Undergraduate Education Students Research Articles

Listen, learn, create! Cognitive development with rhythm and technology

This paper presents the results of a disruptive educational experience, in which, from the approach of Developmental Didactics, an innovative project was implemented that integrated music as a trigger for learning in undergraduate students in education. Through the course entitled “Listen, Learn, Create! Cognitive Development with Rhythm and Technology”, students participated in collaborative activities where music and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) were key elements to contribute to the development of cognitive and instrumental skills. This approach allowed the students to become the protagonists of their own learning, enhancing their creativity and imagination.The results highlight the positive impact on the development of digital and socioemotional competencies, as well as on the ability to apply ICTs in an innovative way in educational contexts. Likewise, the experience showed that the use of music as a pedagogical mediator facilitates the development of analysis, synthesis and critical thinking processes. Finally, we reflect on how this methodology fosters flexible learning environments, self-discovery, genuine experiences of dialogue and recognition of otherness and fun.

Μετασχηματίζουσα Έρευνα Δράσης για Σκοπούς Ακαδημαϊκής και Επιστημονικής Κοινωνικοποίησης στην Ελληνική Τριτοβάθμια Γεωτεχνική Εκπαίδευση

This paper presents a qualitative action research study, designed to explore the transformative impact of critical thinking on undergraduate Geotechnical Education students in Greece. The methodology was an intervention, consisting of thirteen workshops, premised on aesthetic experience and research action. A pre-intervention discussion identified limited academic and scientific socialization and, therefore, demonstrated the need to address this challenge. A focus group discussion was conducted halfway through the research to evaluate the development of the research process. A written interview, upon completion of the intervention, shed light on the impact of the experience on the students. This action research draws on constructivist learning theory, presupposing reflection, action and collective work. Although the data analysis process is currently in progress, initial findings establish broadening of assumptions about the role and mission of a geotechnical scientist, empowerment of soft skills, as well as student agentive potential.

The Differential Impact of Specific Metacognitive Strategies on EFL Academic Writing Performance

Metacognitive strategies including planning, monitoring, and evaluation play a pivotal role in enhancing EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners' writing proficiency. This study examines how these strategies uniquely influence critical components of academic writing, including coherence, grammatical accuracy, and clarity. Conducted at Nusantara PGRI Kediri University, a private institution in East Java, Indonesia, the study involved 61 undergraduate English language education students enrolled in an essay writing course during the odd academic semester. A quasi-experimental design divided participants into three groups, each focusing on one strategy—planning, monitoring, or evaluation—over an eight-week intervention. Writing tasks were assessed using a rubric evaluating coherence and organization, accuracy, and clarity. Pre-test and post-test scores were analyzed quantitatively to identify improvements within and across the groups, while correlation analysis examined relationships between strategy use and post-test performance. Results reveal planning enhanced coherence, monitoring improved grammatical accuracy, and evaluation refined clarity. However, improvements in specific dimensions of writing did not always result in proportional overall score gains, emphasizing the need for integrating these strategies holistically. The findings offer practical insights for EFL instructors and highlight directions for future research on metacognitive strategies in writing.

Popularity and Perceptions of Protein Supplementation: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Undergraduate University Students Aged 18 to 25 Years in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Young adults, particularly those aged 18-25, exhibit varying perceptions and choices regarding the use of protein supplements (PS). Understanding these perceptions can significantly enhance professional guidance and nutrition education for undergraduate students. This study, conducted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, aims to explore the perceptions of PS use and identify the most popular PS among university students. This cross-sectional descriptive study involved young adults aged 18-25of both genders. A validated online questionnaire was used to collect data, which was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, United States). A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) of King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre (KAIMRC) approved the study protocol. A total of 740 participants(430 females (58.1%) and 310 males (41.9%)) were included in the study. Around 17% reported using PS, with males being the primary users (65 (51.6%)). Protein powder was the most popular protein supplement (48 (38.1%)), followed by a combination of protein powder, protein bars, and fortified foods (42 (33.3%)). Age, gender, and family income significantly influenced protein supplement use (p<0.05). Males preferred a combination of protein powder and fortified food. Significant gender differences were observed in the choice of protein supplement type (p=0.001). Perceptions of PS were influenced by friends, family, doctors, pharmacists, social media, and the internet. However, the majority of participants indicated a need for more awareness regarding PS. The study underscores the need for improved professional guidance and nutrition education for young adults, particularly in addressing misconceptions and gender differences in protein supplement use.

Reaching the top of Bloom’s Taxonomy: an innovative pilot program for preclinical undergraduate and medical school students to create curricula for STEMM outreach/service-learning programs

Bloom’s Taxonomy is an andragogical tool that classifies educational objectives, learning activities, and assessments into distinct levels of cognitive thinking. Preclinical medical sciences educators aim to promote higher-order thinking in their curricula to help students develop clinical decision-making skills and foster deep learning. However, many courses and curricula remain focused on lower levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy because they are easier to implement and assess. Meanwhile, many service-learning opportunities for medical students focus on developing affective faculties over higher-level cognitive processing of curricular material. We describe a model program in which undergraduate pre-medical education (UPE) and undergraduate medical education (UPE/UME) students at Boston University Charles River Campus (BU CRC) and Boston University Aram V. Chobanian &amp;amp; Edward Avedisian School of Medicine (BU Chobanian &amp;amp; Avedisian SOM) simultaneously engaged in service-learning and the Create level of Bloom’s Taxonomy by developing a supplementary high school (HS) medical science curriculum based on content and instructional models from their preclinical courses. Activities such as mock patient cases, simulated patient interviews, and physical examination training contributed toward a HS curriculum that promotes healthy habits; increases community public health self-efficacy; sparks interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Medicine (STEMM) concepts; and educates about medical careers through engaging lessons and activities focused on human anatomy and physiology.

First-year undergraduate biology education students’ critical thinking and self-regulation: Implementation of a metacognitive-based e-learning module

This study examines the improvement of first-year students’ critical thinking and self-regulation by implementing a metacognitive-based e-module. To address the challenges of learning in accordance with the demands of the higher education curriculum, metacognitive-based e-modules are required. Metacognitive strategies such as analogies, concept maps, mnemonics, and discrepant events integrated into e-modules encourage students to be more critical and independent when understanding concepts and solving problems. The study employed quasi-experimental with two groups, a study group (instructed metacognitive-based e-module) control group (conventional module). Eighty-three students as respondents were involved. The descriptive results indicate that cognitive strategies promote curiosity, facilitate understanding, and aid in long-term memory. Metacognitive-based e-modules could encourage awareness, learning activities, evaluation and interpersonal skills. There is a significant difference in students' ability to think critically and self-regulation. The metacognitive strategy using e-module was found to be stimulating, thought-provoking, and facilitating students to have critical thinking and self-regulation.

Playing with languages through languages

This paper presents and discusses multilingual workshops developed and tested in the project Tværsproglighed ilæreruddannelsen (Plurilingual Approaches to Teacher Education) focused on the development of plurilingual approaches in teacher education in Denmark. We discuss the guiding principles underlying the joint teaching of English and French in teacher education. Our aim was to involve all our students and to ensure the development of a genuine plurilingual gaze and for them to take an additive approach (Holmen 2019) by not only teaching the students together, but also organisingthem in a manner which necessitated interdisciplinary collaboration. Furthermore, we consider the implications of a plurilingual approach to language learning with undergraduate students in teacher education, Danish lower secondary pupils, and their teachers. We exemplify how the inclusion of artefacts such as LEGO inspired by playful learning (Händel et al. 2021) in the development of multilingual activities promoted a willingness for undergraduate students and lower secondary pupils to participate. Our choice of LEGO had two main purposes: to inspire students to design their own activities for a given target group, focusing on a playful approach to learning, and to get students to focus less on themselves and to engage their entire linguistic repertoire.

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 &gt; 0.7 and a p= 0.000&lt;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.

Collaborative online learning in higher education—quality of digital interaction and associations with individual and group-related factors

Collaborative online learning became a necessity for universities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though it is known from research that online collaboration is an effective way of learning, digital interaction can be challenging for learners. Group members have to create a high-quality interaction to ensure the success of the collaborative learning process. Based on a theoretical model of collaborative learning, high-quality interaction can be determined with regard to cognitive group activities (prior knowledge activation, transactivity), meta-cognitive group activities (organization of the work process), and relational group activities (group climate, participation and task-related communication). Our study aims to examine how students manage a self-directed collaborative learning setting, how they perceive the process quality of digital interaction and how the interaction quality is related to self-reported outcomes (learning gain and satisfaction). We use a newly developed questionnaire to assess the quality of digital interaction in terms of the aforementioned dimensions. Furthermore, we focus on associations with the beliefs about web-based learning and the ability of perspective-taking at the individual level as well as the sense of community at the group level. We conducted a quantitative study within online university courses that were implemented asynchronously due to the COVID-19 pandemic. N = 298 undergraduate students in teacher education rated the quality of a digital collaborative learning settings (response rate of 72%). The students worked on collaborative tasks autonomously without any guidance from the teacher. We find differences between (meta-)cognitive and relational factors of interaction quality, and differences in the strength of the associations with outcomes and individual and group-related factors. Our study provides insights into students´ collaborative online learning and examines the relationships between different dimensions of group interaction quality and the input and outcome variables. Limitations and areas for further research are discussed.

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.

Impact of self-evaluation strategy on mathematical achievement: An empirical study among undergraduate mathematics education students

Background: Given Nigerian students’ poor achievement in mathematics performance over the years, researchers are exploring how a self-evaluation learning strategy can improve this situation. This strategy empowers students to assess their own understanding of learning materials in the subject, apply concepts effectively, and accurately complete tasks.Aim: The author examined the impact of self-evaluation strategy on mathematical achievement among undergraduate mathematics education students in Nigeria.Method: The researcher adopted Correlational survey research design. Participants (N = 357) were 3rd year undergraduate mathematics students at a public University in Nigeria. Data was collected using two researcher-developed instruments: Students’ Self-evaluation Learning Strategy Questionnaire (SSLSQ) and Students Mathematics Academic Achievement Proforma (SMAAP). The internal consistency reliability index obtained using Cronbach Alpha was 0.77. Data collected were analyzed using simple linear regression analyses through SPSS version 26.0 as well as regression analysis through Process model 1 procedure IBM SPSS version 4.00.Result: Findings from the study revealed that self-evaluation learning strategy positively impacted students' achievement in Mathematics. Specifically, 22% of the variation in students’ achievement in Mathematics is attributed to self-evaluation learning. The stdy also revealed a significant difference in the mean achievement score of mathematics students taught in public universities who used self-evaluation compared to those who did not.Conclusion: Students should be encouraged by Mathematics teachers to adopt Self-evaluation strategy when assessing their learning outcomes to enhance their learning of the subject.

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 &lt; .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.