Tuition-free lower secondary education and women's healthcare decision-making in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Investigating AI competence among Chinese secondary school teachers: Insights from the UNESCO framework.

Integration of a task strengthening strategy for hypertension management into HIV care in Nigeria: Baseline characteristics of participants in a cluster randomized controlled trial.

Perceived harmfulness of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products compared to cigarettes: Findings from the 2020 ITC Malaysia survey.

Teachers' roles in preventing and mitigating school bullying have garnered more attention throughout the past decade. However, teacher responses and practices in secondary schools are not understood systematically. This study thus synthesises and discusses 74 identified empirical studies to explore how teachers respond to bullying and what influences their intervention strategies across secondary education contexts. The systematic review methodology following PRISMA 2020 guidelines was employed to translate findings into an integrated framework of teacher strategies and contribute evidence-based insights that bridge existing theoretical and practical gaps. The findings show teachers adopt authority-based and unresponsive approaches while supportive strategies at individual, classroom and school levels are less employed. These responses are informed by teacher characteristics, interpersonal dynamics, school contexts and broader societal factors. This study proposes a socio-ecological framework of teachers’ responses that might anchor in theories and practices to provide implications for policymakers, practitioners and stakeholders in dealing with bullying. • Teachers tend to adopt authority-based and unresponsive approaches to bullying. • Supportive strategies at individual, classroom and school levels are less employed. • We propose a socio-ecological framework of teacher responses to bullying.

Digital technologies have increasingly become integrated within educational environments, creating new opportunities and challenges relating to communication, learning, and responsible participation within digital spaces. The purpose of the study was to examine digital citizenship in the context of secondary education by reviewing the existing literature to explore its conceptualization, challenges, and educational implications. A narrative literature review approach was used in order to synthesize findings from peer-reviewed journal articles, academic books and relevant scholarly sources using secondary desk research and thematic analysis. The findings indicated that digital citizenship involves responsible use of technology as well as ethical behaviour, digital literacy, critical thinking, civic participation, media literacy and responsible online engagement. The research also revealed that digital competence and media literacy influence how learners engage appropriately in digital environments. The literature also pointed out several challenges that affect implementation such as teacher preparedness, curriculum integration, technology inequities and institutional support. In conclusion, the study emphasizes the importance of digital citizenship education in preparing learners for responsible participation in digitally connected societies and calls for context-sensitive educational approaches.

An inquiry-based CSI teaching sequence using scanning electron microscopy in secondary physics education

In sub-Saharan Africa, malaria remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children under five. Recurrent malaria not only increases the risk of severe anaemia and developmental delays in infants, but also presents unique challenges for statistical modelling, as episodes are often correlated. Studies have explored malaria dynamics in infants but gaps remain in contextualizing specific risk factors and how they influence malaria recurrence using appropriate modelling techniques that account for correlation. This study compared malaria recurrence among study infants and explored associated risk factors. This was a secondary analysis of data from the PROMOTE trial conducted in Busia district, Uganda. A total of 640 infants born to women who received IPTp-DP or IPTp-SP were followed-up for 12months. These infants experienced a total of 997 malaria episodes. To also assess dependence in malaria episodes and between-infant heterogeneity, the conditional frailty model was used. The PWP-gap time and Frailty only models were used to confirm the true underlying type of event dependence. IPTp-DP was associated with a modest but non-statistically significant reduction in recurrent malaria hazard compared with IPTp-SP (HR = 0.94, 95% CI 0.82-1.07). Compared with infants whose mothers had no education, infants born to mothers with primary, secondary and higher education had 21%, 42%, and 48% lower hazards of malaria recurrence. Infants whose mothers were 30-45 years had a 28% lower hazard of malaria recurrence compared to those of mothers 16-19 years (HR = 0.72, 95% CI 0.53-0.97). Multigravida mothers had 36% increased hazard of malaria recurrence in their infants compared with primi-gravida mothers (HR = 1.36, 95% CI 1.02-1.80). Infants living 3-5 km from a health facility had 40% greater hazard of malaria recurrence compared with infants in less than 1km (HR = 1.40, 95% CI 1.11-1.77). Malaria episodes were correlated but there was weak non-statistically significant evidence of residual between-infant heterogeneity. Compared with IPTp-SP, IPTp-DP did not significantly reduce malaria recurrence in infants. Maternal education, maternal age, and distance to health center were associated with the hazard of malaria recurrence in infants. Recurrent malaria episodes were correlated, with evidence of event dependence across successive episodes.

Routine assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of people living with HIV (PLHIV) is essential. We evaluated measurement equivalence between the digital and paper versions of the Shona EQ-5D-5L and examined known-groups validity. We conducted a parallel randomised study in Zimbabwe with 700 participants allocated equally to the digital and paper groups. The study included 611 participants with a mean age of 37.5 years (SD 12.2). Most were female (70.7%), had secondary education (67.9%), and reported financial inadequacy (68.7%). The digital and paper versions of the EQ-5D-5L Shona demonstrated measurement equivalence. Older age (AOR = 0.60; 95% CI 0.41-0.88; p = 0.008), food insecurity (AOR = 1.80; 95% CI 1.20-2.80; p = 0.01), financial insecurity (AOR = 1.72; 95% CI 1.10-2.69; p = 0.017), and elevated CMD symptoms (AOR = 0.45; 95% CI 0.29-0.68; p < 0.001) were associated with lower HRQoL. This study demonstrated measurement equivalence between the digital and paper versions of the EQ-5D-5L Shona. Both versions can therefore be used confidently in routine clinical care and research. The findings also highlight the need for tailored interventions to improve HRQoL among PLHIV.

ABSTRACT This study explores how newly arrived migrant students (NAMS) experience social and educational inclusion in Norway’s Extended Basic Education Programme (EBEP), designed to prepare and qualify them for upper secondary education. Although the programme is implemented in upper secondary schools to ensure age-appropriate schooling, these schools tend to have high proportions of students with immigrant backgrounds. Based on qualitative interviews with 15 NAMS in three Oslo schools, the study suggests that this concentration limits opportunities for meaningful interaction with Norwegian-born students and restricts access to the dominant linguistic and cultural capital essential for the social and academic inclusion of NAMS. Using Bourdieu’s concepts of cultural, symbolic and social capital, the study highlights a central paradox in inclusion: despite inclusive policy intentions, the structural placement of the EBEP limits access to the dominant linguistic and cultural resources valued within the educational field. Upon completing the EBEP, many students express a desire to transfer to different upper secondary schools with more Norwegian-born peers in order to improve their Norwegian, expand their social networks and feel integrated. The study calls for a re-evaluation of inclusion policies and programme placement, advocating for models that facilitate broader participation and integration within the educational landscape.

This case study examines the challenges Albanian Upper Secondary Education (USE) students face in acquiring communicative and socio-cultural competence in Italian as a foreign language. A national survey involving 3836 students and 53 teachers highlighted significant challenges: low motivation, limited self-awareness, and anxiety during oral communication. The results reveal a clear discrepancy between the motivational strategies reported by the teachers and students' perceptions, emphasizing the need for more effective practices. To address these issues, the pedagogical potential of advertisements as authentic digital-media resources for developing communicative and sociocultural competence was considered. Based on CEFR principles and communicative approaches, the study analyses how advertisements can increase student motivation, language acquisition and cultural awareness. For this case study, a competence-based learning unit is also proposed, which integrates didacticized advertisements and interactive technology. The goal is to create engaging learning experiences that lower affective filters, increase communicative motivation, focus on the acquisition of communicative competence, and encourage intercultural reflection. These recommendations aim to inform teachers about more efficient language- learning methods, contributing to a more dynamic pedagogy oriented toward students' real needs.

ABSTRACT Teaching students with intellectual disabilities involves supporting subject learning and fostering participation in classroom life, yet little is known about how these aims are negotiated in teacher–student interaction. This article presents a systematic review comprising a qualitative meta-synthesis of research on classroom communication for students with intellectual disabilities in compulsory and upper secondary education. Systematic searches were conducted in ERIC, Education Source, APA PsycINFO, Scopus and SwePub, identifying 15 studies which met the inclusion criteria. Using an interpretive approach, we examined how participation and learning were constituted in interaction and what opportunities and barriers emerged. Two overarching communication patterns were identified: vertical, teacher-led exchanges which prioritise task completion and correct responses, and horizontal, reciprocal dialogues which open space for initiative, negotiation and shared meaning-making. The synthesis also highlights the importance of teachers’ attuning to students’ subtle communicative expressions, particularly for students with limited or non-verbal speech, and outlines key supportive strategies, including open-ended questioning, modelling, scaffolding and the use of visual and concrete supports. We conclude that high levels of structure remain important for learning, but they need to be flexibly combined with reciprocal communication to promote participation, agency and deeper understanding for students with intellectual disabilities.

Background Many adolescents with communication problems (CP), in this case, deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) adolescents and those with developmental language disorders (DLD), tend to experience high levels of stress in their daily lives. Resilience is seen as a protective mechanism that supports adaptive functioning and helps navigate situations involving increased stress; however, little appears to be known about this group’s resilience and the factors that contribute to it. Objective This study assesses resilience and the predictive value of four factors contributing to resilience, dysfunctional schemas, theory of mind (ToM), executive functions (EFs), and social support, in adolescents with CP (DHH, DLD). Participants and setting: A total of 127 adolescents with CP (32 DHH adolescents and 95 with DLD) in special secondary education were assessed. To establish a normative baseline for resilience, a reference group of 86 adolescents without CP in mainstream secondary education was recruited for comparative analysis. Methods Two-sided t -tests and z -tests were used to compare all groups on resilience, and two-sided t -tests were performed to compare DHH adolescents with adolescents with DLD on dysfunctional schemas, ToM, EFs, and social support. Two multiple linear regression analyses, one with and one without controlling for adolescents’ type of communication problems, were conducted to examine the contributions of dysfunctional schemas, ToM, EFs, and social support to resilience. Results Adolescents with CP reported significantly lower resilience than the reference group ( p &amp;lt; 0.001). No differences were found in the reported resilience, dysfunctional schemas, ToM, EFs, and social support between DHH adolescents and adolescents with DLD ( p &amp;gt; 0.1). A multiple linear regression analysis revealed dysfunctional schemas as the only significant predictor of resilience ( p &amp;lt; 0.001), with a standardized beta coefficient of −0.57 indicating a strong negative relationship. Conclusion Adolescents with CP appear to be a quite vulnerable group of youth with low resilience to protect them from the negative effects of stress. Their dysfunctional schemas seem to serve as a predictive factor of their resilience.

ABSTRACT Social-emotional learning (SEL) has been widely discussed as a framework for supporting learners’ well-being, relationships, and academic development, yet its relevance to language education in underrepresented contexts remains insufficiently explored. This study examines how teachers and learners in Vietnamese secondary English classrooms perceived SEL-informed teaching, understood here as socially and emotionally responsive classroom practices and teacher orientations guided by SEL principles rather than as a formal SEL programme. Guided by SEL theory, sociocultural theory, and humanistic language pedagogy, we employed a qualitative interview design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in Vietnamese with ten English language teachers and ten secondary school learners from two public schools in an urban area of Vietnam. The interviews were transcribed, translated into English, and analysed thematically. Four interrelated themes emerged from the data. Participants associated SEL-informed teaching with emotionally safer and more supportive classrooms, greater learner confidence and participation, and stronger empathy and collaboration among peers. At the same time, both teachers and learners described tensions between relational pedagogy and the exam-oriented expectations of Vietnamese schooling. Most notably, several teachers reported a shift in how they understood their professional role, moving from a narrow focus on content delivery toward a more relational and developmental view of teaching. The study contributes context-sensitive evidence from Vietnam and suggests that SEL in language education is best understood not as a fixed imported framework, but as a pedagogical orientation interpreted and negotiated within local educational realities.

Objective. To identify the stressors perceived as most challenging by secondary school educators (Study 1) and to explore the associations between those stressors and social-emotional competencies and metacognition about teaching (Study 2). Method. Two studies were carried out. The first had a qualitative design, collecting narratives about stressful experiences (n = 75), content analysis was performed. The second study was quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional (n = 88) and surveys were applied on CSE, metacognition and stress. Multiple correspondence analysis was applied. Results. The most frequent stressors involve interactions with members of the educational community (Study 1). Two profiles of stressors were identified, classroom and community. Emotional self-regulation was associated with lower perceived stress, and evaluation as a facet of metacognitive awareness was associated with greater stress (Study 2). The results obtained support the need for interventions differentiated with an integrative theoretical framework.

ABSTRACT The genesis of this paper occurred in mid-2024, when the lead author – and Geography field school lead – considered how they could not only better understand the impacts of international-focused pedagogical practice but include transdisciplinary students as partners (SaP) in academic scholarship related to Geography-focused field schools. Most studies on international field schools have written about participants rather than with participants, and therefore opportunities for students to directly contribute to field school pedagogies have remained limited. Using a new 2-week sustainable development field school set in Malaysia as an exploratory case study, students from diverse disciplines, including Law, Tourism Management, Secondary Education and Creative Writing share their reflections and perspectives as co-authors of this study. The insights gained from this study shed light on how participants from different disciplines experience and make meaning of a Geography field school, even if their prior knowledge of Geography is limited. Critically, their experiences additionally underscore how undergraduate students can be encouraged and empowered to participate in pedagogical research as partners, particularly as they will be primarily impacted by the learning outcomes international field schools offer.

Drawing on intergroup contact theory, this study examines whether intergroup anxiety and perceived discrimination mediate the relationship between intergroup contact and a dual sense of belonging: to mainstream society and to one's ethnic ingroup. Data were collected through a paper-based survey of 513 Ethiopian Jews in Ethiopia (mean age = 24; the sample consisted primarily of single men with secondary education). Moderated mediation analyses indicate that intergroup contact is positively associated with belonging to mainstream society but unrelated to ingroup belonging. Intergroup anxiety shows a divergent pattern: higher anxiety is associated with lower belonging to mainstream society and stronger ingroup belonging. Contrary to expectations, intergroup contact is positively associated with perceived discrimination. Mediation analyses show that intergroup anxiety significantly mediates the relationship between contact and belonging, whereas perceived discrimination does not. These findings suggest that intergroup contact may foster integration but also heighten awareness of discrimination in stratified social contexts.

Acquiring competencies in intraprofessional collaboration (IntraPC) across the primary care (PC)-secondary care (SC) interface is essential to prevent adverse outcomes in the increasingly complex care for older adults. The workplace-based learning intervention Secondary Primary care Intraprofessional Collaboration Education (SPICE) was developed to foster IntraPC learning among co-located PC and SC residents during a geriatric rotation in the Netherlands. Understanding how learning through SPICE translates into clinical practice remains challenging and may require innovative evaluation methods. This study explored the longer-term effects of SPICE using a new collective evaluation approach. We used the effects forum, a collective evaluation method originating from applied social sciences that combines timeline analysis, mixed focus groups, and knowledge co-construction. PC and SC residents, supervisors, and patients collaboratively constructed a timeline of IntraPC learning moments during SPICE and the following six months. Participants discussed how and why these moments influenced their collaborative behavior and clinical practice. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Seventeen participants took part in two distinct effects forums. Residents reported gaining insight into patients' care continuum and developing greater mutual understanding across PC and SC. This facilitated more proactive handovers, which could improve continuity across care settings. Residents also transferred IntraPC learning into new contexts through reflection and dialogue, creating a ripple effect of learning that extending beyond the initial intervention. Workplace-based IntraPC learning can lead to meaningful changes in collaborative behavior and clinical practice. By capturing shared experiences over time, the effects forum provided insight into how learning translated into practice and supported ongoing reflection. Collective evaluation offers a valuable approach to understanding the impact of workplace learning interventions in complex healthcare settings, with potential implications for further improving continuity and patient safety through IntraPC learning across the PC-SC interface.

This study employs an exploratory netnographic research approach to explore how educators in K-12 and higher education settings publicly engage with artificial intelligence (AI) on TikTok as a professional learning network, with an emphasis on supporting students with disabilities. Using deidentified, publicly accessible video data, 209 videos were qualitatively coded, and statistical analysis of thematic coding frequencies identified five overarching themes. These included: (1) AI as a Pedagogical and Productivity Tool for Educators, (2) AI for Personalization, Inclusion, Access, and Student Support, (3) AI Literacy, Ethics, and Societal Implications, (4) AI in the Workforce and Skill Development, and (5) AI Tool Demonstrations. The findings explore ways in which educators and students, especially those in secondary and higher education environments, are using TikTok as an informal professional learning network where AI tools, ethical considerations, and inclusive practices are shared and debated, contributing to emerging scholarship at the intersection of AI, special education, and digital educator culture. These insights and findings aim to better understand how educators and students develop shared knowledge in AI in algorithmically mediated public spaces.

Initiation to science in secondary physics education: a conceptual approach to entropy