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Background: The concept of psychological vulnerability is associated with the individual's maladaptive cognitive beliefs, such as self-criticism, perfectionism, and the need for external validation and approval, reducing the individual's ability to cope with negative life experiences. This study aimed to explore psychometric proprieties of the Psychological Vulnerability Scale in secondary school students. Methods: A psychometric study was conducted with a non-probabilistic sample of 1,875 secondary school students (55.5% female) aged 15 to over 18 years. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire that included demographic information, the Psychological Vulnerability Scale, and a Positive Mental Health questionnaire. Results: Analysis revealed acceptable skewness values (between −0.557 and 0.6385) and kurtosis (ranging from −1.29 to −0.704). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicated excellent global fit indices, confirming the original structure. Invariance testing between genders demonstrated that the Psychological Vulnerability Scale was consistent for boys and girls (configural invariance) and that each item contributed similarly to the construct (metric invariance). The Psychological Vulnerability Scale showed good internal consistency, with an ordinal Cronbach's alfa above 0.70. Reliability estimates, including inter-item reliability or MacDonald's Omega, indicated mean item-inter correlations falling within the recommended range of 0.15–0.50. Conclusion: The Psychological Vulnerability Scale is a reliable tool that allows health professionals to assess the psychological vulnerability of individuals in both clinical (e.g., hospitals, health centers) and non-clinical (e.g., schools, universities) contexts throughout the life cycle (e.g., young people, adults, and older adults). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Soft skills are increasingly promoted in curricula, writ large in its scholarly interest over the last decade. Yet systematic literature reviews covering all educational stages are lacking. This review addresses this gap by examining soft skills interventions across all educational levels, evaluating their characteristics, design quality, and outcomes. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted across ERIC, Scopus, Informit A+ Education, and Google Scholar databases from 2012 to 2022 to identify peer-reviewed studies on soft skills interventions within education curricula at all levels. Study characteristics were extracted, analysed and synthesised to inform conclusion. Quality assessment was performed using The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) and the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) evaluation tools. This study is registered at PROSPERO (CRD42022309833). Results: The search yielded 5,689 records, and after eligibility assessment, 38 studies were included. These studies employed various interventions that span three categories namely, workshop-based, creative-based, and project-based approaches, to enhance students' soft skills. Reported outcomes encompassed improved soft skills, employability, career planning, social–emotional learning, academic performance, and reduced issues like violence, drug abuse, depression, and bullying. Quality appraisal using CASP and EPHPP tools identified three studies as "best practice" among the 38. The review highlights diverse interventions and positive impacts on students' holistic development through soft skills programs. Conclusion: The analysis of 38 studies underscores the shortage of literature on soft skills in primary and secondary schools compared to universities, a lack of high-quality "best practice" resources for soft skills development, and a tendency for control group participants to miss vital soft skills training. While randomised controlled trials (RCTs), considered as gold standard, informed 'best practice' studies, RCTs may not fully capture the nuances of complex social interventions like soft skills programs. Therefore, there is need for alternative approaches, such as continuous quality improvement studies using mixed methods. Consequently, we recommended that future research consider these aspects to enhance the effectiveness of soft skills development in curricula. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display%5frecord.php?ID=CRD42022309833, identifier CRD42022309833. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Caribbean Examinations Council data from 2011 to 2021 for the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) Council (2011–2021) shows many Jamaican secondary students failing to pass the Mathematics and English examinations. Discussions on the failings have focused on adults' views, excluding student's voices. This study sampled twelve 15–16-year-old rural Jamaican secondary students to hear their understanding and interpretation of academic performance and success and how these terms should be defined. A convenience sample and an interpretivist paradigm within a social constructionism framework were applied. Data was collected using photovoice, audio journaling, one-on-one interviews, and focus group discussion; a focus coding technique was used to find themes and present the findings. The data showed participants understood the definitions of the terms but interpreted them as stereotyping labels that adversely impacted many students' performance and post-secondary success. The findings underscore the importance of hearing students' voices to better understand academic outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we sought to understand the contexts, experiences, and needs among a sample of U.S. secondary education stakeholders to inform both a theoretical framework and policy contexts underpinning college and career readiness (CCR). Results confirmed a theoretically constructed framework of academic and non-academic CCR skills, with participants offering descriptions that validated and extended the framework. In addition, participants provided critical understandings of educational contexts in which CCR occurs, with both policy constraints and facilitative influences described. Participants identified strategies, policies, and practices to support student readiness for college and career outcomes. Finally, we provide study limitations and implications for research, policy, and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The confrontation with the recent past has been a central component of the Colombian transitional panorama for almost 20 years. Since the Colombian state recognized its duty of remembrance, the National Center for Historical Memory has published more than 100 reports that contribute to an understanding of the causes of the Colombian armed conflict and a recognition of the crimes against humanity that occurred in this context. These reports, however, are known only to a small group of experts. At the same time, the Colombian armed conflict is an experience shared by many and producing a multiplicity of different narratives, so it is unlikely that people lack knowledge about their past or have a stance towards it. In fact, the confrontation with the recent past is a topic that gives rise to bitter disputes. This study addresses the gap that exists between institutional and academic efforts, on the one hand, and collective and individual memories on the other. To gather information on the channels and methods of learning as well as the interpretations given to historical events, we carried out an exploration of historical consciousness of secondary students, understanding school as the place where formal and non-formal channels of knowledge transmission meet. To do this, we applied a digital questionnaire and conducted interviews with students and teachers from different regions of Colombia in order to answer the questions where the knowledge about the past comes from, what are the channels through which people learn about their past and turn it to a meaningful story and what is the overall meaning of the past and, specifically, the meaning of the armed conflict for people. Drawing inspiration from works that blend academic research with graphic storytelling, and driven by the belief that university-generated knowledge should reach broader audiences through engaging formats, we created the comic The Tenses of Historical Consciousness, which accompanies this article. This comic fictionalizes real situations, characters, and spaces to depict aspects of the research process and its findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate the effectiveness of accommodation policies and teaching practices for secondary students with mild intellectual disabilities, the present study compared the probability that the secondary school accommodated students- if they received assistive technology, computer, and various combinations of accommodations for the provincial math and literacy assessments in Ontario, Canada- would acquire levels of academic achievement comparable to non-accommodated counterparts. Methods: A total of 217 bundled packages, consisting of multiple accommodations, for secondary students with mild intellectual disabilities were examined by an adjusted odds ratio method in the present study. Results: Our results suggest that the probability of achieving the literacy standards differed among students with mild intellectual disabilities in relation to who did or did not receive specific combinations of accommodations. We found that accommodations that involved computer and/or assistive technology were more beneficial for literacy, rather than the math assessment, for accommodated students with mild intellectual disabilities. Conclusion: Our findings help identify the computer-based accommodations that produced significant differential effects on literacy in students with mild intellectual disabilities. Implications for education and future research are also discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluating the credibility of online information, a key component of digital literacy, is challenging for secondary students because they often rely on superficial strategies that do little to help them differentiate between information and disinformation. For example, our research has shown that students are prone to believe sites that appear professional but are in fact of a more nefarious nature (e.g., fake news sites designed to intentionally deceive). For this Description of Classroom Practices report, we describe a series of six lessons that we designed with secondary EAL teachers that help students think critically about online information while supporting their growth as additional language learners. We found that the lessons helped students evaluate the credibility of online sources holistically by evaluating within and across content, source, and context. After reporting the students’ overall positive comments about the materials, we describe their favourite activity in more detail with scaffolding suggestions.

The rise of global health risks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, has raised concerns about how people can protect themselves. The global financial crisis has exposed the many shortcomings in the education system. This includes the lack of adequate resources and supportive environments for learning. This descriptive-comparative research was participated in by 583 secondary and tertiary students from private and government school/universities who are currently undergoing the blended learning modality. The Students Counseling Needs Inventory (SCNI) by Patio (2014) was administered to determine the needs of the students aptly dubbed as Gen C. Gen C is a moniker for Generation COVID - a coined terminology for the learners who are experiencing the abrupt changes in the new normal education setting, brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The results indicated a significant difference between the respondents' personal-social and spiritual needs. This disparity suggests that personal-social and spiritual needs are distinct and may not align uniformly across the entire spectrum of individual requirements. Also, it was shown that under blended learning, respondents feel shy to approach and meet other people and mostly, lack self-confidence. Data also revealed that they experience concerns about their relationship with their parents, with other people, and with themselves. Further, they are interested to know the possible jobs that they could pursue after college. Spiritually, despite the situation, they believe that they are blessed. The needs assessment output is intended to be the springboard for the formulation of a guidance program specifically designed to address these needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Error analysis is a technique that identifies and classifies the inappropriate forms that foreign language learners produce (Crystal, 1987), and it is considered a useful tool for helping them improve their writing skills. The study investigated the secondary students' common errors in writing English paragraphs. During the first term of the school year 2023-2024, 43 grade 7 students from a secondary school in Hanoi participated in a descriptive quantitative research project. The participants were asked to complete three writing tests at three different times to generate their written errors based on Ferris' (2014) model of error analysis. The findings indicate that the types of errors that grade 7 students made are lexical errors, syntactic errors, morphological errors, orthographical errors, and paragraph errors. Lexical, syntactic, and orthographical errors are greatly committed by the students. Accordingly, it comes to the conclusion that secondary students in general and 7th graders in particular struggle with writing English paragraphs. The results of the research would also give the secondary teachers of English some implications, such as focusing on grammatical patterns, emphasizing irregular instances, offering adequate practice opportunities, implementing explicit instructions, and engaging students in interactive exercises, visual aids, collaborative activities, authentic materials, etc. to mitigate the students' written errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundThe concept of psychological vulnerability is associated with the individual’s maladaptive cognitive beliefs, such as self-criticism, perfectionism, and the need for external validation and approval, reducing the individual’s ability to cope with negative life experiences. This study aimed to explore psychometric proprieties of the Psychological Vulnerability Scale in secondary school students.MethodsA psychometric study was conducted with a non-probabilistic sample of 1,875 secondary school students (55.5% female) aged 15 to over 18 years. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire that included demographic information, the Psychological Vulnerability Scale, and a Positive Mental Health questionnaire.ResultsAnalysis revealed acceptable skewness values (between −0.557 and 0.6385) and kurtosis (ranging from −1.29 to −0.704). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicated excellent global fit indices, confirming the original structure. Invariance testing between genders demonstrated that the Psychological Vulnerability Scale was consistent for boys and girls (configural invariance) and that each item contributed similarly to the construct (metric invariance). The Psychological Vulnerability Scale showed good internal consistency, with an ordinal Cronbach’s alfa above 0.70. Reliability estimates, including inter-item reliability or MacDonald’s Omega, indicated mean item-inter correlations falling within the recommended range of 0.15–0.50.ConclusionThe Psychological Vulnerability Scale is a reliable tool that allows health professionals to assess the psychological vulnerability of individuals in both clinical (e.g., hospitals, health centers) and non-clinical (e.g., schools, universities) contexts throughout the life cycle (e.g., young people, adults, and older adults).

Abstract Research indicates that COVID-19 has had adverse effects on the mental health of adolescents, exacerbating their negative psychological states. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of Physical Literacy (PL) on Negative Mental State caused by COVID-19 (NMSC) and identify potential factors related to NMSC and PL in Chinese adolescents. This cross-sectional study involved a total of 729 Chinese high school students with an average age of 16.2 ± 1.1 years. Participants’ demographic data, PL data, and NMSC data were collected. PL and NMSC were measured using the self-reported Portuguese Physical Literacy Assessment Questionnaire (PPLA-Q), the Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-6 (SAVE-6), and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19). Adolescents in the current study demonstrated higher levels of NMSC and lower PL, with average scores of 3.45 and 2.26, respectively (on a scale of 5). Through multiple linear regression analysis, Motivation (MO), Confidence (CO), Emotional Regulation (ER), and Physical Regulation (PR) were identified as factors influencing NMSC in adolescents. The study findings contribute to providing guidance for actions aimed at alleviating NMSC among adolescents.

Fostering Environmental Citizenship (EC) through science education equips students with competences needed for action-taking on sustainability issues. Quantitative studies show Dutch student EC competences are lacking compared to international averages. This study provides a qualitative view on Dutch 11-15 year old students' EC, providing support for science teachers. The research question is: What are main characteristics of Dutch lower secondary student competences around environmental citizenship? We conducted semi-structured interviews with 42 students (F: 25, M: 17; average age 13.3). Questions concerned student sustainability knowledge, attitudes, behavior, and reflection. Common trends in the data are a worry for the future, the experienced distance from sustainability issues, and interest in personal actions. Students do not discuss sustainability with friends. They adopt a form of EC that can be typified as personally responsible citizenship. Our data provide qualifiers for conclusions from quantitative studies that previously dominated our understanding of student EC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Positive Outcomes With Emotion Regulation (POWER) Program is a transdiagnostic intervention for adolescents at risk of developing emotional disorders. The POWER Program was designed to be implemented in secondary schools, by school personnel with or without specialized mental health training, as a Tier 2 intervention. In this pilot study, the POWER Program was implemented by school psychologists and school psychologists-in-training and evaluated across four focal student participants using a multiple-baseline-across-participants single-case design. Program efficacy was assessed using systematic direct classroom observations of student negative affect and social engagement as well as student and caregiver ratings of emotional and behavioral symptoms. Program usability was assessed through rating scales completed by intervention facilitators and student participants. Overall, results provide evidence of the POWER Program's small- to large-sized effects on students' emotional and behavioral functioning as observed in the classroom and self-reported by students. In addition, results suggest implementation facilitators' and students' positive impressions of the program, evident in ratings of high understanding, feasibility, and acceptability across groups. Study limitations are highlighted with attention to opportunities to further refine and evaluate the POWER Program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundSoft skills are increasingly promoted in curricula, writ large in its scholarly interest over the last decade. Yet systematic literature reviews covering all educational stages are lacking. This review addresses this gap by examining soft skills interventions across all educational levels, evaluating their characteristics, design quality, and outcomes.MethodsA comprehensive search was conducted across ERIC, Scopus, Informit A+ Education, and Google Scholar databases from 2012 to 2022 to identify peer-reviewed studies on soft skills interventions within education curricula at all levels. Study characteristics were extracted, analysed and synthesised to inform conclusion. Quality assessment was performed using The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) and the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) evaluation tools. This study is registered at PROSPERO (CRD42022309833).ResultsThe search yielded 5,689 records, and after eligibility assessment, 38 studies were included. These studies employed various interventions that span three categories namely, workshop-based, creative-based, and project-based approaches, to enhance students’ soft skills. Reported outcomes encompassed improved soft skills, employability, career planning, social–emotional learning, academic performance, and reduced issues like violence, drug abuse, depression, and bullying. Quality appraisal using CASP and EPHPP tools identified three studies as “best practice” among the 38. The review highlights diverse interventions and positive impacts on students’ holistic development through soft skills programs.ConclusionThe analysis of 38 studies underscores the shortage of literature on soft skills in primary and secondary schools compared to universities, a lack of high-quality “best practice” resources for soft skills development, and a tendency for control group participants to miss vital soft skills training. While randomised controlled trials (RCTs), considered as gold standard, informed ‘best practice’ studies, RCTs may not fully capture the nuances of complex social interventions like soft skills programs. Therefore, there is need for alternative approaches, such as continuous quality improvement studies using mixed methods. Consequently, we recommended that future research consider these aspects to enhance the effectiveness of soft skills development in curricula.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022309833, identifier CRD42022309833.

Students must compose texts using keyboards for college and career success. This study focuses on writing done in two school districts by students in Grades 4-11 on Google Docs to understand the relationships among digital device access, digital writing time, and standardized English language arts assessment scores. Our data cover three academic years: 2014-15, 2015-16, and 2016-17. We describe the amount of time spent writing in this mode and how it changed over grade levels and the relationship between Google Docs writing time and access to digital devices. Using fixed-effects regression, the amount of time spent writing digitally increased significantly during this time. Males and English learners spent fewer minutes writing in Google Docs compared to females and fluent English speakers. Students of color tended to spend more time writing in this mode than our White students. Device density (the number of school-provided digital devices per student) predicted the number of writing minutes in the first two, but not the third, years of our data. This study increases our foundational knowledge about the time spent by students on writing in this modality during a time in which these districts began to significantly adopt digital technology.

The English learning environment, both online and offline, can be improved through the implementation of effective pedagogical approaches. In response to secondary education needs, it is critical to establish comparable curriculum paradigms that address the knowledge acquisition gap and psychometric variation. This study aims to promote student engagement and self-efficacy in English education by implementing a problem-based learning (PBL) approach integrated with social constructivism (SC). A t-test and a correlation test were used in a single-group quasi-experiment with 45 participants. The results of paired samples t-tests show a significant difference in engagement (M = 4.78, SD = 2.95, p = .001, p < .05) and selfefficacy (M = 6.49, SD = 16.59, p = .01). Admittedly, both cognitive engagement and social engagement enhance grammatical and textual competence efficacy dramatically, leading to a spectacular improvement. After controlling for the pre-test, a correlation between engagement and efficacy remains significant (r (43) = -0.40, p = .01). In conclusion, the combination of PBL with SC education has demonstrated remarkable effectiveness in facilitating English language learning, meeting the needs of secondary education teenagers, whether in a physical classroom or engaging through online platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) into curricula, teachers are responsible for promoting ICT literacy among secondary school students, which requires in-depth technological knowledge (TK) and technological-pedagogical knowledge (TPK) on the part of teachers. This study uses a multilevel analysis to examine how teachers' professional knowledge at TK and TPK influences secondary school students' ICT literacy. Using data from n = 1,566 students from a larger sample taught in N = 134 classes by N = 220 teachers in N = 39 schools, our results show contrary to our hypotheses, no significant relationship between teachers' professional knowledge regarding TK and TPK and students' cross-curricula ICT literacy. Furthermore, we did not find any significant relationship in our model between students' study-related ICT use and ICT literacy. By analyzing the relationship between teachers' TK and TPK and students' ICT literacy, our study provides new insights into the relationship between teachers' cross-curricular knowledge and students' cross-curricular achievements. It discusses further possible explanations and directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the correlation between guidance and counselling services and senior students' indiscipline in Ilorin South Local Government Area. The research utilized a correlational approach, collecting data through questionnaires distributed to 150 senior students in selected schools out of 67 secondary schools in Ilorin South LGA. The findings indicate a significant relationship between the availability and effectiveness of guidance and counselling services and the prevalence of indiscipline among senior students. The study revealed that there is a significant relationship between appraisal service and indiscipline among secondary school students in Ilorin South LGA. It also shows that there is a significant relationship between guidance counselling services and senior students’ indiscipline in Ilorin South LGA and there is a significant relationship between guidance information service and senior students’ indiscipline in Ilorin South L.G.A. The study highlights the importance of these support services in addressing indiscipline issues and emphasizes the need for their proper implementation to foster a disciplined and conducive learning environment. It was recommended that Raise awareness about the importance of guidance and counselling services and reduce any stigma associated with seeking help. Students should feel comfortable seeking assistance without fear of judgment or discrimination.

Abstract: Background: Motivation is critical for supporting persistence and achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. In this study, we focus on the assessment of mathematics motivation among secondary school students. We provide validity and reliability evidence for the Mathematics Motivation Questionnaire (MMQ)—adapted from the Science Motivation Questionnaire designed for college students—using data from 2551 secondary students from seven states across the United States. Results: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed five latent factors of the MMQ indicated by 19 items: intrinsic value, self-regulation, self-efficacy, utility value, and test anxiety. The nonlinear SEM reliability coefficients of the five constructs ranged from 0.76 to 0.91. To assess criterion validity, analyses using a subset of the data that included students’ mathematics standardized scores (n = 536) indicated that intrinsic value, self-regulation, and self-efficacy were significantly positively correlated with mathematics achievement, whereas test anxiety was significantly negatively correlated with mathematics achievement. Conclusions: The MMQ provides a reliable, valid, and feasible measure of the specific factors underlying mathematics motivation among secondary students.

Purpose: This study investigates the relationship between political discussions and ideological composition in the classroom. Design: The effects of class patriotism and within–class differences in it are analysed using the Russian data from the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study. Findings: Students in more patriotic and like–minded classes perceive the classroom climate as more open, but it does not change its effect on knowledge. There is a negative relationship between ideological diversity and civic knowledge. These effects in Russia are neither unique nor the strongest among the ICCS participants. The reality of an open classroom might be far from the idealised notion of balanced deliberation, and its diversity remains a challenge rather than an opportunity. Research limitations and implications: The study makes no claims about the directionality of the relationships due to their correlational nature. More research is needed on the quality of reasoning in social studies classrooms in times of polarisation and political turmoil.

This research aims to study and classify errors in polynomials made by secondary school students. The data for error identification was collected from exercise books of 72 eighth grade students. Three types of errors were examined: careless, computational, and conceptual errors. The errors were considered according to four topics in polynomials: similar terms of monomials; addition of polynomials; subtraction of polynomials; and multiplication of polynomials. It is found that students made the highest computational errors in identifying monomials’ similarity, which accounts for 17.86%. They have the highest percentage of making computational errors in the addition and subtraction of polynomials, which account for 10.88% and 12.04%, respectively. Lastly, they have the highest percentage of making careless errors in the multiplication of polynomials, which accounts for 14.44%. Furthermore, it can be seen that the source of errors is learners’ carelessness when writing the question and its answer. In addition, the basic knowledge of computing addition, subtraction, and multiplication of integers is the most crucial factor that leads to incorrect answers. Nevertheless, most students understand the principle of polynomials, but frequently make errors on other issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given projected deficits and a lack of diversity, there is a critical need to recruit and develop the next generation of the agricultural workforce. The objectives of our study were to evaluate if AgCamp, a one day workshop focused on agriculture delivered through a college student-led service-learning platform: (1) increased high school students' knowledge of agriculture, (2) changed their interests in pursuing degrees and careers in agriculture, and (3) increased their comfort and confidence in communicating with others in agriculture. We hosted high school students at AgCamp and provided them with instruction in animal science, horticulture, and agricultural mechanics. Pre- and post-test survey instruments were developed and distributed at the beginning and end of AgCamp. Data were analyzed with SPSS 26.0 using paired sample t -tests. As a result of attending this outreach initiative, high school students (n  = 26) reported having more knowledge of horticulture (P  < 0.01) and agricultural mechanics (P  < 0.01), but not animal science (P  = 0.12), likely due to greater incoming knowledge of this sub-discipline, as reflected on the pre-test value. High school participants were also more interested in pursuing a college degree (P  = 0.04) and career (P  < 0.01) in agriculture and became more confident approaching other high school students (P  < 0.01), college students (P  < 0.01), and college faculty (P  = 0.01) involved in agriculture. Ultimately, participating in AgCamp stimulated high school students' knowledge and interest in pursuing agricultural degrees and careers, indicating there is value in offering youth outreach as short-term programming to attract students to agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study investigates the degree how Arabic language teachers bear in mind the skills of literature circles in teaching Arabic literature for the secondary students from their point of view. to achieve the aim of the study, the descriptive approach was used. The study sample consisted of Arabic language teachers who were studying in the schools of the Aqaba Education Directorate who were (50) male and female, divided into (25) male and (25) female, they were chosen randomly by 90% of the study population. Questionnaire was used to a consisting 30 of paragraph skills of literature circles. For answering research questions, the means, standard deviation and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) has been adopted. study results concluded that the skills of literature circles that were taken into account in the course of teaching Arabic literature registered high degree. Moreover, the results of this study indicated that there are statistically significant differences due to gender attributed to female, the effect of years of experience ranging from (6) to (10) years, and in terms of years of experience, there are no significant differences due to years of experience. The study recommended a number of recommendations based on the results of the analysis of the research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Purpose: This study investigates the relationship between political discussions and ideological composition in the classroom. Design: The effects of class patriotism and within-class differences in it are analysed using the Russian data from the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study. Findings: Students in more patriotic and like-minded classes perceive the classroom climate as more open, but it does not change its effect on knowledge. There is a negative relationship between ideological diversity and civic knowledge. These effects in Russia are neither unique nor the strongest among the ICCS participants. The reality of an open classroom might be far from the idealised notion of balanced deliberation, and its diversity remains a challenge rather than an opportunity. Research limitations and implications: The study makes no claims about the directionality of the relationships due to their correlational nature. More research is needed on the quality of reasoning in social studies classrooms in times of polarisation and political turmoil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to examine the use of smartphones for educational purposes and the acceptance of online learning among secondary students. To investigate the academic utilization of smartphones among secondary students in Bangladesh, a sample of 384 students from different districts of Bangladesh were surveyed. The survey was conducted using a self-administered, semi-tailored computerized questionnaire. The collected data was analyzed using IBM SPSS statistics 26 and the Mann-Whitney U test. The findings indicate that male students used smartphones for educational purposes with greater confidence and less difficulty than female students. On the other hand, students in 8th to 10th grade classrooms reported a greater willingness to use smartphones for academic purposes, with urban students being more enthusiastic than their rural peers. The study’s findings have implications for the government, policymakers, educators, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). They highlight the importance of ensuring equal access to resources and tools that support academic success, as well as addressing the adverse effects of excessive smartphone usage. In addition, the government and NGOs should prioritize the elimination of inequities between rural and urban areas and provide subsidies to rural students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I examine what one focus group interview may reveal about five teenagers' burgeoning racial literacies. After analyzing their definitions and interpretations of historical and contemporary racism, I argue that these youth have developed racial literacies that reflect a narrow societal focus on the individual, interpersonal dimensions of racism. Far from being racially illiterate, many young people have accurately "read" the racial silences in their schooling and interpreted the racial experiences that they and their loved ones have endured. I explore how instructional supports could help students articulate the more complex and enduring understandings of structural and/or institutional racism that amount to critical racial consciousness. This focus group also attests to high school students' desire for formal learning about institutional racism earlier and illustrates factors that may influence how Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian American youth express themselves about race and racism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This phenomenological qualitative study describes students' experiences and counter‐stories of school climate and how school climate matters for their academic achievement in an urban school district. The study uses a critical race perspective to help understand contextual influences on school climate. Data were collected through eight focus group interviews comprised of students conducted in middle and high schools in a large Midwest urban school district. Themes emerged within each school climate domain: teacher support, teacher expectations, safety, and peer social and emotional competence. The study results describe how students experience and understand school climate—perception of safety in schools with a mix of safe and unsafe home‐community climate—and demonstrate how students acknowledge the relationship between school climate and academic achievement. Urban secondary students are observant of the social‐emotional learning of their peers and maintain awareness of group differences as expressed in their counter‐stories. The findings advanced our understanding of school climate in urban contexts where social‐contextual‐struggles experienced by people of color affect their school experiences. The discussion includes practical implications for educators and administrators and directions for future research. Practitioner points: What is the main issue that the paper addresses? Students' experiences and counter‐stories of school climate and how school climate matters for their academic achievement in an urban school district.What are the main insights that the paper provides? Students acknowledge the relationship between school climate and academic achievement. Urban secondary students are observant of the social‐emotional learning of their peers and maintain awareness of group differences as expressed in their counter‐stories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) into curricula, teachers are responsible for promoting ICT literacy among secondary school students, which requires in-depth technological knowledge (TK) and technological-pedagogical knowledge (TPK) on the part of teachers. This study uses a multilevel analysis to examine how teachers’ professional knowledge at TK and TPK influences secondary school students’ ICT literacy. Using data from n = 1,566 students from a larger sample taught in N = 134 classes by N = 220 teachers in N = 39 schools, our results show contrary to our hypotheses, no significant relationship between teachers’ professional knowledge regarding TK and TPK and students’ cross-curricula ICT literacy. Furthermore, we did not find any significant relationship in our model between students’ study-related ICT use and ICT literacy. By analyzing the relationship between teachers’ TK and TPK and students’ ICT literacy, our study provides new insights into the relationship between teachers’ cross-curricular knowledge and students’ cross-curricular achievements. It discusses further possible explanations and directions for future research.

Background: Participation in physical activity (PA) is a modifiable factor that contributes to academic success, yet the optimal dose (ie, frequency) and mechanisms underlying the effect require further exploration. Methods: Using data from 19,886 elementary and 11,238 secondary school students across Ontario, Canada, this study examined associations between PA participation frequency, academic achievement, and inattention and hyperactivity. Results: Among elementary students, there was a positive association between PA frequency and academic achievement. Participating in 1 to 2 days per week of PA related to higher academic achievement compared with no days, whereas 7 days per week had the largest associations. For secondary students, a minimum of 3 to 4 days per week was associated with higher academic achievement with no significant benefit of additional days. Indirect effects of inattention and hyperactivity were found for both groups, suggesting that the benefits of PA on academic achievement may be partly explained by reductions in inattention and hyperactivity, especially for secondary school students. Conclusion: Students may experience academic benefits from PA even if they are not meeting the guidelines of exercising daily. These benefits may occur, in part, through reductions in inattention and hyperactivity. Further work is needed to determine the temporality and mechanism of these associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis paper analyzes factors that affect the numeracy skills of secondary school students from mountainous and ethnic minority regions in Vietnam from the perspective of the students to create suitable strategies for teachers, parents, and the government to enhance their numeracy skills. Data from 755 students in 8 secondary schools in 8 provinces in the northern region of Vietnam were analyzed. The results showed eight factors that impact the numeracy levels of secondary students in mountainous regions. Student’s efforts and language skills were most influential, and teachers did not have a substantial effect. The paper offers suggestions to equip teachers in these regions with more knowledge and skills to support students in developing their numeracy skills.

Using Proof-Schemes Combined, our extension of Harel and Sowder’s Proof-Schemes taxonomy, we introduce the nascent deductive proof schemes construct (proof-scheme combinations that contain elements of deductive mathematical reasoning) and present evidence of these in written responses to ten items of 85 Year 9 (age 14–15) secondary students. We capture these students’ first encounters with proof in an educational context (mixed-ability, state schools in Greece) where proof is present in lessons and key national examinations. In previous analyses, we identified evidence in the students’ responses of Harel and Sowder’s seven proof schemes and of the eight proof-scheme combinations from our Proof-Schemes Combined taxonomy. Here, we present evidence – found in 383 out of 850 student responses – of five of the fifteen proof schemes that were nascent deductive proof schemes. Our findings contribute to non-deficit discourses about students’ mathematical reasoning potential and provide evidence in favour of proof readiness in early adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Integrating public health into science courses helps students grasp the links between health recommendations and scientific principles. During COVID-19, a team of 19 educators, scientists and clinicians designed 25 science inquiry lessons to enhance disease knowledge and prevention strategies among school-aged children. The efficacy of two lessons was evaluated. Design: Pre-/post-evaluation; both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Setting: Teachers (24 elementary and 26 high school) and their students (562 elementary, 8–9 years old; 1,271 high school, 14–15 years old) participated from schools in Houston, TX, USA. Method: Lessons were delivered in Spring 2021. Teachers completed evaluation surveys using Likert-type and open-ended items. Students completed pre- and post-assessments of COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes towards science and confidence in their knowledge of COVID-19 and vaccine science. Results: Over 80% of teachers agreed that they would use the lessons again and felt more confident in their abilities to teach about COVID-19 after using the lessons. Teachers reported students' heightened interest in health professions and discussing the presented topics. High school students gained basic recall knowledge, but there was little change on items related to in-depth science concepts or attitudes. Elementary students demonstrated gains on items related to the scientific rationale underlying public health recommendations and confidence in their abilities to protect themselves from COVID-19. Conclusion: The integration of health information into science teaching helps learners understand the science behind public health recommendations and increases teachers' preparedness and comfort levels with these topics. Even short-term supplementary lessons can have a positive impact on knowledge and attitudes. Effects were particularly positive with elementary students, who should be included in future public health education efforts. Partnerships between schools and health organisations are vital for the rapid development and integration of lessons that are accurate and informative. The lessons evaluated in this paper are freely available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge and abilities with social media technologies are perceived as critical premises for human development. Familiarity with different types of social media technologies has become pivotal for collaborative learning and successfully solving problems. This study examined the impact of social media technologies, compartmentalized into social media usage and students' attitudes towards social media usage, on their collaborative problem-solving (CPS) achievement by adopting the sample from the PISA 2015 dataset across 37 countries/regions. A three-level hierarchical linear model (HLM) was adopted to identify the significant factors related to CPS achievement. Results indicated that social media usage had a significant impact on CPS achievement and they are varied in terms of different learning contexts, different social media types (e.g., e-mails, social networking sites), and different purposes of social media use (leisure or academic use). Furthermore, students who had a more positive attitude toward social media were more likely to achieve higher CPS performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotion regulation (ER) is associated with both healthy and unhealthy behavioral and affective responses, especially in adolescents. It is frequently assessed by self-report measures such as the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (ERQ-CA), which has shown mixed psychometric properties when used in Spanish-speaking adolescents. The present study provides evidence for its validity and reliability in a sample of secondary students in Chile. Six-hundred and thirty-four students were recruited from ten educational institutions to complete the ERQ-CA, along with the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Skills Questionnaire (CBTSQ), the Suicide Ideation Questionnaire Junior (SIQ-JR), the Multidimensional Adolescent Functioning Scale (MAFS) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed on the ERQ-CA for two- and single-factor models. Convergent and discriminant validity as well as measurement invariance were also tested. The original ERQ-CA two-factor structure showed the best model fit and parsimony along with high internal consistency. It also demonstrated high convergent and discriminant validity, with reappraisal strategies positively correlating with cognitive-behavioral skills and psychosocial functioning and negatively with suicide ideation and depressive symptoms, while the opposite was true for suppression strategies. Partial scalar invariance was established when testing by biological sex (male/female) and psychiatric treatment history (past/current/no). We conclude that the ERQ-CA was found to be a valid and reliable self-report instrument for the assessment of ER strategies in secondary students, proving its utility as a research and clinical tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the readability level of second-grade secondary school scientific stream Chemistry and Physics textbooks in Jordan, determining the effect of gender on the degree of readability, in addition to knowing the order of the textbooks according to the degree of their readability in both books. The current study was conducted to determine the readability level of chemistry and physics textbooks by involving 300 second-grade secondary school students of the public schools affiliated with the Directorate of Education, Jordan. Four Cloze tests were prepared from different topics of both textbooks to measure their readability. The test included four texts with 20 words omitted from each text, and the texts were presented in the same format as in the textbooks, with clear instructions provided for the students. A pilot sample outside the study sample was administered with the test-retest method to confirm the reliability of the four tests for both textbooks. The findings revealed that physics textbooks had a higher level of readability than chemistry textbooks. A significant difference (p≤0.05) was observed based on the type of textbook in the readability of chemistry and physics textbooks. The scientific texts in the chemistry textbook were ordered in light of their readability level. In contrast, the scientific texts in the physics textbook were not ordered in light of their readability level. The study concluded that the readability level of Jordanian Chemistry and Physics textbooks of the second grade of the scientific stream differed significantly (p≤0.05). The study recommends that the Jordan Ministry of Education should appoint a panel of experts to review the textbooks and make the necessary changes to improve their readability level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of students with ASD also identified as academically talented has been increasing over the last few decades. Unfortunately, little empirical research exists about this population of students. In this qualitative study, 40 college and university students with ASD who were identified as academically advanced and talented and enrolled in competitive colleges and universities were interviewed about academic experiences and teaching strategies that contributed to their success. Several findings related to specific strength-based teaching and support strategies perceived by participants as contributing to their academic success. These included identifying their academic talents; interest-based extracurricular activities based; specific challenge based honors and advanced classes in areas of interest and strength; opportunities for advanced, interest-based academic experiences; participation in residential programs during high school; strong and positive relationships with teachers and counselors; developing compensation strategies that can be applied to all of these areas; and overcoming anxiety while building social connections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geographic inquiry has immense potential to spark the interest of school students in science and societal issues, such as climate change or resource scarcity. However, implementing inquiry-based learning in secondary school contexts is frequently seen as a challenge. So far, standardized geography assessments have primarily focused on students' spatial-thinking abilities, and there is a dearth of practicable tools to measure their inquiry skills. This study aimed to translate the self-report geographic inquiry process skills scale into Kazakh and test its reliability and validity among Kazakhstani secondary students. A total of 826 secondary school students aged between 13 and 18 were included in the analysis. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses jointly supported a five-dimensional structure of the questionnaire. The scale exhibited sound measurement properties, including consistency over a two-week test-retest interval. The scores for the adapted instrument were not significantly correlated with participant gender, grade, age, or time spent preparing for the cross-national geography assessment. Proposals for future research are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work has its origin in physics learning with secondary school students in Morocco. The present work focuses on the relationship between physics and mathematics as well as the source of difficulties in learning the half-life concept. To highlight our research objectives, the researchers resorted to the nominal group technique (NGT) which is used not only to identify students' opinions about physics mathematization difficulties but also to assess the scientific education of this discipline. The results obtained showed that mathematics has an impact on Moroccan students' understanding of the half-life concept. The results also showed that coherent and simultaneous management of physics and mathematics favors the learning of Moroccan students in both disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As censorship legislation limits classroom texts, cultivating a strong reading identity and the ability to self-select diverse, representative, and culturally responsive texts becomes a greater necessity for teachers and students alike. In this article, we examine the process of scaffolding self-selection of texts for graduate education students and secondary students in the English Language Arts (ELA) classroom. Reader identity and metacognition theories as well as Donovan and Weber's (2021) 'critic perspective' informed our work. We present recommended texts from various bands such as "Dis/ability," "Poetry," and "Verse Novels." We also share some of the ways graduate students engaged in text selection within group settings, as well as criteria they found important to their decision making. We then offer practical examples of how to implement guided self-selection at the high school level, focusing on a unit of study using graphic novels. We also include recommendations for teachers to consider as they imagine new possibilities to help students build and practice book self-selection strategies that highlight metacognitive and reflective practices. In conclusion, we consider how intentional self-selection of texts empowers students to disrupt traditional curricula and helps to cultivate lifelong readers in communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]