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In this article, we document a framework for developing recommendations to improve a master's course for technology student teachers to better foster research-inquiry attitudes. A French case study of seven years of the master's teacher education course is analysed. The study adopted a three-phase educational design research model: analysis and exploration, design and construction, and evaluation and reflection. The data consists of 54 master theses (2014-2021), the degree coursework documentation, and teacher-educators notes. In the end, a discussion is proposed on the practices implemented in the teacher education master's degree course oriented to research-inquiry attitude and recommendations for potential enhancements to technology teacher education.

In this position paper, we explore the potential of social networks for teacher professional development. Networking is a crucial skill in professional careers, supporting the individual's personal and professional learning. Collective teacher interactions online can facilitate collaborative professional development and support collective epistemic engagement. Social networks can be considered as 'third spaces' between formal and informal learning to support professional development, also integrating international and intercultural aspects. Research questions addressed here include implications of online engagement on teachers' initial and in-service training and impact of social networks on innovations in professional practices and local communities.

The purpose of this study was to explore the implications of students' and teacher's creative configuration in the physical and virtual world. This analysis will be performed in a secondary school. Adopting a socio-material perspective, this paper focuses on embodiment configuration features for sense-making via new technology mediation. The context of this study was a secondary school who were adopting an immersive 3 D virtual world in different teaching and learning subjects. Selected episodes from video-recordings of two types of sessions mediated by a virtual world -- online and in the classroom -- were analysed. The analytical framework of this paper draws on the complex and creative configurations of the body in both the physical and virtual setting. Our results highlight the creative ways in which the arrangement of teacher and student bodies acted as a mediational instrument between real and virtual settings.

In this paper, we investigate the in-service teachers "sense of agency" after their participation in a research master course. A semi-structured interview was administrated to nine in-service science teachers, coming from three different African countries: Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and Burkina Faso. All of them attended a European master course aimed to acquire skills in science educational research. The data collected was qualitatively analysed through a system of categories. This paper aims to contribute to the discussion about the professionalisation of teacher education and the integration of research into teacher training.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand how the creativity of pupils and teachers is nurtured through the use of a virtual world (VW) within a sociotechnical network affecting pupils' learning in a pilot secondary school. Design/methodology/approach: The analysis is the result of a pluri-disciplinary systemic analysis involving didactics, sociology, psychology and management science on an individual, collective and systemic scale. This participatory action research is based on interviews and systematic observations in class, in-world and in the global ecosystem. Linguistic and multimodal analysis is applied to the data, through teacher monographs that hint at the teachers' activity. Findings: Pupils' and teachers' creativity appeared to be anchored within four main interdependent nurturing conditions the personal inclinations and professional interactions in the sociotechnical network sustaining the VW; a creative regulation allowing compromises with the institutional constraints of pedagogical control; avatars and 3D boundary objects that act as a motor of teachers-pupils inquiry and creativity; the sociotechnical network that contributes, through the actors' play, to bringing the organisational rules of the school towards an innovation trajectory, that in turns mediates success in the use and the adoption of the new technology. Research limitations/implications: Although this is a study within a specific school, the findings can be put to use by other pedagogical teams who would wish to integrate a VW to re-engage pupils. Practical implications The participatory design processes taking place within a sociotechnical network support teachers in the building of Virtual World scenarios negotiated with researchers and start-up developers. Social implications: The pedagogical use of a virtual world opens new learning engagement opportunities for the pupils through enhanced experiential learning and sustains the transformation of teachers' professionality. Originality/value: The authors' approach differs from the previous educational VW literature, in that they integrate the teachers' creativity and their pedagogical scripts into their study, within a systemic approach, thus requiring a wider theoretical framework, necessary for understanding the building of strategies and knowledge that foster teachers' and pupils' creativity in educational settings using a VW.

The aim of this paper is to track down elements of self-regulated learning in a massive open online course regarding social capital. Specifically, the study is oriented to explore the relationship between feeling of belonging to an online community and individual and collective regulation of learning. For this aim, a combination of two already tested scales was operated, adapted for the research interests of this study and administered to a sample of MOOC participants. Several structural equation modelling analyses demonstrate that co- and self-regulated learning strategies lead to MOOC achievement (final exam score), and social capital is only a moderator of co-regulated learning (collective evaluation of content and collective decision-making) but not for self-regulated learning (individual environment control).

The initial technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) model was theorised on seven clearly identified factors. However, many studies have failed to empirically identify these seven factors, and elements influencing TPACK level, such as national context, gender, and age, remain unclear. The study is focused on teacher educators' TPACK as one of the most important elements in schoolteacher training. The main goals were to test the validity of the initial TPACK seven-factor model in a cross-national analysis context and to identify factors influencing the TPACK perception. The sample was composed of 574 teacher educators coming from a total of eight schools of educational institutions from six countries. A 26-item questionnaire, based on a four-point Likert scale, investigated the seven factors of the TPACK model as independent scales. It was administered online and anonymously. A confirmatory factor analysis using the robust maximum likelihood method and Kruskal-Wallis chi-squared tests were performed. The study showed four major results: 1) a relative stability of the seven-factor model structure across countries; 2) the relative differences of university teachers' TPACK perceptions across six countries in Europe and Asia; 3) the dependence of age and TPACK factors; and 4) an independence of gender/academic level and TPACK.

This article explores Pakistani and Bhutanese teacher educators' digital competences about the use of social media, digital resources and professional online communities and implications of this on professional learning. The two countries, less discussed in international educational literature, are facing a growing use of the Internet in teaching and learning. Data include a survey completed by 67 teacher educators from Pakistan and 37 teachers from Bhutan, as well as semi-structured interviews from both countries. This study provides evidence of how teachers' interaction on social networks and the use of digital resources play a central role in the introduction of innovative pedagogical practices of teacher educators, and teacher educators remain interested in knowledge sharing through social media for their professional learning.

Constructing explanations of scientific concepts is one of the most frequent strategies used in the science classroom and is a high-leverage teaching practice. This study analysed the explanations provided by student teachers in STEM areas from a socio-materiality perspective focused on verbal and nonverbal language and representations. The study was conducted in a hybrid research format by scholars and a preservice teacher. First, the study compared the representational elements used by 86 student teachers to construct explanations about various concepts in a roleplay setting. Next, a positioning analysis was done by a preservice teacher, to a selection of five of these explanations focused on the concept of "force". The positioning analysis highlighted the embedded voices in the construction of explanations, with a focus on the intersection between science and language. The results showed that the student teachers created explanations as static artefacts, mainly using examples, graphs and images to clarify the concepts. The voices of learners and scientists were mostly absent from the explanations, which led to the presentation of explanations in STEM areas as finished and unquestionable artefacts, with references neither to nature nor to the history of science. We reflect on the meanings attributed to learning to be a practitioner in the context of interconnecting science and language through explanations, as a process of meaning (re)production within the classroom. Implications for teacher education are discussed in order to enhance student teachers' awareness about constructing knowledge by enacting explanations in the science classroom.

This paper describes a three-step method for the construction of codebooks meant for analyzing ePortfolio content. The first step produces a prototype based on qualitative analysis of very different ePortfolios from the same course. During the second step, the initial version of the codebook is tested on a larger sample and subsequently revised. Finally, during the third phase the codebook is applied to analyze ePortfolios' contents and to chart trends of usage. We tested the codebook on the ePortfolios of 16 students attending a university blended course. This codebook and the method for building it enabled us to follow the ePortfolios' evolution over the course, to observe students' individual differences, to understand and guide students' self-assessment, and to customize teachers' and/or tutors' interventions. Our method produces a tailored codebook for the examination of ePortfolio contents.

This paper presents a study on discovery learning of scientific concepts with the support of computer simulation. In particular, the paper will focus on the effect of the levels of guidance on students with a low degree of experience in informatics and educational technology. The first stage of this study was to identify the common misconceptions about density, starting from a literature review. Forty eight students (25 M and 23 F) from two high schools in Vanuatu were then involved in the study. These students were divided into three groups according to the different levels of guidance they received (Unguided; Minimum guidance, Maximum guidance). A pre and post activity questionnaire was designed containing 12 questions. The students underwent a training session with computer simulation about density. Using a descriptive and an inferential statistics method, scores obtained from the three different groups were compared during pre-test and post-test analyses. From the analyses it was found that the construction of knowledge from discovery learning activities occurs with or without guidance, however the amount of guidance received has an influence on the depth of conceptual understanding.

The paper is set in socio-material farming to offer a way of conceptualising actions and interactions of children in preschool involved in the understanding of scientific concepts. A model of early science education about the physical phenomena of shadow formation is implemented in group work in a French context. The research involved 44 children (13 females and 31 males) of 5-6 years old. The research design was organised in three video recording steps: pre-test, teaching session and post-test. We focus on the analysis of nine teaching sessions to investigate children's "understanding" of shadow formation. A descriptive and qualitative approach was used. In particular, we have identified three main categories (the interaction of the children with the tools, the embodiment and verbal dimension)--with respective indicators--to perform the analysis. From the results, all the categories explored seem to influence each other: all material, human and social dimensions contribute to the children's understanding of shadow formation. Also we have identified some elements that can serve as a potential source of improvement of the teaching session on shadow formation. Finally, the research provides insights on how to improve science activities in preschool with the aim of supporting early understanding of physical phenomena.

In this article we present a review of literature on the concept of Artefact, Tool and Technical Object in the light of sociocultural approach. Particular attention is given to present and discuss the French research tradition on the Technical Object and Technological education. The aim is to give a broad perspective to explore the mediation between the individual and their environment.

This article aims to investigate how university students perform agency in an online course and whether the collaborative nature of the course affects such expression. A total of 11 online web forums involving 18 students (N = 745 posts in total) were qualitatively analysed through the use of a codebook composed of five categories (individual, interpersonal, epistemic, transformative and collective) and several sub-categories purposely developed for the sake of this research. The results show that each category follows a specific path, although two events--the re-mixing of the groups and the assumption of the peer-tutor role--particularly affected the evolution of trends. Although this study needs further development, the authors believe that an in-depth understanding of the nature of agency, including how to analyse it as well as empower it when implementing blended educational activities, engages relevant theoretical and pedagogical issues.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of communities of practice in organizations and their most beneficial effects for both individual and collective development. Design/Methodology/Approach: Based on a literature review, from the first authoritative texts by Lave and Wenger until the most recent critiques, the paper has attempted to conciliate the individual and the organizational perspectives about this precious tool for knowledge management and creation. Findings: Because of their distinctive features, a joint enterprise, a mutual engagement and a shared repertoire, if strategically managed, might resort to individual and organizational positive outcomes. From an individual perspective, communities could be beneficial in developing professional skills, a stronger sense of identity and finding continuity even during discontinuity and change. From an organizational perspective, communities of practice could help drive the strategy, start new lines of business, solve problems quickly and transfer best practices. Research Limitations/Implications: Many limitations about this conceptualization have been presented. Therefore, future research should try to focus on communities within different socio-cultural contexts and within different kinds of organizations. Practical Implications: Practical implications about the use of communities of practice within organizational contexts are mainly linked to the enhancement of human and social capital seen as a strategic, although intangible, asset. Social Implications: The social implications of this paper are connected to the contribution to the discussion on the theme which is quite uncommon in human resource management research. Originality/Value: The value of this paper is the attempt to connect the communities of practice to human and social capital.

This paper investigates teachers' agency in relation to their professional development. In particular, we refer to research skills and attitude in-service teachers may acquire while attending an international master of research in education. A semi-structured interview was administrated to nine in-service teachers, coming from three different African countries. All of them are attending an international master course aimed to acquire skills in science educational research. The data collected was qualitatively analysed through a category system based on five types of agency. Teachers express the various types of agency in their attempt to extend their action in the context of belonging, with a strong social connotation towards colleagues, students, and the community.

The research presented in this paper investigates a pre-service teacher's reflection on professional learning using the medium of video. To promote a reflective activity, we invited the pre-service teacher--now a titular teacher--to comment on their activity while remarking on a recording of one of their lessons conducted one year earlier. The lesson was performed in a professional high school, followed by a meeting with the teacher and a university tutor. Quali-quantitative analysis was used to analyse the data--where the teacher's reflections emerged during their viewing of the lesson--to trace the typology of the comments of the pre-service teacher, and the topics of the reflection. The analysis highlights the dimensions of reflective activity, which can be a reflection of the professional learning of the pre-service teacher in one year. This study provides useful information in describing the process of professional learning and, at the same time, supports the integration of video into pre-service teacher training as a tool of reflection.