More empirical research about how teachers use and implement formative assessment (FA) is needed to support teachers in an evidence-based matter in their FA implementation and FA professionalisation. This mixed methods study used FA perceptions of 96 teachers and interview and observation data of fifteen teachers about their FA practice to answer the following questions: (1) What FA teacher profiles could be extracted from teachers’ FA perceptions? (2) How do background characteristics influence the FA practice perceptions? and (3) How does the FA practice of teachers differ from each other? The five phases of the FA cycle were used as a framework to define FA practice: (1) Clarifying expectations; (2) Eliciting student responses; (3) Analysing and interpreting responses; (4) Communicating with students about responses; and (5) Taking follow-up actions: adapting teaching and learning. Three teacher profiles were created with cluster analysis: teacher-centred FA user, student-activating FA user and student-(co)designing FA user. The results showed that teachers of all three teacher profiles used FA strategies of the complete FA cycle process. The differences were that the FA strategies differed in focus from mostly teacher-centred to student-centred FA strategies. Implications supporting teachers in professionalisation trajectories who are developing and implementing FA practice and adopting more student-centred FA stances are discussed.
Recent assessments of students’ reading comprehension in the United States have found that many 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade readers are not developing the skills necessary for academic success. iSTART-Early is an intelligent tutoring system that provides instruction on reading comprehension strategies and offers practice with skill application by answering review questions, designed to improve literacy outcomes. Across two studies, we measured students’ engagement, enjoyment, subjective difficulty, and objective difficulty of iSTART-Early lesson videos and review questions, by iteratively adapting and testing aspects of the system design based on findings. Study 1 revealed that the lessons were grade-appropriate for 3rd through 5th grade students regarding difficulty and enjoyment levels, with lessons being too simple for older children and too challenging for younger children. However, engagement was low across some lessons. In Study 2, modifications to iSTART-Early’s design were made based on Study 1’s findings, which were found to increase engagement while also maintaining appropriate enjoyment and difficulty levels for the target audience. Overall, these findings suggest that the design of lesson videos and review questions in iSTART-Early is grade-appropriate and has strong potential to enhance students’ reading comprehension skills.
The practical training of pre-service teachers is crucial for their future success and shapes their professional identity. This mixed-method study explored differences in assessing pre-service teachers’ lessons in hybrid practical training among 58 pedagogical supervisors, 69 teacher trainers, and 75 pre-service teachers. Using a rubric as a pedagogical tool, participants evaluated levels of the SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition) framework, pedagogical components, and teacher prototypes reflecting their classroom centrality. The study aimed to provide insights into how these groups perceive and assess technology integration and teaching practices, contributing to the improvement of hybrid teacher-training programs. Additionally, the development and application of the assessment rubric enabled a comprehensive analysis of teaching practices across various educational contexts. The findings revealed that pre-service teachers mostly integrated technology at the first two basic levels of the SAMR framework (Substitution, Augmentation).
In 2020, INVALSI (Italian National Institute for the Evaluation of the Education and Training System), in collaboration with Bestr.it, started providing badges with the purpose of certifying the level of competence in Italian, Mathematics and English, evaluated through standardized tests administered during national assessment. The main goal of this paper is to explore preliminary data about earners of INVALSI Open Digital Badges (ODB), collected through a questionnaire administered to students in their last year of high school. The concept of ODB was introduced in the educational field in recent years. Several research findings have already emerged, but still many aspects need further investigation. In our case study we investigate three conceptual dimensions: open badge knowledge, opinion on this kind of tool, and intention of use. Additional data was collected on demographic and background information. Interesting results regard the use of badges based on the type of school attended by students, their post-diploma plans, and how they intend to use them.
This study examines how game-based learning can support entrepreneurship education by fostering students’ ability to frame and diagnose complex problems. Through a board game simulation, we investigated how undergraduate students interpret entrepreneurial success and failure, with particular attention to how they attribute outcomes to luck or strategic skill. Data were collected via audio and video recordings, written reflections, and follow-up interviews, and analyzed using a hybrid deductive–inductive coding approach. Findings indicate that students often misattribute success to chance, overlooking behaviors consistent with effectual reasoning and strategic adaptability. While well-designed games promote iterative decision-making and reflective learning, our analysis underscores the importance of structured debriefing to confront interpretive biases. We propose the divergent–convergent debriefing model as a pedagogical scaffold that enables students to reframe gameplay outcomes, fostering deeper metacognitive awareness and more accurate conceptualizations of entrepreneurial practice.
The value of the process of formative assessment is greatly diminished if it is not goal-directed and oriented towards students' long-term development. This implies that teachers need deep pedagogical content knowledge. As a way to scaffold teachers' use of pedagogical content knowledge when designing formative assessment, learning progressions have been suggested. Learning progressions can support teachers in developing goal-directed formative assessments, interpreting student responses within the context of the learning progression and identifying appropriate next steps in learning. Therefore, the goal of this research was to develop and evaluate a professional development trajectory in which vocational education teachers collaboratively developed a learning progression for their vocational education program, in connection with formative assessment activities. Four vocational education teacher teams based in the Netherlands developed a learning progression for a core idea of the occupation they are educating for (e.g., nurse, travel agent) and developed and experimented with formative assessment activities connected to this learning progression. Results highlight the value of taking a student perspective when developing a learning progression, using personas, gathering student input, and identifying and disentangling hurdles that students encounter during their learning pathways. To connect formative assessment activities to the learning progression, zooming in and zooming out appeared to be necessary, but difficult. Teachers might need to get familiar with formative assessment in their classrooms before engaging in the development of a learning progression.
This study explored the impact of peer assessment strategies on students’ academic achievement and retention of Biology concepts. Using a 3 × 2 factorial research design, the study involved 138 SS1 students from three intact classes. Data were collected through the Biology Achievement Test (BAT) and the Biology Retention Test (BRT). In the experimental groups, students were taught Biology topics and assessed using peer assessment strategies, while the control group received the same instruction but was evaluated by the teacher. Descriptive statistics, including mean and standard deviation, were used to answer the research questions, while an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted to test the hypotheses. The findings revealed that students assessed through peer assessment strategies performed better than those evaluated using traditional teacher-based methods. Among the peer assessment strategies, intra-group peer assessment was the most effective. Additionally, students taught and assessed using peer assessment demonstrated higher retention rates, with intra-group peer assessment proving to be the most beneficial approach. A significant difference was observed in the mean achievement scores between students assessed through peer assessment and those evaluated by teachers. These results highlight the effectiveness of peer assessment strategies in both teaching and evaluating Biology students.
The integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is increasingly recognized for its potential to enhance mathematical learning and teaching. Although existing research on student perceptions of using ChatGPT in mathematical learning indicates a high intention to adopt the tool, little is known about how these perceptions influence students’ actual use of it in undergraduate-level mathematics. In this research project, students participated in a semester-long study that included six lab assignments designed to provide a formative learning experience, where they used ChatGPT to deepen their understanding of calculus concepts. This case study used a qualitative approach, following two participants among 12 students who had contrasting perceptions of ChatGPT’s role in mathematical learning. By conducting in-depth analyses of surveys, lab assignments, and chat histories, the study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of how these students applied ChatGPT to support their calculus learning. The results showed that students’ perceptions strongly impact their use of ChatGPT for learning. The learner with positive perceptions of ChatGPT engaged more frequently with the tool (actual usage), demonstrated a greater tolerance for ChatGPT’s mathematics errors (learner satisfaction), and showed greater motivation for its further uses (learning motivation). This usage pattern remained consistent despite the interventions implemented throughout the semester. The study concludes with formative pedagogical implications for integrating ChatGPT into mathematics education. Implications for mathematics teaching and directions for future research were discussed.
First aid has a crucial role in preserving human lives. The prompt administration of first aid increases the likelihood of its efficacy. Hence, the implementation of first aid procedures by children in settings exclusively occupied by children and adults can yield significant advantages. The objective of this study was to develop an instructional design that would facilitate the provision of first aid training to kindergarten students. The researchers implemented the instructional design they had designed in the kindergarten setting for the intended goal. The study employed the design-based research method, utilizing Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction model that was adapted from Gagne, Briggs, and Wager’s model (1992). According to the results of the study, it can be concluded that a 10-week practice-oriented instructional design used for 18 kindergarten children have demonstrated efficacy in acquiring knowledge related to first aid and how it is done. The results of the study show that the kindergarten children could know what the emergency situation is and what they could do when they see it.
This paper reports on the design and implementation of the ‘My Digital Self: Avatar Design Workshop’, an experiential initiative aimed at fostering multicultural and collaborative learning among youth from Finnish and Japanese high schools within an online context. Developed through a partnership between private companies and formal educational institutions, the workshop brought together young people from geographically and culturally distant locations for a co-design practice and multicultural learning experience. Through individual and collaborative avatar design activities, participants engaged in dialogue about gender representation in digital environments, drawing on their lived experiences to explore facets of diversity. The article begins by outlining the pedagogical principles that informed the workshop’s design, followed by a concise description of materials, methods, and stakeholders involved. It then provides a detailed discussion on the experiential nature of online learning practices and their role in enhancing digital learning and intercultural communication. The workshop’s success in creating a platform for multicultural exchange highlights the effectiveness of simple online tools, when guided by pedagogical strategies that encourage active youth participation through hands-on design activities. The paper concludes by suggesting ways for future iterations of the workshop, emphasising the iterative process of educational innovation and experiential learning.
Mobile technologies constitute an important place in modern science education. Hence, several mobile technologies such as Phyphox can be involved in the instructional activities to enhance students’ learning and make them acquire various skills. This paper introduces details regarding the development, implementation, and evaluation of a STEAM activity supported with Phyphox for teaching beat frequency to pre-service science teachers. In this direction, a mixed research was conducted with the voluntary attendance of a group of 14 pre-service teachers. The implementation of the activity took four-course hours. Data were collected with affinity for technology interaction scale, worksheets, and activity evaluation forms. As a result of the study, it was found that the participants developed four different models representing the beat frequency. Also, a significant improvement was detected in the participants’ affinity for technology interaction. The participants asserted positive opinions regarding the activity in addition to making several interdisciplinary connections in the STEAM fields. It is recommended to use Phyphox for building solutions to different daily life problems in pre-service science teacher education.
Emerging technologies in education are a broad spectrum of technologies that can support teaching and learning. Integrating these technologies with K-12 learners can be dependent on teachers’ self-efficacy to implement these tools. An online intervention (consisting of three learning activities) was formatively designed for pre-service teachers (N = 118). The intervention was grounded in Bandura’s self-efficacy framework (i.e., vicarious learning, social persuasion, physiological arousal, and mastery experience). We examined pre-service teachers’ beliefs (self-efficacy and anxiety) about implementing emerging technologies in their field experiences and future teaching practices. The results identified a predictive relationship between self-efficacy and anxiety. When there is an increase in pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy, there is a decrease in self-reported anxiety.
As the demand for assistive technologies in healthcare grows, there is a unique opportunity to engage underrepresented students in STEM education. This paper presents the design and evaluation of a co-robotics curriculum that integrates robotics, computer science, and assistive technology to inspire high school students, particularly from underrepresented backgrounds, to pursue STEM careers. The curriculum focuses on building and programming a robotic arm (the “Neupulator”) controlled by bio-signals, including electromyography and accelerometers, to simulate human–robot interaction for enhancing quality of life. Utilizing the 6E instructional model, the curriculum was implemented across multiple phases in schools, with iterative improvements informed by qualitative data from teacher interviews, classroom observations, and professional development sessions. Key findings highlight the curriculum’s success in engaging students through hands-on activities, while other challenges like hardware complexity and delicate electronics were identified and addressed to optimize learning experiences. The study contributes to the growing field of collaborative robotics education by offering an accessible, low-cost curriculum that aligns robotics education with real-world applications, with the potential to foster interest in STEM fields like biomedical engineering and robotics. Future work will assess the curriculum's long-term impact on student motivation, self-efficacy, and career aspirations.
Traditional distance learning evaluations often fail to diagnose students’ deficiencies in the early stages. This research tackles this challenge by implementing online formative assessments and analyzing the records of an introductory physics course, aiming to predict at-risk students. These online assessments go beyond mere evaluation, offering valuable benefits for students, such as immediate feedback, the opportunity to retake assessments, and learn from mistakes, all fostering deeper understanding. Three machine learning algorithms were used to predict students’ final situation. All algorithms demonstrated good classification performance. However, the support vector machine (SVM) algorithm surpassed the others. This result allows us to predict potential failure during the very first formative assessment. This method empowers instructors to intervene early and improve student success, potentially leading to higher retention rates. These findings pave the way for personalized learning interventions in distance learning education. Potentially transforming students’ outcomes and fostering a more engaging learning experience.
Computer programming is recognized as a crucial component of K-12 education for fostering students’ computational thinking skills. Unplugged methods, such as board games, have proven effective in introducing programming concepts to children in an accessible and engaging manner. This exploratory pilot study takes a qualitative approach to investigate the potential of the coding board game Lucky Codes to support elementary students’ engagement with foundational programming concepts through unplugged methods. Video recordings and multimodal transcriptions of gameplay sessions with four students were analyzed to examine their interactions and strategies across two rounds of gameplay. The findings reveal that Lucky Codes facilitated meaningful engagement with programming concepts such as sequencing, decomposition, and conditionals. Participants demonstrated progress in applying these concepts between rounds, reflecting their growing ability to use these ideas strategically to achieve gameplay objectives. The study highlights the potential of intentionally designed board games as accessible and engaging tools for introducing programming concepts to young learners.
Given the very recent appearance and rapid dissemination of tools based on artificial intelligence (AI), particularly the ChatGPT application, and the inevitability of their installation in the lives of students and professors, this article proposes the creation of a new “transversal skills” curricular unit to be taught to students in the Engineering Programs at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto. Given the “revolution” that these AI-based tools can represent, it is important to reflect on what they constitute, how they can support professors in their teaching tasks, how they can support students in acquiring and interrelating knowledge and developing their competences, and how they can shape assessment processes. This article begins by analyzing the characteristics, potential and limitations of AI and the importance of developing AI-related transversal skills in higher education, followed by examples of the application of AI-based tools in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses. Finally, the design of an AI-based curricular unit is proposed, as well as a methodology for identifying, assessing and mitigating the effects of biases in AI applications in curricula. Despite this proposal is directly applicable to STEM courses, it can be easily adapted to other areas of study.
Spatial visualization courses constitute engineering drawing, machine drawing, production drawing, architectural design, civil drawing, and computer-aided geometric modeling and analysis. These courses have a large component of tacit knowledge and thus are an important part of engineering education. This work promotes students’ learning in an experiential way through a contest based on spatial visualization skills. This contest named “Cadathon” derives inspiration from competitive events like hackathons which promote higher-order thinking and pragmatic skills through formative learning. Cadathon enables undergraduate students to work in a real-world industrial scenario. It exposes them to the real-time work culture of non-stop production spanning continuous working hours through the early hours of the night shifts in a computer-aided design (CAD)/computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)–based mechanical engineering designing software industry. In this work, a competitive cadathon contest promoted formative learning, where a total of 20 teams with each team comprising of 4 students participated. The best five teams have been recognized for their CAD geometric modeling-cum-analysis skills. Cadathon has been analyzed for process capability study, and a process performance capability index (CPK) of 0.875 is obtained, confirming the 2.625 sigma level. This paves the way for a vast opportunity and an optimistic future scope to achieve a 6 Sigma level of excellence. Since the students represent various engineering institutions, this cadathon contest also serves as a talent acquisition opportunity for industry personnel to identify students as interns in their industry. Apart from showcasing students’ efforts while making them industry-ready, this work is a one-of-its-kind for bridging the academia-industry gap. Cadathon promotes competitive spirit and, thus, supports the formative learning seen missing in the regular classroom lectures.
In the contemporary educational landscape, the fusion of technology with traditional pedagogical methods has revolutionized the way knowledge is imparted and acquired. However, cultural contexts significantly influence the efficacy of technology integration in learning environments. This study explores the factors within the technology acceptance model (TAM) framework that shape individuals’ attitudes and behavioral intentions toward using educational technologies. The TAM serves as a theoretical framework to understand individuals’ behavioral intentions to use technology, focusing on perceived usefulness and ease of use. We interviewed 12 experts from diverse cultural backgrounds in cultural studies, educational technology, and cross-cultural psychology. Findings reveal that cultural attitudes, learning preferences, educational content accessibility, and interactive learning experiences positively influence behavioral intentions, attitudes, perceived usefulness, and ease of use of technology. We identified ten key themes as predictors of technology adoption through thematic analysis. The study’s implications emphasize the need for culturally responsive technology integration in educational environments, advocating for technologies that accommodate diverse cultural backgrounds and learning preferences. This research contributes to the field by providing valuable insights into the cultural factors that facilitate technology adoption, offering valuable guidelines for developing inclusive and effective educational technologies.
Active learning (AL) approaches have shown substantial benefits in boosting student engagement, learning achievements, and overall performance. Yet, shifting from conventional to active learning methodologies often faces resistance from students. This case study seeks to examine the use of redesigned classroom spaces, enhanced with technology, by educators to facilitate AL strategies and student reactions to these modifications. The study surveyed three distinct courses within a business school at a prominent midwestern public university. Results indicate that transforming physical learning environments to be more flexible and interactive is key in supporting the adoption of AL in university courses. Classrooms equipped with technology were found to encourage AL by enabling greater student collaboration and engagement, even though challenges related to the dependability of technology and instructors’ proficiency with these tools were noted. This study highlights the critical role that both spatial and technological aspects play in effectively incorporating AL methods into higher education. Future research should consider exploring how to overcome student resistance to AL, potentially by investigating educational change management techniques.
Teaching health professions at the graduate level often involves instructors guiding students through active learning labs for the practical application of content. Clinical courses may necessitate covering a substantial amount of information, requiring instructors to adopt efficient and effective teaching methods to maximize lab time. In a Master of Occupational Therapy Program, students were observed being off-task and disengaged with provided materials during group work in active learning labs. In response to this, Quick Response (QR) codes were introduced as a strategy to enhance self-directed learning and maintain focus on tasks while the instructor offered supplemental assistance as needed. A Microsoft Form survey was administered after classes to assess the effectiveness of QR codes as a technology-supported instructional method and gather students’ perceptions. The survey results overwhelmingly indicated that students were receptive to using QR codes and found them helpful in facilitating learning and maintaining attention during lab activities.
