Undergraduate Education Students Research Articles

Adaptation and Validation of a Scale of Self-Regulation of Learning in Mathematical Problem Solving

[Objective] This work aims to adapt and validate a scale that measures the level of self-regulation in mathematical problem-solving contexts of teachers in initial training in primary education. [Methodology] For sample selection, non-probabilistic convenience or incidental sampling was used. A total of 269 first-year primary education undergraduate degree students at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) in the 2020–2021 academic year participated in the validation process of the adapted scale. The type of research conducted is descriptive. Data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical software. [Results] The Cronbach's alpha coefficient value of 0.884 revealed a consistent internal reliability. Likewise, to test the factor structure of the scale, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted, obtaining a Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) index of 0.836 > 0.7 and a p= 0.000<0.05 in the Bartlett test of sphericity. It also indicated a seven-factor structure: students' perceptions of their ability and how these perceptions influence self-regulation of the resolution process; ethics, problem-solving and personal growth; attitude towards the statement; negative self-efficacy beliefs; external causal attribution; problem-solving methods; and the social environment. [Conclusions] The latent structure provided by the exploratory factor analysis agrees with the classification of items established a priori and allows for the orientation of the confirmatory factor analysis that provides continuity to the research.

Differential Gender Effect of Technical and Vocational Education Students’ Human Capital on Long-term Economic Growth in Nigeria

From a gender view point, this study examines the relationship between the human capital of technical and vocational education students and the fundamental principles of long-term economic growth in Nigeria. The study used a correlational survey research approach. The study was directed by four research questions, and four null hypotheses were developed. The population for the study consisted of all 400 level undergraduate students (N = 286) of technical and vocational education in Federal and State-owned Universities in South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. The population was of a manageable size, thus there was no sampling. Data was gathered via a questionnaire. Three research experts- two from Ambrose Alli University in Ekpoma, the Department of Vocational and Technical Education, and one from the Measurement and Evaluation University of Benin in Benin City, Edo State validated the instrument. The instrument's dependability was assessed using Cronbach alpha reliability, and a reliability coefficient of 0.85 was found. In order to address these inquiries, bivariate correlation was utilized. Multiple regression analysis and analysis of variance were used to examine the hypotheses. The results showed that, fundamental values and both general and particular human capital were positively correlated long-term growth. Students in technical and vocational education, whether male and female, encounter nearly the same kinds of human capital overall. Keywords: Technical and vocational education, Differential gender effect, Human capital, Long-term economic growth.

Assessment of student-teachers' digital competencies across educational aspects: the current status and areas for improvement

In the present digital age, improved teacher digital competencies are increasingly becoming an important component of teachers' qualifications. The purpose of this study was to investigate the digital competencies level of student-teachers and probe the areas for improvement. The subject of this study was undergraduate student-teachers in their final year of Bachelor of Education degree programmes from the College of Education at one of the public Universities in Tanzania. Purposive and convenience sampling techniques were employed to get a sample of 549 participants. The study employed the UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (ICT CFT) as a theoretical framework. The study employed a quantitative approach and descriptive cross-sectional design. Data were collected through an online survey that included six competency areas linked to teachers' professional practices. Data analysis procedures included descriptive and inferential analysis. The findings revealed that student-teachers perceived their digital competencies as moderately higher at the knowledge acquisition level and moderately low at the knowledge deepening level of ICT CFT. The results also demonstrated that student-teachers were more competent in integrating technology in educational aspects that are indirectly linked to teaching (e.g. teacher professional learning, and organization and administration) and less competent in educational aspects that are directly linked to classroom teaching (e.g. pedagogy, and curriculum and assessment). The study further established a positive and statistically significant association between student-teachers' digital competencies and knowledge acquisition and knowledge deepening levels. The results of the present study signify the importance of developing student-teachers' digital competencies across all educational aspects. However, in order to guarantee technology integration in classroom teaching, it is recommended that teacher education programmes focus more on improving student-teachers' digital competencies in competency areas that are directly linked to classroom pedagogical practices.

A/R/Tographic Investigation into Artistic Development Processes of Painting and Drawing Teacher Education Undergraduate Students

This study is a qualitative study designed to investigate the artistic development processes of undergraduate art education students a/r/tographically and to determine the role of portfolio preparation in this process. The present research was conducted in the workshop course of the 4th-grade students of the Department of Art and Art Education of a medium-sized university in the academic year 2022-2023 with the participation of 10 volunteer workshop students. The study group of this research was selected through criterion (purposive) sampling. The collection of the data of the research consisted of student educational development files (portfolio) prepared during the inquiry process, the question pool created, a/r/tograph opinions collected through a semi-structured interview form prepared by taking the opinions of field experts, peer opinions, expert opinions and student artistic products that emerged at the end of the process. Qualitative data analysis was used to analyse the data related to the a/r/tographic process, which is an art-based research method. Accordingly, content analysis was used in student, peer and expert evaluations of educational development files (portfolio). Students' artistic processes and a/r/tographic questioning processes were analysed using descriptive analysis. It was seen that the students were satisfied with the educational development files (portfolio) that they examined by making self-evaluation. Peers and experts who examined the educational development files (portfolio) stated that the files could generally be improved. It was observed that the students were involved in the a/r/tographic process in a determined or accidental way and that they continued the process by making inquiries. It was observed that students developed different perspectives with their artist identities and expressed themselves with process-oriented products that they reflected themselves.

Medical student use of practice questions in their studies: a qualitative study

Practice questions are highly sought out for use as a study tool among medical students in undergraduate medical education. At the same time, it remains unknown how medical students use and incorporate practice questions and their rationales into their studies. To explore this heavily relied upon study strategy, semi-structured interviews were conducted with second-year medical students to assess how they approach using practice questions. Qualitative thematic analysis revealed several recurrent themes: (1) Medical students use practice questions for primary learning, (2) Medical students place more importance on the rationale of a practice question versus selecting the right answer, and (3) Medical students view practice questions as being designed to be used once or having a single-use. Together, these themes provide insight into how medical students use practice questions to study, which may guide medical educators in their creation of practice questions with appropriate rationales and provide foundational data for future mixed methods analyses seeking to generalize these findings.

Leveraging online platforms for coach-peer conferences among university student entrepreneurs: building entrepreneurial self-efficacy

PurposeThe present study aims to examine the lived experience of undergraduate students in learning entrepreneurship education through online coach-peer conference at a university in Indonesia, in order to explore the lived experience of undergraduate students in developing entrepreneurial self-efficacy during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachAnchored in a phenomenological case study, the student participants were interviewed using online platforms such as WhatsApp and Zoom. To triangulate the data, photographs were taken during observation while the participants were engaged in the online learning process. The interview data were transcribed, interpreted using interpretative phenomenological analysis and thematically analyzed.FindingsThis study showed that participants built businesses with (1) the formation of entrepreneurial attitudes and behaviors, (2) increased their entrepreneurial literacy, and (3) increased their involvement in entrepreneurship education coaching programs. This study suggests that the development of entrepreneurial self-efficacy through an online coach-peer conference is important in the development of student businesses.Originality/valueThe findings suggest that nurturing the role of online coach-peer conferences in building student entrepreneurial self-efficacy, both during the pandemic of COVID-19 and in the future.

PARALINGUISTIC FEATURES IN STUDENTS' STORYTELLING WITHIN MULTIMODAL COMMUNICATIONS

This study assessed paralinguistic features in Indonesian university students' contextual interaction during storytelling. Data collection was recorded from respondents' two video-based storytelling performances, while a self-rated questionnaire was distributed to 235 respondents out of 481 undergraduate English education students using simple random sampling. Data analysis used a mixed-methods approach to qualify students' paralinguistic features using the eduistic linguistics annotator (ELAN) and to quantify the paralinguistic features using statistical analyses through the significance of .05. The findings revealed that the ELAN analyzed the contextual interaction among freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. The students’ paralinguistic features corresponded with the lexical and semantic evidence, which approached the function of monosyllabic and bisyllabic words, nonverbal expressions, and interpretations. Bodily gesture quantitatively showed moderate category for 44.7% (t = 2.434; p = .016), articulation showed attributable category for 54.0% (t = 3.789; p = .000), facial expression showed moderate category for 61.7% (t = 2.472; p = .014), and voice loudness showed attributable category for 47.7% (t = 4.121; p = .000). Herein, positive and significant attribution were shown by these paralinguistic features towards students' contextual interactions in storytelling for 34.9% with the multiple regressions (F = 7.990, R² = .349, and p < .000). The paralinguistic features empirically address the multimodal communication modes to improve teaching and learning activities.

Emotional regulation, academic self-efficacy, and academic engagement among art education students: A cross-sectional study

We conducted a study of 362 undergraduate art education students to investigate the influence of emotional regulation skills on academic engagement, and the mediating role of academic self-efficacy in this relationship. The results revealed a significant positive correlation between emotional regulation skills and academic engagement. Furthermore, academic self-efficacy mediated this relationship. Our research contributes to a better understanding of the interplay of emotional regulation skills, academic engagement, and academic self-efficacy among undergraduate art education students in the context of higher education in China. The findings offer practical insights for educators to enhance academic engagement among students in art education programs and suggest future directions for research.

Environmental Factors, Undergraduate Science Education Students’ Achievement, and Interest in Nigeria Universities: Implications for Funding

This study investigated the effects of environmental factors on the academic performance and interest of undergraduate scientific education students in Nigerian universities, as well as the funding implications. A descriptive survey research design was used in the study. The study included 270 final-year undergraduate students from the Department of Science Education at two Nigerian universities: Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Both universities are located in the sixth state of Anambra. The study used a sample of 161 students, 56 of whom were male and 105 of whom were female, that was drawn by chance sampling methods. Three experts verified the questionnaire, which was used as the data gathering tool. Using the Cronbach Alpha formula, the dependability of 0.90 was determined. The hypothesis was examined using t-test statistics at the 0.05 level of significance, and the research topic was addressed using mean and standard deviation. The study's conclusions showed that, while gender had no discernible impact on how science education students responded to the aforementioned environmental factors, socioeconomic background, good school infrastructure, extracurricular activities, class size, accommodations, attitudes of teachers and parents, appropriate teaching methods, and poor lighting in school buildings and hostels could all affect students' interest and achievement in science education at universities. Further strategies for enhancing the environmental elements that affect academic achievement and interest of science education students in universities include the government's and alumni's funding of science labs and infrastructure, fostering university competition, using appropriate teaching methods, and properly citing of schools.

The Mediating Effect of Positive Psychological Capital in the Relationship between Protean Career Attitudes and Employability among Special Education Undergraduate Students

The Mediating Effect of Positive Psychological Capital in the Relationship between Protean Career Attitudes and Employability among Special Education Undergraduate Students

Applying the UNESCO ICT competency framework to evaluate digital competencies among undergraduate students in teacher education in Tanzania

The study employed the UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (ICT CFT) to assess undergraduate student-teachers' digital competencies in an educational context. Within the quantitative approach, the study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional research design. The data was collected from a sample of 549 student-teachers through the self-developed questionnaire. Data analysis involved both descriptive and inferential analysis. The study found that student-teachers' digital competencies at both knowledge acquisition and knowledge deepening levels were moderate. However, their digital competencies were moderately higher at the knowledge acquisition level, which signifies confidence in basic digital skills. In addition, it was found that gender and age had statistical significance on perceived digital competencies, particularly at the knowledge acquisition level. Based on the findings, it is recommended that while considering the varying levels of comfort with technology across the gender and age groups, a tiered teacher training programme should be put in place where student-teachers can progress from the basic level to the advanced level of digital competencies.

Beliefs of Undergraduate Mathematics Education Students in a Teacher Education Program about Visual Programming in Mathematics Classes

AbstractIn the digital age, the range of digital technologies used in mathematics education grows. Since beliefs are affective-cognitive elements that significantly determine teachers' behavior in the classroom, they are an interesting field of research in mathematics education. A review of previous research has identified different groups of beliefs about the use of digital technologies in mathematics classes. These studies are not focused on specific digital technologies. In an empirical case study that is presented in this paper, the aim was to figure out how beliefs that can be described specifically about the use of visual programming relate to general beliefs about the use of digital technologies in mathematics education. A qualitative content analysis of the reflection journals of seven undergraduate mathematics education students on their work with Scratch, a visual programming environment, in a university seminar led to the formation of ten belief categories about the use of visual programming in mathematics classes. Most of the beliefs are associated with a positive attitude towards visual programming in mathematics education. However, some beliefs could also be identified that refer to the limits and challenges of using visual programming and thus demonstrate rather negative associations. Only a few of the categories identified match the list of belief groups about digital technologies in mathematics education identified in previous research. Some possible reasons for these results are discussed and further research interests in the field of beliefs about the use of digital technologies are suggested.

Self-Perception About Digital Skills of Pre-Service Teachers in a Thailand University Context

The digital revolution has significantly impacted education, with digital technology becoming an integral part of teaching and learning, resulting in the emergence of a digital society. Educational institutions at all levels currently demand new qualifications and knowledge from modern-day teachers, including digital skills for effectively transmitting knowledge to learners to ensure that learning outcomes align with societal needs. Developing pre-service teachers poses a challenge in being educators who effectively transfer knowledge to learners. This study examined the digital skills competence required for future teachers, linking these skills with Thailand’s National Qualifications Framework for Higher Education, Professional Teacher Standards, and National Educational Standards. A total of 36 competencies across six areas have been identified. This paper analyzed 360 responses from a convenience sample of undergraduate education students in Thailand based on this validated instrument. The research findings indicated that users prioritize information technology and communication skills, necessitating a diverse range of skills, including search, tool usage, communication, and collaboration through technology. This data can be used to design learning management systems to develop digital skills aligned with the evolving needs and essential skills of future teachers.

Midwifery student engagement with digital interactive books: A cross sectional survey

AimTo explore the benefit and engagement of undergraduate students’ use of H5P interactive books for student learning. DesignAn evaluation study of technology enabled learning for first year undergraduate Bachelor of Midwifery students in Australia. MethodsStudents were invited to complete an online evaluation survey of their use and engagement with H5P interactive books. The survey included the long form User Engagement Scale which has four subscales of focused attention, aesthetic appeal, reward factor and perceived usability scored on a 5-point Likert scale. Content analysis was used to analyse the text comments given to five open text questions. ResultsThere were 21 students who completed the survey. There was a high overall User Engagement Scale score of 73.1 % with aesthetic appeal and reward factor being the highest scoring subscales. The content analysis showed students found the interactive books engaging and easy to navigate. Areas for improvement identified were not including a large amount of content and providing downloadable content. ConclusionsThis study demonstrates the valuable and engaging use of H5P Interactive Books for undergraduate students in higher education. Students who used H5P Interactive Books identified their ease of use, organised layout and engaging format.

Online Social Comparison and Impostor Phenomenon Among Music Education Undergraduates

The purpose of this study was to investigate online social comparison and impostor phenomenon (IP) in undergraduate music education students. In Phase 1, participants provided demographic information and completed measures of online social comparison, Facebook use, and the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS). Facebook social comparison emerged as the only significant predictor of IP in participants accounting for 13.3% of the variance in CIPS scores. In Phase 2, I conducted focus groups to investigate participants’ perceptions of how they engaged in online social comparison. I identified four themes in the data: (a) comparing to peers online, (b) using Facebook for professional purposes, (c) psychological effects of online comparison, and (d) withdrawing from social media to avoid adverse effects. The findings provide insight for music teacher educators into how online social interactions among students may influence music educator identity and well-being during the undergraduate degree.

Mediação artística: ações entre a universidade e a escola

This study aims to understand how artistic mediation and audience development initiatives contribute to educate artists, particularly undergraduate ones. We draw from our experience with extension projects that establish connections between undergraduate students and students in basic education to assess the impacts of the developed actions on participants’ education. Conceptually, we rely on the studies of mediation and audience development by Flávio Desgranges, Maria Lucia Pupo, and Ingrid Koudela.

Advancing Audiovisual Translation Education: Evaluating and Enhancing the Capabilities of English Undergraduates at the University of Mataram

This study aims to evaluate and develop the audiovisual translation (AVT) skills of English education undergraduate students at the University of Mataram. As the dissemination of information increasingly occurs through dynamic online media, mastering AVT techniques has become essential for future language professionals. The study will examine the quality of subtitle translations produced by students, as well as their ability to translate audio content into video captions - a new skill beyond traditional dubbing. By assessing current capabilities, the study seeks to reorient translation course curricula to better balance theoretical knowledge and practical application. Given the rapid technological advances in AVT, this study is critical in ensuring university programs adapt to emerging industry needs. The findings are expected to contribute to improving the quality of AVT education and enhancing the preparedness of English undergraduates to work as professional audiovisual translators. Ultimately, the study aims to empower the next generation of translators with the necessary skills to effectively convey information across multimedia platforms.

A Literature Review on Coaching Methods for Tutoring Students in Undergraduate Education

Recently, the integration of coaching methodologies within educational environments has garnered significant attention due to their potential to enhance student learning outcomes and overall academic performance. While the literature extensively examines the effectiveness of coaching in a plethora of scenarios (e.g., sports, business, and entrepreneurship), there remains a notable research gap regarding its application within undergraduate educational environments, where coachees have unique characteristics in terms of background, age/maturity, resources availability, and population size. This literature review aims to address this gap by synthesizing existing research on the implementation of coaching strategies in educational settings and how they can cope with a large number of students. Through a comprehensive analysis, this study elucidates the current state of knowledge, identifies prevailing methodologies, and evaluates the outcomes associated with employing coaching techniques in group contexts. Moreover, this work explores the potential benefits and challenges of utilizing coaching strategies in group sessions, offering insights into their scalability and applicability within diverse educational settings. The findings of this review underscore the importance of further research in this domain to advance our understanding of how coaching methodologies can be effectively adapted to facilitate collaborative learning experiences and promote student success on a broader scale. Ultimately, this study advocates for the integration of group coaching approaches as a promising avenue for enhancing the efficiency and accessibility of traditional tutoring and mentoring practices in education.

Critical Thinking Profile and Environmental Literacy Analysis of Al-Washliyah Labuhanbatu University Biology Education Undergraduate Students

Critical Thinking Profile and Environmental Literacy Analysis of Al-Washliyah Labuhanbatu University Biology Education Undergraduate Students

The association between perceived social support and future decent work perception: A moderated mediation model

This study examined the relationship between perceived social support, career exploration, and future decent work perception among undergraduate teacher education students in Fujian Province, China. The research focused mainly on the moderating role of proactive personality in these relationships. Data from 542 valid questionnaires revealed that perceived social support significantly influenced career exploration, impacting students' perceptions of future decent work. More importantly, our analysis showed that proactive personality intensified the positive effects of social support on career exploration activities, enhancing students' outlook on their future careers. These findings confirmed social cognitive theory's relevance in understanding career development processes and highlighted the potential of proactive personality traits to leverage social resources more effectively. Given the evolving educational demands and the current socio-economic conditions in China, our study suggested that educational programs should emphasize nurturing proactive behaviors and strengthening social support systems to better prepare students for future professional challenges. These insights were crucial for educators aiming to enhance the quality and effectiveness of teacher education programs, promoting a more robust entry into the workforce for future educators.