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This paper provides an in-depth exploration of the historical factors shaping Greek elementary education and the contemporary pedagogical approaches and curriculum implemented in Greek elementary schools. Beginning with a historical analysis, the paper examines influential factors and developments spanning ancient times to the present day, including the legacy of ancient Greek education, Byzantine educational traditions, and modern educational reforms. By synthesizing historical insights with contemporary educational practices, this paper offers a holistic understanding of Greek elementary education. It underscores the enduring influence of historical legacies on present-day educational philosophies and methodologies while highlighting the innovative approaches adopted to meet the needs of modern learners. Ultimately, this comprehensive overview aims to contribute to scholarly discourse and inform ongoing efforts to enhance elementary education in Greece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mindfulness practices enhance executive function skills and academic achievement, spurring interest in integrating mindfulness interventions into education. Embedding mindfulness practice into a digital math game may provide a low‐cost, scalable way to induce mindfulness and boost game‐based learning, yet this approach remains unexplored. Objectives: We investigated the learning benefits of integrating mindfulness exercises in a digital math learning game and examined how students' trait mindfulness might moderate the outcomes. Methods: Two classroom studies were conducted with 404 5th and 6th grade students from six public schools in the U.S. (nStudy 1 = 227, nStudy 2 = 177). The two randomized controlled experiments assigned students to one of the three conditions: passive control (playing the digital learning game Decimal Point), story‐enriched active control, or mindfulness‐enriched condition. Trait mindfulness, learning gains, and in‐game problem‐solving (including problem‐solving duration, error count and correctness after reminder) were assessed. Study 2 included a manipulation check to better understand the effects of the mindfulness intervention. Results: Findings showed no significant differences in learning gains, problem‐solving duration or error count among the conditions. Students' trait mindfulness did not moderate these outcomes. Mindfulness reminders in the mindfulness‐enriched game led to more correct answers after errors than jokes in the story‐enriched game. Study 2 revealed that we failed to induce higher state mindfulness through the mindfulness inductions. Conclusions: Mindfulness prompts could be especially beneficial for students experiencing frustration during gameplay, warranting more exploration for digital game‐based instruction. We highlight barriers and future directions for fostering mindfulness through computer‐based instruction in classrooms. Lay Description: What is currently known about this topic?: Researchers focus on digital games as productive learning environments for math, with potential for higher learning gains compared with traditional methods. However, results are mixed, and not all games lead to improved math outcomes.Executive function (EF) skills are crucial for math learning, and mindfulness‐based interventions show promise in enhancing EF skills in school‐aged students.Embedding mindfulness practice into a digital math game may provide a low‐cost, scalable way to induce mindfulness and, in turn, boost EF skills and game‐based learning, yet this approach remains unexplored What does this paper add?: This paper presents the results of two randomized control trials investigating the feasibility and benefits of incorporating mindfulness exercises into a digital math game designed for middle school students. Benefits are compared to those of a story‐enriched and regular version of the same digital math learning game.The paper also explores variations in the effects of the mindfulness‐enriched game based on students' initial trait mindfulness levels.We observe that listening to mindfulness inductions at the beginning of game sessions do not induce mindfulness, and therefore does not benefit math learning.We find that mindfulness prompts received after recurrent errors can be beneficial for students' problem solving. Implications of study findings for practitioners: Our study provides important information on how digital learning game designers should attempt to induce mindfulness in a digital game to promote learning.Digital learning game designers should consider incorporating mindfulness exercises into their games strategically. Presenting mindfulness inductions in audio format at the beginning of game sessions may not induce mindfulness or benefit math learning. Instead, designers should focus on integrating mindfulness prompts at moments when students encounter frustration within the learning game.Beyond embedding audio mindfulness exercises in the game, learning designers should also consider alternative technological and game features to induce mindfulness within a learning game. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research question studied in this paper is how teachers' task designing can be enhanced in professional development. We show that this can be done by scaffolding. Scaffolding is used in problem solving and we apply it by considering designing a task as a problem. In the paper, we describe a professional development of four teachers led by a mathematics educator. The professional development consisted of 10 meetings. The teachers were first exposed to a well-designed task in geometry as learners and then were asked to design new geometry tasks for their students. The mathematics educator helped them by supplying scaffolds such as modelling, reflection, articulation and worked examples. The data consisted of video-recordings of the workshops and a semi-structured interview with each of the teachers at the end of the project. The data analysis shows how the use of particular scaffolds was helpful while preserving the teachers' autonomy as task designers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insufficient comprehension of integrated STEM learning has become one of the main difficulties for teachers in implementing STEM lessons at school due to lack of integrative STEM curriculum in teachers' education programs. Therefore, the Elementary Teacher Education Program Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia in Purwakarta offers STEM Education for Elementary course as an optional course to support 21st-century education at the elementary school level. However, due to the continued Covid-19 pandemic, during the second semester of the academic year 2020/2021, all courses in our program were entirely carried out online. Through the descriptive analysis method, this paper details how the 16-weeks course was enacted online with a varied delivery form. Forty-two pre-service teachers enrolled in the course. Data on the course implementation were gathered in the form of video recordings of the lesson, while students' perception of the course delivery was captured through a course evaluation questionnaire. Results imply that the course includes a theoretical and practical session with teaching simulations and engineering challenges to model STEM teaching and learning to develop pre-service teacher's STEM pedagogical and content knowledge. In addition, course evaluation suggests that after enrolling in the course, the pre-service teacher has positive perceptions of the course delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work of elementary science teaching is challenging given the wide array of subject matter most teachers are expected to teach and a systematic de-prioritisation of science at these grades. In this literature review (63 papers; 2010–2020), we use a framework of readiness for science teaching. Using this framework allows us to illustrate foundational characteristics and abilities that preservice teachers may start with and develop as they become well-started beginners for elementary teaching in the face of systemic challenges. To this end, we identify what is known from the research literature about the strengths that preservice elementary teachers bring to this difficult work with regard to their characteristics and abilities in addition to the challenges they face, describing a foundation on which preservice teachers can build. We also highlight additional studies that show how teacher education can build on preservice teachers' strengths and support them in areas that are challenging. We identify themes around novices' identities, dispositions, emotions, beliefs, attitudes, self-efficacy, knowledge, engagement in and with science practices, lesson planning, and lesson enactment. Finally, we highlight four implications for science teacher educators, noting focal areas that may compensate for challenges preservice elementary teachers face while building on their strengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

As I sorted through my Mother's belongings, I reflected on things that shaped my childhood and continue to inform my life experiences, including how I engage with curricular materials and my students. As a former elementary teacher, turned teacher educator, I understand that students' knowledges and experiences shape their academic learning. Framed by Pinar and Grumet's theory of currere, and through poetic inquiry, this paper considers childhoods as a synthetical, proleptic, moment. My stories, combined with stories of my former students, inspired this project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This theoretical paper explores how researching the identities of musician-teachers can be differently conceptualised through a critical posthuman lens. Wider calls to action demand an expanded professionalism of musician-teachers, but when such recommendations are combined with fixed notions of identity as self-contained and producible, they risk becoming essentialistic and exclusionary. Foregrounding the intricacies and tensions in locating the teacher subject therefore posits a need for theories of complexity and becoming. Barad's agential realism provides an onto-epistemological shift, such that the musician-teacher is not separable from the world, but intra-actively comes into being through a relational ontology, exposing identity as a mechanism of capture through series of agential cuts. These material-discursive entanglements and performativity of the dichotomous musician-teacher role are then discussed. By thinking difference differently and addressing relations of power, these have ethical implications for research and what comes to matter, drawing on non-representationalism and signalling post-qualitative methodologies. This philosophical framing does not serve to reduce complexity, to figure out what works, but rather stays with the trouble – the messiness – by arguing for future empirical work that is inclusionary in the widest sense and grounded in the embodied, affective experiences of musician-teachers themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of REMIE - Multidisciplinary Journal of Educational Research is the property of Hipatia Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Ra Ximhai is the property of Universidad Autonoma Indigena de Mexico and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper presents the bilateral project Assessing reading literacy and comprehension of early graders in Bulgaria and Italy, its aims and expected results, as well as the principles underlying the creation of texts assessing reading literacy in Italian and Bulgarian. The ultimate goal of the project is to improve the literacy skills of primary school children through education. In order to contribute to the achievement of this goal, a thorough investigation focused on the assessment of reading literacy and comprehension among early school children in Bulgaria and Italy. The article focuses on the principles for preparing materials in Italian and Bulgarian for assessing reading literacy. The linguistic features used to predict reading ability are divided into four main groups: raw text, lexical, morpho-syntactic and syntactic features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This aggregative systematic literature review aims to explore available research evidence published between 2000 and 2018 on what educational psychologists (EPs) offer to schools and pupils following a critical incident (CI) and the reported efficacy of such services. Rationale: CIs are sudden and unexpected, impacting upon all areas of life, including school communities. Since the 1990s, CI response has become part of what many educational psychology services across the UK and USA offer (Posada, 2006). The North West Association of Principal EPs commissioned this research as a way of gaining greater insight into CI response. Methods: Two research databases and Google Scholar were searched and a total of 77 papers was found, 11 of which met the inclusion criteria; ten of these were evaluated as being of at least 'medium' level methodological quality. Findings: A synthesis of the research revealed a range of practice within three main areas: strategies and actions, models to frame response, and psychological intervention. Despite similarities, differences of approaches between services were highlighted, particularly around engagement with direct work. Implications: EP services should ensure that CI response is comprehensive, sensitive and co-produced with service users. The EP role in responding to a CI needs to be clearly communicated with others. Limitations: Limitations are discussed including the dearth of evidence from 2015 onwards and the limited 'objective' evidence summarising the impact of the effectiveness of EP CI response. Conclusions: Some educational psychologists may engage in direct work following a critical incident, whilst others focus intervention on supporting school capacity to support school recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study examines how elementary preservice teacher candidates used "hybrid" (both paper and digital) notebooks, the extent to which the digital portfolio showed evidence of changes in understanding, and whether candidates plan to use notebooks in their science lesson and unit plan assignments. Activity and reflection entries posted in an online digital portfolio from candidates in 3 science methods courses (each a bounded case) were analyzed for patterns in use and evidence of changes in thinking, and lesson and unit plans were examined to determine whether candidates planned to use some kind of notebook in their teaching. Findings show that when using hybrid notebooks, candidates make use of digital tools, but many prefer having the option to use paper notebooks to synthesize their reflections. Evidence of changes in thinking about science content and pedagogy were found in both paper notebooks and in digital entries, but more often in digital reflections. Instructor modeling might play a role in how candidates plan to use notebooks for learning and teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tests, assessments, and evaluation instruments have long been ill-equipped to account for practices of translanguaging inherent within multilingual communities. Within the field of testing and assessment, much more emphasis has been placed on ensuring the design principles of the assessment. Countering over 100 years of deficit positioning of multilingualism in testing, recent work has emerged that values the knowledge, beliefs, and experiences of teachers. Drawing on Hornberger's (2005) distinction between ideological and implementational spaces, this participatory action research project examines translanguaging and assessment practices during a 5-week online course for classroom language testing for four Spanish/English bilingual teachers working in dual language bilingual education programs in elementary schools in the United States. Transcripts from online synchronous (via Zoom) and asynchronous discussions and individual and paired assignments served as our key data sources. We illustrate the co-learning, co-planning, and co-shifting of translanguaging and assessment practices during this course. We argue that collaboration such as the work presented in this paper is critical for creating communities to open and expand ideological and implementational spaces for translanguaging in general and in testing specifically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the efficiency variations and identifies convergence clubs in the elementary education systems across Indian states and union territories. An innovative non-oriented sequential directional distance function-based metafrontier (NSDDFM) approach is applied to compute reliable efficiency estimates and decompose inefficiency in education delivery. The regional clubs on education development are identified using Phillips and Sul’s (2007, 2009) club convergence approach. Empirical results reveal significant efficiency variations across states and years, and special category states & union territories (SCS&UTs) show higher efficiency in the elementary education delivery process relative to general category states (GCSs) during the sample period. The analysis of the regional gaps reveals that SCs & UTs employ best elementary education practices, and GCSs operate farther from the national best-practice frontier. The convergence test rejects the null hypothesis of parity in the elementary education delivery process and shows evidence of three convergent and one divergent club across states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the South African findings from an international mixed methods study between the LEGO Foundation, Dubit and the Universities of Sheffield (England) and Cape Town (South Africa) on young children's learning with digital technology. The findings of the study, the first of its kind in South Africa, show the consistency of qualities and experience of play, but also reveal socio-economic, linguistic, ethnic, gender and racial inequalities in the play environments of both groups of 3–11-year-olds. Yet, despite these structural inequalities, the play ecologies of children in resource-constrained environments show their creativity within the digital/non-digital environment. The paper discusses some of the analytical tools used and the geo-political issues raised, and considers these in conjunction with selected data. We conclude that the different socio-cultural conditions and geo-political realities offer new insights about the role global education research can play in helping combat structural inequalities in resource-constrained environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of ESPecialist is the property of ESPecialist and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This survey study investigated structural relationships among school culture, self-efficacy, and outcome expectation, and teacher agency development toward the national curriculum reform in South Korea, employing Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). Specifically, focusing on school culture as an environmental factor and teacher self-efficacy and outcome expectation as two different personal determinants, as per Bandura's model, this study aims to examine how these factors influence Korean teachers' agency development towards the national curriculum reform that has enhanced autonomy on them. In all, 605 elementary school teachers' data were analyzed using structural equation modeling analysis with phantom model approach. Findings indicated that the school culture fostered by supportive teacher-principal and teacher- teacher relationships directly influenced individual teachers' agency over either school- or classroom-level curriculum. In addition, teachers' self-efficacy and outcome expectation both directly influenced their agency towards reform for enhanced autonomy and mediated associations between school culture fostered by supportive teacher-student relationships and teacher agency to exercise curricular autonomy within their classrooms. The paper gives implications applying these findings, considers the utility of SCT in the Korean context, and covers limitations and future research ideas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we show how children's creativity manifests in literary aesthetics and how they explore moral subjects as a result. Literary aesthetics involve a range of artistic elements or expressions within a textual work. Writers may use aesthetic properties to express individual appreciation or how people view the world, often in relation to moral values. This paper takes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the relation between aesthetics and moral value in children's writing. First, we situate our discussion within the context of reflexivity theory, which framed the larger study from which these data are drawn. Second, we apply appraisal theory within the lens of reflexivity to analyse children's writing samples for their aesthetic representations of moral qualities. As a result of our study, we show how teachers may improve and complicate the way children practice literary aesthetics in their writing. We argue it is important for students to learn about aesthetics in writing as aesthetics are a key quality of literary expression and may educate readers on the perception and moral values of others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Stratum Plus Journal is the property of P.P. Stratum plus and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In recent years, educational robotics has gained ground in educational policy around the world, and primary education is no exception. However, there has not yet been a thorough synthesis of methodologically appropriate empirical research on the effects of robotics upon cognitive performance among primary school students, which this paper attempted to do. Following literature screening, a total of eight studies published between 2018 and 2022 with a sample size of 567 children met inclusion criteria and were meta-analyzed. Resultantly, a medium aggregate effect size in favor of robotics experiments emerged (standardized mean difference of .641), which was significantly higher compared to non-robotics learning (p <.01). No betweenstudy heterogeneity was detected. Subgroup analysis revealed a slightly larger overall effect for interventions on first-to thirdgraders rather than those in grades 4-6. Additionally, the analysis indicates that in order to enhance cognitive abilities in primary students, robotics interventions should be no longer than four weeks and involve robot construction. Based on the findings, implications, and suggestions are outlined for future research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a model wherein parents choose the number of children, enroll some children in school at indivisible education costs, and receive supplemental earnings from uneducated children. The model accounts for the positive relationship between enrollment ratios and parental earnings and the N-shaped relationship between fertility and parental earnings in Brazil and Indonesia. When children's living costs are high (low) relative to education costs and children's earnings, fertility increases (decreases) with parental earnings due to a dominant income (substitution) effect. A decline in the ratio of child earnings to parental earnings or a rise in education subsidy rates can increase enrollment ratios and decrease fertility. Under progressive income taxes and favorable education subsidies for poor families, educated parents' fertility could be higher than that of illiterate parents' when incomes are low. However, the relationship will be reversed partially because of the rising education subsidy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the lack of life experience and situational experience, it is difficult to arouse pupils' inner motivation and interest in writing. Therefore, the early stage of Chinese writing may be a challenge for Chinese pupils. In order to solve this problem, a spherical video‐based virtual reality (SVVR) experience learning system was developed to help pupils improve their writing performance and interest. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, an experiment was carried out in a primary school in Zhejiang province, China. First, a writing pretest was administered in two grade 4 classes. The researchers then randomly selected 40 pupils of about 10 years old with similar writing abilities, and assigned them to an experimental group, which used the SVVR learning method, and a control group, which used the traditional learning method. The researchers observed and recorded the pupils' writing process and then, interviewed them. The results showed that there was a significant difference in the comprehensive writing performance of the two groups (F = 6.272; p =.017 <.05). The mean of the experimental group (Mean = 73.85) was higher than that of the control group (Mean = 70.00). Moreover, there were significant differences between the two groups in terms of the thematic coherence, structural integrity and linguistic expressiveness of their writing performance. However, there was no significant difference in the achievement of creative thinking. In the experimental group, different levels of learning behavior engagement could affect the structural integrity and language expression of writing achievements, and the degree of writing learning behavior engagement was highly correlated with reading time. Through the interviews, it was found that the pupils in the experimental group were more satisfied with the SVVR learning method than the control group pupils were with the traditional learning method. Practitioner NotesWhat is already known about this topic? Spherical video‐based virtual reality (SVVR) set a simulated environment enabling students to have in‐depth experience in learning contexts.Most SVVR studies focused on speaking and writing in middle schools and colleges, while its impacts on young children's writing performance is generally ignored.What this paper adds? An SVVR system based on experiencing learning theory was developed to promote young students' in‐depth experience and perception in descriptive paper writing.The proposed approach promoted students' writing performances, writing experience and learning behavior engagement.Implications for practice and/or policy SVVR is a potential technology for implementing experiential learning activities, especially in improving thematic coherence, structural integrity and linguistic expressiveness.It is worth promoting such a low‐tech and low‐cost experiential learning approach to other courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher and students' perspectives on their experiences within three consecutive hybrid sport education and cooperative learning pedagogical model units. Method: Fifty elementary school students (Mage = 10.52; SDage = 0.39) and a 36-year-old male teacher participated in three consecutive hybrid cooperative learning/sport education units (24 lessons). Semistructured interviews were conducted to gather data and gain a rich, insiders' perspective of their experiences. Results: Three main themes (including several subthemes) were generated from the data analysis: students' enthusiasm and involvement (autonomy support, motivation, and engagement); students' learning (technical–tactical learning, cooperative skills, and social learning); and teacher challenges. Conclusions: Findings from the current study showed that a teacher's use of three consecutive hybrid sport education/cooperative learning pedagogical model units promoted a learning environment where students were involved in authentic sport experiences that fostered the development of students' learning across all domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the representation and distribution of participation in the Department of Education's (DepEd) internationalization efforts across elementary and secondary education levels. Findings reveal a balanced approach by DepEd, ensuring equal representation from each educational level, indicative of its commitment to integrating global competencies throughout the education system. While secondary schools may exhibit higher degrees of internationalization due to greater resources, primary schools play a pivotal role in fostering early global awareness. The prevalence of early-career professionals in DepEd's internationalization projects underscores the importance of ongoing professional development in advancing global competency enhancement. However, further qualitative assessments are recommended to complement quantitative data and identify specific areas of success and improvement. Addressing hurdles such as resource limitations and providing clear guidance and support to educators are essential for effectively implementing internationalization projects. Moreover, ongoing professional development opportunities for educators, curriculum enhancement efforts, and community engagement initiatives are recommended to promote authentic learning experiences and cultivate students' strong sense of global citizenship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two of the goals of elementary school are to help students to develop a healthy sense of identity and learn social communication skills. However, there are many factors figure into students' experience during their early years of school. Othering by the other sex is one of these factors, especially in Saudi Arabia, which has just sex-desegregated their elementary schools for the first time. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and field observations, the authors explore the role of othering in the experience of students in first to third grade. Open and focused coding of the interviews and structured observations help to identify the mechanisms of othering and resistance, which shape the students' sense of identity, their understanding of gender roles, and their social interactions with one another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the reasons behind the decision to send children aged under three to ECEC (Early Childhood Education and Care) and the causes that may explain why some families send their child to ECEC once they reach the age of two while others decide to do so at an earlier age. To answer the first question posed a probit model is used, while to answer the second query a Heckprobit model is estimated to take into account possible selection bias. The data for this study was taken from an unpublished database compiled by the Spanish National Institute for Educational Evaluation, which gathers information from 1.166 children schooled in the Infant Education stage. The results of our estimations show that the decision to enroll children under three in ECEC services depends fundamentally on the sociodemographic characteristics of the mother (educational level, employment situation and age), on household size (if it is a large family) and on the availability of ECEC services in the area in which the child lives. Our study has also shown that the only variable regarding factors that explain the differences in the age of access to ECEC services, two or under two, is the importance that parents place on their children developing empathy towards others. On the basis of our results, the study offers recommendations aimed at the progressive universalization of this initial educational stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary education forms the foundational learning stage, providing young learners with essential skills and knowledge. The 2009 Right to Education Act ensures free and compulsory education for ages 6–14. It mandates neighborhood school access without fees, enabling completion of elementary education without financial barriers. The research aims to determine whether all the settlements in the Chamarajanagara district have school within a specified distance and whether children are provided with elementary education. Therefore, mapping of Chamarajanagara district primary schools is carried out, and their spatial distribution and accessibility to the residents are explored using a geographic information system as a tool for analysis. School spatial analysis involves conducting assessments for the Service Area Road Network, spanning 1 km from Primary Schools, 3 km from Upper Primary Schools (VI–VII std.), and 5 km from Upper Primary Schools (VIII std.). Using GIS exposed several issues associated with schools, emphasizing their geographic locations. It has been found that, out of the 884 settlements, 252 settlements are unserved for the schools, and children are expected to travel more than the maximum standard distance, indicating the current service provision is inadequate. The limitation is due to the combined effect of population distribution, spatial variables, socio-economic conditions, transportation problems, and the absence of regular monitoring and evaluation. The study would support the planning efforts to improve service provision and help the Government formulate effective policies for the context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kindergarten is emphasized as a critical first entry into the education system, as politicians and pundits believe kindergartners' success can lead to later academic achievement. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of kindergarten school readiness data should consider how it is measured and how that affects learning. Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Studies—Kindergarten (ECLS-K) cohort 2010–2011 data, the author examined the relationship between teacher reports about children's academic readiness at kindergarten entrance and their later outcomes in reading, math, and science through fifth grade. This study used a latent basis growth model with time-invariant predictors to analyze the relationship's trajectory. Overall, findings determined that teachers' perceptions of children's Approaches to Learning, mathematical thinking, and science significantly impacted later achievements in math and science direct assessments throughout elementary education. This research discussed the practice and policy implications on teachers' perceptions of school readiness and its impact on later academic outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation is essential for writing success. However, investigations of writing motivation in younger students often overlook the students' voices, basing instead --insufficiently--findings solely on teachers' and/or researchers' observations. The present systematic literature review highlights the importance of also listening to students' own perspectives. It synthesizes findings from empirical studies (1996-2020) in K-5 classrooms. Of 5,795 studies initially identified, 56 met the inclusion criteria and were qualitatively analyzed. The analysis yielded nine factors that influence writing motivation. They are presented as the ABCs of Writing Motivation, organized according to the first nine letters of the alphabet: (A) Appeal, (B) Beliefs, (C) Choice, (D) Difficulty, (E) Environment, (F) Feedback, (G) Goals, (H) Help, and (I) Instructor. We suggest that this can be a useful tool both for researchers and for teachers, as a checklist or source of ideas when planning writing lessons or interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes how fourth graders collaborate when working on an engineering project. Specifically, what are habits that fourth graders exhibit when working together successfully? Acting as a participant-researcher, I compared the habits of eight fourth-grade students (two groups) in a rural classroom by video-recording the students collaborating on an engineering project. The results showed that the biggest indicator of success was using inclusive language such as 'we' and 'ours.' This article emphasizes the difference between groups' use of the word "I" and the word "we." I then replicated these findings with a subsequent fourth-grade class. I suggest that we, as educators, can explicitly teach our students to use more inclusive language when collaborating. The inclusive language may help students be more successful when working on all kinds of projects, including science and engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parental involvement is considered essential for children’s educational outcomes. Previous research has connected parental involvement to children’s mathematical achievement. However, it remains unclear how parental values and communication regarding education and academic achievement relate to children’s mathematical achievement and attitudes. The current study aims to fill this gap by building on an earlier project with quantitative data conducted twice, consisting of mathematical tests for children and surveys for children, parents, and teachers. Based on exploratory factor analyses and a theoretically constructed model, we conducted confirmatory factor analyses to establish a structural equation model. The results showed that children’s mathematical achievement and attitudes correlated with the parent’s educational values. In addition, the analyses revealed that the children’s mathematical outcomes were more strongly related to the parents’ values than to the parents’ communication with the children. Limitations of the study and implications for the importance of parents’ values and communication were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is important for university students studying elementary music education to master basic conducting gestures. We have developed a VR training system for self‐study of Saito's music conducting method. The system uses a depth camera and magnetic motion capture system to measure hand movements, and an HMD to superimpose the teacher's hand on the trainee's own hand. With the system, trainee can self‐study while visually and three‐dimensionally checking the motion and timing of the teacher's and the trainee's own hand gestures. In this paper, we describe an evaluation experiment with our system. The results showed that the VR environment is effective for learning three‐dimensional movements, and that the addition of a visual line display function for trajectories, a function to display trajectories from different viewpoints, and a replay function improves the learning effect. Specifically, the results of a short training session of 5 min revealed that the developed system was effective in bringing 75% of the trainees closer to the teacher's gesture. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores development in teacher beliefs and ideas for adaptations with respect to students who display challenging behaviour. These students have the same right to inclusive education as other students, but evidence suggest that this still is a partially unsolved issue. The study's context is an elementary school using Lesson Study as method for professional development over a four-year period. We have used content analysis and compared teacher talk during planning meetings at the beginning and end of the four years. The main findings are increased attention towards student behaviour, increased use of contextual explanations for student behaviour, a marked increase in ideas for adaptations, and ideas changing from exerting external control to engaging students in learning activities. The findings are discussed as to whether they support inclusion and how Lesson Study might have contributed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While AI has become more prevalent in our society than ever, many young learners are found holding various naive, erroneous conceptions of AI due to the influence of their technology and media environments. To address this issue, this study seeks to propose a novel pedagogical solution to improve upper‐elementary school students' scientific understanding of AI. Following a theory‐informed design convention, we propose an embodied, analogical and disruptive (EAD) approach which is centred on a human–AI comparison through analogical teaching and embodied interaction. To evaluate the impact of this approach, a matched‐group experimental study with pre‐ and posttest interviews was conducted among 77 Grade 6 elementary students in China. The statistical analysis showed that the experimental group, learning via the EAD approach, significantly outperformed their counterparts receiving direct instruction in terms of student growth in understanding. Qualitative analyses revealed the strengths of the EAD approach in supporting student engagement, abstract thinking and system thinking, and its limitations in cognitive overload and communication issues. Patterns of student learning were identified, including their mental schemas and strategies. The EAD approach, as an evidence‐based, age‐appropriate pedagogical solution, demonstrates the value of embodied cognition and human–AI analogy in AI education in elementary education. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Many young students hold naive, erroneous conceptions about AI.Pedagogical design has long been a critical challenge in teaching AI in K‐12 schools.Human–AI analogies are often used to teach AI, but with obvious pitfalls to be fixed.What this paper adds An embodied, analogical and disruptive (EAD) approach is proposed to improve students' understandings of AI.An experimental study shows statistically significant greater gains in students' understanding with the EAD approach than with the conventional AI‐only direct instruction approach.Qualitative analysis shows the strength of the EAD approach in supporting student engagement, abstract thinking and systems thinking, and its limitations in cognitive overload and communication issues.Implications for practice and/or policy The EAD approach offers a novel pedagogical solution to promote inclusive and quality AI education for young learners.The EAD approach highlights the pedagogical value of embodied cognition and human–AI analogy in AI education.The EAD approach can complement programming and other plugged activities in AI, and more broadly technology and engineering education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well‐established that being a self‐regulated learner is beneficial academically, motivationally and is considered essential for productive life‐long learning. Despite this, there is limited evidence examining how different measures of self‐regulation for learning (SRL) relate to task performance for young students learning in digital contexts. This study investigated the relationships between different measures of SRL of elementary school students (N = 48, Mage = 10.75) while using a computer‐based learning environment, and their association with task performance and teacher rating of student SRL ability. Results confirmed the most effective measure of SRL, in terms of its relationship with, and predictability of task performance, was a self‐report written response, whereby students identified and explained known SRL strategies, such as how to plan, monitor or complete their work. Teacher ratings of their students' metacognitive capability were significantly correlated with task performance and with two self‐report instruments: the Junior Metacognitive Awareness Inventory and the SRL written response. Associations between actual observed self‐regulation behaviours in a computer‐based learning environment, using Azevedo et al.'s coding framework and how students self‐reported their knowledge and understanding about SRL, were weak. Observations of young students' SRL behaviours in computer‐based learning environments were not significantly related to task performance. Better understanding of these relationships will help educators and researchers to know where they should focus their attention in terms of developing elementary school students' self‐regulatory capabilities in digital contexts, as well as the reliability of self‐report measures of SRL as relative to observations of self‐regulation and task performance. Implications for teacher practice are also discussed. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Students need to use self‐regulation for learning (SRL) strategies in digital contexts.Self‐regulation strategies need to be explicitly taught to students as they are not guaranteed to become automatically acquired.Being a self‐regulated learner leads to improved academic performance, engagement and motivation.What this paper adds Empirical evidence addressing the associations and patterns between various measures of SRL for young students learning in digital environments.Student self‐report explanations of known SRL strategies was the only significant predictor of student task performance.Coding of young students' SRL behaviours in digital environments do not relate well to task performance.Implications for practice and/or policy Understanding the associations between young students' self‐report of SRL and how this relates to their actual SRL behaviour while using digital technology is critical to supporting student learning and success.Learning to better articulate self‐regulation strategies may result in greater consciousness and application of self‐regulation strategies in digital contexts, which in turn could improve task performance.Eliciting explanations from students about SRL strategies may be more informative and expedient than conducting and analysing individual observations in digital contexts, to determine the general self‐regulatory knowledge and understanding of young students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last two decades, technological advances have been spectacular, and their transcendence has touched all areas of society. Specifically, in the field of education, these advances have allowed projects and approaches such as computational thinking to be taken up more strongly through interdisciplinary visions such as the STEM subjects and technological devices such as Arduino. The main objective of this article is to analyse the uses of Arduino and the achievements it has attained at primary-education level. To this end, a systematic review was carried out in the SCOPUS and Web of Science databases. The methodology used was the PRISMA statement and the SALSA framework. In accordance with the exclusion criteria applied, nine scientific papers from the last seven years were obtained. The qualitative software ATLAS.ti was used to extract the results. These papers reveal that the most commonly used methodology for incorporating the Arduino board into teaching is problem based learning (PBL) in the context of STEM subjects. In addition, programming environments, such as Scratch, and other electronic components have been used, which have enabled the development of computational thinking and the acquisition of technological knowledge, among other achievements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most children and young people (CYP) worldwide are classified as inactive because they fail to meet the World Health Organisation recommendations for physical activity. Online interventions that use devices like exergames, smartphones, social media, and wearables have the potential to improve physical activity engagement because of their extensive reach and opportunities for learning and use across contexts. The objectives of this systematic review were to update the evidence-base on online physical activity interventions for CYP since 2015, analyse the outcomes associated with online interventions across physical, cognitive, social and affective domains, and assess the mechanisms (i.e. pedagogical strategies) of online interventions that resulted in outcomes related to physical activity. A systematic search of the literature was conducted across 4 databases (MEDLINE, PudMed, EBSCO and EMBASE) using key words related to online interventions, physical activity and CYP. The inclusion criteria were: CYP aged 5–18 years in the general population; use of an online-based medium to deliver an intervention related to physical activity; outcomes related to changes to physical activity, and in physical, cognitive, social and affective domains; and quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods studies. A modified version of the Quality Assessment Tool for Studies with Diverse Designs was used to assess study quality. A mixed methods approach was used to analyse and synthesise all evidence. 26 papers were identified as meeting the inclusion criteria, including randomised control trials (n=8), non-randomised interventions (n=12), observational studies (n=3) and qualitative papers (n=3). The target population of most studies was children (<12 years) where data collection mostly took place in a school setting, in elementary schools, and in physical education lessons. The interventions reported on positive changes to CYP's physical activity behaviours, through increases in physical activity levels and emotions, attitudes and motivations toward physical activity. Gamification and personalisation were the main mechanisms of online interventions that elicited positive changes in behaviours. The studies in this review provide a convincing rationale for the use of online interventions to support CYP's engagement with physical activity, due to the positive effects on physical and affective outcomes. New evidence is provided on the key mechanisms of online interventions (gamification and personalised learning) and the contexts in which online interventions are likely to be effective (elementary school PE) that can be used by health and education practitioners, organisations, policy makers and/or researchers to reach and engage CYP in physical activity. This study had some limitations that mainly relate to variation in study design, over-reliance of self-reported measures, and sample characteristics, that prevented comparative analysis. Registration number: PROPSERO; CRD42020215597. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The present study assessed the effectiveness of the ECRIMO educational application designed to build first‐grade level spelling skills. We tested whether using the app to teach spelling would be as effective as providing the same training using traditional paper exercises. The effect of integrating gamification into mobile learning apps, which has been little studied in the context of young children, is also investigated. A pretest/training/posttest design was implemented with 311 first‐graders divided in four groups: no training, paper training, the ECRIMO app with gamification features, and the ECRIMO app without gamification. Spelling, reading and phonological awareness abilities was measured at both pretest and posttest. The training was conducted over a 7‐week period (4.40 hours in total). The experimental design allowed us to answer three questions: (1) Is spelling training effective regardless of the medium used? (2) Is training through the app as efficient as paper‐based training? (3) Does gamification impact students' learning performance? Mixed‐model analyses revealed (1) a positive effect on the training outcome depended on the initial spelling ability of participants, (2) a comparable efficiency between autonomous training using the ECRIMO app on tablets and the same training provided by teachers using paper exercises and (3) a marginally positive effect of gamification that is greater for the weakest students. The present study proposes an original and pertinent experimental design to test the relevance of educational applications. The design features of learning apps can impact students' learning differently depending on their initial level. A critical step should be verifying that using online apps for training is at least as effective as the same training using paper exercises. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic A significant number of children experience difficulties in reading and spelling from the first years of learning.The use of new technologies to support classroom teaching is rapidly developing as a topic of interest for educational professionals and researchers.Evaluations of new technologies developed to enhance literacy skills suggest that many factors can vary their effectiveness.The effectiveness of a digital educational application can be enhanced or undermined by design choices, such as gamification.What this paper adds Spelling training with the app ECRIMO seems effective for first year students, especially those with the lowest and middle level.Comparable effects of both the tablet‐based and paper equivalent training on participants' spelling were found.The use of gamification in ECRIMO could be more suitable for the weakest students.Implications for practice and/or policy Educational technologies should be evidence‐based and should be evaluated with both a passive and an active control group.The design should be carefully considered and tested, as it may be advantageous for some students and disadvantageous for others.The use of digital technology in education can be beneficial for classroom practice, when the activity can be carried out in total autonomy, leaving the teacher available for a group of pupils with specific needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computational Thinking (CT) has emerged in recent years as a thematic trend in education in many countries and several initiatives have been developed for its inclusion in school curricula. There are many pedagogical strategies to promote the development of elementary school students' CT skills and knowledge. Unplugged learning tasks, block-based programming projects, and educational robotics are 3 of the most used strategies. This paper aimed to analyze the effect of Scratch-based activities, developed during one scholar year, on the computational thinking skills developed and concepts achieved by 4th-grade students. The study involved 189 students from two school clusters organized into an experimental group and a control group. To assess students' computational knowledge, the Beginners Computational Thinking Test developed by Several Zapata-Cáceres et al. (2020) was used. The results indicate statistically significant differences between the groups, in which students in the experimental group (who performed activities with Scratch) scored higher on the test than students in the control group (who did not use Scratch). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Revista Española de Orientación y Psicopedagogía (REOP) is the property of Revista Espanola de Orientacion y Psicopedagogia (REOP) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Umbral is the property of Revista Umbral and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Teoretické Reflexe Hudební Výchovy is the property of Masaryk University, Faculty of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The purpose of this paper is to introduce Japanese informatics education from elementary school through high school. To this end, we discussed what competencies are expected to be developed by programming education, the Japanese curriculum standard for informatics subjects, and what should be considered in future programming education. To concretize the discussion, we examined previous research about problem-solving skills, especially in Computational Thinking, the characteristics of the high school informatics I text, and standardized tests of informatics which are deeply related to the Japanese curriculum standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preparing data‐literate citizens and supporting future generations to effectively work with data is challenging. Engaging students in Knowledge Building (KB) may be a promising way to respond to this challenge because it requires students to reflect on and direct their inquiry with the support of data. Informed by previous studies, this research explored how an analytics‐supported reflective assessment (AsRA)‐enhanced KB design influenced 6th graders' KB and data science practices in a science education setting. One intact class with 56 students participated in this study. The analysis of students' Knowledge Forum discourse showed the positive influences of the AsRA‐enhanced KB design on students' development of KB and data science practices. Further analysis of different‐performing groups revealed that the AsRA‐enhanced KB design was accessible to all performing groups. These findings have important implications for teachers and researchers who aim to develop students' KB and data science practices, and general high‐level collaborative inquiry skills. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Data use becomes increasingly important in the K‐12 educational context.Little is known about how to scaffold students to develop data science practices.Knowledge Building (KB) and learning analytics‐supported reflective assessment (AsRA) show premises in developing these practices.What this paper adds AsRA‐enhanced KB can help students improve KB and data science practices over time.AsRA‐enhanced KB design benefits students of different‐performing groups.AsRA‐enhanced KB is accessible to elementary school students in science education.Implications for practice and/or policy Developing a collaborative and reflective culture helps students engage in collaborative inquiry.Pedagogical approaches and analytic tools can be developed to support students' data‐driven decision‐making in inquiry learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal mining has a deep history in the Appalachian region, where some local economies have heavily relied on coal production. While coal employment in the region has generally been in a long-term decline, there is variation across counties, with coal employment still representing a large share of total employment for some counties. This paper explores how coal activity—measured by coal employment, coal employment as a share of total employment, coal production, and the number of coal mines—impacts locally provided funding for K-12 education. Using county-level data that spans from 1995 to 2016, results indicate that increases in coal activity have a positive and significant impact on local revenues per student though effects are modest. The findings are robust across different specifications. The implication is that declines in coal activity can hamper school funding, in turn affecting adequate investments in education that are essential for economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]