Search

Culturally responsive student-teacher relationships are critical to the academic success and social-emotional learning (SEL) outcomes of students of color and/or students from low-income backgrounds. Yet, little is known about how students' perceptions of their schools' culturally responsive environment are related to the quality of student-teacher relationships. To address this gap, the current study examined how students' perceptions of their school's culturally responsive environment contributes to positive student-teacher developmental relationships, and in turn, their academic motivation and SEL. A total of 2,069 public middle and high school students of color from 46 schools across the country were surveyed (51.4% female; M[subscript age] = 13.4, SD = 1.86; 30.7% Hispanic or Latina/o/x, 30.4% Multiracial or Multiethnic, 17.5% Black or African American, 12.4% Asian or Pacific Islander, 8.7% American Indian or Alaska Native; 0.4% identified as another race or ethnicity). Students' perceptions of their school as a culturally responsive environment were both directly and indirectly associated with greater academic motivation and SEL via stronger student-teacher developmental relationships. Findings have important implications for school administrators' and school psychologists' efforts to create more culturally responsive education environments.

Despite the widely recognised impact of both digital and physical spaces as active contributors to teaching and learning processes, relatively little is known about the learning environment. Furthermore, it is time to explore the interplay between these two spaces. Therefore, we proposed employing a holistic approach to develop a new conceptual model for Designing Teaching and Learning Environments (DTALE). To do this, the paper presents first a critical review of the research literature underpinning learning environments, with a particular interest in the integration of the physical and digital spaces, to develop the DTALE model. In the second step, the DTALE model has been developed and validated by applying the model to existing cases from different contexts. Based on the study's findings, we outline the implications for theory and practice. Limitations and suggestions for future research are also included.

Plants display a range of temporal patterns of inter-annual reproduction, from relatively constant seed production to mast seeding, the synchronized and highly variable interannual seed production of plants within a population. Previous efforts have compiled global records of seed production in long-lived plants to gain insight into seed production, forest and animal population dynamics, and the effects of global change on masting. Existing datasets focus on seed production dynamics at the population scale but are limited in their ability to examine community-level mast seeding dynamics across different plant species at the continental scale. We harmonized decades of plant reproduction data for 141 woody plant species across nine Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) or long-term ecological monitoring sites from a wide range of habitats across the United States. Plant reproduction data are reported annually between 1957 and 2021 and based on either seed traps or seed and/or cone counts on individual trees. A wide range of woody plant species including trees, shrubs, and lianas are represented within sites allowing for direct community-level comparisons among species. We share code for filtering of data that enables the comparison of plot and individual tree data across sites. For each species, we compiled relevant life history attributes (e.g., seed mass, dispersal syndrome, seed longevity, sexual system) that may serve as important predictors of mast seeding in future analyses. To aid in phylogenetically informed analyses, we also share a phylogeny and phylogenetic distance matrix for all species in the dataset. These data can be used to investigate continent-scale ecological properties of seed production, including individual and population variability, synchrony within and across species, and how these properties of seed production vary in relation to plant species traits and environmental conditions. In addition, these data can be used to assess how annual variability in seed production is associated with climate conditions and how that varies across populations, species, and regions. The dataset is released under a CC0 1.0 Universal public domain license.

This paper reports the results of a study conducted in an elementary education mathematics methods course aimed at increasing elementary preservice teachers' (EPTs) level of professional noticing. Weekly reflections conducted by EPTs from tutoring sessions were video recorded and scored using the Framework for Learning to Notice Student Mathematical Thinking Rubric developed by Van E (2011) to determine the EPTs' level of noticing. Participants were also asked to complete a pre- and post-reflection of their mentor teacher's classroom to assess how the noticing intervention might translate to observations in the classroom. A final component of data collection included reflections from a comparison group of EPTs. Results indicated that there were no significant changes in the tutoring reflections for the participating or comparison group of EPTs. However, the participating group of EPTs demonstrated a significant increase in their level of noticing for classroom observations, providing evidence that levels of noticing could translate between instructional settings.

The Australian Universities Accord's (Department of Education, 2024) focus on expanding underrepresented groups' access to higher education underscores an on-campus-online paradigm shift, or post-pandemic digital transformation, to address students' flexibility and accessibility needs. The shift identifies that online student engagement, and students' learning outcomes, need to be effective and fit for purpose if students are to succeed. Conducted as one phase of a longitudinal project (2017-present), this research investigated the approaches and strategies that could be incorporated to facilitate students' online engagement. Findings suggest that these strategies could be encapsulated under five key conditions: fashioning a strong teacher presence; crafting an inclusive and safe online learning environment; creating well-structured and interesting content; forging explicit expectation management; and ensuring students have time to engage. This article argues that if educators are purposeful in applying these conditions, employing targeted, specific strategies in their curriculum design and teaching, students' online engagement, and their learning outcomes, will be enhanced.

This article reports on an exploratory case study that applied the Community of Inquiry framework in the K-12 Philippine setting, where there are limited studies on blended learning interactions and experiences. The study examined blended learning interactions across three schools in the Philippine K-12 system to investigate the following: (1) what is the nature of interactions in the blended learning classes? and (2) how do the interactions indicate learning communities as outcomes of blended learning? A mixed method approach to data collection was undertaken, which included student surveys, focus group discussions, teacher interviews, and class observations. The constant comparative analysis uncovered thick descriptions of blended learning interactions. Findings uncovered three themes on blended learning across levels of interactions within the Community of Inquiry presences: (i) best of both worlds, (ii) learning anytime and anywhere, and (iii) learning with technology. Descriptive statistics indicated high mean ratings across the presences, revealing positive experiences afforded by the use of various technologies and social media. The study concluded that learning communities are an outcome of blended learning interactions. A Developmental Model for K-12 Blended Learning Communities was recommended to inform teacher professional development on pedagogies and practices supportive of learning community building in contexts where blended learning may continue to thrive.

Ensuring quality education for all students requires teachers to possess knowledge and skills in utilising digital technologies effectively for teaching and learning. This study explored how pre-service teachers (PSTs) perceive their digital attitude, efficacy, literacy, engagement, and understanding of digital technologies in an online learning environment. The study employed a mixed-methods research approach. A survey comprising Likert Scale questions and demographic information was administered to 110 PSTs from a regional university. Descriptive statistics were employed to investigate the relationship between PSTs' understanding of digital technologies and their attitude, literacy, self-efficacy, and learning engagement in online learning. To illustrate the frequently used words in participants' definitions of digital technologies, a 'word cloud' representation was utilised, accompanied by quantitative weightings of key terms. The study revealed significant connections between PST self-efficacy and their attitudes toward digital technologies, digital literacies, and learner engagement. Notably, most of the PSTs exhibited narrower definitions of digital technologies than anticipated. The implications of these findings for course design are discussed, emphasising the need to address PSTs' perceptions of digital technologies, foster their self-efficacy, and enhance their digital literacy and engagement in online learning environments. Understanding these factors can lead to more effective integration of digital technologies in teacher education program courses, ultimately preparing future teachers for digital-age classrooms.

Background: Like other professional training programs, social work pedagogy has long recognized the value of experiential learning for professional development. Despite social work's rich experiential learning literature involving field education, direct practice courses, and program evaluation, there is a dearth of literature examining how to make learning in the policy classroom experiential, particularly for large class sizes. Purpose: We asked, "How might electoral candidate debates provide experiential learning opportunities for large classes?" Approach: The authors organized municipal and federal election candidate debates attended in-person and online by over 300 undergraduate students in a social work policy class at a Canadian university. Integrating our experiences as instructors/organizers and a teaching assistant, within a social constructivist framework, we used Kolb's experiential learning theory, and critiques thereof, to analyze reflective assignments from 73 students. Results and Conclusions: Candidate debates, when facilitated appropriately, can encourage students in large courses to work through the stages of experiential learning and consider related concepts and possible links among social justice course content and social policy, social work practice, and political engagement. Implications: The paper contributes to a broader understanding of the opportunities and constraints associated with employing experiential learning in the large social work classroom and beyond.

Peter G Whang,1 Emily Darr,2 S Craig Meyer,3 Don Kovalsky,4 Clay Frank,5 Harry Lockstadt,6 Robert Limoni,7 Andy J Redmond,8 Philip Ploska,9 Michael Oh,10 Abhineet Chowdhary,11 Daniel Cher,12 Travis Hillen13 1Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; 2Department of Orthopaedics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA; 3Columbia Orthopaedic Medical Group, Columbia, Mo, USA; 4Orthopaedic Center of Southern Illinois, Mt. Vernon, IL, USA; 5Integrated Spine Care, Wawautosa, WI, USA; 6Bluegrass Orthopedics, Lexington, KY, USA; 7BayCare Clinic Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Green Bay, WI, USA; 8Precision Spine Care, Tyler, TX, USA; 9OrthoSpine Solutions, Stockbridge, GA, USA; 10Department of Neurosurgery, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; 11Neuroscience Institute, Overlake Hospital, Bellevue, WA, USA; 12Clinical Affairs, SI-BONE, Inc, Santa Clara, CA, USA; 13Department of Radiology, Division of Diagnostic Radiology, Musculoskeletal Section, Washington University St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USACorrespondence: Peter G WhangDepartment of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Yale University School of Medicine, P.O. Box 208071, New Haven, CT 06520-8071, USAEmail peter.whang@yale.eduBackground: Accumulating evidence supports the long-term safety and effectiveness of minimally invasive sacroiliac joint fusion (SIJF) for sacroiliac joint dysfunction.Objective: To report 5-year clinical and radiographic follow-up in patients undergoing SIJF using triangular titanium implants (TTI).Methods: One hundred and three subjects at 12 centers treated with SIJF using TTI in two prospective clinical trials (NCT01640353 and NCT01681004) were enrolled and followed in the current study (NCT02270203) with clinic visits at 3, 4 and 5 years. CT scans performed at 5 years were compared to prior CT scans (at 1 or 2 years) by an independent radiologist.Results: Compared to baseline scores, SIJ pain scores at 5 years decreased by a mean of 54 points, disability scores (Oswestry Disability Index) decreased by 26 points, and quality of life scores (EuroQOL-5D time trade-off index) increased by 0.29 points (0–1 scale) (all p

The fundamental trade-off between current and future reproduction has long been considered to result in a tendency for species that can grow large to begin reproduction at a larger size. Due to the prolonged time required to reach maturity, estimates of tree maturation size remain very rare and we lack a global view on the generality and the shape of this trade-off. Using seed production from five continents, we estimate tree maturation sizes for 486 tree species spanning tropical to boreal climates. Results show that a species' maturation size increases with maximum size, but in a non-proportional way: the largest species begin reproduction at smaller sizes than would be expected if maturation were simply proportional to maximum size. Furthermore, the decrease in relative maturation size is steepest in cold climates. These findings on maturation size drivers are key to accurately represent forests' responses to disturbance and climate change.

Emily Darr,1 S Craig Meyer,2 Peter G Whang,3 Don Kovalsky,4 Clay Frank,5 Harry Lockstadt,6 Robert Limoni,7 Andy Redmond,8 Philip Ploska,9 Michael Y Oh,10 Daniel Cher,11 Abhineet Chowdhary12 1Orthopaedics and Physical Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA; 2Columbia Orthopaedic Medical Group, Columbia, MO, USA; 3Department of Orthopedics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA; 4Orthopaedic Center of Southern Illinois, Mt. Vernon, IL, USA; 5Integrated Spine Care, Wauwatosa, WI, USA; 6Bluegrass Orthopedics, Lexington, KY, USA; 7Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, BayCare Clinic, Green Bay, WI, USA; 8Precision Spine Care, Tyler, TX, USA; 9OrthoSpine Solutions, Stockbridge, GA, USA; 10Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; 11SI-BONE, Inc., San Jose, CA, USA; 12Overlake Medical Center, Bellevue, WA, USA Background: Minimally invasive sacroiliac joint fusion (SIJF) has become an increasingly accepted surgical option for chronic sacroiliac (SI) joint dysfunction, a prevalent cause of unremitting low back/buttock pain. Objective: The objective of this study was to report clinical and functional outcomes of SIJF using triangular titanium implants (TTI) in the treatment of chronic SI joint dysfunction due to degenerative sacroiliitis or sacroiliac joint (SIJ) disruption at 3 years postoperatively. Methods: A total of 103 subjects with SIJ dysfunction at 12 centers were treated with TTI in two prospective clinical trials (NCT01640353 and NCT01681004) and enrolled in this long-term follow-up study (NCT02270203). Subjects were evaluated in study clinics at study start and again at 3, 4, and 5 years. Results: Mean (SD) preoperative SIJ pain score was 81.5, and mean preoperative Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was 56.3. At 3 years, mean pain SIJ pain score decreased to 26.2 (a 55-point improvement from baseline, p

Background: A resurgence in teaching coding in primary school classrooms has led to a pedagogical swing towards using physical computing and coding to develop students' use of algorithms, computational thinking, and problem-solving skills. Two obstacles impede the optimal development of these objectives: the availability of a suitable pedagogy and an instructional sequencing model for primary school teachers to effectively present coding and computational thinking concepts and skills to students in alignment with their developmental stage. Objective: This study aims to address both obstacles by introducing the 3C Model, a newly developed instructional sequence grounded in established pedagogies and designed to effectively teach coding and computational thinking skills to primary school students based on their developmental stage. Methods: The qualitative study employed two data sources to triangulate findings, using: (1) semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis to investigate 11 primary school students' perceptions of their learning experiences with the 3C Model, and (2) researcher observations along with reflections of the students' developed and demonstrated learning through the method of knowing-in-action, reflection-in-action, and reflection-on-action. Results and Conclusions: The findings of this study fill a gap in the existing literature by demonstrating that the pedagogical and sequential approach embedded in the 3C Model not only enhanced students' engagement levels but also resulted in improved curriculum learning outcomes. The 3C Model provides teachers with a coherent and age-appropriate instructional structure. It uses physical computing devices and digital coding platforms to introduce coding concepts, furthering the development of computational thinking skills in primary school students beyond mere procedural and rote learning. Implications: The study holds important implications for practical applications, as it addresses an absence in the literature of an established pedagogy and instructional sequencing model for effectively teaching coding and computational thinking concepts and skills to primary school students. Drawing on established pedagogical and developmental learning theories, the 3C Model provides primary school teachers with an engaging, age-appropriate instructional method that avoids decontextualised teaching and surface-based learning. Instead, it encourages collaborative student work and contextualised learning, steering away from isolated and generic approaches.

This paper reports on research that extends knowledge about higher education students' perceptions of online engagement. In particular, the study aimed to identify what students thought engagement was and how they experienced it. Understanding students' views about online engagement will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the topic and should assist instructional designers to support academic staff to develop online courses that are more likely to engage their students. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study found that students felt most engaged with learning when doing practical, hands-on activities. Additional findings from the qualitative and quantitative data are highlighted, with some differences between the students' perceptions in the different types of data, particularly concerning social engagement. This suggests that further research is warranted. The paper offers several practical implications for student learning.