Computers & Education最新文献

{"title":"Children's engagement with digital technology in educational spaces: A scoping review","authors":"Jacquelyn Harverson ,&nbsp;Chris Zomer ,&nbsp;Celine Chu ,&nbsp;Sharon Horwood ,&nbsp;Marcus Horwood ,&nbsp;Maria Nicholas ,&nbsp;Louise Paatsch","doi":"10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105454","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105454","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Children's engagement in play and learning is becoming increasingly complex as educational spaces integrate digital experiences. While engagement is often seen as a multifaceted construct, there is often no clear and generally accepted definition or understanding of what is meant when the term ‘engagement’ is used. This scoping review synthesised the ways in which engagement has been conceptualised within young children's digital experiences in educational spaces. A systematic search of seven databases captured studies published between 2011 and September 2024. Studies reporting children's engagement with digital technology (e.g., in play or learning via any digital experience) that were conducted in a formal or semi-formal educational setting were included. A total of 2661 records were screened, resulting in the inclusion of 88 studies. The concept of <em>engagement</em> was explicitly defined in 18 studies (19.3 %), theorised in 8 studies (9.1 %), and measured in 31 studies (35.2 %). Theoretical foundations of engagement drew from digital and educational disciplines, primarily rooted in motivational theories. Thematic analysis demonstrated the multidimensional nature of engagement, synthesised through ten key themes drawn from the definitions and measures provided. The most prominent themes identified in definitions were <em>participation</em> (<em>n</em> = 8, 44.4 %), <em>effort</em> (<em>n</em> = 7, 38.9 %) and <em>interpersonal skills and behaviour</em> (<em>n</em> = 6, 33.3 %), while those found in measures of engagement were predominantly associated with <em>enjoyment</em> (<em>n</em> = 14, 45.2 %), <em>participation</em> (<em>n</em> = 11, 35.5 %), and <em>interest</em> (<em>n</em> = 8, 25.8 %). This review highlights the need for more consistent approaches in defining and measuring children's digital engagement.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10568,"journal":{"name":"Computers & Education","volume":"240 ","pages":"Article 105454"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145094090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A systematic literature review on designing self-regulated learning using generative artificial intelligence and its future research directions","authors":"Qi Xia ,&nbsp;Qian Liu ,&nbsp;Ahmed Tlili ,&nbsp;Thomas K.F. Chiu","doi":"10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105465","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105465","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A growing body of research suggests that generative AI (GenAI) can significantly enhance self-regulated learning (SRL) through its immediacy and interactivity. Nevertheless, challenges remain, including the lack of clarity regarding the mechanisms by which generative AI influences SRL, as well as the difficulties teachers encounter when trying to incorporate it into their classrooms. This systematic review study investigates how to design SRL activities using GenAI. We examined 73 articles published over the past five years, drawn from four databases: Web of Science, ProQuest, ERIC, and Scopus. This study has three major empirical findings. First, six pedagogical affordances from GenAI across the three phases of SRL—forethought, Performance, and self-reflection—are (i) creating personalized learning objectives; (ii) searching for, analyzing, and integrating resources; (iii) monitoring and evaluating progress; (iv) recommending learning strategies; (v) recording progress and providing feedback; and (vi) generating new ideas and examples. Second, popular student learning activities using GenAI in each phase are information searching in the forethought; strategies for problem-solving in the performance, and obtaining feedback and conducting self-assessments in the self-reflection. Third, two major dimensions influencing student engagement in SRL using GenAI are individual and environmental. Finally, we visualize how the three empirical findings relate to each other. Our findings help us understand how AI as a human-machine collaborative tool affects the SRL process. This study provides practical recommendations for facilitating SRL in GenAI-enhanced environments and offers guidance for the design and development of personalized GenAI learning tools.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10568,"journal":{"name":"Computers & Education","volume":"240 ","pages":"Article 105465"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145155577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring characteristics of primary school students’ self-regulated learning (SRL) behaviors in human-GenAI collaborative programming learning environments: Insights from a proposed framework","authors":"Xuechun Ma ,&nbsp;Cuixin Li ,&nbsp;Jie Xu ,&nbsp;Shiyun Zhu ,&nbsp;Yan Li","doi":"10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105453","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105453","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Programming education in primary school is vital for nurturing future-ready talents, yet primary school students often struggle with self-regulated learning (SRL), particularly in resource utilization and strategy regulation. Although human-generative AI (GenAI) collaborative programming learning might have the potential to enhance personalized programming education, GenAI's interplay with SRL processes remains underexplored. To address this gap, this study first proposed a SRL Behavior Analysis Framework for human-GenAI collaborative programming learning environments and then examined SRL behaviors of a group of sixth-grade students (n = 36) in such an environment using this framework, along with various learning analytics methods including cluster analysis, descriptive statistics and lag sequential analysis. The analysis yielded the following results: (1) Based on their learning performance, primary school students were identified as three distinct clusters: programming specialized unit (PSU), high performance unit (HPU), and low performance unit (LPU). (2) Regarding SRL behaviors, students prioritized self-control (65.8 %), followed by self-observation (19 %), task analysis (12.1 %), and behavior stagnation (3.2 %). (3) Students in PSU and HPU consistently adopted goal-oriented SRL strategies, whereas students in LPU exhibited passive dependence and fragmented strategy use. GenAI's facilitative effect in supporting learning correlated with users' SRL capabilities. (4) Students in PSU and HPU exhibited frequent transitions between SRL behaviors, whereas students in LPU had insufficient ability to switch strategies when facing programming difficulties. Based on these findings, this study proposed four forward-looking design recommendations: effectively integrating GenAI with the programming environment, utilizing multimodal data and AI for learning assessment and feedback, building a cluster-driven early warning mechanism, and conducting dynamic SRL analysis and guidance based on fine-grained time-series data.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10568,"journal":{"name":"Computers & Education","volume":"240 ","pages":"Article 105453"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145047684","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating educational technology: Consolidating across multiple impact indicators and rating systems","authors":"Natalia Kucirkova ,&nbsp;Per Henning Uppstad ,&nbsp;Richard Holeton ,&nbsp;Dan Lin ,&nbsp;Alison Clark-Wilson ,&nbsp;Antonie Chigeda","doi":"10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105467","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105467","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Procurement of educational technologies (EdTech) requires a research-based rubric with multiple quality indicators that reflect the technology’s impact across various settings. We outline the development of the Multiple EdTech Impact Index (MEII) and an impact benchmarking formula for EdTech tools designed for K12 education. MEII includes fifteen indicators of impact, categorized into three evidence weights (high, medium, low) across five domains: efficacy, effectiveness, ethics, equity, and environment. It calculates a total EdTech impact score, highlighting the strength and relevance of products. MEII integrates evaluations based on diverse national EdTech certification standards and proposes a unified approach for assessment. We demonstrate its value through two models: national EdTech certification systems and a comparative database ranking EdTech tools by impact weight.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10568,"journal":{"name":"Computers & Education","volume":"240 ","pages":"Article 105467"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145228757","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Towards reliable generative AI-driven scaffolding: Reducing hallucinations and enhancing quality in self-regulated learning support","authors":"Keyang Qian ,&nbsp;Shiqi Liu ,&nbsp;Tongguang Li ,&nbsp;Mladen Raković ,&nbsp;Xinyu Li ,&nbsp;Rui Guan ,&nbsp;Inge Molenaar ,&nbsp;Sadia Nawaz ,&nbsp;Zachari Swiecki ,&nbsp;Lixiang Yan ,&nbsp;Dragan Gašević","doi":"10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105448","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105448","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) holds a potential to advance existing educational technologies with capabilities to automatically generate personalised scaffolds that support students’ self-regulated learning (SRL). While advancements in large language models (LLMs) promise improvements in the adaptability and quality of educational technologies for SRL, there remain concerns about the hallucinations in content generated by LLMs, which can compromise both the learning experience and ethical standards. To address these challenges, we proposed GenAI-enabled approaches for evaluating personalised SRL scaffolds before they are presented to students, aiming for reducing hallucinations and improving overall quality of LLM-generated personalised scaffolds. Specifically, two approaches are investigated. The first approach involved developing a multi-agent system approach for reliability evaluation to assess the extent to which LLM-generated scaffolds accurately target relevant SRL processes. The second approach utilised the “LLM-as-a-Judge” technique for quality evaluation that evaluates LLM-generated scaffolds for their helpfulness in supporting students. We constructed evaluation datasets, and compared our results with single-agent LLM systems and machine learning approach baselines. Our findings indicate that the reliability evaluation approach is highly effective and outperforms the baselines, showing almost perfect alignment with human experts’ evaluations. Moreover, both proposed evaluation approaches can be harnessed to effectively reduce hallucinations. Additionally, we identified and discussed bias limitations of the “LLM-as-a-Judge” technique in evaluating LLM-generated scaffolds. We suggest incorporating these approaches into GenAI-powered personalised SRL scaffolding systems to mitigate hallucination issues and improve the overall scaffolding quality.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10568,"journal":{"name":"Computers & Education","volume":"240 ","pages":"Article 105448"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145021041","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Can virtual reality improve social-emotional learning among adolescents? An experimental study","authors":"Qinna Feng ,&nbsp;Gege Li ,&nbsp;Yanbei Chen ,&nbsp;Feng Zhang ,&nbsp;Wenhao Li ,&nbsp;Heng Luo","doi":"10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105462","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105462","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The potential of virtual reality (VR) to support social-emotional learning (SEL) has been widely acknowledged, but design precedents for VR-based SEL interventions are still lacking in the literature. The effectiveness of such interventions also remains uncertain due to insufficient empirical evidence. To bridge this research gap, the present study adopted a between-subjects design to explore the impact of a VR-based intervention on enhancing SEL and learning experience. A total of 297 seventh-grade students in China were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: VR (n = 101), face-to-face (n = 107), and control (n = 89). Participants in both the VR and face-to-face conditions engaged in collaborative tasks designed to promote SEL, while the control condition received no such intervention. The findings revealed significant improvement in overall social-emotional competencies in the VR condition, especially in the subscales of task performance, collaboration, and engagement with others. The VR intervention also promoted a stronger sense of group cohesion and enriched social experiences. These findings offer practical implications for the design and implementation of VR-based SEL interventions in formal education settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10568,"journal":{"name":"Computers & Education","volume":"240 ","pages":"Article 105462"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145094088","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using eye tracking to explore differences and influencing factors of map reading ability in different problem situation among high school students","authors":"Xinxin Li ,&nbsp;Ping Li ,&nbsp;Huiming You ,&nbsp;Qiuwen Zhou ,&nbsp;Ling Zhao ,&nbsp;Yan Huang ,&nbsp;Ya Luo","doi":"10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105466","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105466","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study uses eye tracking to explore the differences in map-reading ability among high school students in the context of subject knowledge and real-life application. Unlike existing literature, which primarily emphasizes outcome-based assessments, this study integrates process- and outcome-based indicators to quantitatively evaluate high school students' map-reading abilities across different problem situations. Additionally, it comprehensively analyzes the internal and external factors influencing students' map-reading abilities and constructs a conceptual framework to illustrate the pathway through which these factors contribute to differences in performance among the students. The results reveal that in real-life scenarios, students exhibited longer reaction times, engaged in more extensive visual searches, processed information in a complex manner, and achieved low accuracy rates. However, despite these limitations, their cognitive load did not increase significantly. Furthermore, several limitations were highlighted in traditional geography education, particularly in fostering students' spatial reasoning and practical application skills. These findings contribute to the existing research on map-reading abilities, providing a new theoretical foundation and empirical support for advancements in geography education. Moreover, they can help educators better enhance students’ map-reading ability to meet diverse and complex practical needs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10568,"journal":{"name":"Computers & Education","volume":"240 ","pages":"Article 105466"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145261908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Collaborative AI-in-the-loop pedagogical conversational agent to enhance social and cognitive presence in cMOOC","authors":"Jianjun Xiao ,&nbsp;Yulin Tian ,&nbsp;Cixiao Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105451","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105451","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While connectivist MOOCs (cMOOCs) emphasize learner autonomy and peer interaction, the lack of structured facilitation often hinders the development of social and cognitive presence. This study investigates how Pedagogical Conversational Agents (PCAs) enhance learners' social and cognitive presence in cMOOC environments. Using a within-subjects quasi-experimental design, 344 learners (primarily in-service teachers, 93.60 %) participated in a cMOOC course over four weeks. The 54 discussion topics generated by learners were randomly assigned to experimental (with-PCA, <em>N</em> = 19) and control (without-PCA, <em>N</em> = 35) conditions. A collaborative AI-in-the-loop design was implemented where AI-generated content underwent human review before publication. Analysis of 5301 discussion posts using the Community of Inquiry framework revealed that PCAs significantly enhanced open communication (<em>p &lt; .001, r=-0.213</em>) and group cohesion (<em>p=.027, r=-0.106</em>) in social presence, while improving higher-order cognitive processes, including integration (<em>p=.011, r=-0.119</em>) and resolution (<em>p=.028, r=-0.145</em>). Direct interaction with PCAs yielded superior outcomes in affective expression (<em>p=.027, r=0.103</em>) and specific communication behaviors compared to co-present modes. The findings demonstrate that PCAs provide compensatory support by strengthening cMOOCs' relatively weak components of cognitive presence (integration and resolution) rather than providing comprehensive intervention; direct interaction modes with PCA yield more benefit for deep exploration and social engagement. This offers evidence-based design strategies for AI agent implementation in online education.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10568,"journal":{"name":"Computers & Education","volume":"240 ","pages":"Article 105451"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145047692","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An intelligent recommender system based on K-nearest neighbors to foster self-regulated learning and reduce cognitive load in online higher education","authors":"Shao-Chen Chang ,&nbsp;Ngoc Diep Dao","doi":"10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105470","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105470","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Higher education institutions worldwide are increasingly adopting online learning systems to improve instructional quality and offer students flexible, anytime-anywhere access to educational resources. Despite these benefits, online learning environments still face notable challenges. In this learning environment, the major challenge lies in the lack of personalized learning support. The “one-size-fits-all” approach ignores learners' diverse needs, making it difficult for students to regulate their learning effectively. Without tailored guidance, students especially low achievers are more likely to experience cognitive overload, reduced motivation, disengagement, and even dropout. In response to these issues, this study presents an interactive self-regulated learning system built on a comprehensive system architecture that integrates personalized learning path recommendations based on K-nearest Neighbors (KNN) for university students. The system consists of four main components: Content Management System (CMS), Evaluation System, Recommendation System, and User Interface application. This study evaluates the system's perceived effectiveness in the “Introduction to Database Systems” course at a university located in northern Taiwan. It further investigates the system's impact on students' learning behavior, self-regulated learning skills, learning achievement and perceived cognitive load in an online learning environment. The findings suggest that students using the interactive self-regulated learning system with personalized recommendation paths exhibited higher motivation, engagement, learning achievement and self-regulated learning skills. The system also contributed to a noticeable reduction in students'perceived cognitive load.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10568,"journal":{"name":"Computers & Education","volume":"240 ","pages":"Article 105470"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145217982","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identifying effective timer and proctoring settings for online exam systems: Insights from an eye-tracking experiment based on the stimulus-organism-response model","authors":"Tingting Jiang ,&nbsp;Huiyi Tian ,&nbsp;Yanrun Xu ,&nbsp;Han Long","doi":"10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105436","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105436","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study explores how timer and proctoring settings impact examinees’ responses and the underlying mechanism in virtue of the Stimulus-Organism-Response model. A controlled experiment was conducted based on a 2 × 2 within-subjects design, manipulating timer setting (exam timer vs. question timer) and proctor setting (live video feed shown vs. hidden). 49 participants completed mock exams under varying conditions while their attention on the exam questions was captured with an eye tracker. Results revealed exam timers improved user experience across proctoring conditions. The exam timer with showing the live proctoring video feed maximized participants’ total fixation duration on exam questions, whereas the combination of the question timer and hiding the video feed yielded the highest exam scores. State test anxiety was a mediator between online exam system interface settings and exam performance. This work bridges practical and theoretical gaps by offering evidence-based recommendations for designing online exam interfaces.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10568,"journal":{"name":"Computers & Education","volume":"239 ","pages":"Article 105436"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144867363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}