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Introduction: This study examined relationships of students' access of e‐learning (learning analytics) for a healthcare psychomotor skills course, approaches to learning (R‐SPQ‐2F psychometric) and academic achievement (summative examination results). An understanding of the relationships may help in supporting students learning. Methods: Two consecutive cohorts of 5th year dental students were asked to complete the R‐SPQ‐2F questionnaire and permission to access data of online videos and associated quizzes and two summative written examination results were examined. The summative assessments were an OSCA and a written‐paper question both in prosthodontics. Multiple linear regression and correlation analysis were performed. Results: Students (n=98) performed a total of 10470 video access events and 7714 attempts in online quizzes. Deep learning approach was the strongest predictor variable (β=0.270; P=.004) on written‐paper question result. While video and quiz access were moderately correlated (r=0.600; P<.001) to each other, video access was not a significant predictor to either of the examination results. Quiz access was negatively associated with academic achievement for the written‐paper question results (β=−0.349; P<.001). Conclusions: Only deep approach to learning appeared to be relevant for the written‐paper question examination grades. Conversely, the number of video and quiz access did not relate to either examination results. This suggests e‐learning access and examinations do not appear to relate under the conditions explored. Other attributes of learning management access may need to be explored to determine if access to learning management systems may be useful in offering remedial support to students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a large volume of published studies describing the positive role of Augmented Reality (AR) in educational settings. However, there is a paucity of empirical work that explores its role in supporting primary school pupil's motivation and creativity. Moreover, numerous studies have confirmed that pupils have difficulties in learning geometry and thinking geometrically. In this context, this paper explores the possibility of using AR software for low‐grade primary school pupils to enhance their creative thinking and increase their motivation during the informal geometry training course. A research‐based design process is adopted to replicate the primary school pupil's learning in this study, where pupils in the experimental group used mobile application to access AR virtual manipulatives, pupils in the control group used physical manipulatives. The applied AR technology allows pupils to handle 2D and 3D rounded corners and simple closed curves to find the most effective solutions for some learning challenges. Sixty‐two pupils from the first‐grade primary school in Egypt have participated in this study with the aim of investigating: (a) the primary school pupil's achievements and creative thinking in using AR techniques, and (b) the specific strategies that can increase their motivation and engagement. The most obvious finding to emerge from this study is that there was no statistically significant difference between the groups in geometry learning achievement, while statistically significant differences were found between the groups in the motivation and creative thinking skills in favour of the experimental group. Lay Description: What is already known about this topicAugmented Reality must have three characteristics: combining the real and virtual worlds, having real‐time interaction with the user and is being registered in a 3D environment.There is a growing body of literature that recognizes the importance of the 21st century skills in the new global economy.There has been significant interest in utilized AR in higher education. However, limited research has been conducted about integrating AR techniques to enhance young children's creative thinking skills and motivation in informal learning scenarios.To date, there are few studies that have investigated the association between augmented environment and learning theories. What this paper addsIntroduced an iterative methodology based on the cognitive theory of multimedia learning integrating the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as the inclusive learning approach for creating Smart‐flashcard as a mobile AR applications for elementary school.Research studies on informal learning are particularly limited, so this study can fill a gap in the literature.This paper provides a conceptual approach for AR design, based on multimedia learning theory.AR Smart‐flashcard application represents a shift away from traditional textbooks, flashcards and other learning material where children are limited to viewing learning content passively towards a more dynamic and augmented one. Implications for practice and/or policyUsing AR applications, children interact with the 3D models, enhance creativity and collaboration in teams.The informal education can play a crucial role in developing some of the skills required for the 21st century.The study also highlights the need for new approaches combing the technical learning tools and pedagogical foundation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2020 COVID‐19 pandemic closed most Canadian public schools for six consecutive months between March and September. This paper explores possible impacts of that closure on student achievement. Longstanding research suggests that lengthy periods of time out of school generally create losses of literacy and numeracy skills and widen student achievement gaps. New American studies have attributed sizeable learning losses to the COVID‐19 closures. In lieu of comparable Canadian data, this paper extrapolates from summer learning research to estimate likely shortfalls in literacy and numeracy skills. We draw on data from 14 cohorts of Ontario primary‐grade students collected between 2010 and 2015 in which 3,723 attended summer programs and 12,290 served as controls. Across three plausible scenarios, we use meta analyses and OLS and quintile regression models to predict learning losses of 3.5 and 6.5 months among typically‐performing and lower‐performing students respectively, and achievement gaps that grow up to 1.5 years among same grade peers. After qualifying these predictions, we recommend that provincial ministries offer targeted supplementary programs during the summer and synchronous instruction in the event of future school closures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Immersive virtual reality (IVR) applications that support student learning have gained increasing interest. However, empirical studies exploring the educational potential of using IVR in primary school science classrooms are lacking. Objectives: This study developed a series of IVR science lessons for primary school students and examined the effects of these lessons on learning outcomes. Methods: Our mixed‐method approach employed pre‐ and post‐tests to measure academic achievement, questionnaires to measure motivation and cognitive load, and semi‐structured interviews to further explore students' feelings and attitudes about IVR science lessons. Participants included 362 Grade 4 students assigned to either the experimental (IVR‐based classroom) or control (traditional classroom) groups. The experimental group engaged in IVR science lessons using Head‐Mounted Displays; the control group learned the same material through traditional methods. Results and conclusions: The results showed that the IVR‐based classroom significantly improved primary students' academic achievement and science motivation and decreased their cognitive load. Moreover, the experimental group reported positive experiences with the IVR science lessons. Takeaways: These findings help unpack the relationships between IVR and academic achievement, science motivation, and cognitive load in primary school science lessons, thus providing insight on integrating IVR into existing classrooms. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Non‐immersive virtual reality (IVR) has been used effectively in science learning.The 2D nature of non‐IVR can limit VR technology's educational effectiveness. What this paper adds: Evidence that IVR allows students to more fully engage in science educational subjects.Evidence that IVR can increase primary students' academic achievement.Evidence that IVR can increase primary students' science motivation.Evidence that IVR can decrease primary students' cognitive load. Implications for practice and/or policy: Adding IVR in primary classrooms can enhance science learning.Implementing IVR with head‐mounted displays can enrich primary school education.IVR‐based lessons can support primary students' successful learning in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the popularity and particularity of basketball, the athletes face a potential "Sport Commitment Crisis" due to immense pressures from academics, training, employment, and college. To date, research in sports has demonstrated the relationship between coach trust and sport commitment; however, the relationship among teammates is yet to be explored. We examined whether teammate trust is related to commitment and if prosocial and antisocial behaviors mediate these relationships. Right before a game, the college basketball players (N = 570) were asked to complete a multi-section questionnaire measuring the aforementioned variables. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that athletes' perceptions of their teammates' trust were positively related to their sport commitment, and these relationships were mediated by teammate prosocial behavior. In contrast, antisocial behavior did not affect their relationship. The findings suggest that teammate trust could facilitate sport commitment in athletes, which could occur via prosocial behavior. Current college athletes face multiple pressures such as academics, sports training, and future employment, which cause their continuous participation in sports training and competitions to be shaken, resulting in a decline in sport commitment. This study starts from the perspective of team atmosphere and peer behavior, and selects college basketball players on a large scale in China, because basketball is popular among Chinese college students and has brought greater social attention. In the process of playing basketball, the interaction between members is high, and the emotional factor with teammates is even more important. Therefore, the choice of research participants is also one of the advantages of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The numbers of UK students choosing to study abroad for a period has increased steadily over the years, with many students citing academic, professional, linguistic and cultural reasons as their key motivations. However, while there is an abundance of literature on the advantage of study abroad (SA) for linguistic learning, there is less known about the academic impact of studying abroad. In addition, because SA is largely a process of self‐selection, this makes it difficult to derive unbiased estimates of its impact on academic achievement. Using data on students from a London‐based Russell Group university, and categorising SA students as those who participated in credit‐seeking SA programmes through Erasmus or bilateral/multilateral agreements with partner universities, this paper uses individual fixed effects to compare the post‐SA grades for students who sojourned with their expected grades had they not sojourned, as well as with their non‐SA counterparts. The results are quite robust across subgroups and indicate that grades in year 3 are less than expected for the SA group, given their pre‐sojourn grades. To tackle the problem of self‐selection, outcomes for SA students were compared to the group who applied but did not eventually study abroad, and to the outcomes for students who did not apply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship of service quality dimensions (tangibility, responsiveness, assurance, reliability, empathy, and e‐learning) on student's academic performance through student motivation, and student satisfaction. Primary data were collected from 384 participants studying in higher education institutes (HEI's) in the Punjab province of Pakistan and the research model was empirically tested. The findings reveal that all service quality dimensions (tangibility, responsiveness, assurance, reliability, empathy, and e‐learning) are positively associated with student's academic performance through student's motivation and student satisfaction. This study makes a substantial contribution to the literature of service quality, by adding a novel dimension "e‐learning" into the most renowned and frequently used SERVQUAL (tangibility, reliability, empathy, assurance, and responsiveness) model. By doing so we not only establish the link between e‐learning and student's academic performance through student satisfaction and student motivation but also extended the SERVQUAL model by incorporating an important neglected area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Researchers debate whether game‐based learning (GBL) affects students' achievement emotions, as past studies yielded mixed results. Objectives: This study determines the overall effect of GBL on students' positive achievement emotion and their negative achievement emotions (PAEs, NAEs), along with their moderators. Methods: This meta‐analysis examined true or quasi‐experimental studies, reported in English or Chinese, and with students (ranging from primary schools to universities) who did not report physiological and/or psychological illnesses. Results: Compared to traditional instruction, GBL had a positive effect on students' PAEs (g =0.526, k = 39, 95% CI = [0.319, 0.733]) and a negative effect on NAEs (g = −0.517, k = 22, 95% CI = [−0.709, −0.324]). GBL's positive effects on students' PAEs were (a) largest in middle school and otherwise generally larger in higher grades, and (b) largest for competition GBLs (compared to cooperative or individual GBLs). GBL's negative effects on students' NAEs were (a) larger in collectivist cultures than individualistic ones, (b) progressively larger in primary school, middle school, and university, (c) larger for non‐digital games than digital games, (d) smallest for individual games, (e) progressively larger in mathematics, social sciences, language, science, and highest in engineering and technology, and (f) smallest for extremely short or extremely long intervention durations (very short: up to 45 min; very long: over 2 months). Take Away: GBL often increases students' PAEs and decreases their NAEs, though their effect sizes differ across cultural values, grade level, game type, academic subject, or intervention duration. Hence, educators should consider these aspects when designing / selecting education games for their students and instructional contexts. Lay Description: What is already known: There are many definitions concerning educational games, resulting in a lack of consensus in conceptualisation.The impact of educational games on students' learning and development has aroused significant interest among scholars.As previous studies have shown mixed results, whether GBL supports or hinders students' achievement emotions remains ambiguous. What this paper adds: Contribution to a clarification of the overall effect sizes of educational games on students' positive and negative achievement emotions (PAEs and NAEs).Insights into the impacts of educational games on students' PAEs and NAEs taking into account some moderator variables (e.g., cultural values, grade level, game type, academic subject, intervention duration). Implications for practice: Planners, implementers and evaluators of GBL should carefully consider the appropriateness of digital games in learning.GBL can be appropriately applied in teaching to control the fluctuations of middle school students' NAEs.Concrete suggestions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performance assessment is ubiquitous and crucial in people analytics. Scientific impact, particularly, plays a significant role in the academia. This paper attempts to understand researchers' career trajectories by considering the research community as a social network, where individuals build ties with each other via coauthorship. The resulting linkage facilitates information flow and affects researchers' future impact. Consequently, we systematically investigate the career trajectories of researchers with respect to research impact using the social capital theory as our theoretical foundation. Specifically, for early‐stage and mid‐career academics, we find that connections with prominent researchers associate with greater impact. Brokerage positions, in addition, are beneficial to a researcher's research impact in the long run. For senior researchers, however, the only social network feature that significantly affects their future impact is the reputation of their recently built ties. Finally, we build predictive models on future research impact which can be leveraged by both organizations and individuals. This paper provides empirical evidence for how social networks provide signals on researchers' career dynamics guided by social capital theory. Our findings have implications for individual researchers to strategically plan and promote their careers and for research institutions to better evaluate current as well as prospective employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research shows that active pedagogies could play an important role in achieving more equitable outcomes for diverse groups of students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Although flipped classes are a popular active methodology, there is a lack of high‐quality studies assessing their impact in ecologically valid settings and exploring how outcomes are related to gender and to prior education. Purpose: This paper presents two modified replications of an experimental study investigating the impact of the flipped class approach on students' achievement in a large, first‐year class in an engineering bachelor's degree. Methodology: We added a new strand, progressively flipped over 3 years, to eight parallel strands of a high‐stakes mandatory linear algebra course for engineers. The study followed a replicated‐between‐subjects design, with students in the flipped strand learning the same material as those in the other strands and taking the same final exam. Results: Our results demonstrate that the flipped format did not have any significant impact on students' achievement compared to traditional lecturing. However, both replications in the flipped condition show a reduced attainment gap for women and students with less prior knowledge in mathematics. Conclusion: While the flipped class seems to have weaker effects on learning than other active methodologies, the evidence in this study indicates that it may have an impact on reducing the attainment gap between different groups of students. It may therefore be particularly interesting to consider in efforts to achieve more equitable outcomes for women and where students have heterogeneous educational backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we investigate the link between the language in which pupils take the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test and the scores they achieve in this assessment, focusing upon the case of Wales. Using five rounds of PISA data and an instrumental variable approach, we show how pupils who took the test in Welsh score around 0.3 standard deviations (30 PISA test points) lower in reading, mathematics and science than their peers who took the test in English. This finding is robust to different model specifications and statistical approaches. We argue that this may indicate that the academic performance of teenagers in Wales may be underestimated in PISA – particularly amongst those who take this test in Welsh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Brain tumours are the most common and fatal of all solid tumours for children and adolescents. The effects of the tumour and treatment (chemotherapy, radiation, and/or surgery) results in significant disruptions to childhood development and large amounts of missed schooling. Among other challenges for families, this produces obstacles for children and adolescents to achieve and maintain academic performance and experience positive schooling encounters. Aims: We thus aimed to systematically identify and synthesize qualitative evidence on how families experience paediatric brain tumour from diagnosis and beyond with regards to their schooling and education to identify gaps in service delivery, research, and policy. Methods: A protocol for this review was registered with PROSPERO (ID: CRD42020177165). Searches were conducted in Medline, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Embase, and Web of Science, and yielded 22 eligible papers (representing 17 studies). Data were extracted into NVivo12 and analysed by qualitative description. Results: We formed the following domain summaries: academic (perceived failure to keep up with peers and finding success where one could, the importance of encouragement for diagnosed children), social (the importance of friendships and the harm of bullying), and support (the defining factor in overall return‐to‐school experience, often not enough received from educational professionals and clinicians). Our review highlights the need for more comprehensive, individualized, and integrated support for diagnosed children to return to educational institutions, and for the need to address their social experiences, particularly with regards to bullying, potentially through a school‐wide social and emotional learning approach. Conclusion: Funding support, evidence‐based guidelines, staff skill development, and clear communication structures across families, health care facilities, schools, and educational departments are essential to achieving this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Since the outbreak of COVID‐19, online courses have been extensively used from K‐12 to higher education. Online learning engagement, an important factor in online learning success, is currently at a low level in high school. Meanwhile, the research on the factors that influence high school students' online learning engagement is still limited. Objectives: Based on the theories of regulatory focus and value control, this study developed a multi‐mediation model to investigate whether self‐efficacy and academic emotions can mediate the relationship between regulatory focus and online learning engagement. Methods: A total of 926 high school student (52.16% female, mean age = 16.47 years) were recruited to participate in this study and completed self‐report measures of regulatory focus, online learning engagement, online learning self‐efficacy and academic emotions. And we used SPSS macro PROCESS developed by Hayes to examine the mediating role of online learning self‐efficacy and academic emotions. Results and Conclusions: The results indicated that promotion focus had a stable positive effect on online learning engagement of high school students, whereas prevention focus had a significant negative effect on the same. Self‐efficacy and positive emotions had a significant positive mediating effect between promotion focus and online learning engagement. Moreover, positive emotions had a significant positive mediating effect between the prevention focus and online learning engagement, while negative emotions had a significant negative mediating effect between them. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Regulatory focus is a self‐regulatory motivational orientation that has a significant impact on online learning for university students.Self‐efficacy and academic emotions are among the main factors that influence online learning engagement.Online learning has spread due to the COVID‐19 pandemic. Lack of understanding of online learning engagement for high school students. Lack of experience of teachers in teaching online. What this paper adds: Promotion focus had a steady significant positive effect on high school students' online learning engagement, while prevention focus had a significant negative effect on high school students' online learning engagement.Self‐efficacy and positive emotion had a significant positive mediating effect between promotion focus and online learning engagement.Positive emotion had a significant positive mediating effect between prevention focus and online learning engagement, while negative emotions had a significant negative mediating effect between them. Implications for practice and/or policy: These findings provide suggestions for instructional strategies for the online classroom. (1) It is important for online teachers to design appropriate learning contexts to initiate a promotion focus for learners in order to increase online learning engagement. For example, by designing online learning contextual elements such as learning activities, learning atmosphere, social interactions, media resources, and contexts, online learners' tendency to promotion focus is activated and learners' level of engagement in online learning is increased. (2) Online teachers can promote learning engagement by initiating a promotion focus, or they can improve students' accountability by initiating their prevention focus, as appropriate. (3) To ensure a certain level of engagement in online learning, teachers should use teaching and learning assessment methods that are predominantly promotion‐focused and supplemented by prevention‐focused methods to accommodate students' different motivational orientations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Returning to learn following a concussion is the process of managing a student's recovery during the school day by implementation of academic supports with varying intensity. Due to a lack of consensus or even guidance on Return to Learn, this paper set out to establish cross discipline consensus on some essential elements of Return to Learn using a Delphi method. METHODS: Sixteen national organizations participated in a Delphi process to reach consensus on overarching themes of Return to Learn focused on: returning a student to school, composition of the school‐based concussion management team, progress‐monitoring, educational safeguards, neuropsychological testing, and legislation. Two rounds of questionnaires were disseminated via email using a Delphi process. Consensus was established during round 2. RESULTS: Twelve national organizations were able to reach consensus and endorse 13 essential elements of Return to Learn following a concussion. CONCLUSIONS: There continues to be limited research on concussion Return to Learn leading to confusion in the field. In this paper, we demonstrate consensus on a number of essential elements, from a wide variety of professional disciplines who participate in the care of students following a concussion, as a starting place for some guidance on Return to Learn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the perceptions and experiences of a teacher and students in a Shanghai public primary school when digital games were used in a second‐grade math class. The participants included one teacher and 45 students. Data collection methods included classroom observation, focus‐group and individual interviews, and document analysis. Digital gameplay, when used once daily over a 6‐day period, was found to enhance student engagement and interest in learning; many students, however, were concerned about its effect on academic achievement and eyesight. The teacher employed a "making thinking visible" approach using pencil and paper and problem‐solving strategies to help students understand the game's mathematical principles and master mathematical knowledge. Obstacles included large class size, difficulty evaluating learning outcomes, balancing fun and learning, and effective game–classroom integration. This study found that exam‐oriented education and traditional teacher‐centred teaching in China influenced participants' perceptions and experiences of digital game‐based learning. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Digital game‐based learning is effective and leads to a more relaxed learning environment that promotes students' engagement, interest, motivation, and confidence.Learning with digital games helps students acquire mathematics knowledge more effectively than traditional classroom lectures.Digital game‐based learning is helpful in math class as it makes students feel challenged and more capable, thereby improving self‐efficacy and task persistence. What this paper adds: Mathematics teachers and students have a contradictory attitude that shows both approval and concern towards game‐based learning.In the Chinese context, exam‐oriented culture is an important factor that influences the teacher's and students' perceptions and experiences of digital game‐based learning.While digital game‐based learning helps students' engagement and interest in math, it also faces numerous challenges such as large class size, balancing fun and learning, and effective game–classroom integration. Implications for practice and/or policy: Digital game‐based learning may be more effective when combined with pencil and paper to write down the process and make thinking visible.Fun and learning should be balanced in digital game‐based learning.Teachers need training and support for digital game‐centred programmes to succeed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Childhood speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) impose a significant burden on individuals, families and society. There are explicit costs related to increased health utilization and expenditure. Additionally, there may be indirect costs associated with a child's employment prospects in the long term because of the child's low literacy and numeracy, which in turn affects adult labour force participation (LFP). Several reviews have identified that there is paucity of published evidence on the costs of SLCN. Motivated by broad policy implications, and the lack of prior research in this area, this paper calculates the indirect costs and workplace productivity losses of children with SLCN. Aims: To estimate the indirect costs of SLCN associated with a child's reduced long‐term productivity. Methods & Procedures: Using 12 years of data from a longitudinal study of Australian children, we employed a panel fixed‐effects model to estimate academic achievement at 14–15 years of age. Using these estimates, we employed a human capital approach (HCA) to estimate the projected LFP for children with SLCN, measured by workforce participation and foregone wages. LFP is estimated by extrapolating a child's academic achievement at 14–15 years of age to adulthood outcomes. Outcomes & Results: The results showed that a 1 SD (standard deviation) decrease in SLCN is equivalent to 0.19 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.09, 0.30) SD decrease in academic achievement at 14–15 years, 0.79% (95% CI = 0.37, 1.21) decrease in work participation and A$453 (95% CI = A$207, A$674) per annum in lost wages. The average work participation penalty across all level of SLCN (–3, –2, –1) is A$628 (95% CI = A$236, A$894) per person per year. Based on the prevalence of 8.3% from our sample, this equates to lifetime costs of A$21.677 billion (US$14.28 billion, €13.08 billion, £11.66 billion) for children with SLCN in Australia. Speech pathology treatment appears to have a positive impact on work participation and wages. On average A$355 (95% CI = A$346, A$355) per person per year could be saved through treatment or identification (the difference in lost wages for children with and without speech pathology treatment at each SLCN level (–1, –2 ,–3) calculated as a weighted average). This equates to lifetime savings of A$5.22 billion (US$3.44 billion, €3.15 billion, £2.81 billion) for children with SLCN in Australia. Conclusions & Implications: Overall, the findings showed that SLCN are associated with increased indirect costs through reduced workforce participation. The evidence from this study can be used to inform policies on the societal costs of SLCN. What this paper addsWhat is already known on this subjectChildhood SLCN impose significant burden on individuals, families and society. There are explicit costs related to increased health utilization and expenditure. Additionally, there may be indirect costs associated with a child's employment prospects in the long term because of the child's low literacy and numeracy, which in turn affects adult LFP. Several reviews have identified that there is paucity of published evidence on the costs of SLCN. Motivated by broad policy implications, and the lack of prior research in this area, this paper calculates the indirect costs and workplace productivity losses of children with SLCN.What this paper adds to existing knowledgeThis study estimates the academic achievement and indirect costs of SLCN associated with a child's reduced long‐term productivity. Using 12 years of data from a longitudinal study of Australian children, we employed a panel fixed‐effects model to estimate academic achievement at 14–15 years of age. Using these estimates, we used a human capital approach to estimate the projected LFP for children with SLCN, measured by workforce participation and foregone wages. LFP is estimated by extrapolating a child's academic achievement at 14–15 years of age to adulthood outcomes.What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?SLCN are associated with increased indirect costs through reduced workforce participation. The evidence from this study provides one of the first indirect cost estimates of how SLCN impacts LFP through educational achievement. Early identification, intervention and screening for SLCN may be useful offsets to reduce the economic effects identified here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotions are critical to learning. However, the function of emotions in the emerging context of massive open online courses (MOOCs) has been under‐researched. The present study complemented this line of research by modelling the relation between learner emotions, engagement with videos, engagement with assignments, and self‐perceived achievement in a small private online course—a localized instance of an extended MOOC. The results suggested that whereas enjoyment, excitement, boredom, and annoyance were all significant predictors of video engagement, only excitement and annoyance were significant predictors of assignment engagement. Excitement, in particular, was the strongest or stronger predictor of both types of engagement. In addition, both types of engagement predicted self‐perceived achievement, but video engagement predicted self‐perceived achievement via the mediation of assignment engagement. Implications for designing more effective MOOCs were proposed. Lay Description: What is currently known about the subject Emotions predict engagement in learning settings other than MOOCs.Engagement predicts achievement in learning settings including MOOCs.Assignment engagement predicts achievement in MOOCs better than video engagement. What this paper adds The two types of engagement are predicted by different sets of emotions.Engagement predicts self‐perceived achievement in the SPOC.Video engagement predicts self‐perceived achievement via the mediation of assignment engagement.The majority of systematic reviews did not evaluate the quality of the primary papers which they examined. Implications for practitioners MOOC researchers should pay more attention to the design of assignments.MOOC developers should try to build more emotionally‐sound courses and platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As educational digital technologies are increasingly being used in schools, past research left unanswered the question of these technologies' impact on the socioeconomic achievement gap even when equal access is guaranteed. Objectives: The objectives of the present study are to examine whether and how the socioeconomic achievement gap can be reduced through the use of computer‐assisted instruction (CAI). Methods: We addressed this issue experimentally by comparing CAI to conventional teacher‐led classroom instruction with more than 800 middle and high school students from disadvantaged and highly privileged socioeconomic backgrounds in a range of topics. Results and Conclusions: Both disadvantaged and highly privileged students taught with CAI outperformed those taught with conventional instruction, thus maintaining the socioeconomic achievement gap constant. However, we also found that disadvantaged students receiving CAI performed as well as highly privileged students receiving conventional teacher‐led instruction. Takeaways: The positive effects associated with CAI may therefore help compensate the difficulties of students with a disadvantaged background, a still neglected possibility. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic?: Socioeconomic status affects academic achievement especially in students from disadvantaged backgrounds.Inequal access to digital learning is a by‐product of socioeconomic status.Computer‐assisted instruction is known to yield positive effects on learning. What this paper adds?: It examines the effectiveness of computer‐assisted instruction on reducing the socioeconomic achievement gap when equal access to digital education is guaranteed at the school level.It shows that computer‐assisted instruction (relative to teacher‐led conventional instruction) benefited disadvantaged students and their highly privileged counterparts equally, shifting the socioeconomic achievement gap upward.However, disadvantaged students receiving CAI may reach similar performance level as their highly privileged counterparts receiving conventional instruction, thus compensating the socioeconomic achievement gap. Implications for practice and/or policy: This finding strengthens the importance of targeting teaching methods depending on students' socioeconomic characteristics to allow disadvantaged students to maximize their learning potential and chances to access to higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a scarcity of studies on online flipped learning in teacher education classes. Many studies have found that student learning is improved in flipped learning environments; however, this is still an open question. Much of the literature employs quantitative methods to reveal the effect of flipped learning on certain variables such as engagement, performance, and so on, but there have been few studies that investigate the Community of Inquiry variables perceived by learners in flipped learning environments. Objectives: This study investigated the levels of teaching, social, and cognitive presence of teacher candidates in an online flipped learning community, whether these variables were related to academic achievement, and teacher candidates' experiences with the online flipped learning approach. Methods: A case study research design was used in this study. Without any face‐to‐face meetings, the course was delivered using an online flipped learning approach. While quantitative data were collected from 34 teacher candidates, 16 teacher candidates participated in the qualitative part of the study. Focus group interviews, an open‐ended questionnaire, a Community of Inquiry Scale, and teacher candidates' course grades were used to collect data. Both descriptive and content analysis were used to analyze the data. Results and Conclusions: In the current study, effective online flipped learning design fostered teaching presence, with perceived teaching presence having the highest mean and perceived social presence having the lowest. Course videos prepared by the instructor, as well as synchronous activities such as peer presentations, questions, and video discussion, all contributed to cognitive presence through the practice of theoretical knowledge. Although none of the variables in the community of inquiry were related to academic achievement, computer‐based games like Kahoot contribute to a positive online flipped learning community. Many benefits of online flipped learning have been stated, including providing active, flexible, autonomous, and interactive instruction through the use of technology, creating a fun learning environment, and increasing perceived learning and interaction with the instructor. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: The contribution of flipped learning to achievement is still an issue open to discussion.There are limited studies investigating the Community of Inquiry variables perceived by learners in flipped learning environments.Instructors need effective flipped learning designs, especially for teacher candidates as teachers teach the way they have been taught.Face‐to‐face learning activities are the driving force behind effective flipped learning which is replaced by synchronous meetings in online flipped learning. What this paper adds: This study adds to limited research related to the online flipped learning model in teacher training learning environments.This study uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate how teacher candidates perceive Community of Inquiry variables (teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence) in the online flipped learning environment.This study designs an effective online flipped learning course with online plays and synchronous activities.This study reveals the experiences of teacher candidates in terms of activities, their contribution to learning, communication, and community of inquiry perceptions. Implications for practice and/or policy: Effective online flipped learning designs foster teacher presence.Synchronous activities should include peer presentations, questions, or jigsaw activities to increase social and cognitive presence.Course videos prepared by the instructor contribute to cognitive presence through the practice of theoretical knowledge in synchronous meetings.Computer‐based plays such as Kahoot contribute to a positive online flipped learning community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many medical students may encounter a range of academic and personal challenges during their course of study, but very little is known about their experiences. Our aim was to review the literature to inform future scholarship and to inform policy change. Methods: A scoping review was conducted searching PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycInfo, British Education Index, Web of Science and ERIC for English language primary research with no date limits. This retrieved 822 papers of which eight met the requirements for inclusion in the review. Data were independently reviewed by two researchers and underwent thematic analysis by the research team. Results: Three major themes emerged. Theme 1: 'Identity preservation' addressed students' aim to preserve their sense of self in the face of academic difficulty and their tendency to seek support. This connected the apprehension many students expressed about their educational institutions to Theme 2: 'The dual role of the medical school'—medical schools are required to support struggling students but are predominantly seen as a punitive structure acting as the gatekeeper to a successful career in medicine. Students' apprehension and attempts to protect their identities within this complex landscape often resulted in 'maladaptive coping strategies' (Theme 3). Conclusion: Understanding and exploring the academic challenges faced by medical students through their own experiences highlight the need for the development of more individualised remediation strategies. Educators may need to do more to bridge the gap between students and institutions. There is a need to build trust and to work with students to enhance their sense of self and remediate approaches to engagement with learning, rather than focusing efforts on success in assessments and progression. Kirtchuk et al review qualitative studies of students' experiences with academic challenges. Their results highlight a need for institutions to build students' trust, enhance their self‐esteem, and improve engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Math fluency (MF) is the ability to quickly and accurately solve simple math exercises. Proficiency in MF is one of the buildings of arithmetic achievement during school. However, so far only paper and pencil tests have been used to assess MF. In the current study, we present the BGU‐MF (Ben‐Gurion University Math Fluency) test, a new computerized tool for MF. MF was assessed by accuracy rates, response times, and the number of performed exercises. In order to examine its reliability, participants performed the test twice. In order to examine its validity, participants performed manual format of MF from the Woodcock–Johnson battery. Results indicated high reliability and validity of the BGU‐MF test. Performance in the BGU‐MF also predicted abilities in the math matriculation exam and psychometric exam. The advantages of the BGU‐MF computerized tool over the manual tool and further implications of the BGU‐MF are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant body of the literature has documented the potential of Augmented Reality (AR) in education, but little is known about the effects of AR‐supported instruction in tertiary‐level Medical Education (ME). This quasi‐experimental study compares a traditional instructional approach with supplementary online lecture materials using digital handout notes with a control group (n = 30) and an educational AR application with an experimental group (n = 30) to investigate any possible added‐value and gauge the impact of each approach on students' academic performance and training satisfaction. This study's findings indicate considerable differences in both academic performance and training satisfaction between the two groups. The participants in the experimental group performed significantly better than their counterparts, an outcome which is also reflected in their level of training satisfaction through interacting and viewing 3D multimedia content. This study contributes by providing guidelines on how an AR‐supported intervention can be integrated into ME and provides empirical evidence on the benefits that such an approach can have on students' academic performance and knowledge acquisition. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Several studies have applied various Augmented Reality (AR) applications across different learning disciplines.The effects of AR on students' perceptions and achievements in higher education contexts is well‐documented.Despite the increasing use of AR‐instruction in Medical Education (ME), there has been no explicit focus on AR's effects on students' academic performance and satisfaction.What this paper adds This quasi‐experimental study compares the academic performance and training satisfaction of students in an experimental group (AR) and a control group (handout notes).This study provides instructional insights into, and recommendations that may help students achieve better academic performance in AR‐supported ME courses.The experimental group reported greater training satisfaction than their counterparts.Implications for practice and policy Students who followed the AR‐supported instruction achieved better academic performance that those in the control group.AR‐supported interventions encourage active learning and lead to significant performance improvement.The experimental group outperformed the control group in academic performance and training satisfaction measurements, despite the lower experimental group's lower pre‐test performance scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research has shown that achievement goals and reading instruction play important roles in students' reading performance. However, little is known about the specific effects of different types of achievement goals and reading instructional practices on reading performance in mainland China. Methods: This study used Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 data to examine the effects of Chinese students' achievement goals and perceived reading instruction on reading performance. Four districts in mainland China, Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang (B–S–J–Z), participated in PISA 2018. A profile of B–S–J–Z students' achievement goals and perceived reading instruction compared with those in other East Asian societies is presented. The relative contributions of different achievement goals, instructional practices at the student and school levels, and their interactive effects on reading performance are then examined by using hierarchical linear modelling. Results: The results show that performance and avoidance goals are important for B–S–J–Z students' reading performance when classroom and school teaching environments are considered. The disciplinary climate, adaptative instruction and teachers' stimulation are positively related to reading performance at both the student and school levels. Some cross‐level interactions between personal achievement goals and school reading instruction are found. Conclusions: The findings suggest that achievement goals and reading instructional practices at both the student and school levels contribute to Chinese students' reading performance. The relationships between school reading instruction practices and students' reading performance vary for different achievement goals. Highlights: What is already known about this TopicAchievement goals affect student reading performance.Mastery‐oriented reading instructional practices impact students' goal adoption and reading performance.Few studies have investigated the interactions between achievement goals and instructional practices in the reading domain on a large and systematic scale.Achievement goals and reading instruction in East Asian societies are influenced by Confucian culture. What this paper addsCompared with students from other East Asian societies, B–S–J–Z students had a higher degree of mastery and performance goals and held positive perceptions about reading instruction.Performance and avoidance goals showed positive effects on students' reading performance.The disciplinary climate, adaptive instruction and teachers' stimulation had significant positive effects on reading performance at both the student and school levels; teacher support only showed a positive effect at the student level.There are cross‐interaction effects between achievement goals at the student level and reading instructional practices at the school level. Implications for theory, policy or practiceThe similarities and differences between the findings in this study and previous studies conducted in Western countries suggest the importance of examining the complexity of achievement goals in different cultural settings.Effective reading instructional practices and adaptive achievement goals can increase students' reading performance.Having positive achievement goals seems especially important for facilitating students' reading performance in schools that demonstrate a low degree of effective instructional practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reading amount is decisive for individual students' academic success as well as for the general strength of democratic societies. Still, the amount of both leisure‐time and school‐related reading is decreasing. To reverse this trend, more knowledge of what drives students' school reading is needed. Drawing on Self‐Determination Theory (SDT), the study is based on structured interviews with 259 students in Grades 6 and 9 from 14 different schools. Descriptive statistical analyses were made to map students' perceptions of themselves as readers and their school‐related reading practices and to find out what regulates students' motivation for in‐class reading. Although students express a strong will to become good readers, our data indicate that students are mainly driven by controlled motivation for their school‐related reading; autonomous motivation was only expressed by a minority of students in Grade 6. What would make students read more are mainly text and instruction related factors such as more interesting texts and more time allocated to reading. Our results point to a great potential for more in‐class reading across the curriculum, reading sessions that need to be regularly scheduled using carefully selected texts. In line with SDT, our findings highlight the importance of fulfilling students' need for competence, relatedness, and autonomy in order for them to develop more self‐determined behaviour, such as leisure‐time reading – which in turn will boost their reading self‐concept. Highlights: What is already known about this topicStudents who practice reading more tend to become more competent readers and therefore develop a more positive relationship with reading and themselves as readers (reading self‐concept).Autonomous motivation strongly predicts reading achievement, whereas controlled motivation negatively predicts reading outcomes.The amount of both leisure‐time and school‐related reading is decreasing in many parts of the western world, highlighting the need for schools to find new ways of engaging students in reading practices. What this paper addsStudents want to be good readers and know that they need to read more to become good readers.In contrast to leisure‐time reading, students' school‐related reading practices are driven far more by controlled than autonomous motivation, especially by the time they reach secondary school.Students would read more if they were provided with more interesting texts, the possibility to choose, and if more class time were allocated to reading. Implications for theory, policy or practiceAutonomy‐supporting reading sessions need to be regularly and amply scheduled across the curriculum to ensure reading practices that can develop reader competence.Schools need to ensure that students have access to a variety of texts to choose from according to both personal interest and level of difficulty.Educators need to design reading practices that fulfil students' need for competence, relatedness, and autonomy in order for them to develop more self‐determined behaviour and a more positive perception of themselves as readers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research on academic development has mainly focused on early time periods with less attention on individual differences in development in the later school years. Methods: To improve our knowledge of how students develop academically during later school years, this study used a multivariate growth model to investigate the developmental trajectories of literacy and math skills in a sample of Australian students in fifth through ninth grades (n = 114). Results: Students progressed at greater average rates in math from primary to secondary school than in literacy. Both literacy and math skills showed significant individual differences in growth rate at Grade 9. There was no evidence of an association between change in math and change in literacy. Primary school socioeconomic status was not a statistically significant predictor of inter‐individual differences in the development of either literacy or math. Conclusions: These results, taken together, suggest that both domain‐general and domain‐specific influences act on the development of these academic skills. Highlights: What is already known about this topicWe know that developmental trajectories for literacy and math skills demonstrate considerable inter‐individual variation in the early school years. The Integrated Intelligent Architecture model, a cognitive model that incorporates procedural knowledge and planning behaviour with the construction–integration process, suggests that these inter‐individual differences will persist into later school years.The developmental trajectories of literacy and math skills are inter‐related and are likely influenced by both domain‐general and, to a lesser degree, domain‐specific factors.There is substantial evidence that socioeconomic status acts as a domain‐general predictor of individual differences in school achievement over time. What this paper addsMuch of the research to date has focused on early developmental time periods with less attention devoted to individual differences in development in the later school years. Less is known about developmental trajectories of writing. This study helps to fill these gaps by using a multivariate framework focused on the core academic outcomes of literacy and math to examine individual differences in development during the later school grades.By examining whether development in literacy is associated with development in math, or whether developmental trajectories unfold independently of each other, we can provide evidence for domain‐specific or domain‐general influences on academic development. SES was included as a potential domain‐general predictor in the model. Implications for theory, policy or practiceOur results suggested that continued knowledge‐integration processes may underlie literacy and math ability in ninth grade.Additionally, this study provided evidence for domain‐general and domain‐specific influences on the development of academic skills from primary to secondary school. SES was not a significant domain‐general predictor, suggesting that other domain‐general predictors should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Considering (1) that reading proficiency is fundamental for educational success, (2) the reciprocal relationship between affective aspects of reading (e.g., reading attitude and motivation) and reading behaviour and ability, (3) the alarming decline in students' reading attitude throughout primary and secondary education and (4) the rather large group of pre‐service teachers starting teacher education with a negative reading attitude, this study used a person‐centred approach to examine the development of pre‐service teachers' reading attitude throughout teacher education and how it relates to their perceived reading ability and reading behaviour. Methods: In a sample of 128 pre‐service teachers, cluster (movement) analysis was executed at the start of teacher education and near graduation to identify different reading attitude clusters and possible changes throughout teacher education. A distinction between purpose (recreational vs academic) and context (personally vs socially oriented) was made when assessing reading attitude components. Results: Three reading attitude profiles (i.e., personally oriented, socially oriented and low attitude) were corroborated at both measurement occasions. Cluster movement analysis identified that the majority remained in the same profile over time (53–62%). When pre‐service teachers did switch profile, they most likely evolved towards the personally‐ or socially‐oriented profile (reading as a mere personal activity vs willing to interact about reading, respectively). Convergent validity evidence was found in that pre‐service teachers in the low‐attitude profile (24%) were least likely to read and perceived themselves as least competent in reading. They further appeared to be least willing to invest in reading promotion in their future school(s) of all profiles. Conclusions: It may be worrisome that about one fourth of the pre‐service teachers in this sample enters the profession with a rather negative reading attitude. Encouragingly, the majority of pre‐service teachers either retained or increased their positive reading attitude throughout teacher education. Highlights: What is already known about this topicDifferences in reading attitude are related to differences in reading behaviour and perceived reading ability.There is a declining trend in primary and secondary school students' reading attitude, starting at the end of primary school.Nearly half of all pre‐service teachers start teacher education with a negative reading attitude. What this paper adds Person‐centred movement analysis provided a basis to map the stability and change of pre‐service teachers' reading attitude profiles' throughout teacher education.Pre‐service teachers' reading attitude remains rather stable throughout teacher education and is related to reading behaviour and perceived reading ability.Almost one fourth of the pre‐service teachers graduate with a quite negative reading attitude. Implications for theory, policy or practice The urgency to address reading attitude more adequately in teacher education and to attend more closely to pre‐service teachers' individual differences in reading attitude.The importance of using a longitudinal approach to gain insight into reading attitude development throughout teacher education and preferably also during the first crucial years in the profession.This longitudinal study could be a possible step in the process of (re)designing teacher education programs and continuing professional development trajectories in relation to reading attitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous work suggests that children can teach themselves new written words via reading aloud texts independently (i.e., orthographic learning via self‐teaching). In self‐teaching in Chinese, regular phonetic radicals and transparent semantic radicals facilitate orthographic learning. The present study examined the roles of phonetic and semantic radicals in both orthographic learning and oral vocabulary learning via self‐teaching among Chinese children. Methods: Thirty‐four Mandarin‐speaking second graders read aloud and comprehended 12 stories annotated with Pinyin, a phonetic script in Chinese. Each story included a semantic–phonetic compound pseudocharacter appearing five times. The phonetic radicals were classified as one‐third regular, one‐third semiregular and one‐third irregular. These phonetic radicals carried full, partial or no phonetic information, depending on their regularity. Moreover, half of the semantic radicals were either transparent or opaque, meaning that they were semantically related or unrelated to the meaning of the pseudocharacters, respectively. Learning outcomes included participants' oral vocabulary learning and orthographic learning regarding word recognition and spelling. Results: In addition to the well‐studied orthographic learning, children can also achieve vocabulary learning via self‐teaching. Results indicate that transparent semantic radicals facilitated orthographic and vocabulary learning. Moreover, vocabulary learning was facilitated by regular phonetic radicals but hindered by semiregular phonetic radicals. Conclusions: These findings, together, point to the roles of phonetic and semantic radicals in Chinese children's orthographic and vocabulary learning. Findings advance our understanding of self‐teaching across writing systems and add to the educational value of self‐teaching. Highlights: What is already known about this topic Chinese children can achieve orthographic learning via self‐teaching.Regular phonetic radicals facilitate orthographic learning.Transparent semantic radicals support orthographic learning. What this paper adds Chinese children can also accomplish oral vocabulary learning through self‐teaching.Regular phonetic radicals and transparent semantic radicals facilitated vocabulary learning.Semiregular phonetic radicals hindered vocabulary learning. Implications for theory, policy or practice Self‐teaching is also an effective tool for oral vocabulary learning.Children seem to utilise phonetic and semantic cues separately in their orthographic and vocabulary learning via self‐teaching.Partial phonetic cues pose challenges to children's vocabulary learning, in which cases children may need explicit, external support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tingir et al. (2017) concluded from their meta‐analysis that the subject areas taught through mobile devices had significantly higher achievement scores (d = 0.48) than the ones taught with traditional teaching methods. Given the relatively high positive effect of mobile devices on student achievement, we carefully analysed the selected research in this meta‐analysis. We reviewed Tingir et al.'s (2017) meta‐analysis based on analysis of the methodology of the selected research, while drawing on the work of Slavin (2003), Cheung and Slavin (2016), and Sung et al. (2019). Twelve of the 14 (86%) studies included in the meta‐analysis done by Tingir and his team (2017) present such major methodological flaws that they should not have been included. Our analysis leads us to believe that the conclusion of Tingir et al. (2017) is not justified. It is recognized that duration of experiment is negatively correlated with effect size: the shorter the duration, the higher the effect (Burston, 2015; Slavin & Lake, 2009). Although demanding more effort, the field of education must raise the bar if it is to have knowledge of acceptable value. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic?: Tingir et al. (2017) concluded from their meta‐analysis that: "the subject areas taught through mobile devices had significantly higher achievement scores than the ones taught with traditional teaching methods" (p. 366). What this paper adds?: We therefore reviewed the meta‐analysis by Tingir et al. (2017) and the underlying research. Our analysis leads us to believe that the conclusion of Tingir et al. (2017) is not justified.The data on reading used in the meta‐analysis by Tingir et al. (2017) do not make it possible to calculate a legitimate effect size for reading or to make a judgment about the effectiveness of mobile devices in the classroom.With respect to mathematics, the weakness and biases of the studies selected in the meta‐analysis by Tingir et al. (2017) should not have allowed them to calculate an effect size and do not provide a clear answer on the effectiveness of mobiles devices in the classroom.The studies in science selected by Tingir et al. (2017) demonstrate a set of methodological flaws that cannot provide a sound basis for determining a convincing effect of mobile device in the classroom on student achievement. Implications for practice and/or policy: Tingir and associates (2017) calculated an overall mean effect of 0.48 for mobiles devices on student achievement by combining research in reading (effect = 0.666; N = 3), mathematics (effect = 0.16; N = 3) and science (effect = 0.528; N = 8). The authors did not do a school‐level analysis (elementary, high school) in their school subject groupings due to the small number of studies, particularly in reading and mathematics.Twelve of the 14 (86%) studies included in the meta‐analysis done by Tingir and his team (2017) present such major methodological flaws that they should not have been included. As mentioned in the introduction, Slavin and his colleagues found different results in a related field. Slavin et al. (2009) found an effect size of 0.11 for the use of technology in the classroom, in computer‐assisted and computer‐based instruction, and an effect size of 0.05 for the use of digital tools 10 years later (Slavin, 2019). Given all the above, it is our opinion that the meta‐analysis by Tingir et al. (2017) cannot be used to justify the use of mobile devices in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although some researchers have applied both cooperation and competition in the practice of robotics education, most of these practices were not systematic, and there was no integration design for intra‐group cooperation and inter‐group competition. Objectives: The study aims to examine the effects of different coopetition designs on students' intragroup cooperation and intergroup competition. Methods: A two‐stage study was conducted in two elementary schools. In the pilot study, two coopetition designs were developed by combining rewarded and unrewarded competition. In the follow‐up study, three coopetition designs (i.e., zero‐sum with real‐time reward, zero‐sum with delayed reward, and social‐comparison) were examined. Results and Conclusions: The study showed that both social‐comparison coopetition and zero‐sum real‐time reward coopetition can be more effective than zero‐sum delayed reward coopetition in teaching knowledge and skills in robotics education. Social comparison coopetition turned out to have a larger effect on affective outcome than the zero‐sum delayed reward coopetition. Implications: Social comparison coopetition seems to be a more advantages method for both cognitive and affective learning. However, more research is needed to confirm the difference in effectiveness between the three models of coopetition. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Pair learning as a form of cooperation learning is helpful to improve students' confidence, productivity, achievement and the quality of cooperation.How to combine cooperation and competition is a key issue. What this paper adds: New coopetition models were designed by combining rewarded and unrewarded competition with pair learning.Social‐comparison coopetition based on pair learning shows great potential to promote intragroup cooperation and intergroup competition.Zero‐sum coopetition with real‐time reward was superior but not overwhelming to the zero‐sum coopetition with delayed reward. Implications for practice and/or policy: Social‐comparison coopetition and zero‐sum with real‐time reward coopetition can be effective teaching methods for robotics learning.Both social‐comparison coopetition and zero‐sum real‐time reward coopetition may be effective methods for teaching knowledge and skills in robotics education.For affective outcome, social comparison coopetition seems to be slightly more effective than zero‐sum delayed reward coopetition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the recent pivot to online instruction and/or to mixed online/face‐to‐face (i.e., hybrid) models of teaching necessitated by the novel coronavirus pandemic, the uses of technology to support instruction would seem to have great importance. Whereas effective integration of technology in mathematics classrooms requires recognition of students' needs and instructional goals that technology could fulfill, very few comprehensive meta‐analytical studies have focused on the roles of instructional technology in support of specific learning goals. Objectives: In this meta‐analysis, we investigated and reviewed the roles and affordances of technology in mathematics instruction and its effects on students' mathematics achievement. Methods: Cross‐searching multiple bibliographic databases generated a total of 3276 potentially relevant full‐text studies. After applying a series of inclusion/exclusion criteria, we kept 77 studies with 151 effect sizes. Two researchers then coded for seven sets of study features and student characteristics: technology roles, publication‐related features (years and resources), research design, sample size, grade levels, duration of interventions, and types of the testing instruments. The coding achieved acceptable levels of inter‐rater reliabilities. Since effect sizes varied across studies and student populations, random‐effects models were used for overall effect estimates and moderator analyses. Results and conclusions: Overall, this meta‐analysis revealed a small, positive, and statistically significant effect of technology on students' mathematics achievement with an average Hedges' s g (ḡ) of 0.23. The largest significant moderator effects were found when technology was used to design and support collaborative and communicative environments (ḡ = 0.49); the next‐largest moderator effects were found when using technology as supports for problem‐solving (ḡ = 0.39), followed by the roles of as supports for conceptual development (ḡ = 0.31) and as adaptive mathematics practices (ḡ = 0.28). This study also found that the effects of technology were differentiated as a function of publication resources, research design, duration of intervention, and the testing instrument. Major takeaways: Focusing on the roles and functions of technology, this study can contribute to guide potential synthetical studies as well as the future design of educational technology. In particular, technology is used effectively when it is used (a) to create and design a collaborative and communicative learning environment where students have chances to collaborate and interact with each other and (b) as supports for mathematics problem‐solving and for mathematics conceptual development. On the other hand, technology is less effective when it is used for monitoring and assessing students' learning processes without follow‐up instructions. The findings suggested that technology intervention lasting for a shorter time is the better choice. When technology is used for longer periods of instruction, maintaining its novelty and students' curiosity should be considered. This study also suggested that incorporating computer‐adaptive testing in technology‐based intervention programs is more likely to detect technology effects as adaptive testing could continuously adjust to the abilities of individual students. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic?: Technology is now widely used in mathematics classrooms for aiding teachers' instruction.The affordances and functions of technology and its alignment with instructional goals are the key to effectively integrate technology in mathematics classrooms. What this paper adds?: Our study contributes to a comprehensive and systematic taxonomical framework of technology roles, which integrated previous multiple theoretical perspectives, thus, this framework can reflect the complexity and the dynamic nature of technology integration in present‐day mathematics classroomsOur framework based on the roles and functions of technology has been shown to be useful to guide synthetical studies. Implications for practice and/or policy: Teachers might consider using technology to support collaborative learning in their mathematics classrooms in order to enhance their students' mathematics learning.Software developers and researchers also should place more efforts in designing interactive technology learning environments or systems where students can work together and learn from each other.Program implementors should consider incorporating adaptive testing in technology when testing students' learning outcomes from technology‐based intervention programs so that students' authentic learning performance and levels are measured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Failure to effectively organize and manage learning time is an important factor influencing online learners' performance. Investigation of time‐investment patterns for online learning will provide educators with useful knowledge of how learners engage in and regulate their online learning and support them in tailoring online course design and teaching. However, understanding of how learners invest and manage their time during online learning remains limited. Objectives: This study aims to discover the typical time‐investment patterns of MOOC learners and their temporal‐learning characteristics based on a systematic time‐investment analysis framework and their relationship with learning performance. Methods: Based on a proposed time‐investment‐analysis framework, this study applied statistical, cluster and lag sequential analyses to investigate learners' time‐investment patterns and their relationships with learning performance, session time allocation, and learning sequences by analysing the learning data from 12,463 participants of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in China. Results and Conclusions: Seven time‐investment patterns of MOOC learners were defined, and learning performance was found to differ among them. Further analysis shows that high performers invested time throughout the whole course and allocated time to multiple activities, exam‐takers performed better in time management and produced more behavioural sequences related to cognitive strategy and recourse use, and learners' motivation and prior knowledge affected the management and effectiveness of their time investment. Implications: The results support the recognition and evaluation of online learning time‐investment patterns and suggest relevant cues for improving MOOC design and teaching. Lay Description: What is currently known about the subject matter: Insufficient learning time affects learning persistence and effectiveness in open and online education programs.Learning time investment and management regarded as an element of self‐regulated learning is a predictor of learning performance.Some proxy behavioural variables or characteristics of online learning time management have been found in previous studies.Learning analysis can be used to dig the knowledge implicit in learning data for online teaching evaluation and improvement. What is paper adds to the subject: Based on a comprehensive analytic framework, seven time‐investment patterns of MOOC learners and their relationship with achievement are identified.Under different time frames, learners' time allocation and learning behaviour pattern are different.Learners performing better in time management across course learning allocate more time to multiple activities in session learning.Exam‐takers perform better in time management across MOOC learning, and produce more behaviour sequences related to cognitive strategy and course recourse use. The implications of study findings for practitioners: The recognition of time investment pattern can support online course design and teaching improvement.MOOC design and teaching need to consider the differences in learners' time resources and their ability of time management.MOOC design and teaching need to encourage learners lacking of performance motivation to engage in various learning activities instead of just watching videos.MOOC design need consider the differences in learners' prior knowledge, and offer personalized learning path based on assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, the call to foster computational thinking (CT) in every child has received considerable attention. However, there is little understanding of whether children are developmentally ready to think computationally and what specific CT concepts and skills can be developed at various ages. This study explored the developmental and gender differences in CT skills of 197 Grade 4–6 students (aged 9–13) before being exposed to instruction and investigated the age–gender interaction effects on their CT acquisition in an intervention combining both programming and non‐programming (unplugged) activities. Results show that students' CT skills followed a developmental progression before instruction. Gender difference across ages was insignificant in conditionals, logical operators, pattern recognition and generalization skills. Additionally, students of different ages developed CT differently during the intervention, and their CT acquisition was unaffected by gender. Implications for practice and research in CT education were discussed. Lay Description: What is currently known about the topic: Learning progressions for computational thinking have been defined in K‐12 curricula globally.Engaging in programming and non‐programming (unplugged) activities can increase students' CT skills.Controversial results have been reported on the age–gender interaction effects on CT development.Lack of understanding on children's actual progressive development of CT. What this paper adds: A developmental progression was found in CT skills of students aged 9–13. Students aged 12 and above had some a priori understanding of CT.No gender difference across ages existed in conditionals, logical operators, pattern recognition and generalization skills before instruction.Students aged 9–11 benefitted the most from an intervention combining both programming and unplugged activities compared to older students. Students' CT acquisition in the intervention was unaffected by gender.Given the intervention, students aged 9 and above developed conditionals, logical operators and pattern recognition skills. However, generalization skill was developed only for students aged 12 and above. Implications for practice and policy: The findings lay the foundation for designing evidence‐based age‐appropriate CT learning progression and pedagogies.Age‐appropriate learning content: Given appropriate learning experiences, students aged 9 and above may be ready to learn certain CT concepts and skills, including conditionals, logical operators and pattern recognition.CT pedagogies: Using programming and unplugged activities to develop CT requires careful consideration of students' cognitive development and gender needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a case study on the adoption and the impact of new modules in a learning analytics dashboard supporting the dialogue between student advisors and students when advising on a study plan for the next academic semester in Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral, a higher education institute in Ecuador. The impact and the adoption of the new dashboard modules were assessed using a mixed‐methods approach. The quantitative approach builds on data of 172 advisors in 34 programs and 4481 advising sessions in 2019 (post) and 4747 advising sessions in 2018 (pre) to assess the adoption and use of the dashboard, the level of support experienced by the advisors, the impact of the new dashboard modules on the difference between the advised study plan and the plan students register for, and students' academic achievement. The qualitative approach with observations of 14 staged advising dialogues and semi‐structured interviews with eight advisors was used to assess how the dashboard was used and to get deeper understanding of the perceived usefulness and impact of the dashboard. The results show that an institution‐wide deployment of dashboard modules tailored to the needs of the advisors can be achieved and can increase the level of support perceived by the advisors and significantly decrease the gap between the suggested study plans in advising dialogues and the study plans that students actually register for. On the short‐term, however, no significant changes in academic achievement were observed. Practitioner NotesWhat is already known about this topic? Academic advising can positively impact retention, academic achievement and study completion.Learning analytics dashboards are promising pieces of educational technology for academic advising as they can trigger reflection and sense‐making of educational data.Evaluation of learning analytics dashboards is often still immature and not well‐connected to the actual goals of the dashboards. Large‐scale evaluations looking at impact of dashboards are even scarcer.What this paper adds? This paper adds, to the scarce scientific evidence on academic advising dashboards, a large‐scale case study on a dashboard supporting the advisor student dialogue during the composition of well‐balanced study plans.The paper presents research evidence of the impact of the dashboard on the support advisors experience, the study plans suggested by the advisors and the ones actually registered by the students and students' academic achievement. Evidence is based on a quantitative analysis, using data of 172 advisors from 34 programs representing more than 9000 advising dialogues, and a qualitative analysis using observations and interviews.Implications for practice and/or policy Dashboards to support academic advising dialogues can be realized institution‐wide at scale. Training of student advisors supports a large scale deployment.Well‐designed dashboards that focus on addressing needs of advisors increase the level of support that advisor experience when advising students.Dashboard accommodating the simulation of study plans and the workload associated with them, succeed in decreasing the variance in suggested plans between advisors and reduce the gap between the study plans that advisors suggest to student and the study plans that students actually register for. Short‐term impact on academic achievement was not observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past several decades, the Nobel Prize program has slowly but steadily been modified in both transparent and opaque ways. A transparent change has been the creation of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, officially known as the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. An opaque change has been the mutation of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry into what is effectively the "Nobel Prize in Chemistry or Life Sciences." This paper presents a detailed study of this opaque change, including evidence that the disciplines of chemistry and biochemistry cover, today, intellectually quite distinct and generally scientifically‐unrelated intellectual territory. This paper supports the evolution of the Nobel Prizes, and encourages the Nobel Prize program to move from opaque to transparent change processes for the next generations of achievement in the sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past several decades, the Nobel Prize program has slowly but steadily been modified in both transparent and opaque ways. A transparent change has been the creation of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, officially known as the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. An opaque change has been the mutation of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry into what is effectively the "Nobel Prize in Chemistry or Life Sciences." This paper presents a detailed study of this opaque change, including evidence that the disciplines of chemistry and biochemistry cover, today, intellectually quite distinct and generally scientifically‐unrelated intellectual territory. This paper supports the evolution of the Nobel Prizes, and encourages the Nobel Prize program to move from opaque to transparent change processes for the next generations of achievement in the sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to explore time management strategies followed by students in a flipped classroom through the analysis of trace data. Specifically, an exploratory study was conducted on the dataset collected in three consecutive offerings of an undergraduate computer engineering course (N = 1,134). Trace data about activities were initially coded for the timeliness of activity completion. Such data were then analysed using agglomerative hierarchical clustering based on Ward's algorithm, first order Markov chains, and inferential statistics to (a) detect time management tactics and strategies from students' learning activities and (b) analyse the effects of personalized analytics‐based feedback on time management. The results indicate that meaningful and theoretically relevant time management patterns can be detected from trace data as manifestations of students' tactics and strategies. The study also showed that time management tactics had significant associations with academic performance and were associated with different interventions in personalized analytics‐based feedback. Lay Description: What is currently known about the subject matter: Effective time management behaviour is a vital element for self‐regulation as well as a strong predictor of academic success.The state of the art in time management research is mainly based on self‐reports.External feedback in educational research is one of the most powerful intervention strategies to optimize student learning progress and performance.The advantage of analytics approaches is in their reliance on trace data that can be captured without significant interference with the actual learning process and with low risk of bias that traditional data collection methods are often susceptible to. What our paper adds to this: We detected time management tactics and strategies adopted by students in online component of a flipped classroom through a combined use of trace data and analytics techniques.We identified the association between time management strategy groups (made up from a set of enacted tactics) identified in an online component of a flipped classroom course and their course performance.We analysed the effects of personalized analytics‐based feedback on time management. The implications of study findings for practitioners: From a research perspective, this study proposed methodology that could help both researchers and practitioners improve the interpretation of their results related to time management behaviour.From an instructor perspective, this study makes a step forward to translate time management into actionable feedback to promote better learning engagement.The study also suggests that for instructors to promote effective time management strategies, they can provide personalized analytics‐based feedback to the students in the first half of a semester on a weekly basis rather than providing the feedback throughout the entire duration of a course.From a learner perspective, this study could offer practical guidelines for making necessary adaption and adjustment of their timing of engagement based on a different set of time management tactics, to effectively regulate their learning time, especially during the preparation for face‐to‐face sessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faced with intensified global education competition, universities and other Higher Education institutions are implementing Total Quality Management (TQM) to keep rivals at bay. Meanwhile, research interest in TQM in Higher Education is growing. This paper reviews the achievements and limitations of extant research on TQM in Higher Education, and discusses directions for future research. The paper finds that extant research focuses on (1) teaching and learning but neglects research and industry engagement; (2) an isolated factor (e.g., teacher) but neglects other factors (e.g., facilities); (3) the Higher Education sector in advanced countries but neglects the Higher Education sector in developing countries; and (4) TQM as a phenomenon but neglects theory development and integration. Future research needs to address these limitations, adopt a more holistic perspective, and take a more inclusive and comprehensive approach to TQM in the Higher Education sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital data are transforming higher education (HE) to be more student‐focused and metrics‐centred. In the UK, capturing detailed data about students has become a government priority, with an emphasis on using student data to measure, compare and assess university performance. The purpose of this paper is to examine the governmental and commercial drivers of current large‐scale technological efforts to collect and analyse student data in UK HE. The result is an expanding data infrastructure which includes large‐scale and longitudinal datasets, learning analytics services, student apps, data dashboards and digital learning platforms powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Education data scientists have built positive pedagogic cases for student data analysis, learning analytics and AI. The politicization and commercialization of the wider HE data infrastructure is translating them into performance metrics in an increasingly market‐driven sector, raising the need for policy frameworks for ethical, pedagogically valuable uses of student data in HE. Practitioner NotesWhat is already known about this topic Learning analytics, education data science and artificial intelligence are opening up new ways of collecting and analysing student data in higher education.UK government policies emphasize the use of student data for improvements to teaching and learning.What this paper adds A conceptual framework from "infrastructure studies" demonstrates how political objectives and commercial aims are fused to HE data systems, with data infrastructure becoming a key tool of government reform.A critical infrastructure analysis shows that student data processing technologies are being developed and deployed to measure university performance through student data.Implications for practice and/or policy Educators and managers in universities need to prepare robust institutional frameworks to govern their use of student data.Learning analytics practitioners, data scientists, learning scientists and social science researchers need to collaborate with the policy community and education technology developers on new policy frameworks to challenge narrow uses of student data as performance metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores practice examples relating to young people's transitions from care to adulthood. It discusses examples drawn from young people's pathways to adulthood, leaving care law and policy and participation. The paper concludes with a discussion of the research evidence on promoting the resilience of young people from care to adulthood, by proposing a framework for evaluating the impact of practice. It is suggested that practice should be interrogated in respect of the contribution made to stability and continuity, educational achievement, involving young people, preparation and support into adulthood, and health and well‐being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent expansion of research on children's understanding of others' minds (or 'theory of mind', ToM) into middle childhood provides fresh opportunities to consider its origins and consequences. In this paper, we propose that, in addition to supporting children's social interactions, individual differences in ToM benefit academic achievement, in particular, reading comprehension and scientific reasoning. Furthermore, we argue that the school and classroom context can influence individual differences in ToM and its ongoing development in middle childhood. We suggest future directions for research to test these claims, which will provide a new perspective on the consequences of ToM and test the developmental continuity of socio‐cultural accounts of mindreading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Virtual reality can be a useful substitute to improve nursing education outside of the hospital setting. In the wake of COVID‐19, an opportunity to compare a virtual reality activity for nursing students in the traditional classroom and in an online environment took place. Objectives: The goal of this study was to examine the effects of incorporating a virtual reality activity into the traditional classroom and in an online environment to enhance nursing education. Methods: Fifty nursing students participated in an exploratory descriptive study. Twenty‐five students participated face‐to‐face while in the traditional classroom setting and 25‐students participated in an online environment using a communication platform. Through a virtual reality activity, nursing students successfully created a tour which demonstrated identifying infectious sites in a hospital room setting. Results and Conclusions: Results of the pre‐and post‐test showed students' positive perceptions and performances in both traditional classroom and online settings. However, the study revealed a statistical difference between the two group perceptions towards the use of the virtual reality tour creator. Nursing students who were in the traditional classroom group found that the use the virtual reality tour creator was easier. Implications: Designing a meaningful virtual reality activity has a positive impact of the student learning experience. Students may benefit from a more through orientation to the technology prior to engaging in the activity. A carefully constructed activity can enhance student learning outside of the hospital room. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic?: Virtual reality can be applied to nursing education with a positive impact on the student learning experience.Nursing students perceived the virtual reality learning activity useful to substitute for in‐hospital training. What this paper adds?: Virtual reality learning activities can help promote nursing performance in both the traditional classroom and online settings.Students can have similar academic performance between the classroom and online modes despite having different experiences. Implications for practice and/or policy: Virtual reality integration might be implemented by pre‐training to make sure students are comfortable with the technology before jumping into course activities.The instructional design and delivery of a virtual reality learning activity greatly influenced the students' learning experiences, rather than the use of virtual reality technology itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID‐19) at the beginning of 2020 forced most higher education institutions to shift immediately from traditional learning to distance learning and emergency remote teaching (ERT). Objectives: This research aimed to capture the authentic sounds of this unusual learning experience from the field while it was still fresh and to explore congruence with existing models of online learning success factors. We also aimed to examine the differences between freshman students and more advanced students (second year onwards) with regard to the emerging data and its respective model. Methods: During the second semester of 2020, 170 Tel Aviv university students majoring in various fields responded to an online questionnaire consisting of open‐ended questions. Results and conclusions: The researchers classified the themes retrieved from 1559 statements into a framework of critical success factors for distance learning. The framework included five dimensions: course, student, instructor, learning environment and institution. Well‐known benefits of distance learning emerged, among them flexibility and personalized learning pace. Nevertheless, the findings revealed that the rapid transition to distance learning posed challenges and difficulties, mainly concerning the readiness of students and instructors for this form of teaching and learning. The number of statements in instructor dimension indicated the importance of providing support and training to instructors and staff. Significant differences were found in students' perceptions according to the year standing. More advanced students made more 'internal' references, attributing more statements to student and learning environment dimensions. In contrast, freshman made more 'external' references, attributing more statements to instructor and course dimensions than students in their second year and onwards. Major takeaways: The results may help in planning and preparing for times of crisis. From a broader perspective, the findings may help in designing ways to incorporate distance learning. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic?There are several critical success factor models for implementing distance learning.Academic experience influences students' perceptions of distance learning.Year of studies is known to exert an influence on students' attitudes and degree of satisfaction from distance learning.At the onset of COVID‐19, higher education shifted immediately to ERT. What this paper adds?Authentic view of students' ERT experience in the first weeks of the COVID‐19 outbreak.Adaptive framework for Distance Learning Success Dimensions (DLSD).Advantages and disadvantages for students forced into ERT.Freshmen and advanced students have different perceptions of instructor and course DLSD.Advanced students focus on student dimension, while freshmen focus on Instructor dimension. Implications for practice and/or policyUsing developed DLSD framework for planning, designing and evaluating in crises and routine times.Providing empirical evidence for perceptual differences between freshmen and experienced students.Students' differing perceptions of helpful and unhelpful factors point to diverse needs.Flexible learning times and assignment due dates are crucial for students in ERT.Technical training for instructors may contribute to remote teaching effectiveness.Scaffolds for freshmen may enhance their ERT experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uses the example of Germany to elaborate on the historical development, the current practice, and recent debates on employability. Employability as an outspoken aim of higher education was only established in recent decades due to the introduction of Polytechnics, the expansion of higher education, and the Bologna‐Process. Despite the diversity of the higher education sector (e.g., universities; universities of applied science), the assumption of equality means that degrees from any institution are of equal value according to the level of study. As in other countries, German higher education institutions have established measures to improve employability such as changes in the curricula or the establishment of career services. However, challenges remain to measure the employability and the employability outcome of HE. The article concludes that the identification of specific subject‐related and transferable skills and competences and their transferability to the labour market remains an ongoing task to increase the employability of graduates in Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Project‐based learning (PjBL) engages students in knowledge acquisition, application, and construction through artefact development. Based on the Community of Inquiry framework, this study characterized college students' social and cognitive presences in online PjBL and examined how presence was related to their academic performance. Twenty‐four groups of students participated in a 3‐week project via WeChat discussion groups and created a final product. Transcripts of students' online discourse were collected and analysed by a coding scheme. The quality of students' artefacts was evaluated by a grading rubric. Descriptive results showed that the component of affectiveness and the level of exploration accounted for the majority of students' social and cognitive presences, respectively. Stepwise regression analyses revealed that certain components and sub‐components of students' social presence, and levels and sub‐levels of their cognitive presence were positively associated with their academic performance. Practical implications for teachers and suggestions for further research are provided. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Social and cognitive presences predict academic performance in non‐project‐based online learning. What this paper adds: Various components of social presence predict group artefact performance in online project‐based learning.Different levels of cognitive presence predict group artefact performance in online project‐based learning. Implications for practice and/or policy: Students should acquire basic content knowledge before participating in online project‐based discussions.Teachers might consider assisting students with the direction of online project‐based discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on our participatory multi‐faceted community‐wide intervention to change gender perceptions and encourage support for girls' education to improve their school attendance and performance. The intervention involved community and education stakeholders in implementing a context‐specific multi‐faceted intervention to improve opportunities for girls in 123 primary schools in the rural Wolaita Zone, Ethiopia. We implemented a repeated‐measures quasi‐experimental design in a sample of 30 schools (15 project and 15 control schools) to evaluate the intervention's effectiveness. Over 3 years we assessed gender perceptions of a cohort of 750 Grade 6 girls, their parents and teachers in project and control schools. In addition, participative group discussions were conducted with various stakeholders. In project schools, we recorded significant changes (e.g., provision of sanitary pads, counselling, tutorial classes and community involvement). Teachers and parents reported improved gender attitudes and support for girls' education; while girls' self‐esteem scores and educational aspirations increased. The findings showed a change in community perceptions of the value of girls' education and some evidence of increased equality in gender perceptions. We concluded that these systemic changes marked the start of a long‐term change process. This intervention showed the value of a participatory approach in a systemic community intervention. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Building on the Realistic Accuracy Model, this paper explores whether it is easier for teachers to assess the achievement of some students than others. Accordingly, we suggest that certain individual characteristics of students, such as extraversion, academic self‐efficacy, and conscientiousness, may guide teachers' evaluations of student achievement, resulting in more appropriate judgements and a stronger alignment of assigned grades with students' actual achievement level (as measured using standardized tests). Aims: We examine whether extraversion, academic self‐efficacy, and conscientiousness moderate the relations between teacher‐assigned grades and students' standardized test scores in mathematics. Sample: This study uses a representative sample of N = 5,919 seventh‐grade students in Germany (48.8% girls; mean age: M = 12.5, SD = 0.62) who participated in a national, large‐scale assessment focusing on students' academic development. Methods: We specified structural equation models to examine the inter‐relations of teacher‐assigned grades with students' standardized test scores in mathematics, Big Five personality traits, and academic self‐efficacy, while controlling for students' socioeconomic status, gender, and age. Results: The correlation between teacher‐assigned grades and standardized test scores in mathematics was r =.40. Teacher‐assigned grades more closely related to standardized test scores when students reported higher levels of conscientiousness (β =.05, p =.002). Students' extraversion and academic self‐efficacy did not moderate the relationship between teacher‐assigned grades and standardized test scores. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that students' conscientiousness is a personality trait that seems to be important when it comes to how closely mathematics teachers align their grades to standardized test scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The OSCE is a sociomaterial assemblage—a meshing together of human and material components producing multiple effects. Materials matter because they shape candidate performance, with potentially calamitous career consequences if materials influence performance unjustly. Although the OSCE literature refers to materials, few papers study the sociomateriality of OSCEs. Therefore, we explored OSCE stakeholders' talk about sociomaterial assemblages to better understand their importance for candidate performance. Methods: We conducted 15 focus groups with OSCE candidates (n = 42), examiners (n = 20) and simulated patients (n = 17) after an Australian postgraduate nursing OSCE. Sociomateriality informed our team‐based framework analysis of data. Results: Participants identified a multiplicity of OSCE materials (objects, technologies and spaces) thought to matter for candidate performance. Candidates' unfamiliarity with materials and missing or malfunctioning materials were reported to yield numerous negative impacts (eg cognitive overload, negative affect, time‐wasting), thereby adversely affecting candidate performance. Both examiners and candidates made micro‐adjustments to sociomaterial assemblages during the OSCE in order to make it work (eg candidates saying what they would do rather than doing it). Sometimes, such tinkering extended so far that sociomaterial assemblages were ruptured (eg examiners ignoring rubrics to help pass candidates), potentially influencing OSCE standardisation. Discussion: Our novel empirical study extends previous conceptual work by illustrating wide‐ranging sociomaterial assemblages influencing OSCE candidate performance. Further research is now needed employing sociomaterial approaches to further elucidate sociomaterial entanglements in diverse OSCEs. We encourage OSCE stakeholders to become more attuned to the productive nature of materials within all stages of OSCE design and implementation. The authors demonstrate the extent to which materials really matter in shaping candidate performance in OSCEs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID‐19 crisis, digital informal learning is important for students' academic engagement. Although scholars have highlighted the importance of students' digital competence in improving digital informal learning (DIL), the mediating role of DIL between digital competence and academic engagement has remained ambiguous. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between students' digital competence and their academic engagement with the mediating role of DIL in the higher education context. This study used a descriptive correlational design, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The study sample included 308 students from Shiraz University, Iran. The results showed that digital competence positively and significantly correlated with students' DIL and their academic engagement. Furthermore, DIL, as the mediator variable, was found to mediate the relationship between students' digital competence and their academic engagement. Since higher education institutions have a key role in improving students' academic engagement, particularly in the COVID‐19 pandemic, academic administrators should pay more attention to students' digital competencies and provide them with efficient and user‐friendly DIL platforms that can increase their academic engagement. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: One of the challenges of online learning environments is students' engagement especially in the COVID‐19 crisis.The role of digital informal learning (DIL) in the students' engagement is ambiguous.Little work has been done to support the relationship between digital competence, DIL and academic engagement. What this paper adds: The structural equation model of academic engagement, digital competence, and DIL was examined.There is a significant relationship between digital competence and DIL of students.The engagement of students will increase both with the use of digital competencies and DIL. Implications for practice and/or policy: Administrators should provide efficient DIL platforms to increase students' academic engagement.Educators should consider students' digital competencies to increase their academic engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting the cultivation of computational thinking (CT) skills in programming activities has become a key issue in the K‐12 curriculum, however, there is no unified conclusion on how to design programming activities to promote the acquisition of CT skills more effectively. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of using programming to enhance K‐12 students' CT skills and explore the influence of various programming instructional design factors on the acquisition of CT skills. This study presents a quantitative meta‐analysis. A systematic search of randomized controlled studies on the influence of programming on CT skills. A total of 86 empirical studies with 114 effect sizes met the study selection criterion. The results showed that programming improved K‐12 students' CT skills in general (Hedges' g = 0.601, 95% CI [0.505, 0.697], p < 0.001). No publication bias was detected. Besides, we found that the interdisciplinary integration of programming, the duration of programming intervention within 1 week to 1 month, the class size of less than 50 students, and a reasonable selection of programming instruments and CT assessment types may be more conducive to promoting students' CT skills. Based on these findings, we suggest that programming instructional design should be planned reasonably to make the best use of technology towards developing students' CT skills. This will be of great significance to programming teaching and CT education in K‐12. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: The cultivation of computational thinking (CT) in K‐12 has become a key issue.One of the latest trends in the education field is computer programming in K‐12 classrooms to cultivate students' CT skills.Programming teaching design may affect the influence of programming education on students' CT skills. However, there is a lack of overall quantitative synthesis of existing empirical research. What this paper adds: A meta‐analysis of 86 studies was conducted to provide systematic evidence that programming education is effective to promote K‐12 students' CT skills.Programming teaching design factors such as subjects, intervention duration, sample size, programming instruments and assessment types can affect CT skills in programming activities.Programming activity forms cannot affect CT skills in programming activities. Implications for practice and/or policy: The implementation of programming education in K‐12 schooling can effectively cultivate students' CT skills.Programming teaching design should be planned reasonably to make the best use of technology towards developing students' CT skills.The interdisciplinary integration of programming, the duration of programming intervention within one week to one month, control of class size to less than 50 students, and a reasonable selection of programming instruments and assessment types may be more conducive to promoting students' CT skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: In 2014, the Hawaii Department of Education (DOE), the only statewide school system in the United States, predominately enrolled children (keiki) from underserved communities and lacked school nurses or a school health program. Chronic absenteeism due to health concerns was identified as a barrier to academic success. METHODS: The DOE and a public university created Hawaii Keiki: Healthy and Ready to Learn (HK), a program to provide school‐based services for 170 Title 1 schools in urban and rural settings and build momentum for statewide collective action. HK has maintained support from public and private entities to address student health. RESULTS: This paper describes 5 years of program development, implementation, and continuing challenges. Most recently in 2020‐2021, HK pivoted in the face of school campus closings due to COVID‐19 with strategic plans, including telehealth, to move forward in this changed school environment. CONCLUSIONS: The HK program has increased awareness of students' needs and is addressing the imperative to build health services within public schools. The multipronged approach of building awareness of need, providing direct services, educating future care providers, and supporting sound policy development, has an impact that goes beyond any one individual area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]