, this study examines how positive reinforcement is perceived to support student motivation, classroom behavior, and learning engagement, alongside teachers’ knowledge, use, and training needs related to reinforcement strategies. Study Design: A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed. Data were collected using two structured questionnaires (student: 10 items; teacher: 7 items; Likert-type scales) and analyzed in SPSS (v26) using descriptive statistics, reliability testing (Cronbach’s alpha). Results: Descriptive statistics showed that over 92% of students’ reported consistently positive motivational and behavioral effects associated with reinforcement practices (M > 4.90 across items). Teachers’ strongly endorsed reinforcement effectiveness (100% agreement), though 74% reported irregular implementation and 90% indicated insufficient formal training. Based on these findings, the study proposes an evidence-informed Regular Positive Reinforcement Model (RPRM) to support the systematic and sustainable implementation of classroom practices. Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of structured reinforcement practices and targeted professional development for fostering inclusive and motivating primary school learning environments.

The Government of Nepal has the provision of free mid- day meal (tiffin) to the primary level students in community school. It is one of the key educational and nutritional interventions intended to support early childhood development and the foundational learning of children. The main objective of this program is to improve student health, increase school participation, enhance regularity and strengthening academic achievement. This study explores the effectiveness of the tiffin program in the Community School of Panauti municipality of Kavrepalanchowk district. A total of 36 student and 15 parents were participated in this study. Questionnaire, class observation, attendance and parental interviews were taken for the collection of data on focusing children’s regularity, overall health condition, children's motivation to the learning platform. It is found that the positive impact of the program on regularity, classroom participation, student interest on going to the school, nutritional awareness and parental involvement. This study concludes that the mid day meal (tiffin) program is an effective tool for promoting equitable access to education, enhancing the learning environment and reducing absenteeism. Despite the positive outcomes, the programs face some challenges such as inconsistent budgeting, occasional shortages of locally grown food items and need for the stronger community level monitoring. This research suggests ongoing expansion, better coordination among stakeholders, regular evaluation, integration of nutritional education within the school curriculum and diversification of meal varieties. The article may contribute valuable localized evidence to support the sustainability of Nepal's school mid-day meal initiatives.

ABSTRACT This qualitative study investigates the emotional and epistemic responses of 16 Greek-Cypriot primary school students to controversial issues related to the Cyprus conflict. Drawing on interviews conducted before and after an intervention designed to mitigate ‘myside bias’ through the teaching of argumentation skills, the study examines how students make sense of the 1974 Turkish invasion and their encounters with Turkish settlers and Turkish-Cypriots. Findings show that while the Turkish invasion evokes intense emotions, students generally express openness toward contact with Turkish settlers and Turkish-Cypriots. Also, while one group of students reinforced emotional distance by maintaining a singular Greek-Cypriot perspective, another displayed greater openness to multiple perspectives, albeit often with ambivalence. The study highlights the challenges and possibilities of teaching controversial issues in divided societies through a lens that pays attention to both emotional dimensions and argumentation skills. The paper discusses the implications for peace education in conflict-affected contexts.

Schools are increasingly shaped by societal change and growing cultural diversity, calling for refined approaches to understanding the acculturation of minoritized students. This study examined acculturation profiles among minoritized primary students (n = 736) in Switzerland, applying a tridimensional framework that incorporates a multicultural orientation, beyond heritage and majority orientation. Using a three-stage latent profile analysis, four distinct acculturation profiles emerged: Multiculturalists (33.3%), Heritage-oriented Multiculturalists (29.9%), Majority-oriented Multiculturalists (29.2%), and a smaller group of Assimilationists (7.6%). The number of parents born abroad, religious practice, Swiss citizenship, and socioeconomic status predicted students’ profile membership. Comparisons of academic self-concept showed that only Majority-oriented Multiculturalists differed from the other profiles. Our findings suggest that a high multicultural orientation may support students’ academic self-concept mainly when paired exclusively with a strong majority orientation. In contrast, our results demonstrate that a strong heritage orientation may be less favorably related to academic self-concept, even when paired with a high multicultural orientation. However, given the cross-sectional design, the results call for further longitudinal research. Nonetheless, the results of this study indicate a necessity for more differentiated acculturation frameworks that consider the multidimensionality of acculturation in contemporary culturally diverse classrooms.

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between the academic achievement of primary, secondary, high school, and university students and their breakfast habits, sleep patterns, and family demographic characteristics. The sample of the study consists of a total of 1,059 students (primary, secondary, high school, and university) studying on the European side of Istanbul. To collect the data, the Breakfast and Sleep Habits Questionnaire (KUAA), developed by the researcher, was used. In the analysis of the data, the Chi-Square Test was employed in the first stage of the study. In the second stage, the independent samples t-test was conducted to determine the relationship between certain personal variables of the students and their academic achievement. The results of the first stage indicated that students living with their families had higher rates of eating breakfast and sleeping. Students whose parents were high school graduates were found to eat breakfast at higher rates; likewise, students whose mothers were not employed and fathers were employed had higher rates of eating breakfast. The results of the second stage revealed that male students, those who ate breakfast, those who slept 8h or more, those whose parents had higher levels of education, those whose fathers were employed, those living with their families, and those at the primary and high school levels had significantly higher academic achievement. However, no significant difference was found in the academic grades of students with employed versus unemployed mothers. In the third stage of the study, students who did not eat breakfast in the mornings were asked for their reasons. Their responses centered on lack of appetite, insufficient time, and morning drowsiness. When asked why they fall asleep in class, students' answers clustered around the following reasons: especially when sleep-deprived, when the lesson was boring, and when they felt tired. The findings of the study were discussed within the framework of the literature, and recommendations were provided.

Development and validation of a game-based assessment tool for abstraction skills in lower primary students

This study aims to determine the difficulties that gifted 4th grade primary school students have in solving non-routine problems. A case study design was used in the study. Twenty-four gifted primary school students studying at a Science and Art Center in the central district of a province in the northeastern part of Turkey were selected through convenience sampling. The gifted students were asked seven open-ended non-routine problems, each of which could be solved with a different strategy. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to determine the difficulties experienced by the four gifted students who scored the least from the open-ended problem solving test in solving non-routine problems. The data obtained were analyzed with descriptive analysis. As a result of the analysis, it was found that most of the gifted 4th grade students were successful in solving non-routine problems and they were successful in reasoning, making systematic lists, making tables, writing mathematical sentences and estimation-control strategies while solving problems, but they could not show sufficient success in the strategy of drawing shapes. Result was determined that the reason for the difficulties experienced by gifted primary school 4th grade students in solving non-routine problems stemmed from the step of understanding the problem.

Many Indonesian primary students still experience difficulties in acquiring English vocabulary due to limited practice, low motivation, and the minimal use of technology in classroom instruction. This study focuses on improving fifth-grade students’ vocabulary mastery at SD Negeri 1 Sibangkaja through the implementation of drilling techniques integrated with vocabulary videos. The objectives of the study were to enhance students’ vocabulary mastery and to explore students’ responses toward the use of technology-enhanced drilling techniques. The study employed Classroom Action Research consisting of a preliminary study and two action cycles, each involving planning, action, observation, and reflection. Data were collected through vocabulary tests, classroom observations, and interviews. The results showed a significant improvement in students’ vocabulary mastery across the research cycles, with all students achieving the minimum completion criteria in the second cycle. In addition, students expressed positive responses, increased motivation, and greater engagement in vocabulary learning. The study concludes that integrating drilling techniques with vocabulary videos is an effective and engaging approach to improving elementary students’ vocabulary mastery. Furthermore, this approach offers practical implications for English teachers in designing more engaging, student-centered, and technology-aligned vocabulary instruction, while also contributing empirical evidence to the growing body of research on technology-assisted language learning for young learners.

Introduction Although the relation between aspects of executive functioning and math performance is well established, the role of children’s inhibitory abilities remains controversial. In this study, we examined whether children’s arithmetic estimation performance is related to their performance on a set of inhibitory control tasks that included visual distractors. Methods The children ( N = 321; 41.1% boys) were from 3rd grade and recruited from six Hong Kong primary schools. In addition to the math and inhibitory tasks, they were administered a set of updating and working memory tasks, as well as a simple processing speed task. Results Significant distraction effects were observed on both the math and inhibitory tasks. Conventional inhibitory cost measures revealed significant associations between response time on some of the math and inhibitory tasks. However, stepwise regression and path analyses that help identify conditions in the inhibitory tasks that contribute to the significant associations suggest that individual differences in inhibitory abilities do not explain variance in the math tasks. Discussion The significant associations between some of the inhibitory measures and math performance seem to stem from commonality in problem-solving skills, task engagement, or efficiency in rule-based decision making. From a practical viewpoint, the main finding that there is a significant distraction effect suggests that to enhance primary students’ math performance, teachers should create classroom environments with minimal distractions, taking active roles to help them maintain focus.

This paper examines, focusing on the Indigenous period, how colonial epistemologies have shaped archaeology, museum display, and formal education in the Canary Islands, asking how coordinated legal, institutional, and pedagogical reforms can disrupt this “colonial library.” Drawing on a documentary corpus and a purposive sample of textbooks, the study uses thematic document analysis to identify recurrent narrative frames that marginalize Indigenous perspectives. Framed by decolonial theory and the concept of the colonial library, the paper analyses museological and curricular mechanisms of reification and presents the educational project Memorias Guanches package as a school based intervention for primary and secondary students, and as a practical example of decolonial pedagogy, that aligns classroom activities with heritage governance instruments and museum practices. Findings point to persistent Eurocentric framings, but also to institutional openings (legal reform, exhibition revisions). The article concludes with a discussion of future tasks.

Escalating environmental challenges have underscored the need to cultivate environmental awareness from primary schooling, yet classroom instruction often offers limited authentic engagement with local ecological problems. This systematic review synthesizes recent empirical evidence (2020-2025) on the effectiveness of Project-Based Learning (PBL) in strengthening primary students' environmental knowledge, attitudes, and pro-environmental behaviors, and identifies enabling and constraining conditions for its implementation. Searches of Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and SAGE returned more than 200 records, which were screened to identify 7 empirical studies for synthesis. Across these studies, PBL consistently improved environmental outcomes in cognitive, affective, and behavioral domains, with several reports showing statistically significant pre-post or group differences and moderate-to-very-strong positive associations between PBL participation and indicators of environmental awareness (r = 0.52-0.96). Successful implementation was supported by school leadership and an enabling culture, teacher preparedness and collaboration, and curricular flexibility, whereas limited instructional time, resource constraints, and insufficient teacher readiness were recurring barriers. Overall, PBL is an effective approach to strengthening environmental awareness in primary education when it is institutionally supported and adapted to local contexts.

ABSTRACT Science education, from an early age, plays a key role in promoting sustainability. Within this framework, water emerges as a valuable resource for studying fundamental scientific principles and fostering critical reflection on its sustainable use. This quasi‐experimental study involved 168 primary students (ages 9–11) from public schools in Extremadura, Spain, who participated in a hands‐on activity building a sand filter. To assess the impact of the intervention, a customised questionnaire on scientific knowledge, attitudes and emotions towards science and water sustainability was completed before and after the activity. Findings indicate that the intervention improved scientific knowledge, promoted sustainable attitudes and behaviours towards water, increased interest in science and strengthened emotional connections with both scientific topics and water‐related issues. This study underscores the need for student‐centred approaches that promote meaningful learning and support the Sustainable Development Goals from early educational stages, serving as an enriching complement to existing science programmes in schools.

This study examined differences in student academic performance, self-efficacy, and learning engagement in the context of differentiated instruction (DI) in a cross-grade after-school science program, a setting promoted by China’s "Double Reduction Policy". Using a quasi-experimental design, 129 primary students were assigned to DI (experimental) or conventional instruction (control) groups, with a pretest confirming equivalent baselines. The results showed that the DI group showed higher academic achievement (particularly in higher-order cognitive achievements) and learning engagement compared to the control group. Furthermore, although the post-test self-efficacy scores showed no significant differences, the student interviews revealed a contrasting pattern. Overall, the findings provide evidence on how DI operates in complex classroom settings and provide practical implications for teaching.

Bilingual education is an important approach for improving academic achievement, promoting language equity, and preserving cultural identity in multilingual settings. In Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, Khmer–Vietnamese Bilingual Education (KhVBE) supports the use of Vietnamese as the national language while maintaining the Khmer language and culture. This study investigates the factors influencing the effectiveness of KhVBE, with a focus on three key constructs: Contexts for the Application of Bilingual Education (CABE), Community Factors (CF), and Family Factors (FF). Survey data were collected from 269 school administrators and teachers and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that CABE and CF have strong and significant effects on KhVBE effectiveness, emphasizing the roles of institutional support, program structure, and community involvement. In contrast, FF does not show a significant effect, suggesting that family influence is more indirect. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of strong school and community environments in sustaining bilingual education and provide policy implications for improving teacher training, enhancing educational resources, and strengthening community partnerships. Recommendations for university administrators and other stakeholders are also discussed.

ABSTRACT Backgrounds This paper explores pre-service teachers' experiences of hobby horsing in physical education teacher education. Hobby horsing is a contemporary children's and youth movement culture associated with hybridity and the intersection between the human and the non-human. In physical education, alternative movement activities such as hobby horsing hold values closely tied to lifestyle sports and can broaden practices of physical education. Purpose The study was a combined teaching and research project with the purpose of enhancing pre-service teachers' professional development in physical education teacher education. The research question guiding this paper was: How do pre-service teachers experience hobby horsing in physical education teacher education? Methods The study involved 47 pre-service teachers in a teacher education program specializing in physical education and sports. Data consisted of their reflective logs written during seven teaching sessions and four audio-recorded group discussions. Four researchers collaboratively analyzed the data using coding and categorization to generate themes. Findings Three themes were generated from the analysis. The first theme, breaking with former experience, illustrates how the hobby horse project diverged from the pre-service teachers' previous experiences of physical education and challenged their expectations of physical education teacher education. The second theme, enabling experience, highlights how direct experience of hobby horsing and teaching hobby horsing with primary students in school opened space for inquiry into the project's purpose and physical education. The third theme, negotiating future experience, demonstrates how the pre-service teachers evaluated their experience and responses while beginning to recognize the potential of exploring alternative movement activities in school. There are, however, indications that pre-service teachers' perceptions of upper secondary physical education restrain their desire to learn from alternative movement activities. Conclusions This study shows how experiencing hobby horsing may encourage inquiry into previous and future experiences in physical education. The findings suggest that hobby horsing has the potential to challenge pre-service teachers' perceptions. However, the intention to teach in upper secondary school may act as a barrier for inquiry. This highlights an important challenge for physical education teacher education and pre-service teachers' experiences as a valuable area for further research.

This study examined the effects of teacher support and competition in digital learning games on fifth-grade students’ learning and academic engagement. Sixty-three students participated in a pretest–intervention–posttest design, assigned to one of three groups: a control group, a competition-only group, and a competition with teacher support group. Results indicated that combining competition with teacher support produced the highest gains in engagement and learning, while competition alone also outperformed the control condition. These findings highlight the value of integrating both motivational elements and pedagogical support into digital learning games to maximize students’ academic outcomes.

Abstract Schools are a common place where the younger generation can develop their understanding of the ocean and acquire the skills needed to become responsible and knowledgeable ocean advocates. Grounded in a relational ocean literacy model, this study examined outcomes of a place‐based programme integrating picture books, beach excursions and creative classroom activities to enhance primary students' understanding of and connections to their local temperate marine environment. Pre‐ and post‐programme drawings and focus group interviews assessed changes in students' awareness and perceptions of the Great Southern Reef. Results from the pre‐programme drawings suggest that, prior to the programme, students perceived their local marine environment as a tropical ecosystem. However, after participating in the place‐based intervention, students demonstrated an overall improvement in their perception, understanding and connection to their local marine environment, the diversity of species found and the ecological interactions between organisms and the surrounding habitats. Data collected from the interviews revealed that children developed stronger connections to their local marine environment, which facilitated human–ocean, self–community and knowledge–experience relations. This case study provides an evidence‐based educational approach that can be tailored to a local context to enhance ocean literacy in formal education settings and empower young people to potentially become future ocean stewards. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Writing is an essential skill for students' academic, personal, and social development, and learning to write is mediated by the experiences in the family setting. The present study was conducted during the 2024-2025 academic year. This study analyses the home writing practices of primary school students, their perceptions of family support, and their attitudes toward writing, along with the relationships between these variables throughout students' primary education. A total of 917 children in their 1st-6th years of primary education participated (468 boys and 449 girls). They attended eight different Spanish primary schools. Data were collected using a set of questions created for the study that focused on children's day-to-day writing practices at home and the "Writing Attitude Scale." The results show that the most common home writing practices were associated with functional and academic tasks, while expressive practices were less common. This pattern was the same throughout primary schooling, although there were some significant variations by school year. There was a significant progression in the use of digital devices for writing as students advanced in primary school, as well as a fall in family support for writing tasks, particularly in the later years. Nonetheless, students' affective responses toward writing were stable and mostly positive. Positive correlations were found between the frequency of home writing practices, family support (particularly from mothers), and students' favorable attitudes toward writing. These findings underscore the importance of the family environment as a key mediating agent in the development of writing skills, and the need to promote active, motivating family involvement throughout primary education.

This research documents the development of learning activity packages (LAPs) for Thai language instruction in primary schools under the Education Fund Project. This development process has three objectives: (1) to improve teacher competencies in producing LAPs for Thai language courses; (2) to evaluate the implementation of the instructional package; and (3) to examine the learning outcomes of primary school students in schools under the Education Fund Project. This is a research and development project. The research sample consisted of twenty-eight teachers in seven schools under the Education Fund Project, within the jurisdiction of the Suphanburi Primary Education Area Office 3. Informants were selected by simple random sampling. The results demonstrated that the average competency score after the development of the instructional package (𝑥̅ = 17.71, SD = 1.44) was higher than before its development (𝑥̅ = 11.04, SD = 1.67), with statistical significance at the 0.05 level. The ability to create the instructional packages was overall at a very good quality level (𝑥̅ = 13.32) and the primary teachers’ attitudes toward the development of the instructional package were overall at the highest level (𝑥̅ = 4.64, SD = 0.50). The learning outcomes of primary students in schools under the Education Fund Project after learning (𝑥̅ = 17.54, SD = 1.55) was higher than before learning (𝑥̅ = 10.64, SD = 1.54).