Educ. Sci., Volume 13, Issue 9 (September 2023) – 116 articles

The study objective in this article was to present the state-of-the-art on teachers’ professional development to enhance educational quality for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in primary and secondary education. A systematic review was conducted, following the PRISMA guidelines. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies were eligible for inclusion. Fifteen studies were identified and summarized. To identify the eligibility criteria, we applied the SPIDER framework. Quality appraisal was applied using the MMAT. A thematic summary and narrative synthesis of the included studies was conducted to establish a comprehensive understanding of what makes a difference in preparation for teachers of autistic students. Two key factors were found regarding the design of professional development for teachers to enhance their skills to teach autistic students. Firstly, teachers’ developed autism-specific knowledge, and secondly, the need for practice-based training with a focus on the challenges teachers meet at their own schools. Multiple ways of addressing teachers’ need for professional development regarding autistic students may further contribute to inclusive values and actions. Full article

To optimize students’ levels of skills, knowledge, and competence in higher education, teachers have been encouraged to work systematically to understand how their pedagogical approaches affect the students’ learning process and learning outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of a student-centered learning design (SCL) in the subject of PE. A total of 24 PETE students were given the responsibility to create the schedule for their own education in a subject for a semester. During the semester, the students wrote reflections note on three occasions related to their learning process and learning outcome. The thematical analysis of the reflection notes revealed two main findings concerning the learning process: an invitation to participate and develop professional ownership, and mixed reflections on the need for teacher scaffolding. Furthermore, the analyses revealed two main findings concerning the learning outcome: improved learning and meaningful learning. Our findings indicate that students’ participation, motivation, enjoyment, and learning outcomes increased due to the use of SCL as a pedagogical strategy. These findings are supported by other investigations, identifying SCL as a preferred strategy according to students’ learning process and learning outcomes. The main pedagogical implication of our findings is a recommendation to implement SCL as a pedagogical strategy for student learning in teacher education. Full article

Digital game-based learning (DGBL) has the potential to promote equity in K–12 STEM education. However, few teachers have expertise in DBGL, and few professional development models exist to support teachers in both acquiring this expertise and advancing equity. To support the development of such models, we conducted a professional development to explore teacher acquisition of technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge for games (TPACK-G) during a DGBL workshop series informed by culturally relevant pedagogy. This mixed methods pilot study used pre- and post-surveys and interviews to investigate shifts in teachers’ (n = 9) TPACK-G, perceptions of DGBL, and operationalizations of equity and cultural relevance. The survey findings showed increases in teachers’ TPACK-G, and corroboration between the surveys and interviews showed teachers’ expanded ideas about the range of applications of digital games in STEM education. However, the interviews revealed that teachers’ conceptualizations of equity and cultural relevance varied considerably. Full article

Graded online discussion forums allow students to interact with course content, peers, and instructors. These discussions have the potential to enhance students’ learning experiences significantly. By adding graded online discussions to an online structured Master’s program in Education, it was necessary to determine the value of these discussions and their contribution to creating an online community. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to determine how a community of inquiry could support graded online discussions. The study used the Community of Inquiry theoretical framework as its basis. A qualitative exploratory case study design was used, involving eleven purposefully selected participants who were enrolled for a structured master’s program in Education. Data were collected from two sources: feedback from students on their experiences of the online discussions, and the actual online discussions. The data were analyzed using the six-phase thematic analysis approach following a deductive approach. This study revealed that these discussions supported students’ learning and created an online learning community promoting social, cognitive, and teaching presences. These findings have implications for practice. Firstly, fostering social presence is essential for online discussions because it leads to increased engagement, motivation, a sense of belonging, and collaboration. Secondly, online discussions need to be designed with clear guidelines, structured questions, and discussion opportunities. Lastly, online discussions designed to promote cognitive presence challenge students, encourage debate, and assist them in gaining the needed knowledge and higher order thinking skills. Based on these findings, the unique contribution of this study is to provide guidelines for fostering discussion forum participation within the Community of Inquiry (COI) framework. The suggested guidelines can serve as a resource to facilitate effective graded discussion forums in higher education contexts. Full article

In university settings, peer support brings people together based on their student identity. Peer support has been advocated as an innovative intervention to aid student mental health and wellbeing as part of a whole university approach, especially post-pandemic when student support is critical. While the literature describes three types of university peer support for student mental health and wellbeing, peer-led support groups, peer mentoring, and peer learning, the sector lacks agreed definitions for these interventions. Formal reporting on peer support initiatives is rare, suggesting further types of peer support practice may exist. This qualitative study, comprising semi-structured interviews with 16 university staff members at 14 different institutions, aimed to generate comprehensive definitions of the types of peer support used in the sector through template analysis. The study also sought to understand the current practice, experiences, and challenges around implementing peer support interventions for undergraduate and postgraduate students’ mental health and wellbeing from the perspective of the staff who support and coordinate these programmes. Five types of peer support were identified and defined. In addition, the challenges of engagement, resource and capacity, and evaluation were highlighted. Finally, lessons learnt provided potential ways to address the challenges outlined and provided sector guidance for further developing peer support as part of a whole university approach to student mental health and wellbeing. Full article

Emergent writing is a key component of early literacy development and contributes to later school success, yet it receives little attention in most preschool classrooms. This paper presents results of a quasi-experimental study of a teacher professional development package that included writing as one of four focal areas. The study was conducted in 15 Head Start classrooms located in the U.S. state of Hawaiʻi. The participants were 39 lead and assistant teachers and 240 children. Intervention teachers had higher quality writing environments and overall classroom environments, while intervention children showed better outcomes on emergent reading and upper case letter knowledge. Emergent writing was assessed only in the intervention group, where children showed large gains along with changes in code-related skills needed for invented spelling. Results are discussed in terms of recommended practices for early writing instruction and teacher professional development. Full article

This study responds to the debate on understanding and evaluating teacher learning in professional development programmes, with particular reference to the development of equitable mathematics classrooms. Conducted in the context of a year-long PD mathematics programme for primary teachers in Norway, designed to disrupt teachers’ assumptions about mathematics pedagogy and how it relates to students’ mathematical thinking, this study takes teachers’ entry goals as its point of departure. Sixteen teachers participated in interviews at the end of the course. Recognising the situated nature of the development of pedagogic judgement in our analysis of teachers’ reflections on their learning, we report on the shift in their “problems of practice” towards actionable concerns about student inclusion. We argue that this shift underpins a fundamental change in their assumptions about teaching and learning and a critical stance towards their own professional practice, suggesting an important indicator of what constitutes sustainable professional development for critical mathematics education. Full article

Inclusion is an important aspect of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in education. This article will discuss the significance of recent developments in the field of school-based bullying prevention and evaluate their applicability to the policy discourse of inclusive education. Both inclusive education and school-based bullying remain contested phenomena without a clear consensus regarding their definition or how to operationalise them as concepts within school policy or practice effectively. UNESCO’s Scientific Committee has recently proposed the Whole Education Approach, which conceptualises a holistic, socially engaged, and interconnected vision for policy development in addressing school-based bullying prevention. Importantly, the Whole Education Approach conceptualises incidences of bullying as indicative of a deficit of care and support within the surrounding social environment, thus adopting an ecological and relational focus regarding bullying prevention. In addition, bullying prevention is viewed as requiring coherent collaboration between the school, family, and other relevant stakeholders in the local social community surrounding the school. This includes government funding, resource policies and national legal frameworks. This article argues that this approach may also have utility within inclusive education policy in supporting a more integrated and holistic promotion of social inclusion, underpinning equal opportunities in recognition of the diverse needs of all learners in schools. This article discusses the details of the Whole Education Approach and emphasises how this framework can also address educational inclusion by adopting an integrated, multi-elemental focus on supporting collaboration across stakeholders relevant to the lives of pupils within schools. Full article

English-medium instruction (EMI) is taking hold within higher education in non-Anglophone settings, but there is insufficient research into the challenges students encounter when taking EMI courses online. This exploratory quantitative study conducted in Hong Kong examines the language and studying challenges faced by undergraduate students when in-person classes were suspended due to COVID-19. One hundred thirteen first- and second-year students completed a questionnaire, rating their perceived challenges in the areas of writing, speaking, reading, listening, and study skills. The results showed that they faced particular challenges with reading and study skills (especially self-motivation), as well as vocabulary range, which affected more than one skill. Corroborating existing research, students with less secondary school EMI experience reported greater challenges. As providing English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses is a primary way to support the language skills of students in EMI settings, we offer guidance to EAP practitioners who seek to help their students overcome the challenges identified in this article. As online technology continues to deliver content in tertiary education, EAP courses must be closely aligned with the language and study skills needs of students in digital EMI environments. Full article

Distance education has gained great interest during the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools all over the world faced the challenge of transferring the traditional education processes to digital platforms. In this context, school communities not only discovered the new opportunities, but also encountered a number of problems when trying to provide high quality distance education and minimise learning losses for students. The rapid transition to distance education has had a negative impact on the academic results and daily routines of the students from all social groups, especially socially vulnerable families. Thus, it has become relevant to research various aspects of students’ learning losses. The purpose of this article is to theoretically substantiate the algorithm intended for assessing the effects of distance education on students’ academic results. The research was based on the methods of scientific literature analysis, secondary data analysis, theoretical modelling, inductive content analysis, and expert evaluation. The algorithm is intended for general education institutions. Results: After conducting scientific literature and secondary data analysis, the theoretical model for assessing the effects of distance education on students’ academic results was developed and substantiated. The model consists of four structural parts, represented by 11 criteria, which reveal the effects of distance education in general education following the appropriate algorithm. Full article

Inclusive values are integral to early childhood education and care (ECEC) policies, promoting equal participation opportunities and individual support for all children. Play serves as a method for meaningful engagement, mutual cultural knowledge creation, and learning within ECEC. Pedagogical play entails teachers’ observation, interaction, support, and guidance. This study investigates practical elements and methods employed by teaching staff and experienced by children during playful activities. Conducted as a case study in two culturally diverse ECEC centers during spring 2023, data collection involved video-recorded monitoring of children’s daily activities in five groups. Video data were transcribed and analyzed using content analysis tools to identify categories of inclusive play. Findings are presented as narratives to honor children’s experiences. The study identifies five elements of inclusive play: teachers’ active participation and presence, balanced repetition with flexible plans and adaptive goals, playful language fostering joy in play, non-verbal and kinesthetic communication with enabling tools, and emerging play marked by interaction and lasting intensity. These elements reveal opportunities and challenges for children’s inclusion and learning approaches, informing recommendations for promoting inclusive play in ECEC. Inclusive play emphasizes diverse strategies accommodating differences in learning styles and modes of knowledge expression among teaching staff and children. Full article

The representation gap in gifted and talented education poses a persistent challenge in educational systems worldwide. This theoretical manuscript presents the Bull’s Eye Model for Affective Development—Expansion (BEM-e) an innovative framework designed to address this gap. By incorporating elements from positive psychology, the BEM-e aims to identify and nurture traditionally underrepresented students who possess camouflaged gifted and talented abilities. Drawing upon the Engagement, Perseverance, Optimism, Connectedness, and Happiness model (EPOCH), along with measures of hope and metacognition, BEM-e provides a comprehensive approach to talent identification and service. The model emphasizes the holistic development of individuals by considering affective factors, engagement, perseverance, optimism, connectedness, happiness, hope, and metacognition. Additionally, dynamic assessment is integrated during the implementation of BEM-e modules, allowing for personalized and adaptive identification processes. Full article

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly important in various domains, making education about AI a necessity. The interdisciplinary nature of AI and the relevance of AI in various fields require that university instructors and course developers integrate AI topics into the classroom and create so-called domain-specific AI courses. In this paper, we introduce the “AI Course Design Planning Framework” as a course planning framework to structure the development of domain-specific AI courses at the university level. The tool evolves non-specific course planning frameworks to address the context of domain-specific AI education. Following a design-based research approach, we evaluated a first prototype of the tool with instructors in the field of AI education who are developing domain-specific courses in this area. The results of our evaluation indicate that the tool allows instructors to create domain-specific AI courses in an efficient and comprehensible way. In general, instructors rated the tool as useful and user-friendly and made recommendations to improve its usability. Future research will focus on testing the application of the tool for domain-specific AI course developments in different domain contexts and examine the influence of using the tool on AI course quality and learning outcomes. Full article

Utilizing the nationally representative Demographic and Health Survey dataset from 2016 and using the difference-in-difference technique, we compare the effect of the Universal Primary Education (UPE) policy on the educational attainment between girls and children with disabilities in Uganda. Although UPE is effective in bridging gender gaps, we observed no significant gaps between children with and without disabilities in poor households, indicating the difficulty parents with financial constraints face in investing in education regardless of disability. Additionally, for disabled samples, we observed a positive effect of UPE on years of schooling for full and female samples but not for poor households, indicating that simply waiving tuition fees as part of the UPE policy is not sufficient to increase access to education. Full article

In this exploratory case study, we investigated children’s ways of experiencing virtual worlds, such as Minecraft, and how this may affect their understanding of nature, scientific phenomena, and sustainable development; that is to say, Minecraft was explored as a boundary object in children’s making activities with Minecraft. The research questions that guided the study are: In what ways may Minecraft act as a boundary object between children’s formal and informal learning about science and sustainable development? In what ways may Minecraft act as a boundary object when children build relationships with nature? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six children. A thematic analysis approach was used to analyze the interviews. This study shows that in the Minecraft context, the children gained a breadth of everyday experiences related to scientific phenomena and sustainability. Further, the findings indicate that children merged their experiences in the virtual world with experiences in the physical world. In this sense, Minecraft involves science and sustainability content that crosses the boundary between the virtual world and reality. Thus, we suggest that Minecraft bridged children’s physical and virtual relationships with nature; that is to say, Minecraft became a boundary object that allowed children to experience nature and encounter knowledge that they would not otherwise have been able to experience. Full article

Shaping the competences of future teachers in a way that is appropriate to the current stage of development of the information society is, in the post-COVID era, a topical and important subject. The accumulation of experience in recent years with the use of digital edtech has forced the search for optimal solutions to support the learning and teaching process. Among such (still undervalued) solutions are video tutorials. This article answers the three research questions: (1) What are the benefits of using video tutorials in education? (2) What difficulties do future teachers face when creating educational tutorials? (3) What key knowledge and skills are required of teachers who wish to create video tutorials? The study (qualitative, based on structured interviews) involved 16 pre-service teachers (Poland) who attended a course on the introduction to the use of information technology in 2022/2023 at one of the leading academic universities in Poland. The collected data, showing the complexity of the use of this type of edtech, provide not only a simple diagnosis regarding the processes of creating and using video tutorials by future generations of teachers, but also allow for the modernisation of academic programmes that prepare pedagogical graduates to work in an increasingly digitalised world of education. Full article

With globalization, the demand for competent engineering graduates with international acumen increases. In order to respond to this rising demand, the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded the International Research Experiences in Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering (IRECCEE) program to understand the impact of international research experiences on students through a multidisciplinary lens. The program provides Ph.D. students in civil engineering disciplines the opportunity to gain valuable international research experience and establish long-lasting collaborations with international researchers. The program funds students to travel and perform research work at an international research institution. For every student, such research experience becomes the intervention. This paper discusses the program and the corresponding research framework with the aim that the research community can leverage such framework. The mixed-method research framework was designed to comprehensively capture the immediate and sustained impact of the program on the students’ competencies. With a multidisciplinary approach, the framework captures impacts on students’ intercultural competence, professional development, intellectual growth, personal development, and academic development. The data collection includes survey designs and interviews. In order to capture immediate and sustained impacts, data is collected before and multiple times after the intervention. Full article

School readiness can be used as a key target to support children’s social, emotional, language, and a wide range of communication skills, particularly to promote equity for children in a democratic society. This is especially important for Portuguese children attending early years foundation settings, as considering “school readiness” creates a much broader educational base for school subjects to subsequently build upon and, in particular, nurturing early years foundation stage Portuguese children’s literacy development in English, the privileged language of international communication. However, little is known about how the English language can be best taught at such young ages, as well as the unique outcomes from such an early exposure, at least in the Portuguese context. Language play has been argued to be a “universal” feature common to all human beings, regardless of their age. This study set out to prepare young preschool children with an English language background for the primary school years. As such, this study examined the impact of exposing children to classroom-based storybook reading sessions and original cartoon-based created materials, hence creating a print-referencing-style environment carried out during an academic year. The impacts on preschoolers’ early literacy development were examined, focusing specifically on the domain of print knowledge. The study reported here set out to determine to what extent a play-based, cross-curricular pedagogic programme for learning English, fastened in CLIL principles (English across the curriculum), could be effective in promoting early literacy development within an early years setting in Portugal, thus preparing children for the formal years of primary school to come. Fifteen native Portuguese preschool children (3–5 years old) were the focus of this study. Their engagement in English lessons was investigated through audio recordings of peer and group conversations. Cross-reference content analyses were carried out separately, with audio recordings of lessons and researcher’s field notes as part of triangulation of the data. Full article

(1) Background: Integrated standardized patient examinations (ISPEs) allow students to demonstrate competence with curricular learning and communication. Digital recordings of these experiences provide an objective permanent record, allowing students to review and improve their performance. Although recordings have been utilized as a tool in physical therapy education, no studies have described the impact of reviewing recordings of ISPE. This qualitative pilot study aimed to investigate student perceptions and learning after reviewing their recordings of ISPE. (2) Methods: Second-year Doctor of Physical Therapy students (n= 23) participated in the study by completing an anonymous online survey after reviewing their recordings from three ISPEs. Thematic analysis was used to identify codes and central themes from the survey data. (3) Results: The results showed that 95.6% of students found the video review process beneficial. Five themes emerged: (i) digital recordings provide an objective performance assessment, (ii) approaches to self-review vary, (iii) it provides an opportunity for growth, (iv) a holistic review is possible, and (v) students need structure and guidance in the process. (4) Conclusions: Study findings indicate that a review of the recordings of ISPEs facilitates the development of clinical skills for physical therapy students. Implementing an explicit framework for reviewing the recordings may enhance the process and facilitate further promotion of reflection-on-action. Full article

During the past two decades, higher education institutions have been experiencing challenges in transforming the traditional way of in-class teaching into blended learning formats with the support of e-learning technologies that make possible the collection and storing of considerable amounts of data on students. These data have considerable potential to bring digital technologies in education to a new level of personalized learning and data-driven management of the educational process. However, the way data are collected and stored in a typical university makes it difficult to achieve the mentioned goals, with limited examples of data being used for the purposes of learning analytics. In this work, based on the analysis of existing information systems and databases at Siberian Federal University, we propose principles of design for a university database architecture that allow for the development and implementation of a data-driven management approach. We consider various levels of detail of education data, describe the database organization and structure, and provide examples of learning analytics tools that can benefit from the proposed approach. Furthermore, we discuss various aspects of its implementation and associated questions. Full article

The present study examined parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of student learning in Spanish–English Dual Language Education (DLE) programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants included 72 parents of students from kindergarten to second grade and eight teachers in two schools in the southeastern U.S. Parents retrospectively reported their perceptions of their children’s instruction and learning experiences in English and Spanish during the 2020–2021 school year. Teachers reported if their students had opportunities to practice oral bilingual skills and their perception of students’ improvement in English and Spanish skills. Parents reported that there were more opportunities to practice English than there were to practice Spanish. Teachers reported that remote instruction offered fewer opportunities than hybrid instruction did to practice oral language skills. Overall, the teachers agreed that students’ language skills in English and Spanish improved. Similarly, the parents agreed that students’ language skills improved; however, they reported that their English skills improved more than their Spanish skills did. Student and family background factors, such as language fluency and parental education, were negatively associated with barriers to remote access. Implications for future research and suggestions for supporting students attending DLE programs during remote instruction are offered. Full article

Background: We conducted this scoping review to (1) comprehensively compile the published literature on interprofessional education focused on climate change and health, (2) assess the quality and outcomes of the existing curriculum interventions, and (3) highlight potential areas for further growth. By evaluating published curricular interventions, our goal was to highlight effective and validated developments that could be utilized by health professional educators seeking to include topics on climate change in the curriculum. Methods: We searched Ovid MEDLINE databases (MEDLINE, In-Process, In-Data-Review and Other Non-Indexed Citations, and Epub Ahead of Print), Embase, Clarivate Web of Science, and EBSCOhost Education Abstracts from inception through March 2023. Resulting articles were screened for relevance, and data were extracted from the included studies. The Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI) was used to assess the quality of each included study. Findings: We screened 688 unique articles, and 6 met inclusion criteria. Publications dated from 2013 to 2023. Three studies included students or healthcare professionals from at least three health profession education programs. The mean MERSQI score was 8·17 (SD = 1·34; range 6–10). Curricular interventions varied by study, and topics included effects of climate change on human health, effect of climate change on extreme weather events and infectious disease exposures, and role of health professionals in climate change communication. Studies did not utilize a two-group comparison design. Most studies used an assessment tool with content validity evidence, but no study provided evidence of validity for internal structure or relationships to other variables. Studies reported that curricular interventions improved outcomes related to both climate change and interprofessional education. Interpretation: Despite the growing call for health professional education focused on climate change and health, there remains a gap in the interprofessional curricular interventions that have been assessed. Full article

There is a growing awareness of the need to develop professional skills among university students, which is related to connecting learning to real life. In order to foster this connection, teachers may carry out activities that involve crossing boundaries, using theory in the practice of the professional context. This study presents a teaching experience consisting of a collaborative inquiry-based learning activity mediated by a WebQuest. Students analysed real digital literacy or digital inclusion projects implemented by local organisations to propose improvements by means of creating a digital educational product (a boundary object). This involved a change in context from the university environment to the socio-educational and professional setting. The aim of this study is to examine the students’ perception of this experience. For this purpose, a case study was conducted with a group of 39 first-year students of the bachelor’s degree in Social Education of the University of Barcelona. A questionnaire was administered and the responses were analysed from the perspective of Hermans’ Dialogical Self Theory and Star’s boundary objects. The results show that the students perceive the activity as a bridge between the two contexts, that they view this transition positively—albeit with certain limitations—and that they consider digital technology to have facilitated boundary crossing. In conclusion, we consider that the examined experience is useful in respect to closing the gap between academic and professional skills and contributes to the theoretical foundations for learning between contexts. Full article

While prior quantitative research has proposed a scale for measuring teacher educators’ professional identity in terms of two dimensions, a qualitative study and comprehensive review of the literature suggested that this factor actually consists of six dimensions: teacher of teachers, researcher, coach, curriculum developer, gatekeeper, and broker. The purpose of this study was to examine whether it is possible to measure teacher educators’ professional identity in terms of these six dimensions. A total of 192 teacher educators from Southeast Asian countries (Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand) participated in this study and responded to items we developed to measure their professional identity in addition to providing their basic attributes such as age, gender, highest level of education, and years of service as teachers or teacher educators. The results of a confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the six-factor model was acceptable and permitted the assessment of teacher educators’ professional identity in terms of six dimensions. The results also show that women exhibit a stronger professional identity as teachers of teachers than do men and that the higher the respondents’ highest level of education, the stronger their professional identity as teachers of teachers, coaches, curriculum developers, or gatekeepers. Full article

This study is based on an in-depth analysis of the Portuguese reality. The main question addressed concerns the effects of the pandemic on the social profile and conditions of participation, and higher education students’ sense of belonging in Portugal. The changes resulting from the pandemic will also be considered in light of the policies that have been pursued and implemented at the national level with the aim of increasing and enhancing students’ integration within the higher education community. The application of a longitudinal approach was made possible through institutional data and data produced by the EUROSTUDENT project. The results obtained clarify some of the immediate effects that the pandemic has had on higher education and on the social and academic conditions and contexts of students in Portugal. On a more structural level, these results also emphasise the importance of political choices in the process of democratisation and extending the system to new segments of the population. Full article

Teachers and researchers, in accordance with the main Portuguese curriculum documents in the area of Physical and Natural Sciences, agree that the development of scientific literacy is an integral part of basic education and report that the teaching of these skills is taking place in schools. However, few scientific literacy assessment instruments are available to assess students’ proficiency in using these skills. In this article, we describe the design and processes for gathering validity evidence for the development of the Avaliação da Literacia Científica Essencial (ALCE) instrument. The ALCE assesses scientific literacy skills of students at the end of the 3rd cycle of Basic Education, in the cognitive domains of understanding; analysing and evaluating phenomena; problems and everyday situations involving content knowledge and skills developed in the subjects of Natural Sciences and Physical Chemistry. Our validity argument, which includes the gathering of evidence based on the content and internal structure of the instrument and is grounded in the current literature on the validation of assessment instruments, supports the use of the instrument for the assessment of students’ scientific literacy level at the end of the 3rd cycle of Basic Education. The ALCE may be a useful tool to identify possible gaps between the teaching objectives and the students’ scientific literacy proficiency and reflect on the methodologies, lesson plans and strategies used in the classroom in order to change them to better develop the students’ scientific literacy. Full article

Entrepreneurship education, as an emerging scientific field, has undergone significant evolution at the conceptual and praxis levels. The concept of entrepreneurship was considered from a broad perspective as the capacity to act upon opportunities and ideas, thereby creating social, cultural, or financial value in diverse contexts. The study and cultivation of this competence are highly relevant to enhancing employability and equipping young people with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary within an entrepreneurial culture for the exercise of active citizenship. This study aims to consolidate the concept and analyse the pedagogical approaches in entrepreneurship education, particularly focusing on experiential learning. It also explores the most frequently used instructional methods in higher education programmes. The research is based on a comprehensive literature review, complemented by a case study of the entrepreneurship education programme implemented at the University of Lisbon, in Portugal, enriched by data collected from one of its curricular units. Experiential learning emerges as a valid approach in entrepreneurship teaching, especially when teachers effectively combine practical experience with theory while learners assume the shared responsibility of learning from experience. As the most recommended instructional methods, one can point to collaborative pedagogical models, namely problem-based learning, project-based learning, peer assessment, design thinking, formative feedback, service learning, and active methodologies that integrate digital technologies. Full article

Fine motor skills (FMS) are fundamental for children’s growth, influencing their writing progress and everyday activities. However, the development of these skills is a multifaceted process that is affected by various factors. Consequently, it becomes essential to comprehend the disparities in children’s fine motor skills (FMS) development and the predictive factors. To address this aspect, we aimed to investigate the development of children’s FMS, and the factors that can predict their development. Our analysis encompassed comparing FMS development between the two countries, examining gender and age discrepancies, and discerning the variables that predict FMS development. Employing a reliable instrument (the FMS development battery), we conducted a survey study involving 3050 Hungarian children living in both Slovakia and Hungary. The analysis, powered by R packages, yielded significant findings. Notably, students from Slovakia showcased significantly higher levels of FMS compared to their counterparts from Hungary. Furthermore, we observed a noteworthy gender disparity, with female students outperforming male students in both countries. Additionally, differences emerged across various age groups, indicating that older age groups exhibited more advanced FMS compared to their younger counterparts. With the help of regression analyses, our research also revealed the direct impact of gender and age on students’ FMS development, while parental education entered an indirect influence on this aspect. These discoveries offer valuable insights for educational leaders and policymakers seeking to enhance children’s FMS. Full article

Multiperspectivity in the classroom is both applauded and problematized, yet its learning potential remains, to some extent, inexplicit. Drawing on boundary crossing theory, this study aims to explicate the learning potential of discussing controversial topics (e.g., discrimination, organ donation) in the classroom from multiple perspectives. Cross-case analyses of interviews and classroom observations of eleven experienced teachers lead to distinguishing academic and personal approaches to multiperspectivity. When a teacher’s approach was not aligned with their students’ approach to multiperspectivity the learning potential of multiperspectivity became limited. We postulate that both approaches have strengths and weaknesses and that navigating between an academic and a personal approach is most conducive to fostering learning through multiperspectivity. Full article

This study investigated the effects of an online interprofessional education (IPE) program on nursing students at a university in Japan. It conducted a comparative analysis between traditional face-to-face and online interventions. All students who enrolled in the “Team Medical Practice” course in both 2019 and 2020 were invited to participate. After team-based learning with different healthcare professions, we quantitatively analyzed pre- and post-intervention outcomes using two measures: the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) and the IPE Questionnaire TSUKUBA model (IPET). We compared the results of 153 nursing students. The RIPLS results demonstrate significant pre- and post-intervention score differences in the teamwork and collaboration subscale for the online group only. The post-IPE score analysis revealed that scores were significantly higher in the online group in all subscales: Teamwork and collaboration, Opportunities for IPE, and Uniqueness of profession. Based on the IPET results, there were no significant differences in pre- and post-intervention scores. However, the online group showed a significant increase in post-intervention scores in participation in group work, thoughts about the team in health and welfare, and thoughts about interprofessional collaboration. These findings indicate that the online IPE program improved nursing students’ readiness for interprofessional learning, demonstrating practical efficacy. Full article