Research on mechanistic reasoning in Organic Chemistry has progressed in supporting students’ mechanistic reasoning and understanding how epistemic norms influence students’ personal epistemologies and their mechanistic reasoning practice as individuals. However, not much is known about students’ collaborative knowledge-building as a discursive practice in the moment of their learning in mechanistic reasoning classrooms. Thus, our study focuses on how different problem designs impact students’ knowledge-building in whole class discussions. We use design research comparing the impact of different problem designs, i.e. , single-case vs. case-comparison complex mechanisms tasks, in two semesters of a “Mechanistic Reasoning in Organic Chemistry” class for graduate and upper-level undergraduate students. To gain a deeper understanding of how students’ knowledge-building happens in their interactions with the instructor, we draw on sociocultural theory and make use of two specific constructs: (1) “epistemic agency” as power to shape knowledge-building and (2) “coherence” referring to the logical and consistent connection of ideas. Our findings show how transforming complex mechanism tasks from single-case to case-comparison problems provide students with different opportunities to enact epistemic agency and engage in coherent reasoning during discourse. Our findings have implications for developing instructional practices and resources to encourage meaningful, collaborative knowledge-building in mechanistic reasoning classrooms.

In traditional childhood education models, children are often viewed as passive recipients of knowledge. Contemporary developmental psychology and educational research increasingly emphasize children's role as active meaning constructors. This paper employs Vygotsky's sociocultural theory as its core framework to systematically explore the theoretical foundations and practical pathways for transforming preschool education from a “transmission-reception” paradigm to a “participation-construction” paradigm. Research indicates that children's development occurs within social interactions and cultural contexts, with education's key role being to provide effective support within the “zone of proximal development.” This paper proposes and elaborates on four core educational pathways: interactive dialogue as a cognitive tool, scaffolding as developmental support, play as the dominant activity form, and the environment as the third teacher. Together, these pathways form an ecological educational system centered on children's active participation and social interaction, offering a systematic theoretical framework for reconstructing high-quality preschool education practices.

This study, grounded in Vygotsky’s (1978) Sociocultural Theory of Mind as applied to second/foreign language (L2) acquisition (Lantolf & Poehner, 2014), introduces a concept-based instructional approach for teaching request-response adjacency pairs to learners of English as an L2. The framework, divided into orientation, execution, and control stages, uses scenes from the series Young Sheldon (Lorre & Molaro, 2017) to create an authentic learning context. In the orientation stage, learners explore the concepts of requests and responses and their contextual applications. The execution stage involves controlled and communicative tasks to internalise these concepts, while the control stage focuses on reflecting and consolidating communicative performance, fostering learner agency in language use. This approach addresses the limitations of English textbooks, which often oversimplify teaching these speech acts. It offers a pedagogical method that goes beyond rules and rote memorisation, promoting deeper understanding, practical application, and enhanced learner agency in real-life contexts.

The relationship between universal psychological foundations and individual developmental trajectories remains a central challenge in contemporary psychology and social sciences. While species-level traits such as empathy, cooperation, and cognitive flexibility are widely recognized as evolutionary universals, the mechanisms through which these shared predispositions are transformed into socially situated forms of individuality remain insufficiently conceptualized. This article proposes social thinking as a key mediating mechanism between species-level traits and individual development within sociocultural contexts. Social thinking is conceptualized as an integrative and reflexive capacity that enables individuals to interpret social reality, navigate normative expectations, and position themselves meaningfully within relational and institutional systems. Drawing on evolutionary psychology, sociocultural theory, personality psychology, and narrative approaches, the article demonstrates how social thinking translates universal psychological potentials into individualized developmental trajectories. Particular attention is given to the role of cultural norms, institutional recognition, and contextual plasticity in shaping diverse forms of social thinking, including both visible and quiet modes of social presence. The proposed framework contributes to integrative models of personality development and offers implications for education, talent development, and psychosocial support systems by highlighting social thinking as a core developmental resource that sustains both personal distinctiveness and social embeddedness.

This article reviews various claims in enhancing multiplication skills of learners through skip counting on a visual manipulative number line and evaluates its contributions within the broader discourse on mathematics education, visual-manipulative learning, and foundational numeracy development. Anchored in contemporary learning theories–including experiential learning, constructivism, sociocultural theory, discovery learning, and cognitive load theory–the study explores how skip counting using visual-manipulative number lines can enhance multiplication understanding among Grade 4 learners. Global and local literature increasingly affirms that manipulatives and structured visual representations strengthen conceptual understanding, reduce cognitive load, and support long-term retention of mathematical ideas. However, gaps persist in synthesizing international findings and contextualizing them to Philippine educational realities, where persistent numeracy challenges continue to surface in national and international assessments. The review concludes with recommendations for teaching practice, curriculum development, and future research, emphasizing the need for pedagogically sound, research-based, and context-responsive approaches to multiplication instruction in Philippine basic education.

This study investigates how Chinese non-English majors engage in Mobile-Assisted Extensive Reading (MAER) within both academic and social contexts, drawing on Sociocultural Theory (SCT) as the analytical framework. Employing a qualitative case study approach, data were collected from six university students through semi-structured interviews, reading logs, and mobile app screenshots. The findings reveal that students’ MAER practices are highly diverse and contextually situated, influenced by individual learning goals, exam preparation demands, and the availability of social and institutional support. Mobile reading apps provide flexible access to English input and offer multimodal resources that enhance learner interest and autonomy. However, sustained engagement is not guaranteed by technology alone. Learners benefit most when supported by peer collaboration, teacher scaffolding, and app features that facilitate reflection and interaction. In contrast, participants lacking such support often experience difficulty in maintaining consistent reading habits. These results suggest that MAER is not merely a solitary or technical endeavor, but rather a socially mediated activity shaped by the learners’ environments. The study extends current understandings of mobile learning by illustrating how the core SCT constructs of mediation, the zone of proximal development (ZPD), and internalization operate in mobile-assisted reading contexts. Pedagogical implications include integrating social scaffolding into both app design and curriculum development to foster sustained learner motivation, self-regulation, and effective engagement with extensive reading tasks.

This study examines the relationships between digital game addiction tendencies, self-regulation, social skills, and life skills in preschool children. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory and Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory, the research investigates the complex relationships between the variables. Data were collected from parents and teachers of preschool-aged children in Türkiye, utilizing validated measurement tools. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) revealed three main patterns. First, digital game addiction tendency was negatively but non-significantly related to self-regulation, showing only a marginal trend (p ≈ .05). Second, social skills were strongly and positively associated with life skills. Third, an unexpected negative association emerged between self-regulation and social skills. Digital game addiction tendency showed no significant direct association with either life skills or social skills. These findings suggest, without implying causation, that social competence in early childhood is more closely linked to adaptive life skills, whereas the role of self-regulation may vary across developmental contexts. The study calls for longitudinal research to clarify these complex, context-dependent relationships and for balanced digital exposure that supports both self-regulation and social interaction.

This study investigates how Nigerian higher education institutions adopt technology for translanguaging, focusing on the influences of technological, organizational, social, and cultural factors. The researchers anchored the study using translanguaging theory, sociocultural theory of learning, and the technology acceptance model. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was utilized to collect data from lecturers and students at two institutions in Nigeria. The researchers used Jamovi software to analyze the data and evaluate the reliability, validity, and significance of the hypothesized relationships. The availability of digital tools, the technical proficiency of lecturers and students, institutional support, and training programs significantly enhance the adoption of technology. Collaboration, peer-to-peer communication, and a positive attitude toward multilingualism influence the use of technology. The acceptance of indigenous languages impacts how people use technology for translanguaging. The study concludes that adopting technology can enhance multilingual proficiency, promote linguistic diversity, and improve educational outcomes. This study provides insights to guide policymakers and educators in using digital tools to implement translanguaging practices. These practices will help preserve and promote indigenous languages within the context of technology adoption for multilingual education in Africa.

This paper aims to foster a conceptual synthesis between enactivist theories of memory and cultural-historical activity theory, exploring their shared rejection of internalist models of cognition. By comparing these frameworks, we argue that both converge on a socially embedded, ecologically grounded understanding of memory as a dynamic, mediated activity rather than a static mental repository. Central to this integration is the dialectical interplay of internalization and externalization, through which psychological functions emerge via engagement with tools, signs, and social practices. We highlight how the activity-theoretical concept of functional organs parallels enactivist notions of embodied and extended cognition, situating memory within historically structured environments and practical activity. Further, we incorporate levels of processing theory to show that cognitive depth arises not from abstract effort alone, but through meaningful, socially mediated interaction. Labor is examined as a paradigmatic form of sense-making, demonstrating how memory becomes sedimented in material culture through cooperative activity and ecological norm development. Ultimately, this cross-theoretical dialogue reveals memory as historically constituted and ecologically distributed, emerging from the reciprocal relationship between embodied agents and their socio-material worlds.

This study investigates the influence of cultural values, legal frameworks, and religious factors on the ease of starting a business in Lagos, Nigeria, using four key indicators: the number of procedures (PROC), the number of days (DAYS), access to credit (CRDT), and startup cost (COST). Drawing on institutional and socio-cultural theory, a structured survey dataset of 200 respondents was analyzed using multiple linear regression. Results reveal that legal origin (LEGL) exerts the most substantial effect across all startup dimensions, significantly predicting procedural burden, time delays, credit access, and cost. Cultural influences (CULT) also play a significant role, particularly in affecting procedural complexity, days required, and cost. Religion (RELG), while slightly less impactful, shows significant relationships with all four indicators, especially in shaping perceptions of credit access and procedural engagement. The findings highlight the multidimensional nature of startup barriers in the region and underscore the need for integrative policy approaches that account for socio-legal realities.

This study examines the effects of translanguaging strategies on foreign language anxiety, language performance, and learner perceptions among Turkish primary school English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. Drawing on sociocultural theory, the affective filter hypothesis, and translanguaging pedagogy, a quasi-experimental design was implemented with 60 fifth- and sixth-grade students divided into treatment and control groups. The treatment group received bilingual instructional support, while the control group followed English-only instruction. Quantitative findings revealed significant improvements in listening, speaking, reading, and vocabulary skills, along with a substantial reduction in anxiety levels among the treatment group. Qualitative data from focus group interviews highlighted increased confidence, emotional comfort, and preference for bilingual instruction. The results underscore the cognitive and affective benefits of integrating students’ L1 in English instruction and advocate for a more inclusive, emotionally supportive language learning environment. The study offers critical implications for EFL pedagogy, teacher training, and language policy in multilingual primary education contexts.

Today’s advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought up conversational chatbots as emerging tools in language education, yet their pedagogical role in Arabic language learning is still lacking theoretical grounding. Arabic language presents unique instructional challenges, including diglossia, complex morphology, and limited opportunities for authentic interaction, particularly for learners of Arabic as a foreign language. This conceptual paper aims at determining the pedagogical potential of AI chatbots in supporting Arabic language learning as well as proposing a conceptual framework that integrates AI chatbots into Arabic language education based on established language learning theories that integrates pedagogical, linguistic, and affective dimensions. Drawing on established theories in second language acquisition, including sociocultural theory, communicative language teaching, and affective filter hypothesis, this study adopts a systematic conceptual analysis of prior literature on AI-assisted language learning and Arabic pedagogy. This study proposes a conceptual framework illustrating how AI chatbots can function as scaffolding agents, interactional partners, and personalised learning facilitators. The findings feature the potential of AI chatbots to enhance learner engagement, reduce anxiety, and support communicative competence in Arabic, while also acknowledging pedagogical and ethical considerations.

The professional development of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education has been converted from rigid hierarchical models to more flexible and context-sensitive frameworks. This study introduces ego-centred network card analysis as a new methodology to investigate how Indonesian university EFL teachers create and negotiate their professional identities. The data were collected from 11 experienced EFL teachers. The network cards were analysed to find the nodes and sectors of professional identity and development. Drawing on constructivist and sociocultural perspectives, the study findings indicated that the formation is influenced by relational, emotional and institutional influences, and that family support, mentoring, and career goals alleviate pressures such as workload, publication demands, and financial instability. The findings highlight identity as both a product and a driving force for professional development, extending sociocultural theories by visualizing hidden dimensions of teachers’ networks. Methodologically, this study demonstrates the value of visual-relational tools in capturing complexity beyond interviews or surveys. The results suggest that, in practice, teacher education and policy must integrate structured mentorship, peer reflection, and recognition of emotional work in order to maintain professional growth.

Based on current regulatory legal acts defining the content of comprehensive rehabilitation and habilitation for disabled children, this paper presents an analysis of rehabilitation measures aimed at adolescents with mental disorders and disorders. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the practical potential of A.R. Luria's experimentally developed technology for psychological correction of various behavioral and emotional disorders in disabled children with mental disabilities, who belong to Target Rehabilitation Group (TRG) No. 1, during the rehabilitation process. This article utilizes theoretical analysis of scientific sources on the topic of comprehensive rehabilitation and habilitation of children with disabilities, as well as Russian regulatory documents governing rehabilitation activities. The primary method, based on the author's experience in providing comprehensive rehabilitation for individuals with disabilities at the State Autonomous Institution "Regional Center for Rehabilitation of the Disabled," is participant observation of the work of clinical psychologists, members of the interdisciplinary rehabilitation team, who provide social and psychological services to adolescents with CRG 1. Three typical cases of psychological correction of various behavioral and emotional disorders in children with disabilities are described, using a technology experimentally developed by A.R. Luria. Based on the described correctional work, it is concluded that teaching children the ability to cope with maladaptive behavior patterns and reducing dependence on the influence of negative environmental factors, using a methodology rooted in cultural-historical psychology, demonstrates the effectiveness and efficiency of this method.

This descriptive correlational study was conducted to determine the extent of readiness of special education (SPED) teachers and the well-being of mainstream learners in public elementary schools in Kapalong West District, Division of Davao del Norte, and to ascertain the significant relationship and influence between the variables. The study utilized a non- experimental quantitative research design using a descriptive correlational approach. The respondents were 110 public elementary school teachers selected via Slovin's Formula. Data were collected using a modified teacher-made survey questionnaire anchored on Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory and Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory. Statistical tools employed included Mean, Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, and Regression Analysis. The findings revealed that the readiness of SPED teachers across all four domains (Pre-Service Training, In-Service Support, Resources, and Attitudes and Beliefs) was rated as very extensive. Similarly, the well-being of mainstream learners (physical, emotional, and social) was also rated as very extensive. A strong positive and statistically significant relationship was found between teacher readiness and learner well-being ($r = 0.710, p < 0.05$). Furthermore, the regression analysis showed that Pre-Service Training, In-Service Support, and Resources significantly and positively influence the well-being of mainstream learners, with In-Service Support being the strongest predictor. The domain of Attitudes and Beliefs did not emerge as a significant predictor. The study concludes that the high level of SPED teacher preparedness, particularly in terms of training and resource provision, is instrumental in ensuring the comprehensive well-being of mainstream learners in inclusive settings. It is recommended that the Department of Education (DepEd) reinforce policies that enhance teacher readiness through sustained, structured training and the consistent provision of adequate learning resources to further improve the quality and inclusivity of public elementary schools.

Despite its official adoption in Iran’s national EFL curriculum, Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) remains inconsistently implemented, revealing a profound disconnect between policy mandates and classroom realities. This mixed-methods study examines the perceptions of 35 Iranian EFL teachers (15 pre-service, 20 in-service) in Isfahan, using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, to explore their conceptualizations of CLT, perceived barriers to its enactment, and the resulting belief-practice gap. Findings demonstrate robust theoretical support for CLT principles across both cohorts, yet their practical application is severely constrained. Common obstacles include grammar-focused national examinations, large class sizes, students’ ingrained passive learning habits, scarcity of authentic materials, and insufficient teacher training. In-service teachers further highlight systemic barriers—misaligned assessment systems, inadequate administrative support, and low salaries—whereas pre-service teachers, limited by minimal classroom exposure, display greater optimism. Framed through Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, the study positions teachers as active agents mediating conflicting institutional and cultural demands. It contends that sustainable CLT integration demands policy coherence, sustained professional development, and context-sensitive adaptations rather than relying solely on top-down reform. By providing a comparative analysis across career stages, this research advances teacher cognition scholarship and reframes CLT as a locally negotiated practice, offering direct implications for teacher education, curriculum design, and policymaking in comparable EFL contexts.

Southern Queeroscopic Interactionism (SQIT) constitutes an interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological framework that critically interrogates the intersections of identity, spatiality, and systems of power as they materialize in the lived realities of Black queer people in the U.S. South. Synthesizing insights from Black Queer Theory, Queer of Color Critique, Two Souths Theory, Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, and Symbolic Interactionism, SQIT reconceptualizes the South not as a monolithic region but as a layered landscape of intersecting geographies, cultural productions, and racialized gendered economies of meaning. This paper theorizes SQIT as a queeroscopic methodology that challenges hegemonic constructions of Southern identity, foregrounds epistemic insurgency, and illuminates how Black queer Southerners produce knowledge, resist domination, and construct selfhood across stratified and often hostile terrains. By examining symbolic repertoires, spatial negotiations, and interpretive practices of marginalized subjects, SQIT offers a transformative reconfiguration of how sociocultural theory understands the South, identity, and queerness.

Inclusive science education seeks to create learning environments where every learner regardless of ability, background, or learning style—can participate meaningfully. Cooperative learning, grounded in socio-cultural and social interdependence theories, provides a promising pedagogical approach that enables active engagement, equitable participation, and deeper scientific understanding. This concept paper examines cooperative learning strategies as a bridge between theory and practice in inclusive science classrooms. It explores theoretical foundations, discusses practical applications, and reviews relevant literature to demonstrate how cooperative learning can enhance academic achievement and social development among diverse learners. This case study investigates how structured cooperative learning (heterogeneous grouping, defined roles, and talk scaffolds) promotes inclusion in a Grade 10 biology class during a “Cell Structure and Transport” unit. Findings highlight improved peer scaffolding, more equitable participation, and better access to vocabulary- and concept-heavy biology content for diverse learners teaching problem that motivated the intervention was familiar: group work was happening, but it was often unstructured, leading to unequal participation, off-task behaviour, and limited academic benefit for students who needed the most support. Drawing on Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory (peer scaffolding within the Zone of Proximal Development) and Johnson and Johnson’s social interdependence theory (positive interdependence and individual accountability), the teacher redesigned group learning to make cooperative learning explicit, structured, and assessable.

Child Care Institutions (CCIs) in India form an essential part of the child protection system, providing care, education, and rehabilitation for children in need of care and protection. Yet research on CCIs remains dominated by administrative audits, quantitative indicators, and policy evaluations. What is missing is a multi-layered, interpretive, and contextually grounded understanding of institutional life. This paper presents a comprehensive 14-Point Interpretive Case Study Framework for studying CCIs qualitatively. Drawing from ethnography, institutional ethnography, sociocultural theory, ecological systems theory, trauma-informed approaches, and contemporary rehabilitation discourse, the framework offers researchers a structured yet flexible tool for producing thick, theoretically rich case studies. Each of the fourteen components, ranging from spatial setting and daily rhythms to peer dynamics, agency, and reintegration pathways, is explicated in relation to existing scholarship and Indian child protection contexts. The paper argues that this integrated framework addresses critical gaps in Indian social science literature by enabling researchers to conceptualise CCIs not merely as administrative entities but as lived spaces where childhoods are renegotiated under conditions of vulnerability, discipline, and care. The framework has methodological, theoretical, and policy significance for advancing child-centred research and supporting reforms in institutional care.

Second language (L2) writing instruction faces global challenges: overreliance on static summative assessment (prioritizing products over processes), insufficient personalized feedback in large classrooms (e.g., 40–50 students in China), and students’ struggles with pre-writing planning and revision (Liu & Qi, 2024; Ning, 2021). Process-oriented approaches lack aligned assessment tools, while Dynamic Assessment (DA)—rooted in Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory (SCT) and Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)—integrates instruction and assessment via contingent mediation (Lantolf & Poehner, 2004).