Search

With this study we investigated strategies to support rural-based schools in teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research was conducted in 6 secondary schools in the Maune circuit, Capricorn North district of the Limpopo province, South Africa. A qualitative research approach using a case study research design was followed in the study. The population consisted of 42 school management teams (SMTs) and school governing bodies (SGBs) in the Maune circuit. Purposive sampling was used to select 18 participants. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews. A thematic approach was used to analyse the data. The social realist theory was adopted as theoretical framework using the concepts of structure, culture and agency as theoretical lenses. We found that the Department of Basic Education did not train SMTs and SGBs, which affected teaching and learning. We concluded that due to the unavailability of ICT infrastructure within the Maune circuit, teaching and learning during strict lockdown (coronavirus disease [COVID-19]) were impossible and difficult when learners were rotating attendance. We recommend a shift from a blanket approach to school support to conducting an intensive needs analysis for each school in order to provide appropriate and relevant support. A social realist approach to school support is also recommended, where structure and culture are considered critical attributes for school development. It will be good for policy makers, role players and stakeholders to work together towards a common goal and carry out their agential role in ensuring that the needs of marginalised learners are met in schools.

The current study explores the TikTok identities of Thai university teachers and how those identities impact their professional identity as teachers. Five English as a Foreign Language (EFL) university teachers in Thailand voluntarily participated in semi-structured individual interviews. Findings obtained using an exploratory-descriptive qualitative research design confirmed existing findings that teachers' identities are multifaceted. However, in the context of a digital teacher's identity, teachers displayed unique identities (e.g., expressive, relational, adaptive, and progressive) that also shaped their identity as teacher-educators. Such identities impact their professional teacher's identity, allowing them to project an authentic teacher-self, become caring and approachable teachers to their students and colleagues, forge genuine connections, and implement pedagogical innovations and practices. The findings also acknowledge the profound influence of TikTok on teachers' identities and professional practices. Furthermore, this study highlights the convergence of technology and social media platforms as influential in constructing a teacher's professional identity and promoting pedagogical advances. The findings offer a significant contribution, shedding light on the potential advantages of using TikTok within the teaching and learning process.

Practitioner-focused educational doctoral programs have grown substantially in recent years. Dissertations in Practice (DiPs), which are the culminating research report and evaluation method in these programs, differ from traditional PhD dissertations in their focus on addressing a problem of practice and on connecting theories with practice. As part of our ongoing program evaluation, we reviewed DiPs from doctoral students who graduated from an online asynchronous Educational Doctoral program in Learning Design and Technologies at the University of South Carolina. Findings revealed that most students chose a pragmatic philosophical paradigm, adopted a mixed methods research design, reported an action research intervention implemented with populations in K-12 schools, used surveys and interviews as data sources, and analyzed data with descriptive/inferential statistics and thematic analysis. Implications for the program curriculum are discussed.

Productive tensions with traditional academic practices develop within a graduate certificate program in community engagement at Tulane University. The program offers an alternative approach to traditional graduate education practices by fostering community, epistemic justice, and care for the whole person through sustained interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary conversations and collaborations. A 2021-22 survey of current and prior program participants in the graduate certificate program documents a variety of tensions that arise when the graduate certificate program is compared to students' main experiences with graduate school at Tulane. The analysis relies on theories and concepts of epistemic injustice, decolonizing methodologies, and community engagement, which enable the interpretation of results. We find that results point to the Tulane Mellon Graduate Program in Community-Engaged Scholarship's differences in approaches compared to traditional graduate educational experiences at Tulane, offering insights into more ethical and humane possibilities for graduate education generally, as well as insights into community-engaged graduate education. These insights would be useful to graduate program directors, graduate students, community engagement advocates inside and outside academia, and administrators interested in connecting their universities to local communities through ethically informed, graduate student-led scholarly collaborations.

Work-integrated learning (WIL) is a well-established educational strategy with acknowledged benefits for student learning and employability. This paper explores and documents Intensive WIL, where students undertake short or condensed WIL experiences, ranging from 35 to 400 hours. Four case studies from different universities, designed for different purposes, using either placement or project approaches, and with different student cohorts, showcase the flexibility and adaptability of this model of WIL. Drawing on existing quality frameworks developed for WIL, a new, dedicated set of quality indicators was developed to evaluate examples of intensive WIL, as demonstrated in the case studies. This new framework places greater emphasis on the WIL experience itself, which has had little previous attention. The study confirms that given the right conditions, and used for the right purposes, Intensive WIL delivers quality experiences for students. Unique challenges of Intensive WIL include: sourcing projects with appropriate scope and complexity that are achievable and from which students will learn; ensuring students have command of previous theoretical concepts, as there may be little time to get them up to speed during Intensive WIL; ensuring all stakeholders understand their roles and responsibilities for smooth operation; and effective communication between workplace and university staff, as there is less time to recover from any difficult situations that may arise.

There has been a call to amplify the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) and expand its reach by engaging with audiences outside the academy. In this paper, we share our journey in crossing disciplinary boundaries and creating a SoTL-informed infographic for public consumption. As the field of SoTL continues to evolve, infographics hold tremendous potential to communicate SoTL to various stakeholders, including educators, students, administrators, policymakers, and the public. We outline best practices in infographic development and the potential of infographics as a tool for taking SoTL public, emphasizing their visual appeal and effectiveness in conveying complex information. We conclude by discussing the implications of using infographics to advance SoTL communication. The efforts of our group serve as a valuable example of how infographics can be used to bring SoTL knowledge out of academia and into the public domain.

A multitude of educational programs attempt to facilitate young people's engagement with ideas and practices of active citizenship. For young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander or Indigenous people in Australia, such interventions are often subject to complex experiences of senses of belonging and non-belonging. This paper responds to calls from researchers to develop better understandings of young Indigenous people's own senses and practices of belonging and to better understand the ways in which these perspectives and practices are spatially influenced at the level of local communities, 'country' and cultural groupings, and within larger state, national or transnational settings. Their testimonies illustrate the tensions that young Indigenous people must navigate in a settler colony that has never truly recognised Indigenous sovereignty but show that sovereignty remains intact. Focus groups were conducted with 58 young Indigenous people in Melbourne and regional Victoria who were participating in an Indigenous youth leadership program designed to foster formal and informal active citizenship practices, and to nurture a strong, affirming sense of Indigenous identity. The testimonies of these participants provide valuable insights into educational sites as spaces in which young people experience a spectrum of weak to strong senses of belonging. They also provide insights into the possibilities of engaging the challenges faced by many young Indigenous people in educational settings, challenges that include race discordance and exclusion, deficit discourses and gaps and distances in educational practice. They highlight the need to recognise the aspirations of young Indigenous people and the capacities of colonial education systems to meet them, and the imperative to celebrate young Indigenous identities in meaningful, non-tokenistic ways.

Although executive functions (EFs) have been identified as a cornerstone of cognitive development, knowledge of this fundamental ability in children is based primarily on research with North American and Western European samples of middle to high socioeconomic status (SES). In this article, we highlight advances in research on developmental EFs from Latin American regions, an understudied area that provides a unique context important to understanding EFs. Our narrative review suggests the potential for both universality (e.g., increasing cohesion and longitudinal stability among EFs' task performance, general positive associations with age, and other social and cognitive abilities) and cultural specificity in EF development (i.e., contributions of SES, educational environments, parenting styles, and cultural values). It is important to consider the development of EFs outside of typically examined samples--and specifically within Latin American countries--to understand more thoroughly these abilities and to generate interventions that consider cultural context.

This study examined the links between COVID-19 psychosocial stressors, ethnic discrimination, COVID-19 fears, and their combined effects on mental health outcomes among U.S.-based Latinx college students (N = 148; M[subscript age] = 20.68, SD = 2.53). Findings showed that sleep and eating disturbances, emotional distress, and work disruptions were linked with fear of contamination, fear of social distancing, and fear of pandemic impact. Further, ethnic discrimination was found to uniquely contribute to COVID-19 fears above and beyond COVID-19 psychosocial stressors. Finally, COVID-19 emotional distress and COVID fear of pandemic impact were significantly linked to anxiety and depression symptomatology. Recommendations for practice and future research are provided.

The ability of children to ask curiosity-driven questions is an important skill that helps improve their learning. For this reason, previous research has explored designing specific exercises to train this skill. Several of these studies relied on providing semantic and linguistic cues to train them to ask more of such questions (also called "divergent questions"). But despite showing pedagogical efficiency, this method is still limited as it relies on generating the said cues by hand, which can be a very long and costly process. In this context, we propose to leverage advances in the natural language processing field (NLP) and investigate the efficiency of using a large language model (LLM) for automating the production of key parts of pedagogical content within a curious question-asking (QA) training. We study generating the said content using the "prompt-based" method that consists of explaining the task to the LLM in natural text. We evaluate the output using human experts annotations and comparisons with hand-generated content. Results suggested indeed the relevance and usefulness of this content. We then conduct a field study in primary school (75 children aged 9-10), where we evaluate children's QA performance when having this training. We compare 3 types of content: (1) hand-generated content that proposes "closed" cues leading to predefined questions; (2) GPT-3-generated content that proposes the same type of cues; (3) GPT-3-generated content that proposes "open" cues leading to several possible questions. Children were assigned to either one of these groups. Based on human annotations of the questions generated, we see a similar QA performance between the two "closed" trainings (showing the scalability of the approach using GPT-3), and a better one for participants with the "open" training. These results suggest the efficiency of using LLMs to support children in generating more curious questions, using a natural language prompting approach that affords usability by teachers and other users not specialists of AI techniques. Furthermore, results also show that open-ended content may be more suitable for training curious question-asking skills.

Science teachers have been urged to use emerging technologies, such as robots, in ways that empower K-12 students as active participants responsible for their learning and knowledge development within the scientific domain. And yet, little is known about whether the use of robots effectively supports students' epistemic agency in science learning. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate to what extent elementary preservice teachers use educational robots in ways that promote epistemic agency in science lessons. Seven data sources were gathered for this study: individual reflections about lesson planning and lesson design, team reflection about teaching with robots, robotics-enhanced science lessons, posters, video-recorded presentations about designed lessons, and participant interview. A framework of epistemic practices for science inquiry was adopted to analyze the data followed by qualitative thematic analysis. Results indicate that the use of robots in science lessons promotes content assimilation rather than self-driven inquiry, robot movement rather than evidence drives science explanations, science activities with robots are situated in a social vacuum, and robot assembly and programming are underutilized in the lessons. Implications for preservice science teacher education and future research are discussed.

Background: Youth mental health has declined since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Health coaching and mindfulness-based intervention may support therapeutic processes that promote resilience in the face of risk factors for adverse mental health outcomes. Building Resilience for Healthy Kids (HK) is a school-based intervention designed to support mental health through targeting these processes. Objective: In this study, we tested HK in a pilot randomized controlled trial. Specifically, we examined intervention effects on the theoretically-informed therapeutic processes of emotion regulation, mindfulness, self-efficacy, and resilience and the clinical outcomes of depression and anxiety symptoms. The trial took place between April and June 2021, offering an opportunity to assess the impact of HK in the context of COVID-19. Methods: Participants were early adolescents (N = 230), randomized to HK or assessment-only. Participants in the intervention condition received weekly one-on-one sessions with health coaches. All youth completed validated self-report measures at baseline and post-intervention. Results: Linear mixed effects models indicated that participants who received HK had a greater reduction in emotion regulation difficulties, relative to assessment-only controls (d = 0.84, large effect). Follow-up analyses revealed that youth who endorsed negative affectivity at baseline experienced more benefits than those who did not, and youth who attended more HK sessions increased in self-efficacy, in addition to improved emotion regulation. Intervention effects did not reach significance for other outcomes. Conclusions: Findings suggest that HK may support youth in reducing difficulties in emotion regulation, which are precursors to the development of mental health concerns in adolescence.

Suicidal behaviour is a major socio-health problem worldwide. However, there are few empirically validated programs for universal prevention of suicidal behaviour in school settings. The aim of the present study was to design and validate the "PositivaMente" program for the prevention of suicidal behaviour in school-age adolescents aged 14-15 from the North of Spain. A quasi-experimental design was used with pre- and post-treatment evaluation with experimental and control groups and a six-month follow-up. The final sample consisted of 264 participants (M = 14.30 years, SD = 0.56; 54.5% girls), with 161 participants in the experimental group and 103 in the control group. Measuring instruments were administered to assess suicidal behaviour, emotional and behavioural difficulties, depressive symptomatology, prosocial behaviour, subjective well-being, and self-esteem. The "PositivaMente" program was designed and implemented in educational settings. A statistically significant improvement in subjective well-being was found, as well as a statistically significant reduction in emotional problems and problems with peers among female participants in the experimental group versus those in the control group at the 6-month follow-up. However, male participants did not seem to benefit from the program. The overall evaluation from the sample and satisfaction with "PositivaMente" were positive. Empirically supported actions for the prevention of suicidal behaviour need to be designed in order to make informed decisions. Future studies should implement the "PositivaMente" program with other populations and contexts, develop a brief version, and collect information on cost-effectiveness.

Critical thinking is a common and important learning outcome in college curricula. Case-based and problem-based learning can be used to assess and foster critical thinking skills. HNF 250--Contemporary Issues in Human Nutrition is a critical thinking course developed during the redesign of a nutritional sciences major program. Course assignments were designed to assess the course and nutritional sciences major learning outcomes. The nutrition and health claim assignment is scaffolded across the academic semester as three assignments: (1) bibliography assignment; (2) poster presentation; and (3) paper. Course lectures and materials have been designed to prepare students for completion of each assignment. The assignments have been modified over time based on classroom observations and student performance. In 2021, the course learning outcomes were examined by assessing several assignments including the nutrition and health claim poster and paper. Course learning outcome benchmarks using these assessments generally included 80% of students achieving an 80% for each criterion. Results revealed that students were not meeting most of these assessment benchmarks during the 2021 iteration, although benchmark data from other course assessments were more satisfactory. It is possible that the transition from a virtual to an in-person format negatively influenced student performance on these course learning outcomes. This course and the nutrition and health claim assignment example can provide a course design and learning outcome assessment framework for other higher education critical thinking courses.

Research in cognitive load theory is increasingly recognizing the importance of motivational influences on students' (willingness to invest) mental effort, in particular in the context of self-regulated learning. Consequently, next to addressing effects of instructional conditions and contexts on groups of learners, there is a need to start investigating individual differences in motivational variables. We propose here that the biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat may offer a useful model to study the motivational antecedents of (anticipated) mental effort. We also report four experiments as initial tests of these ideas, exploring how feedback valence affects students' challenge/threat experiences, self-efficacy, and mental effort investment. The results showed that negative feedback leads participants to expect that they will have to invest significantly more effort in future problems than positive feedback (Experiments 1, 2, and 3) or no feedback (Experiment 3). Had we not considered the motivational variables in investigating the effect of feedback conditions on effort investment, we would not have known that this effect was fully mediated and thus explained by participants' feelings of self-efficacy (Experiments 1/2) and threat (Experiment 1). We would also have concluded that feedback does not affect the willingness to invest effort in future problems (all four experiments), whereas actually, there were significant indirect effects of feedback on willingness to invest effort via challenge (in Experiments 1/2) and threat (in all experiments). Thus, our findings demonstrate the added value of considering challenge and threat motivational states to explain individual differences in effort investment.

The impact of community-wide teen pregnancy prevention initiatives (CWIs) on local U.S. birth rates among adolescents aged 15 to 19 years was examined using synthetic control methodology within a quasi-experimental design. CWIs were implemented in 10 U.S. communities from 2010 to 2015. Each initiative implemented evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention interventions at local organizations and enhanced best practices in adolescent reproductive health care at local health centers, while engaging diverse community sectors. The synthetic control method was used to estimate the impact of each CWI on overall and race- and ethnicity-specific teen births relative to rates in synthetic control communities. Additionally, we estimated the overall effect of CWIs across communities by pooling results from the 10 synthetic control case studies using the mean percentile rank. Pooled data across all 10 communities indicated an estimated average of 6.6 fewer births per 1000 teens per year overall during the initiative relative to each community's synthetic control (p = 0.001). By race and ethnicity, there were an estimated average of 6.4 fewer births per 1000 teens per year among Black teens (p = 0.03), 10.7 fewer births among Hispanic teens (p = 0.03), and 4.2 fewer births (p = 0.10) among White teens. Results from individual communities indicated an intervention effect on overall and/or race/ethnicity-specific teen birth rates in five communities. This study demonstrates the value of synthetic control methods in evaluating community-level outcomes of programmatic efforts. Findings indicate the CWIs had a positive impact on teen birth rates and have the potential to address racial and ethnic disparities in those rates.

Technostress is a phenomenon in which rapid technological advancement affects teachers' psychological well-being. It is an emerging concern in English language education, which may be exacerbated by the advent of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT. This study explores the factors that influence technostress among English language teachers using GenAI tools and strategies that can alleviate it. Based on the analysis of qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with 16 instructors at higher education institutions in Hong Kong, the study identifies the rapid advancement of AI technology, inadequate training and lack of experience as contributors to technostress. It also names mitigating strategies including targeted professional development, online engagement and gradual integration. These techniques can foster Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) and reduce the challenges of incorporating GenAI into English teaching. The findings align with existing literature on the impact of technostress and the role of TPACK. The practical implications include the need for comprehensive training, supportive communities and a balanced approach to AI integration. This investigation also expands the theoretical understanding of technostress in English language teaching and the use of GenAI tools, providing empirical support for existing frameworks. It also suggests directions for future research, which could investigate teacher well-being, effective AI integration and the impact of TPACK.

The shift from face-to-face teaching to emergency remote teaching has become the new normal due to the pandemic in 2020. However, little research has been conducted in Hong Kong to investigate pre-service teachers' perceptions of the immediate adoption and delivery of online face-to-face teaching. In response to this call, the present research conducted a questionnaire survey with 48 pre-service teachers at a Hong Kong university to examine their perceptions of Zoom as a viable alternative to the suspended traditional face-to-face delivery mode of instruction. It also discussed key factors that lead to better online learning outcomes. The results showed that the participants had overall positive perceptions of Zoom-supported synchronous online education. The Zoom feature that most students considered useful was screen sharing on computers. Zoom-supported synchronous online learning benefited students by helping them to attend class meetings remotely, study course materials and content, communicate and collaborate with their instructors and classmates, and develop a sense of community and social presence. Four main factors may influence learners' perceptions of synchronous online learning: the quality of online communication and collaboration, learning efficiency, learner autonomy and the usability of technology.

From a young age, children's math achievement is influenced by individual factors, such as math anxiety. While math anxiety has been linked to math avoidance, few studies have explored this link in young children, particularly in the context of play. Because play-based instruction is commonly used for math in early childhood classrooms, understanding the impact of math anxiety on children's engagement in math-related play may have important implications for children's early math learning. The current study examined the role of children's math anxiety in their persistence and exploration during a math toy play task. We observed wide variability in children's play behaviors, finding that children's actions during play did not relate to their math anxiety, but their talk related to math while playing with the toy did. There are also age and gender differences in math anxiety, school experience, and reasoning about the toy play task. These results suggest that math anxiety may influence certain aspects of children's engagement in math-related play, and that more research is needed to consider links between math anxiety and math avoidance in young children.

Computer Science (CS) stereotypes promote the mindset that nerdy White males who have a high IQ and are technology enthusiasts are the ones to succeed in the field, leading to gender and racial disparities. This quasi-experimental study investigated if exposing teacher candidates to a stereotypical vs. counter-stereotypical CS role model affects their stereotypes and attitudes toward teaching CS. Participants exposed to a counter-stereotypical role model reported a statistically significant decrease in stereotypes about social skills, and slightly weaker stereotypes about appearance, cognitive skills, and work preferences. Participants exposed to a stereotypical role model reported no changes in stereotypes. Participants in both groups showed increasingly positive attitudes toward teaching CS. Implications for CS teacher education are discussed.

This exploratory embedded case study examined the personal and professional social media use of entry-level student affairs professionals at four campuses from a state university system. Bounded by the profession of student affairs, this study focused on how entry-level student affairs professionals used social media platforms. Findings suggest that most entry-level professionals do not enter student affairs ready or willing to engage university communities on social media platforms and their respective campuses and graduate programs are not preparing them to do so. Study participants largely lacked a professional digital identity and were somewhat reticent about developing a robust professional digital identity. Contributing to their hesitancy, participants described their digital baggage -- a collection of social media or social media-connected experiences that consciously or unconsciously influence personal or professional social media use.

In recent years, short videos have proliferated on various social media platforms, serving as a visual resource with a long history of use for various educational purposes, including foreign language learning (FLL). Despite the growing interest in the use of such platforms for short video learning, little is currently known about the use of these platforms for FLL, highlighting the need to validate these learning resources within a theoretical framework. In this context, this article analyses 34 short videos for Portuguese language learning on TikTok using an adaptation of the principles of multimedia learning proposed by Mayer. It then analyses the relation between the number of principles and each cognitive processing dimension, and the number of views and likes. Results show the adapted principles are suitable for the analysis of short videos for FLL and reveal the most prevalent one is the principle of signalling. Furthermore, the article demonstrates that the more principles a video addresses, the more likes it receives, and that the fostering generative processing dimension plays an important role in this mediation. Overall, the article illustrates the practical application of online short videos as a targeted resource for facilitating FLL and streamlines the development of instructional design strategies for short videos in the context of online FLL.

K-12 teachers faced a multitude of challenges during the transition to emergency remote teaching at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that over two years have passed since the onset of the pandemic and the accompanying shift to emergency remote teaching, it is important to assess how K-12 teachers feel regarding online teaching and whether their schools/districts have made any changes and/or preparations to better support future needed shifts to virtual instruction. The current study presents analyses of journal reflections written by in-service teachers enrolled in a field experience course required as part of a graduate-level online teaching and learning endorsement. Results show that there has been a positive shift in attitude with participants noting increased comfort with online teaching. Participants also noted that schools/districts have increased support (e.g., new technology tools, professional development) for teachers and students that will facilitate any future needed shifts to online teaching.

The integration of behavioral health care within primary care settings, otherwise known as integrated care, has emerged as a treatment modality for counselors to reach a wide range of clients. However, previous counseling scholars have noted the lack of integrated care representation in counseling journals. In this scoping review, we identified 27 articles within counseling journals that provide integrated care implications. These articles appeared in 10 unique counseling journals, and the publication years ranged from 2004-2023. Articles were classified as: (a) conceptual, (b) empirical, or (c) meta-analyses and systematic reviews. The data extracted from the articles focused on the implications for integrated care training and practice for the next generation of counselors, evidence-based treatment approaches, and future research directions.

Research on academic integrity used to focus more on student character and behaviour. Now this research includes wider viewing of this issue as a current teaching and learning challenge which requires pedagogical intervention. It is now the responsibility of staff and institutions to treat the creation of a learning environment supporting academic integrity as a teaching and learning priority. Plagiarism by simply copying other people's work is a well-known misconduct which undermines academic integrity; moreover, technological developments have evolved plagiarism to include the generation and copying of computer-generated text. Automated paraphrasing tool (APT) websites have become increasingly common, offering students machine-generated rephrased text that students input from their own or others' writing. These developments present a creeping erosion of academic integrity under the guise of legitimate academic assistance. This also has implications for arrival of large language model (LLM) generative AI tools. In accessing these sites, students must discern what is a legitimate use of the tool and what may constitute breaching academic integrity. This study critically analysed the text from five online paraphrasing websites to examine the discourses used to legitimise and encourage APT use in both appropriate and inappropriate ways. We conceptualised these competing discourses using Sheep and Wolf metaphors. In addition, we offer a metaphor of the Educator as a Shepherd to become aware of APT website claims and assist students to develop critical language awareness when exposed to these sites. Educators can assist students with this through knowledge of how these sites use language to entice users to circumvent learning.

Teacher recruitment and retention in the United States has been deemed an issue across all disciplines and grade-levels. School-based agricultural education (SBAE) is no exception to this issue, where for decades a national shortage of qualified agriculture teachers has persisted. According to the 2021 Illinois Agricultural Education Annual Report, there were 84 open SBAE teaching positions in 2020 with only 36 graduates from university agricultural education teacher preparation programs. This lack of qualified teachers has forced many Illinois SBAE programs to either hire provisional teachers or shut down completely. The purpose of our qualitative study was to examine factors that influenced current SBAE teachers with no SBAE background to major in and pursue a career in the agricultural education profession. Using a phenomenological approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with current SBAE teachers that never participated in a SBAE program. Open coding was used to reveal themes based on the research objectives and interview questions. Common themes revealed influences including possessing an agricultural background, taking agriculture coursework in college, growing up in a family of teachers, and having the career suggested to them. Findings from this research will be useful in developing agriculture teacher recruitment and retention plans with the goal of narrowing the employment gap that has developed from the shortage of qualified SBAE teachers.

In the landscape of U.S. education, the widespread adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) offers a unique vantage point for researchers to better understand teacher-, school- and classroom-level factors that advance reform initiatives in science classrooms. Addressing a gap in current knowledge, our study probes how secondary science teachers implement one dimension of NGSS-the science practices (SPs). Our data collection encompasses teacher interviews and meticulous observations of science lessons, coded for NGSS science practices (SPs) and inquiry-based teaching. Embracing a methodologically rich approach, our study employs both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. Quantitatively, we analyzed 801 weeks of lessons taught by 56 secondary science teachers and found patterns in SP use. Selected high-quality science lessons were then spotlighted, providing examples of the quantitative findings, showcasing teachers use of SPs and inquiry-based teaching strategies. Through our analysis, we found that physical science subjects and participants from the Master of Arts in Science Teaching program demonstrated a higher average use of SPs compared to their life science and undergraduate program counterparts. When analyzing the use of specific SPs, we found that analyzing and interpreting data (SP4) and mathematical and computational thinking (SP5) emerged as noteworthy. This study's findings carry implications for science teacher education and professional development programs, urging efforts to augment both the quantity of rigor of SP use in the secondary science classroom. Our research contributes insights that can inform strategies for the enhancement of science education alignment with the objectives set forth by NGSS

Objective: The benefits of mindfulness-training and mentoring for college students have yet to be investigated. We aimed to provide an exploratory and descriptive account of their potential benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants: In February 2020, 49 undergraduates (M = 20.51 years-old; 94% female) participated in a randomized trial of 12-week mentoring + mindfulness or mentoring-as-usual. After five weekly mentoring-sessions, programs were interrupted by COVID-19; mentoring continued online. Methods: Undergraduates completed questionnaires about mental health, behaviors, and regulatory processes in February and July 2020, with additional COVID-19-related questions at follow-up. Results: Participants reported moderate COVID-19-related perceived stress, but mental health, health behaviors, and regulatory processes did not diminish over time, with no condition differences. Undergraduates described using contemplative practices and social support to cope with COVID-19-stress. Conclusions: Undergraduates showed stable mental health/health behaviors despite moderate COVID-19-related-stress. Future research on mentoring with a mindfulness component among a larger and more heterogeneous sample will be necessary.

Objective: Disparities in physical activity (PA) and PA antecedents, such as exercise self-efficacy, based on the intersection of gender and race/ethnicity among college students are poorly understood. This study aimed to examine differences in PA and exercise self-efficacy based on the intersection of gender and race/ethnicity. Methods: An online survey collected data on demographics (age, gender, race/ethnicity), PA, and exercise self-efficacy from students (n = 5341) enrolled in general health and wellness at a large Northeastern U.S. University. Differences in PA and exercise self-efficacy based on gender and race/ethnicity were examined using two-way ANOVAs. Results: Analyses revealed significant differences in overall PA and exercise self-efficacy based on gender and race/ethnicity. A significant interaction between gender and race/ethnicity was found in relation to PA, but not exercise self-efficacy. Conclusion: Findings demonstrate the need for universities to tailor PA promotion efforts, and to consider how gender and race/ethnicity may intersect to influence PA participation.

Objective: To assess whether and how beverage companies incentivize universities to maximize sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) sales through pouring rights contracts. Methods: Cross-sectional study of contracts between beverage companies and public U.S. universities with 20,000 or more students active in 2018 or 2019. We requested contracts from 143 universities. The primary measures were presence of financial incentives and penalties tied to sales volume. Results: 124 universities (87%) provided 131 unique contracts (64 Coca-Cola, 67 Pepsi). 125 contracts (95%) included at least one provision tying payments to sales volume. The most common incentive type was commissions, found in 104 contracts (79%). Nineteen contracts (15%) provided higher commissions or rebates for carbonated soft drinks compared to bottled water. Conclusions: Most contracts between universities and beverage companies incentivized universities to market and sell bottled beverages, particularly SSBs. Given the health risks associated with consumption of SSBs, universities should consider their role in promoting them.

This article examines the democratic hopes for the community of philosophical inquiry (CPI), a mode of deliberative discussion, when social justice is both the topic and the goal of discussion. It shares insights from a CPI that was used as an intersubjective research method (Golding, 2015) to enable the authors to interrogate their assumptions about "teaching for social justice." The "bake sale" was a recurrent metaphor employed by the group to reject thin conceptions and pedagogical practices of social justice. However, the inquiry became blocked at a level of externalized analysis and arguably perpetuated injustice. This article uses the productive force of the authors' failures to consider the methodological and facilitative conditions that could have promoted a deeper interrogation of teaching for social justice. In affirming calls for greater attention to the dynamics of race, positionality, and power in CPI (e.g., Burgh & Yorshanky, 2011; Chetty, 2017, 2018; Chetty & Suissa, 2017; Reed-Sandoval & Sykes, 2017; Vansieleghem & Kennedy, 2011), we argue that facilitators seeing themselves and the CPI as "being in question" (Biesta, 2017) is central to the viability of the CPI to pursue social justice aims.

Early childhood education and care programmes provide opportunities to enhance children's learning and development, especially when high-quality learning experiences and educator-child interactions are embedded within them. However, the quality of early childhood education programmes varies greatly. Quality in early childhood education and care is conceptualised in three domains: structural, process and system. Understanding how to drive quality improvements in early childhood education and care relies on clear, consistent evidence concerning each of these domains, however, the current literature is not comprehensive. This scoping review maps the extent and consistency of the research literature in each domain of quality to identify knowledge gaps and inform future research. Through a search of the peer-reviewed literature, 85 meta-analyses and systematic reviews meeting our inclusion criteria were identified. We found a wide variation in the number of included studies in each domain and sub-domain of quality. We found the greatest number of meta-analyses and systematic reviews related to "programmes, interventions, and curricula" (process quality) and "professional development and support" (structural quality). The literature included in this scoping review is heterogeneous and of varying methodological quality, with inconsistent or contradictory findings. The research is most consistent in relation to "pedagogy, professional development and support, and programmes, interventions, and curricula" (process quality) and "learning environments" (structural quality). Interactions between the different domains of quality are complex and future research should focus on the associations between different features of quality in early childhood education programmes and practices that are critical to implementing successful continuous improvement initiatives.

This article presents a small-scale study that sought to explore in what ways Philosophy with Children (PwC) might support a classroom environment that is conducive to children's well-being. Following a series of Community of Philosophical Inquiry sessions with a class of nineteen Primary six children (ten- and eleven-year-olds) in a Scottish primary school, seven themes emerged as important when establishing a learning environment conducive to children's well-being: structure, participation, dynamics of interaction, emotional response, listening, confidence, and teachers' practice. These themes were identified through analysis of the teacher's and CoPI facilitator's observations during the sessions and the recorded dialogues following the sessions. In addition, the teacher was interviewed at the end of the intervention period. The results of the study also suggest that the notion of well-being with a focus on the individual may be overly narrow and that nurturing community allows children to recognise themselves as part of a wider whole, thereby enriching their well-being.

Feedback is a foundational communicative aspect of the teaching/learning processes in introductory communication courses as students seek to improve their presentational speaking skills throughout the term. Drawing on 1,673 qualitative questionnaire responses, this paper explores how students used and interpreted instructor feedback. Through our thematic analysis of a randomly selected subset of 335 responses, we identified two tensions in how students used and interpreted instructor feedback: (1) feedback as a process vs. a product and (2) feedback as integrated into the course structure vs. a justification for a grade. Theoretically, this research extends Feedback Intervention Theory by highlighting the importance and nuance of this communicative process in educational settings. Pedagogically, our findings emphasize the need for discursive opportunities that facilitate the co-construction of meaning surrounding the feedback provided in the introductory communication course.

Objective: To review the physical activity promotion efforts of Power 5 conference institutions' summer transition programs. Methods: The websites of Power 5 Conference and affiliate member institutions (N = 78) were systematically reviewed and information on summer transition programs pertaining to health were extracted. Results: Most (n = 45, 57.7%) institutions had a summer transition program of some kind. Among those who had summer transition programs, 14 (31.1%) had a nonphysical activity health course (i.e. health and/or nutrition), while courses that incorporated a physical activity component were uncommon (n = 6, 13.3%). Only two institutions covered physical activity, nutrition, and health in at least one offered course. Conclusions: There is an opportunity for tertiary institution-level summer transitional programs to expand coverage to address a currently unmet need for physical activity promotion while avoiding perpetuation of existing inequities.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed a major challenge to universities. It forced them to face the urgent need to rapidly transform their traditional onsite teaching into an emergency remote teaching (ERT) model rather than being able to gradually introduce an effective transition to an online model. Based on a sample of 505 students enrolled in the course on Work Organization at the University of Murcia in Spain, this study analyzes the impact of implementing an ERT model on students' academic performance. Results show that students display superior academic performance in an onsite teaching-learning model compared to the online ones adopted during COVID-19. Findings also reveal that students' self-assessment activities enhance their academic performance--both in onsite and online teaching contexts--which implies that ERT model performance can be alleviated by adequately planning self-assessment activities during the course.

Responding to student concerns about the market value of an undergraduate degree in Political Science, many departments offer students the opportunity to earn credits toward their degree by completing relevant internships. This raises two important questions: what sort of internship experiences should qualify as a Political Science internship and how can faculty ensure that internships contribute to students' professional and academic development? I contend that the criteria for granting Political Science credits for an internship experience should emphasize the likelihood that the internship experience will help the student achieve some of the specific learning objectives that Political Science departments typically set forth for their students rather than focusing on the nature of the organization where they complete their internship. I also argue that designing complementary academic assignments that require students to utilize the research, analytic, and communication skills we expect our students to develop during their undergraduate career is the best way we can ensure that a Political Science internship not only enhances our students' marketability but also contributes to students' achievement of discipline-specific learning objectives.

Background: Sexual violence (SV) is a serious public health concern, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ+) youth report higher rates than their heterosexual and cisgender peers. This qualitative study aimed to understand LGBTQ+ students' perspectives on how middle and high school environments can better prevent and address SV. Methods: In partnership with a school-based LGBTQ+ support group in Washington State, we recruited 31 LGTBQ+ students ages 13-18 for virtual interviews (n = 24) and for providing text-based answers to interview questions (n = 7). We used inductive thematic analysis to analyze data and identify themes. Results: To prevent and respond to SV, students highlighted schools having: (1) access to gender-neutral spaces; (2) LGBTQ+ competency training for staff; (3) enforcement of school policies (eg, SV, anti-bullying) and accountability; (4) LGBTQ+-competent mental health support; and (5) comprehensive sexual health education that addresses LGBTQ+ relationships and SV. Implications for School Health Policy, Practice, and Equity: Students expressed the need for changes in school physical and social environments to address SV among LGBTQ+ youth. Conclusions: Incorporating youth perspectives, particularly LGBTQ+ youth at high risk of SV, can help schools implement strategies that are supported by youth and thus potentially more sustainable and effective.

Peer mentoring has shown beneficial effects in facilitating academic and social integration among first-year students in higher education. Previous research is, however, limited by the exclusion of a comparison group, to examine whether the integration process still occurs among non-mentored students, independently of peer mentoring. By using Tinto´s theoretical framework, we examine the effects of a formal peer mentoring program, comparing these effects on integration with non-mentored students. Data was gathered from focus group interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Our findings show that peer mentoring supports the integration process among first-year students, although the results suggest that it is not a necessary condition to ensure that integration occurs. Future studies should further extend the research to also include an evaluation of other activities taking place at the institution, to expand the knowledge of which measures facilitates the integration process.

Sleep problems are common in children and adolescents, particularly those with Neurodevelopmental Disorders. With the changes in daily habits resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, we have analyzed sleep characteristics, during social isolation, in Brazilian children and adolescents aged between 4 and 12 years with Autism Spectrum Disorder (N = 267), Down Syndrome (N = 74), and typical development (N = 312). The ASD group presented with worse indicators of sleep habits in the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ-BR) and fell asleep later during the pandemic. The entire group started fall asleep and waking up later during the pandemic - as well as waking up more often during the night. These results may contribute to parental guidance and sleep habit-related interventions during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Increasingly, there are expectations internationally that schools will use research to inform their improvement initiatives. Within this context, this paper brings together findings from two large-scale Australian studies - the Monash Q Project and the University of Newcastle's Quality Teaching Rounds Project - to explore educators' patterns of engagement with research. The combination of these studies provides data from a larger and more diverse sample (n = 774) than other recent Australian studies, and integrates insights from direct and indirect approaches to investigating educators' research engagement. The analysis highlights several common themes associated with educators' research use including: the perceived credibility of different sources; the relevance and usability of research; and affordances of access to research and time to use it well in practice. Newer and more nuanced insights include: the interrelationships between collaborative and directed research use; the need for research to be convenient in terms of access and usability; the role of trusted colleagues in helping to bridge gaps between research and practice; and educators' distrust of research itself. The paper argues that these insights provide important cues as to how systems and school leaders can help educators to increase and improve their use of research in practice.

Professional learning (PL) in education is thought to be a key mechanism for improving classroom instruction and student achievement. Yet despite decades of research into PL, the impact of this investment is not well understood, with reports of limited change in both research and practice. As part of a large-scale investigation focusing on practitioner use of evidence in education, the authors undertook a rapid review to understand what is known about effective PL for K-12 school-based educators. Based on analysis and synthesis of 12 included studies, the review identified eight features of effective PL: collaboration; active learning and reflection; content and pedagogy in context; sustained duration; coaching; external expertise; models and modelling; and, audience and alignment. It also highlighted additional considerations for effective PL, including workplace conditions, PL providers, and online and blended approaches. This paper argues that though there is a consensus around effective PL features, there is a need to go beyond 'effective approaches' and consider the broader conditions and methodological limitations that impact improved and sustained change. Overall, this paper has implications for understanding the research landscape around effective PL, and applying an evidence-informed approach to designing PL programmes.

Purpose: To protect the environment and society, research on responsible behavior and personal values has increased. Values have been identified as important for understanding and predicting environmental preservation behaviors. The purpose of this study is to analyze the validity and reliability of the Environmental Portrait Value Questionnaire in the Spanish context. Design/methodology/approach: The new version of this questionnaire was administered to 742 university students (46.4% male and 53.6% female) from 16 regions in Spain. Findings: The results of adapting and testing the instrument's psychometric properties were consistent with accepted criteria for validity and reliability. Therefore, this updated and contextualized instrument has the potential to contribute to academic advances in the sense of expanding the empirical practice of studying environmental values. Fifteen items from the original version were retained, grouped into four factors as in the original version: Altruistic -- five items; Egoistic -- four items; Biospheric -- three items; and Hedonic -- three items. The final version showed adequate fit indices and reliability measures. Originality/value: This instrument is a powerful resource for the Spanish academic community because using this application it will be possible to assess the degree of commitment of young adults to the goals of sustainability and environmental protection.

Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) are widely used in digital learning systems, as they allow for automating the assessment process. However, owing to the increased digital literacy of students and the advent of social media platforms, MCQ tests are widely shared online, and teachers are continuously challenged to create new questions, which is an expensive and time-consuming task. A particularly sensitive aspect of MCQ creation is to devise relevant distractors, i.e., wrong answers that are not easily identifiable as being wrong. This article studies how a large existing set of manually created answers and distractors for questions over a variety of domains, subjects, and languages can be leveraged to help teachers in creating new MCQs, by the smart reuse of existing distractors. We built several data-driven models based on context-aware question and distractor representations and compared them with static feature-based models. The proposed models are evaluated with automated metrics and in a realistic user test with teachers. Both automatic and human evaluations indicate that context-aware models consistently outperform a static feature-based approach. For our best-performing context-aware model, on average, three distractors out of the ten shown to teachers were rated as high-quality distractors. We create a performance benchmark, and make it public, to enable comparison between different approaches and to introduce a more standardized evaluation of the task. The benchmark contains a test of 298 educational questions covering multiple subjects and languages and a 77k multilingual pool of distractor vocabulary for future research.

This study aimed to identify the main stressors in the transition and adaptation processes to higher education in nursing students. Two reflective groups were conducted with 136 students. The thematic-reflexive analysis revealed that the main stressors were the excessive workload of course activities, the need for maturation, psychological pressure, and lack of financial resources. The results demonstrated the need for monitoring students throughout the course, especially in the early years, as well as the continuity of welcoming activities. University care programs can help adapt to the course, also functioning as mental health promoters.

School-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) is a tiered framework that supports the academic, social, and behavioral needs of students. In this study, we conducted a conceptual replication of Grasley-Boy et al. (2022a) and used a series of two-level linear multilevel analyses to examine the impact of SWPBIS fidelity on 10 exclusionary discipline outcomes for students with disabilities (SWD). Specifically, we compared schools that implemented multiple SWPBIS tiers with fidelity to schools that only implemented Tier 1 with fidelity from a sample of 558 schools in 113 districts in California. Findings indicate a statistically significant decrease in multiple out-of-school suspension categories as well as referrals to law enforcement for SWD in schools that implemented all tiers with fidelity. We provide recommendations for using findings to inform school efforts to reduce exclusionary discipline for SWD.