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This study aims to examine activity-related sound levels and pupils’ perceptions of the acoustic environment in two classrooms, one of which was a traditional classroom (Reference classroom, reverberation time (RT) 0.54 s) and the other a refurbished classroom (Demo classroom, RT 0.32 s).

Three types of data were gathered: room acoustic measurements, activity sound levels during different activities and pupils’ subjective experience concerning factors related to acoustics. Pupils, 10–11 years old (N = 34), estimated their subjective experience in general and after four test lessons. Teachers planned the test lessons to have four different lesson types: quiet work, one-person speaking, group work and activity-based work. The sound levels of activities were measured during the test lessons.

The activity sound levels were 2–13 dB L_Aeq lower in the Demo classroom than in the Reference classroom, depending on lesson type. Pupils were less annoyed by noise in the Demo than in the Reference classroom. Pupils’ speech was the most annoying sound source. More pupils were annoyed by it in the Reference classroom (65%) than in the Demo classroom (15%). Hearing the teacher while not seeing her face, concentrating on teaching and sitting in one’s place were estimated easier in the Demo classroom than in the Reference classroom.

This study offers a new approach using test lessons for studying activity sounds in schools. Activity sounds and their annoyance can be significantly diminished by classroom refurbishments.

The Listen to Learn for Life (L³) Assessment Framework is a framework that outlines how to systematically assess the links between the classroom environment, listening, learning and well-being. The purpose of this paper is to review the published literature to understand what is known about the characterisation of activity component of the L³ Assessment Framework and determine what is not known and needs to be investigated in future research.

Literature reviews (Web searches for systematic, scoping or general reviews; scoping reviews following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses extension for scoping reviews protocol; and extended Web searches) were conducted to characterise lecture, group work and independent work activities in terms of the perceptual setting, source degradation and transmission degradation.

Most research that has been conducted is for classrooms in general and does not specify results specifically for lecture, group work and independent work, which is important for understanding how the learning environment changes with the different activities. What is known about the lecture, group work and independent work activities are discussed; however, it is noted that this often comes from only a few studies. Future research areas to contribute to this literature as well as fill current research gaps are proposed.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first review paper to synthesize previous research characterising the classroom environment for different activities using the L³ Assessment Framework. It provides an analysis of the limitations of existing literature and proposes future research to help fill in these gaps.

Until recently, motivation has been considered to be an individual phenomenon. Motivational theorists have accordingly conceptualised key constructs in individualistic terms and emphasised the individual origins and nature of motivation, although they have also long recognised that contextual or social factors have a significant influence on these individual processes. Recently this conceptualisation has been questioned as theorists have suggested, after Vygotsky, that motivation, like learning and thinking, might be social in nature. This idea was first suggested by Sivan (1986) more than twenty years ago but it received a major impetus with the publication of an article by Hickey (1997) eleven years later. Since that time interest in the social nature of motivation has grown as a small number of book chapters and journal articles have been published and conference papers have been presented on the topic. Although some motivational theorists remain sceptical (e.g. Winne, 2004) of this theoretical development, the inclusion of a section on sociocultural approaches to motivation in Perry, Turner, and Meyer's (2006) chapter on classrooms as contexts for motivating learning in the 2nd edition of the Handbook of Educational Psychology suggests that this perspective is being seriously considered by motivational researchers. Similarly, the inclusion of a chapter (Walker, in press-b) on the sociocultural approach to motivation in the 3rd edition of the International Encyclopedia of Education indicates that this approach has achieved some recognition.

The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze how one-shot library instruction sessions for large lecture classes can effectively be “flipped”, and can incorporate active learning activities as part of both online and face-to-face classroom.

This case study discusses the challenges of using flipped classroom methods with large enrollment courses and investigates the use of technology to facilitate the active learning components. Situated in flipped classroom pedagogy literature for both information literacy instruction and large lecture classes, the paper synthesizes practical information through the analysis of design and implementation.

Lecture classes present unique challenges for utilizing flipped classroom methods, but the obstacles can be overcome with a bit of preparation and faculty buy-in, balanced with the proper utilization of technology.

The paper offers other librarians practical design and implementation information for using flipped classroom methods, specifically for classes with large enrollments, filling a gap in the library literature that presently lacks examples of flipped classroom pedagogy being utilized for information literacy (IL) instruction with lecture classes.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a design of online-merge-offline (OMO) classroom for open education with design principles related to practical issues of teachers’ teaching, students’ learning and schools’ management.

Three stages were covered: drafted an OMO classroom framework, built a sample classroom and explored end-users’ experience. First, authors searched for and reviewed previous studies and related cases to draft an OMO framework. Second, a classroom, consisted of wireless devices, cloud-based services, Internet of Things terminals, ergonomics furniture, and comprehensive data management and analysis services, was built in Shanghai Open University. Third, invited 11 students’, 18 teachers’ and 9 school managers’ perspectives were collected and analysed by surveys and interviews.

All student participants responded positively in terms of learning experience in the classroom. They not only engaged in classroom activities such, but also accessed needed learning materials and interacted with teachers and peers anytime anywhere via mobile devices. Similarly, most teachers (90 per cent) made positive responses because of flexibility of teaching strategies and learning activities and expressed willingness to use the classroom in the future (94.4 per cent). In addition, more than 78 per cent of managers positively commented on the design of classroom, interaction effects and effective management. Visualised data allowed them to timely monitor status of facilities, comprehensively understand users’ behaviour and issues, make necessary decision with scientific evidence.

The framework and classroom not only provide teachers, students, school managers and researcher with a better understanding of innovative open education, but also indicate the key role of objective-oriented and data-driven issues for further work.

To meet needs of teachers, students, managers and researchers in today’s open education, an OMO classroom was built in Shanghai Open University based on the proposed Objective-Oriented Pedagogy-Space-Technology (OPST) framework. The framework provides readers (especially teachers and administrators of open-education institutes, staff of information centres and ed-tech researchers) with a better understanding of innovative instruction and effective management, and the originally designed classroom can be a practical and illuminating example.

This study focused on the impact of principals' leadership content knowledge, evaluation practices and teachers' professional learning activities on classroom instruction.

Data were collected from 425 teachers who worked in 46 elementary and lower secondary public schools within two provinces in Turkey. Teachers were asked to fill out a questionnaire on principals’ leadership content knowledge, evaluation feedback, professional learning activities and changed instructional practices. This study employed multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) by using the Bayesian estimation method to analyze the research hypotheses.

Findings indicate that if teachers perceive the evaluation progress as more useful, then they will participate in more professional learning activities, and they will be more effective in their classroom practices. This study also indicates that teachers' professional learning activities stimulate their instructional practices.

Although the number of schools and teachers allows using multilevel analysis, it limits the findings generalized beyond the sample. To compensate for this limitation, the author confirmed that the sample was representative of the larger population by examining the size of students and teachers, SES and teachers' job experience. The author also conducted a Bayesian estimator to strengthen the test of significance of effects.

This study underlines the critical role of leadership content knowledge in evaluating practices and providing useful feedback perceived by teachers in elementary and secondary schools. Principals should lead to instruction by knowing how to address a lack of teachers' pedagogical content knowledge and classroom practices. The Ministry of Education should support principals in becoming effective instructional leaders to observe teachers and provide them meaningful feedback on teaching.

Despite increased interest in this construct, research on principals' and teachers' responses to adapt the recent form of teachers’ performance evaluation systems is scant, especially in developing countries’ context. Moreover, little is known about the paths through which principals can enhance classroom practices by providing useful feedback. Given these trends in policy and practice context, this study provides empirical evidence that principals can enact the teachers' performance evaluation that affects classroom instruction.

Published research indicates that teachers have not integrated information technology into their classroom practice and that computer use tends to be peripheral to other curriculum activities. However almost all of this research is based on survey methods involving self‐assessment and self‐reporting by teachers. Very little observational research has taken place and there is a need to corroborate survey research with classroom observations. Observations took place of 11 teachers and 253 pupils in different classes held in three London primary schools. Results generally agree with previous research in that computers are only used for a small percentage of time. Significant differences in use were observed between those classrooms where children were free to choose their own activities and those where activities where teacher directed. These differences may show that computer technology is being used only when it does not require a change of teaching style or classroom organisation. Differences were found between the youngest boys and girls in how much time they spent using computers.

To provide an understanding of how video recording can be used to mediate university level teacher development for language learning in diverse classrooms.

This study draws on cultural historical activity theory (Engeström, 1999) and the subsequent professional development literature to conceptualize video as a tool for self-reflection and critique to further learning. This chapter outlines how video analysis can be used in inservice teacher education to investigate the micro- and macro-interactions with English learners.

We found that utilizing various forms of analysis on a single video from the classroom can help teachers build connections between the micro and macro processes and implications of language in classrooms with English learners. Additionally, by studying videos of classroom activities, teachers learn how linguistic theories and particular instructional and assessment tools can be implemented in their own classrooms.

Videos can be a powerful tool for teacher educators and professional development experts because they allow for the analysis and reflection of a variety of analytic levels. Additionally, this study provides evidence that videos can be used to anchor otherwise discrete university coursework and bring cohesion and collaboration throughout the curriculum.

This study seeks to explore technology use in a higher education classroom with the focus on tablet computers.

Study participants consisted of 36 undergraduate students from Rutgers University's Information Technology and Informatics major. Data were collected using an online survey, a classroom observation, and a group interview.

The study findings demonstrate unexpected technology uses that can be explained by the characteristics of the student group, the Net generation, namely, their impatient multi‐tasking and opportunistic behaviour. Students used tablet computers to take notes, conduct group activities and interact with the instructor. Students’ preference for typing was found to be a barrier in their adoption of tablet computers.

The findings can help technology developers and educators better understand and optimize their use of computing technology in higher education. Limitations of this study include only one class was studied, and classroom observation probed student behaviors only at selected points in time.

The unique value of the study included: the study was not limited to tablet technology and investigated students’ use of multiple technologies; the study captured student behaviors in an actual learning environment, and the study provides empirical evidence for students’ multi‐tasking in a classroom and for their use of tablet computers for hand writing.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the perceived quality of the service environment, regarding the use of the flipped classroom, through a survey of MBA students.

Four hypotheses were developed from the literature in marketing and quality services in higher education. The hypotheses were tested using linear regressions. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The sample had 981 effective responses.

The results of the statistical analysis show that the evaluation of the perceived quality of the educator and course are positively affected by the use of the flipped classroom.

Only one higher education organisation was studied. The variables analysed have no mediation and moderation, which is a suggestion for future studies.

This paper contributes to studies of higher education services and quality, as it shows the influence of the process on the educator. In higher education, the educator is usually considered independent, having a strong influence on perceived quality. The study contributes to the theme by showing the flipped classroom as an effective teaching strategy that requires further empirical study.