This study examines the genre preferences and gender differences in Algerian English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ exposure to English-language media. 71 Algerian undergraduate learners of English completed a structured survey exploring the extent to which they are exposed to different types of English media outside of the classroom. Descriptive as well as inferential statistical analyses were conducted to explore genre preferences and gender differences in media exposure. The results showed that Algerian EFL learners mostly listen to English songs, use the internet, and watch subtitled movies and TV programs in English. Meanwhile, participants reported limited exposure to books, video games, newspapers, and magazines. Gender differences were found in internet use, books, and video games. Implications are provided for EFL teachers and practitioners based on these findings.
The study aimed to develop some insights into whether science teachers are aware of films that contain socioscientific issues, the influence of the films they watch on their perception on these issues and whether they would like to use these films as teaching materials in the classroom. Therefore, in the study, the perception of science teachers on some socioscientific issues (nuclear power plants, global warming, genetically modified organisms, genetic cloning, tissue and organ donation) and the films they watched on these socioscientific issues were investigated. In this qualitative study, the case study design was used. A total of 18 science teachers participated in the study. The research data were collected through written documents, semi-structured interviews on the use of films in education and focus group interviews in order to reveal the teachers’ perception on socioscientific issues. According to the written findings obtained, some of the participating teachers’ perception on socioscientific issues changed after watching the films on these issues. According to the interview findings, 14 of the teachers mentioned that films related to socioscientific issues could change students’ perception, while 4 stated that they would not change students’ perception. Half of the participating teachers stated that they had not watched any films on socioscientific issues before the study and were unaware of the existence of such films. According to the teachers, the common characteristics of the films on socioscientific issues are being about issues that concern society, having individuals or companies’ interests at the forefront, containing dilemmas, prompting questioning and thinking and showing different perception.
This qualitative modified e-Delphi study sought to obtain consensus from a panel of K-12 online education experts as to the most effective virtual strategies for student engagement in an online learning environment. Data was obtained through multiple questionnaires of 15 online education experts in northern California with three or more years of experience teaching virtually in a virtual learning academy. By rating engagement strategies, consensus on the most effective strategies for online engagement was obtained. The three rounds of questioning provided response to the question: What are the most effective engagement strategies for online learning? Based on the engagement strategies that received a consensus level of 70% or greater, screen sharing, discussion, lecture, and using an engaging curriculum were found to be extremely important. Participants also found teacher modeling, clear instructions, and discussing test taking to be very important engagement strategies. The engagement strategies that emerged were discussed in three themes, which included Delivery Practices, Engagement and Interaction, and Support and Accessibility. The results of this study may empower teachers when teaching virtually to enhance student motivation and help reduce students’ feelings of isolation.
The use of social networking sites (SNSs) in teaching is of increasing importance, for it puts into question how what we have, until the digital revolution, understood formal education to be. The earliest social media came about and were developed parallel to generations Z and Alpha. This review analyzed at least 8 articles published between 2019 and 2023, found on the databases Web of Science and Scopus, and sorted into four categories of research cases focused on the main SNSs used in formal education. The selected studies show that Whatsapp, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok can have a positive impact on student and teacher motivation, collaboration, and the reaching of learning objectives. Further, this paper brings to light the advantages that SNSs can bring to faculty’s professional development and to learning, in addition to their value as motivating resources and community-forming structures.
This study seeks to examine the impact of the physical presence of others on perceptions of classroom climate across multiple learning spaces, particularly HyFlex spaces, at the post-secondary level. Following a review of the role of others within social learning theory, student insights and perceptions concerning the physical presence of their peers was gathered using the Connected Classroom Climate Inventory. Student feedback indicated that impressions of classroom climate across various iterations of HyFlex spaces were viewed as both connected and supportive by students. The unpredictability of the physical presence of other students within the modified HyFlex learning space still allowed for respect for diverse learning styles and cooperation among students to be detected.
In today's digital society, the quest for sustainable development requires a paradigm shift in policy making, education, and individual lifestyle choices. This study explores the impact of informal education through communication technologies, with a specific focus on the social media network Instagram, to promote education for sustainable development and resulting sustainable behaviors. Based on the understanding that informal learning plays a crucial role in shaping individual attitudes and behaviors, our research seeks to uncover how students learn about sustainability in a less structured, more spontaneous manner through social media. Using a semi-structured interview methodology, the study examines the impact of sustainability education on Instagram and its role in shaping sustainable lifestyles among student users. The findings highlight the importance of emotional connection to the learning content and the relevance of the topics to everyday life. Having role models and practical tips seems to be crucial not only for learning about sustainability, but also for promoting sustainable behavior. With its various format options and different content creators, Instagram seems to be an ideal medium to raise awareness about sustainability and encourage users to take concrete sustainable actions.
Media and Information Literacy (MIL) is one of the most important issues in today's mediatized world. Under the leadership of UNESCO, many international organizations in the world, as foreign donors, annually announce many projects and grants for the promotion and development of the field of MIL in the countries of the world. One of the main actors of this movement is DW Academy with various media and MIL projects in over 50 countries of the world. This research paper examines the role of DW Akademie's MIL model in shaping a media-savvy generation. The study examines the theoretical underpinnings and practical applications of the DW Akademie's MIL model and analyzes its effectiveness in fostering media literacy skills. The research takes a multifaceted approach, incorporating case studies to assess the model's impact on different demographic groups. The paper also considers the model's alignment with global education policy and proposes recommendations for its integration into broader frameworks. By examining the DW Akademie's MIL model, this research contributes to the ongoing discourse on media literacy education and provides valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and researchers. The findings offer a nuanced understanding of the model's place in cultivating a media-savvy generation capable of navigating the complexities of the information age.
This study consists of a 17-year (2006-2021) systematic literature review on the effective instructional strategies for developing Computational Thinking (CT) in primary school students (K-5). The aim of this paper is to identify instructional strategies that have been implemented and evaluated by means of a pre- and post-test, with the aim of developing CT as a thinking process (i.e. going beyond the mere acquisition of CS concepts). The analysis considers the overall pedagogical approach, with the intention of overcoming both the archetypal approaches to coding and the assessment tools used to measure CT acquisition.
In the current higher education context, the development of academics’ competencies seems to be a crucial issue, with a strong focus on teaching, learning and assessment digital skills (Redecker & Punie, 2017). In connection with the framework of DigCompEdu (2017), it seems important to understand how to better sustain academics’ new professionalisation as Digital Scholars (Weller, 2011) in order to structure efficient and effective academic development models aimed at fostering new teaching skills required at university in the post pandemic era.
Precision education derives teaching and learning opportunities by customizing predictive rules in educational methods. Innovative educational research faces new challenges and affords state-of-the-art methods to trace knowledge between the teaching and learning ecosystem. Individual intelligence can only be captured through knowledge level representation, i.e., learning performance that sheds light on learners’ knowledge and ability to apply skills after course learning in the education process. Emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) predicts future learning performance in the higher education system. This research aims to implement an AI application using a supervised learning model to predict students' learning abilities, which are developed by the end of course study. The authors examine learners' performance skills using Bloom's classifiers. This study aims to develop more innovative ways to represent learners’ knowledge level by implementing AI models in learning performance. This prediction model assists both teacher and learner in understanding learners' knowledge abilities, and this study can find out the current status of learners' knowledge.
This research examines how artificial intelligence (AI) can be effectively integrated into education. It focuses on the skills and strategies that students and educators need to be successful. The study takes a qualitative approach. It includes discussions with students and faculty at a Moroccan University of Interdisciplinary Studies and a review of the relevant literature. The findings show that AI has great potential to enhance learning and critical thinking. However, there is a clear need for structured training and strong institutional support to build AI literacy. The study suggests that educational institutions should take a comprehensive approach to integrating AI. This includes creating training programs, integrating AI into the curriculum, and encouraging collaboration on AI-related projects. These steps can help prepare students for a future in which AI plays an important role in their careers. This research adds to the ongoing conversation about AI in education. It also offers practical ideas for improving teaching and learning with technology.
Spelling and grammar are a priority in first language (L1) classrooms. Digital learning has increased significantly around the world, particularly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the range of online learning for spelling and grammar is very large, there is still no systematic review of the effectiveness of different features and platform characteristics in this area. This systematic literature review summarizes research on online learning platforms for L1 spelling and grammar instruction. We aim to synthesize what is known about online L1 learning environments and to infer the effectiveness and quality of a platform from its design, pedagogical approaches, or technologies used. Special attention is paid to the different features that can be implemented in such platforms. 49 relevant publications were included after a two-step screening process and application of inclusion and exclusion criteria. We found that digital L1 learning platforms are often described rather than evaluated in an experimental study. However, immediate feedback, repetition of tasks, and varying levels of difficulty were described as particularly effective for learning success. While digital learning platforms are widely used, adaptive or machine learning based methods were rarely found. The review suggests future work in adaptive learning environments for L1 learners and the integration of experimental studies.
The rapid digitization of communication in the last decade, especially in social networking spaces, has contributed to radical changes in the virtual language environment in Sri Lanka. It has not only reshaped the way individuals communicate, but has also fueled the emergence of new linguistic trends that reflect the dynamic nature of language in the contemporary virtual landscape. The present study seeks to explore the prospects of a pure language ideology in Sri Lanka with special reference to the use of Sinhala and English in the virtual space. The study used a corpus of memes extracted from social media and analyzed them from a sociolinguistic standpoint using Critical Discourse Analysis. The results show that social media have created a safe space for less competent language users to interact within their linguistic capacity. The adaptation of words and the invention of neologisms have occurred due to the unavailability of terms in users' L1 or L2, as well as to avoid taboos or prohibitions. Given the rapid evolution of communication technology, added to the dynamic changes that have already occurred within languages, aspirations to linguistic purism have become unrealistic optimism.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning have become increasingly important in modern society and are poised to play an increasingly prominent role in education. This paper seeks to provide a theoretical framework for interrogating the integration of AI in education spaces. The paper argues that the eventual response of educators to recent developments in artificial intelligence is eerily like the earlier cycles of integrating ICT in education and, decades earlier, calculators into mathematics instruction. Premised on the argument that there are similarities between the calculator revolution in mathematics education and the ICT revolution in education several decades ago and the current ongoing developments in artificial intelligence, this paper offers a theoretical lens. The theoretical lens is composed of the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, Technology Acceptance Model, Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Socio-technical system theory, and Diffusion of Innovation theory. The paper concludes that despite spatial differences between the ICT revolution and the artificial intelligence revolution, there are shared similarities warranting adoption of a similar theoretical lens. Furthermore, factors that were considered pivotal in the integration of ICT are still relevant to the revolution of artificial intelligence.
Today’s schools must respond to the evolving needs of students by adopting new pedagogical models and didactic devices. Information and communication technologies can be useful resources to focus on the learning of each individual student as a dynamic and relational process. Collaborative writing apps facilitate democratic and shared construction of knowledge through ICT (Van Leeuwen, Janssen, 2019). This approach fosters the transformation of knowledge through a trialogical approach to learning (Cesareni et al., 2018). This article analyzes the responses of a collaborative writing experience with apps in a school. The aim of this contribution is to highlight the most effective technology-mediated collaborative writing interventions that have been implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic. The focus is on their educational potential in terms of both cognitive and non-cognitive skills.
Immersive Virtual Reality (I-VR) is becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s society and is a technology that is being used more and more in educational contexts and whose potential for learning has been widely discussed. Taking into account the latest research in neuroscience, we want to explore the potential of using immersive virtual environments to facilitate deep learning in educational contexts that invoke the value of experience, imitation and repetition. Neurodidactics seems to offer the most interesting insights into how participation in a virtual reality session can positively affect learning processes: this suggests that it is worth focusing on the learning processes that can be generated by this emerging technology. The paper concludes with some practical suggestions for design, addressing both the didactic experience and the learning objects.
The study aims to investigate the reform and innovation of teaching methodology for digital cinema and television animation majors. The rapid growth of the animation industry and the need for skilled professionals, along with the drawbacks of traditional teaching methods, emphasize the need for reform in the way animation majors are taught. This text then provides a detailed explanation of the basic principles, characteristics, and prospective benefits of the university-industry cooperation model of talent cultivation in the education of animation majors. The discussion on the education of animation students centers on the improvement of teaching materials and methods through the university-industry cooperation talent cultivation model. Emphasis is placed on developing students’ practical skills. Through the analysis and evaluation of innovation strategies, recommendations for improvement and optimization are proposed. The results of the study show that the application of the university-industry cooperation talent cultivation mode in the teaching of animation majors is of great significance and promise. This approach can effectively develop students’ comprehensive abilities and practical skills. This study serves as a valuable resource for animation teachers, encourages improvement and creativity in teaching animation students, and provides insights into potential future research areas.
This study sought to investigate pre-service science teachers’ opinions about using virtual laboratories and virtual laboratories for biology. The study group of the research consisted of four pre-service science teachers (two girls and two boys) who had virtual laboratory experience by taking at least one of the courses related to technology integration at a state university located in the Central Anatolia region in Türkiye. The research used a semi-structured interview form with open-ended questions, a common data collection method in qualitative research. The data were examined using the content analysis method. The usage of virtual laboratories in science lectures in terms of the teacher, student, and educational processes was mentioned by pre-service science teachers. Pre-service teachers claim that virtual laboratories help students gain experience and strengthen their critical thinking and research skills. According to pre-service teachers, biology, cells, and the study of onion skin and bacteria are only a few examples of virtual laboratory applications that can be used in science teaching. They emphasized that it included biology-related themes, offered opportunities for lab work, dispelled misconceptions, and allowed students to use a microscope.
