Search

Notwithstanding the advantages of incorporating Augmented Reality (AR) in education, AR's concrete uses as compared to other technologies are not fully recognised. Moreover, many of the existing studies have neglected to examine the impact of pedagogy and its corresponding instructional models, whilst implementing AR in teaching and learning. In leveraging the affordances of AR, an inquiry-based learning framework, referred to as QIMS, was proposed in this study. A learning package was developed on the topic of plant reproduction for primary 5 students (aged 11-12) based on the QIMS framework. Using a quasi-experimental approach, this study evaluated three conditions (AR and QIMS; QIMS; Non-AR and Non-QIMS) for a series of science lessons in a primary school. 117 students took part in this study. The quantitative results showed that although there was no statistically significant difference in students' academic performance when AR was used, students' self-directed learning and creative thinking skills increased significantly after partaking in the QIMS inquiry-based lessons. The usage of AR and QIMS had a significant effect in increasing students' critical thinking and knowledge creation efficacy skills. Moreover, in view of students' academic outcomes, the integration of QIMS and AR proved to be more beneficial to low-progress students. Qualitative analysis of the interview data from teachers and students aids in accounting for the quantitative results and indicate productive implementation strategies. The findings of this study will guide the design of future AR interventions, by providing insights for both researchers and practitioners on how to integrate and implement AR with pedagogical approaches.

The importance of computational thinking (CT) as a 21st-century skill for future generations has been a key consideration in the reforms of many national and regional educational systems. Much attention has been paid to integrating CT into the traditional subject classrooms. This paper describes a scoping review of learning tools for integrating CT and mathematics in current empirical studies published from 2015 to 2021. The review showed that most of the studies implemented CT-intensive Math-connected integration. Five major types of CT tools had been identified, i.e., digital tangibles, apps and games, programming languages, formative or summative assessments, and other technological tools. In many instances, the tools also provide functions of assessment of CT skills. The most assessed CT competencies were including algorithms and algorithmic thinking, abstraction, testing and debugging, loops, and sequences. Geometry and Measurement was the most assessed mathematics topic. Our scoping review is beneficial in the investigation of the literature on CT and mathematics education, as well as guides those who are interested in developing curriculum, programs, or assessments that involve the integration of CT and mathematics.

Online and open learning has recently been made prevalent in many regions in order to mitigate educational inequality and to enhance students' learning experiences and outcomes. Previous studies showed that students perform differently in the learning process, where cultural differences matter. However, little is known about how cultural differences affect students' learning behavioral patterns. This study applies a lag sequential analysis approach to understand the behavioral patterns in an online six-week course of 262 students from three cultures, namely Confucian (for Chinese students), Arab (for Tunisian students), and Serbian (for Serbian students). This study then discusses the different learning behavior patterns based on the theoretical framework of Hofstede's National Cultural Dimensions (NCD). The obtained results highlighted that students from each culture behave differently due to several interconnecting factors, such as educational traditions. The results also showed that some of the learning behaviors were not in line with their students' cultures based on NCD, calling for further investigation in this regard. Finally, the results pointed out that culture is a complex dimension, and further investigation is needed to understand the other dimensions that may affect online and open learning behaviors.

The lack of teachers and equipment is a major obstacle to the implementation of Computational Thinking (CT) in education, particularly for rural schools. Although CT education has been investigated for many years, less attention has been paid to lower primary schools in rural areas. This study contributes to filling this gap by investigating the impact of three different learning approaches on the CT of grade-two primary school students in a rural area in China. Seventy-seven students were randomly assigned to three learning approaches, namely traditional lectures, Game-Based Learning (GBL) using a newly designed board game in classrooms, and GBL with parental involvement. The findings showed that both GBL approaches (i.e., with and without parents) significantly enhanced the students' CT skills compared to the traditional approach. The findings also showed that the GBL approach with parental involvement significantly enhanced students' attitudes toward learning CT compared with the other two approaches.

The current work validated the decomposed theory of planned behaviour (DTPB) with working adults to assess its ability to predict intentions to participate in microlearning and also identify the significant factors that drive microlearning usage decisions. We found that positive attitudes towards microlearning (Attitude), stronger beliefs in others' opinions regarding microlearning use (SN), and stronger perceptions about one's capability to engage in microlearning (PBC), are associated with stronger intentions to participate in microlearning. All decomposed constructs were found to be significant predictors of the respective factors, except superior influence (SI) and resource facilitating conditions. We discuss potential targeted interventions focused on what works best to encourage microlearning adoption. For instance, while reporting superiors have no significant influence over one's microlearning use decisions, the opinions of peers and colleagues positively influence microlearning use. Hence, focusing on embedding community-related aspects into a microlearning design may effectively encourage the use of microlearning.

This paper reports a case study of 20 university peer tutor-tutee dyads which engaged in online synchronous peer tutoring using MENTOR, a mobile application developed to support peer tutoring. Despite years of research, peer tutoring still attracts significant attention and an emerging area of research is online peer tutoring. This study aimed to contribute to research on mobile peer tutoring, which is still in its infancy stage. Underpinned by Vygotskian social-cultural learning and Wertsch's notion of mediated actions by tools, a qualitative analysis of the recorded tutees' mobile phone screen during the peer tutoring sessions was conducted. Our findings show three different types of peer tutor-tutee social cognitive interactions, with varying degrees of tutees showing agency in seeking clarifications. While most tutees demonstrated some level of agency in seeking clarifications, fewer tutees showed agency in co-annotating on the canvas space. The findings also illuminate how the participants leveraged the canvas tools provided by MENTOR to create a shared understanding and cognitive convergence.

Computational Thinking (CT) is pervasive in our daily lives and is useful for problem-solving. Decision-making is a crucial part of problem-solving. In the extant literature, problem-solving strategies in educational settings are often conveniently attributed to intuition; however, it is well documented that computer programmers might even have difficulty describing about their intuitive insights during problem-solving using natural language (such as English), and subsequently convert what has been described using words into software code. Hence, a more analytical approach using mathematical equations and descriptions of CT is offered in this paper as a potential form of rudimentary scaffolding, which might be useful to facilitators and learners of CT-related activities. In the present paper, the decision-making processes during an unplugged CT activity are delineated via Grey-based mathematical equations, which is useful for informing educators who may wish to explain to their learners about the various aspects of CT which are involved in the unplugged activity and simultaneously use these mathematical equations as scaffolds between the unplugged activity and computer code programming. This theoretical manuscript may serve as a base for learners, should the facilitator ask them to embark on a software programming activity that is closely associated to the unplugged CT activity.

Background and Context: Computational thinking (CT) is considered as a valuable literacy for all students, and its inclusion in compulsory schooling could increase the numbers of underrepresented students who pursue computing-related careers. Computer Science Unplugged (CSU) had success in making computer science (CS) accessible to K-12 students in outreach settings. Such "unplugged" approaches have the potential to do the same in formal education. Objective: This review considers how research findings on unplugged pedagogies might advance CS/CT education priorities, while highlighting areas of unknown and tension. Method: We conducted a search in academic databases using terms +unplugged "computer science" and +unplugged CT, and related terms. Findings: We synthesized our review with existing ones to inform the priorities of CS-for-all and CT development. We surfaced CSU's limitations to broaden access for underrepresented students and suggested a remedy. We proposed 10 research questions that fill key gaps to support efforts that provide "just" access to quality CS/CT education.

Background: The emergence of ChatGPT in the education literature represents a transformative phase in educational technology research, marked by a surge in publications driven by initial research interest in new topics and media hype. While these publications highlight ChatGPT's potential in education, concerns arise regarding their quality, methodology, and uniqueness. Objective: Our study employs unconventional methods by combining altmetrics and bibliometrics to explore ChatGPT in education comprehensively. Methods: Two scholarly databases, Web of Science and Altmetric, were adopted to retrieve publications with citations and those mentioned on social media, respectively. We used a search query, "ChatGPT," and set the publication date between November 30th, 2022, and August 31st, 2023. Both datasets were within the education‐related domains. Through a filtering process, we identified three publication categories: 49 papers with both altmetrics and citations, 60 with altmetrics only, and 66 with citations only. Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted on all three lists of papers, further dividing the entire collection into three distinct periods. All the selected papers underwent detailed coding regarding open access, paper types, subject domains, and learner levels. Furthermore, we analysed the keywords occurring and visualized clusters of the co‐occurring keywords. Results and Conclusions: An intriguing finding is the significant correlation between media/social media mentions and academic citations in ChatGPT in education papers, underscoring the transformative potential of ChatGPT and the urgency of its incorporation into practice. Our keyword analysis also reveals distinctions between the themes of the papers that received both mentions and citations and those that received only citations but no mentions. Additionally, we noticed a limitation that authors' choice of keywords might be influenced by individual subjective judgements, potentially skewing results in thematic analysis based solely on author‐assigned keywords such as keyword co‐occurrence analysis. Henceforth, we advocate for developing a standardized keyword taxonomy in the educational technology field and integrating Large Language Models to enhance keyword analysis in altmetric and bibliometric tools. This study reveals that ChatGPT in education literature is evolving from rapid publication to rigorous research. Lay Description: What is currently known about this topic?: ChatGPT in education has seen a surge in publications driven by media hype.Early publications tend to lack rigour and reiterate known advantages/disadvantages.Literature reviews on ChatGPT in education have limitations in scope and depth.Some studies have explored altmetrics and bibliometrics in other fields. What does this paper add?: Combines altmetrics and bibliometrics to analyse publications of ChatGPT in education.Addresses challenges in the discourse by offering unconventional analysis methods.Identifies publication trends and investigates the relationship between media attention and citations.Determines key themes in the literature through keyword co‐occurrence analysis. Implications for practice/or policy: Expectations of continued growth in ChatGPT literature but with evolving publication trends.Distinctive characteristics of ChatGPT in education challenge keyword analysis.Proposes the development of a unified keyword taxonomy for clarity in the field.Suggests enhancing altmetrics and bibliometrics tools using Large Language Models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guided by the Boundary Activity based Learning (BABL) principle, mobile technology-supported inquiry learning activities were implemented in a primary four science class in Hong Kong. An exploratory study was conducted to examine the effects of the BABL guided inquiry activities on students' learning performance and to explore how the key element, the boundary object, operated in different learning spaces. In the study, mixed research methods were used to evaluate students' conceptual understanding and their engagement in and attitudes toward BABL activities. The reciprocal interactions of students' cognition were qualitatively analyzed in terms of the forms and functions of boundary objects in the BABL environment. The results showed that students made significant improvements in conceptual understanding and were engaged in BABL activities. The study also revealed that the generation of abstract boundary objects, together with physical boundary objects, promoted students' learning and thinking as they shuttled between the classroom and the outside. This research contributes to informing educators about how to design and implement technology-supported teaching and learning through the use of boundary objects in crossing learning contexts.

Many education systems have recognized the importance of computational thinking and coding skills and are implementing curricular changes to introduce coding into formal school education. A necessary and critical success factor involves the preparation of and support for teachers to teach coding. Thus, understanding the perceptions of teachers towards coding is most important, together with knowing the kinds of support they received, and their readiness and challenges to teach. The purpose of the current study is to compare teachers' attitudes towards the importance of information and communications technologies (ICT) skills and coding skills in Finland, Mainland China, Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea. The findings indicate that teachers in Finland, Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea believe that coding is useful even if students will not work in ICT jobs while Mainland Chinese teachers are undecided. Mainland China, Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea have more positive views towards how to prepare for future-ready learners.

Numerous studies have shown that learning is enhanced when students show interest in the subject matter. However, educators continue to grapple with the challenges, or simply do not recognize their potential roles, in the development of students' academic interest and interest in learning in general. This conceptual paper is written under the auspices of the interest-driven creator (IDC) initiative, a theoretical synthesis effort carried out by a group of educational researchers in Asia. The intention is to co-construct a holistic developmental/design framework to guide the students in fostering their learning interests, capabilities in creation, and learning habits--the three anchored concepts of IDC theory. This paper focuses on delineating a three-component "interest loop" to guide the design of a coherent learning process that encompasses a series of learning tasks. The three components are triggering interest, immersing interest, and extending interest. Underpinned by the rich literature on interest development, we will propose suitable design strategies for each of the three components, namely, curiosity, flow, and meaningfulness, respectively. We will then explicate their respective design considerations/principles to maximize the intended effects.

Interest-driven creator (IDC) theory is a design theory that intends to inform the design of future education in Asia. It consists of three anchored concepts, namely, interest, creation, and habit. This paper presents the third anchored concept habit as well as the habit loop. IDC theory assumes that learners, when driven by interest, can be engaged in knowledge creation. Furthermore, by repeating such process in their daily learning routines, learners will form interest-driven creation habits. The habit loop, the process of building such a habit, consists of three component concepts--cuing environment, routine, and harmony. The cuing environment is a habit trigger that tells the students' brain to get prepared and go into an automatic mode, letting a learning behavior unfold. Routine refers to the behavioral patterns the students repeat most often, literally etched into their neural pathways. Harmony refers to the affective outcome of the routine activity as well as the integration or stabilization of habits; that is, through the routine behavior and action, students may feel that their needs get fulfilled, feel satisfied, and experience inner peace. It is our hope that such habitual behavior of creating knowledge can be sustained so long that students ultimately become lifelong interest-driven creators. This paper focuses on the description of the three components of the habit loop and discusses how these components are related to the interest loop and the creation loop in supporting learners in developing their interest-driven creation capability.

"Heuristic approach" is a teachers' professional development (TPD) method supported by principled practical knowledge (PPK) which focuses on principled practical guidance that develops teachers' capacity in innovative learning designs. This study reports the key features of the design and implementation of a TPD programme aimed at facilitating teachers' experiential learning in designing and implementing seamless inquiry science learning (SISL). The TPD is based on the notion of fast and frugal heuristics which are supported by PPK and lead to actual classroom action. Two teacher case studies were analysed to investigate the teachers' learning trajectory underpinned by an experiential learning framework throughout the TPD programme. As learners of innovative pedagogy, the teachers explored the design and implementation of SISL with their students. The findings indicate that the TPD programme had a positive impact on three aspects of teachers' experiential learning: (a) acquiring new pedagogy; (b) improving knowledge and skills in the seamless inquiry science lesson (SISL) design and implementation; (c) nurturing reflective practices in teachers concerning the designing and implementation of SISL lessons. The teachers' professional reflection and growth through experiential learning processes demonstrate how heuristic-based TPD engaged them as creative and professional lesson designers, resulting in meaningful changes in classroom practices. Our data analysis concluded that the heuristic-based TPD should be designed in such a way that it is authentic, reflective, practice-based and focused on meaningful tasks for the teachers.

The interest-driven creator (IDC) theory is being developed as a group endeavor by Asian researchers to articulate a holistic learning design theory for future education in Asia. The theory hypothesizes that students, driven by "interest", can be engaged in the "creation" of knowledge (generating ideas and artifacts). By repeating this creation process in their daily learning routines, they will excel in learning performance, develop twenty-first-century competencies, and form creation "habits". We hope that with such practices in education, our future generations will ultimately become lifelong interest-driven creators. In IDC Theory, there are three "anchored" concepts, namely, interest, creation, and habit. Each anchored concept comprises three "component" concepts which form a "concept loop". For example, the creation loop consists of three component concepts--"imitating", "combining", and "staging". Imitating is concerned with taking in (or inputting) an abundant amount of existing knowledge from the outside world to form one's background knowledge. Combining refers to delivering (or outputting) new ideas or artifacts prolifically by synthesizing existing information encountered in the world and thoughts arising from the students' background knowledge. Staging relates to frequently demonstrating the generated ideas or artifacts to the relevant communities and receiving feedback from these communities to improve the novelty and value of the demonstrated outcomes while gaining social recognition and nurturing positive social emotions. This paper focuses on describing the three components of the creation loop. We provide three case studies to illustrate the creation loop at work, as well as how it intertwines with both the interest and habit loops in supporting students to develop their creation capabilities. In presenting this iteration of the creation concept, an anchored concept in IDC theory, we acknowledge the roles played of imitation, combination, and staging in different learning and education contexts--indeed, there are multiple theories that inform and intersect with it.

As we navigate through the twenty-first century, the realm of technology innovation is undergoing an unprecedented transformation. Artificial intelligence (AI), the result of combining human ingenuity, computing capacity, and technical know-how, is at the vanguard of this revolution. AI has developed from a theoretical vision of making machines think to a practical reality with a wide range of applications. Its transformation represents a paradigm change in human interaction, cognition, and learning, going beyond simple technological improvement. Within the realm of education, the potential for transformative change through AI is immense, presenting exciting prospects to revolutionize teaching and learning. However, it is crucial to know or at least acknowledge the accompanying risks. In this article, we embark on an exploration of the future of AI and education delving into its implications, promises and challenges for the education sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities, significantly impacted by the shift to online learning during pandemic, must critically evaluate their teaching methods and outcomes to enhance performance in the post‐pandemic era. However, there has been a limited examination of whether students achieved comparable levels in cognition and social interaction during the pandemic compared to traditional face‐to‐face learning. Addressing this gap, this exploratory study utilized a quasi‐experimental design to analyse and compare the learning performance and outcomes of two cohorts of students (totalling 45) in a 12‐week university course delivered through the computer‐supported collaborative learning (CSCL) approach, both during and after the pandemic. Employing quantitative analysis and lag sequential analysis, the study examined students' behaviours, similarities and differences in performance within CSCL environments under two distinct social situations. Results indicated that students engaged in complete online learning with CSCL and those in face‐to‐face teaching with CSCL achieved similar levels of conceptual understanding. Additionally, a comparable distribution pattern of learning behaviours was observed. However, significant differences in behaviour sequences emerged between the two implementations, with students exhibiting a higher level of engagement in CSCL activities during the post‐pandemic period. These findings inform the design of CSCL environments should integrate student‐centred activities and include guiding scripts, prompts and scaffoldings in navigating learning endeavours effectively. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic The CSCL environment could facilitate teacher‐student and student–student interaction in learning activities. Studies have been conducted on the impact of scripts and prompts on students' cognition and social interaction in CSCL environment. There is a crucial need for conducting more in‐depth data analysis to comprehensively explore the CSCL process within university settings. What this paper adds A well‐designed CSCL environment, coupled with effective instructional strategies, exhibits resilience, sustaining its beneficial effects on students' academic performance and interaction. Both cohorts demonstrated a proclivity for engaging in repetitive behaviours, particularly focused on reviewing and reading activities. The latter cohort displayed a preference for individual tasks over collaborative efforts, showcasing a relatively higher frequency of individual work as opposed to group activities. Notably absent in both groups were crucial behavioural sequences, namely VR‐IA and VC‐IA, underscoring potential areas for CSCL improvement. Implications for practice and/or policy In the CSCL environment, a variety of activities rooted in student‐centred pedagogy (ie, self‐regulated learning, inquiry‐based learning and peer feedback) should be seamlessly integrated. It is recommended to furnish students with scripts, prompts and scaffoldings to bolster their navigation through collaborative and independent learning endeavours within CSCL environment. Students are encouraged to bridge their newly acquired knowledge with their existing understanding, for enhancing engagement and promoting deeper comprehension. What is already known about this topic The CSCL environment could facilitate teacher‐student and student–student interaction in learning activities. Studies have been conducted on the impact of scripts and prompts on students' cognition and social interaction in CSCL environment. There is a crucial need for conducting more in‐depth data analysis to comprehensively explore the CSCL process within university settings. What this paper adds A well‐designed CSCL environment, coupled with effective instructional strategies, exhibits resilience, sustaining its beneficial effects on students' academic performance and interaction. Both cohorts demonstrated a proclivity for engaging in repetitive behaviours, particularly focused on reviewing and reading activities. The latter cohort displayed a preference for individual tasks over collaborative efforts, showcasing a relatively higher frequency of individual work as opposed to group activities. Notably absent in both groups were crucial behavioural sequences, namely VR‐IA and VC‐IA, underscoring potential areas for CSCL improvement. Implications for practice and/or policy In the CSCL environment, a variety of activities rooted in student‐centred pedagogy (ie, self‐regulated learning, inquiry‐based learning and peer feedback) should be seamlessly integrated. It is recommended to furnish students with scripts, prompts and scaffoldings to bolster their navigation through collaborative and independent learning endeavours within CSCL environment. Students are encouraged to bridge their newly acquired knowledge with their existing understanding, for enhancing engagement and promoting deeper comprehension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In traditional mathematics education, students have typically been asked to solve lots of tedious and uninteresting exercises for developing the arithmetic skills of addition and subtraction. The paper provides an account of learning arithmetic skills in a more interesting way through the collaborative playing of a puzzle game. 83 students in three classes in Grade 4 were asked to solve arithmetic problems with three different methods: via playing an adapted "cross number puzzle" game on Group Scribbles (GS) collaboratively, via playing the same game on GS individually, and via the traditional method of teaching and learning, i.e. with no games at all. Analysis of the pre and post learning achievement data reveals that the two classes who played the game performed better than the control class, with the collaborative class students achieving better than the individual class students. By playing the game, low-ability students, in particular, made the most significant progress in arithmetic capability and in building up their confidence in doing arithmetic calculations. (Contains 14 tables and 11 figures.)