The research explores the impact of reading media on reading comprehension among learners of English as a second language. Data were collected from a convenient, purposive sample of 111 students from a private, English-speaking university in Beirut, Lebanon. As part of their Advanced English research-based course requirements, students were required to sit for four reading achievement tests based on different scholarly articles; two tests were administered online, and two were given in paper and pen format. The reading texts varied in length: short texts (one to two pages in length) and long texts (three to four pages). Results were then recorded and analyzed both descriptively and inferentially using paired t tests. The findings seemed to reveal the students’ highest scores were on offline short texts likely due to compromised attention spans. Recommendations include incorporating digital tools for cooperative learning and, where analysis and critical thinking are required, traditional reading modalities are advised.
This study explored the support needs of PG students in health studies at a South African Open Distance Learning institution during and after COVID-19 to address research-related challenges. Using a qualitative, exploratory, phenomenological design, 22 Master’s and Doctoral students were purposefully sampled and interviewed via Microsoft Teams. Data were analysed using Tesch's coding technique. Findings reveal challenges in online communication with university departments, including delayed or non-responses from libraries, bursaries, registration offices, and supervisors. Recommendations include a centralized call centre, query management system, and faculty-specific workshops. Strengthened research and student support policies, including contingency plans for unforeseen disruptions, are essential. Enhanced information and communication technology is critical. This study offers insights for global institutions to better support PG students during future crises.
This study examines the perceptions and acceptance of virtual reality (VR) technology among underserved students through the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the influence of social interactions, and the impact of a solar system–related VR activity. The study found that VR activities generally enhanced acceptance, with perceived enjoyment being the most influential factor, while perceived usefulness had the least impact. Strong social ties led students to value social interaction features, although these same students found VR less enjoyable. The solar system VR activity increased positive sentiment, particularly in perceived enjoyment, although other factors remained moderately influential. These findings highlight the need for refining VR's social interaction features to better meet the expectations of students with strong social ties. The study also underscores the importance of equitable VR implementation in education and calls for further research on VR's impact on learning outcomes and engagement and its effectiveness across diverse populations.
This study determines collaborative writing factors affecting English as a foreign language (EFL) students' writing performance (WP). The model draws on Bandura's social cognitive learning theory, focusing on environmental factors, individual beliefs, and behavioral factors. The questionnaires were delivered to 85 EFL students at a university in Vietnam. The statistics show that the standardized root mean squared residual index is .060, meaning a good model fit. In particular, the path regressions indicate that WP is affected directly by behavioral factors (63.7%) and indirectly by environmental factors (61.4%) and individual beliefs (24.1%). Regarding the collaborative writing environment, WP is indirectly affected by interaction with peers (37.3%), interaction with teachers (16.6%), and attitude toward the course (12.3%); however, the indirect effect of the use of technology on WP is not statistically significant. Finally, the author discusses some major administrative measures to stimulate causative factors, which will improve EFL students' WP.
In many Global South countries, including South Africa, the adoption of Virtual Lab (VL) remains largely conceptual. This paper emphasizes the necessity of understanding teachers' perceptions of VL before implementation to mitigate risks of abandonment or underutilization post deployment. Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989), the research employed a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach. Phase 1 comprised a questionnaire survey with 186 randomly selected life science teachers in the Eastern Cape province, and Phase 2 involved in-depth semi-structured interviews with 4 teachers. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Findings reveal positive perceptions and a solid intention to adopt VL among teachers, highlighting its perceived usefulness in rural schools. However, caution is warranted as intention alone may not ensure actual adoption. This paper offers insights into the perceptions of teachers in rural regions, whose voices are conspicuously absent in the broader discourse on adopting novel technologies in science education.
E-schools, marked by their digital and interactive settings, offer synchronous and asynchronous learning, transcending traditional educational confines. Highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, these schools emphasize flexibility and accessibility, crucial for education during crises. The expected post-pandemic growth of e-learning stresses digital literacy, and combines online and conventional learning techniques. Global access to e-learning hints at equitable educational opportunities, despite geographical barriers. This study employs bibliometric analysis to understand e-schools' academic influence, examining related literature, citation impact, and global reach. It explores thematic trends and emerging research areas in e-schools, identifying key publications and contributors. By mapping the global distribution and recognizing leading nations and institutions in e-school research, this study offers a comprehensive view of current and future dynamics in digital education, aiming to guide educators, policymakers, and researchers in this evolving domain.
Cultural tourism provides rich opportunities for experiential learning, but a framework to foster such learning is lacking. This study introduces the “learning behaviors-interactive scenarios” framework to explore key facilitators of experiential learning in cultural tourism. Through a literature review, it outlines key learning behaviors in cultural tourism—seeking challenges, critical reflection, and immersive engagement—that drive Kolb's experiential learning model. It examines how activity, information, and interaction scenarios influence these behaviors and enhance learning outcomes. A case study of the Sancai Town Tourism App illustrates the framework's application, with survey results confirming its effectiveness in enhancing cultural understanding. This study addresses three research questions, contributing to a theoretical framework that integrates situational factors with individual learning behaviors, enhancing understanding of experiential learning in cultural tourism and offering insights into its digital transformation.
This study focused on the effects of an early math online professional learning course offered to preschool teachers. The course was designed to inform participants' knowledge of developmental progressions and promote daily mathematics instruction that encouraged students to view their world through a mathematical lens. A survey of preschool teachers' beliefs was administered to participants of the course to determine if participants' beliefs changed significantly and how their pre-course beliefs influenced their engagement in the course. Findings indicate that the course impacted preschool teachers regardless of their area of responsibility, education level, or experience level. The teachers' comfort with teaching math to young children and perspectives about age appropriateness of mathematics were both positively influenced by the course. The teachers with the most positive initial beliefs had a higher rate of course completion. Implications for the field of preschool teacher education and online professional learning environments are discussed.
Due to the rapid development of internet technology, the field of education is undergoing a revolutionary change. The purpose of this study is to explore how new media mobile terminals affect the learning style of college students, paying special attention to the changes in learners' participation and autonomous learning ability. Traditional learning methods have not sufficiently met the needs of contemporary college students, and the rise of new media mobile terminals has provided convenient for learning anytime and anywhere. Digitally competent college students have gradually become less dependent on traditional learning and turned to more independent learning methods. This study will analyze the specific influence of new media mobile terminals on learners' participation and autonomous learning abilities in order to provide useful insights for innovation in education and optimization of college students' learning methods.
The advantage of VLs lies in their capacity for simulating real-world lab experiences within a fully immersive digital environment, yet the uptake in rural schools in developing countries remains low. To understand this paradox, this study explores the perceptions of seven secondary school science teachers in a rural district in South Africa. Through a qualitative case-study methodology guided by the interpretive paradigm, this research adopts a phenomenological approach to gain insights into teachers' attitudes, understandings, and the factors influencing their acceptance or rejection of this technology. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology is employed as a theoretical framework. The study finds that despite potential educational benefits, the actual use of VLs is largely influenced by teacher perceptions and experiences, rooted in context-specific challenges. The findings reveal that teachers perceive VL as a beneficial and practical tool providing access to high-quality lab equipment necessary for student experiments, which could otherwise be cost-prohibitive.
This study explores the potential of social learning platforms (SLPs) to enhance female students' learning experiences in Saudi higher education and address socio-cultural constraints. It examines the advantages and disadvantages of SLPs from the perspective female students and analyses the impact of personal beliefs on their perceptions of SLPs. The study includes a mixed-methods approach, combining a survey questionnaire (n= 87) and semi-structured interviews (n= 3). Results indicate that female students generally perceive SLPs as beneficial, despite implementation challenges. Preference for male instructors and family teaching preferences vary among participants. Computer experience was found to influence perceived advantages of SLPs. Qualitative analysis provides deeper insights, including educational, cultural, and economic aspects. The study offers recommendations for future research and implications for enhancing the learning experiences of female students in conservative higher education systems.
Executive coaching has acquired a significant position in the world of developmental interventions in human resources development. Similarly, another trend spotted over the past two decades is reduction in the age group of senior and top executives. As the managers reach the top slots at young ages, it is imperative that their coaching needs must be re-assessed on the backdrop of the traditional needs of their relatively elder counterparts. Hence, the study was undertaken to understand the coaching needs expectations of young executives below 40 years of age. This paper presents the findings based on these young executives' responses on the related parameters (e.g., firm and faster decision making, acquisition of new knowledge, certifications, refining the presentation skills, better time management, strict financial controls and planning, technological updates, wider reading, better communication, listening skills, empathy, and career opportunities). The paper concludes with a few pointers for coaching for young executives and paves the way for further research in this area.
This study designed and implemented a personal learning environment platform for spoken English teaching in a junior high school in China to improve students' spoken English narrative competence. Altogether, 83 junior high school year one students took part in this study. The participants were divided into experimental and control classes for the two-month-long experiment. The personal learning environment-based spoken English platform was implemented in the experimental class, while the control class used traditional face-to-face instruction. Pre- and post-spoken English tests and semistructured interviews were used in the study. The data analysis revealed that PLEs has the potential to boost students' learning motivation and enthusiasm and improve their spoken English narrative performance as well. This study advanced practical research of PLEs in junior high school and enhanced the theoretical research in spoken English teaching.
This article is devoted to the development of an adaptive personalized online course in mathematics for students, which was implemented on the Stepik platform. The authors discuss a non-linear approach to online learning that adapts to the needs of the student as they progress through the course content, which leads to an individual learner's experience based on prior knowledge. Within the framework of this article, the authors consider the experience of Aktobe Higher Polytechnic College in the task of implementing an adaptive personalized online course, and also offer specific methods and technologies. For this reason, the authors are exploring Stepik adaptive personalized learning software as an educational platform and designer of open online courses and interactive training lessons, using videos, tests, and various tasks with automatic verification and instant feedback.
This research aims to identify the existing technological and cognitive gaps in educational institutions through the implementation of characterization software. To meet this objective, the study establishes a framework of digital competencies to validate the level of performance using the input of educational community members, which allows for establishing a diagnosis regarding the use and appropriation of technological resources. The study utilized an applied research methodology based on a validation approach using the technological acceptance method. The findings reveal educational institutions' lack of knowledge in identifying and appropriating technological resources. The research concludes that recognizing technology and technological resources can lead to the improvement of educational processes. It also provides a framework for researchers to present proposals that allow them to recognize technology's mediating role in the teaching-learning process.
While speaking anxiety is one of the most problematic aspects observed in English as a foreign language (EFL) context, a limited number of studies focused on the impact of collaborative learning on speaking anxiety in different learning environments. This study investigates the effects of collaborative tasks on foreign language learners' speaking anxiety in face-to-face and online learning contexts. In this experimental study, the data were collected from 34 foreign language students with a questionnaire consisting of a background part and a scale for measuring speaking anxiety. Even though the results revealed changes in speaking anxiety levels after the collaborative instruction in the face-to-face environments, no differences were found between face-to-face and online environments in terms of the impact of collaborative instruction on learners' speaking anxiety.
This study explores the potential of social learning platforms (SLPs) to enhance female students' learning experiences in Saudi higher education and address socio-cultural constraints. It examines the advantages and disadvantages of SLPs from the perspective female students and analyses the impact of personal beliefs on their perceptions of SLPs. The study includes a mixed-methods approach, combining a survey questionnaire (n= 87) and semi-structured interviews (n= 3). Results indicate that female students generally perceive SLPs as beneficial, despite implementation challenges. Preference for male instructors and family teaching preferences vary among participants. Computer experience was found to influence perceived advantages of SLPs. Qualitative analysis provides deeper insights, including educational, cultural, and economic aspects. The study offers recommendations for future research and implications for enhancing the learning experiences of female students in conservative higher education systems.
The democratization of online platforms through technological advancements has helped in the growth of new tools for digital learning. The global pandemic in 2019 accelerated the shift to a digital environment for organisations worldwide. With a shift to online learning, there has been a sudden spike in enrolments for massive open online courses. The present study addresses this gap in the literature by analysing the impact of MOOC courses on the achievement of program outcomes of a formal education program. The authors attempt to understand if digital learning outcomes vary among diverse learner groups, if the adaption of MOOC courses enhances the achievement of program outcomes among diverse learner groups. The data for this study were collected using purposive sampling from students pursuing a management course at a B-school in India. The results of the study indicate that diversity has no impact on the achievement of program outcomes.
This article is devoted to the development of an adaptive personalized online course in mathematics for students, which was implemented on the Stepik platform. The authors discuss a non-linear approach to online learning that adapts to the needs of the student as they progress through the course content, which leads to an individual learner's experience based on prior knowledge. Within the framework of this article, the authors consider the experience of Aktobe Higher Polytechnic College in the task of implementing an adaptive personalized online course, and also offer specific methods and technologies. For this reason, the authors are exploring Stepik adaptive personalized learning software as an educational platform and designer of open online courses and interactive training lessons, using videos, tests, and various tasks with automatic verification and instant feedback.
