Search

This paper focuses on integrating multimodal communication into the English-as-a-foreign-language classroom to enhance the development of students' multimodal communicative competence, multiliteracies, and 21st-century skills. To do so, I compiled a corpus of authentic materials from Lady Whistledown's Society Papers in Julia Quinn's novel "The Viscount Who Loved Me" (2000), her appearances as narrator in the Netflix series "Bridgerton" (2022), and some tweets posted by @Bridgerton. This corpus was used to plan and design a game-based teaching proposal. Finally, the paper offers a critical analysis and suggests how this proposal can feasibly contribute to fostering students' multimodal communicative competence.

The transition to the use of paper in public elementary schools in Mexico was not easy. At the end of the nineteenth century, the use of slates had been questioned due to the health risk they represented since students often erased their writing with saliva and the material with which the slates were made did not always meet the necessary specifications. On the other hand, paper, from a hygienic, pedagogical and aesthetic point of view, was considered a superior material compared to the hardness of the slate, the shine of the surface and the lack of precision obtained in the tracing of the letters. Derived from this approach, the possibility of changing materials in official schools was seriously envisioned. However, the paper represented a very high cost. Only two paper mills could supply the schools and it was necessary to lower the price, and guarantee the supply by enhancing the distribution system. This article analyses the beginning of the conversion process of a technology for learning to write such as the slate for paper. I analyse the expense that it meant for the authorities and families, how the change was the result of a multiplicity of social, cultural, economic and political relations that intersected to give a new configuration of time, noise and established values in the classroom.

Postulating that academic papers can positively impact the actual teaching practices of science teachers, this study analysed the process of understanding and utilising academic papers by science teachers to teach scientific creativity in their schools. The 45--hour graduate course of three science teachers was explored to identify the difficulties teachers encountered in trying to understand academic papers and to discover how to solve these difficulties. Second, which aspects should be considered when developing teaching materials for scientific creativity to be used in schools were analysed. A transformation model of an academic paper was proposed to understand this process, and the results were organised accordingly. According to this model, it was emphasized to translate academic papers from a general and abstract state to a local and concrete state. Therefore, the role of science educators as knowledge translators was discussed for more practical and effective use of academic papers in school. This study is expected to contribute to research-based teaching by linking academic research with teaching practice.

In this study, online test scores and paper-pencil test scores of students studying through online learning were examined. Causal-comparative research was used to determine the distribution of students' test scores and to examine the relationship between them. The participants of the research are freshman students studying in 12 faculties and 8 colleges of a state university in Türkiye. The distribution of students' test scores is depicted by means, standard deviation, percentage, and graphs. The correlation coefficient was examined to find and interpret the amount of relationship between the test scores of the students. According to the findings, it was seen that the online test scores of the students were higher than the paper-pencil test scores. At the same time, it was observed that the passing of the course rates in online test exams was higher than in the paper-pencil test exams. It was observed that the relationship between the paper-pencil test scores of the students and the online test scores was lower than the relationship between the paper-pencil test scores and the paper-pencil test scores. There is an inconsistency between students' paper-pencil test scores and online test scores. The rise in students' online test scores to un-proctored online exams as the reason for the inconsistency. Moving online exams to proctored exam environments, using computerized adaptive testing, or including online activities in the assessment may reduce this inconsistency.

This study aims to explore how e-textbooks with emotional design affect students' emotion, cognitive load and learning achievement. There were 147 freshman students in total: the experimental group I, II and control group consisted of 49, 47 and 51 students, using e-textbooks with emotional design, without emotional design and traditional paper textbooks. The results reveal the following: Students' emotion after using e-textbooks with emotional design is more positive than those using e-textbooks without emotional design and paper textbooks. Students' cognitive load after using e-textbooks with emotional design is significantly lower than those using etextbooks without emotional design. Students' learning achievement after using two types of e-textbooks is better than after using paper textbooks. Comparing all types of textbooks altogether, emotion has a significantly positive correlation with learning achievement, and both emotion and learnng achievement are significantly and negatively correlated with cognitive load. For the three types of textbooks, the relationship between emotion and learning achievement all becomes not significantly correlated. For two types of e-textbooks, cognitive load and learning achievement become not significantly correlated, disturbed by the digitalization of textbooks. Instructors are suggested to firstly adopt e-textbooks with emotional design, those without emotional design secondly, and paper textbooks rank last.

Purpose: This study aims to examine the effectiveness of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)-based English textbooks and question papers in developing second-language higher-order thinking skills (HOTS). Design/methodology/approach: Descriptive analysis establishes a causal relationship between learning objectives and second language (L2) writing proficiency. Content analysis is used to compare and analyze tabulated data for textbooks and question papers for the English language by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and CBSE. This method categorizes the materials and their assessments under HOTS and lower-order thinking skills to ascertain the relationship between learning objectives and L2 writing proficiency. Findings: The study highlights teaching material and assessment shortcomings and their alignment with learning outcomes to enhance students' writing skills. It underscores the need for HOTS-focused materials, discussing their impact on writing skills. The study also explores how textbook-question paper mismatch hampers Bloom's taxonomy-based cognitive skills. Practical implications: This research illuminates the efficacy of teaching and learning English as a second language (ESL) writing skills to improve the quality of education, which has real-world implications. The study highlights flaws in the educational system in India and suggests curricular and pedagogical changes. Originality/value: The research examines NCERT and CBSE ESL textbooks and question papers to align teaching and assessment methods. The results aim to improve education through ESL writers' HOTS.

Treatment adherence is one of the milestones in the care of hypertensive patients, with new information and communication technologies as potential educational tools. This study aimed to evaluate the add-on effect of a digital cartoon educative video on the therapeutic observance of patients followed up in the General Hospital Yaoundé compared to standard of care. We conducted a randomized simple blind clinical trial at the cardiology unit of the Yaoundé General Hospital over a 6-month period from 1st March to 30th August 2022. We enrolled 110 patients and randomized them in blocs of 4 creating two groups of 57 and 53, respectively, without (group 1) and with (group 2) intervention. Preintervention treatment adherence was assessed using the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS). In the standard group (G1), we provided standard paper-based clinical counselling, including oral advice, and in the intervention group (G2), we did the same and added a digital cartoon video containing exactly the same message as images and audio. The primary outcome was medication adherence after three months. The mean age was 56.65 ± 10.98 years in group 1 (paper) and 56.42 ± 10.46 years in group 2 (paper + video), without any significant difference. The two groups were similar regarding the proportion of females (36.8% in G1 and 49.3% in G2) and educational levels. According to the Morisky medication adherence scale, before the intervention, the proportions of patients with good, medium and low treatment adherence in groups 1 and 2 were 7%, 25.6%, 67.4%, and 5.1%, 43.6%, 51.3%, respectively, without any significant difference. After interventions, the proportion of patients presenting a good observance moved from 7 to 11% in group 1 (paper) and 5.1 to 20% in group 2 (paper + video). The intragroup variation in treatment adherence in the intervention group (before-after) tended to be significant, with a p-value = 0.0572, while this p-value was 0.712 in the standard group. Our results provide insight into how digital cartoon videos can help to have an add-on effect on the treatment adherence of hypertensive patients, with clinical significance.

The present study is related to the problem associated with student assessment with online examinations at higher educational institutes (HEIs). With the current COVID-19 outbreak, the majority of educational institutes are conducting online examinations to assess their students, where there would always be a chance that the students go for malpractice. It is difficult to set a question paper for any technical course with great novelty. Under these circumstances, safeguarding academic integrity has become a challenge for HEIs. This study is aimed at improving the quality of questions for online exams to increase the accountability of HEIs by proper evaluation of their students. A detailed procedure with suggestions for setting the questions for technical courses, in the format of assertion and reason, matching, multiple select types, etc., has been discussed with adequate examples. It deals with a strategy for ensuring that all the students are held to the standards that are reflected in their grades. The proposed evaluation method has been implemented on a test batch and presented the results along with a comparison with that of traditional question papers. It is witnessed that there is a simultaneous enhancement of students' learning as an additional benefit of implementing the proposed learning-oriented assessment method.

While gamified technology integration in vocabulary instruction within a flipped classroom has yielded beneficial teaching outcomes, specific studies have raised concerns about potential adverse effects linked to this approach. As a result, conducting a comparative analysis between gamified technology and conventional paper-based methods within the flipped classroom framework has become essential. This analysis aims to foster the development of a targeted teaching approach that adeptly addresses the unique needs of students. This study employed a sequential explanatory research design to examine the effectiveness of flipped classroom with gamified technology and paper-based method in teaching vocabulary to students with different proficiency levels. Quantitative data was gathered from a pretest and a posttest, whilst qualitative data was collected through teachers' guided reflection. Using Academic Word List (300 target words), control groups employed a paper-based, while experimental groups applied gamified technology ("Quizlet," "Kahoot!," "Quizizz," "Socrative," and "Google Form"), which lasted 10 weeks. The participants were 144 non-English major students who took a general English course in the 2nd semester of 2023. Quantitative data analysis ran in SPSS 25 using "Paired Sample t-Test" and "One-way ANOVA." The qualitative data were analyzed using thematic progression. The results showed that gamified technology did not affect students' learning outcomes, while the paper-based method resulted conversely. It revealed that the paper-based method is more effective than gamified technology for students in general, with low proficiency and high-proficiency level. Further, teachers' beliefs admitted distinctive issues that gamified technology was more effective for high-proficiency learners, whereas paper-based was more effective for low-proficiency learners. The difference analysis of quantitative and qualitative data sheds light on discussing threats while implementing gamified technology and possible solutions.

The Paper Chase model is a synchronous collaborative approach to manuscript development. Through a structured and team-based design, authors participate in a "marathon" of writing, editing, revising, and submitting their publications within a specified period. This active-learning approach is considered a high-impact practice by engaging students in research dissemination through a collaborative project. This study sought to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a virtual Paper Chase exercise. We conducted the Paper Chase with six teams led by multidisciplinary faculty (with 24 undergraduate students and four graduate students). All participants were given pre-and post-surveys, with both open- and closed-ended questions. Results indicated that the process increased cooperative and problem-solving components of group work attitudes, increased participants' confidence in writing skills, increased understanding of research processes and that participants appreciated putting their skills immediately into practice. Participants identified strengths as well as opportunities for improvement in online modules and facilitation. The process was effective in that half of the manuscripts were submitted to peer-reviewed outlets within 90 days of the event. The positive evidence for learning in the virtual Paper Chase model supports future applications and may strengthen the involvement of students in research dissemination. Additional research may expand upon the findings by assessing group work dynamics, quality of final products, and conducting the process in a hybrid model.

The growing significance of social media in research demands new ethical standards and practices. Although a substantial body of literature on social media ethics exists, studies on the ethics of conducting research using social media are scarce. The emergence of new evidence sources, like social media, requires innovative methods and renewed consideration of research ethics. Therefore, we pose the following question: What are the defining characteristics of ethics papers on social media research? Following a modified version of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, we analyzed 34 publications based on ten variables: author gender, publication year, region, academic discipline, type, design, methodology, social media platform in focus, positionality statement, and ethical issues. Our findings suggest contemporary social media research ethics primarily reflects the ethical ideals of the Global North, with limited representation from the Global South. Women authors have published more papers than men authors. Previous studies have prioritized ethical concerns such as privacy, informed consent, and anonymity while overlooking researchers' risks and the ethics of social media sites. We particularly emphasized the lack of researchers' positionality statements in research. Our findings will pave the way to understanding social media ethics better, especially with the rapid growth of social media research in global scholarship.

We investigate two research questions using a recent statewide transition from paper to computer-based testing: first, the extent to which test mode effects found in prior studies can be eliminated; and second, the degree to which online and paper assessments offer different information about underlying student ability. We first find very small mode effects for a more recent transition in Massachusetts. Second, we investigate the predictive evidence of validity for paper and online tests for predictions of future test scores and grades. We generally find minimal differences for the extent to which scores on paper tests can differentially predict future online versus paper test scores. Finally, online and paper test scores are similarly predictive of future grade point average. We conclude that the online test penalty can vary substantially by test and that extreme care should be taken when administering online tests to some students and paper tests to others.

The increasing use of digital technologies has implications for reading. Online and on-screen reading often consist of engaging with multiple, short, multimedia snippets of information, whereas longform reading is in decline. Meta-analyses have identified a screen inferiority when reading informational texts, but not narrative texts. The mode effect is explained by reference to the Shallowing Hypothesis, postulating that increased screen reading leads to a propensity to skim and scan rather than carefully read, since digital reading material is typically composed of short, decontextualized snippets of multimedia content rather than long, linear, texts. Experiments have found support for the Shallowing Hypothesis when reading expository/informational texts, but the impact of increased habituation to screens on, specifically, literary reading, is largely unknown. It is plausible that shallow modes of reading, prompted by increased screen use, may compromise one's capacity to engage deeply with literary texts and, in turn, negatively affect readers' motivation and inclination to engage in slower, more reflective, and more effortful reading. This article presents the results from three experiments exploring associations between reading behavior, medium preferences, and the reading of a short literary text on paper versus screen. Although mixed, the results revealed an overall pattern for the role of medium: more frequent reading of short texts on screen predicted less inclination to muster the cognitive persistence required for reading a longer text, and engage in contemplation on the deeper and personally relevant meaning of the literary text. Educational implications of these findings are discussed.

Interventions targeting cognitive control processes, such as Executive Functions (EF) have recently been experimented to enhance early math skills. This pilot study explored the feasibility and effectiveness of an intervention integrating EF activities into the mathematical domain among second-grade students. One hundred and four typically-developing-children were assigned to either a group that underwent the intervention (Trained Group; n = 58) or a group that continued with daily didactic activities (Control Group; n = 46). The training lasted for 8 weeks and included both home-based digital and school-based paper activities. According to teachers' feedback, the intervention was highly appreciated by children and compatible with classical school curricula. The Trained Group improved in behavioral self-regulation, math abilities and problem-solving in comparison to the Control Group. Notably, within the Trained Group, benefits of the training were higher in children with high working memory. This training offers a model to support math learning in primary school, considering inter-individual differences in EF.

Background: Undergraduate STEM instructors want to help students learn and retain knowledge for their future courses and careers. One promising evidence-based technique that is thought to increase long-term memory is spaced retrieval practice, or repeated testing over time. The beneficial effect of spacing has repeatedly been demonstrated in the laboratory as well as in undergraduate mathematics courses, but its generalizability across diverse STEM courses is unknown. We investigated the effect of spaced retrieval practice in nine introductory STEM courses. Retrieval practice opportunities were embedded in bi-weekly quizzes, either massed on a single quiz or spaced over multiple quizzes. Student performance on practice opportunities and a criterial test at the end of each course were examined as a function of massed or spaced practice. We also conducted a single-paper meta-analysis on criterial test scores to assess the generalizability of the effectiveness of spaced retrieval practice across introductory STEM courses. Results: Significant positive effects of spacing on the criterial test were found in only two courses (Calculus I for Engineers and Chemistry for Health Professionals), although small positive effect sizes were observed in two other courses (General Chemistry and Diversity of Life). Meta-analyses revealed a significant spacing effect when all courses were included, but not when calculus was excluded. The generalizability of the spacing effect across STEM courses therefore remains unclear. Conclusions: Although we could not clearly determine the generalizability of the benefits of spacing in STEM courses, our findings indicate that spaced retrieval practice could be a low-cost method of improving student performance in at least some STEM courses. More work is needed to determine when, how, and for whom spaced retrieval practice is most beneficial. The effect of spacing in classroom settings may depend on some design features such as the nature of retrieval practice activities (multiple-choice versus short answer) and/or feedback settings, as well as student actions (e.g., whether they look at feedback or study outside of practice opportunities). The evidence is promising, and further pragmatic research is encouraged.

As handheld devices, such as tablets, become a common tool in schools, a critical and urgent question for the research community is to assess their potential impact on educational outcomes. Previous meta-analytic research has evidenced the "screen inferiority effect": Readers tend to understand texts slightly worse when reading on-screen than when reading the same text in print. Most primary studies from those meta-analyses used computers as on-screen reading devices. Accordingly, the extent to which handheld devices, which provide a reading experience closer to books than computers, are affected by the screen inferiority effect remains an open question. To address this issue, we reviewed relevant literature regarding potential moderating factors for the screen inferiority effect through the lenses of the reading for understanding framework. We then performed two meta-analyses aimed at examining the differences in reading comprehension when reading on handheld devices, as compared to print. Results from the two multilevel random-effect meta-analyses, which included primary studies that used either between-participant (k = 38, g = -0.113) or within-participant (k = 21, g = -0.103) designs, consistently showed a significant small size effect favoring print text comprehension. Moderator analyses helped to partially clarify the results, indicating in some cases a higher screen inferiority effect for undergraduate students (as compared to primary and secondary school students) and for participants who were assessed individually (as opposed to in groups). We discuss the need to continue fostering print reading in schools while developing effective ways to incorporate handheld devices for reading purposes.