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Background: The ActiPASS software was developed from the open-source Acti4 activity classification algorithm for thigh-worn accelerometry. However, the original algorithm has not been validated in children or compared with a child-specific set of algorithm thresholds. This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of ActiPASS in classifying activity types in children using 2 published sets of Acti4 thresholds. Methods: Laboratory and free-living data from 2 previous studies were used. The laboratory condition included 41 school-aged children (11.0 [4.8] y; 46.5% male), and the free-living condition included 15 children (10.0 [2.6] y; 66.6% male). Participants wore a single accelerometer on the dominant thigh, and annotated video recordings were used as a reference. Postures and activity types were classified with ActiPASS using the original adult thresholds and a child-specific set of thresholds. Results: Using the original adult thresholds, the mean balanced accuracy (95% CI) for the laboratory condition ranged from 0.62 (0.56–0.67) for lying to 0.97 (0.94–0.99) for running. For the free-living condition, accuracy ranged from 0.61 (0.48–0.75) for lying to 0.96 (0.92–0.99) for cycling. Mean balanced accuracy for overall sedentary behavior (sitting and lying) was ≥0.97 (0.95–0.99) across all thresholds and conditions. No meaningful differences were found between the 2 sets of thresholds, except for superior balanced accuracy of the adult thresholds for walking under laboratory conditions. Conclusions: The results indicate that ActiPASS can accurately classify different basic types of physical activity and sedentary behavior in children using thigh-worn accelerometer data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Active transportation (AT), described as self-powered modes of travel (eg, walking and cycling), is an important source of health-promoting physical activity. While AT behaviors have been measured on national health surveys in Canada for over 2 decades, historic prevalence has not been previously reported. We aimed to document the measures of AT on Canada's various national health surveys, examine AT over time, and interpret them within the context of evolving methods of assessment. Methods: We compiled and summarized the questions used to measure AT among Canadians on 4 national health surveys: National Population Health Survey (1994–1998), Canadian Community Health Survey (2000–2020), Canadian Health Measures Survey (2007–2019), and the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Study (2010–2018). Among youth and adults (12+ y), we summarized over time: (1) the prevalence of AT participation and (2) time spent in AT (in hours per week) among those who report any AT participation. Where possible, we reported separate estimates of walking and cycling and produced an aggregate estimate of total AT. We stratified results by age group and sex. Results: Changes in AT survey questions over time and between surveys limit the interpretation and comparability of temporal trends. Nevertheless, a consistently higher proportion of females report walking, while a higher proportion of males report cycling. Irrespective of mode, males report spending more total time in AT. Participation in AT tends to decrease with age, with youth reporting the highest rates of AT and young adults often spending the most time in AT. Conclusions: Monitoring trends in AT can help assess patterns of behavior and identify whether promotion strategies are needed or whether population interventions are effective. Our evaluation of AT over time is limited by questions surveyed; however, consistent differences in AT by age and sex are evident over time. Moving forward, ensuring consistency of AT measurement over time is essential to monitoring this important behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the effect of planning interventions on self-reported changes in parents supervised oral health-related behaviors (OHRBs) and associated clinical oral health parameters for primary school-age children. Method and materials: In total, 110 parent–child pairs (children aged 3 to 8 years) were randomly assigned to either of the two groups. In the “action planning” group, parent participants of the pair were asked to make an “action plan” using the “how, when, where” format for their child OHRBs. In the “implementation intention” group, parents were asked to form an “if-then plan” to improve OHRBs for their child. Self-reported changes on target OHRBs, change in plaque scores, change in plaque stagnation areas, and change in caries status of tooth surfaces were observed at 2, 8, and 12 weeks. Results: Overall OHRBs scores changed significantly from baseline to 12 weeks for both interventions. The scores were significantly better with “if-then” planning than “action planning” (z = 4, P < .001) at 12 weeks. Plaque scores also changed significantly from baseline to 12 weeks for both interventions, and improved significantly more with “if-then” planning (16.20 ± 5.24) than “action planning” (50.66 ± 11.24) at 12 weeks. The number of plaque stagnation areas also changed significantly from baseline to 12 weeks for both interventions, and improved significantly more with “if-then” planning at 12 weeks (12.80 ± 5.33) than “action planning” (42.76 ± 10.34) (t = −11.55, P < .001). There was significant change in the caries status of sound tooth surfaces with “action planning” at 12 weeks (z = 116.50, P = .023). There were no new caries lesions reported with “if-then” planning at 12 weeks. Conclusion: The study observed significant improvement in OHRBs and associated oral health parameters with planning interventions, preferring “if-then” planning over “action planning.” It also elicited significant barriers to behaviors in action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study examined the after-school activities of Japanese elementary school children in which little information is available for understanding the process by which participation in organized activities leads to the decrease in children's independent mobility. Methods: One thousand eight hundred and twenty-four mothers of elementary school children participated in an online survey. The mothers responded to the questions on the number of lessons (or cram schools) their children attended weekdays, as well as their children's behavior after classes, and parents providing transportation when their children go out to play. Results: The proportion of children attending lessons and/or cram schools increased as their grades progressed. A significant interaction existed between the degree of parental transportation and grade in terms of whether or not the children attended lessons and/or cram schools. Parental involvement included pick up or drop-off for a large percentage of younger children without lessons, whereas the degree of parental involvement was greater for older children attending lessons. In other words, parents of children without attending lessons or cram schools tended to allow children to engage in independent activities when they reached the higher grades, whereas parents of children who frequently attended lessons and cram schools tended to remain involved in transporting their children, even when they reached the higher grades. Conclusions: The results suggested that the participation of children in organized activities leads to a routine of parental pickup and/or drop-off, which renders difficult the facilitation of opportunities for children to independently participate in play activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Competence in fundamental movement skills (FMS) is purported to be linked with increased physical activity participation. Yet, recent research suggests a low level of FMS proficiency in children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy, impact on gender, and influence of teacher fidelity on the Moving Well-Being Well intervention. Method: The intervention was delivered in 18 primary schools (n = 925, Mage = 7.55 years). Data were gathered on six FMS and two balance skills pre- and postintervention using the Test of Gross Motor Development—Third Edition and Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency 2. Results: The mean postintervention FMS score was higher than preintervention, with a mean increase of 7.85 (23%). A two-way analysis of covariance found gender was not statistically significant (p =.74), but teacher fidelity was statistically significant (p =.000; moderate effect size). Conclusions: The intervention significantly improved children's FMS, having a similar effect on boys and girls. Teacher fidelity of implementation had a significant impact on FMS improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sought to understand the influence of participation in a physical activity-based, social and emotional learning-focused after-school. Undergraduate students (N = 25) from a variety of ethnic backgrounds participated in semi-structured interviews and regular journaling. Data were analyzed inductively and deductively through the lens of occupational socialization theory. Four themes were developed: (a) career confirmation, refinement, and reevaluation that occurred from volunteering; (b) career development through hands-on experiences; (c) personal and interpersonal development through working with others; and (d) development in relationships and emotional health. The participants found the program to be valuable for their career choices, whether it was confirming their career choice or changing it. It also increased their ability to use social and emotional strategies to deepen relationships and navigate stress within and outside of the program. Implications for research and practice are discusses in relation to the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Around 40% of Australian children do not participate in sport. Cost is a major barrier to participation, particularly for children from low socioeconomic backgrounds. This study aimed to evaluate the uptake of a population-level children's sports subsidy scheme, including sociodemographic differences in uptake. Methods: A state-wide cross-sectional analysis comparing sports voucher claimants (primary school-aged children with a valid Medicare or Australian visa number) from the 2019 financial year with population census data from South Australia. Chi-square was used to examine whether the percentage of eligible children who claimed a voucher differed based on age, sex, socioeconomic status (SES), and geographical remoteness. Subgroup analyses were conducted for the lowest 2 socioeconomic disadvantage deciles, split by gender. Scatterplots were used to compare sports between high and low SES children. Results: A total of 74,668 children claimed sports vouchers (45.5% of eligible children). Children who were relatively younger, female, from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and from major cities were least likely to claim the voucher. The 5 most common sports were Australian rules football (30.2%), netball (13.6%), soccer (13.1%), gymnastics (10.4%), and basketball (5.7%), with the popular sports similar for high and low SES children. Conclusions: Future work is needed to understand how Sports Voucher, and sport participation rates have changed over time, and to improve voucher uptake among girls, city dwellers, and low SES children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Evidence demonstrates that many school children fail to master fundamental movement skills (FMS). Little is known about the teaching and learning of FMS in Hong Kong. This study aimed to capture voices from both teachers and students to better understand the current FMS practices in primary physical education Methods: Semistructured interviews with physical education teachers and focus groups with students were conducted. Thematic analysis of teacher transcriptions was performed. Student focus groups were analyzed using a framework approach, guided by TARGET (i.e., Task, Autonomy, Recognition, Grouping, Evaluation, and Time). Results: Several "teacher" level themes were developed: Self-efficacy (mis)judgment, limited pedagogical content knowledge, ineffective instructional and assessment strategies, insufficient teacher training, and deprioritization of skill development in physical education. Students perceived the need for a more student-centered approach to the teaching of FMS. Conclusions: Results highlighted the need for a different approach to initial and continuous teacher education in FMS. Further investigation into the most effective forms of teacher education is necessary, in order to improve the teaching and learning of FMS in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the intricate dynamics of classroom management strategies and their impact on the academic performance of grade 6 students at Kiwalan Elementary School in Iligan City, Philippines. Utilized adapted structured questionnaires with a 5-point Likert scale for teachers and learners. Learners positively perceived their teachers' strategies across dimensions like physical classroom conditions, discipline, routine care, and time management. Teachers, in turn, displayed unwavering confidence in these strategies, emphasizing their commitment to maintaining optimal learning conditions. Academically, students demonstrated commendable performance, with a significant proportion achieving "Very Satisfactory" and "Satisfactory" grades, reflecting an overall positive academic outcome. However, a rigorous regression analysis yielded intriguing findings. Despite positive perceptions and academic achievements, the relationship between teachers' classroom management strategies and learners' academic performance lacked statistical significance. "Not significant" remarks for predictors like Classroom Physical Condition, Classroom Discipline, Care of Routine, and Time Management, coupled with non-significant t-values and p-values. The indicated strategies did not significantly predict academic performance variations. The study's insights into the complex interplay between classroom management and academic outcomes underscored the need for nuanced considerations beyond conventional perceptions and academic achievements. The implications extended to educators and policymakers aiming to enhance teaching strategies and optimize learning environments for improved student outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The COVID‐19 pandemic triggered a worldwide socio‐sanitary crisis, continuing to impact societies worldwide. With many school systems shifted to online education, the current study presents a unique opportunity to investigate relevant phenomena related to serious health issues during the schooling and later in life, cyberbullying and bullying. This study began just before the COVID‐19 lockdown was declared and resumed 5 months later allowing to explore 2 main objectives: first, to explore whether cyberbullying increased during the lockdown, and second, to analyze transitions from to time of bullying and cyberbullying. METHODS: The participants included 792 students from sixth and seventh years of Primary Education (Meanage = 10.81, SD = 0.85) in Ecuador. This is a quantitative longitudinal study. Cyberbullying and bullying scales were used for data collection before the lockdown in January and February 2020 (T1), and after 5 months of lockdown, at the end of the same academic year in July 2020 (T2). Descriptive, comparative and predictive analyses, a latent transition analysis was used to identify latent status of cyberbullying and bullying behavior at T1 and T2. RESULTS: The results revealed a significant increase of cyberbullying after 5 months of the lockdown. Interestingly, only a small percentage of students who were uninvolved in cyberbullying and bullying in T1 remained uninvolved in T2. CONCLUSIONS: The discussion explores the dynamics of cyberbullying involvement and examines changes in the roles and groups of bullying and cyberbullying after 5 months of lockdown. The political‐ and school‐related implications of these findings are thoroughly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Findings: Executive Function (EF) and Early Math (EM) are foundational skills for children's school success. Interventions have shown to foster these skills, but their effectiveness in less developed countries remains unknown. This study examined the initial efficacy of an eight-week EF and an EM skills program for young Iranian children at risk for mathematical difficulties. Participants included 88 five- to six-year-old children who were randomly assigned into three conditions: Business-As-Usual (BAU) control group, EF training group, or an EM training group. The experimental groups received 24 sessions over two months. In the EF group, children had significantly higher working memory and planning scores at posttest, which were stable five months later. No significant group difference was found on inhibitory control. In the EM group, children demonstrated stronger math performance compared to BAU children at the posttest and follow-up, suggesting stable math improvement. There was no significant effect of EF training on math performance or significant effect of math training on EF skills. Practice or Policy: Findings suggest that the EF training was related to stronger EF and EM training was related to better math performance. However, there were no significant transfer effects of EF on math and vice versa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Small airway dysfunction (SAD) is increasingly recognized as an important feature of pediatric asthma yet typically relies on spirometry-derived FEF25–75 to detect its presence. Multiple breath washout (MBW) and oscillometry potentially offer improved sensitivity for SAD detection, but their utility in comparison to FEF25–75, and correlations with clinical outcomes remains unclear for school-age asthma. We investigated SAD occurrence using these techniques, between-test correlation and links to clinical outcomes in 57 asthmatic children aged 8–18 years. Methods: MBW and spirometry abnormality were defined as z-scores above/below ± 1.96, generating MBW reference equations from contemporaneous controls (n = 69). Abnormal oscillometry was defined as > 97.5th percentile, also from contemporaneous controls (n = 146). Individuals with abnormal FEF25–75, MBW, or oscillometry were considered to have SAD. Results: Using these limits of normal, SAD was present on oscillometry in 63% (resistance at 5–20 Hz; R5-R20; >97.5th percentile), on MBW in 54% (Scond; z-scores> +1.96) and in spirometry FEF25–75 in 44% of participants (z-scores< −1.96). SAD, defined by oscillometry and/or MBW abnormality, occurred in 77%. Among those with abnormal R5-R20, Scond was abnormal in 71%. Correlations indicated both R5-R20 and Scond were linked to asthma medication burden, baseline FEV1 and reversibility. Additionally, Scond correlated with FENO and magnitude of bronchial hyper-responsiveness. SAD, detected by oscillometry and/or MBW, occurred in almost 80% of school-aged asthmatic children, surpassing FEF25–75 detection rates. Conclusions: Discordant oscillometry and MBW abnormality suggests they reflect different aspects of SAD, serving as complementary tools. Key asthma clinical features, like reversibility, had stronger correlation with MBW-derived Scond than oscillometry-derived R5-R20. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although translanguaging has become a central issue in the multilingual education literature, research on pedagogical translanguaging practices remains underdeveloped. This article describes a study of 72 primary school students (age = 10.68) who participated in an intervention based on translanguaging pedagogies. During the intervention, the boundaries between Basque, Spanish, and English were purposefully and systematically softened to develop the students' communicative competence in the three languages. The study adopted a qualitative approach to explore the pedagogical validity of translanguaging. Focus group discussions were conducted as well as classroom observation in the Basque, Spanish and English language subjects. Qualitative Content Analysis was conducted to analyze the data. In addition, we analyzed translanguaging materials completed by students to gain a better understanding of their performance. The results are discussed in terms of specific translanguaging strategies designed for the intervention and show an increase in students' metalinguistic awareness in the three languages. Students found pedagogical translanguaging useful since it facilitates language comparison and scaffolds understanding and written production. In addition, they found vocabulary strategies particularly beneficial for scaffolding foreign language learning. Finally, implications for the future development of translanguaging practices and research are briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our contribution depicts the emerging of a 'Deficit Perspectives' scale (Döll et al., 2021) by surveying prospective primary level teachers' deficit perspectives regarding migration-related multilingual pupils, based on the theoretical framework of Migration Pedagogy (Mecheril, 2015). We therefore collected and analysed qualitative and quantitative data concerning questions about students' beliefs towards, and experiences with, multilingual pupils and (inner) multilingualism. The aim was evaluating, whether and, if so, how students' deficit perspectives on migration-related multilingual pupils change over the course of two semesters of a required university module on topics such as migration and multilingualism, among others. Our findings show no increase in students' deficit perspectives, but no increase in appreciation and resource orientation either. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated relationships among home reading practices, shared book reading (SBR) behaviors, and child literacy outcomes in young children with cochlear implants in Baltimore, Maryland. Parents (N =18) completed a home reading questionnaire and recorded themselves reading books with their children at home. Shared book reading sessions were coded for interactive reading behaviors. Children's early language skills and literacy skills were also assessed. We explored variability in these behaviors with regard to demographic characteristics and type of book; these exploratory analyses revealed that parents used more literacy teaching techniques when reading the wordless picture book and that parent interaction and engagement and literacy teaching techniques were more frequent with younger children than with older children. While many families frequently used interactive reading behaviors, our analysis did not find significant relationships between the parent behaviors and children's literacy scores. However, there was an interaction between the amount of reading and cochlear implant experience such that more cochlear implant experience was associated with better reading outcomes only for the group of children who received more reading time. In a sample of young children with cochlear implants, reading time, cochlear implant experience, and child language skills were better predictors of reading outcomes than parents' frequency of SBR behaviors alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generally, most children became vulnerable to potential learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, empirical evidence on households as vulnerability factor to children's potential learning loss in Ghana does not exist to guide policy decisions and scholarly discourse. Through a national household survey underpinned by a disaster risk reduction framework, this paper examines the vulnerability of Ghanaian school children to perceived learning loss during the COVID-9 pandemic school closures. The findings of this study indicate that household efforts to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the risk of potential learning loss among school children varied disproportionately across wealth quintiles and geographic locations. It is, however, revealing that about 29% of households in the richest wealth quintiles did not take deliberate actions to mitigate the risk of potential learning loss among their children. Against these revealing findings, we conclude that households' decisions to support their children's learning during the pandemic-induced school closures may not be based on economic reasons alone. Consistent with this finding, we recommend the exploration of additional factors and dynamics of understanding potential and perceived learning outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, widespread school closures were implemented globally based on the assumption that transmission among children in the school environment is common. However, evidence regarding secondary infection rates by school type and level of contact is lacking. Our study estimated the frequency of SARS-CoV-2 infection in school settings by examining the positivity rate according to school type and level of contact by using data from a large-scale school-based PCR project conducted in Okinawa, Japan, during 2021-2022. Our results indicate that, despite detection of numerous positive cases, the average number of secondary infections remained relatively low at -0.5 cases across all types of schools. Considering the profound effects of prolonged closures on educational access, balancing public health benefits against potential long-term effects on children is crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools strive to respond compassionately to disadvantaged families. However, barriers to authentic home-school relationships persist because the concept of parental engagement at home is not well enough understood. Socio-cultural stereotyping still contributes to schools' fixed impressions of what parental engagement should consist of, and the abilities of disadvantaged parents to support their children's learning. This qualitative case study provides new and unique insights into learning at home. A child-centred study was undertaken in a small Primary school, in a deprived area of Scotland, exploring the importance of home learning with young children. The findings indicate the young participants had an acute understanding of the significance of home learning for their ongoing and future development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the use of Arduino in introductory thermal energy experiments, specifically focusing on thermal equilibrium. By utilizing Arduino Uno boards and DS18B20 temperature sensors, students can explore heat transfer between two objects at different temperatures. The experiment is suitable for high school or college students in nonmajor science courses and can be adapted for elementary or middle school students. The article emphasizes the advantages of using sensors in STEM education, making experiments engaging and accessible to all students, regardless of their prior knowledge or skills. [Extracted from the article]

Using an in-depth qualitative case study approach, this study examines parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as they tried to become involved in their children's education and establish home–school partnerships to better support their children's needs in an elementary school in Turkey. Specifically, we focused on the school-level, structural barriers that these parents faced during the process. Our findings indicate that despite these parents' unparalleled enthusiasm and advocacy in supporting their children's education, their efforts to work in partnership with their children's school was hindered by various structural barriers. This study questions traditional perceptions and practices employed by schools to promote home–school partnerships for parents of children with ASD and argues that these traditional ways of viewing partnership further complicate the situation and hinder possible authentic partnerships that might have occurred between schools and parents. This paper provides suggestions for school leaders, teachers and families, as well as for policymakers, to establish more authentic partnerships for parents of children with ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policies exist to regulate the use of restraint and seclusion so that they are only implemented when necessary and following appropriate standards and procedures. These policies often focus on students with disability. This qualitative study explored school leaders' understanding, use and perspectives of the Restraint and Seclusion Policy mandated for Victorian government schools, in relation to primary school-aged children with disability. Reflexive thematic analysis was undertaken on interviews conducted with eight leaders from six Victorian government schools. Five themes were developed: (i) Perceptions about behaviours of concern; (ii) Complex policy complicates implementation; (iii) Many factors determine policy implementation; (iv) Reporting is required but stressful; and (v) Support is important and includes, but is not limited to, professional development. Results indicate the Policy was valued but complex. School ethos, educator ideologies and understanding of behaviour, and the physical environment impacted policy implementation. Leaders felt the most effective approach to reducing restraint and seclusion use was preventing challenging behaviour through proactive and holistic approaches. Reporting was necessary but the process often felt arduous and judgmental for educators. The Restraint and Seclusion Policy was valued but needs to be user friendly and supported with professional development about understanding the policy, behaviour and disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children's white matter development is driven by experience, yet it remains poorly understood how it is shaped by attending formal education. A small number of studies compared children before and after the start of formal schooling to understand this, yet they do not allow to separate maturational effects from schooling‐related effects. A clever way to (quasi‐)experimentally address this issue is the longitudinal school cut‐off design, which compares children who are similar in age but differ in schooling (because they are born right before or after the cut‐off date for school entry). We used for the first time such a longitudinal school cut‐off design to experimentally investigate the effect of schooling on children's white matter networks. We compared "young" first graders (schooling group, n = 34; Mage = 68 months; 20 girls) and "old" preschoolers (non‐schooling group, n = 33; Mage = 66 months; 18 girls) that were similar in age but differed in the amount of formal instruction they received. Our study revealed that changes in fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity in five a priori selected white matter tracts during the transition from preschool to primary school were predominantly driven by age‐related maturation. We did not find specific schooling effects on white matter, despite their strong presence for early reading and early arithmetic skills. The present study is the first to disentangle the effects of age‐related maturation and schooling on white matter within a longitudinal cohort of 5‐year‐old preschoolers. Research Highlights: White matter tracts that have been associated with reading and arithmetic may be susceptible to experience‐dependent neuroplasticity when children learn to read and calculate.This longitudinal study used the school cut‐off design to isolate schooling‐induced from coinciding maturational influences on children's white matter development.White matter changes during the transition from preschool to primary school are predominantly driven by age‐related maturation and not by schooling effects.Strong effects of schooling on behavior were shown for early reading and early arithmetic, but not for verbal ability and spatial ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does the representation of boy and girl exemplars in curricular materials affect students' learning? We tested two competing hypotheses about the impact of gender exemplar on learning: First, in line with Social Learning Theory, children might exhibit a same‐gender bias such that they prefer to learn from exemplars that match their gender (H1). Second, consistent with research on children's stereotypes about gender and math (e.g., associating boys with math competence), children might prefer to learn from exemplars who match their stereotypes about who is good at math (H2). We tested these hypotheses with children in middle school (N = 166), a time of development in which stereotypes are well‐engrained, but before gender differences in math achievement appear. Children viewed two distinct math strategies, each presented by a boy or girl exemplar. We then examined which strategy children employed on a subsequent math test as well as their perceived similarity to the exemplars and their awareness or endorsement of gender‐math stereotypes. Children did not preferentially learn from same‐gender exemplars. However, children with stereotypes associating boys with math were more likely to learn the more difficult strategy when it was presented by a boy exemplar than children who did not associate boys with math. The results of this study provide valuable insight into how children's stereotypes impact their real‐world learning. Research Highlights: How does the representation of boy and girl exemplars in children's curricular materials affect their learning?Past research demonstrates that children prefer to learn from same‐gender exemplars, but also hold a stereotype that boys are better at math.In the current study, we test whether children preferentially adopt a math strategy presented by a boy or girl exemplar.Children who held the belief that boys are better at math were more likely to learn a difficult strategy from boy exemplars than children who did not endorse this stereotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benign acute childhood myositis is a benign phenomenon often associated with influenza in children. The aim of this scoping review was to analyze the typical clinical picture and characteristics of benign acute childhood myositis patients. Furthermore, we aimed to analyze the epidemiology and viral findings. We performed a systematic scoping review. We searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and CINAHL databases in August 2023. We included observational studies that focused on children and reported at least 10 children. Our main outcome was to describe the typical clinical picture of benign acute childhood myositis patients. Furthermore, we aimed to report the typical laboratory findings and virus findings. A total of 211 studies were screened, and 22 studies were included in this review. The included studies were mainly from Europe (13 studies) and Asia (5 studies). Two studies were prospective, and the rest were retrospective. The mean age of the patients was 6.8 (CI 5.8–7.8) years. Benign acute childhood myositis appeared to be more prevalent among boys in all studies. The most prevalent symptoms were bilateral leg pain (pooled prevalence 92%), followed by fever (80%) and inability to walk (56%). Hospitalization rates varied between 4 and 100%, and the mean hospital stay was 3.6 (CI 3.3–3.9) days. Influenza B was the most common virus detected, followed by influenza A. Other reported viruses included herpes simplex, coxsackie-, enteroviruses, adeno-, respiratory syncytial, and parainfluenza viruses. All studies reported creatinine kinase levels, and the reported mean values varied between 100 and 4000 U/L, whereas only five studies reported C-reactive protein which was only slightly elevated. Conclusion: According to a systematic assessment of published literature, benign acute childhood myositis patients were typically school-aged children, presenting with bilateral leg pain, fever, and inability to walk. Influenza A and B were the most reported viruses, but multiple other viruses have been associated with benign acute childhood myositis. These patients have high creatinine kinase values, but their hospital stay was rather short. Overall, this review provides important information for clinicians on the characteristic presentation of benign acute childhood myositis, and these findings may help to better identify these patients and reduce unnecessary tests. What is known: • Benign acute childhood myositis has been mainly associated with influenza viruses, especially B influenza. • Typical patients have been reported to be under school-aged children, and boys have been reported to have a higher incidence. What is new: • Many non-influenza viruses were also associated with benign acute childhood myositis, such as herpes simplex, coxsackie-, entero-, adeno-, respiratory syncytial, and parainfluenza viruses. • Typical symptoms are bilateral calf pain, fever, and inability to walk and creatine kinase levels were reposted to be increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provides evidence connecting two aspects of visual-orthographic skills (orthographic awareness and delayed copying) to the common variance shared by Chinese word reading and arithmetic calculation, as well as in identifying positional knowledge of numbers as a potential mediator of these connections in Chinese primary school students (N = 155, 81 boys). Nonverbal Intelligent Quotient (IQ), socioeconomic status (SES), working memory, and attentional control were included as covariates. Path analyses demonstrated that both orthographic awareness and delayed copying significantly explained the covariance of word reading and arithmetic calculation. Furthermore, there is an indirect effect via positional knowledge of numbers as indicated by number line estimation and strategic counting on the relations between orthographic awareness and the common variance shared by word reading and arithmetic calculation. In contrast, delayed copying had a direct effect on the common variance. Results suggest that early visual-orthographic skills may be helpful in the development of both word reading and arithmetic ability among Chinese students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reading comprehension and arithmetic skills are essential abilities for children, particularly at the early career. Examine the link between language proficiency and numeral information process amongst primary school children. This study examines numeral comprehension in 600 Chinese primary second graders with different levels of decoding and linguistic comprehension skills. Four groups of children were compared, including typical readers (TR), poor decoders (PD), poor comprehenders (PC) and general poor readers (GPR). Results showed that the four groups had similar performances in numeral comprehension when the answer options to a question on the quantity of numerals were presented in Arabic numbers. However, when the answer options to a question on the quantity of numeral information were presented in analogue nonsymbolic magnitude representations, the PC group outperformed the PD and GPR group. The findings of this study has demonstrated the link between language proficiency and numerical information process in reading comprehension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Home Literacy model predicts different outcomes depending on formal and informal literacy practices carried out at home. However, this model does not explicitly consider the potential differences that the media (paper vs. tablets) in which these practices are carried out can have on performance. The present study explored this issue. Participants were 136 children aged 6–7 years old and their parents. The different activities performed at home were analysed through reports of the parents, and children were assessed at school for their reading performance (decoding and comprehension). Results showed how formal practices using traditional materials predicted reading comprehension, but informal practices did not predict any performance measure. The digital home literacy environment showed no impact on reading performance, suggesting that two different environments (paper and digital) might exist, each one of them having differential impacts on performance. Implications for research and education are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have reported high overweight and obesity incidence among schoolchildren and adolescents, who mostly consume packaged snacks with critical nutrients exceeding the criteria of international profiling systems during school breaks. Then, the objectives of this work were to reformulate a snack consumed by Argentinian schoolchildren and adolescents (aged 6–13 years) to decrease its critical nutrient contents and to determine if this product would still be accepted. Chocolate chip vanilla cookies were selected for reformulation considering each recommended cut-off point for critical nutrients, since a prohibition of products with warning octagons being offered at schools would come into effect in Argentina. These cookies received good acceptability scores (above 3 of 5 points) and would be consumed by 8 of 10 schoolchildren in a sample of 200 participants. These findings underscore the importance of legislation promoting awareness of healthier eating habits and increasing the availability of healthier food options in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has demonstrated the effectiveness of executive functions (EFs) training, both in computer‐based and school‐based formats. However, there is limited research on the combined effects of these training modalities. This study aims to assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an EFs training programme for primary school children. The programme includes computerized training sessions for home use and school activities with metacognitive elements. The study included a sample of 53 second‐grade children, with 21 children in the training group and 32 children in the control group. Feasibility questionnaires were completed by children, parents and teachers. The children also underwent an EFs evaluation. The results indicate that the training was enjoyable for children and feasible for parents and teachers. Furthermore, preliminary efficacy analysis revealed significant improvements in working memory. These findings suggest that the training model holds promise for enhancing EFs in children in the school context. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Individual differences in executive functions influence acquisitions, behaviours and competencies in several specific domains from infancy to adulthood.Enhancing executive functions during school‐age years can contribute to reducing or preventing academic, behavioural and social difficulties.Among interventions targeting executive functions in school‐aged children, school‐based interventions have shown the highest effectiveness, followed by metacognitive interventions and computer‐based interventions.What this paper adds This paper presents the implementation of an innovative school‐based training programme designed to improve executive functions (EFs). The programme combines metacognitive sessions conducted at school with computer‐based sessions carried out at home. The goal was to enhance the effectiveness and generalizability of the training.The training programme was found to be enjoyable for children and feasible for both parents and teachers.Preliminary efficacy data indicate promising results, suggesting that the training programme is effective in achieving its intended goals.Implications for practice and/or policy Integrating school‐based metacognitive training with computerized sessions delivered at home can provide a high‐intensity training programme that may not be achievable in the school context alone.The school activities, conducted in group settings with teachers and peers, were found to be the most appreciated by the children, indicating that computer sessions alone cannot replace the value of metacognitive sessions at school, within a meaningful social context for the child.It is crucial to actively involve families in the training process to ensure good adherence. Additionally, the availability of technological resources in each family should be evaluated before implementing the training programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the findings of Let's Be Friends (Shaanxi), Trial 2 (LBF2), which is a second test of the school‐based intervention. Let's Be Friends (LBF) is designed to promote social competence and prevent maladaptive behaviour by strengthening the social information processing (SIP) skills of third‐grade children in rural China. A cluster‐matched design with random sampling was used in LBF2. Two rural counties in China were selected by purposive sampling (one is the treatment site, and another is the control site). Nine treatment schools (n = 343) were selected by random sampling. Fifteen control schools (n = 369) were selected by using vector‐norm matching. All children of the third grade, ages 8–10, in the treatment schools received 12 sessions of LBF2 intervention. Skill‐level Activity Scale and the Carolina Child Checklist–Teacher Form were employed to measure children's SIP skills and aggressive behaviour. LBF2 promoted the improvement of study children's SIP skills and effectively improved children's authority acceptance. LBF has the potential to be applied in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: In October 2023, the Tennessee Department of Health identified an outbreak of Shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 infections among elementary school students who attended school field trips to the same farm animal exhibit. Our aim was to determine STEC source and prevent additional illnesses by initiating epidemiologic, laboratory and environmental investigations. Methods and Results: We identified cases using laboratory‐based surveillance and by surveying caregivers of children who attended the exhibit. Probable cases were defined as illness with abdominal cramps or diarrhoea after attendance; confirmed cases were laboratory‐confirmed STEC infection in an attendee or household contact. A site visit was conducted, and event organizers were interviewed. Human stool, animal faeces and environmental samples were tested for STEC O157:H7 by real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), culture and whole‐genome sequencing (WGS). Approximately 2300 elementary school students attended the animal exhibit during 2 days. Field trip activities included contact with different farm animal species, drinking pasteurized milk outside animal enclosures and eating lunch in a separate building onsite. We received survey responses from 399 caregivers for 443 (19%) animal exhibit attendees. We identified 9 confirmed and 55 probable cases with illness onset dates during 26 September to 12 October. Seven children aged 1–7 years were hospitalized. Four children aged 1–6 years experienced haemolytic uraemic syndrome; none died. Laboratory testing identified STEC O157:H7 by culture from eight human stool samples with 0–1 allele difference by WGS. Three environmental samples had Shiga toxin (stx 2) genes detected by PCR, but no STEC isolates were recovered by culture. Conclusions: This is the largest reported STEC O157:H7 outbreak associated with an animal exhibit in Tennessee. We identified opportunities for educating school staff, event organizers and families about zoonotic disease risks associated with animal contact and published prevention measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic language and its associations with school success have been established in many prior studies. However, the scholarship lacks research on the mechanisms that constitute these relations. This study investigates the mediating role of motivational--affective variables, specifically reading self-concept and reading enjoyment, in relations between academic language and reading comprehension assessed one year later. Path analyses were performed with a newly developed German measure of academic language proficiency on two samples (N = 198, Mage = 9.05 years [SD = 0.76], 49% girls, and N = 360, Mage = 9 years [SD = 0.80], 52% girls) of primary school students in Grades 2 and 3. Results reveal differential outcomes, suggesting an effect mediated via reading self-concept when academic language is operationalized as the comprehension of connectives. The findings are discussed within the context of contemporary perspectives on mental abilities, ranging academic language into current views on cognitive capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a facility location problem with capacitated multiservice facilities in which the allocation of the users is based on their preferences. The problem arises from an educational program, where a government agency or a nongovernmental organization (NGO) offers extracurricular workshops to elementary school students. These workshops promote the development of academic, social, or cultural skills of the students. This problem is formulated as a bi‐level program. The government/NGO is associated with the upper level, which aims to minimize the costs for opening workshops in different schools and the costs of allocating students to each workshop. The lower level is related to the students and seeks to optimize their global preferences for the offered workshops. To solve this problem, we propose a single‐level reformulation and two metaheuristics (a path‐relinking metaheuristic (PRM) and an iterated local search (ILS) procedure). The best performing method is the PRM that generates saturated initial random solutions following a drop heuristic approach. After different phases of improvement (with drop and exchange heuristics), the solutions undergo a path‐relinking procedure. The trajectory between the initial solution and the best solution found so far is explored using a randomized backward path‐relinking strategy that thoroughly explores the neighborhood of the best solution. Computational experimentation indicates that the proposed PRM metaheuristic is effective and efficient. The results obtained provide better upper bounds in shorter running times than the ones obtained by the single‐level reformulation or the ILS procedure. Finally, the application to a realistic case study of Apodaca municipality in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, shows that large‐scale instances can be solved efficiently using the proposed metaheuristic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design thinking is a way to create solid designs that responds to design problems and solve it in a creative and suitable way. However, it is not widely recognized in architectural education pedagogy in Egypt for undergraduate. Despite being very efficient in several business avenues but not in architectural pedagogy. So, this paper aims to spot the light on design thinking and the possibility of its usage in design process to help students have a successful architectural project that solves the design problems and face the site challenges through the use of visualization design thinking tool. Where students face a challenge in translating the verbal language of their collected data in the research phase to the architectural language in the schematic phase. There is a recognized gap between the research students perform in the beginning of design project and the schematic designs that students deliver. The study proposes the possibility of using visualization as a tool for design thinking to have a sufficient and successful schematic design phase. The study will explain how students could apply design thinking in architectural design to benefit from their research phase in their schematic design. Moreover, come up with solutions and variable ideas using the tools of deign thinking as a way for helping in delivering design problem solution and have a more effective schematic design. At the end of the research paper the study concludes how the students can use visualization tool to translate the verbal language to architectural language and the possibility for using design thinking. That to help students realize the importance of analysis phase in synthesis. The research follows descriptive method and quantitative analysis where first the descriptive method is used in illustrating design process and design thinking. Then the quantitative analysis in the experiment is done followed by a survey to prove research problem and help in proposing the solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within creative domains in studio- and project-based education, documentation is often central to demonstrating outcomes, process, and progress. Despite much prior work into the instructional practices, technologies, and tools that support cultivating documentation practices, no prior work explores the student valuing and perception of documentation. To address this, we deploy a design probe to elicit and externalize conceptions of documentation with the same cohort of students in two semesters. Eleven participants engaged in higher education undergraduate programs completed the study. We focus our analysis on one activity — listing and ranking documentation's perceived values. Through our analysis, we developed and validated a robust codebook for students' values. We demonstrate the values of documentation to be coherent across background, time, and experience of the student participants. We also share insights on nine main roles documentation plays for students and discuss how documentation plays not only an important role in communicating creative work to diverse stakeholders but in building self-confidence, motivation, and affect for project-based and hands-on exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to derive a correlation between the technological thinking disposition and the computational thinking ability of gifted students in Korea. The correlation between each element was analyzed by looking at the sub-elements of computational thinking according to the components of technological thinking disposition. The experiment was conducted from September 2019 to February 2021 with 217 students of I Gifted School in Incheon, South Korea. The collected data were analyzed with Pearson's correlation coefficient using the statistical program R using Google COLAB. A summary of the study results is as follows. First, regarding the correlation between technological thinking ability, among the 6 components of technological thinking disposition, technological creativity and expression disposition and technological manipulation disposition show the highest correlation at 0.851. This shows that students who have an excellent ability to implement algorithms with new ideas or express them in various other attempts when implementing programs for gifted students also tend to enjoy program coding or have a tendency to like coding. Second, concerning the correlation between the technological thinking disposition and the sub-factors of computational thinking, some elements showed negative correlations and some had almost no correlation index. Students with high technological curiosity, however, tended to show a 0.287 in the parallelism factor compared to other factors. This showed a generally high trend. It can be said that students who want to know the functions, uses, forms, and characteristics of functions while implementing programs tend to have a better ability to divide large tasks into smaller tasks and process them simultaneously compared with other sub-elements of computational thinking. Third, regarding the correlation between computational thinking skills, the correlation between data analysis and pattern recognition was the highest at 0.637. This indicates that students who have an excellent ability to analyze a given coding problem also can find rules in data, showing that students at gifted schools in Korea tend to enjoy problem-solving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STEAM contests play a pivotal role in maintaining students' interest and motivation in STEAM education. Finding factors that are related to students' continuance intention (CI) to participate in STEAM contests is important for promoting STEAM education. Previous studies mostly focused on exploring the relationships between students' behavioural attitude, positive affect and their CI for a STEAM contest. However, few studies have explored students' CI from the perspective of help-seeking attitude with the belief-attitude-behaviour model. Thus, this study investigated the relationships among students' hands-on making self-efficacy (HMSE), incremental belief of intelligence (IBI), help-seeking attitudes including instrumental help-seeking (IHS) and executive help-seeking (EHS), and their CI for STEAM contests based on the belief-attitude-behaviour model. A total of 405 elementary and junior high school students who took part in the 2022 STEAM PowerTech contest participated in this study. Structural equation modelling was used for confirmatory analysis to validate the hypotheses. Results indicated that EHS exhibited a negative association with CI, whereas IHS exhibited a positive association with CI. HMSE and IBI were negatively associated with EHS, and positively associated with IHS. This study implies that students with a high level of HMSE and IBI are inclined to exhibit IHS and thus have a strong CI for STEAM contests. The findings provide suggestions on enhancing students' CI for STEAM contests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper investigates the intersection of the maker movement and educational innovation, using the China-U.S. Young Maker Competition as a foundational example. It examines how maker education, fueled by hands-on learning and a curiosity-driven approach, can evolve and influence. The study explores the roles and impacts of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Design-Driven Innovation (DDI), and Cross-Cultural Perspectives (CCP) within maker education. It highlights HCI's connection of technology with learning, DDI's focus on user-centered solutions, and the significance of CCP in enhancing cultural collaboration, vital for fostering an innovative and creative future. This paper offers a detailed perspective on the current state and future potential of maker education. It proposes a roadmap for the coming decade, emphasizing collaborative learning and creative endeavors, all set within the engaging environment of the competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the influence that an educational intervention has on students generating requirements for a design task. An experiment was performed in a fourth-year mechanical engineering design course by giving the participants a design problem from which they had to generate a list of requirements. A lecture on requirements was given and then the students were given a second problem. The two problems were tested for similarity. The data was evaluated using ideation metrics of variety, novelty, and quantity adapted to this study. Variety was assessed using eighteen categories to classify each requirement. Novelty was evaluated on the level of uniqueness of the requirement against the complete set generated, based on both syntax and semantic filtering. Findings suggest that the lecture had a positive impact on the students in increasing the variety of the requirement. All novel requirements belonged to the activity performed after lecture. Finally, the quantity of the requirements generated after the lecture were found to be statistically significantly higher. It is shown through a second study that the students before the lecture performed similarly to practicing engineers with three or more years of experience. This suggests that using undergraduate students in the final year of their program may be adequate as surrogates for engineering practitioners for requirement identification studies. This is an important methodological contribution for the engineering design research community to justify the use of students as participants in experimental studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While it has been recognized that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education requires an interdisciplinary approach, integrating multiple subjects in a meaningful way remains challenging for teachers. This study aimed to design a STEM curriculum, emphasizing explicit and continuous scaffolding of students' reflection on scientific and engineering knowledge. The primary goal was to foster knowledge integration in their engineering designs and enhance their attitudes toward STEM. The study involved fifty tenth-grade students who were guided to discuss and reflect on relevant scientific and engineering knowledge and to apply mathematics for data collection and analysis during the design of their technology products. The research instruments included an assessment of the progression of knowledge integration in students' engineering designs through student journals and pre- and post-test surveys on attitudes toward science, technology, engineering, and the learning environment. The results reveal that the introduction and explicit scaffolding students' reflection on scientific and engineering knowledge led to a gradual improvement in knowledge integration within their engineering designs. Students also significantly enhanced their attitudes toward STEM and the learning environment compared to the general school curriculum. This study contributes to interdisciplinary learning that promotes the integration of scientific and engineering knowledge in students' engineering design processes, and to interdisciplinary assessment that evaluates students' knowledge integration across learning progressions and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design teams often rely on precedents, but the impact of using the direct experience of a precedent on design behavior requires further investigation. To explore this impact, fifteen teams of master students of architecture participated in two design sessions: one without and the other with a previous experience of visiting an example. The think-aloud protocol was applied, and a multi-layer coding based on FBS and precedent types was proposed to measure episodic (a specific design experience) and semantic (general design principles) precedents. Furthermore, a measurement was proposed to examine how and when the teams analyzed the precedents or applied them to solve the problem. Dynamic analyses were used to study the differences between the two conditions based on the distribution of precedents and the Problem-Solution index. Statistical analysis unfolded significant differences between the two conditions. In the second design session, the number of precedents, solution generations, and analyzing precedents were significantly increased. The first design session's episodic precedent had categorical similarity with both semantic and episodic precedents of the second design session. The results also indicated that design teams preferred to analyze the visiting experience of the precedent at the outset of the design session and apply other precedents for solving the design problem until the end of the session. While in the second design session, solution generation significantly increased, more episodic precedents related to the direct experience were used for problem framing. From another perspective, these precedents were also applied more to generate design concepts rather than refining design ideations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been much previous research into online group learning, but they have not been aware of or focused on the challenges that design disciplines encounter in terms of interaction when moving to online delivery. This qualitative study comprised 3 participatory design workshops and 22 one-to-one interviews that included a total of 34 teachers and students from the School of Design at the University of Leeds. Participants reported the challenges and feelings they encountered in online group learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study found that the interactive experience of group learning is mainly influenced by the size of the group, the layout of the platform interface, the teacher's management style and the conflict within the group, with more far-reaching discussions providing specific questions and subtle suggestions. The article's findings can inform future strategies for online group learning for students and teachers of design disciplines in design higher education institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design students must develop competence in a wide range of areas in order to be successful in their future practice. Increasingly, knowledge of design methods is used to frame both a designer's repertoire and their overall facility as a designer. However, there is little research on how students build cognitive schema in relation to design methods or how these schema relate to specific patterns of engagement as developing designers. In this paper, we report a multiple case study, capturing the experiences of four advanced undergraduate students enrolled in a User Experience (UX) design program at a large research-intensive institution. Through reflexive thematic analysis on our interview study outcomes, we describe the wide variety of metaphors that these students used to organize and frame their understanding of design methods, including both principles they used to consider methods as knowledge, and the ways in which they felt these organizing principles impacted their practice of design. We conclude with recommendations for further research on the uptake of methods-focused competence in design education and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design thinking dispositions are essential for students to understand why design thinking knowledge should be applied to perform specific tasks. However, few studies are focused on teaching design thinking dispositions. This study proposes a conceptual model that supports teaching design thinking dispositions to address this gap. The model was instantiated in an undergraduate course. Students' reflections about the course were collected to evaluate the model. The use of the model is also demonstrated by considering different teaching scenarios. This study contributes to better teaching and learning design thinking dispositions based on a unique model that helps educators organize their design thinking courses. The study also derives some implications for educators. While teaching design thinking knowledge and skills is essential, developing students' design thinking dispositions is equally essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on Folk theory, Media Equation, and AI literacy research, the study constructed an interview outline and selected 72 students in 4th and 5th grade in three primary schools located in the Minhang and Putuo districts of Shanghai (two in the Minhang district and one in the Putuo district) as the study participants for focus group interviews. The study found that the availability of voice interaction is an essential basis for children to judge the level of intelligence of a machine; additionally, chatting is also the starting point for young children to build a close relationship with AI. Although AI cannot replace their friends, it can become a friend to them. While children expect the future of AI to be beyond the current level of intelligence and emotion and to enable the full use of machines in multiple scenarios and various fields, they are also concerned about issues such as privacy breaches that devices may cause in the future and believe that technology should not develop outside of human control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educators and researchers have increasingly recognized the importance of AI literacy. Despite the growing body of AI literacy literature, the challenges and enablers for introducing AI literacy for kindergarten children is still underexplored and undertheorized in early childhood education. It is critical to understand the challenges and enablers associated with promoting AI literacy and perceptions in kindergartens needs to be further researched and evaluated. This study aims to identify teachers' views on the importance of AI literacy in kindergartens and the challenges and enablers of promoting AI literacy in kindergartens. Data was collected from 15 teachers through individual interviews. It was found that the four main challenges of promoting AI literacy in kindergarten classrooms, including lack of school support, lack of children's comprehensive ability, insufficient teacher knowledge of AI, and lack of curriculum guidelines. The three main enablers of promoting AI literacy in kindergarten classrooms are government support, school support, and social needs. We also found that more than half of teachers in this study considered AI literacy education is crucial for kindergarten children. This study develops an AI literacy policy framework for young children that includes three dimensions—governance, pedagogical, and operational and management. Based on the findings, suggestions for educators, curriculum developers, policymakers, and researchers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial thinking is ubiquitous in design. Design education across all age groups encompasses a range of spatially challenging activities, such as forming and modifying mental representations of ideas, and visualizing the scenarios of design prototypes being used. While extensive research has examined the cognitive processes of spatial thinking and their relationships to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics learning, there remains a knowledge gap regarding the specific spatial thinking processes needed for open-ended problems, which may differ from those assessed in close-ended, analytical spatial tasks. To address this gap, we used educational design-based research to develop a nature-inspired, design-by-analogy project and investigate the spatial thinking processes of young, novice designers. 16 children from an international school in the Netherlands participated in this five-week design project. Multimodal evidence from classroom recordings and children's design works were triangulated to offer insight into the key spatial thinking processes involved in their creation of nature-inspired, analogy-based design prototypes. Our results revealed spatial thinking processes that might not align with those assessed in conventional spatial tests and may be unique to design or open-ended problem-solving. These processes include abstracting spatial features to infer form-function relationships, retrieving a range of relevant visual information from memory, developing multiple possible analogical matches based on spatial features and relationships, elaborating and iterating on the design concepts and representations to make creative and suitable solutions for the design challenge, as well as visualizing design prototypes in practical usage scenarios. By highlighting the nuanced differences between spatial thinking in open-ended, divergent thinking tasks and conventional spatial tasks that demand single correct solutions, our research contributes to a deeper understanding of how children utilize spatial thinking in design and open-ended problem-solving contexts. Furthermore, this case study offers practical implications for scaffolding children's analogical reasoning and nurturing their spatial thinking in design education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the possible relationships between students' positive attitudes and interest toward technology and teachers' approaches. The study was conducted with a sample of students (N = 2312) from 5 to 8th grade of primary school in Croatia. Reduced descriptions of teachers' approaches were used as predictors of students' positive attitudes and interest. Multiple regression was used to determine correlations between teachers' approaches and students' attitudes. The results show a weak but positive correlation between students' attitudes and interests and teachers' approaches typical of the flexible teacher profile. This refers to approaches in which teachers ensure that they understand the purpose of learning, implement activities that are useful from the students' perspective, and allow students to do what they are successful at. Although the characteristics of Croatian technology teachers fit the flexible teacher profile, the correlated approaches identified here do not dominate. Despite the results, due to the complexity of the influence on students' interests and attitudes, further research is needed that considers other possible predictors and their interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]