Classroom Quality Research Articles

School building-stock climate resilience: evaluating London’s school stock overheating performance

ABSTRACT Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in classrooms is crucial for students’ health, wellbeing, and academic success. Rising outdoor temperatures due to climate change pose a significant risk – overheating in schools can negatively affect cognitive performance and health for both students and staff.This study examines the risk of overheating in primary and secondary schools in London, focusing on the impact of current and future climate scenarios. Using the UK Department for Education’s Building Bulletin 101 (BB101) as a framework, the study integrates data from various sources, including GIS form data and a national school survey, to develop a ‘one-by-one’ school stock thermal model called the Modelling Platform for Schools (MPS). This model, built using EnergyPlus, allows for the analysis of school thermal performance at national, regional, and individual levels.The results show that by the 2050s, under a medium emissions scenario, average summer temperatures in schools could reach nearly 30°C – 7% higher than current levels. The study also developed an overheating-risk regression model for London schools and explored potential mitigation strategies, such as extending summer holidays or adjusting school activities to times when overheating risk is lower.

Research on the Interactivity Effect of Case Study Teaching in the Computer Programming Class

Case teaching plays an important role in the application of computer language courses currently, .At the same time, interactive teaching methods can improve the quality of classroom teaching.Different students learn computer programming at different levels, including beginner, intermediate and advanced.For beginners, the classroom teaching process can be arranged in the form of questions and answers, and the questions and answers between teachers and students can explain important concepts and procedural structures clearly.For intermediate level students, interactive teaching can increase eye contact to improve the classroom teaching effect.For advanced learners, discussion instruction requires an optimized understanding of problem solving, and it serves as a bridge between students and teachers.

A systematic review of studies investigating quality of inclusive preschool classrooms

A systematic review of studies investigating quality of inclusive preschool classrooms

Towards modelling instructional quality for music class-rooms: Exploring subject-specific application of the TA-LIS/GTI generic framework

Arts subjects have so far been absent from large-scale studies on instructional quality as well as from related methodological development. The purpose of this article is to explore whether an observation scheme that builds on generic theoretical models and aims to capture instructional quality across school subjects might be meaningfully employed in general music education so that it could serve as a basis for empirical research and reflective practice. We evaluated instructional quality criteria proposed in the video observation system from the study Global Teaching InSights, the third cycle of OECD’s large-scale Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS/GTI) by exploring the system’s observation codes for analysis of music lessons on video and comparing the criteria with quality criteria from general music education. We found that the generic models are helpful and may have more to offer both research and practice in music education than we initially expected. The risk when attempting to apply quality criteria that are intended to be generic is that those aspects may be overemphasised while criteria that are essential for music education are pushed out of sight. However, we argue that modelling instructional quality in music classrooms is worthwhile in itself and that the friction points where generic criteria do not fit our subject are particularly interesting. A systematic discussion of quality criteria can sharpen our views and understandings of general music education and connect music education research with interdisciplinary discourse and with a much-needed, broad dialogue within the educational sciences.

Investigation of Communication, Social Intelligence and Intercultural Sensitivity Competencies of Teacher Candidates in Sustainable Education by Structural Equation Modeling

It has become increasingly important to provide equal educational opportunities to all students for quality and sustainable education in classrooms with rapidly increasing diversity. In this context, communication skills, social intelligence and intercultural sensitivity are important competences that can affect teacher performance and efficiency in classrooms. Despite the importance of these competencies, empirical studies examining the relationships between these variables are scarce. Consequently, this study aimed to investigate the relationships between teacher candidates’ communication skills and their intercultural sensitivity and social intelligence levels through the application of structural equation modeling (SEM). The participants were selected from among the teacher candidates studying at Kütahya Dumlupınar University, a public university in Türkiye, using simple random sampling method. The results indicated that teacher candidates had high levels of communication skills, intercultural sensitivity and social intelligence. In addition, while there was a significant positive relationship between communication skills and intercultural sensitivity level and social intelligence level at low level, there was a significant positive relationship between intercultural sensitivity and social intelligence level at medium level. Furthermore, communication skills and intercultural sensitivity were found to be significant predictors of social intelligence and intercultural sensitivity had a partial mediating role in the relationship between communication skills and social intelligence. In the study, it was concluded that teacher candidates’ communication skills predicted social intelligence through intercultural sensitivity.

Classroom indoor air quality and noise level assessment of different educational institutions in a university area in Bangladesh

Introduction: The classroom environment is crucial for fostering effective learning and safeguarding teacher-student health. This study assessed the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and noise levels in classrooms across three institutions: a university, a secondary and higher secondary school (called a school and college), and a primary school. Materials and methods: Various IAQ parameters such as Particulate Matters (PM2.5 and PM10), Carbon monoxide (CO), Carbon dioxide (CO2), Total Volatile Organic Compound (TVOC), and temperature, Relative Humidity (RH), light, and noise levels were measured using calibrated instruments from February to March 2024. Results: The air pollutants and noise levels varied among the institutions. The mean values of PM 2.5 (76.6 µg/m3) and PM (116.7 µg/m3) were highest The mean values of PM 2.5 (76.6 µg/m3) and PM (116.7 µg/m3) were highest in the primary school, while CO (0.82 ppm), light (92.9 lux), temperature (27.6 °C), and noise levels (77.6 dB) peaked in the school and college. University classrooms showed the maximum concentrations of CO2 (804.9 ppm), TVOC (32.9 ppb), and RH (58.6%). In all institutions, PM2.5, PM10, and noise levels exceeded WHO-recommended limits, whereas CO, CO2, RH, and temperature remained within their respective standards. Light levels were below Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines. Correlation analysis showed significant positive correlations between PM2.5 PM10, and CO. Hazard Quotient (HQ) values for PM 2.5 and PM10 exceeded 1.0, indicating potential health risks. Variations in pollutants and noise levels among institutions may be due to classroom facilities, student density, ventilation systems, and student activities. Conclusion: Long-term exposure to IAQ pollutants and noise levels could impair cognitive function, respiratory health, and overall well-being of the students and educators. Implementing proper ventilation (e.g., HEPA filters) systems, soundproofing acoustic panels, and continuous IAQ monitoring is recommended for a safer classroom environment.

Monitoring of indoor environmental quality and acoustic comfort in university classrooms

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) in university classrooms affects students' well-being, comfort and learning performance, thus its evaluation is strongly needed. This work presents an in-field study on the acoustic monitoring, along with thermal, visual and air quality domains, in four recently built university classrooms of Politecnico di Torino. The monitoring was performed in the spring/summer and winter periods, through wall mounted multi-sensor devices. While the monitoring was ongoing, students attending lessons were asked to answer an online anonymous questionnaire on comfort perception, which included questions regarding the four domains and additional personal information. Results show that students are more satisfied with the overall conditions in classroom 3P and more dissatisfied with the overall conditions in classroom 4P. The less satisfying domains are the thermal and air quality ones, whereas the more satisfying are the acoustic and visual ones. Furthermore, at the increasing of TVOC and CO2 concentrations the overall satisfaction decreases. The final aim of this project, based on the monitoring results, is the optimization of the building systems management to reduce energy consumptions and ensure occupants' well-being and comfort.

Enhancing High School Mathematics Education Through School-based Research: Development and Mechanisms

In the context of ongoing educational reforms aimed at fostering critical competencies among high school students, this paper explores the implementation and impact of school-based mathematics research (SBR) as a strategic innovation within the high school curriculum. Adopting mixed research methods, in the study questionnaires were distributed to all students and teachers in the early stage to collect and analyze relevant data and than the study combines quantitative analyses of student performance data with qualitative insights from teacher and student feedback to assess the effects of SBR on teaching practices and learning outcomes. This research is based on the fact that the traditional education model cannot meet the needs of cultivating students' thinking ability, and the new curriculum reform has decentralized teaching research to schools. The study is helpful to explore the effect of SBR on the cultivation of teachers' scientific research ability and the improvement of classroom quality. The results show the powerful role of SBR in promoting teaching practice and student participation. Based on school characteristics, it proposes effective teaching improvement measures to improve the quality of mathematics education.

Studying Factors Influencing Intention to Use Hybrid Education: A Case Study of Visual Communication Design Major Students at Chengdu Vocational University of Art

Background and Aim: Hybrid teaching follows the reform trend of China's vigorous development of online education and hybrid education. The Chengdu Vocational University of Art is the earliest art vocational university in China, and the visual communication major is the advantageous major of the university. The program of this major adopts a hybrid education model combining MOOC online courses and offline education. This study uses TAM, ASCI, UTAUT, and ECM theories to construct a model to analyze the factors affecting the hybrid education learning satisfaction of visual communication students, whose variables include virtual classroom quality, instructor characteristics, student expectations, course design quality, and course content quality. Materials and Methods: A purposive sampling method was used to distribute questionnaires to 571 students. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were used to analyze the reliability, validity, goodness of fit, and hypothesis testing of the model. Results: Student satisfaction was found to greatly influence intention to use through the study. In addition, instructor characteristics and classroom quality had a supportive relationship on perceived usefulness, student expectations, course content, and perceived usefulness had a supportive relationship on satisfaction, while course design quality had no significant effect on satisfaction. Conclusion: School management and teaching teams should pay attention to the key influences on the intention of hybrid education and design programs based on research findings to help students understand the effectiveness of hybrid education and improve the quality of education.

What About the Influence of Outdoor Quality on Preschoolers’ Cognitive and Social Skills?

ABSTRACT Research Findings: Outdoor environments have recently become part of the early childhood quality puzzle, which has long been important to trace relationships between children’s experiences in child care and their development. However, fewer studies have analyzed the extent to which the quality of these outdoor spaces relates to young children’s social and cognitive outcomes. This study analyzed data collected from a randomized sample of 92 licensed child care programs and 405 preschool children located across North Carolina, United States. Multilevel analyses showed that outdoor environment quality was associated with children’s abstraction and flexible thinking skills above and beyond global levels of classroom quality. Correlation analyses revealed that in outdoor environments with more natural elements, children displayed fewer behavior problems. Practice or Policy: Outdoor quality measures need to be more widely tested in relation to child outcomes. The influence of child care outdoor environment quality on children’s development should to be more deeply understood through longitudinal designs and ecological theories of human development, which allow conceptualizing developmental change over time as a function of interactions between individuals and context.

We’re all just looking at the stars; how behavioral economics helps us understand the barriers to education programming in Tanzania

PurposeWe’re all just looking at the stars; how behavioral economics helps us understand the barriers to education programming in Tanzania.Design/methodology/approachThis article uses a qualitative approach to explore the behaviorally normed barriers to quality classroom instruction that contribute towards low learning outcomes. Themed text analysis was applied to qualitative secondary data from seventeen classroom observations and teacher interviews collected from low-performing schools in rural Tanzania.FindingsIt was found that teachers in poor-performing schools in Tanzania were focused on the delivery of curriculum and pedagogy, with a misplaced belief that their pupils were performing adequately. The study found no evidence of teacher resistance to change; instead, the teachers were content and often happy to implement the reading program, believing that teaching phonics-based instruction improved their teaching approach. Teachers sought confirmation of their quality instructional practice from convenient yet inaccurate sources that did not include effective pupil assessment.Research limitations/implicationsAs a result of the chosen research approach, findings may lack generalizability.Practical implicationsWhile existing models of teacher change rely on logic and reason for decision-making, this paper provides evidence that teacher models of change are much more complex and irrational, aligned more closely with insights from behavioral economics (BE). Additionally, this paper justifies that traditional research frameworks that study what works provide an incomplete picture to support effective program improvement.Originality/valueThe application of behavioral economics to research and education programming focused on reducing the restraining forces rather than pushing incentives and other program components.

Online Learning Based on Learning Analytics in Big Data for College English Language Teaching

This study addresses the challenges of enhancing the quality of education and improving the overall student experience in online English language teaching sessions. Current approaches often struggle with session initiation, real-time data processing, and personalized learning experiences. To tackle these issues, the study proposes a manifold learning data analytics model (MLDAM). This innovative method leverages classifier tree learning to distinguish between trivial and non-trivial aspects of student learning experiences and session data. MLDAM integrates multi-dimensional data extraction, classification learning, and impact evaluation to enhance the effectiveness of online English language teaching. The model analyzes data from 176,009 English phrases across 36 online teaching sessions, focusing on improving session accessibility, student comprehension, and suggestion accuracy. Using an iterative training process based on student performance and feedback, it continuously extracts and processes multiple types of data to refine teaching strategies. Results show notable improvements: a 14.74% increase in classification accuracy, an 8.73% increase in data extraction ratio, an 11.84% reduction in feature discard, a 10.57% decrease in initialization time, and a 13.17% reduction in classification time. These metrics demonstrate MLDAM’s ability to efficiently process and analyze session data, enabling real-time adjustments during lessons. The model optimizes data utilization, making learning more responsive and adaptable. It enhances the precision of impact evaluations, facilitating targeted course adjustments and personalized learning experiences. This research presents a comprehensive, data-driven methodology for improving teaching quality and student outcomes in virtual English classrooms.

Optimizing Quality Classroom Engagement and Thinking and Rethinking Processes in Social Studies Courses through a Wait-time Model (WTM)

The purpose of this study is to find out how the wait-time provided by professors to the students’ influence their classroom engagement as well as their ability to think and re-think, both in the online and offline set-ups. The problem with wait-time during discussions is that it can hinder the flow of conversation and impede effective communication. One of the problems that confront students is the prolonged pauses or delays in responses that may lead to disengagement, loss of momentum, and decreased overall efficiency in exchanging ideas or information. This delay can be caused by various factors such as technical issues, hesitation in responses, or inadequate facilitation, all of which can contribute to a less productive and engaging discussion. This study used social-observation descriptive design, a form of scientific research. The samples were selected through purposive sampling, include three (3) classes from Bachelor of Secondary Education, majoring in Social Studies totaling 95 respondents and 5 social-science faculty members from the College of Teacher Education, City University of Muntinlupa, Philippines. The Survey on the Average Teacher’s Wait-time Tool and Classroom Discussion through a Wait-time Tool, constructed by the researchers, observation, and interviews were used to gather data from the samples. The study found out that the Average Wait-Time on "Creating Questions" has the longest average wait-time at 2 minutes and 11 while "Remembering Questions" have the shortest wait-time at 41 seconds. There is a strong positive correlation between the average length of wait-time and active classroom engagement. Longer wait-times result in more engaged students, whether in online or face-to-face classes. And the correlation between Wait-Time and Thinking and Rethinking reveals that there is a moderately negative correlation which suggests that the length of wait-time and the thinking and rethinking process have an inverse relationship. Extended wait-times may lead to reduced cognitive activity, indicating a need for balance. These findings emphasize the importance of optimizing wait-time in educational practices to facilitate meaningful engagement and cognitive processing. Balancing the duration of wait-time is essential to harness its benefits effectively. The authors concluded that through quality wait-time, students would be able to further enhance their analytical, critical, and higher order thinking skills.

Classroom profiles of instructional quality: contribution of level and variability of students’ perception

Different approaches for measuring instructional quality have been debated. Previous studies based on student ratings have primarily used class-average ratings. Beyond this, the high within-classroom variability of students’ ratings might indicate that instruction caters to some, but not all students. Therefore, we investigated student-reported instructional quality in mathematics classrooms by considering the average student ratings and rating heterogeneity within classrooms. Using a case-centered clustering approach, we aimed to detect meaningful configurations of the level and heterogeneity of student-reported instructional quality in terms of the Three Basic Dimensions (TBD): classroom management, cognitive activation, and student support. We analyzed data from N = 973 grade eight students across N = 106 classes. Using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), we identified four classroom profiles comprising 20% to 28% of the sample. The results indicate that the profile with the lowest average ratings showed consistently high heterogeneity for all indicator variables. However, the profile with the highest average ratings exhibited consistently low heterogeneity. We gained interesting insights into between-class differences in instructional quality by considering rating heterogeneity. Furthermore, we explored how classrooms from the identified profiles differed regarding socio-economic status (SES) and mathematics-related characteristics (interest, intrinsic motivation, self-concept, and achievement).

A Study on the Multifaceted Evaluation System for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language Classroom Quality in a Digital Context

A Study on the Multifaceted Evaluation System for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language Classroom Quality in a Digital Context

Task potential in relation to teaching quality and teacher competence in secondary mathematics classrooms

The potential of tasks to foster mathematical learning and understanding is an important aspect of instruction and their implementation in teaching is thus often viewed to be positively related to the quality of instruction. Both the selection of tasks as well as their implementation in the classroom depend on many factors, with teachers’ knowledge and skills as one of the most important ones. The present study aims to analyze the relations between different aspects of task potential, the quality of instruction, and teachers’ competence in order to investigate whether task potential can be seen as an indicator for teaching quality, for teacher competence, or as an independent construct in models of educational effectiveness. To this end, we draw on data from the TEDS-Validate study, namely tests of mathematics teachers’ competence (n = 31) observations in their classrooms (n = 60), and an in-depth analysis of all tasks used in the respective lessons (n = 2490). Multiple regression analysis suggests that while some facets of task potential are related to either teaching quality or teacher competence, the potential of tasks emerges as an independent construct with some characteristics predicting the teaching quality of the respective lessons. Implications of these results for the role of tasks in educational effectiveness research are discussed.

A comprehensive objective and subjective assessment survey of indoor environmental quality in higher education classrooms in a hot arid climate

A few research studies about IEQ in university classrooms are reported from the hot arid climate despite the severity of this climate. In the reported study, the indoor conditions of university classrooms from a hot arid climate were evaluated considering the collective effect of the four main factors of IEQ, which are the thermal, visual, acoustic, and indoor air quality. The physical measurements were conducted for air temperature, globe temperature, relative humidity, air velocity, illuminance, sound pressure, and carbon dioxide levels. A questionnaire collected the students' sensation, satisfaction, and preferences of the classrooms' environments. The results reveal the sensitivity of the students' environmental experience to the thermal and acoustic conditions. In light of this, a novel IEQ model that considers the air temperature and sound pressure level has been proposed. The model is statistically reliable as it has an RMSE of 0.002. Griffith's method was used to calculate the comfort temperature at 23.0 ± 2.5 °C with a slope of 0.5/K. The findings of this study attempt to fill a gap in the knowledge regarding the IEQ conditions of university classrooms from the hot arid climate.

Under what conditions does missing school matter most? Examining associations between absenteeism and child outcomes in Head Start

Although prior research has shown that preschoolers’ absenteeism is negatively associated with their learning and developmental outcomes, few studies have examined the conditions under which absenteeism matters more versus less. This study reproduces research exploring differences in these associations across different levels of preschool classroom quality and extends this literature by considering the role of children’s home learning environments. Using data from the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey, 2009 Cohort, results showed that associations between children’s absenteeism rates and children’s language, literacy, and approaches to learning skills varied by levels of classroom quality experienced. These joint associations differed by development outcome. Moreover, high levels of household stimulation were found to buffer the negative associations between absenteeism and children’s literacy skills. Finally, results showed little evidence for meaningful differences in the associations between children’s absenteeism, classroom quality, and developmental outcomes based on levels of household stimulation. Findings highlight the importance of considering how the classroom environments they are missing and the home environments they may be experiencing when absent from school matter for young children’s development.

Analysing Flipped Classroom Themes Trends in Computer Science Education (2007–2023) Using CiteSpace

Flipped classroom (FC) overcomes many drawbacks of traditional teaching and has a wide range of applications in the field of (computer science) CS education. Systematically analysing the research themes and keywords of the flipped classroom in CS teaching is of great significance in guiding the improvement of the teaching quality of the flipped classroom. In this study, we used CiteSpace to statistically analyse the data of 229 articles published in the core library of Web of Science from 2007 to July 18, 2023, and visualize author co-citation clustering, and keyword co-occurrence. The results of the study showed that (1) the statistical analysis indicated that the application of flipped classroom in CS education has entered a trough period; (2) based on the cluster of author co-citation network, three research themes of CS flipped implementation, online learning, and skill development were identified in this study. (3) Based on the co-occurrence of keywords, this study identified three research hotspots: integration strategies, flipping effectiveness, and challenges faced.

Assessment Of Environmental Quality In Urban Schools Classrooms in Bekasi, Indonesia

Assessment Of Environmental Quality In Urban Schools Classrooms in Bekasi, Indonesia