Flipped learning often faces challenges related to insufficient student preparation and limited engagement in pre-class activities. Pre-class social interaction and cognitive feedback are key processes in student knowledge construction, playing a critical role in determining the effectiveness of flipped learning. However, systematic evidence remains lacking regarding the joint associations among cognitive levels in pre-class feedback questions, social participatory roles, and academic performance. To address this research gap, a longitudinal empirical study was conducted among 38 undergraduate students over the course of one semester. Social and epistemic network analysis methods were used to explore the association between the cognitive level of pre-class feedback questions, social participatory roles, and academic performance. The results revealed that core participants consistently demonstrated higher-level cognition than peripheral participants. As the course progressed, core participants consistently demonstrated higher-level cognition, whereas peripheral participants' cognitive levels appeared to shift from surface to deeper processing. The peripheral participants with high academic performance also demonstrated higher-level cognition. Moreover, the mediation analysis indicated that cognitive level played a partial mediation role in the relationship between social participatory roles and academic performance. Finally, the study proposed the design and practical implications for flipped teaching based on these findings.
In higher education settings where systematic internationalization opportunities remain structurally inaccessible to the majority of students, how global competence manifests is poorly understood. This study investigates how Chinese EFL students in a less-internationalized setting demonstrate global competence through academic writing, contributing empirical evidence to a contextually underrepresented area of global competence research. Using a mixed-methods design, we analysed 31 expository essays by second-year English majors at a comprehensive university in East China. Findings revealed asymmetrical development: students demonstrated strong Analytical and Critical Thinking Skills (M = 3.80), moderate Engagement in Global and Intercultural Action (M = 3.16), but comparatively weaker Knowledge of Global and Intercultural Issues (M = 2.80) and Openness, Respect for Diversity, and Flexibility (M = 2.79), with cultural self-awareness subcategories consistently below the midpoint (M = 2.69). Correlation analysis further identified a knowledge-action gap (r = .21, p = .263), with Analytical and Critical Thinking Skills functioning as the sole cross-dimensional bridge. Drawing on these patterns, we propose the Analytical-Reflective-Engagement of Global Competence (ARE-GC) model as a provisional framework for EFL writing instruction in less-internationalized contexts, with implications for teaching practice and competence assessment in comparable higher education settings.
Instructional leadership has emerged as a critical driver of school improvement and student learning. This study examines the relationships among instructional leadership, teacher collaboration, support for teacher innovation, and student achievement in mainland China. Multilevel mediation models were employed to assess the indirect effects of instructional leadership on student achievement through teacher collaboration, while two-level moderated mediation models tested the moderating role of principals' support for teacher innovation. Results indicate that instructional leadership is positively associated with maths and reading achievement, mediated by teacher collaboration. The indirect effects were stronger when teachers perceived higher levels of support for innovation from their principals, suggesting that instructional leadership is most effective within an innovation-supportive school climate. No significant direct or indirect association was found for science achievement. This study updates the assumption of uniform leadership effects across subject areas and highlights the importance of balancing structured leadership with teacher autonomy. Findings offer culturally grounded insights into how instructional leadership can foster authentic teacher collaboration and innovation, even in traditionally conservative and hierarchical education systems. These results underscore the potential for school leaders to improve student outcomes by encouraging meaningful teacher collaboration and supporting innovative practices.
