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This study aims to understand teachers' Personal Practical Knowledge to provide future teacher educators with essential points for improving teacher training programs. The study was conducted with six teachers in the primary education context, using narrative inquiry as a qualitative approach. The semi-structured interview with teachers indicated that they had a rich knowledge of factors affecting the success of the teaching profession. As such, data analysis of teachers' transcripts using open, axial, and selective coding resulted in five main themes crucial for future teacher educators to consider for developing effective teacher training programs: (1) Entwined and complicated aspects of teaching, (2) Effective communication is key, (3) Ineffectiveness of theoretical versus practical courses, (4) Being ignored by society, and (5) Losing the dream of being perfect. The paper concludes with implications for the theory and practice in the teacher education field.

This study compared the effects of worked example and scripting on students' argumentative peer feedback, essay and learning qualities. Participants were 80 BSc students who were randomly divided over 40 dyads and assigned to two experimental conditions (worked example and scripting). An online peer feedback environment named EduTech was designed and students were tasked with writing an argumentative essay, engaging in peer feedback, and revising their essay. The results indicate that students in the scripting condition benefited more than students in the worked example condition regarding peer feedback quality. Furthermore, the scores of students in both conditions improved from pre-test to post-test in terms of argumentative essay writing and learning. This difference was significant, however, between the two conditions only with regard to argumentative essay writing favoring the scripting condition. We explain how each of these approaches can be used to improve students' argumentative peer feedback and essay writing and learning.

This study conceptualizes "digital divide" among school children. The concept of digital divide is elaborated on the basis of the layers of technology adoption such as "access", "effective use" and "the social envelope" around children's use of home computers. In this study, a theoretical framework of "digital divide" is proposed consisting of social, economic, individual and cultural aspects of the digital divide among children. This theoretical framework suggests that socio-economic status effect goes beyond ownership and extends into meaningful education use of home computers. We argue that inequalities among children can strongly be affected by the economic/social/cultural environment around home computing i.e. parents' computing practices at home and the home learning environment. As a result, we argue that access to a supportive 'social envelope' is the area in which most digital inequalities exist rather than the physical access to the hardware or even usage time.

This study presents a pattern for Home Computer Use (HCU) and its relation to children's social and behavioural development during primary education. This study answers whether and how HCU (either educational or recreational) during primary school is related to children's social/ behavioural development such as self-regulation, anti-social behaviour and pro-social behaviour. To do so, information about types and frequency of HCU from nearly 2000 children were analysed using hierarchical linear regression and path analysis on children ranging from 3 to 11 years old. Hierarchical linear regression was applied to study the main effects (i.e. direct effects) and the path analysis was used to investigate mediating (i.e. indirect effects) of HCU on children outcomes. The results showed that the use of HCU for playing games has a linear and negative association with children's Pro-social behaviour as reported by class teachers in Year 6, while the effects of other background characteristics were partialled out. Two other social/behavioural outcomes--anti-social behaviour and self-regulation--were not associated with children's HCU over and beyond what can be predicted based on children's prior social/behavioural profile and their demographic background characteristics. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

This study investigates the impact of children's Home Computer Use (HCU), both educational and recreational, on their achievement in Reading and Mathematics during primary school. The data are taken from a longitudinal study in England called Effective Provision of Preschool, Primary and Secondary Education (EPPSE). Hierarchical linear regressions were employed to investigate the main (direct) effects, and path analyses were applied to study the mediation (indirect) effects of HCU on pupils' school achievement. The main effect models indicated that HCU has very little 'extra' impact on children's school results over and beyond their prior achievement and demographic background. By contrast, results from path analyses showed a statistically significant mediation effect, through the home learning environment and self-regulation, on children's Reading and Mathematics scores. The implications of the findings for policy and practice are also discussed.

This study compared the effects of support for peer feedback, peer feedforward and their combination on students' peer learning processes, argumentative essay quality and domain-specific learning. Participants were 86 BSc students who were randomly divided over 43 dyads. These dyads, in a two-factorial experimental design, were assigned to four conditions including: peer feedback (n = 22), peer feedforward (n = 22), mixed (n = 20) and control group (n = 22) conditions. An online peer feedback environment named EduTech was designed which allowed us to implement various types of support in the form of question prompts. In this online environment, students were asked to write an argumentative essay on a controversial topic, to engage in peer learning processes and to revise their essay. Overall, the results showed that students in the three experimental conditions (peer feedback, peer feedforward and their combination) benefited more than students in the control group condition (without any support) in term of peer learning processes, argumentative essay quality and domain-specific learning. However, there was no significant difference among the three experimental conditions. This implies that peer feedforward can be as important as peer feedback in collaborative learning environments which is often neglected both in theory and practice.

Digital gamification has been argued to be a fun and enjoyable method to support Learning English as a Second Language (LESL) and to ease the gap between students' learning and educational practice. This systematic review presents an overview of the state of the art on the use of gamification for LESL in digital environments. Furthermore, this review study maps learning experiences of learners and their learning outcomes when they deal with LESL through gamification. For this systematic review, 22 publications dating from 2008 through 2019 were studied to highlight the foci of this field of research. Although, these studies reported positive effects of gamification on learners' learning experiences and their learning outcomes, none of the publications reported specific gamification elements associated to the learning experiences and outcomes. Being enjoyable, engaging, motivating and fun were positive learning experiences of gamified LESL environments. Content language learning, engagement, motivation, and satisfaction were targeted learning outcomes of gamified LESL. The results of this study provide suggestions on how to design digital gamification for students' LESL and their corresponding learning experiences and outcomes.

This study compared the effects of worked example and scripting on students' argumentative peer feedback, essay and learning qualities. Participants were 80 BSc students who were randomly divided over 40 dyads and assigned to two experimental conditions (worked example and scripting). An online peer feedback environment named EduTech was designed and students were tasked with writing an argumentative essay, engaging in peer feedback, and revising their essay. The results indicate that students in the scripting condition benefited more than students in the worked example condition regarding peer feedback quality. Furthermore, the scores of students in both conditions improved from pre-test to post-test in terms of argumentative essay writing and learning. This difference was significant, however, between the two conditions only with regard to argumentative essay writing favoring the scripting condition. We explain how each of these approaches can be used to improve students' argumentative peer feedback and essay writing and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital gamification has been argued to be a fun and enjoyable method to support Learning English as a Second Language (LESL) and to ease the gap between students' learning and educational practice. This systematic review presents an overview of the state of the art on the use of gamification for LESL in digital environments. Furthermore, this review study maps learning experiences of learners and their learning outcomes when they deal with LESL through gamification. For this systematic review, 22 publications dating from 2008 through 2019 were studied to highlight the foci of this field of research. Although, these studies reported positive effects of gamification on learners' learning experiences and their learning outcomes, none of the publications reported specific gamification elements associated to the learning experiences and outcomes. Being enjoyable, engaging, motivating and fun were positive learning experiences of gamified LESL environments. Content language learning, engagement, motivation, and satisfaction were targeted learning outcomes of gamified LESL. The results of this study provide suggestions on how to design digital gamification for students' LESL and their corresponding learning experiences and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a pattern for Home Computer Use (HCU) and its relation to children's social and behavioural development during primary education. This study answers whether and how HCU (either educational or recreational) during primary school is related to children's social/ behavioural development such as self-regulation, anti-social behaviour and pro-social behaviour. To do so, information about types and frequency of HCU from nearly 2000 children were analysed using hierarchical linear regression and path analysis on children ranging from 3 to 11 years old. Hierarchical linear regression was applied to study the main effects (i.e. direct effects) and the path analysis was used to investigate mediating (i.e. indirect effects) of HCU on children outcomes. The results showed that the use of HCU for playing games has a linear and negative association with children's Pro-social behaviour as reported by class teachers in Year 6, while the effects of other background characteristics were partialled out. Two other social/behavioural outcomes - anti-social behaviour and self-regulation - were not associated with children's HCU over and beyond what can be predicted based on children's prior social/behavioural profile and their demographic background characteristics. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact of children's Home Computer Use (HCU), both educational and recreational, on their achievement in Reading and Mathematics during primary school. The data are taken from a longitudinal study in England called Effective Provision of Preschool, Primary and Secondary Education (EPPSE). Hierarchical linear regressions were employed to investigate the main (direct) effects, and path analyses were applied to study the mediation (indirect) effects of HCU on pupils' school achievement. The main effect models indicated that HCU has very little 'extra' impact on children's school results over and beyond their prior achievement and demographic background. By contrast, results from path analyses showed a statistically significant mediation effect, through the home learning environment and self-regulation, on children's Reading and Mathematics scores. The implications of the findings for policy and practice are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]