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This paper focuses first on the issue of measuring education. When we consider "education and equity," we tend to quantify educational outcomes and compare these figures with others. While it is necessary to consider "equity" (or inequity) through comparisons with others, if we quantify the achievement of outcomes and evaluate the management of the organisation, we fall into a "metric fixation." Next, the paper discusses the issue of meritocracy, presenting a perspective on abilities as social and communal rather than individual. Finally, it discusses the concept of "collaborative learning" as presented by the Central Council for Education Report of 2021. This report states the importance of respecting all others as valuable beings. In order to clarify the significance and value of the presence of others in educational relationships, the paper considers a certain high school discussion situation. "Equity" in education cannot be realised by comparing personal figures on a particular scale. If we wish to realise "equity," paradoxically, it is essential that we do not ask whether we are achieving "equity" through comparison with others. Being equally opaque to one another, being diverse, is essential for the realization of pleasurable "collaborative learning."

Evaluation is one of the most difficult areas of educational pursuits. The most common type of evaluation and assessment is through a written examination. The majority of the time, questions is drafted right before the examination without going through a quality control process, which might cause confusion or incorrect interpretation of the questions by the students. Students' self-confidence and self-esteem grow as a result of their increased understanding of the question paper's structure, and they then affirm their ability to complete the task. The design of the question paper is prepared, with consideration given to the objectives, the various forms and types of questions, and the various content areas, a projected time, Level of difficulty anticipated. In order to enhance the standard of student evaluation and assessment, this article focuses on offering instructions and a scientific technique for creating effective question papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a Capability Approach analysis of the capabilities, functionings, and conversion factors reported by learners on workplace-based mobile language learning courses. The study used secondary data from student satisfaction surveys from 556 learners who were all recent migrants to the US and who were using the courses to study English. Use of the Capability Approach highlights that the promises of mobile learning were not available to all learners as conversion factors (individual, social, environmental, and technological) inhibited their participation in the courses. The study shows how some learners experienced a tension between well-being and agency as they were unable to study the content they wanted in the way they wanted. It also demonstrates that factors around the business model of the company that created the courses impacted the level to which learners were able to participate in the program. Finally, the study illustrates that learners were able to extend the language they learned through the course into other areas of their lives and to help others.

The paper contributes to current debates about decolonising curriculum and advancing corresponding 'humanness pedagogies' in South Africa by developing a capabilitarian approach and foregrounding epistemic justice capabilities. This is aligned with and to fostering a shared African ethic for individual transformation-in-context and for building universities which benefit communities and societies. It is proposed that epistemic justice capabilities are foundational to decolonising curriculum and foundational for pedagogies which mediate disciplinary content and the dismantling of comparative inequalities among students in order to foster humanness. The capabilitarian framework seeks to secure the expanded wellbeing, co-flourishing and agency of all, in this case in and through higher education and a quality, decolonising curriculum oriented to an ecology of knowledges and a generous, inclusive humanity. The paper concludes with suggestions regarding a way forward to dismantle an exclusionary 'epistemic line' and associated oppressions.

This systematic literature review aimed to provide updated information on lifelong learning in educational research by examining theoretical documents and empirical papers from 2000 to 2022. This review sought to identify concepts, theories, and research trends and methods linked to lifelong learning in educational research in different countries. Our review findings showed that theoretical papers, such as reports, policies, and concepts of lifelong learning, are generally much more extensive than empirical studies. Word cloud analysis revealed that the most prominent concepts were lifelong learning skills, lifelong learning competencies, and the three types of lifelong learning (formal, nonformal, and informal). Following the inductive analysis, this study investigated three common research trends: conceptual framework or policies of lifelong learning, lifelong learning abilities, and influencing factors of lifelong learning and/or lifelong learning abilities. Regarding methodology, this study identified only three studies that used mixed methods, which is insufficient in the field. In addition, heterogeneity was also observed between research instruments in lifelong learning. Different data analysis techniques can be applied in this field, including content analysis, descriptive analysis, and inferential analysis. Finally, the participants involved in the examined studies were students, primary and secondary school teachers, undergraduates, postgraduates, student teachers, European Union Lifelong Learning experts, young adults, teacher educators, administrators, and academic staff.

This paper unpacks our efforts as external evaluators to work toward decolonizing our evaluation practice. Undertaking this writing exercise as a form of reflective practice demonstrated that decolonization is much more complex than simply translating materials, organizing locals to collect data, and building participants' capacity around Western modalities. While this complexity is clear in the decolonization literature, practice-based examples that depict barriers and thought processes are rarely presented. Through this paper, we deconstruct our deeply held beliefs around what constitutes good evaluation to assess the effectiveness of our decolonizing approach. Through sharing our critical consciousness-raising dialoguing, this paper reports our progress thus far and provides information and provocations to support others attempting to decolonize their practice.

Background: Despite increasing support for models in physical education, ambiguity exists concerning the role of teachers in the implementation of models. Very generally, some scholarship seems to suggest that teachers should work as technicians and use models in an instrumental manner. Other scholarship suggests that teachers should use models in ways that are responsive to the contexts in which they are working. This suggestion positions teachers more as craftspeople. Ambiguity is problematic given that teachers have been identified as 'key players' when it comes to the implementation of models. How teachers are positioned in research may have a significant impact on further research and pedagogical practices. Purpose: This paper has two specific aims. First, we aim to provide a detailed map of how scholars have positioned teachers within physical education models literature. Second, we aim to provide a reinterpretation of our findings using Deweyan theory. Data production: The scoping review conducted here is based on the framework provided by Arksey and O'Malley [2005. "Scoping Studies: Towards a Methodological Framework." "International Journal of Social Research Methodology" 8 (1): 19-32]. It involved: (1) the development of a research question which was: in which ways does PE models literature position teachers? (2) the identification of potentially relevant literature through searches of the Web of Science, SPORT Discus and Google Scholar databases. The search terms used were: 'Physical education' AND 'Models-based practice;' OR; 'Pedagogical model;' OR; 'Instructional model;' OR; 'Curriculum model;' OR; 'Model;' OR; 'Teacher,' and literature needed to be published between 2010 and 2021 in English, (3) the selection of literature for the review. This occurred as an iterative process that involved going back and forth between the potentially relevant literature and our research question, (4) charting of the literature, done through inductive thematic analysis. This involved a close inspection of the included texts and the identification of recurring types of positioning in the corpus, and (5) a theoretical reinterpretation of teacher positioning achieved in models scholarship. Findings: In the physical education scholarship on pedagogical models, teachers are positioned as: (1) resistant to using models; (2) incapable of using models correctly; (3) mechanical reproducers of models; (4) struggling implementers of models; (5) needing models to change their ordinary practices; (6) capable of using models correctly with support; (7) adapters of models, and (8) collaborators with researchers when implementing models. Discussion: Three issues are raised for discussion. The first relates to the potential disempowerment of teachers achieved by models. The second relates to the relationship between teachers and researchers. The third relates to how models themselves are conceived. Conclusion: The paper is concluded with two general reflections that follow from the issues raised in the discussion.

Using the contrast between "formal equality" and "equity," this study employs Amartya Sen's concept of capability to illustrate the relational structure of the distributive principle behind Japan's education system and policies, as well as its problems. In addition, it presents a practical principle and measures for implementing an educational system and policies that emphasize equity. The results demonstrate that Japan's educational system and policies emphasize formal equality and distribute goods on the principle of equity only to some children with difficulties. Additionally, a growing demand for both formal equality and equity has emerged in recent years. The reality, however, is a reciprocal relationship where the majority of students are still expected to achieve a high level of functioning, while "diverse learning spaces" are expanded for those children who cannot keep up. This paper explains that to move beyond this situation and realize an educational system and policies that emphasize equity and guarantee capability will be possible by ensuring that the distribution of goods and services for children with difficulties benefits all children. This can be accomplished by adopting the philosophy of "caring educational administration."

Autism spectrum disorder is a complex neurological disorder characterized by impairments in communication and social interaction, limited patterns of behavior, interests and activities. Given the different forms of autism spectrum disorder and the fact that no two people are the same, an individual approach to each individual is required. Musical ability is one of the special talents that a child with an autism spectrum disorder can have. Such a child should be allowed to practice music. As a therapy, music therapy has proven to be effective in working with children with autism spectrum disorder, i.e. it has a positive effect on communication, vocalization, joint attention, eye contact, concentration, cooperation, cognitive functions, social skills, etc. This paper presents the observations obtained through the study case. The aim of the research was to show the behavior of students with autism spectrum disorder in the Music culture class and the impact of music therapy on their behavior. For the purposes of the research, two interviews were conducted, i.e. with a teaching assistant who worked with a student with an autism spectrum disorder and with the student's parents. The case study showed that the student has a developed musical ability, that he participates actively, with reserved attention, only in the Music culture classes, and that music therapy helped him in his expression and speech. It is essential to give these kids the tools they need to further develop their musical abilities. It will contribute to children with autism spectrum disorder feeling safe, happy, and accepted in their environment.

Design as a construct has multiple meanings depending on context, function, and agenda. This paper proposes to set out functions of design as it manifests in the context of technological activity for the purposes of technology education. The importance of context and by association intention in technological and designerly activity is presented with reference to recent reforms of lower secondary school subjects in Ireland, in an attempt to demonstrate the complexity of design's treatment in technological activity. Critical to the success of designerly outcomes and outputs, is having a clear intention for the objectives of learning. This paper proposes a framework of articulations of design in the context of technological activity that attempts to position its utility with respect to the development of capability. Unpacking 'learning about design', 'learning by design' and 'learning to design' provides delineated intent that makes explicit learning, pedagogical, and evaluative decisions, reinforcing the position that it is what learners can "do" opposed to "know," that is central to technological activity.

Sustainability in university curricula remains important for equipping graduates from all disciplines with capabilities to respond to complex social, economic, and environmental challenges in their future professional roles. Situating sustainability learning within disciplinary contexts is needed for learners to apply sustainability theory to their future professions. Furthermore, developing capabilities is important to enable graduates to act in differing professional contexts. In response to these needs, this paper contextualises safety as part of sustainability in undergraduate engineering studies by exploring the complementarity between professional capabilities for safety in engineering and key capabilities found in sustainability education literature. The paper draws on findings from interviews with 41 pipeline engineers undertaken to build an understanding of differing views on engineering capabilities necessary for safety decision making. The results show synergies between safety and sustainability capabilities in the context of engineering practice and the opportunities to contextualise safety within sustainability in engineering education. From a safety perspective, given the expanding sustainable development agenda, there is an opportunity to increase education for public safety in engineering curricula within the scope of sustainability education and to shift learning from competencies to capabilities-based outcomes.

The paper investigates the effect of active civic education using project-based learning (PBL) on attitudes towards civic engagement in a heterogeneous society. The study used a qualitative research approach involving a content analysis of responses to open-ended questionnaires, students' reports and weekly discussions with the students. The study examines whether the PBL teaching approach, which was developed in medical schools, can be an effective tool for use in civic studies to promote civic engagement of college students in a multi-ethnic society. Active civic education matters; it prompted non-Jewish minority students in Israeli society to consider future civic engagement, and improved their understanding of the concepts of accountability, transparency, civil and human rights, and the ability of individuals in a democracy to obtain answers from their government. It also underscored their ability and obligation to contribute to their communities.

Stories of children moving in and out of refugee camps are not uncommon yet are often overshadowed by the dominant narratives of oppression, political failure, and war -- the stories "told of" rather than "told by" refugees. Dominant narratives on refugees largely shape perceptions about children and youth in displacement as vulnerable, voiceless, and passive. Instead, stories "told by" these populations highlight their identities as capable and determined. Employing a narrative approach to inquiry in relation to agency, this study seeks to understand how lived experiences of female refugee youth are shared through storytelling. Written narratives of 55 adolescent girls in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya revealed not only the complex and complicated circumstances of their educational journey but also their agency. This paper concludes by emphasizing the importance of storytelling, which enables us to better understand the needs of the displaced populations, but also their capabilities, aspirations and agency.

Vice Chancellors, Presidents, or Rectors occupy elite public positions in universities. A cursory glance of the roll call of names across elite universities ('top 100') globally reveals the dominance of white males. Research has given us some insight into the profiles of these senior leaders and their selection, but not with a particular focus on elite universities. Our theoretical disquiet in this conceptual article is linked with an enduring unease that processes of formal and informal merit work to reproduce, not eradicate, deep inequities in the recruitment and appointment of Vice Chancellors, Presidents, or Rectors at elite universities. In this article, we suggest that we need to rethink and reframe how we approach equality, diversity and inclusion in higher education leadership at elite universities We propose a different set of questions need to be asked; questions about performative understandings of merit and meritocracy. We argue that underpinning rhetoric of meritocracy works as a visible and audible performative tool that offers an appearance of a just, fair, and neutral process, yet reinforces the sameness of leadership. In querying discourses of merit and troubling the façade of diversity we take an intersectional approach, moving beyond single and conventional forms of discrimination. This conceptual paper draws upon a range of literatures and illustrative biographical examples to highlight the critical importance of an intersectional analysis that situates merit as form of advantage/disadvantage precisely because of the way in which these discourses are framed and enacted.

This paper is framed as an email conversation between the authors, a lifespan developmental psychologist with expertise in the field of wisdom and an educational scientist with expertise in the field of giftedness. We discuss how giftedness is defined and whether the definition, and the concept in general, is still useful in today's world. We draw three conclusions. First, "giftedness" has taken on a particularly literal meaning as it tends to favor students that are already privileged. Second, educational systems should aim to identify and promote all students' individual profiles of strengths and interests instead of focusing on promoting the "gifted" ones. Third, given the current state of the world, educational systems should aim to empower "gifting" students who engage themselves for a greater good, instead of "gifted" students competing for grades and achievements.

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This paper extracts the characteristics of the view of ability in educational practices during the period of rapid growth in Japan, focusing on the influence of these perceptions on the Ministry of Education's educational policies. The analysis draws on the debate about "vocational aptitude tests" and "observation guidance." Teachers' critical perceptions of "vocational aptitude tests" and "observation guidance" depend on their views of desirable ability. The main findings obtained are as follows. Since the 1990s, attention has been focused on non-cognitive ability; a similar view of ability (expansion of the view of ability) can be seen in educational practices in the 1960s. However, this expansion of the view of ability does not only appear in educational practices. According to the analysis of "ability and aptitude, etc." included in a reference document on observation guidance (presented by MoE, based on the French observation curriculum), an expansion of the view of ability can also be confirmed to be present in educational policy. The view of ability in educational practices may even coincide with that in educational policies.

This paper investigates in-service intermediate phase mathematics teachers' metacognitive awareness based on their engagement in a professional development intervention in two rural and one township school in South Africa. Professional teacher development interventions should be structured and collaborative as teachers tend to revert to traditional modes of teaching when interventions are brief and sporadic. This research was scaffolded across the zone of proximal teacher development (ZPTD) as conceptualized by Warford (2011). The aim of the study was to investigate how metacognitive awareness facilitated intermediate phase mathematics teachers' ZPTD, i.e., from their actual knowledge to "proximal development". 10 intermediate phase mathematics teachers participated in the qualitative research (n=10). The professional development intervention was conducted on two consecutive Saturdays, infused with an adapted lesson study approach. The data was collected through (i) individual interviews, (ii) reflective prompts, (iii) observations, and (iv) reflective journals. The data from each data source were coded and categorized and were triangulated to answer the research question. Participants deemed the professional development intervention and the accompanying materials as supportive and showed increased metacognitive awareness of their personal teaching praxis during and after the intervention, hence growth along the ZPTD occurred.

A significant ongoing initiative is to identify the conditions under which financial education is most effective, as it has been shown to work much better in some circumstances than others. One factor to consider is mathematical capability, as it has been linked to improved financial knowledge and financial outcomes. In this paper, we investigated one aspect of math capability: math confidence (that is, self-reported math ability). We examined how this factor interacts with financial education (measured by the number of financial education courses taken) with data from the 2018 National Financial Capability Survey (NFCS). We found that both mathematical confidence and financial education were positively associated with financial behaviors and, moreover, that the effects were largely independent rather than acting as substitutes -- suggesting that future intervention work should consider both factors.

The objectives of this study are to determine the ability of students Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra Indonesia (PBSI), FKIP, Universitas PGRI Yogyakarta (UPY) in writing scientific papers; and to find out the difficulties of students in writing scientific papers. The research method used is descriptive qualitative. The population in this study were PBSI students who were conducted in the odd semester of the 2021/2022 academic year. The sample is 31 students of class G-1 who take Psycholinguistics courses. Data in the form of scientific papers were collected in the middle of the semester of Psycholinguistics lectures. The scientific paper was analyzed using research instruments. The writing ability assessed includes five aspects, namely (1) ideas, (2) organization, (3) grammar, (4) diction, and (5) spelling. Based on the assessment, each is categorized into five, namely (1) very good with a score range of 86-100, (2) good with a score range of 68-85, (3) sufficient with a score range of 48-67, (4) less with range of values from 32 to 47, and (5) very less with a range of values

Strengths-based coaching has emerged in past decades as an asset-based approach that can help individuals identify, harness, and leverage their strengths to achieve professional and personal goals. This paper shares the design and outcomes of a year-long strengths-based coaching program to support leadership development within the context of one university's women's leadership initiative. Program outcomes and changes in participants' perceived confidence in identifying and applying their strengths in different contexts were evaluated through an online survey using a Likert-based REDCap survey tool after participation in the program. Findings strongly suggest that most participants lacked the self-confidence and/or self-awareness to recognize their own strengths in a granular way prior to the program. Themes that emerged in the survey findings point to the following program outcomes: participants gained an increased ability to identify and value one's own leadership strengths, an increased ability to recognize and value the strengths of others, and a supportive community of women leaders to share experiences and reflect on the application of their strengths as part of their leadership journey. Further studies are needed to understand and measure how a program such as this can impact one's leader identity, self-awareness, and self-confidence. Given the critical need for women's leadership opportunities, this program shows promise as a means to strengthen women's leadership across career stages and disciplines.

In this paper, we analyze recently collected data that conducts a unique assessment of high school student performance for over two thousand students from five Chinese provinces. Across three domains of scientific intelligence tested, we document heterogeneous gender gaps in academic performance. These differences generally arise due to differential productivity of inputs to the education production process and not differential levels of inputs. At many quantiles of the achievement distribution, girls perform better than boys when identifying scientific issues, whereas the converse holds on the portion of the assessment that measures whether one can apply scientific evidence. These differences may partially explain the subsequent gap in decision to major in specific STEM disciplines in college. Further, our results imply caution from using a single summative gender achievement gap measure when gender gaps in subject knowledge are not constant across each domain of intelligence examined within the test.

This paper reports the findings on motivational factors influencing teaching as a career choice from a qualitative study carried out in Scotland. Ten students undertaking a PGDE (Professional Graduate Diploma in Education) programme at one Scottish university were interviewed. The results indicate that the choice of a teaching career derived from the students' internal needs for personal achievement and from an altruistic dimension pertaining to helping and influencing young people. For some students, negative educational experiences played an important part in shaping their altruistic sense of offering the next generation an enjoyable school experience. Perceived intrinsic rewards of teaching appeared to deter and counteract negative thoughts or remarks about teachers' workload, salary and status.

The advancement of inclusive education policies worldwide has given greater weight to social justice practices in educational settings. However, inclusion in preschools has received less attention from researchers. This article examines a 4-year-old child's participation in a mainstream preschool in Australia from a cultural-historical perspective. In particular, this study used the concept of secondary disability to analyse the data, and in this process identified a contradiction between the teacher's perceptions of the child's abilities and the teacher's reported understanding of the parent's perceptions of the child's abilities, which 'clouded' the child's position within the preschool setting. Eight hours of video data were gathered across eight months. The findings indicate that understanding the child's personality and potential can operate as a 'pedagogical password' for the teacher to enter on to the child's unique developmental trajectory. This paper argues that identifying the unique developmental pathway of the child is essential to reduce secondary disabilities.

It is estimated that approximately 97 million people in the world have complex communication needs and may benefit from alternative and augmentative communication (AAC). Although AAC is considered an evidenced-based intervention, device abandonment remains common, and researchers have attempted to analyze the causes of people abandoning devices. These devices have been prescribed following extensive assessment and often a protracted period of negotiation with a funding body. In this paper, we present the process of AAC prescription using a new model called the Communication Capability Approach by adding the Capability Approach from Amartya Sen to the widely used Participation Model. This allows clinicians to see individual daily decision-making as a valid choice of the individual. We propose reframing the concept of device abandonment as the person and their family making a choice to use a full range of multimodal communication to meet their own needs. This changes the tone of the narrative to viewing the person using AAC as competent and able to exercise self-determination and agency in this decision rather than as abandoning the device. AAC choices can be made on a day-to-day basis, according to the context of use so that people do not abandon devices but rather use whichever mode of communication is appropriate to the context.

Asset-based approaches to public service reform suggest a need for policymakers to shift attention from 'fixing' the perceived deficits of disadvantaged neighbourhoods, to recognising and building on the resources, or assets, they hold. However, these approaches have also been critiqued for interpreting assets so broadly that they effectively become meaningless, or so narrowly that they perpetuate deficit views. To counter these tendencies, a new conceptually and methodologically robust endogenous assets-mapping approach is proposed. This has been designed to enable nuanced insights into the assets young people living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods may draw upon to pursue positive educational and wider life outcomes. The approach's utility is illustrated through the case of Ayesha, a 14-year-old student with a difficult relationship with school. The paper concludes that an endogenous assets-mapping approach can help to generate more positive narratives for vulnerable learners living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods than schooling may typically enable.

Communication infuses all dimensions and stages of life, influencing one's self-determination and quality of life. A number of empirical studies have demonstrated that people with severe disabilities continue to develop communication and language skills well into their adult years and make measurable gains when provided with appropriate communication services and supports. Several myths about age, ability, and experiences limit opportunities for persons with severe disabilities. In this paper, we confront and address these myths.

Higher education institutions are uniquely placed to introduce emotional coping skills to promote resilience in pre-registration nurses in order to reduce anxiety and increase confidence before they enter clinical placement for the first time. In this qualitative study, we will explore the use of a 360-degree video in developing skills for coping. The participants will be mental health nursing students. We will develop a 360-degree video in collaboration with a mental health service user. All participants will watch the video. A sub-group will receive a supportive clinical supervision discussion within a cognitive reappraisal/solution-focused/VERA framework. We will record the experiences of the participant to explore: (1) how students felt about the use of 360-degree video, as an education tool to build skills of resilience; (2) whether the students involved felt more confident and less anxious about the situation in the video as a result of participating in the cognitive reappraisal/solution-focused/VERA supervision discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last few years have witnessed a resurgence of interest among both scholars and public intellectuals over issues associated with distributive justice and its gravitational orbit of concepts, including the idea of merit and the adjacent vision of a meritocratic society. Nevertheless, despite its centrality for conceptions of equality of opportunity, a merit-based allocation of advantaged social positions has been confronted by a range of objections. Michael Sandel's book "The Tyranny of Merit: What's Become of the Common Good?" provides a nuanced examination of 'the age of meritocracy' and meritocratic rationality as its key characteristic. It dovetails an elaborated analysis of the troubled legacy of meritocracy with an in-depth elucidation of the various flaws and shortcomings it came to be associated with. This article aims to examine some of the distinguishing features of merit-based allocation of advantaged social positions and the main shortcomings this distributive mechanism has been associated with. The introductory section identifies the most distinctive characteristics of the merit-based allocation of advantaged social positions. The central section reconstructs some of the arguments advanced by Michael Sandel in his book "The Tyranny of Merit" (2020). The concluding section presents the motivational impulse for the book symposium on "The Tyranny of Merit" and the main issues arising out of the discussion between the commentators and Prof. Sandel.

My contribution to this special issue engages with Michael Sandel's "The Tyranny of Meritocracy" and its significance to the academic conversation about meritocracy and its discontents. Specifically, I highlight Sandel's diagnosis of the rise of populism and his proposed remedy for the 'tyranny of merit'. First, building on Menno ter Braak's writings on the rise of fascism, I explore the sources of "ressentiment" in contemporary societies as stemming not from disillusionment with meritocracy but from the broken promise of liberalism and democracy more generally. Second, I consider Sandel's proposals to reform elite university admissions and to 'recognize work', explore their wider applicability, and reflect on their limitations to meaningfully change how success and failure is socially experienced and morally understood.

Background: A strengths-based lens is essential for the pursuit of health equity among Indigenous populations. However, health professionals are often taught and supported in practice via deficit-based approaches that perpetuate inequity for Indigenous peoples. Deficit narratives in healthcare and health education are reproduced through practices and policies that ignore Indigenous strengths, disregard human rights, and reproduce structural inequalities. When strengths are recognised it is possible to build capacities and address challenges, while not losing sight of the structural factors impacting Indigenous peoples' health. Objective: In this paper, we examine Indigenous strengths-based approaches to policy and practice in healthcare and health professions education when delivered alongside teachings shared by Elders from the Cree, Blackfoot and Métis Nations of Alberta, Canada. Method: Literature and Elders' teachings were used to shift strengths-based approaches from Western descriptions of what might be done, to concrete actions aligned with Indigenous ways. Results: Four pointers for future action adopting a strengths-based approach are identified--enacting gifts: focusing on positive attributes; upholding relationality: centring good relationships; honouring legacy: restoring self-determination; and reconciling truth: attending to structural determinants of health. Conclusion: Identified directions and actionable strategies offer a promising means to advance Indigenous health equity through strengths-based actions that change existing narratives and advance health equity.

We contend that the notion of critical friend is a legitimate consideration with respect to considering how to most effectively encourage professional relationships that support and enhance professional learning and development (PLD). This paper will firstly consider an overarching framework of professional relationships and define characteristics, roles and expected tasks of a critical friend, noting that the development of trust is central to both. The authors thread (where relevant) elements of PLD throughout the framework, before introducing the reader to a proposed dual-continuum model of critical friend roles and tasks in PLD. A scenario is then mapped for each of the four quadrants, displaying elements of a specific type of critical friend activity related to the defining characteristics of critical friend shared in the paper. The intention is to capture the nuances between multiple enactments of critical friend as well as informing a possible continuum of what constitutes operating as a critical friend supporting and enhancing PLD. The paper concludes with observations from the scenarios and future considerations for further exploration of critical friend roles, tasks, skills and behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the landscape of academic research and citation practices, the emergence of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence language model developed by OpenAI, represents a transformative leap forward. This paper delves into the multifaceted role of ChatGPT in revolutionizing scholarly endeavors beyond mere plagiarism detection. We explore how ChatGPT facilitates research collaboration, streamlines literature reviews, and assists in proper citation practices. By harnessing ChatGPT's contextual understanding and vast knowledge repository, social work researchers can unlock new avenues of creativity and efficiency in knowledge acquisition and dissemination. Moreover, this paper discusses the ethical considerations surrounding the integration of AI in academia and underscores the need for guidelines and education to ensure responsible usage. Ultimately, ChatGPT stands at the forefront of a technological revolution, empowering social work researchers to push the boundaries of knowledge acquisition and dissemination in unprecedented ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last two decades have witnessed a wave of utilising the capability approach for shifting the commitment of child disability policy from addressing impairments towards promoting child agency. Guided by the approach, the agency experienced by the 1,291 middle-school adolescents with disabilities within the 2011 Taiwanese Special Needs and Education Longitudinal database is explored. The analysis has led to the general finding that the big picture is an optimistic one, but it has also been elicited that about 40% of the sample was still suffering from different types of agency deprivation. Also, we have identified distinct configurations of personal, parental and school factors that are associated with their diverse agency deprivation. Notably, the agency status of adolescents with disabilities has been successfully proved to be closely linked to their functionings and capabilities. Based on these research findings, we end this paper with recommendations to service providers for enhancing the agency of these adolescents.

This paper explores how mainstream teachers, in mainland China with experience of inclusive education, perceive individual differences (ID) among students in general education classrooms. The study adopted a qualitative research approach and employed purposeful sampling and semi-structured interviews. It was found that the mainstream teachers tended to conceptualise ID among students in accordance with five categories: perceived student ability; perceived student behaviour and motivation; perceived students' personal attributes; perceived family factors and observed learning outcomes. The mainstream teachers' particular concerns in relation to catering for ID were also revealed and discussed.

Since the start of the Reform Era in 1978, vocational education and training (VET) in China has been seen as inferior to academic routes and positioned at the bottom of the educational hierarchy. VET students are stereotyped as being 'stupid and lazy' and suffer considerable prejudice in Chinese society. Drawing on Foucault's disciplinary power and Ball's idea of performativity, this paper analyses how academically focused, exam-driven societal attitudes, as a form of meritocratic discourse, impact on these students and on how they perceive their stereotyped position within the Reform Era educational system. The findings reveal that these students have internalised the ideology of meritocracy, coming to see themselves as inferior and inadequate compared to their academic counterparts. Turning 'the gaze' upon themselves, they examine whether they 'add up' and assume responsibility for their own 'failures'. VET students are trained to be the new kind of youthful subject required to sustain the Reform Era China's engagement with neoliberal governance.

Peer assessment has become a primary solution to the challenge of evaluating a large number of students in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). In peer assessment, all students need to evaluate a subset of other students' assignments, and then these peer grades are aggregated to predict a final score for each student. Unfortunately, due to the lack of grading experience or the heterogeneous grading abilities, students may introduce unintentional deviations in the evaluation. This paper proposes and implements a semi-supervised peer assessment method (SSPA) that incorporates a small number of teacher's gradings as ground truth, and uses them to externally calibrate the procedure of aggregating peer grades. Specifically, each student's grading ability is directly (if students have common peer assessments with teacher) or indirectly (if students have no common peer assessments with teacher) measured with the grading similarity between the student and teacher. Then, SSPA utilizes the weighted aggregation of peer grades to infer the final score of each student. Based on both real dataset and synthetic datasets, the experimental results illustrate that SSPA performs better than the existing methods.

With the increased reliance on technology, computer programming has emerged as an essential skill that is interesting to many audiences beyond merely computer scientists. As a result, many students from various disciplines take first-year computer science courses. This led to classrooms with a lot of diversity in student motivation, backgrounds, learning needs, and educational levels. Teaching the same material to such a diverse group is challenging. The aim of this paper is two-fold. Firstly, we present a flipped-based approach that benefits from the mixed-ability nature of first-year programming courses rather than considering it as a burden. Secondly, we present a study that evaluates the extent to which the proposed approach enhances student learning in such a mixed-ability environment. The study was conducted in a first-year course at the University of British Columbia -- Okanagan, and it was based on three components:1) a survey of 25 Likert items(n = 46), 2) class average grade and pass rate over 6 years (n = 42 + 38 + 56 + 79 + 90 + 74), and 3) student ratings of the course over 5 years (n = 42 + 38 + 56 + 79 + 90). Findings of the survey indicate an overall positive students' impression with no significant difference in the opinions of various student populations. Analyzing the course grades, pass rates, and student ratings confirmed the survey findings and showed an overall improvement in grades, pass-rates, and student satisfaction.

Rural communities are geographically isolated from large urban areas, affecting access to definitive care, specialists and other health services that only service urban areas. Rural decision-makers are often faced with numerous challenges regarding the availability, capacity, sustainability and performance of health systems in rural and remote areas. We evaluated the current body of literature on educational initiatives being used in under-resourced areas to increase the knowledge or skills of healthcare workers. This rapid review followed the methods laid out by the Cochrane Rapid Reviews Methods Group and included published articles from any of three databases that described and evaluated an educational intervention, in which healthcare workers were the learners and which took place in an under-resourced area. Papers were excluded if they were deemed to be too resource intensive, were an opinion or concept paper or took place in an urban area. Results were synthesised descriptively. Ten studies were identified that contained information on educational initiatives in a variety of countries. The healthcare workers targeted in the studies varied from physicians, nurses and midwives to community health workers and students. The quality of studies also varied and included randomised control trials, systematic reviews and both prospective and retrospective studies. Initiatives involving simulation or point-of-care ultrasound were most common and showed the most benefit to a learner's knowledge and skill development. A limited body of literature exists on educational initiatives for healthcare workers in under-resourced areas. While simulation and hands-on learning showed positive results, the opportunity remains for a low-cost, high-yield educational initiative tailored to the unique needs of healthcare workers in under-resourced areas. Résumé Les communautés rurales sont géographiquement isolées des grandes zones urbaines, ce qui affecte l'accès à des soins définitifs, à des spécialistes et à d'autres services de santé qui ne desservent que les zones urbaines. Les décideurs ruraux sont souvent confrontés à de nombreux défis concernant la disponibilité, la capacité, la durabilité et la performance des systèmes de santé dans les zones rurales et éloignées. Nous avons évalué l'ensemble de la littérature actuelle sur les initiatives éducatives utilisées dans les zones sous-dotées pour améliorer les connaissances ou les compétences des travailleuses et travailleurs de la santé. Cette examen rapide a suivi les méthodes définies par le Cochrane Rapid Reviews Methods Group et a inclus des articles publiés dans l'une des trois bases de données qui décrivaient et évaluaient une intervention éducative dans laquelle les travailleuses et travailleurs de la santé étaient les apprenants et qui SE déroulait dans une zone manquant de ressources. Des articles jugés trop gourmands en ressources, des opinions, des documents conceptuels ou en lien avec des zones urbaines, ont été exclus. Les résultats ont été synthétisés de manière descriptive. 10 études ont été identifiées, contenant des informations sur des initiatives éducatives dans divers pays. Les travailleurs de la santé ciblés dans les études variaient des médecins, des infirmières et des sages-femmes aux travailleurs de la santé communautaire et aux étudiants. La qualité des études était également variable et comprenait des essais contrôlés randomisés, des revues systématiques et des études prospectives et rétrospectives. Les initiatives impliquant la simulation ou le POCUS étaient les plus courantes et présentaient le plus d'avantages pour le développement des connaissances et des compétences de l'apprenant. Il existe un nombre limité de documents sur les initiatives éducatives destinées aux travailleurs de la santé dans les zones sous-dotées. Bien que la simulation et l'apprentissage pratique aient donné des résultats positifs, il est toujours possible de mettre en place une initiative éducative peu coûteuse et à haut rendement, adaptée aux besoins spécifiques des travailleuses et travailleurs de la santé dans les zones sous-dotées. Mots-clés: Formation, éducation, rural, éloigné, manque de ressources, première ligne, prestataire de soins de santé [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this practice paper is to promote the teaching of learners with neurodevelopmental conditions from a neurodiverse perspective. The challenge teachers face in having to draw on up-to-date research evidence and theoretical perspectives, and align these with practical considerations to generate contextualised teaching strategies, are addressed with the introduction of a three-factor model. The utility of considering pupil assessment data gathered from a strengths-based perspective is positioned as a central component to bridging the gap between the incipient neurodiversity literature and the realities of applied teaching practice. Two case examples have presented that draw on the proposed three-factor model to demonstrate how teachers can assess and teach learners from a neurodevelopmental perspective. These case studies focus on supporting learners with Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in a secondary setting.

Over the past two decades, researchers have reported positive life skills outcomes for young people participating in sport-based life-skills programs. However, to date, there has been a lack of consideration in the literature regarding the quality of the programs designed and the evaluation methods adopted. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of the life skills literature to: (a) assess the quality of sport-based life skills program design and evaluation methods; and (b) identify characteristics relating to the quality of sport-based life skills programs where authors had evidenced life skills development and transfer. Using the PRISMA guidelines, we searched six databases for relevant research papers and applied inclusion and exclusion criteria to the papers returned, of which 15 papers met the criteria. We conducted two quality assessment exercises (design and evaluation methods) and found three moderate-high quality life skills programs, 11 moderate quality programs, and one low quality program. We present the characteristics (regarding quality) of intervention designs and methods, conclude with recommendations for designing quality sport-based life skills programs, and provide guidelines for researchers to evaluate sport-based life skills programs. Lay summary: Through engaging in sport-based life skills programs, young people can develop transferable skills. However, the quality of these life skills programs is unclear. We assess the quality of the design and evaluation methods of sport-based life skills programs, present the characteristics of moderate-high and moderate quality programs, and offer recommendations for future research and practice. The characteristics identified can be used to aid the development of the content, delivery and evaluation methods within future sport-based life skills programs. The quality assessment tool (QATID) that is embedded within this paper can be used by applied researchers to ensure that the design of their life skills interventions is of high quality. By using the QATID and the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT) when designing and evaluating sport-based life skills programs, applied researchers can validate better subsequent claims of program effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]