Augusto Cabrera-Duffaut, A. M. Pinto-Llorente, Ana Iglesias-Rodríguez
{"title":"Immersive learning platforms: analyzing virtual reality contribution to competence development in higher education—a systematic literature review","authors":"Augusto Cabrera-Duffaut, A. M. Pinto-Llorente, Ana Iglesias-Rodríguez","doi":"10.3389/feduc.2024.1391560","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1391560","url":null,"abstract":"This study evaluates the effectiveness and pedagogical integration of Virtual Reality (VR), exploring its application in various educational contexts. In this systematic literature review, the role of virtual reality in enhancing competency development within higher education is examined.The search was conducted in two databases (Scopus and Web of Science) following the PRISMA method guidelines. Inclusion criteria were limited to studies that used virtual reality as a tool within the classroom, analyzing the competencies developed through its application.Out of the 1,671 articles retrieved, 61 full texts were selected for review, resulting in 27 academic articles published in the last five years. The findings highlight the capacity of virtual reality to foster interpersonal skills while simultaneously addressing the challenges of its integration.The adoption of Virtual Reality (VR) in higher education is notable for its immersive learning experiences. Despite VR’s significant contribution to education, its widespread integration faces challenges, including the high costs of VR technology and the lack of specialized educational software, which limits its accessibility across various academic disciplines.The advent of global technological advancements has unveiled numerous opportunities within the educational sector, with VR emerging as a transformative technology that offers immersive learning experiences, propelling educational methodologies beyond traditional boundaries. Through this SLR, it becomes evident that the application of VR in education transcends mere knowledge transfer, facilitating the development of critical competencies.http://bit.ly/3SyKPhv.","PeriodicalId":508739,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Education","volume":"16 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141813772","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Understanding the differences in the use of graphic tool and planning during graphic execution between individuals with autism and typically developing individuals","authors":"Pragya Verma, Madhu Singh, Uttama Lahiri","doi":"10.3389/feduc.2024.1358024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1358024","url":null,"abstract":"Individuals with autism (ASD) often face difficulty in executing graphic tasks. This can be related to how one uses a graphic tool (e.g., pen) and plans ahead the graphic execution. Use of graphic tool can be captured using attributes, e.g., pen-tip pressure, number of pen lifts, etc. One’s ability to plan a graphic execution can be quantified using the total duration of pen lifts (i.e., air time). Though pen-and-paper-based Trail Making Test-Part A (TMT-A) can estimate planning of graphic execution, yet it cannot capture other attributes, e.g., pen-tip pressure, pen lift, etc. This can be possible if TMT-A is administered on a pressure-sensitive tablet as seen from existing studies with typically developing (TD) individuals. However, quantification of such attributes using TMT-A administered on a pressure-sensitive tablet remains unexplored for individuals with ASD. In addition, such objective measures can help to understand variations in the use of graphic tool and ability to plan graphic execution even outside the TMT-A task, e.g., while drawing shapes which is important to the development of children’s graphic skills. Here, we conducted a study with 12 pairs of TD children and those with ASD who executed TMT-A (in Phase-I) and shape drawing (in Phase-II) on a pressure-sensitive tablet. Results of our study show differences in the use of graphic tool and planning ahead the graphic execution between two participant groups in both the Phases. Such insights can offer clinical inputs that can be helpful in designing individualized intervention paradigms for children facing difficulties in graphic execution.","PeriodicalId":508739,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Education","volume":"30 23","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141815308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Olaniyi J. Olabiyi, Marieta Du Plessis, Carel Jansen Van Vuuren
{"title":"Unveiling the toxic leadership culture in south African universities: authoritarian behaviour, cronyism and self-serving practices","authors":"Olaniyi J. Olabiyi, Marieta Du Plessis, Carel Jansen Van Vuuren","doi":"10.3389/feduc.2024.1446935","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1446935","url":null,"abstract":"Toxicity among staff members of higher education institutions (HEIs) is often under-reported or not reported at all. Experiences of toxic leadership are deemed unmentionable within the consultative and collaborative ideals of HEIs. The underreporting of toxicity among HEI staff may stem from fear of retaliation, inadequate reporting structures, and concerns about alienation or not being taken seriously.The study explored experiences of leadership behaviours in a South African HEI to identify specific dimensions of toxic leadership behaviours. Using an interpretivist qualitative research design, the study involved analysing 39 interviews of secondary data from two datasets gathered by the research team, comprising 25 and 14 participant responses, respectively.The study identified four distinct themes of toxic leadership behaviour – authoritarian leadership behaviour, in-group favoritism/groupthink, destructive criticism and self-centredness – with authoritarianism being the most common behaviour displayed.Presence of toxic leadership within the South African University community, emphasising the necessity for a comprehensive approach and strategy to address this behaviour.","PeriodicalId":508739,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Education","volume":"15 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141817319","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A review of classroom environment on student engagement in English as a foreign language learning","authors":"Xiaolan Ye","doi":"10.3389/feduc.2024.1415829","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1415829","url":null,"abstract":"The construct of learning engagement is receiving increasing attention since it has been proved by a majority of researches that higher learning engagement is linked to positive educational outcomes. While a list of learner-internal factors (e.g., academic emotions) and learner-external factors (e.g., teachers’ working engagement) have been revealed as important antecedents of English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ learning engagement, the role of classroom environment (CE) as a salient factor has received scant attention. Notably, to the best of the author’s knowledge, no review study has been conducted on this issue. Thus, inspired by this gap, the purpose of the present review article is to evaluate the existing literature on the influence of CE on EFL students’ learning engagement, which is a relatively less charted territory but with great significance, to illuminate the ways of securing, maintaining and enhancing students’ engagement in foreign language classrooms by means of creating a positive CE. The central information of the article is organized into three parts. First, based on educational research, an overview of the constructs of learning engagement and CE is explicated. Second, the influence of CE on EFL learners’ engagement is highlighted. At last, implications of the existing studies are summarized and suggestions for further studies are provided.","PeriodicalId":508739,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Education","volume":"114 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141822037","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tatyana Belova, Artem E. Islamov, A. Rozhnov, Sergei P. Zhdanov, Ekaterina I. Sokolova, Dibakhan A. Tsomartova
{"title":"Do gender and science success moderate the effects of science learning self-efficacy on science identity?","authors":"Tatyana Belova, Artem E. Islamov, A. Rozhnov, Sergei P. Zhdanov, Ekaterina I. Sokolova, Dibakhan A. Tsomartova","doi":"10.3389/feduc.2024.1409077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1409077","url":null,"abstract":"This study investigates the relationship between science learning self-efficacy and science identity, examining how gender and science success moderate this relationship.Using a quantitative approach with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling, data from high school students in Moscow, Almetyevsk, Khabarovsk cities from Russia were analyzed.The research highlights the significant positive impact of integrative science competence, practical science application, and science communication efficacy on science identity. Interestingly, gender did not significantly influence the efficacy-identity relationship, suggesting its minimal role in this context. Conversely, science success, particularly in conjunction with science communication efficacy, played a notable role, indicating a complex interplay that could affect students’ science identity.These findings emphasize the need for educational strategies that bolster students’ self-efficacy in science, catering to the development of a strong science identity. Future research should explore the nuanced effects of success and communication efficacy on science identity, aiming to inform interventions that support diverse and equitable participation in science education and careers.","PeriodicalId":508739,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Education","volume":"101 30","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141820704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lawrence Grabau, Benoît Galand, Dominique Lafontaine, J. Lavonen, Ragnar F. Ólafsson, Louis Trudel, SaeYeol Yoon
{"title":"What is the association between schoolwork-related anxiety and science literacy proficiency? A comparison between Southeast Asia and Northwest Europe","authors":"Lawrence Grabau, Benoît Galand, Dominique Lafontaine, J. Lavonen, Ragnar F. Ólafsson, Louis Trudel, SaeYeol Yoon","doi":"10.3389/feduc.2024.1414423","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1414423","url":null,"abstract":"What is the shape of the association between schoolwork-related anxiety (SRA; sometimes referred to as “test anxiety”) and science literacy proficiency (SLP)? Prior results in some areas (e.g., Flanders) have showed an inverse linear relationship between SRA and SLP. Intriguingly, academic anxiety showed an inverse “U-shaped” association with academic performance in Taiwan. Data for six southeast Asian (SEA; Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Macao, Singapore, Taiwan) and six northwest European (NWE; Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands) nations/entities were drawn from PISA 2015, the most recent science-focused iteration of OECD’s (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) triennial PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) evaluations. Mean SRA and SLP, respectively, were 0.34 and 532 across the selected SEA representatives (aggregate n = 35711) and −0.21 and 515 across the identified NWE nations (n = 34601). We sorted each nation’s/entity’s dataset into five SLP levels (utilizing PISA’s own criteria) and placed students into SLP levels based on an average of ten plausible values for each individual student). ANOVA results showed Taiwan, Japan, and Korea, (with some qualified evidence for SEA as a region) to have an inverse U-shaped relationship between SRA and SLP; Finland, and Iceland (along with modest evidence for NWE as a region) had a negative linear relationship between SRA and SLP. Multilevel modeling (MLM; within nations/entities only) partially confirmed our parallel ANOVA results: an inverse U-shaped relationship for Taiwan, and the negative linear relationship for Finland and Iceland. Our Belgian MLM also showed negative linearity. Thus, our results confirmed the earlier observation of an inverse U-shaped relationship between student anxiety measures and academic performance in Taiwan (extending that finding to a science context—and further extending that finding for science to Japan and Korea). We discuss possible classroom interventions aimed at mitigating non-adaptive anxieties among students at intermediate SLP levels.","PeriodicalId":508739,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Education","volume":" 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141822815","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
María Soledad Villarrubia Zúñiga, Macarena Ortiz-Jiménez, Paula González García, Laura Suárez-Campos
{"title":"Evaluation of sustainability in university tutoring programs for educational leadership: a case study","authors":"María Soledad Villarrubia Zúñiga, Macarena Ortiz-Jiménez, Paula González García, Laura Suárez-Campos","doi":"10.3389/feduc.2024.1416666","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1416666","url":null,"abstract":"University tutoring programs should aim to create a conducive environment for promoting pedagogical practices that align with the principles of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). However, it has been observed that teachers often face difficulties when implementing ESD in tutoring sessions, such as lack of time, students’ reluctance to share personal issues, and insufficient training and resources. This research is part of a larger project that aims to study university tutoring as a pedagogical tool to identify problems affecting students’ learning processes and provide solutions to improve the quality of teaching. As participatory and dialogical models are most appropriate for promoting ESD, a well-developed tutoring model will contribute to the creation of useful pedagogical practices to guide and improve the status quo of students. Through an exploratory-descriptive study, this paper compares two university tutoring programs in Spain and Morocco to identify the most frequent issues hindering educational leadership and sustainable development, which can impact academic success.","PeriodicalId":508739,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Education","volume":"105 33","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141821819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Online teaching efficacy and its determinants among Chinese college teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic online teaching","authors":"Shifeng Li, Qiongying Xu, Baobao Dang","doi":"10.3389/feduc.2024.1391251","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1391251","url":null,"abstract":"To minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education, countries around the world have turned to online teaching and learning. However, this sudden change also challenges teachers’ teaching competence and efficacy. This study investigated online teaching efficacy and its determinants among Chinese college teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic online teaching. Two hundred and seventeen Chinese college teachers who engaged in online teaching during the pandemic participated in an online survey focusing on online teaching efficacy. The results showed that the overall online teaching efficacy of college teachers was relatively high. While demographics such as gender, age, teaching experience, academic title, highest degree attained, and area of expertise did not significantly impact online teaching efficacy, relevant experiences in online teaching - such as prior online course instruction, participation in online teaching training programs or seminars, and collaborative discussions with colleagues - were found to enhance online teaching efficacy. Universities should quickly adapt to this change and build a professional development support system for faculty in online teaching.","PeriodicalId":508739,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Education","volume":"114 48","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141822019","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Inés Álvarez-Icaza, Paloma Suárez-Brito, Jaime Alvarez, J. Molina-Espinosa
{"title":"Relevance of objective and subjective profile: creative behavior assessment in higher education students","authors":"Inés Álvarez-Icaza, Paloma Suárez-Brito, Jaime Alvarez, J. Molina-Espinosa","doi":"10.3389/feduc.2024.1387150","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1387150","url":null,"abstract":"Creativity is a 21st Century skill. Promoting problem-solving and attending to global complex issues in formative learning experiences and professional endeavors is considered necessary. The assessment of creativity in higher education is a challenge itself due to few objective instruments for Spanish speakers and Latin populations considering this skill as key for current and future challenges. In addition to formal creativity training, which is based on curricula formed by a set of tools and processes, there is also the role of self-perception over this skill. The objective profile is the expected performance, while the subjective is seen as a self-declared ability. In this sense, having a proper assessment of creative behavior allows to align the intentions of institutions and educators toward an integrated professional profile in a multidisciplinary manner. In this study, the Creative Behavior Assessment Instrument was applied to pre-graduates from Creative Studies (CS; Design, Architecture, Digital Animation, and Communication) areas and other disciplines to answer three main research questions (1) Are CS students more creative than other discipline students?; (2) How does fluency vary between students from different disciplines?; (3) Is there coherence between the objective and subjective responses to the instrument? The methodological approach for this study is mixed methods, focusing on total score, visuospatial ability, fluidity, and self-perception. Results are discussed in terms of the difference shown by the students’ objective/subjective profiles in relation to their discipline, the relevance of promoting creativity in higher education, and the implications of individual differences regarding the subjective profile.","PeriodicalId":508739,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Education","volume":" 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141822922","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A study of cultural representation in Hokkien (Southern Min) textbooks","authors":"Yuannan Huang, Haoyan Song","doi":"10.3389/feduc.2024.1387377","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1387377","url":null,"abstract":"This research employed a framework for analyzing cultural representations within textbooks to focus on the three dimensions of geographical contexts, types of cultures and modes of presentation. A quantitative analysis of Hokkien textbooks from Fujian and Taiwan was conducted. The findings revealed that, on one hand, textbooks from both regions predominantly featured Minnan culture with a marked emphasis on cultural products related to the social life and traditional culture of China. On the other hand, the Fujian textbooks tended to present culture via knowledge blocks, whereas Taiwanese textbooks used cultural discourse for cultural presentations. This distinction emphasizes the pivotal role of language education in perpetuating local cultures and values, as well as the challenges entailed in broadening the cultural scope. The outcomes of this study contribute to minimizing the impact of regional factors in textbook research and provide empirical support for enhancing the quality of Hokkien education and the cultural adaptability of teaching materials.","PeriodicalId":508739,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Education","volume":" 82","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141826779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}