Educational Settings Research Articles

Field Visits as a Pedagogical Tool to Understand Health Determinants

Abstract Background Medical education often focuses on curative medicine, neglecting health determinants. Field visits, common in other educational contexts, enhance understanding of these factors. We aim to offer insights into pedagogical methods applicable to similar educational settings. Objectives Medical students completing an internship at the Gaia-Espinho Public Health Unit participated in field visits to enhance their understanding of health determinants. Guided through two economically distinct areas within a walkable distance of 2km, students documented health determinants through notes and photos. Discussions were held on-site and after visits integrating the real-world experience with theoretical frameworks. An inductive thematic analysis of students’ satisfaction and pedagogical effectiveness of the activity was performed on the internship reports from the 2023/2024 academic year. Results Out of 18 internship reports, 10 described the activity as positive and enriching, of which six highlighted it as a crucial part of the internship. Thirteen reports noted that the activity led to new perceptions about health determinants, and nine highlighted its practical value. Nine students included photos in their reports, bike paths being the most featured. Seventeen provided a clear description and listed the determinants they were able to detect. Discussions highlighted sensory experiences that are uniquely discernible through physical site visits including unpleasant odours, loud noises, and the cooling effect of blue areas on hot days. Three did not provide any evaluative comments, but correctly listed the determinants identified. Conclusions Field visits may enhance medical students’ understanding of health determinants, being recognized as an engaging pedagogical tool. Potential biases in assessments that rely on student satisfaction reports must be considered. Findings support the continuation and expansion of visits in other Public Health internships. Key messages • Field visits, used as a pedagogical tool, may enhance medical students’ ability to understand health determinants. • User Field visits provide a new perspective on previously acquired theoretical knowledge regarding prevention.

Learners’ attitudes towards blended learning at Nguyen Tat Thanh University

In many educational settings accross the world, including Vietnam, blended learning has grown quickly due to evidence of its benefits over traditional classroom or online instruction alone. The study examined the attitudes of students at Nguyen Tat Thanh University toward the existing English blended learning course with the overall goal of enhancing the quality of language teaching and learning. A total of 367 students non-majoring in English language participated in the survey conducted at Nguyen Tat Thanh University in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The 44-item survey was used to collect the data, and SPSS version 20.0 was used for statistical analysis. The results demonstrated that most students had very positive sentiments towards four factors: the course's overall quality, the quality of the instructors, the course material, and the supportive services. However, a few students expressed dissatisfaction with the technology system, as they frequently encounter technical issues when engaging in online learning outside of the classroom.

Investigation of a Norovirus GII outbreak in a primary school in Portugal,2023

Abstract Background The onset of acute gastroenteritis cases among students in a primary school class on September 19, 2023, prompted an immediate response from the local Public Health unit. A collaborative effort was initiated to investigate and contain the outbreak. Methods Epidemiological questionnaires were distributed to 166 students and 8 staff members, defining cases as individuals exhibiting symptoms including diarrhoea, vomiting, or nausea between September 19th and September 24th, 2023. Additionally, stool samples were collected from three individuals. Results Out of 166 students and 8 staff members, 39 individuals met the case definition, resulting in attack rates of 22% (37/166) and 25% (2/8) among students and staff, respectively. Laboratory analysis confirmed two cases of Norovirus GII among the tested specimens, with five students requiring medical attention. Conclusions Our investigation underscores the significance of continuous epidemiological surveillance and swift implementation of infection control measures in school settings. The detection of Norovirus transmission emphasizes the necessity for rigorous adherence to infection control best practices. Our findings advocate for sustained technical support from public health authorities to prevent and manage similar outbreaks effectively. Key messages • Study on Norovirus outbreak in a primary school highlights the imperative of infection control measures, emphasizing the importance of ongoing support from public health authorities. • The Norovirus outbreak investigation underscores the vital role of surveillance and swift response in containing infectious diseases within educational settings safeguarding all.

Building Bridges in Diverse Societies: A Meta-Analysis of Field Experimental Cooperative Learning Studies on Intergroup Relations in Educational Settings

Cooperative learning has been widely utilized as an intervention to enhance intergroup relations in diverse societies, drawing on intergroup contact theory. Despite numerous field experiments testing its effectiveness in educational contexts, a comprehensive meta-analyses evaluating its overall efficacy has yet to be conducted. This meta-analysis aims to assess the magnitude of the effect of cooperative learning on promoting intergroup relations within experimental field studies conducted in educational settings. The article search was performed according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria across ERIC, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and SpringerLink. Data analysis involved generating forest plots, conducting heterogeneity tests, calculating summary effects using a random effects model, and identifying publication bias. The meta-analysis of 18 field experimental intervention studies, involving 5265 participants, revealed that cooperative learning intervention programs positively impact intergroup relations, with a moderate effect size (ES = 0.33; 95% CI [0.25, 0.40]). Consequently, cooperative learning can be employed as an alternative strategy to bridge gaps, reduce prejudice, and improve relations among groups with diverse social identities in educational settings.

The Psychological Contract Theory on Student Retention: A Systematic Literature Review

The purpose of this article is to cover the themes central to psychological contract theory as well as its impact on student retention. While psychological contract theory has been extensively studied and applied in work-related settings, its influence in educational settings has not been fully explored. To address this gap, this study collected and analyzed data following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Data was collected from studies published between 2013 and 2023, resulting in the analysis of 24 eligible papers from various academic databases in the review. Based on the number of eligible papers within a ten-year timeframe indicates a scarcity of research on psychological contracts in educational contexts, particularly concerning student retention. The findings from the 24 eligible papers were synthesized and reported using descriptive analysis and tabulation, thus shedding light on how psychological contract theory influences student retention. The analysis suggests that unfulfilled psychological contracts between students and academic staff can contribute to student attrition, especially when students' expectations, formed during earlier educational experiences, are not met. This systematic literature review emphasizes the importance of the psychological contract in educational settings particularly in managing the dynamic student and academic relationship. The review made suggestions for practical implications for academic leaders, policymakers, and education administrators, stressing the need for adaptive, inclusive, and forward-looking approaches in education, and recommendations for future studies.

The Impact of AI-Powered Personalized Learning on Student Performance in Udaipur Colleges

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into educational settings has garnered increasing attention for its potential to enhance personalized learning and improve student outcomes. This study investigates the impact of an AI-powered personalized learning tool implemented at colleges in Udaipur. Using a mixed-methods approach, we collected quantitative data through pre-test and post-test scores and qualitative feedback via surveys and interviews with students and teachers. The results revealed significant improvements in student performance and engagement, with the AI tool providing tailored learning experiences that addressed individual needs. Statistical analyses demonstrated a substantial positive effect on academic outcomes, while qualitative feedback highlighted the tool's usability and effectiveness in identifying students' weaknesses. The findings suggest that AI-powered personalized learning can be a valuable asset in education, offering recommendations for broader adoption and further research in this field.

Measurement Instruments When Comparing Academic Performance and Physical Activity: A Comprehensive Systematic Review.

This study offers a comprehensive review of academic performance measurement instruments in physical activity and education settings, aiming to provide a comprehensive list of tools used for measuring academic performance in relation to variables associated with physical activity. Academic performance outcomes, including cognitive skills, attitudes, academic achievement, and academic behavior categorized by CDC, were investigated using specific keywords in search engines between 2000 and June 2022, with 233 articles (describing 220 studies) included. Participant demographics, mainly elementary students, displayed variability. The review found that 37.3% of studies measured cognitive skills and attitudes (primarily attention), 57.3% assessed academic achievement (GPA, subject scores, or standardized tests), and 15.9% evaluated academic behaviors (mostly on-task/off-task behaviors). Various instruments were employed, notably those measuring attention, intelligence, memory, and attitude. Positive associations were found in 63.4%, 78.6%, and 85.7% of studies for cognitive skills, academic achievement, and academic behavior, respectively. This literature review highlights the prevalence of studies on academic achievement, diverse cognitive skills instruments, and a focus on attention. Despite predominantly positive relationships, some studies reported non-significant or negative associations, particularly for cognitive skills. Future research should emphasize these areas using reliable instruments.

The Influence of Graph Theory Approach in Preventing Cheating at Higher Learning Institution: A case of Institute of Accountancy Arusha

Academic dishonesty has been more common in recent years, both through self-reported and detected cases, which has brought significant attention to the issue of cheating in educational settings. Students often cheat for a variety of reasons, including lack of study time, unclear learning objectives, fear of failing, peer pressure, and parental pressure for academic success. Students who rely on plagiarizing answers miss the opportunity to build their skills and may face challenges in job requirements. The problem of cheating / copying the neighbor's works during the examination is particularly well known. With graph theory especially graph coloring, it is proposed to develop the students' sitting arrangement that can be the solution of cheating. An experimental case study focuses on three master's programs, three bachelor's degree programs, three diploma programs, and three certificate programs at the Institute of Accountancy Arusha. This is done when one room or a venue is assigned to two or more programs with different backgrounds depending on the size of the room. The result shows that using graph coloring has reduced the tendency of students to copy or ask questions from their neighbors in the examination room. Based on the assessment of graph theory's effectiveness in preventing cheating at the Institute of Accountancy Arusha, several recommendations can be made. First, the institution should invest in developing a comprehensive data collection system that captures relevant information such as seating arrangements, student interactions, and exam performance patterns. Collaboration with other institutions in implementing similar technologies could also create a shared knowledge base and lead to best practices in academic integrity. Finally, continuous monitoring and evaluation of this system should be conducted to refine its processes and adapt to new cheating technique.

The Impact of Student Attitude on Information, Communication, Creation Skills and Student Engagement

The Malaysian education system is guided by the Malaysia Education Blueprint, which drives the overall quality and effectiveness of education in the country. This study provides insights and assists in forming informed guidelines for the Ministry of Education regarding the impact of skill factors. The relationship between the direct effects of these three primary skills and attitudes is supported by Self-Efficacy Theory (SET). The indirect relationship, where attitude mediates the effects of these skills on student engagement, is supported by Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). A questionnaire was distributed to local university students currently in their fourth semester and analyzed using the Structural Equation Model using Partial Least Square (PLS). The structural model results direct relationship between attitude and student engagement and between information skills and attitude. In addition, the mediation analysis shows that the relationship between information skills and student engagement, mediated by student attitude, was significant. Based on these results, it is recommended that the Ministry of Education focus on providing supportive resources, such as learning environments and training for educators, in the upcoming Malaysia Education Blueprint for 2026 to 2036. Additionally, offering Digital Literacy Programs to equip students with information skills can positively influence student attitudes and thereby increase the level of student engagement, which is crucial for improving the academic performance and achievement of Malaysia’s educational system. Future research should include a cross-cultural comparison to reconsider educational theories for Asian countries, as many theories are currently based on Western educational settings and contexts.

Educators’ and Parents’ Perspectives About Belonging in Early Years Education in Europe

AbstractThe overall goal of this project is to gain a broad picture of belonging and the politics of belonging in early education settings (In Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland the children attend school from 6 or 7 years. In the Netherlands children attend compulsory school at 4 years of age. Using the terms early education settings and (pre)schools with parenthesis we refer to educational institutions (preschool, day-care, compulsory school) involving children between 4 and 6 years) in five European countries: Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. By ‘belonging’ we refer to children´s sense of feeling safe and ‘at home’. By ‘politics of belonging’ we refer to societal structures and processes of safeguarding communities and their borders among children (and educators) in their early education settings. Educators (n = 648) and parents (n = 1,598) were surveyed about their perspectives about, and pedagogies for, belonging. Results indicated that, in general, parents and educators felt positively about belonging in their (pre)schools. Even so the study shows that experiences of belonging cannot be taken for granted, and a number of parents and educators worry about children being excluded and alienated. The study also revealed a relation between the educational level of educators and the complexity of pedagogic methods educators used to support children´s belonging in early education settings.

Linguistic and Non-linguistic Factors Affecting International Teaching Assistants’ Comprehensibility and Teaching Quality

ABSTRACT Previous studies have examined linguistic and non-linguistic factors affecting the comprehensibility of L2 English speakers. However, there is a relative scarcity of empirical studies specifically investigating how these factors influence the comprehensibility of international teaching assistants (ITAs) as perceived by their undergraduate (UG) students. The current study aimed to fill this gap by examining how linguistic and non-linguistic factors affect American UGs’ judgments of ITAs’ speech comprehensibility and teaching quality. One hundred and ninety-eight U.S. UGs reported their previous experience with and attitudes towards ITAs through a Qualtrics survey, and gave their ratings about ITAs’ speech comprehensibility, segmental and suprasegmental errors, and teaching quality. Results from step-wise regression analyses indicated that segmental errors were statistically significant predictors of UGs’ ratings of ITAs’ comprehensibility and teaching quality, and that UGs who had taken more courses with ITAs had higher ratings of ITAs’ comprehensibility. More notably, UGs’ attitudes towards ITAs were found to contribute to their perceptions of ITAs’ speech comprehensibility and teaching quality. This study concluded with recommendations about how to counter the potential negative effects of biased UG ratings of ITAs so as to promote a healthier environment for ITAs’ professional identity development in higher educational settings.

Instrumentation of students’ experience through the active content of science: from epistemic contact to idealizations and back again in school classrooms

ABSTRACT The paper presents an in-depth exploration of the process of the instrumentation of experience within the context of teaching and learning in schools. We focus on the role of cultural instruments, such as scientific tools and practices, in mediating human cognition and transforming students´ experience into active scientific content. The study draws on the concepts of dual mediation and the interplay between denotative and expressive aspects of cognition. We aim to (1) characterise the process of instrumentalizing students’ experience into active scientific content within the classroom and (2) propose a theoretically consistent model of instrumentation of experience for micro-level analysis of teaching and learning based on the construct of content transformation. We propose a micro-level model for analyzing the instrumentation of experience in educational settings, highlighting the interaction between the subjective, intersubjective, and objective content modalities, Kvasz's typology of cultural genesis in science and its operationalisation through five epistemic categories (e.g. cognitive penetrability of imagination). The operational grounding of these categories is illustrated through case study examples. This model serves for micro-analysis of content transformations during teaching and learning and thus to contribute to the enhancement of teaching and learning quality through classroom observations and analytical reflection.

Assessing Students’ Critical Thinking in Dialogue

Critical thinking has been widely considered an important skill in the 21st century. In view of the value attached to critical thinking, various quantitative instruments have been developed to assess critical thinking, which only provide a product of critical thinking and cannot reveal the critical thinking process of test takers. Hence, this paper proposes a coding scheme facilitating a qualitative analysis of critical thinking exhibited in interaction. The coding scheme consists of five categories of critical thinking skills, i.e., analysis, comparison, evaluation, inference, and synthesis, each of which is coded at low, medium, and high levels. The use of this coding scheme is then illustrated by applying it to authentic classroom dialogue. This coding scheme is hopefully conducive to the assessment of critical thinking in educational settings.

Towards AI-Generated Essay Classification Using Numerical Text Representation

The detection of essays written by AI compared to those authored by students is increasingly becoming a significant issue in educational settings. This research examines various numerical text representation techniques to improve the classification of these essays. Utilizing a diverse dataset, we undertook several preprocessing steps, including data cleaning, tokenization, and lemmatization. Our system analyzes different text representation methods such as Bag of Words, TF-IDF, and fastText embeddings in conjunction with multiple classifiers. Our experiments showed that TF-IDF weights paired with logistic regression reached the highest accuracy of 99.82%. Methods like Bag of Words, TF-IDF, and fastText embeddings achieved accuracies exceeding 96.50% across all tested classifiers. Sentence embeddings, including MiniLM and distilBERT, yielded accuracies from 93.78% to 96.63%, indicating room for further refinement. Conversely, pre-trained fastText embeddings showed reduced performance, with a lowest accuracy of 89.88% in logistic regression. Remarkably, the XGBoost classifier delivered the highest minimum accuracy of 96.24%. Specificity and precision were above 99% for most methods, showcasing high capability in differentiating between student-created and AI-generated texts. This study underscores the vital role of choosing dataset-specific text representations to boost classification accuracy.

Can we work it out? Affordances and constraints for cultivating perspective‐taking in digital contexts

AbstractBackgroundThe rising importance of digital technologies in everyday communication has played a key role in processes of political polarization and rising mistrust and intolerance. We suggest this crisis could be productively conceptualized as a crisis in perspective‐taking—the tendency and competency to actively consider others' mental and emotional states.ObjectivesThis conceptual paper sets out to propose a theoretical framework that identifies the key affordances of digital platforms for promoting perspective‐taking in formal educational settings (K‐12 and higher education): (1) connecting diverse individuals, (2) simulating interactions with other perspectives and (3) supporting the articulation and sharing of perspectives.MethodsRather than summarizing the state of existing research, this paper aims to offer a novel conceptualization that allows unpacking the interplay between research on perspective‐taking and work on the affordances and constraints of digital media. We identify the three key affordances outlined above, exemplifying them by focusing on one type of digital tool and comparing them along two axes: (i) the depth vs. diversity of interactions it supports and (ii) its cultivation of intergroup perspective‐taking vs. interpersonal perspective‐taking.Results and ConclusionsThis framework, we argue, articulates the advantages and limitations of digital tools towards engagement in perspective‐taking, while providing a conceptual roadmap, and practical considerations, for researchers and practitioners interested in cultivating digitally mediated perspective‐taking in educational settings.

Phonological skills and executive functions: their effects on reading and arithmetic abilities across varied performance levels using quantile regression

ABSTRACT We aimed to investigate the effects of phonological awareness – PA, rapid automatised naming – RAN, visuospatial and verbal working memory – WM and executive functions – EF on the reading and arithmetic skills of children with low- to medium-performance levels. Participants were 472 Brazilian children from 3rd to 5th grades. Quantile Regression Analysis was employed. The PA, RAN and EF were shared main predictors of both reading and math. Verbal WM emerged as a unique main predictor for reading, while visuospatial WM and visuospatial short-term memory were the main predictors for arithmetic. Among children with very low reading proficiency, the effects of cognitive predictors were more pronounced, a trend not observed in arithmetic. The results suggest varying magnitudes of cognitive predictors for reading when considering different levels of performance/difficulties. We also corroborate unique and shared main predictors of reading and math that have implications for research, clinical and educational settings.

Empowering Teachers as Users in Human-Centered Design

Teachers play a crucial role as end-users of technology in educational settings but seldom get recognition as a group of technology users with varying needs and perspectives. This paper analyzes the unique user characteristics of teachers, both in terms of general user nature and within the context of established ed-tech frameworks and technology acceptance models. The authors argue that existing frameworks and models inadequately address the distinct characteristics of teachers as users and therefore provide specific recommendations for the development of a specialized framework that accounts for the teacher’s specific user criteria.

The impact of COVID-19 on elementary teachers’ relationships with students, parents, and other teachers

ABSTRACT This paper examines the impact of COVID-19 on teachers’ relationships with students, parents, and other teachers as well as on the knowledge which they produce as their teaching and learning spaces are reconceptualised and their workplace relationships are redefined. The study adopted bricolage as a research approach and single-group case study as a research design, and used data obtained from a range of individual semi-structured interviews with elementary teachers which were supported by a series of naturally occurring data. The findings reinforce the conclusions that have been drawn in previous studies in terms of the significance of the social and relational aspects of educational settings and of the view of teachers as legitimate knowledge producers. Additionally, however, the results expand on our current understanding of teacher relationships and professional knowledge production by illustrating how participants collaboratively addressed the unprecedented challenges which the pandemic posed in order to strengthen their workplace relationships with significant others and enhance student educational experiences. The diversity of the strategies the teachers used provides evidence of growth in multiple dimensions of teacher knowledge and of different forms of agency, and has implications for teaching, teacher education, and future research in this area.

How does gamification affect learning effectiveness? The mediating roles of engagement, satisfaction, and intrinsic motivation

ABSTRACT Academic institutions have implemented methods to enhance student engagement, increase satisfaction levels, and maximize the efficacy of the learning process. Gamification has been increasingly used in education to enhance the efficacy of student learning, in contrast to traditional teaching methods. This study quantitatively examines the impact of gamification on learning efficacy by assessing variables such as engagement, satisfaction, and intrinsic motivation based on data from 255 survey responses by undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in Vietnamese institutions. Participants had prior experience with gamified instructional methods. The findings indicate that individuals’ level of enjoyment and challenges impacted the effectiveness of their learning through the mediating processes of engagement, satisfaction, and intrinsic motivation. This study offers valuable insights for educational institutions, schools, teachers, and other scholars examining the impacts of intrinsic motivation, satisfaction, and engagement on learning effectiveness within the educational setting of gamification.

Exploring and crossing boundaries in education – tinkering as an approach to breaching children’s formal and informal learning processes

This article explores the integration of tinkering as an approach to learning and teaching in the context of two Danish public schools. Tinkering, traditionally associated with informal learning, is examined for its potential to widen participation, and align with informal learning processes within a formal educational setting. The study, part of the larger Tech&Play project, investigates the characteristics of tinkering in formal learning settings and examines the roles of children and teachers in tinkering processes. The article introduces the Positioning Wheel, a reflection tool, to understand the roles and positions of children and teachers in experimental learning practices. It combines this with the Facilitation Field Guide developed by the Tinkering Studio to create a pedagogical and didactical framework. The findings indicate that tinkering encourages diverse participation and engagement, particularly in cross-curricular and thematic approaches. However, challenges arise in sustaining the tinkering approach within longer lesson plans and subject-specific contexts. The study suggests that while tinkering enhances motivation and flexibility in formal learning, further experiments are needed to fully explore its potential within the formal education system. The Positioning Wheel proves useful in analyzing the positioning of learners, emphasizing the importance of dynamic roles in pedagogical practices.