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International large-scale assessments, such as Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), are a crucial source of information for education researchers and policymakers. The assessment also includes a student questionnaire, however, the data can be biased by the differences in reporting behavior between students. In this paper, we analyse differences in response styles of students in the Czech Republic and New Zealand based on data gathered in PISA 2018. The results show that Czech students use, on average, the acquiescence response style (ARS) and extreme response style (ERS) less than their counterparts in New Zealand. Contrarily, Czech students use, on average, the disacquiescence response style (DARS) more than students from New Zealand. A closer analysis according to the school type in the Czech Republic, showed that students from 4-year secondary general schools score, on average, the highest on ARS and ERS, but the lowest on DARS among all school types. The analysis in New Zealand according to the Year of study showed that students in Years 12-13 score, on average, the highest on ARS and ERS among all Year-of-study groups, the DARS values being similar across the Year-of-study groups. The mean ARS and ERS of each of the Czech school types remains below that of any of the New Zealand Year-of-study groups. For DARS, the mean score of the highest-scoring Year-of-study group in New Zealand (Years 9-10) remains below that of the lowest-scoring Czech school type (4-year secondary general school). Analysis of response styles is a crucial tool for the identification of some of the potential biases in student-reported data. Future research should take the differences in student reporting behavior into account and perhaps also employ other methodological approaches for their identification, such as the overclaiming technique. [For the complete Volume 21 proceedings, see ED629259.]

For learners to be individuals equipped with the 21st-century skills when they start business life after graduation, they must be able to gain these skills during their education. However, due to their nature, it's not possible for students to acquire these skills under a specific course. For these skills to be achieved, they must be integrated across all curricula. In this study, an evaluation was conducted to see whether various countries incorporate the 21st-century skills in their curricula, how these skills are applied, and how these skills should be handled in their curricula. Within the scope of this research, the curricula applied in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, England, Ireland, and Turkey were examined. When the 12 skills defined by the P21 platform are considered, it can be seen that all skills are interconnected and that one cannot fully exist without the other. It can be said that starting to gain these skills, which are required by the 21st-century professions and which employers expect from graduates, from an early age it is important for individuals to be properly and fully prepared for the future. In accordance with the 21st-century expectations, evaluations, educational materials, teaching methods, professional growth opportunities, and learning environments should all be synchronized to create a supportive framework that generates the 21st-century results for contemporary students. [This paper was published in: "EJER Congress 2023 International Eurasian Educational Research Congress Conference Proceedings," Ani Publishing, 2023, pp. 97-126.]

There is no doubt that Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) and mobile mediated communication are linked as technology continues to transform the way we communicate with each other. Campbell (2019) analyzed how mobile communication evolved into portable devices to form a complete system of mobile media, reshaping the fabric of our social lives via 'sociality' and 'spatiality'. In this short paper, we would like to offer a brief overview of the diverse oral presentations which took place in the joint CMC and MALL (Mobile Assisted Language Learning) Special Interest Group (SIG) symposium at the online conference this year. This short paper will introduce various online apps which are available for free in both computer-based and mobile versions and can be adapted to foreign language learning in various ways. [For the complete volume, "CALL for Widening Participation: Short Papers from EUROCALL 2020 (28th, Online, August 20-21, 2020)," see ED610330.]

With smartphone saturation at 100% among Japanese university students, educators are developing new and innovative ways to bring them to the forefront of learning, ensuring students are as engaged with their technology in their formal learning as they are with their informal learning. Smartphones of today are small, portable, have high spec cameras, microphones, and a large storage capacity. These devices also allow for videos to be edited within applications on the smartphone itself, without the need for a separate and expensive computer and editing software. Aspects such as these make using smartphones to make Digital Stories (DS) one possible way to effectively use this technology for formal learning purposes. This paper shows the results of a paper-based survey and discusses preliminary observations conducted with 38 Japanese university students undertaking a short-term study abroad experience in Australia and New Zealand. [For the complete proceedings, see ED600837.]

This reflective practice paper presents an excerpt of the outcome of a telecollaboration project between two tertiary institutions in New Zealand and Finland. Twenty-six intermediate students of German in the two countries used a Facebook-group to write about given topics which were part of their final assessment. The posts were a combination of video uploads, audio recordings, and writing which is in line with the multimodal meaning-making theory (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2001). The task design was guided by O'Dowd and Ware's (2009) three-layer approach design. The study investigates how students perceive the collaboration using the Facebook group and how the multimodal approach helps the students to develop their digital literacies. The data collected for the study included a mixed-methods approach with pre- and post-questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and Facebook logs. Results show that students learned more about each others' culture and improved their German at the same time. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED590612.]

This article reports on an autoethnography by two authors who analysed the interrelationship of their experiences as foreign language learners, educators, and researchers. Both participant-researchers had taken advantage of the accessibility of online learning resources to learn new languages, had incorporated digital tools into their teaching practices, and had researched how technology could be used as a learning aid for students inside and outside the classroom. In this collaborative autoethnography, they turned the research lens upon themselves and each other to develop understandings of the way their experiences as language learners and researchers impacted upon their teacher cognition and teaching practices. [For the complete volume, "CALL for Widening Participation: Short Papers from EUROCALL 2020 (28th, Online, August 20-21, 2020)," see ED610330.]

This paper discusses the animated web series "Lifeswap" as an example for "amateur online interculturism" and investigates its potential for intercultural language education. Drawing on Dervin's (2015) discussion on the "amateur interculturist", I suggest that online publications of personal encounters of intercultural interaction can be used to foster critical reflection in intercultural language education. To illustrate this idea, I first introduce the concept of "amateur online interculturism" and the approach of the makers of the "Lifeswap" series. I then focus on one episode to provide an example of the series and to show how humour and cultural stereotypes can be used constructively to explore tensions in intercultural interactions. The online comments I present in the last section highlight the harmonising effect of humour but indicate that pedagogical intervention is needed to problematise intercultural issues. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]

This paper argues that the idea that tertiary education in New Zealand is a public good has been inhibited by extreme policies that treat education as a commodity and the education sector as a market. Education is about producing highly skilled, knowledgeable and useful citizens and the notion of a 'profit' is in 'creating educated citizens' (TEU, 2018). While governments have promoted tertiary education as a core public good, it is not what these same governments have emphasised. In fact, if access to tertiary education by Maori is anything to go on, quite the opposite has been the reality.

Traditional methods for diabetic education rely heavily on written materials and there is only a limited amount of resources targeted at educating diabetic children. Mobile games can be effective, evidence-based, and motivating tools for the promotion of children's health. In our earlier work, we proposed a novel approach for designing computer games aimed for educating children with diabetes and applied our design strategy to a mobile Android game (Mario Brothers). In this paper, we report the findings of a preliminary evaluation study (n = 12) conducted over 1 week. The initial results showed that the children found the game engaging and improved their knowledge of healthy diet and lifestyle. [For the complete proceedings, see ED579190.]

If we are to understand 'equal educational opportunity' to mean education that is freely available to all citizens irrespective of their age, race, sex, religion, ethnic origin and unrelated to ability, performance, and qualification; then the questions posed by this conference are relative. What counts as educational opportunity, for whom has it improved over the past 60 years, for whom has it not improved? From an indigenous perspective out of Aotearoa New Zealand, there is little doubt that challenges remain in terms of educational opportunity for Maori in the tertiary sector. In light of this focus, this paper considers some of the barriers and enablers to innovation and participation by Maori in the tertiary sector in Aotearoa New Zealand. With reference to exemplars of innovative university based Maori centred programmes the aim is to show what conditions such programmes are able to flourish, and those barriers that undermine innovation for Maori in education.

Student and teacher activity in a closed Facebook group for a tertiary German class was observed during a 12-week teaching semester. This was complemented by questionnaires, semi-structured interviews with students, and teacher reflections in a researcher journal. Collected data were analysed using an inductive thematic analysis followed by a deductive Activity Theory (AT) analysis to explore the tensions between student and teacher expectations of the Facebook component of the course. The analysis showed individual variation in Facebook behaviours. A number of students were reluctant to write in the target language, German, reporting that they felt anxious when required to do so. It became evident that students differentiated sharply between their private Facebook interactions and their interactions in the Facebook group. Students adopted the Facebook group as an authentic language platform and continued to use the page after the course had ended. The Facebook group facilitated high quality meaning-focused target language production within the class group, and the participants were overwhelmingly positive towards their Facebook experience. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]

The objective of this paper is to investigate differences in the academic achievement of students who report experiencing both bullying and a lack of belonging within their school settings as compared to their peers who report neither of these experiences. This study will expand upon existing research by using a cross-national sample of students from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 to analyze two peer relational factors as they relate to mathematics achievement: (1) belongingness and (2) bullying. The purpose of the study will be to identify an international trend and examine education systems in which academic achievement increases or decreases with these two factors interacted, with each factor taken separately, and investigate the patterns amongst them.

Challenges exist in implementing science programs in indigenous schools where cross-cultural boundaries between students and teachers are small but teachers do not have formal science education and how to teach science in an indigenous language. This paper presents a model for teaching science within a 'wharekura' (indigenous secondary school) to Year 9 and 10 students in New Zealand. Data include teacher and student focus group interviews and classroom observations. The research focus is to enhance students' learning through science investigations. We argue that collaboration between a science expert and teachers who are experts in Te Reo Maori (the Maori language) can benefit students as it supports the students' epistemological and pedagogical knowledge which is positioned differently than Western science.

This book contains a compilation of papers presented at the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT) 2021, organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (W.I.A.R.S.), that this year has been converted into a fully Virtual Conference as a result of the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic. Modern psychology offers a large range of scientific fields where it can be applied. The goal of understanding individuals and groups (mental functions and behavioral standpoints), from this academic and practical scientific discipline, aims ultimately to benefit society. The International Conference seeks to provide some answers and explore the several areas within the Psychology field, new developments in studies and proposals for future scientific projects. The goal is to offer a worldwide connection between psychologists, researchers and lecturers, from a wide range of academic fields, interested in exploring and giving their contribution in psychological issues. We take pride in having been able to connect and bring together academics, scholars, practitioners and others interested in a field that is fertile in new perspectives, ideas and knowledge. We counted on an extensive variety of contributors and presenters, which can supplement the view of the human essence and behavior, showing the impact of their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. This is, certainly, one of the reasons there are nationalities and cultures represented, inspiring multi-disciplinary collaborative links, fomenting intellectual encounter and development. InPACT 2021 received 358 submissions, from more than 40 different countries from all over the world, reviewed by a double-blind process. Submissions were prepared to take form of Oral Presentations, Posters and Workshops. 117 submissions (overall, 33% acceptance rate) were accepted for presentation in the conference. The Conference addresses different categories inside Applied Psychology area and papers fit broadly into one of the named themes and sub-themes. This book contains the results of the different researches conducted by authors who focused on what they are passionate about: to study and develop research in areas related to Psychology and its applications. It includes an extensive variety of contributors and presenters that are hereby sharing with us their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. [This document contains the proceedings of the virtual International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT) 2021. The proceedings were published by inScience Press. For the 2020 proceedings, see ED604955.]

Although gender differences in mathematics are smaller than they have been in the past, prominent voices still attribute these differences to a variety of fixed individual factors, such as genetic characteristics of men and women. We hold the alternative view that these differences can be ultimately attributed to malleable factors. From this vantage, societies could influence gender differences in mathematics by changing students' experiences in school. In this study, we built on prior work suggesting that mathematics anxiety causes lower mathematics scores. In particular, we found that mathematics anxiety entirely explains the gender differences evident in mathematics scores from the 2012 US Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Furthermore, we found that gender moderates the mediating role of mathematics anxiety: math anxiety is more detrimental for male than for female students. Because math anxiety is a malleable individual characteristic, we conclude that gender differences reveal more about gendered societal experiences than they do about innate characteristics of men and women. [For the complete proceedings, see ED629884.]

Second Life is one of the many three-dimensional virtual environments accessible through a computer and a fast broadband connection. Thousands of participants connect to this platform to interact virtually with the world, join international communities of practice and, for some, role play groups. Unlike online role play games however, Second Life is a user-generated social platform where users have the freedom to chat and learn, build, exhibit and sell their creations, and participate in immersive Role Play. This paper reports on findings and personal reflections on a project run over two and half years with students of three language programs at Victoria University of Wellington's School of Language and Cultures. The purpose of the project was to measure language students' willingness to use the L2 naturally and holistically when performing semi-authentic tasks while immersed in culturally themed 3D virtual environments. [For full proceedings, see ED565087.]

Small group interactions can provide rich conceptual mathematical understandings. This paper reports on the mathematical talk of Maori and Pasifika students as they participated in small group activity. The findings illustrate that when the students were scaffolded to work collaboratively the talk shifted between focusing on mathematics (mathematizing) and people (subjectifying) and this supported their learning. [For the complete proceedings, see ED597799.]

In this paper we describe the design and implementation of a technology-active introductory first year university mathematics course. The design principles underpinning the course are presented. The results of the implementation show some areas where the technology-active approach has proven of value, as well as improvements that can be made for the next cycle. Some implications for the integration of technology in large lecture undergraduate teaching are presented. [For the complete proceedings, see ED597799.]

This paper focuses on selected findings from a study that explored the use of multiplication and division with 34 five- and six-year-old children from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The focus of instructional tasks was on working with groups of ten to support the understanding of place value. Findings from relevant assessment tasks and children's work highlighted the importance of encouraging young children to move from unitary (counting by ones) to tens-structured thinking. [For the complete proceedings, see ED597799.]

Interpretive Case-based Modeling (ICM) was developed for this study as a new research methodology for investigating higher education adoption of technology-enhanced innovations in teaching and learning (eLearning). This research applied ICM in interviews with participants from Australian and New Zealand higher education institutions. The procedures in applying ICM enabled the unravelling of the complexities of innovation adoption by revealing the impact of interactions that were either enabling or inhibiting in key institutional stakeholder relationships. ICM also enabled the modeling of levels of influence of key stakeholder roles in innovation adoption. Outcomes of the study demonstrated the importance of interactions between academics -- as both innovators and adopters of eLearning -- managers and support staff within institutional settings.

Using an innovative recruitment tool, the social network site Facebook, survey data were gathered from samples of the Australian general public and from around the world. Views on the gendering of mathematics, science, and ICT were gathered. In this paper we report the findings from six of the 15 questions on the survey, and only from respondents in predominantly English-speaking countries. The findings reveal that the majority was not gender-stereotyped about mathematics and related careers. However, if a gendered view was held, it was overwhelming to endorse the male stereotype. Male respondents' views were more strongly gendered than were females'. [For the complete proceedings, see ED585874.]

Analysis of the applicability of a learning technology requires evaluating how the affordances of the technology respond to the users' needs. We examine affordances of a digital learning environment. We concentrate on organizational and socio-interactional affordances, which are based on technological affordances. The analysis shows how organizational and socio-interactional affordances emerge from the use of technological affordances. We offer an analytical understanding of the dynamics of various kinds of affordances and how they can be assessed to help educators to better understand how the learning process and the use of affordances can be facilitated and supported. [For the complete proceedings, see ED608557.]

A phenomenographic analysis explored 18 teachers' conceptions of feedback and how they were enacted. Five hierarchically ordered categories of feedback were seen as aligning with three major functions; that is, (1) satisfying stakeholder expectations (Category 1), maintaining student psycho-social well-being (Category 2), and supporting learning growth (i.e., Category 3: diagnosing academic strengths and weaknesses primarily through correcting and marking; Category 4: providing a plan for improvement; and Category 5: making sure improvement plans are implemented because provision of information is insufficient). Teachers described experiencing significant tensions when trying to balance student wellbeing, accountability purposes, and learning growth functions. Data emphasize the importance of ensuring that teacher concerns for student emotional well-being do not undermine academic improvement purposes and those system policies and expectations for feedback are not at odds with teacher beliefs.

The classroom implementation of open-ended mathematics tasks, such as Model-Eliciting Activities (MEAs), can be challenging for teachers. This case study research considers a teacher, Adam, implementing a lesson intended to be an MEA on graphical antiderivative. We describe the lack of alignment of the written, intended and enacted curricula that occurred. An analysis of Adam's conflicting resources, orientations and goals, and how these influenced his pedagogical decision making, enables a description of the reasons for this misalignment. One possible implication for teacher professional development arising from the case study is presented. [For the complete proceedings, see ED597799.]

The Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE) is an international, non-profit educational organization. The Association's purpose is to advance the knowledge, theory, and quality of teaching and learning at all levels with information technology. "EdMedia + Innovate Learning: World Conference on Educational Media and Technology" took place in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, June 25-29, 2018. These proceedings contain 308 papers, including 14 award papers. The award papers cover topics such as Open Education Resources (OER) certification for higher education; a cooperative approach to the challenges of implementing e-assessments; developing an e-learning system for English conversation practice using speech recognition and artificial intelligence; the Learning Experience Technology Usability Design Framework; developing strategies for digital transformation in higher education; pre-service teachers' readiness to use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education; teacher development through technology in a short-term study abroad program; Austria's higher education e-learning landscape; a digitised educational application focused on the water cycle in nature carried out in a secondary school in Ireland; evaluative research on virtual and augmented reality for children; how children use computational thinking skills when they solve a problem using the Ozobot; a strategy to connect curricula with the digital world; the learning portfolio in higher education; and adult playfulness in simulation-based healthcare education. [For the 2017 proceedings, see ED605571.]