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Gamification in second language acquisition research is a popular topic, but there are few empirical comparative studies in the literature. This quasi-experimental mixed-approach study enrolled 77 Japanese university EFL learners to enable a comparison between two digital vocabulary flashcard learning software conditions carefully designed by the author; the gamified group's software (group 1; n = 26) had daily awards (i.e., consecutive day awards, medals related to daily participation, and a bonus point counter in an effort to encourage spaced learning principles and discourage cramming) and the non-gamified group's (group 0; n = 51) did not. The daily awards had a significant effect in encouraging the gamified group to spread out their study efforts throughout the 12-week study period more effectively than the control group as they completed a lower median number of tasks per active study day (non-gamified: 104.76, gamified: 82.11; p = 0.021, r(75) = --0.264) but studied on more days to complete a similar total number of vocabulary tasks (non-gamified: 2313.00, gamified: 2228.50; p = 0.601). Moreover, the gamified group significantly outperformed the non-gamified group in terms of vocabulary knowledge score gains between the pretest and posttest; p = 0.03, r(50) = 0.300. These results show the numerous and significant positive pedagogical impacts of gamified daily awards.

This article explores how TCTELA's 2024 Teachers of the Year forged the future through their literacy teaching at the elementary, middle school, high school, and college levels. Each essay captures how they understand their work as literacy educators and intentionally educate their students toward a brighter future amid trying local contexts. The first essay details how an elementary teacher threads the needle of maintaining high expectations that surpass academic success in the classroom to include holistic development as people and citizens in their future communities. The second essay describes how a middle-school reading community is crafted around a focus on representation and diverse texts. The third essay examines the use of the workshop model and the incorporation of choice and how those practices foster autonomous, innovative, and emboldened citizens. The final essay explores the power and hope of cariño for preservice and in-service teachers. Often translated as "care," the Spanish word "cariño" refers to a rich wisdom and practices of Latina teachers to care for and teach their students who live in between cultures, languages, and identities. Each essay aims not only to outline steps each teacher takes to pursue excellence in their teaching but also to offer a humanizing look into the heart it takes to teach day in and day out.

Administrators are viewed as the leaders in higher education. However, accepting exceptional educators as relational leaders is vital as changes in higher education demand institutions provide value and quality to their stakeholders. Exceptional educators at our land-grant Midwestern university are nominated and awarded the title of Morrill Professors in recognition of the Morrill Act. In this qualitative study using a narrative inquiry approach, we interviewed twelve Morrill Professors to find common teaching practices among these outstanding educators. Upon review of the transcripts, we realized that although they all practiced student-success teaching strategies, the emphasis on developing relationships with their students was paramount. Applying the framework of relational leadership to the interview transcripts, we identify ways in which the Morrill Professors exemplified the five elements of the model. The Morrill Professors interviewed were purposeful and empowering while engaging students in learning. They were inclusive and ethical in their approach to fulfilling the teaching component of the land-grant mission. Finally, they were process-oriented, encouraging iterative learning that builds on the needs of the discipline. The results of this study can be used to emphasize building excellence in teaching through the relational leadership model rather than focusing solely on specific teaching strategies. University leadership can further elevate successful teachers as leaders within their institutions.

This article details a 'puzzling' teaching and learning method to engage undergraduate nursing (BSN) and exercise sciences (BSES) students in physiology or medicine Nobel Prize-winning discoveries, while reviewing course material through the "Puzzling Physiology and Nobel Laureates" (PPNL) game. The qualitative evaluations of 117 undergraduate BSN and BSES students revealed that 95% and 96%, respectively, agreed the game provided an opportunity to utilize critical thinking and problem-solving skillsets. Moreover, 96% of the 117 anonymous student respondents voted on increasing the number of PPNL game sessions per semester, and 94% agreeing the gamified learning strategy should be offered in subsequent classes as well. Interestingly, nearly 90% agreed that the learning experience was 'fun', and that it increased awareness of physiology and/or medicine discoveries. The style of the "Puzzling Physiology and Nobel Laureates" game lends to its reproducibility in a wide array of physiology courses for both majors and nonmajors.

Institutions of higher education are increasingly highlighting community engagement activities to make the benefits of higher education more visible. The most transformational community engagement is linked to curriculum, so it is faculty who must incorporate community-engaged pedagogy. This content analysis of faculty narratives about community engagement reveals motivations for faculty to engage in this work. These findings connect to social capital theory and suggest a new direction for faculty development efforts to promote community engagement.

Promoting the education of talented and gifted students is a crucial aspect of establishing a strong society focused on scientific knowledge. This praxis article delves into the implementation of strategies in the Syrian Arab Republic to support and identify gifted students, focusing on initiatives such as the Syrian Scientific Olympiad, the National Centre for Distinguished Students, and Academic Programs for Distinguished Students. Data collection methods utilized in this study shed light on the outcomes of these initiatives and measures taken to promote gifted education in Syria. The analysis of this data provides insights into the impact of these programs on gifted students in crisis-stricken regions. The study emphasizes the significant role played by the Distinction and Creativity Agency in nurturing exceptional talents and fostering personal growth. Overall, the support provided to gifted students contributes to cognitive advancement, psychological well-being, and skill development, enhancing their overall well-being and paving the way for successful futures. The government's commitment to supporting gifted education in the Syrian Arab Republic reflects its dedication to promoting talent and creativity in the Arab region.

The aim of the study was to examine two types of texts for beginning readers. While leveled readers tend to be widely used by teachers, less well known are Geisel Award books. The Geisel Award is given annually to a high-quality trade book appropriate for beginning readers. This content analysis examined one set of first grade leveled readers and Geisel books to determine what each offers in terms of support for beginning readers beyond word and sentence level features. We present findings related to the genre, plot, characters, literary language, and the distinctive features of the visual texts to highlight the differences between the two collections. Of particular importance are findings related to the differences in what the texts offer beginning readers in terms of features of engagement, the diversity of characters, and the inclusion of systems for conveying meaning beyond verbal text. The article concludes with recommendations for teachers and teacher educators.

Two middle school educators earned a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching fellowship. A Fulbright Finland Foundation inter-country travel grant provided the grantees with a unique opportunity to connect and collaborate at the University of Helsinki. Within this research, they described their inquiry experiences. The research included examining authentic student-centered learning continuums and phenomenon-based learning in Finland and teachers' adaptability in relation to meeting the needs of linguistically and culturally diverse math classrooms in the Netherlands. This paper summarizes how cross-cultural dialogues, classroom observations, and informal interviews with educators, students, and thought leaders informed each grantee's discovery of how student-centered learning is structured, delivered, and valued in Finland and the Netherlands. This article (1) describes how communication empowers middle school mathematics students, (2) analyzes the learning-to-learn framework, and (3) provides insights into how to utilize language diversity in a mathematics classroom.

It is widely acknowledged that there is an awarding gap in higher education, with proportionally more White students achieving a good honours degree compared to their minoritized ethnic counterparts. Furthermore, the gap is largest between Black and White students, hence necessitating initiatives to understand the perspectives of Black students on perceived reasons for the awarding gap. Thus, the present study aimed to explore the perspectives of Black undergraduate Psychology students through the use of qualitative methodology. Sixteen participants took part in two focus groups, which were transcribed verbatim, and thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data. Self-determination theory provided a framework for contextualising the findings. Three main themes emerged, with participants describing being exposed to signals of unbelonging such as negative racial stereotypes and microaggressions. Within this theme, they discussed their responses to these signals of unbelonging, such as conforming to perceived White norms in an effort to belong and feel 'normal'. Participants also highlighted the role played by parental influence and relationships on their academic experience. They also discussed experiences with university tutors that were deemed unfavourable. Together, the racialised experiences identified threatened the fulfilment of their needs for competence, autonomy and relatedness. It is thus imperative that higher education institutions actively engage their Black and minoritized ethnic students in order to understand their experiences and foster a sense of belonging at university. Furthermore, the findings regarding parental influence provide an opportunity for structural redress through widening participation efforts and adequate pastoral support.

This study was to explore the current state of creativity among university teachers in Shaanxi, China. The study was based on creativity systems theory and a questionnaire survey was conducted with a convenience sample of university teachers in Shaanxi Province. A total of 711 teachers from 30 universities were sampled to compare the effects of demographic variables such as gender, title, subject background, and creativity award experience on statistical differences in creativity, and SPSS was used to analyse the effects between teachers' cognitive needs and creativity in the university context. The results of the study revealed that there were significant differences between title, subject background, and creativity award experience on creativity and cognitive needs of university teachers in Shaanxi; and there was a positive and significant effect of cognitive needs of university teachers on creativity.

Time to degree completion is an important metric of academic progress and success for doctoral students. It is also a common way for educational stakeholders to compare programs even if the content of the degree programs varies. But what types of behaviors and experiences are associated with faster times to degree? In this study, we examine the relationship between receiving competitive research awards (e.g., grant writing) and time to degree for PhD students. We organize our analyses by student identities, specifically gender and underrepresented racial minority (URM) status, to examine differences in time to degree based on student demographics. Our dataset included students that graduated between academic years 2008 to 2009 through 2018 to 2019. We also interviewed students currently enrolled in these same programs. We find that underrepresented minority women who won competitive research awards graduate faster than all other students who also won awards but also report lower levels of advisor support. Underrepresented minority women and all underrepresented minority students who won research awards tended to graduate faster compared to other groups of students who did not win awards. Students who reported feeling supported by their advisors, most of which reflected hands-on guidance through the writing process, in the interviews were more likely to apply for grants. Combined, these results highlight that writing grants and specific types of advisor support may influence faster times to degree for biosciences PhD students. This study suggests similar introspective analyses at other institutions and databases are needed.

This study examines undergraduates' research practices, as described in reflective essays submitted in applications to a library research award. Thematic analysis of 24 student award essays identified three strong themes in student reflections about their research experiences. Students experienced research as a social process, made meaning closely tied to disciplinary ways of knowing and practicing, and underwent a transformative process from beginner to apprentice researchers. Through a discussion of these themes, the authors highlight implications for information literacy instruction and suggest this instruction be closely connected to disciplinary practices.

This study analyzed how people with disabilities are portrayed in picture books with the Coretta Scott King Award (CSKA) to address the intersectionality of African/African American racial identity and disabilities. Disability critical race theory was foundational for this study. The pool of 134 picture books that received the CSKA from 1971 to 2020 was used as the data for the systematic content analysis. For analysis, the researchers utilized a qualitative approach that guided axial coding and selective coding in looking for emerging themes. They found that 13 picture books portrayed African/African American characters with disabilities. The majority of these books did not necessarily emphasize the disabilities of these characters. When focusing on other dimensions of identity such as gender, age, disability type, and so on, the researchers found underrepresentation, invisibility, and marginalization issues, which led them to discussions of power relations. This study calls for future studies that can discover more portrayals of African/African American people with disabilities and that can deepen scholarly discussions about their representation in children's literature.

Teachers of beginning readers have choices in the books they select. A careful look at the features of books provides an informed basis for choosing books that engage young readers. In this article we share insights from a comparative content analysis of leveled readers and Geisel award books that can motivate children to read and prepare them for entry into the world of authentic children's literature. We end the article with descriptions of diverse award winning and honor books that can be used in interactive read alouds with beginning readers and provide recommendations for preparing for an interactive read aloud using one of the books.

Challenges exist with the discourse in education around terms such as 'best practice', 'excellence', and 'impact', which raises questions around who decides what 'excellent' teaching looks like. To better understand the different facets of teaching excellence, this research project investigates the stories of twelve national Tertiary Teaching Excellence awardees in New Zealand, exploring awardees' trajectories and practice, including views on their identity, and on what they consider to be excellence in tertiary teaching. This article focuses on the personal characteristics of this group of awardees, highlighted through analysis of their narratives. Educators, mentors, and curriculum designers can gain a deeper understanding of teaching excellence, and of how teachers perceive their own practice and their impact on others. It is hoped too that educators will recognise elements of themselves and their practice, and will feel motivated and inspired to share these with their peers.

A sense of belonging and feeling at home at their institution are key factors in student success at university. Engaging with extracurricular activities is part of this dynamic, and an area in which 'international' students face additional barriers. These include institutional and psychological barriers to belonging, resulting in a shortage of meaningful opportunities to belong and a lack of motivation to take part. Increased belonging uncertainty and negative stereotype threat are among the potential concerns for such students. In response, we have developed the Student Extracurricular Engagement Award for pre-sessional undergraduate students at the University of Leeds Language Centre, UK. This scheme draws on theoretical approaches related to co-construction, participation, identity, opportunity and motivation. This innovative educational intervention seeks to address the issues affecting belonging by providing encouragement and guidance in engaging with the university's extracurricular activities. By validating activities in areas other than academic language and literacies, the award raises student awareness of the value of their successes in those areas. This more holistic and rhizomatic approach to student learning is argued to bring a greater sense of belonging to 'international' students.

Character is a fundamental literary element and it is defined as the act of describing characters in literature, particularly their physical attributes as well as personal traits. In multimodal texts, the visual and textual sign systems are interlaced together to exemplify meaningful characters. In this study, two picture books were examined to determine how semiotic meaning-making systems work together to develop the literary element 'character' based on an adaptation of Painter et al.'s (2013) multimodal discourse analysis framework. The findings showed a lack of detailed characterisation elements in the textual meaning-making systems for character attribution and affiliation between characters, but the visual depiction of characters in both the picture books addressed this shortcoming effectively. The textual mode helped to confirm the identity of characters especially when the visual manifestation is metonymic or incomplete. In short, knowledge of visual meaning making systems is necessary as it will enable young readers to attain a deeper understanding of the literary element 'character' and fully comprehend multimodal texts.

This study examines four award-winning school leaders asking, "What makes a school leader effective?" A series of interviews were conducted with four award-winning school leaders (State Teacher of the Year, State Middle School Principal of the Year, State High School Principal of the Year, and State Superintendent of the Year), all of whom work within close geographic proximity to each other. The results were coded for themes and best practices for current school leaders who are preparing students for tomorrow's global society. The study sheds light on the perceived characteristics, skills, and best practices implemented by successful school leaders.

This manuscript explores the trends of the American Library Association's (ALA's) Rainbow Book List Top Ten Titles for Young Readers for 2023. It provides an overview of the titles and curricular connections. The authors discuss how the 2023 Rainbow Book List offers a diversity of genres and topics and also delves deeply into portrayals of queer and trans youth and family members. These books allow ample opportunities for elementary and middle-level teachers to incorporate diverse and varied LGBTQIA+ experiences and narratives into instruction and classroom life.

This paper explores how motivational theories can be utilised to direct impactful conversations for the support of teaching excellence awards (TEAs). The purpose of applying a motivational lens to TEA conversations is to foster positive motivational conditions for award applicants. Outlining this conversational method may inform future research into award applicants' motivations throughout the TEA process.

Higher education institutions are struggling to elevate the value and status of academic teaching. In this endeavour, rewards for excellence in teaching are becoming a common measure. This study reports on the experience of the first academic teachers who were given the status as rewarded teachers in new reward systems. We explore rewarded teachers' potential to influence teaching and learning culture through a socio-cultural perspective, where influence is assumed to materialise through teachers' networks and cultural change is linked to a widening of significant networks. Interviews with 13 rewarded teachers from three universities were analysed using thematic analysis. We find that rewarded teachers maintain their positions in existing networks and gain visibility and influence in wider networks. This widening of their teaching and learning network is a first step, that over time can become a wider significant network potentially important in influencing culture. We suggest that a productive measure to support rewarded teachers is to provide support for expanding their significant networks further, bridging the boundaries between teaching cultures. This study adds to our knowledge about how reward impacts networks, and the potential role rewarded teachers play in cultural change, a perspective that is underexplored in research on reward systems.

Fitness testing and awards have been used in physical education classrooms for over 50 years. While their initial intention was to promote physical activity engagement, analyses show they are not achieving their goal. This article highlights fitness testing awards and the need to re-evaluate how they can help meet the physical activity guidelines for children ages 5 to 15 years. A cross-sectional secondary data analysis was employed using data from the 2013-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (N = 3973). Analysis results showed that receiving fitness awards is not associated with children meeting physical activity guidelines. It is thus important for physical education teachers and school administrators to adopt and implement process-based fitness testing awards (e.g., giving awards for an individual's fitness-behavior goal achievement or improvement) along with performance-based fitness awards to enhance children's physical activity levels.

Children's literature can serve as mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. They are mirrors for marginalized groups to see themselves represented, windows for dominant cultures to learn about marginalized groups, and sliding glass doors to develop empathy. In this study, I examined Middle East Picture Book Award to address what books are available about Middle Eastern Muslims who experience xenophobia and Islamophobia; and identify the books that serve as mirrors-windows-sliding glass doors.

This qualitative study explored the relationship between creativity, time, age, and the literary world among 16 award-winning Israeli writers in the second half of their lives. Based on data collected through in-depth interviews with the participants, the findings indicate that the writers' creativity in the second half of life was linked to "Preservation, Growth," and "Decline," leading to four interrelated dimensions: (a) preserving youth through creativity, (b) enhancing creativity over time, (c) navigating creativity, acclaim, and ageism, and (d) managing creativity amidst a changing world. The study found that the writers' creativity was enhanced over time, as they gained experience and developed their skills. However, some writers experienced a decline in stamina or their ability to write long novels. The study also found that the writers' experiences of acceptance from the literary world and the audience changed over time. Some writers continued to receive acclaim and attention, while others experienced ageism and a decline in the audience's interest in their work.

Narratives of international educational exchange programmes such as the US-sponsored Fulbright and the Commonwealth-centred Carnegie grants reveal the formative role these exchanges played in extending the geographical, scholarly, and professional boundaries of women's worlds. Notably, these award schemes influenced, shaped and expanded the career aspirations and professional experiences of a group of women from Australia and New Zealand. In this article, we take up the question of the distinctive opportunities each programme presented for women awardees and consider their differing experiences primarily due to the specific programme on which they embarked. We argue that the extent to which participation in an exchange programme might have provided benefits to individual Australian and New Zealand women could also become the spur for awardees to advocate for an expansion of opportunities for other women. Furthermore, we consider whether hidden obstacles existed that hindered women's career pathways and successes.

Recognition of teaching excellence has become a global trend in higher education as various schemes and awards are established as a way to assure stakeholders of the quality of teaching in universities. At present, there is a lack of research into what teaching excellence means from an institutional perspective. This study explores the conceptualisation of teaching excellence in 95 award documents from research-intensive and non-research-intensive higher education institutions as well as national and regional-level teaching excellence schemes. Data were collected from official institution websites and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings show that teaching excellence is defined by five dimensions of excellence (impact, innovation, inclusivity, scholarship of teaching and learning, and student-centredness) in six aspects of teaching (pedagogy, curriculum planning and design, assessment, student support, service to communities and professional development). A matrix is constructed based on the findings to explicate the concept of teaching excellence, and potential contradictions and tensions concerning the values emphasised in the dimensions of excellence are highlighted. The findings of this study have theoretical and practical implications for researchers, policy makers, staff development personnel and practitioners.

The purpose of this study is to explore the life and work of Pierre Sancan (1916-2008), an exemplary piano teacher who, like many masters in the apprenticeship tradition, is chiefly remembered today by his pupils alone. An all-round musician, Sancan had early success as a composer when he won the Prix de Rome in 1943, and enjoyed a flourishing career in solo and ensemble piano performance. His applied studio practices were based on the French school but extended beyond it by drawing on Russian approaches to technique, a study of anatomy, and the influence of jazz improvisation. However, at the height of his creative career, hailed as 'one of the biggest names in French music today', Sancan became professor of piano at the Paris Conservatoire, increasingly devoting his expertise and energies to the musical lives of his pupils and influencing generations of pianists and piano teachers around the world. In this study, Sancan's musical career is examined through archival material including institutional documents, interviews and personal memorabilia, alongside an interview and survey study with former pupils including Jean-Philippe Collard and Jean-Efflam Bavouzet.

This study aimed to explore teacher self-efficacy after a year of teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this study looked to replicate and extend previous research that explored teacher self-efficacy during COVID-19. The current study included 316 participants from the United States who completed the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale. The results found that teachers who had previously won Teacher of the Year (TOY) awards was a significant predictor of total, instructional, and classroom management self-efficacy. Additionally, emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment significantly predicted all four self-efficacy scales. Finally, administrative support significantly predicted engagement and classroom management self-efficacy. The current study provides suggestions of variables that influenced teacher self-efficacy at the end of the 2020-2021 school year, which was impacted by COVID-19.

It is essential to establish a multi-dimensional postgraduate quality evaluation system for student assessment and training. This study aimed to explore the construction of the multiindex and hierarchical comprehensive evaluation system for postgraduate training in science and engineering based on the Context, Input, Process, Product (CIPP) model using Analytic Hierarchy Process. It involved 756 postgraduates in physics and engineering who were randomly selected via the Internet. Data were collected from the questionnaire about postgraduates' basic information. After collection, Factor Analysis was used to verify the rationality of the design of second-level and third-level indicators, and adjust the corresponding weights. On this basis, Cluster Analysis was used to classify the training quality of the postgraduates based on their scores on academic ability, basic quality, and social ability indicators. The results revealed that the index system includes 4 first-level indicators,12 second-level indicators and 36 third-level indicators, and different weights being assigned to the indicators according to their influence on the training quality of postgraduates in science and engineering. This study also provides some reference for the quality of science and engineering postgraduate training in Chinese universities by proposing relevant measures, which could be interesting also for international audience.

Wattpad platform has reached a significant number of users in Turkey as well as in the world. Therefore, books written in Turkish on Wattpad are essential reference sources for researchers to determine the transformation and development of Turkish and popular literature in the digital environment. The tags are keywords assigned by the author and contain valuable information about the general characteristics of a book. The browse categories when sorted by hot listing option, give a popularity ranking of a category at the current time. Tags enable the readers to discover the book more easily and provides the book to be ranked on top of the popularity rankings. In this study, from the tags that are obtained from the top 10 books of popularity rankings of a 13-year-old user profile, it is aimed to analyze the subjects of interest of adolescent readers, their choices and the quality of the Turkish books that appeal to them. The tags are classified and it was determined that the most used tags among the classified groups were related to the genre of the story, the subject of the story, and the K-pop culture, respectively. This shows the effect of K-pop culture in Turkish books on Wattpad. It is also seen that words related to kinship and affinity names, professions and occupational names, media and social media communication tools, mature themes, venues, supernatural, and mythological elements, Watty Awards, gender and age, religions, personal, physical and age characteristics of protagonists, and reign are used as tags.

The Notre Dame of Maryland University Professional Development School Network was a 2022 recipient of the NAPDS Exemplary PDS Partnership Award. This article details the network's use of many of the NAPDS's 9 Essentials in building and sustaining strong partnerships over time with a deliberate focus on continued improvement from year to year. A unique feature of Notre Dame's PDS network is its commitment to the university's mission in advancing equity and social justice in its collaborative work in individual PDS partnerships. Aligned with the University's mission and the School of Education's focus on engaging in service to others and promoting social responsibility, the mission of Notre Dame's PDS network is to support and sustain professional development school partnerships that are equity-focused, learning communities that improve student learning, prepare educators through clinical practice, provide reciprocal professional development, and conduct shared inquiry.

We explore how the influx of foreign funding into the higher education sectors of the United States and United Kingdom has raised the challenge of "reputation laundering"--when foreign donors and individuals use donations to prestigious universities to boost their international public image and offset negative images or reported controversies back in their home country. We outline four pathways for reputation laundering--donations for academic programs/schools, naming rights, honorary degrees and board seats; and the offer of favorable admissions decisions--and examine the variety of policies, practices and safeguards that have been adopted by U.K. and U.S. universities in response. We present evidence, drawn from a survey of U.K. development officers, that university diligence procedures, which usually focus on compliance with the law, often are inadequate for filtering or deterring most types of reputation laundering.

The Whippoorwill Award aims to bring attention to the theme of rural spaces and people in the larger genre of young adult literature. This award annually recognizes the best books for the middle grades and young adult readers that portray the value of rural spaces, knowledge, people, and cultures. The Whippoorwill Award is intended to be a resource for young readers, their teachers and other adults in their lives to help identify authentic, complex, meaningful, and well-written portrayals of rural life. This article discusses the third cycle of Whippoorwill Book Award winners, covering the publication years of 2020 and 2021. The winners include 13 diverse and compelling books that portray rural people and places in dynamic and energizing ways.