Blended learning, which integrates traditional face-to-face instruction with online learning, has emerged as an important strategy for ensuring continuity of education in times of disruption. This study examined the perspectives and readiness of secondary school teachers in Fiji to implement blended learning. A total of 34 teachers participated in an online survey, and six were interviewed to gain deeper insights. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were thematically analysed. The findings revealed that most teachers perceived blended learning positively, recognising its potential to enhance teaching and learning, and all expressed readiness to integrate it into their classrooms. However, challenges such as limited infrastructure, lack of training, and unequal access to digital resources were identified as significant barriers. Although grounded in the Fijian context, this study contributes to broader global discussions on educational resilience and innovation. The challenges and opportunities identified parallel those in many developing and technologically under-resourced settings, as well as marginalised communities in more advanced economies. As such, the findings offer lessons of worldwide relevance for policymakers, educators, and researchers seeking to strengthen the preparedness of education systems in the face of future crises.
This study developed a scale to measure adolescents’ sense of belonging to place, a construct shaping identity, cohesion, and well-being while fostering resilience and responsibility. Data were collected from eighth-grade students, 398 for exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and 250 for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The final scale comprises 26 items across three dimensions: local belonging (14 items), national belonging (6 items), and global belonging (6 items). Cronbach’s alpha values ranged from 0.93 to 0.94, demonstrating high reliability. Findings confirm the scale’s validity, offering a robust instrument to investigate adolescents’ multilevel belonging in education research.
The purpose and use of the study was to determine university students’ perceptions of the concept of artificial intelligence. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a disruptive technology that today has numerous applications in many everyday and professional domains. The results show that students are aware of the impact of AI and are willing to further their education in AI, although their current knowledge is limited due to a lack of training. The sample of the survey carried out using the screening method consists of 200 evenly divided students, 50 per cent of whom are from private universities and the rest from public universities. The sample was drawn from management, human resources, computer engineering and electrical engineering programmes. The study sample was taken in the first quarter of 2024. Content analysis was used to analyse the data. As a result of the study, it was determined that students at public universities expect to use AI more than those at private universities. The latter, in turn, use AI more today. Another important finding of the study is that all the students realise that they will use AI in the future.
The purpose of the study was to examine undergraduate history education students’ level of empathic engagement with the past. The cross-sectional survey design was employed to collect data from undergraduate students to establish their level of empathic engagement with the past. The participants of the study were 110 continuing Bachelor of Education Arts (history major) students who were selected through the simple random sampling technique. Quantitative data was collected with a questionnaire. The results portrayed that the students possessed a high level of empathic understanding of the past. In addition, there was no statistically significant difference in students’ level of empathic understanding of the past based on their year of study in the University [F (2, 107) =.334, p=.714], their sex t (-.903) = .108, p= .369), and their ages [F (3, 106) = .771, p=.512]. It was recommended that academic institutions that train history teachers, like universities and colleges of education, emphasise pedagogical practices supporting historical empathy in teacher preparation. This will ensure that students’ level of empathic understanding is not based on the individual’s abilities but on the appropriate knowledge and skills acquired in their training.
Game-based learning thrives in contemporary society, for instance, exergaming and active gaming in Physical Education. Playing, learning and socialization while participating in physical education brings with it an opportunity to achieve and cultivate knowledge through gaming. Within the pedagogy of physical education, Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) has surfaced to develop strategic and tactical thinking, allowing the educator to emphasize game playing while addressing various educational expectations. The belief that teaching is key to student success even within the digital gaming landscape, is emphasized, as teachers are responsible for using appropriate and effective instructional strategies to help students achieve.
During the pandemic, students and teachers transformed the teaching-learning process across all educational levels, facing immediate virtualization and challenges. Stressful situations, unresolved family issues, and negative emotions emerged, impacting students’ emotional management. This qualitative study analyzes responses from 77 university students, identifying that performance improves with prolonged virtual learning. Negative emotions foster resilience and empathy, while positive emotions prevail despite uncertainty. Individual emotions are better managed when shared, and class design influences emotional outcomes. The study found that virtualization affects students’ emotions, and these emotions impact their learning performance, but creating spaces for emotional expression enhances empathy and emotional management. i iAn earlier version of this article was delivered at the 16th International Technology, Education, and Development Conference, INTED 2022.
The notion that South African foundation phase teachers (Grades R to 3) may not possess the expertise to teach reading may not be entirely accurate. Qualitative data were collected through open-ended questionnaires from 10 teachers, using a case study design to explore this claim. Sociocultural theory emphasises the role of the skilled MKO in supporting reading development. Thematic analysis showed that teachers possess relevant qualifications, experience, and professional development, yet learners struggle with reading. The study recommends further exploration of factors such as curriculum, instructional practices, and broader educational and contextual influences to better understand and address persistent reading challenges.
In this paper, we respond to the challenge presented by Valverde in his Presidential Address to CIES in 2013, to recognise the (albeit limited) agency of weak states facing large international organisations. We do this by introducing a model based on catastrophe theory. The catastrophe theory model is introduced theoretically, as a way of describing what is involved as individual nations decide whether to engage with, or disengage from international large scale assessment, exemplified by PISA. The model is then populated by looking at the cases of India and Peru, two countries that have been involved in PISA, then disengaged, and subsequently either re-engaged or committed to re-engaging. We argue that the model shows itself to be a valuable framework for describing situations of asymmetrical power, where outcomes depend on historical paths, and where policy solutions are contested. We also acknowledge that more work needs to be done testing the model more fully.
Teachers’ professional development has been an important educational reform contributing to improving the quality of education, both in Israel and Nepal. The article reviews future teachers ‘needs from both countries that necessitate changes in the education provided by teacher training colleges. It describes research examining teachers’ professional identity development and desirable characteristics for the future teachers of both countries. participants were 40 Israeli student-teachers studying in an M. Teach degree course and 63 Nepali student-teachers participating in teacher training programs and M.Ed degree courses. The research investigated their attitudes and perceptions concerning the image of the future teacher.
This study explores the transformative impact of authentic assessments on student engagement, empowerment, and inclusivity in higher education. Traditional assessment methods often fail to adequately assess diverse skill sets and prepare students for real-world professional demands. In contrast, authentic assessments allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in meaningful, context-rich tasks that mirror professional challenges. Through the perspectives of six experienced academics, this mixed-methods study explores how authentic and flexible assessments promote student agency, inclusivity, and engagement. The findings highlight the importance of aligning assessments with clear learning objectives, offering students choices, and embedding real-world relevance to foster deeper learning and equitable opportunities. However, the study also reveals tensions between the inclusivity offered in academic settings and the less flexible demands of the professional world, suggesting a need for ongoing reflection in assessment design. Ultimately, the study calls for reimagined assessment practices that empower students and better prepare them for future success.
To understand the willingness of Chinese EFL learners to communicate in synchronous online learning, it is essential to examine which variables affect and determine learners’ readiness to do so. Specifically, this study aims to examine Chinese EFL learners’ willingness to communicate in the English language in synchronous online learning by developing a questionnaire and an interview protocol based on the model of MacIntyre, Clément, Dörnyei & Noels (1998). Statistical analysis indicated that the most significant variables affecting learners’ willingness to communicate were self-confidence, contextual factors, and internal attributes and motivation. These results were further explained by the qualitative results showing that culture ‐ particularly ‘face’ (respect) ‐ was a key reason for reserved behaviour, a behaviour which preserves harmony, dignity and prestige. Furthermore, an inability to proficiently speak standard English decreases learners’ willingness to communicate in English, i.e., they tend to do so only if they have strong confidence in their language accuracy and are able to communicate with the right interlocutors at a desirable time and context.
This research is an investigation on the EI challenges on higher educational institution academicians in Oman. This is an empirical study and quantitative. The study evaluates the EI level of academicians in higher education institutions, Oman. Primary data for the study are collected from faculty members of higher educational institutions in Oman. The factors of EI self-awareness, managing emotions, motivating oneself, empathy and social skills. The study provides strategies for effective management of EI among higher educational academicians in Oman for academic excellence.
COVID-19 and artificial intelligence have thrust institutions of higher education toward Internet-based technologies across many dimensions. Although researchers can evaluate Internet metrics (traffic, search volume, webpages) given advances in digital measurement technologies, organizational theory in higher education has not addressed institutional Internet metrics toward understanding organizational change. This empirical treatise updates Clark Kerr’s (1963, 2001) notion of the multiversity and translates the multiversity into a 21st century metaversity by defining and measuring its physical and digital institutional characteristics to understand and measure how technological advancements have altered the higher education marketplace. Then, the authors report empirical research meant to explain how metaversities can measure their digital characteristics and thus understand their organization’s digital change. Such an understanding could inform how institutions respond to a crisis such as COVID-19 or a technology revolution such as the rise of AI to understand an institution’s digital positioning within a higher education marketplace. Implications for marketplace economics, organizational change, and educational theory are addressed.
This article explores the African moral ethic of Ubuntu as a potential model to advance a critical democratic global citizenship education for formal K-12 education. While neoliberal and conflict discourses offer competing conceptions of global citizenship education (GCE), there is growing interest in a decolonial approach from the critical theoretical camp to disrupt the GCE status quo and to implement more empowering ways of being. Ubuntu (humanity/humanness), a non-Western epistemology, is brought into conversation with Freire’s process of conscientization to pose a GCE praxis for formal schooling focused on critical consciousness and power, recognition and respect, and agency and empowerment.
To raise students as qualified individuals and increase their success levels, education systems must be transformed according to current skills. In this context, the potential of school principal leadership in increasing student success is considered essential, and it is noted that leadership practices related to increasing teacher capacity are significantly related to student success. Therefore, the research aims to determine the relationship between the instructional leadership behaviors of secondary school principals and students’ academic achievements through teacher autonomy and teacher self-efficacy and to examine in depth the effect of the school principal on increasing students’ academic behaviors according to teachers’ opinions. The research data was obtained from 906 teachers working in 30 public secondary schools in 12 districts in Ankara, Türkiye’s capital city. The authors conducted a mediation analysis of structural equation modeling to test the proposed model. The analysis confirms that teacher autonomy and teacher self-efficacy are significant mediators of the relationship between principal instructional leadership and student academic achievement. This study is expected to contribute to research focusing on the effects of instructional leadership on students’ academic achievement.
This paper presents a teaching scenario implemented in a Greek early childhood setting. The development of the teaching scenario adhered to the BSCS 5E instructional model as a framework for effective learning experiences. The primary objective was to investigate the acquisition of knowledge, the cultivation of skills, and the fostering of positive attitudes towards waste management, recycling, and material reuse within the context of STEAM. A range of strategies and tools were utilized, including K-W-L-H chart, graphic organizers, thinking routines, and digital technologies. The implementation demonstrates the potential of the 5E model for effective STEAM education, leading to improved learning outcomes.
Leisure time that college students have at their disposal is the time they have left after fulfilling all their student and family obligations. That is the time that provides them with opportunities to gain new knowledge, meet new people, develop their creative potential, improve their health, pursue their interests or to relax.This study aimed to investigate to what extent psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness can predict leisure time activities of college students. The research sample included 670 students from the University of Zagreb. The quantitative approach was applied. The collected data were analysed using the descriptive and inferential statistics. The results indicate that students spend most of their leisure time engaging in Relaxing activities, while they spend least of their leisure time engaging in Cultural activities. In terms of the basic psychological needs, students gave the highest rating to the Relatedness subscale, while the subscale Competence was rated with the lowest values. The results of the performed regression analyses indicate that psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness are statistically significant predictors of various leisure time activities. The results obtained in this research were analysed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications, restrictions and future research.
This study examined the psychological impact of bullying on primary school students using intervention techniques. A total of 124 students were divided into an intervention and a comparison group (62 each). Both groups were assessed before and after the intervention, which included coping strategies, mental health awareness, and resilience training. Post-intervention analysis showed significant improvement in the intervention group, while the comparison group saw no change. The study concludes that targeted training effectively reduces bullying’s psychological effects on victims, bullies, and bystanders. Future research should refine interventions and explore additional factors in bullying prevention.
Education expands agency’s competency to produce. The expansion of competency and/or product are continuous in education. Education produces and industries reproduce. This essay explains this concept putting them together as competency theory of education. Engagement is important to expand competency; competency is a function of interaction between input, skill, and environment. Information is input. A compatible way of using input is skill. Skills vary in their genres and are complementarity. Environment affects engagement. Every engagement gives products such as new-experience, intra/interpersonal understanding, skill, value, behavior, goods. These products become input for a new-environment to give products. The cycle is education.
