This study develops and empirically validates an adapted task-based framework for improving core speech activity domains - listening, speaking, reading, and writing - among learners with visual impairments at different educational levels. The objective was to create a comprehensive communicative task system that aligns with the perceptual characteristics of visually impaired learners while fostering their social integration through tailored pedagogical methods. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining modeling, comparative analysis, structural-functional examination, and pedagogical experimentation. Results indicated a substantial improvement in communication skills among the experimental groups, with significant gains in English language proficiency, conversational engagement, and autonomy compared to the control groups. These findings demonstrate that an adapted task-based approach can be used as a practical pedagogical tool in inclusive English language instruction, as it supports not only language development but also learners' autonomy, classroom participation, and social integration.
Virtual Reality (VR) has shown significant potential in enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes in STEM education, yet its application in music education remains underexplored-particularly concerning how varying levels of immersion affect learning performance and student perceptions. This study compared the effects of immersive VR (using head-mounted displays) and non-immersive VR (using tablets) on eighth-grade students' engagement, learning performance, and perceptions during a musical instrument recognition task. A quasi-experimental design was employed with 43 students divided into two groups, both of which completed pre- and post-tests, questionnaires, and interviews. Statistical analyses, including paired and independent-sample t-tests and effect size calculations, revealed that while both groups significantly improved, the non-immersive VR group outperformed the immersive group with a medium-to-large effect size (Cohen's d = 0.63). Questionnaire responses suggested that tablet-based VR facilitated better focus, understanding, and ease of use, whereas immersive VR promoted critical thinking and confidence despite usability challenges like motion sickness. These findings highlight that the level of VR immersion has distinct impacts on learning and user experience. Non-immersive VR may be more suitable for tasks requiring cognitive clarity and accessibility, while immersive VR could better support deeper cognitive engagement. Educators and instructional designers should align the level of VR immersion with educational objectives to optimize learning effectiveness and user experience.
This study investigated the predictive power of reading comprehension subcomponents-vocabulary knowledge, meaning construction, and critical thinking-on mathematical problem-solving performance. Hierarchical regression, ROC analysis, decision tree modeling, and profile analysis were applied to data from 756 sixth-grade students. Findings revealed a hierarchical pattern: vocabulary knowledge played a foundational role, meaning construction demonstrated significant predictive value, and critical thinking emerged as the ultimate predictor with highest diagnostic accuracy. Profile analysis suggested interaction effects consistent with a multiplicative interpretation, where optimal subcomponent profiles were associated with substantially better performance than component effects alone. These findings have practical implications for educators and school counselors, as critical thinking and meaning construction skills may serve as early indicators of students at risk for word-problem difficulties. Results raise questions about practices that prioritize computational fluency over critical thinking, based on correlational patterns observed in this sample. Evidence-based diagnostic thresholds and targeted intervention recommendations are provided.
This study investigates students' learning processes through classroom micro-interactions, mapping how understanding emerges and evolves over time. In this study, learning as traces refers to observable micro-interactions-such as questions, gestures, notes, peer exchanges, and strategy shifts-that reveal how learning develops across classroom interactions. Conducted in a middle/high school classroom, the research focuses on three themes: beginning moments, deepening understanding, and moments of learning adaptation. Data were collected using classroom observations, student notes, drawings, and audio recordings, then analyzed through a chronological micro-interaction framework. Findings reveal that learning is dynamic and non-linear: students actively engage in questioning, peer interaction, note-taking, and visual representation while adapting strategies in response to feedback or errors. Visual timelines illustrate the temporal progression of these interactions, highlighting patterns of engagement, conceptual understanding, and strategy shifts. This study contributes methodologically by integrating temporal sequencing with functional categorization of micro-interactions, offering a structured way to visualize adaptive learning processes. It offers implications for teachers and researchers to enhance classroom practices and to better understand the complexities of learning as an interactive, evolving process.
Over the past decade, scientific disinformation has been intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic and the proliferation of social media. The emergence of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools has worsened the spread of misinformation and poses risks to scientific literature through low-quality journals. Promoting both scientific and digital literacy in education is now more critical than ever. Our pilot study explores how to enhance classroom instruction to foster student motivation while developing these literacies. We present an innovative course design featuring interdisciplinary, low-code STEM projects and collaborative learning. Designed for middle school students, the pedagogical scenarios span three difficulty levels. Teachers trained in the program praised its creativity and interdisciplinary approach, though concerns were raised about schools' technological readiness. A pre- and post-implementation STEM interest survey revealed that the pilot group's interest in Engineering and Technology increased compared to the control group, highlighting the course's potential to spark lasting engagement in STEM fields.
This study examined the effects of design thinking-supported mathematical modeling activities on seventh-grade students' computational thinking and sustainable environmental awareness. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design was employed with 72 students from a public middle school in Turkey. The intervention consisted of an eight-hour instructional implementation including four renewable energy-based activities grounded in design thinking and mathematical modeling principles. The experimental group participated in design thinking-supported activities, while the control group received traditional teacher-centered instruction. Data were collected using the Computational Thinking Scale and the Sustainable Environmental Awareness Scale and analyzed using a 2 & times; 2 & times; 2 mixed factorial ANOVA. Results indicated significant positive effects of the intervention on both outcomes. While gender did not significantly influence computational thinking, female students showed greater gains in sustainable environmental awareness. Implications for teacher education, curriculum design, limitations, and future research are discussed.
This study evaluated the effects of Wise-Ax Math, a concept-oriented digital game, on early arithmetic fluency and classroom-relevant emotional-behavioral indicators. Thirty first- and second-grade students in South Korea (two intact classes) completed an 8-week counterbalanced crossover comparing game-based practice with textbook-aligned worksheets (15 min/day, 5 days/week). Outcomes were assessed at baseline, 4 wk, and 8 wk: arithmetic fluency; teacher-rated ADHD-related behaviors and externalizing problems; and child-reported general worry/anxiety and depressive symptoms. Pooled within-phase change scores indicated that fluency gains were descriptively larger during the game round than during the worksheet round (6.97 +/- 6.64 vs. 4.83 +/- 10.29). Teachers reported fewer ADHD-related behaviors during the game round (-4.03 +/- 3.93; p < .001), and round-specific analyses also indicated reductions in externalizing problems and general worry/anxiety; depressive symptoms did not change meaningfully. Findings provide preliminary, context-bound evidence that concept-oriented DGBL can support early arithmetic practice.
As willingness to communicate (WTC) is a critical factor affecting second language (L2) learning, several studies have proposed strategies for fostering students' WTC in L2 classrooms. However, limited research has examined students' preferences for such strategies, considering their WTC levels. This study, conducted in a suburban setting of Vietnam, aims to fill the gap. A questionnaire was completed by 430 Vietnamese EFL students from three suburban high schools to assess their WTC levels, followed by two focus group interviews with 16 participants to explore their strategy preferences in depth. The results revealed distinct preferences among students based on their WTC levels. Phenomenological analysis highlighted the patterns of individual differences, indicating that students with lower WTC levels are more sensitive to teachers' strategies whose effectiveness depends on their implementation. These findings suggest that L2 teachers should consider both intrinsic characteristics and situational factors when employing strategies to encourage WTC inside the classroom.
This study investigates how elementary students experience and perceive data science instruction in interest-driven and contextually relevant learning environments. We focused on fourth- and fifth-grade students (ages 8-11) who participated in data science units co-developed by educators and researchers over two years. Drawing on qualitative data from 214 students in a rural STEM-focused elementary school, we examined how students engaged with data science concepts, tools, and practices. Findings revealed that students conceptualized data science as both an analytical and narrative process of collecting, organizing, and visualizing data to tell evidence-based stories. They described data science as a space for discovery and creativity, expressing enjoyment in using digital tools to design and communicate their findings. Challenges included learning to use visualization tools and balancing teacher support with creative autonomy. Our findings underscore the value of incorporating children's perspectives into the design of data science curricula and tools.
This study explores the impact of ChatGPT-Student Interaction-Based Texts (CSIBT) on the reading comprehension and motivation of primary school students. The present study was grounded in the Human-AI Collaborative Learning Model. To this end, a mixed-methods design was employed, combining a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group with qualitative interviews. The experimental group engaged with personalized reading materials co-created with ChatGPT, while the control group followed the standard curriculum. Quantitative data were collected through the administration of validated reading comprehension and motivation scales, and subsequently analyzed using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the analysis of co-variance (ANCOVA) statistical procedures. The validity of the normality assumptions was confirmed through the implementation of the Shapiro-Wilk test. The findings indicated that students in the CSIBT group exhibited significantly more pronounced enhancements in both reading comprehension and motivation compared to the control group. The qualitative findings corroborated these results, underscoring an increase in student engagement, enjoyment, and perceived relevance of the texts. These findings suggest that AI-supported personalized texts, when integrated through student interaction, can effectively enhance reading outcomes in early education. The study offers practical implications for the development of learner-centered and AI-assisted literacy instruction.
This study examines the effect of a self-regulated learning (SRL) intervention on English reading achievement and reading behavior of Chinese secondary school students. The intervention is an eight-step form that was developed based on Zimmerman's three-phase cyclical model. A concurrent embedded mixed-methods design was employed to collect data at a secondary school in a second-tier city in China, involving 208 students from Grades 7 and 8 in a quasi-experimental study, and 18 of these students in a qualitative study. The results showed that students in the experimental groups achieved significantly higher English reading scores. The students reported their engagement with the intervention and their comments on its impact in the qualitative data, revealing individual differences in the use and perceptions of the intervention form. This study has practical implications for improving SRL-based instruction in EFL settings and for enriching teacher professional development in integrating both subject-based training and SRL-based instruction.
The aim of this study is to determine the effect of reading illustrated storybooks designed to emphasize mathematical concepts on the mathematical skills of young children aged 48-72 months, with a particular focus on number and operation knowledge. Using an experimental pretest-posttest control group design, a total of 64 children from four different preschool classes participated in the study. Participants from each class were randomly assigned to either the treatment or the control group before the intervention, and their baseline mathematics scores were assessed using the TEMA-3 test. No additional mathematics activities or instructional supports were implemented during the intervention period beyond regular classroom practices. For eight weeks, storybooks were read to both groups twice a week. While the experimental group was read storybooks focusing on mathematical concepts, the control group was read storybooks commonly used in preschools that focus on social skills and everyday social situations. The results showed that at the end of the eight weeks, the mathematical development of the treatment group was statistically significantly higher than that of the control group. The effect size (eta 2 = .072) indicated a small-to-moderate effect, suggesting that approximately 7.2% of the variance in mathematical outcomes could be attributed to the intervention.
This paper explores the application of Embodied Cognition to English in the unique multilingual context of Morocco. While traditional pedagogies often treat language as a purely abstract symbol system, embodied cognition posits that learning is deeply rooted in bodily and sensory-motor experiences. In Morocco, where learners navigate a complex linguistic landscape involving Darija (Moroccan Arabic), Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), French, and now English, this perspective offers a notable approach. An empirical study with (n = 80) secondary school students compared an embodied pedagogy group to a control group receiving traditional instruction. The results demonstrated a significant learning gain (11.7) in the experimental group, which achieved an 89% success rate compared to 45% in the control group. We conclude that teaching methods which engage conceptual analysis and connect to students' existing bodily understanding of concepts in their first language (Darija) can make learning English idioms more effective and meaningful.
