Search results

In 2002, Pakistan made a notable advancement toward inclusive education by approving the national policy for people with disabilities (Durrani et al., 2017). This policy, advised by the Ministry of Women’s Development, Social Work, and Special Education, aimed to integrate students with special needs into mainstream schools, emphasizing the significance of inclusive learning environments (Ashfaq and Rana, 2015). Despite these efforts, the practical application of this policy in high schools has encountered numerous obstacles. Effective integration of students with special needs requires more than just policy implementation; it demands effective educational practices. Teachers are crucial in this process as they are the primary facilitators of learning and significantly influence these students’ academic and social adaptation. Administrative support is essential in fostering an environment conducive to including and adapting students with special needs. This study aims to investigate these dynamics in high schools, focusing on the role of teacher interactions and administrative frameworks in supporting or hindering the adaptation process for students with special needs. Understanding these relationships is crucial for identifying gaps, challenges and opportunities within the current educational system, thereby contributing to the development of more effective strategies for inclusive education in Pakistan.

This study used a correlational research strategy to investigate the effects of administrative and teacher support on the adaptation capabilities of high school students with special needs. The correlational design was chosen to explore the relationships between different types of support and students’ adaptation capabilities without manipulating any variables (Seeram, 2019). The study involved 230 participants, comprising 170 educators and 60 support staff. Stratified random sampling ensured that the sample represented various school types and experience levels (Sharma et al., 2017). This sampling method helps provide a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of the population under study. The demographic characteristics of the sample are summarized in Table 1. Participants were categorized based on sex, level of education, age and experience level to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the sample’s diversity.

This study reveals that teacher and administrative support significantly impact students’ adaptation capabilities. Teacher support emerged as a strong predictor (ß = 0.502, p < 0.001), highlighting its crucial role in enhancing students’ adaptability. Administrative support also showed a positive and significant effect (ß = 0.211, p < 0.001), and its interaction with teacher support (ß = 0.102, p < 0.001) suggests that administrative support amplifies the positive effects of teacher support. These findings underscore the importance of a holistic support system within schools. While teachers provide direct instructional support and foster an inclusive learning environment, administrative support ensures teachers have the necessary resources and institutional backing to support students effectively (Carter et al., 2022). The interaction between these forms of support suggests that administrative efforts to support teachers can significantly enhance the overall adaptation capabilities of students (Gibbs, 2023b).

Several limitations should be considered when interpreting the findings of this study. First, the data were collected using self-reported questionnaires, which may be subject to biases such as social desirability or recall bias. Second, the study’s cross-sectional design limits the ability to establish causality between the variables. Longitudinal studies would be beneficial in exploring the causal relationships between teacher and administrative support and students’ adaptation capabilities. In addition, the study was conducted within a specific context and population, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to other settings. Future research should aim to replicate this study in different educational contexts to validate and extend the findings.

The practical implications of these findings are significant. Schools should prioritize developing comprehensive support systems that include robust teacher support mechanisms and strong administrative backing. Professional development programs should focus on enhancing teachers’ skills in differentiated instruction, formative assessment and the use of technology in the classroom. Moreover, administrative policies should aim to provide continuous support for teachers through resources, training and collaborative opportunities. This dual approach ensures that teachers are well-equipped to address the diverse needs of students with special needs and that students receive consistent, high-quality support across their educational experience.

This study uniquely explores the combined effects of administrative and teacher support on the adaptation of high school students with special needs in mainstream education, highlighting the synergistic relationship between these support systems. Using a robust correlational design and stratified random sampling, it provides valuable insights into the dynamics of inclusive education within a Pakistani context. The findings emphasize the critical role of holistic support systems, offering practical implications for enhancing educational policies and practices. By addressing gaps in existing research, this study contributes significantly to the discourse on inclusive education and the development of effective support frameworks for special needs students.

This study aims to describe the m-learning experience of school students and teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic and explores the factors influencing the continuance intention of m-learning.

Semistructured interviews of 24 students and 09 teachers of schools in national capital territory (NCT) Delhi, India were conducted over 03 months and transcribed verbatim. A hermeneutic phenomenological design was used to interpret the text and bring out the “lived experiences” of m-learning.

The following 15 themes or factors influencing continuance intention emerged through the hermeneutic circle: (1) actual usage, (2) attitude, (3) context, (4) extrinsic motivation, (5) facilitating conditions, (6) intrinsic motivation, (7) perceived compatibility, (8) perceived content quality, (9) perceived mobile app quality, (10) perceived teaching quality, (11) perceived usefulness, (12) satisfaction, (13) self-efficacy, (14) self-management of learning and (15) social influence.

The study offers insightful recommendations for school administrators, mobile device developers and app designers. In addition, suggestions for effectively using m-learning during disasters such as COVID-19 have been provided. Several future research directions, including a nuanced understanding of m-assessment and online discussions, are suggested to enhance the literature on m-learning continuance.

The study enriches the literature on m-learning continuance. A qualitative approach has been used to identify relevant factors influencing m-learning continuance intention among secondary and higher secondary level (Grades 9 to 12) school students and teachers in India. In addition, a conceptual framework of the relationships among the factors has been proposed. Further, an analysis of the lived experiences of m-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic indicated several issues and challenges in using m-learning during disasters.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of using a jigsaw learning strategy integrated with computer simulation (JLSICS) on the academic achievement and attitudes of students, along with exploring the relationships between them in the process of learning about acids and bases.

The research design used in the study was quasi-experimental, using non-equivalent comparison groups for both pre- and post-tests. A quantitative approach was used to address the research problem, with three groups involved: two experimental and one comparative group. The treatment group, which received the JLSICS intervention, consisted of two intact classes, while the comparison group included one intact class. Data collection involved achievement tests and attitude scale tests on acid and base. Various statistical analyses such as one-way analysis of variance, one-way multivariate analysis of variance, Pearson product-moment correlation, mean and standard deviation were used for data analysis.

The study’s results revealed that the incorporation of the JLSICS had a beneficial influence on the academic achievement and attitudes of grade 10 chemistry students towards acid and base topics. The JLSICS approach proved to be more successful than both conventional methods and the standalone use of the jigsaw learning strategy (JLS) in terms of both achievement and attitudes. The research demonstrated a correlation between positive attitudes towards chemistry among high school students and enhanced achievement in the subject.

The study only focused on one specific aspect of chemistry (acid and base chemistry), which restricts the applicability of the findings to other chemistry topics or subjects. In addition, the study used a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest comparison group, which may introduce variables that could confound the results and restrict causal inferences.

This study addresses the gap in instructional interventions and provides theoretical and practical insights. It emphasizes the importance of incorporating contemporary instructional methods for policymakers, benefiting the government, society and students. By enhancing student achievement, attitudes and critical thinking skills, this approach empowers students to take charge of their learning, fostering deep understanding and analysis. Furthermore, JLSICS aids in grasping abstract chemistry concepts and has the potential to reduce costs associated with purchasing chemicals for schools. This research opens doors for similar studies in different educational settings, offering valuable insights for educators and policymakers.

The originality and value of this study are in its exploration of integrating the jigsaw learning strategy with computer simulations as an instructional approach in chemistry education. This research contributes to the existing literature by showing the effectiveness of JLSICS in improving students’ achievements and attitudes towards acid and base topics. It also emphasizes the importance of fostering positive attitudes towards chemistry to enhance students’ overall achievement in the subject.

The extant literature on collective impact endeavors does not include many examples related to teacher education and the involvement of teacher candidates. Our conceptual article contributes to the field by offering detailed examples of collective impact school–university partnerships in teacher education.

This article provides four vignettes of collective impact efforts designed and implemented by university-based teacher educators in the context of school–university partnerships (SUPs) in both elementary and secondary schools.

The first illustrates a unique photovoice project that for two decades has asked secondary students to define good teaching. The second describes a project that pairs teacher candidates with school-based teacher educators in order to try new, innovative pedagogies in secondary schools. The third presents a clinical experience that directly supports elementary students’ math skills. The fourth places teacher candidates in elementary schools to develop math and literacy skills through small-group teaching.

A reasonable first step in developing a research base on a phenomenon is to highlight and examine cases (or vignettes) of that phenomenon in practice. Future implications for collective impact in teacher education are discussed, including the need for more empirical studies measuring the benefits of SUPs for PK-12 students, teacher candidates, school-based teacher educators, university-based teacher educators and their collective institutions.

Our article demonstrates how SUPs and clinical experiences can be structured using the collective impact framework to be most beneficial and impactful for all partners and PK-12 students. Our piece builds on the nascent literature surrounding collective impact in teacher education.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how a clinical interview protocol with failure artifact scenarios can capture changes in high school students’ explanations of troubleshooting processes in physical computing activities. The authors focus on physical computing, as finding and fixing hardware and software bugs is a highly contextual practice that involves multiple interconnected domains and skills.

This paper developed and piloted a “failure artifact scenarios” clinical interview protocol. Youth were presented with buggy physical computing projects over video calls and asked for suggestions on how to fix them without having access to the actual project or its code. Authors applied this clinical interview protocol before and after an eight-week-long physical computing (more specifically, electronic textiles) unit. They analyzed matching pre- and post-interviews from 18 students at four different schools.

The findings demonstrate how the protocol can capture change in students’ thinking about troubleshooting by eliciting students’ explanations of specificity of domain knowledge of problems, multimodality of physical computing, iterative testing of failure artifact scenarios and concreteness of troubleshooting and problem-solving processes.

Beyond tests and surveys used to assess debugging, which traditionally focus on correctness or student beliefs, the “failure artifact scenarios” clinical interview protocol reveals student troubleshooting-related thinking processes when encountering buggy projects. As an assessment tool, it may be useful to evaluate the change and development of students’ abilities over time.

With the use of a curriculum framework, consumer educators can “work to improve their students' emotional states and examine critically their self-beliefs.” Active learning research has focused on attitudinal reactions rather than cognitive outcomes. It can be processed and implemented for real, dynamic and vibrant learning whereas passive learning is used to acquire ideas and information that is available for recall. This study aims to assess the impact of active and passive learning tools on Environmentally sustainable consumption behaviour [ESCB]. This study will help to grasp the authorities' focus on recommending the types of active and passive learning for the institutions for enhancing Environmentally sustainable consumption behaviour [ESCB] among children.

The data analysis for this study was conducted using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), a statistical method commonly used to compare the means of multiple groups to determine if there are significant differences among them. The study followed an experimental design, specifically a pre-test–post-test control group design, which is ideal for assessing the impact of an intervention. The study involved a total of 641 school children as participants. These children were distributed across three grade levels: Third Class, Fourth Class and Fifth Class.

It was found that active learning forms were effective and statistically significant for impacting ESCB as compared to control group results. It was also found that passive learning forms were an effective but statistically non-significant method for impacting ESCB among primary school children.

Based on the findings, the study concluded that while active learning styles have a greater impact on ESCB than passive learning styles, it is still necessary to determine which active or passive learning styles are most effective in influencing ESCB.

This study will assist educators in understanding the kinds of Active and Passive learning environments that can be used to encourage children's environmentally friendly consumption practices.

This paper is entirely novel and has been composed by the author

Inclusion and equality in education are essential for promoting diversity, recognition, and participation in the classroom. Inclusive education should ensure that all students receive the assistance, acknowledgment, and recognition they need to succeed in their academic journey. However, despite numerous research advancements and pedagogical developments, there is still a pressing need to further discuss and define what constitutes an inclusive learning environment, given the broad nature of the term “inclusive education.” This chapter explores the concepts of inclusion and equality in education, with an emphasis on gender equality and equity. I highlight the importance of addressing the needs of marginalized students, with a specific focus on queer students, that is, students who are members of the LGBTQ+ community. I also discuss that central to addressing the needs of these students are the teachers, who play a big role in making the classroom environment safe and inclusive through their agency. Such a discussion aims to provide a clear framework for gender-inclusive education, ensuring that all students – regardless of economic status, ability, race, gender, nationality, and color – are valued and included in the classroom.

This study aims to compare the physical fitness test results of Japanese children in 2008 and 2018 to narrow the gap between life expectancy and healthy life expectancy and extend healthy life expectancy. In addition, this paper sought to explore the potential of implementing health education programs as a new social context to promote race equality and human rights in health and social care.

This study was conducted in 2008 and 2018 in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Physical fitness tests related to growth and development were administered to participants aged 6–17 years.

Physical fitness measurements in 2018, specifically those for walking ability and endurance, were significantly inferior to those in 2008. In a gender-specific analysis, boys outperformed girls in muscle strength, muscle endurance, walking ability and endurance tests, while girls outperformed boys in the balance test.

Most of the junior and senior high school students who participated in the EO test exceeded the upper limit of 120 s, suggesting that the load of the measurement method is low and improvement is necessary. In 2018, a large variation in 6M results was observed among participants, possibly due to the differences in the level of seriousness during the 6M test. Therefore, to ensure that junior and senior high school students properly perform the EO and 6M tests, it is necessary to devise an effective method of implementation, such as changing the physical fitness test load.

Mere health education is ineffective to address health inequalities. Addressing structural factors is essential to avoid unintended consequences such as increasing the gap between groups of people. However, one way to extend healthy life expectancy is to improve overall health, including differences in the health status of groups due to differences in region and socioeconomic status.

The purpose of this study was to conduct a cross-national comparative examination of two graduate-level initial licensure teacher preparation programs at Universitatea Babeș-Bolyai in Romania and North Dakota State University in the United States of America, both considered research-intensive institutions in their respective countries. Furthermore, the study sought to examine how lessons drawn from this unique comparison of highly specific graduate teacher education programs may inform future revisions of both programs.

The study relied on a mixed-methods approach, collecting quantitative data via a survey instrument and qualitative data via follow-up individual email interviews. A content analysis of curriculum documents from both institutions was also conducted.

Findings indicate that the two programs reflect the institutional and contextual traditions of their respective national education systems. Notably, one program places greater emphasis on theoretical preparation than the other. The results also offer insight into graduate-level teacher preparation for initial licensure and provide guidance on areas within these programs that could be strengthened or improved.

Given this study’s limited sample size, further comparative longitudinal studies with an expanded sample of programs from multiple national settings and a larger sample population are needed.

This comparative analysis revealed convergences and divergences that could be instrumental in further reforming the two programs.

This research provides novel, in-depth insight into the multifaceted aspects of graduate teacher education in Romania, which, along with its undergraduate counterpart, has been subjected to frequent reform initiatives by successive Romanian governments. It also provides a unique look into NDSU’s graduate-level initial teacher licensure program, which has been in existence longer than its Romanian counterpart but has not yet been examined either on its own or in a comparative perspective as part of an empirical research project.

This study aims to co-design a new online teacher training program tailored for rural Japanese teachers to deliver neuroscience-informed mental health interventions to children. The objective was to reduce the educational gap between Japanese teachers in rural and urban areas, effectively improving children’s mental health.

The online teacher training program was developed by incorporating insights gathered from teacher interviews in the authors’ needs-analysis study. Feedback from experts in neuroscience, clinical psychology, educational psychology, education and Japanese culture was integrated. A focus group was held to gauge the suitability of content and formats, building on input from a selection of five primary school teachers out of the 20 who participated in the authors’ research on needs-analysis.

The focus group findings supported the suitability of co-designed online training program, indicating that its content and format are mostly suited for Japanese educators in rural areas to acquire knowledge of neuroscience-informed mental health interventions. However, revisions were proposed, including the inclusion of more detailed intervention guidelines and the provision of worksheets for classroom utilization. These suggestions were integrated to revise the online teacher training program. Future research could investigate the impact of program on improving the mental health of Japanese children.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study represents the first attempt to report on the co-design of an online teacher training program that incorporated opinions from Japanese primary school teachers in rural areas, aiming to close the educational gap among Japanese teachers. It was designed to train teachers in providing neuroscience-informed mental health interventions.