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While scholars have found that undergraduate involvement in research is beneficial, the lack of such experiences in the social sciences and humanities is glaring. This paper analyzes how an emphasis on community through cohort models impacts undergraduate student experience in research, taking from the Emerging Scholars Program, an interdisciplinary research program where cohorts of undergraduates are matched with faculty and attend meetings, workshops, and presentations together. We find that the cohort model created a robust community that fosters positive relationships that develop professional skills and emotional support, allowing students to collaborate and aim more toward their professional goals. The results from this study offer valuable insights into how universities can ensure that students have meaningful research experience beyond the classroom.

ICAP is a framework that classifies learning processes based on students' explicit behaviors. The framework is developed for testing the hypothesis that interactive exercises are better than constructive exercises, and active exercises are better than the passive exercises for higher cognitive engagement and better learning outcomes. The ICAP Framework is intended to assist researchers, instruction designers and instructors in determining the activities appropriate for the aimed research and teaching. This study aims to evaluate articles based on or supported by the ICAP Framework from various aspects. In the study, employing the descriptive survey method, data collection was conducted through document analysis, while content analysis was utilized to analyze the data. The 71 articles reviewed within the study's scope were examined through the "data collection form" developed by the authors. In this context, the articles' general and methodological characteristics and themes and the findings related to ICAP contexts are presented. As a result of the research, no study regarding the ICAP Framework was conducted in Turkey. It was revealed that most of the studies, which have increased in number since 2017 in various countries, utilize the ICAP framework at the analytical level or create models-modules and develop toolsscales based on the ICAP Framework. Additionally, it was observed that mostly undergraduate and K12 students were studied in face-to-face education, with social sciences as the leading disciplinary field and teaching-learning approaches and design-development-evaluation as the most frequently studied topics, while in studies in which mixed and qualitative methods were the leading methods, exploratory and experimental approaches were more preferred. In line with these results, recommendations are presented to contribute to the field.

Required undergraduate diversity courses often expose students to topics and worldviews which may push them out of their comfort zones and prompt dissonance and even resistance. This paper reports on interviews with 68 faculty members across 16 humanities and social science disciplines at five predominantly white institutions in the Southern United States, detailing how they navigated discussion of controversial topics in required diversity courses. Most instructors aimed to expose students to critical social issues yet were concerned that resistance could disturb the learning process. We identified 20 unique strategies for handling controversial topics in class that included proactively establishing community and safety and normalizing conflict, and reactively acknowledging and surfacing multiple perspectives, as well as connecting content to students' lived experiences. Some instructors also reported a lack of controversy or conflict in their classrooms, which they variously attributed to student characteristics or their own disinclination to promote heated discussion - which, we argue, calls into question the breadth and criteria of many institutionally defined diversity course requirements. We conclude the paper with implications for faculty, educational developers, administrators, and institutions.

It can be difficult to align with the present theoretical change in education from teacher-centered to student-centered learning especially in high-power distance cultures like Malaysia that are communal. This study aims to investigate the perceptions of students and lecturers regarding the psychosocial barriers to promoting self-directed and autonomous learning in the Malaysian context. The qualitative research method was chosen based on the research questions. Qualitative research allows the researcher to understand people's beliefs, attitudes, perceptions and behaviors. This study used purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirteen students and four lecturers at a Malaysian public university. The study found two types of challenges: personal (within the student) and environmental (surrounding the student). Personal obstacles include ideas about the value of education such as an emphasis on grades and diplomas as well as attitudes towards life, such as a propensity for hedonism and a need for spoon-feeding. Environmental barriers include a lack of encouragement for critical thinking, the development of student dependency, issues with university regulations, family and lecturers' attitudes and teaching methods. These challenges were explained using Hofstede's, self-determination and ARCS theories. The study highlights how important it is for teachers to modify their pedagogical approaches and attitudes in order to encourage student-centered learning as well as how important it is for students to get more assistance and support.

Recently debatable arguments have existed regarding the perceived lack of numerical skills among the graduates from the Humanities and Social Sciences. In response to this concern, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculties of Art in national universities in Sri Lanka have taken measures to more opportunities to undergraduates to bolster their numerical proficiency. This is achieved through the incorporation of mathematics course units for their degree programs along with the main subject streams. The study focuses on factors that affect the undergraduates' attitudes towards making the decision to select the subject mathematics for their first-degree program. A sample survey was carried out using structured questionnaire and stratified random sampling technique was utilized to select a sample size of 352 from the undergraduates belongs to Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in University of Sri Jayewardenepura. The binary logistic regression model is utilized, and the study revealed that self efficacy, mathematical anxiety, and interest in mathematics are significantly affected students' attitudes on counting mathematics course units for their degree program. The student who has self-efficacy is 1.03 times more likely to select mathematics course unit at the first academic year than other students. A unit increase of mathematics anxiety with all other factors remaining constant, the odds of a student selecting the mathematics course decreased by 11.2%. When one-unit increases in the interest in mathematics of students the odds of selecting mathematics course unit is 1.06 times more likely to than other peers. These insights suggest that educational institutes, particularly those in the humanities and social sciences, should prioritize enhancing students 'numerical skills. This can be achieved by providing valuable consideration aimed at refining their curriculum and support mechanism, increasing awareness programmes about the importance of studying mathematics course units within their degree programmes and conducting programmes to reduce mathematics anxiety while fostering an increased interest in mathematics.

Individual development plans (IDPs) are increasingly being used in higher education to provide personalized guidance to students that can foster a more purposeful and productive education experience. In this study, we document the graduate student's perspective on the effectiveness of the IDP based on responses from students in course- and thesis-based masters and doctoral programs in science and social science. Informational interviews and mentor meetings were seen as the most useful components of the IDP. Students also felt that the IDP had helped them with many career development activities, but they also highlighted several challenges. Findings from a content and thematic analysis provide insight for those interested in implementing the IDP at their own institution.

Background: Formative assessment is an essential element for improving teaching and learning in the classroom. During the COVID-19 pandemic and national lockdown, educators were confronted with the need to adapt to online assessment. South African educators also experienced challenges that made online formative assessment difficult. Aim: This study explores the experiences of intermediate-phase educators using online tools to enact formative assessment in the teaching and learning of social sciences. This research included a narrow spectrum of socioeconomically diverse schools. Setting: Data were obtained through interviews with a sample of six diverse intermediate-phase educators teaching social sciences from one district in the Gauteng North province. Methods: This research adopted a generic qualitative approach. Themes were derived from the data and five subthemes were identified to report the findings. Results: The results of this study identified factors that prevented the implementation of online formative assessment in the intermediate phase. The data also identified online tools that educators used for online assessment in their classrooms and some barriers. These barriers hindered the participants' ability to provide an interactive and stimulating learning experience for their students. Conclusion: Despite challenges, which included a lack of training and support, as well a lack of trust in their abilities, the participants demonstrated a willingness to incorporate technology in their teaching and assessment. The study highlights the need for ongoing professional development and improved infrastructure and accessibility to support the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in education. Contribution: Based on educators' perceived willingness to make use of ICTs for formative assessments, and their ability to even identify some useful tools themselves, findings contribute to the field of policy implementation related to teaching with technology at this level.

Cognitive and affective interrelationships are increasingly gaining importance in educational literature, assigning emotions a prominent role in the teaching and learning process. This study aims to promote awareness among prospective teachers of their emotional vulnerability and the influence of affective and emotional aspects in the teaching of natural sciences, mathematics, and social sciences. The research had a dual purpose: to analyse the beliefs, attitudes, and emotions of prospective teachers regarding the teaching of these disciplines and to examine the impact on their beliefs and emotions after undergoing specific training. The study topic is justified by the growing attention emotions are receiving as decisive factors in learning processes and the persistent substantial gap in scientific education research, particularly in the realm of online teacher training. To address and analyse this gap, a descriptive quantitative survey study on beliefs, attitudes, and emotions towards the teaching of these courses before and after participation in a training program was designed. The analysis of the data revealed results consistent with previous studies. Specifically, the results demonstrated that prospective teachers showed more negative emotions, beliefs, and attitudes towards the teaching of natural sciences and mathematics compared to the teaching of social sciences. However, in all cases, improvements were observed after receiving specific training. These findings highlight the need to incorporate emotional improvement projects into online teacher training, particularly in the fields of natural sciences and mathematics.

What are the meanings and aims of social sciences in a global social environment marked by ever-growing processes of exchange, connection, inequality and conflict? How do we contend with the social sciences as the science of modernization? How do we account for the Western-centered biases ingrained in their proclamations? And in what ways are the social sciences useful to scholars and professionals in different societies? These questions figure at the heart of IDEAS (International Digital Exchange between Africa and Switzerland), a project that aimed to examine them across continents and generations. [This article was written by the IDEAS Collective. Note: The publication date (2023) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct publication date is 2024.]

The purpose of this study was to examine gender and discipline-based Differential Item Functioning (DIF) and Differential Distractor Functioning (DDF) on the Islamic Azad University English Proficiency Test (IAUEPT). The study evaluated DIF and DDF across genders and disciplines using the Rasch model. To conduct DIF and DDF analysis, the examinees were divided into two groups: Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) and Non-Humanities and Social Sciences (N-HSS). The results of the DIF analysis showed that four out of 100 items had DIF across gender, and two items had discipline DIF. Additionally, gender DDF analysis identified one item each for Options A, B, and C, and four items for Option D. Similarly, the discipline DDF analysis revealed one item for Option A, three items for Option B, four items for Option C, and three items for Option D. The findings of this study have significant implications for test developers. The identification of potential biases in high-stakes proficiency tests can help ensure fairness and equity for all examinees. Furthermore, identifying gender DIF can shed light on potential gender-based gaps in the curriculum, highlighting areas where male or female learners may be disadvantaged or underrepresented in terms of knowledge or skills.

This article reports an English language needs analysis of Colombian Social Science master's students. Information from faculty interviews, course syllabi, and student surveys shows that students need English to access and update their disciplinary knowledge through research articles and book chapters to successfully participate in class activities in Spanish, for which low English proficiency and lack of graduate reading skills can be an obstacle. These findings inspired the creation of "Reading Research Articles in the Social Sciences" course and confirmed the importance of source variety, triangulation, and addressing needs when identified. Methodological and practical contributions are discussed, emphasizing syllabi as key information sources not considered in other needs analyses.

Mathematical symbols, such as those embodying quantum concepts, are indispensable for conveying complex ideas and relationships in academic writing. However, some education researchers and students keep a distance from anything mathematical: algebraic equations, geometrical reasoning, or statistical symbols. How to lower the access threshold for this type of mathematical narrative and reveal the meanings of a range of quantum conceptions to modern educators thus becomes a real problem. Using the pendulum motion equation as a reference point, I argue in this article for the advantages of academic English or French writing genres that fuse a range of mathematical symbols of quantum concepts and conceptual change. Such writings help demonstrate how incorporating the idea of probability (a) refines the debate among conceptual, verbal, and mathematical academic writing; (b) allows new conceptions that draw on the insights from quantum cognition-supported theories; (c) helps explain students' understanding of mathematical symbols; and (d) offers a new taxonomy for categorizing academic writings.

As a "wicked problem," climate change requires interdisciplinary understanding and collaboration in order to prepare future leaders to develop solutions. To this end, as an ecologist and an anthropologist at a mid-sized university in the southeastern U.S., we designed a pair of interdisciplinary, research-intensive courses for first-year Honors students with the goal of improving understanding and communicating the urgency of climate change. We employed High Impact Practices (HIPs) and Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) to accomplish learning outcomes during both years of the course. Gains in scientific knowledge and climate change-specific knowledge were assessed with quantitative and qualitative analysis of pre and post-tests. Analysis suggests that the course improved climate change knowledge and sophistication of interdisciplinary thinking and increased student confidence in understanding of the process of science. This course structure offers an approach to providing a practice space for developing multifaceted solutions to wicked problems.

International doctoral students are an indispensable part of the increasingly globalized Higher Education Institutions and play a vital role in continually refreshing the host country's research base and fostering cross-national research collaborations. Despite their contributions, most international student employability experiences have been centered on undergraduate and master's students, and fewer studies have been undertaken to explore the employability experiences of those who study for a doctoral degree. The research team conducted two focus groups with Chinese international doctoral students studying social sciences at two British universities. The focus groups examined the students' perceptions of their employability development within the PhD programs and identified areas for enhancing international doctoral student employability. Results highlight an urgent need for UK universities to develop effective channels to support Chinese doctoral student employability, focusing on supervisors as career mentors, developing graduate skills through fieldwork and teaching opportunities, and co-publications.

The aim of this study was to make a situation assessment by examining the postgraduate theses on flipped learning in Turkey between 2014-2023 in terms of thematic, methodological, and analysis techniques. In the study, the systematic review method, which is one of the literature review methods, was used, and data were collected by document analysis method with 177 graduate dissertation samples sourced from the National Thesis Center of the Council of Higher Education. Thematic examination revealed that the many of studies were completed in 2019 at the master's level within programs at Gazi University, primarily in the Institute of Social Sciences and focusing on the discipline of foreign language education. Methodologically, mixed research methods were frequently used, with the pretest-posttest control group design being prevalent, and a university-level sample size ranging from 1 to 50. Academic achievement tests were the preferred quantitative data collection tools, while interviews were commonly used for qualitative data. In terms of analysis techniques, the t-test dominated quantitative data analysis, while content analysis was the primary method for qualitative data analysis.

Regional Technical Colleges, later Institutes of Technology, were developed just over fifty years ago in response to a perceived gap in knowledge, skills, and competencies required to promote market growth and success (Thorn, 2018). It was envisaged that this change to Ireland's higher education landscape would be capable of continuing adaptation to the social, economic, and technological changes (to meet the needs of employers and students (Steering Committee on Technical Education Report to the Minister for Education on Regional Technical Colleges, 1967, 11). Fifty years after this initiative began, the presented paper wishes to reflect and review what is occurring within today's higher education landscape, posing the question: Did the newly introduced additional higher education institute type evolve from their modest beginnings? Specifically, did they, as suggested by the Steering Committee on Technical Education Report to the Minister for Education on Regional Technical Colleges (1967), avoid the dichotomy and provide students with an opportunity to study in a variety of fields close to their home, or has something else emerged and evolved that is in contradiction to this ambition. This research paper examines these questions using available Higher Education Authority data, considering what this means for student access, equity, and choice within Ireland's higher education system. The findings of this review suggest that while increased student participation in higher education is evident, the choice for today's aspiring student is less noticeable or possible within some fields of study because of the socially constructed configuration of Ireland's higher education system.

Student enrolment in higher education is increasing, as are enrolments in non-traditional pathways, such as degree completion programs, particularly those that are offered online. These changes have shifted the nature of student learning needs and perceptions. Therefore, stakeholders in higher education need a greater understanding of the drivers and obstacles to degree completion from the student point of view, especially in online degree completion programs. Beyond overall and subgroup insights into online degree seeking motivations and other factors, our findings revealed that (1) there is a mismatch between student goals and perceived employer needs, (2) many students expected modest financial gains upon completion, and (3) the primary barrier of continuing higher education was balancing education and life responsibilities. The findings are useful for administrators, faculty, and other stakeholders involved in the recruitment of online degree completion program students and the design of online courses and curricula for this audience.

The present study investigated whether study engagement is predicted by personal resources (i.e., self-efficacy and psychological flexibility) and achievement goals. A total of 223 French first-year humanities and social sciences students were invited to complete an online questionnaire comprising scales measuring the three predictors. The results of regression analyses showed that 43.3% of the variance in study engagement was predicted by self-efficacy, psychological flexibility, and achievement goals, implying that these three factors could be used as levers to promote study engagement.

The essay draws on Michel Serres' writings on education in order to derive from them a general theory. Though the polyglot philosopher never presented his philosophy of education as a formal system, it was a lifelong concern that he addressed from the perspectives of mathematics and physics; literature and myth; art and aesthetics; justice and the law. Ever elusive in his prose style, Serres was a magnetic and infectious educator who, ironically, and perhaps understandably, did not gain the sort of following enjoyed by other French philosophers with whom he cuts such a contrast. The essay assesses the Serresian pedagogy in three key areas: the mutual translatability of the pedagogies of the humanities and arts versus those of the social and hard sciences; the urgent need for an environmental ethics of education; and the permeation of effective instruction by aesthetics.

Despite limited opportunities for tenured academic positions, the number of PhD graduates in Social Sciences has steadily risen in countries with developed research systems. The current literature predominantly portrays PhD graduates as victims, either of the higher education system or of their own optimism in pursuing an academic career. This paper takes an alternative stance by spotlighting the agency exhibited by PhD graduates in Social Sciences as they deftly navigate their career pathways amid the constrained academic job market. Specifically, we adopt an ecological perspective of agency to explore how PhD graduates in Social Sciences exercise their agency in navigating their career from the beginning of their PhD candidature until up to 5 years after graduation. We employ a narrative approach to delve into the employment journeys of twenty-three PhD graduates. Within this cohort, we select to report four participants from four Australian universities, each possessing distinct career trajectories. Our analysis highlights agency as the link between various personal and institutional factors that shape our participants' career trajectories. Based on this finding, we offer recommendations for practice and policy changes that appreciate PhD graduates' agency.

Globally, the issue of research impact has grown as governments articulate policies around research as a contributor to economic and societal development, often through an econometric justification. This has triggered much discussion amongst humanities scholars in public formally-reasoned peer-reviewed texts that are rarely empirically-based. This Denmark-based empirical study used an individual biographical and historical structural framework to explore how humanities academics in face-to-face semi-formal interactive interviews viewed this issue. The results highlighted a nuanced understanding of what we call the humanities-impact landscape, with three potential interactions falling along a continuum suggesting further inquiry is warranted. The study contributes a rich tapestry of the interwoven individual and structural elements at play when academics articulate how they locate themselves within the landscape, ones that might not be seen in more conceptual arguments.

Background: The study of myths in psychology has conceptual and educational relevance: How to adapt the teaching of psychology to confront myths with grounded knowledge? A first step is to know which myths prevail and its relation to training in psychology. Objective: To explore myth's prevalence among Spanish first-year university students of Social (SS) and Engineering Sciences (ES) (Study 1), and among different levels of expertise in psychology (Study 2). Method: Questionnaire including 21 myths. Study 1: 175 first-year SS and ES undergraduates. Study 2: 102 lay, semi-experts and experts in psychology. Results: Lower prevalence of myths among Spanish students than in other countries (approx. 37% vs. 60%), with SS students performing better than ES students. Experts performed significantly better (14% myths endorsed) than lay students (33%), but not than semi-experts (19%). Conclusions: The lower prevalence of myths compared to other countries may be due to methodological and sociocultural aspects. University training in psychology helps to better identify myths but does not eradicate them. Teaching Implications: Need to reflect on the little progress beyond a medium level of expertise. Teachers and students must identify their own myths and work on them in classroom, promoting critical thinking.

Cultivating innovative talents in the humanities and social sciences is a pivotal element in the development of high-level innovative talents with a direct impact on a nation's superstructure and economy. Nevertheless, this area has often been a weak link in the talent market. In response to this challenge, Chinese universities have initiated the "New Humanities and Social Sciences" reform, emphasizing interdisciplinary education to nurture high-quality talents. However, the impact of interdisciplinary education within this context on the creativity of humanities and social science students, along with the intricate underlying mechanisms, remains a question yet to be fully answered. To address these issues, using survey data from 184 students majoring in humanities and social sciences in Sichuan Province of China, we employed structural equation modeling to explore the impact of interdisciplinary education on the creativity of humanities and social science students, the moderating effect of metacognitive awareness and the mediating role of knowledge integration ability. The research findings unequivocally affirm the significantly positive influence of interdisciplinary education on the creativity of humanities and social science students. Knowledge integration ability mediates the relationship between interdisciplinary education and creativity. Furthermore, metacognitive awareness plays a moderating role in the relationship between knowledge integration ability and creativity.

University students often learn statistics in large classes, and in such learning environments, students face an exceptionally high risk of failure. One reason for this is students' frequent statistics anxiety. This study shows how students can be supported using e-learning exercises with automated knowledge of correct response feedback, supplementing a face-to-face lecture. To this end, we surveyed 67 undergraduate social science students at a German university and observed their weekly e-learning exercises. We aggregated students' exercise behavior throughout the semester to explain their exam performance. To control for participation bias, we included essential predictors of educational success, such as prior achievement, motivation, personality traits, time preferences, and goals. We applied a double selection procedure based on the machine learning method Elastic Net to include an optimal but sparse set of control variables. The e-learning exercises indirectly promoted the self-regulated learning techniques of retrieval practice and spacing and provided corrective feedback. Working on the e-learning exercises increased students' performance on the final exam, even after controlling for the rich set of control variables. Two-thirds of students used our designed e-learning exercises; however, only a fraction of students spaced out the exercises, although students who completed the exercises during the semester and were not cramming at the end benefited additionally. Finally, we discuss how the results of our study inform the literature on retrieval practice, spacing, feedback, and e-learning in higher education.

This article examines Higher Education students' experiences of academic reading as a grudging act: something that is performed reluctantly or half-heartedly, because it has to be done. Drawing on group interviews with 30 social science undergraduates, registered at a research-intensive UK university, we offer a reflexive thematic analysis of academic reading, experienced as 'a struggle', as 'a chore' and as 'pointless'. Our analysis centres the experiential dimensions of reading, revealing how student orientations towards reading--and the teaching that surrounds it--can influence their practices. The article makes two original contributions to the developing literature about student reading experiences in Higher Education. First, by examining student accounts of reading through Bottero's (2022) sociology of 'grudging acts', we extend what is known about the intersection between reading experiences and practices, raising important questions for educators in the social sciences and beyond. Second, by examining what educators can do in response to these challenges, we "collate" and "extend" existing guidance for educators that seek to support student engagement with academic reading in Higher Education.

This paper critically reviews the research done in education faculties in Nigerian universities. This research, though categorized in postgraduate schools or colleges as mainly in the liberal arts/humanities and the social sciences, depends on the theories and methodologies from other disciplines. The arts and social sciences are disciplines where undergraduates in education take courses in teaching to earn bachelor's degrees, the postgraduate level offers varied opportunities for educational research to maximize the uniqueness of mixed method research for education.

The present two studies investigated whether students' development of epistemic beliefs about the educational sciences (study A; N = 152) and linguistics (study B; N = 150) can be affected by authentic learning activities in an out-of-school lab (OSL). OSLs aim to engage students in authentic activities that attempt to simulate the ways how scientists gather new knowledge, making an impact on students' epistemic beliefs likely. To test this assumption, the two (quasi-)experimental studies each compared a highly authentic with a less authentic activity and assessed students' epistemic beliefs before and after the students' visit to the OSL. We also analyzed how students' epistemic beliefs relate to their perceived authenticity of the learning activity, their situational interest, and their knowledge acquisition. The findings suggest that authentic activities in OSLs have no effect on students' epistemic beliefs, as students in both conditions either developed more sophisticated beliefs (study A) or changed their beliefs in the less authentic condition only (study B). Correlational analyses further show that students' epistemic beliefs about the texture of knowledge are negatively associated with both their perceived authenticity of the learning activity (studies A and B) and their situational interest (study A only). In contrast, students' epistemic beliefs about the variability of knowledge are positively correlated with their perceived authenticity and their knowledge acquisition (both in study A only). The findings are discussed in light of previous research on both students' epistemic beliefs and authentic learning in OSLs.

The current study examines the relative impact of take home (open book) examinations (THE) and in class (closed book) examinations (ICE) on student academic performance and wellbeing outcomes. Specifically, this study contributes to our understanding about students' long-term knowledge retention, measured four to six months after completing the course. A unique longitudinal dataset consisting of four cohorts of a social science bachelor and master course that implemented either a THE or ICE in successive years was used. Survey data included wellbeing and academic performance measures as well as a 10-item knowledge retention quiz. Within the master course, the ICE cohort had higher examination grades and higher knowledge retention scores than the cohorts that completed a THE. In the bachelor course, there were no differences in knowledge retention across cohorts. Examination score was associated with higher knowledge retention scores across both courses. One bachelor cohort reported lower wellbeing compared to others (cohort 2021-2022); however, we found no further differences in academic or wellbeing outcomes based on examination form. The findings suggest a slight advantage of ICEs over THEs with regard to academic performance.

The last decade witnessed a spectacular rise in the volume of available textual data. With this new abundance came the question of how to analyze it. In the social sciences, scholars mostly resorted to two well-established approaches, human annotation on sampled data on the one hand (either performed by the researcher, or outsourced to microworkers), and quantitative methods on the other. Each approach has its own merits -- a potentially very fine-grained analysis for the former, a very scalable one for the latter -- but the combination of these two properties has not yielded highly accurate results so far. Leveraging recent advances in sequential transfer learning, we demonstrate via an experiment that an expert can train a precise, efficient automatic classifier in a very limited amount of time. We also show that, under certain conditions, expert-trained models produce better annotations than humans themselves. We demonstrate these points using a classic research question in the sociology of journalism, the rise of a "horse race" coverage of politics. We conclude that recent advances in transfer learning help us augment ourselves when analyzing unstructured data.

Existing literature attests to the importance of assessing the learning enjoyment and learning interest of students toward socio-scientific issues (SSI). However, there are few existing studies that examine how ecological stimuli, which are crucial to young learners' perceptual development and the shaping of ethical judgment, predict their learning enjoyment and learning interest in SSI. This investigation addresses this gap in the available literature by investigating and assessing the effects of self-perceived influences of three ecological stimuli constructs--textbooks, family/classmates, and news media--on a learning interest in SSI construct and a learning enjoyment from SSI construct among Taiwanese high school students. A structural equation model consisting of these five constructs was fitted to data collected from 966 students. Results show that influence on students' ethical judgments from textbooks and news media directly predict learning interest in SSI, with effects partially mediated by learning enjoyment from SSI. The influence of family/classmates on students' learning interest was fully mediated by learning enjoyment. The role of enjoyment and learning interest as predictors of these outcomes is discussed within the context of genuine interest in learning SSI content. The value and implications of these results for science education specialists and interest researchers are forwarded and suggested directions of future investigation submitted.

In 2020 a University of Saskatchewan Library Working Group investigated liaison librarian workloads across disciplines to help develop a clearer understanding of variance in disciplinary needs, which would then help inform equitable annual liaison assignments. This article describes the process and data used to compare liaison workloads across the health sciences, fine arts, humanities, science, and social sciences disciplines. Although the Working Group was able to formulate some general recommendations, there was uncertainty around how the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the Library's shift to a functional organizational structure, might impact liaison librarian activities and annual assignments in the future.

Teacher identity can serve as an important lens to examine the way teachers traverse the various demands made of them by policymakers and stakeholders in the school system, with their own perspectives of self and their work. Official narratives and curriculum documents lead to the construction of a public identity and what it means to be a 'good teacher' in a broad and generic sense. However, much less attention is paid to teachers' biographical accounts of their professional identity, from a stance as practitioners of a specific subject, and their lived experiences, thereof. This article reports on a qualitative study undertaken as a pilot project for a doctoral dissertation, where six social science teachers from Mumbai and Bangalore, participated in three online focus group discussions. The framework used to analyse the data is Goffman's dramaturgical theory of impression management. Findings reveal that social science teachers present their professional identity using reified expressions of competence, idealise social science as a subject, and seek validation of their status as teachers of a nonutility subject. These are discussed in the context of recently proposed educational reforms in India, with the recommendation that policymakers must take cognizance of this fragile sense of subject identity and an acute sense of disempowerment facing social science teachers, who are not averse to accountability measures per se, to enhance their standing.

Across courses in the social sciences, instructors confront the challenge of how to teach (theories of) culture, yet no consensus exists as to what helps students best comprehend and digest its full complexity. This article offers a metaphorical and heuristic approach to culture that is accessible, multifaceted, and reflective of a wide range of important sociological theories and concepts. Five metaphors are introduced: culture as a training ground, battleground, playground, campground, and fairgrounds. Practical applications and suggestions for organizing a course around these five metaphorical grounds are discussed and outlined.

Although well established in developed countries, Ethics review boards in the academia, and specifically for social and behavioral sciences (SBS) research, is a relatively new, and still a controversy inducing endeavor. This study explores the establishment and functioning of ERBs in Israeli academia, serving as a case study for the challenges and progress made in ensuring ethical research practices in non-medical related spheres. A purposeful sample of 46 participants was selected, comprising ERB current or past members and SBS researchers, who each interacted extensively with ERB's evaluation processes. The participants came from all eight research universities of Israel, as well as seven large public and private academic colleges. Open, semi structured In-depth interviews were conducted in order to facilitate a critical reflective stance among the various participants, exploring their experiences, behaviors and the meanings they assign to ERB processes. Our research revealed two major themes. The first is the developmental trajectories in the construction processes of ERBs in Israel, comprised of the following stages: Initiation, expansion, opposition, and acceptance and assimilation. The second was a typology of participation throughout the ERBs' construction process. Inspired by Merton's strain theory, this typology includes conformists, ritualists, ideologists, control-freaks, and insurgents. The findings expose a unique perspective into the initiation, establishment, and development of ERBs, which can shed light on the role of ERBs in general, as well as point out how resistance to ERBs, as well as the different reasons for championing them, affected not only ERBs form and their legitimacy, but also their interaction with researchers.

Withdrawal from doctoral education has been recognized as a problem with negative consequences for different actors, leading researchers worldwide to explore its underlying factors and processes. However, even if many PhD candidates who withdrew intend to re-enrol, there is a gap in the literature regarding the factors and processes related to re-enrolment. The aim of this qualitative study is to understand pre- and post-withdrawal experiences of PhD candidates and the factors and processes related to withdrawal, dropout and re-enrolment, through the voices of PhD candidates who withdrew and faculty in social and health sciences in a Portuguese university. Our findings conceptualize withdrawal as a behavioural manifestation of disengagement processes comprising interacting emotional/affective, cognitive, and behavioural dimensions, which start before withdrawal, extend beyond it, and may culminate in dropout or re-engagement and re-enrolment. Factors and processes related to withdrawal, dropout, or re-enrolment were situated in various nested contexts. This study highlights the need for an academic cultural change, to envisage withdrawal as a process that does not necessarily mark the end of PhD candidates' incursion into doctoral education. It draws attention to the need to provide adequate working conditions for PhD candidates, and also to promote follow-up and communication with PhD candidates who withdrew.

Preparing graduate students for teaching careers in academia can involve myriad approaches. One such approach is facilitating authentic teaching opportunities for graduate students. The purpose of this multiple case study was to chronicle the perspectives of four humanities graduate students as they participated in a mentored teaching experience at a community college. Specific emphases included the evolution of participants' teacher identity and how a mentored teaching experience shaped participants' future career goals. Data sources consisted of semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, journal reflections, and classroom artifacts. Participants identified the fundamental importance of mentor faculty and diverse students as drivers in their own pedagogical development and reflected on the value of interpersonal connections in education. Implications include the need for more pedagogical transparency and discussion in humanities graduate education, as well as the potential of constructing cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional collaborations to support graduate students' professional development.

Climate change (CC) is one of the most urgent problems to solve in this century, the effects of which cover a wide range of disciplines that go beyond the environmental component, becoming a social and economic problem as well. Social educators are professionals who must ensure that the quality of life in socially vulnerable societies is improved. In order to mitigate the problem of climate change, it is necessary for all professionals in the most varied areas to have climate literacy, so that they can adopt behaviors that comply with the objectives of sustainable development. Recognizing the importance of the social educator in the context of contemporary societies, we intended to find out the university students' perceptions on the social education course. With this in mind, we set out to carry out this study, which was based on the application of a questionnaire using a Likert scale. The respondents were 161 social education students at a higher education institution in Portugal. In order to carry out the inferential analysis, we took care to meet the necessary criteria for carrying out parametric tests. The results showed that a majority (72.6 %) of students were concerned about climate change. They (54.7 %) also stated that they would like their course to deal more with climate change, as 74 % acknowledged that they did not have the skills to deal with climate change as a future professional. The results also showed that the students were incapable of correctly listing a consequence of climate change. The data collected and analyzed in this study allowed us to conclude that Environmental Education played a fundamental role in the academic training of social educators, suggesting the need for its reinforcement and inclusion in their training plans. We also found that greater efforts were needed to improve students' climate literacy.

Research at the intersection of social science and genomics, 'sociogenomics', is transforming our understanding of the interplay between genomics, individual outcomes and society. It has interesting and maybe unexpected implications for education research and policy. Here we review the growing sociogenomics literature and discuss its implications for educational researchers and policymakers. We cover key concepts and methods in genomic research into educational outcomes, how genomic data can be used to investigate social or environmental effects, the methodological strengths and limitations of genomic data relative to other observational social data, the role of intergenerational transmission and potential policy implications. The increasing availability of genomic data in studies can produce a wealth of new evidence for education research. This may provide opportunities for disentangling the environmental and genomic factors that influence educational outcomes and identifying potential mechanisms for intervention.

Student engagement is an important factor in higher education learning, but engaging students in online learning settings has been found to be challenging. Little research has been conducted yet into how online learning activities can engage students. In this study, students' experiences with online education were examined during the COVID-19 pandemic to find out what online learning activities promoted their engagement and what underlying engagement mechanisms informed those activities. Six online focus groups were held via Zoom with students (N = 25) from different social sciences programs at the University of Amsterdam. Findings revealed synchronous and asynchronous online learning activities that stimulated three dimensions of engagement and their underlying mechanisms. "Behavioral" engagement was stimulated through activities that promote attention and focus, inspire effort, break barriers, and provide flexibility. "Affective" engagement was stimulated through activities that promote a group feeling, encourage interaction, and create a sense of empathy and trust. And "cognitive" engagement was stimulated through activities that generate discussion and personalization. This research provides teachers with insights into how to promote student engagement in online education.

This study explores the dynamic journey of women as they become academics in non-elite Chinese public universities. It focuses on their aspirations and the evolving subjectivity that accompanies this process. Ten participants from the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) fields, aged 28-57, were interviewed; the transcripts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Adopting a Butlerian perspective, our findings identify two distinct subjectivities that shape Chinese women's decision to become academics: autonomous subjectivity driven by intrinsic desire and strategic subjectivity driven by instrumental desire. We argue that becoming an academic is a complex process influenced by regulatory power, including market forces, institutional and societal constraints, and gender norms, which shape the context in which the desire is pursued. It is essential to view this decision not only from the individual's perspective but also from the larger context within which it is made. This study contributes to the literature on gender equality in academia by interrogating the complexities of the decision-making processes for Chinese women pursuing academic careers in non-elite Chinese universities.

Classroom interactions emerging from socioscientific argumentation may be incompatible with the traditional definitions of learning, thus creating tension and potentially undermining its implementation. Leveraging existing literature, we identify argumentative talk that shifts away from scientific content and toward subjective claims, as well as instances of unproductive argumentation as the points of incompatibility. We contend that attention to the degree of compatibility of enactments of socioscientific argumentation with traditional schooling practices may be necessary for substantive implementation. The role of teachers' and students' interactional moves in relation to this compatibility is qualitatively examined using two analytical frameworks related to the content and form of the students' arguments. To generate practical implications with empirical foundations, compatibility is examined in teacher-led and peer-led argumentation. In teacher-led argumentation, we show that the degree of incompatibility can be managed when teachers extend their elicitation of responses with follow-up interrogative questioning, leading students to rely more on scientific knowledge. In peer-led argumentation, incompatibility can be identified when the argumentation collapses into confrontational disagreement or uncritical agreement, obscuring instances in which students rely on scientific knowledge. We discuss the significance of productive talk moves as a way to advance from incompatibility with traditional schooling toward integrating socioscientific argumentation as a core instructional practice.

Epistemic injustice is a condition where knowers and knowledge claims are unduly dismissed. Philosophers suggest that epistemic injustice manifests in three forms: testimonial, hermeneutical, and contributory. Although distinct, all forms of epistemic injustice stem from relations of power, privilege, and positionality -- where some have the opportunity and authority to legitimize the knowledge contributions of others. The purpose of this study was to explore the presence of epistemic injustice in U.S. doctoral education through a systematic review of literature. We methodically searched hundreds of peer-reviewed journals for studies focused on teaching, advising, peer interaction, doctoral socialization, and other experiences concerning doctoral education across the humanities, social science, and science disciplines. We retained, reviewed, and analyzed 107 manuscripts. Our analysis revealed epistemic injustice in doctoral education as well as rules that foster the conditions for epistemic injustice. Implications for doctoral education and future research are offered.

In German primary schools, natural sciences and social studies are learned and taught in an integrative manner within a subject called Sachunterricht. To teach Sachunterricht in a high-quality manner, it is reasonable to assume that primary school teachers themselves require-- among other things, such as knowledge about pedagogy, teaching Sachunterricht, and the various content areas of Sachunterricht--a distinct interest, academic self-concept, and sense of belonging regarding natural and social sciences. Furthermore, they should possess a solid interdisciplinary competence that enables them to teach natural and social sciences in an integrative way. In the present study, we conducted a longitudinal survey of pre-service primary school teachers from a German university over a period of 2 years to investigate the changes in their (self-evaluated) interdisciplinary competence; the changes in their interest, academic self-concept, and sense of belonging regarding natural and social sciences; and the correlations between these constructs. Our data analysis revealed a decrease over time in participants' sense of belonging to natural and social sciences, as well as their (self-evaluated) interdisciplinary competence, while their academic self-concept in natural and social sciences remained stable. Participants' interest in social sciences decreased, while their interest in natural sciences increased. Moreover, we found varying degrees of correlation between these constructs. In summary, the results of the present study provide important insights into the professional development of pre-service primary school teachers within university-based teacher education for teaching natural and social sciences in primary school. The implications of these findings are discussed in detail at the end of this paper.

This paper replicates models developed by previous research to study the effects of graduate education on new graduates' initial employment in the Japanese labor market. If education is the best investment for an individual's economic success, then graduate degrees are expected to provide an individual with higher-earning job opportunities. Despite this reasonable economic premise, previous research showed that master's degrees in the humanities or social sciences in Japan have, in fact, a negative impact on obtaining initial employment compared to those with only a bachelor's degree in the humanities or social sciences. This previous research, however, could not overcome omitted variable bias because of data limitations. Omitted variable bias is a key problem for research on education; therefore, this study uses new longitudinal data to overcome omitted variable bias and clearly demonstrate the robustness of these earlier findings. The empirical results of this study corroborate earlier work, showing that master's degrees in the humanities or social sciences do not provide graduate students with an advantage in obtaining initial employment, after controlling for potential bias. At the same time, this study also confirms that natural science majors have a higher probability of obtaining initial employment in comparison with humanities or social science majors. In other words, this paper offers a valid replication of existing research. This shows that the Japanese labor market structure for graduate students has, in essence, remained the same since previous research was completed.

This study aims to determine preservice music teachers' self-esteem and happiness levels and compare them with other departments. The study group comprised 242 students from Gazi University Gazi Faculty of Education. The Two-Dimensional Self-Esteem Scale and The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire Short Form were used as data collection tools. The method of the study conducted with a quantitative approach was a survey. According to the research data, music education students' happiness and self-competence levels are good, while self-liking levels are moderate. Self-esteem scores do not differ according to grade and gender variables. The contentment levels of music education students showed a substantial difference, favoring females. Looking at the faculty of education in general, all departments are at a moderate level in the self-liking aspect, and all are at a good level in the self-competence aspect. In happiness scores, it was determined that Music and Turkish-Social Sciences students had good scores, while Mathematics-Science group students had average scores at medium level. It was determined that music education pupils had higher averages in all aspects. As the outcome of the comparison analysis, it was determined that the happiness levels of Music Education students were significantly higher than Mathematics-Science Education students.

Museum learning is beneficial for social inclusion, deepening partnerships between schools and museums, and increasing levels of pupil attainment. While there have been numerous empirical studies on the use of haptics in formal educational settings, few have explored the effect of haptic interaction on learning outcomes in museum learning. This study looks at an interactive 3D artifact simulation using a haptic interface and a non-haptic interface, with one group using 3D hand motions and receiving visual/haptic stimuli, and another group using a mouse and only receiving visual stimuli. Forty individuals majored in arts or social science courses were asked to perform four main interactive tasks about 3D collection. Using a triangulation of assessment scores, investing time, and satisfaction with interactions with the 3D artifact simulation, we explored the efficacy of haptic interaction in improving museum learning. The results showed that in general, the haptic interaction was more helpful in promoting learning performance in relation to 3D collections. However, significant differences only occurred in relation to the volume and material interactive tasks, and not in relation to the contour and color interactive tasks. The Findings reveal that the visual/haptic stimuli provided by haptic interaction in museum learning has a stronger modality effect on human information processing, and the effect of haptic interaction depends on the coupling of interactive tasks and sensorimotor experiences. Further, psychological immersion is more likely to occur when using haptic interaction, and haptically augmented 3D artifacts attract learners' attention, enhancing learner engagement and motivation. Explanations for these results are synthesized from the perceptual symbol, embodied cognition, and immersion theories.

Systematic reviews, along with other types of knowledge synthesis, are a type of research methodology that attempt to find all available evidence on a topic to help answer specific questions. Librarian involvement in systematic reviews is well established in the health sciences, and in recent years there has been growing awareness of, and literature about, librarians outside of health supporting systematic reviews. This study benchmarks librarian support of systematic reviews in the sciences, humanities, and social sciences (SHSS) by looking at the growth of demand for support, the disciplines requesting this kind of librarian support, and the specific types of support needed. It also examines what SHSS librarians need to be successful in this type of work, including administrative support and workload adjustments.

While internationalising scholarly careers is an imperative in current academia, literature has focused on the impact of such a process at the institutional, national, and international levels. Yet, internationalisation is connected to the personal dimension of careers and, consequently, it might defy academics' understanding of their working life. The intertwined between well-being and internationalisation in academia is understudied. Using data from qualitative interviews with social science scholars in Mexico, we argue that, seen from the periphery, internationalisation affects personal well-being and job satisfaction both positively and negatively. The challenges of internationalisation for work-life balance depend on the ability of academics to capitalise on their international experiences and their costs. Results indicate that there is no homogeneous positive position with respect to this imperative of academic life today. Hence, if higher education institutions are committed to pursue strategies for internationalisation, they must recognise the personal costs and benefits of this process.

Suburban inequality is the focus of this double issue of "RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences." This introduction addresses the limited related scholarship, describes how inequality unfolds differently in suburban communities than in urban and rural communities, and draws attention to urgent issues related to stratification between and within suburban communities. We argue that inattention to the study of suburban space, methodological and disciplinary silos, and the changing nature of the suburbs have left large holes in our understanding of how inequality operates. This critical review covers areas such as measurement, forgotten suburban scholarship, demographic change, suburban poverty, social supports, race, immigration, education, politics, policing, and future directions for suburban studies. In our call for resisting amnesia, we also draw attention to forgotten suburban histories and studies of a diverse range of suburban communities.

Software installation is an early barrier to success for graduate students in our online statistics class. To help them overcome this potential barrier, our instructional team created the SPSS Early Adopter Program (SEAP). The SEAP gamified the installation task with a discussion badge and bonus point; these external motivators encouraged students to avoid procrastinating on their SPSS installation. To document student experiences with the SEAP, we conducted a nonexperimental, descriptive study of 475 students enrolled in an online statistics course. Data collection and analysis consisted of descriptive statistics of the SEAP completion rate and a reflexive thematic analysis of students' spontaneous reactions to the installation process. Results showed that 205 of 475 students (43%) completed the SEAP challenge. In their unsolicited responses, 14 SEAP completers (7%) spontaneously expressed confusion and uncertainty; we coded this as a theme of academic vulnerability. Another 27 SEAP completers (13%) spontaneously expressed comments like, "I finally figured it out!" We coded these responses as a theme of academic resilience. For academically resilient students, the SPSS Early Adopter Program transformed a success barrier into a rewarding challenge.