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The authors discuss how board games offer individuals with autism (who often struggle with social settings and require structured outlets for building relationships) an affordable, naturalistic, collaborative environment that is stimulating, engaging, and educational. Board games, they assert, provide opportunities to practice social skills, including cooperation and social deduction, essential skills for both neurotypical and atypical people. The authors include recommendations for introducing board games into special educational settings.

Through yarning and storying led by Aboriginal researchers, this study explores the success factors for Indigenous PhD Graduates. Participants comprised 21 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people who had completed their PhDs within the last 7 years. Our thematic analysis uncovered themes associated with participants' decision to enrol as a scholar and the factors and experiences that contributed to the successful completion of their PhD. We identified three overlapping yet distinct themes that represent why Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people choose to pursue a PhD: Telling our story in our way, My Community needs me to do this, and Practicality rules. A strong sense of Connection and Reciprocity was a crucial factor for participants' successful completion of the PhD. We present a model of our findings model that translates the three key success factors identified in this study as foundational to success for Indigenous scholars' success in their PhD journey.

Background: The American Psychological Association has identified information literacy as a crucial component to undergraduate education. One major barrier to comprehensive information literacy instruction has been a lack of guidance integrating this into survey courses, particularly with reduced pedagogical resources available. Objective: This research evaluates the effectiveness of a scaffolded information literacy curriculum that may be integrated into psychology courses. Method: Students in introductory psychology courses were taught with either an information literacy curriculum or the typical science-focused curriculum. Information literacy knowledge was evaluated using a multiple-choice test. Results: Students who received the specialized curriculum demonstrated significant improvements on an objective information literacy test by the end of the course, while students in the control group did not. Conclusion: Evidence suggests that this easily adaptable information literacy curriculum is effective in meeting psychology information literacy goals, more so than the traditional science-focused curriculum taught in introductory psychology classes. Teaching Implications: Instructors and faculty should be encouraged to utilize this adaptive curriculum, available on Open Science Framework, as a way of improving information literacy. Other implications, including feasibility and content, are discussed.

Several meta-analyses have demonstrated that bullying prevention programs are successful in reducing bullying. However, scant research addresses if and how such anti-bullying efforts affect long-term internalizing health problems and even less on later use of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. This study explores how the school-based Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) affects the likelihood of being prescribed antidepressant drugs, anxiolytics, hypnotics, and sedatives, using a difference-in-difference design with population-wide Norwegian register data, including the Norwegian Prescription Database. Generally, we find that student cohorts from schools with a higher proportion of victimized students have more prescribed drugs at ages 17-22. Although OBPP substantially reduces victimization, and, hence, assumedly internalizing problems, our results indicate that the OBPP increased the likelihood of being prescribed drugs for internalizing problems between ages 17 and 19. Our interpretation of these findings is that the OBPP had increased awareness of bullying in school and its damaging consequences, and thereby reduced the mental and attitudinal barriers that often prevent students from seeking help for internalizing problems. It should be noted, however, that the victimization data in our study were linked to schools only and not to register data for individual students. Accordingly, we were restricted to studying average program effects at the school level. The power to detect long-term effects would have been better with student-linked data for both the victimization and register variables.

Across Australia, early years learning frameworks recommend digital technologies be integrated into early years centres. Introduced in 2009, the Early Years Learning Framework, requires educators to foster children's use of technologies for accessing information, investigating ideas, and representing their thinking. The National Quality Framework also encourages children to engage with digital technology for experimentation. Using a researcher created Digital Technology Activity Framework for early years centres, this study examined broad digital technology integration in a sample of Australian early years centres. Using desktop audits, interviews and observations, the study found that while digital technologies were widely embedded, there were significant opportunities evident for further promoting children's agency with devices. These findings suggest that to support children's achievement of learning outcomes with digital technologies, greater sector-wide professional learning and aligned resources in effective digital pedagogy and policy development would be valuable for both early years centre directors and educators.

Background: Culinary nutrition education can support improved diet-related health and wellbeing. This pre-post pilot study aimed to assess feasibility and acceptability of an eight-session culinary nutrition programme, the Food and Lifestyle Information Programme (FLIP), for adults with mild-to-moderate intellectual disability. A secondary aim was to evaluate preliminary programme effectiveness. Method: Participants were recruited through a disability service provider. Feasibility measures were: recruitment and retention; implementation; engagement and participation; adverse outcomes; and feasibility of outcome measures. Acceptability was assessed using an interactive process evaluation. Effectiveness measures included cooking frequency, cooking and food skill confidence and diet quality. Results: Six of eight participants completed the intervention with high attendance and programme engagement. FLIP was well received by participants and support workers. No adverse outcomes occurred. Diet quality was feasible to assess. Conclusions: Findings can inform content, delivery and evaluation of future culinary nutrition programmes for adults with mild-to-moderate intellectual disability.

Learning to interpret visual representations of data is an important step towards becoming an informed consumer of research. The current study assesses the effectiveness of two versions of a scaffolded online module in improving students' ability to identify main effects and interactions in 2 × 2 factorial designs. Across two experiments (N = 313), we compared exam performance between sections of a lower-division conceptual statistics course that completed the module (in addition to other course activities) to a section that did not complete the module (n = 91). The first iteration of the module (used in Experiment 1, n = 96) was completed once individually and once with peers and did not enhance students' individual performance on conceptually-related exam questions. However, performance on the module was low, indicating that students may have needed more support to benefit from this experience. In Experiment 2 (n = 126), we made three empirically-driven changes to better scaffold student learning: we added a worked example, offered a greater variety of examples, and instructed students to complete the whole activity with peers. Under these conditions, performance increased on related exam questions. We conclude that this freely available module is a promising intervention to strengthen students' ability to understand factorial designs.

Background: People with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body dementia, posterior cortical atrophy and young onset Alzheimer's disease may experience language and communication difficulties. However, the role of speech and language interventions for people with these non-language led dementias has received little attention. Aims: This study aimed to explore the experiences and perspectives of people living with these conditions, and their families, regarding their language and communication difficulties and how speech and language therapy could address these needs. Methods: This study employed a qualitative design to explore the experiences of people living with or caring for somebody with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body dementia, posterior cortical atrophy or young onset Alzheimer's disease, and to understand their opinions about speech and language therapy. Participants were recruited from a support service connected to a dementia clinic to attend one of five focus group meetings. Videorecorded focus groups and interviews were transcribed, and reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse data from people affected by each type of dementia. Results: A total of 25 participants were recruited to the study, with representation across the different forms of non-language led dementias. The four main themes identified were: (1) communication difficulties as a key difficulty, (2) loss and loneliness, (3) speech and language therapy, and (4) the role of the caregiver. Sixteen subthemes were also identified which highlighted individual issues across disease types. Discussion: Although all the forms of dementia studied here are not considered to be language-led, people with these conditions and/or their care partners identified speech, language and communication as common challenges. These communication difficulties were reported to have a negative impact on their social participation and mental health and participants felt speech and language interventions could help. There is a need for research exploring speech and language interventions developed for and with people with non-language led dementias and their care partners, to ensure they meet the needs of the people they are designed for.

In this study, we aimed to analyze Irish educators' differentiation practices and their relationship to teachers' sense of efficacy. We examined teachers' (N = 470) reports of their curriculum modification practices and their provision of challenge or choice. When their students had mastered the required class work, more than half of teachers were willing to substitute assignments on a weekly or daily basis for both their average and gifted students. However, the frequency of differentiation was not high in practices that eliminate mastered curricular material or allow students to work at their own pace, which would allow gifted students to work at their ability level. More than 40% of teachers reported practicing these forms of differentiated instruction once a month or less frequently. Fifteen percent of teachers reported never engaging in these effective differentiation practices. Differentiation practice was positively correlated with teachers' sense of efficacy, particularly for instructional strategies.

This paper reports findings from a research study at The Open University, UK into the quality of distance learners' online exam experience and the differences in experience between online (pandemic) and in-person (pre-pandemic) modes of examination. Our research responds to the ongoing need for greater insight into the exam experience and is?uniquely positioned in two ways. First, we made use of a robust reference dataset collected before the COVID-19 pandemic and compared this with a second survey administered a year after the pandemic started; second, we asked students about their experience preparing and revising for the exam as well as the exam itself. Exam revision represents an important transitional period for learners. Our results show that, overall, the shift to online remote exams did not impact the quality of distance learners' experience of revising for exams or taking the exam itself. We found no significant change in the revision experience across six of eight measures, including the learning benefits of learning while revising, enjoyment, and support. However, students reported feeling less anxious when revising for online exams. The quality of the exam experience itself was largely unaffected by the move from in-person to online remote exams. No significant differences were found for seven of the nine measures of exam experience. However, we found satisfaction with the exam environment was significantly higher for online exams and that learners felt the online exam was harder than they expected. Age and gender differences are also explored.

Autistic youth engage in higher levels of screen time and are more likely to experience mental health problems than their typically developing peers; however, few studies have investigated a potential relationship between daily screen time hours and mental health in autistic youth. This study examined the relations among daily screen time hours and commonly co-occurring psychopathology (i.e., anxiety, depression, conduct/behavioral problems, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]) in autistic youth utilizing data from the 2018-2019 National Survey of Children's Health. Results indicated screen time was significantly related to conduct problems; however, contrary to findings from studies with neurotypical samples, screen time was not significantly related to anxiety, depression, or ADHD diagnoses in autistic children and adolescents.

College-sponsored Mental Health Clubs (MHCs) are a 21st-century phenomenon, helping to reduce mental health stigma at colleges across the country. MHCs take many shapes, but most focus on psychoeducation, reducing stigma, advocacy, and peer-to-peer support. These clubs are especially attractive to groups like LGBTQ students and students of color who come to college with additional traumas and identity issues. Trends in training club leaders and members are discussed, and the role of the counseling center as a sponsoring organization is highlighted. Issues of liability are presented, particularly those having to do with: a) the responsibilities of mental health club advisors, b) duty to warn issues, c) dual relationship issues, and d) brave space paradigms and triggering situations. The need and utility of peer-to-peer support groups have been well-documented for decades. Still, the successful transition to mental health clubs under the auspicious of the college requires special vigilance to protect both students and the college.

This study investigates how video game play influences gamers' formal education through perceptions of their 'gamer' and 'learner' identities. Based on identity foundation in symbolic interactionism, we take gamer and learner identities as meaning structures with both dynamic and stable dimensions. The basis of this gamer identity perspective is identity has a crucial role in investigating learning. Applying a life history approach, we interviewed 10 participants in one-to-one interviews, with three interviews for each participant. Applying the narrative portrait, we analysed participant data. We found that gamer identity construction from video game playing, as a vital meaning structure, has four main aspects, namely in-game identification, social community expansion, restorative effect and meaning recognition, providing gamers with expansive ways to build learner and personal identity as that can benefit their formal education.

Plagiarism is a growing concern in Healthcare Sciences in the current digital era. Plagiarism threatens institutions' integrity and academic reputation; therefore, it is essential to understand all contributing factors to eradicate unethical practices effectively. The study aimed to establish the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of plagiarism among Healthcare Science students at a selected higher education institution in Gauteng. A cross-sectional study was used, with a total population of 803 second to fourth-year students from the School of Healthcare Sciences, and 83 students completing the survey. Ethical clearance and approval (617/2021) were obtained from the ethics and research committee of a selected higher educational institution in Gauteng. An adapted Likert scale self-reported questionnaire was sent via a Google form link to the teaching platform with the consent form embedded. The statistical Package for Social Science was used to analyse demographic data descriptively, and Spearman's rho test determined the correlation between study variables. Most students were female (94.0%) and non-native English speakers (71.1%). The majority (83.1%) of the students reported understanding the instances of plagiarism; however, approximately one-third (36.1%) were unable to identify specific instances correctly. Just over half (56.6%) of the students felt self-plagiarism should not be punishable. The correlation between the knowledge of plagiarism and negative attitudes towards plagiarism was found to be statistically significant (p=0.009). The results demonstrated low practice of plagiarism, possibly due to a lack of self-awareness. Therefore, continuous in-depth education on plagiarism and improved policies should be fostered to promote the integrity of future healthcare professionals.

Although the literature on computer-assisted language learning has demonstrated that digital tools such as online translators and bilingual dictionaries offer affordances to second language (or foreign language) writers of English to solve linguistic (lexical and syntactic) issues, the extent to which digital technology supports multilingual students in producing academic texts has been underexplored. In this study, we investigate what digital technology enables and does not enable students to do in communicating their intended meaning in English by examining the writing experience of a multilingual student in an online higher education environment. The data was derived through screen sharing and online stimulated recall interviews and analysed using the concept of digital translanguaging, which focuses on meaning-making using one's entire meaning-making repertoire. The findings suggest that digital translanguaging offers many opportunities to expand the knowledge of vocabulary through self-learning. However, it also becomes evident that the success of working through lexical and syntactic issues is impacted by several factors, such as prior knowledge of the second language (L2), effective online search strategies, and awareness of digital reference resources for different purposes (e.g., online translators for literal and/or context-appropriate translations and language forums to seek advice about specific language issues from proficient speakers). We conclude by providing insights into instructional and strategic support to effectively assist multilingual students to offer greater opportunities to achieve their communication goals.