Katie E. Rakow, Rebecca J. Upsher, Juliet L. H. Foster, N. Byrom, Eleanor J. Dommett
{"title":"Student perspectives on their digital footprint in virtual learning environments","authors":"Katie E. Rakow, Rebecca J. Upsher, Juliet L. H. Foster, N. Byrom, Eleanor J. Dommett","doi":"10.3389/feduc.2023.1208671","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1208671","url":null,"abstract":"The prevalence of mental distress among young adults, including those at university, has increased. In this context, learning analytics, students’ digital trace data, are increasingly being used to understand student mental health. In line with calls for more research on learning analytics from student perspectives, as part of a broader focus group study, 44 undergraduate students from three United Kingdom universities were invited to consider how they felt about having a digital footprint on their virtual learning environment (VLE). Two main themes were constructed using reflexive thematic analysis. First, students’ responses depended on the perceived threat to their privacy and identity. Some students were indifferent if no threat was perceived, but expressed unease if there was. Second, some students expressed personal preference for autonomy over use of their VLE data. Two uses identified were for non-judgmental personalized support, and using aggregated data to improve student learning. These themes suggest how the use of educational digital data can, under some circumstances, impact wellbeing negatively. The students’ perspectives garnered from the focus groups could have implications for policy and practice concerning privacy and surveillance, the possibility for misuse or misinterpretation of data, and informed consent. This small study supports the importance of partnering with students to develop and implement guidance for how VLE learning analytics data are used and interpreted by students and staff, including lecturers, to protect and enhance student mental wellbeing.","PeriodicalId":52290,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Education","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138948544","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}
Caiwei Zhu, Remke Klapwijk, Miroslava Silva-Ordaz, Jeroen Spandaw, Marc J. de Vries
{"title":"Cognitive and embodied mapping of data: an examination of children’s spatial thinking in data physicalization","authors":"Caiwei Zhu, Remke Klapwijk, Miroslava Silva-Ordaz, Jeroen Spandaw, Marc J. de Vries","doi":"10.3389/feduc.2023.1308117","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1308117","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding and effectively using visual representations is important to learning science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Various techniques to visualize information, such as two- and three-dimensional graphs, diagrams, and models, not only expand our capacity to work with different types of information but also actively recruit our visual–spatial thinking. Data physicalization is emerging as a beginner-friendly approach to construct information visualization. Mapping intangible data onto tangible artifacts that possess visual, spatial, and physical properties demands an interplay of spatial thinking and hands-on manipulation. Much existing literature has explored using formatted infographics to aid learning and spatial thinking development. However, there is limited insight into how children may leverage their spatial thinking to create information visualizations, particularly tangible ones. This case study documented the data physicalization activities organized in two design classrooms of an international school in Netherlands, with 37 children aged 11–12. Seven themes relevant to spatial thinking were identified from multimodal evidence gathered from the data physicalization artifacts, classroom videos and recordings of children’s making process, and semi-structured interviews with children. Our findings suggested that these children generated various ideas to create visual–spatial forms for data with the materials at hand, such as mapping quantities to tangible materials of different sizes, using spatial ordinal arrangement, and unitizing materials to set visual parameters. Meanwhile, they evaluated and adjusted the visual–spatial properties of these materials according to the numerical data they had, crafting feasibility, and others’ spatial perspectives. What was particularly interesting in our findings was children’s iteration on their visual–spatial understandings of the intangible numerical values and the tangible materials throughout the embodied making processes. Overall, this study illustrated the different types of spatial thinking children applied to create their data physicalizations and offered insights into how embodied experiences accompanying the open-ended visualization challenge allowed children to explore and construct spatial understandings.","PeriodicalId":52290,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Education","volume":"46 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138949472","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":"Constructing written scientific explanations: a conceptual analysis supporting diverse and exceptional middle- and high-school students in developing science disciplinary literacy","authors":"Brooke A. Moore, Jessica Wright","doi":"10.3389/feduc.2023.1305464","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1305464","url":null,"abstract":"Constructing a written scientific explanation is a science practice that is fundamental in supporting students developing understanding of the natural world in which we live. Engaging in the practice of constructing valid scientific explanations supports students in developing science disciplinary literacy. Yet, writing a scientific explanation can be challenging for diverse and exceptional learners because it requires coordinating multiple, complex skills. This conceptual analysis explores the purpose of constructing written scientific explanations by focusing on the constituent elements and structures of a constructed scientific explanation. These findings are then integrated into a framework to assist Individual Education Program (IEP) teams in planning and implementing successful supports and instruction for diverse and exceptional learners in middle- and high-school, general education, science classrooms.","PeriodicalId":52290,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Education","volume":"25 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138949178","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":"Below average ChatGPT performance in medical microbiology exam compared to university students","authors":"Malik Sallam, Khaled Al-Salahat","doi":"10.3389/feduc.2023.1333415","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1333415","url":null,"abstract":"The transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education is evident, with conversational models like ChatGPT poised to reshape teaching and assessment methods. The rapid evolution of AI models requires a continuous evaluation. AI-based models can offer personalized learning experiences but raises accuracy concerns. MCQs are widely used for competency assessment. The aim of this study was to evaluate ChatGPT performance in medical microbiology MCQs compared to the students’ performance.The study employed an 80-MCQ dataset from a 2021 medical microbiology exam at the University of Jordan Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) Medical Microbiology 2 course. The exam contained 40 midterm and 40 final MCQs, authored by a single instructor without copyright issues. The MCQs were categorized based on the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy into four categories: Remember, Understand, Analyze, or Evaluate. Metrics, including facility index and discriminative efficiency, were derived from 153 midterm and 154 final exam DDS student performances. ChatGPT 3.5 was used to answer questions, and responses were assessed for correctness and clarity by two independent raters.ChatGPT 3.5 correctly answered 64 out of 80 medical microbiology MCQs (80%) but scored below the student average (80.5/100 vs. 86.21/100). Incorrect ChatGPT responses were more common in MCQs with longer choices (p = 0.025). ChatGPT 3.5 performance varied across cognitive domains: Remember (88.5% correct), Understand (82.4% correct), Analyze (75% correct), Evaluate (72% correct), with no statistically significant differences (p = 0.492). Correct ChatGPT responses received statistically significant higher average clarity and correctness scores compared to incorrect responses.The study findings emphasized the need for ongoing refinement and evaluation of ChatGPT performance. ChatGPT 3.5 showed the potential to correctly and clearly answer medical microbiology MCQs; nevertheless, its performance was below-bar compared to the students. Variability in ChatGPT performance in different cognitive domains should be considered in future studies. The study insights could contribute to the ongoing evaluation of the AI-based models’ role in educational assessment and to augment the traditional methods in higher education.","PeriodicalId":52290,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Education","volume":"51 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138949895","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}
Rubia Cobo-Rendón, Viviana Hojman, Diego García-Álvarez, Ramon Cobo Rendon
{"title":"Academic emotions, college adjustment, and dropout intention in university students","authors":"Rubia Cobo-Rendón, Viviana Hojman, Diego García-Álvarez, Ramon Cobo Rendon","doi":"10.3389/feduc.2023.1303765","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1303765","url":null,"abstract":"In recent years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the entrance and development of university life has become a complex process, making it relevant to investigate which variables could facilitate the adaptation of young people to university. This study aimed to analyze academic emotions and their prediction of university adaptation and intention to drop out.The study was quantitative, explanatory, and cross-sectional. A total of 295 university students participated. Academic emotions were assessed with the short version of The Achievement Emotions Questionnaire, adaptation to university life with the reduced version of the Student Adjustment to College Questionnaire, and intention to drop out with three items designed to measure this variable.Differences were identified in the emotions experienced during classes and study by students according to the year of entry. We found that males report experiencing emotions such as enjoyment and hope more during evaluations.Generally, students report positive emotions in their academic experience. Positive emotions predict adaptation to university life and the intention to study.","PeriodicalId":52290,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Education","volume":"12 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138956014","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":"Pre-service and in-service teachers' professional vision depending on the video perspective—What teacher gaze and verbal reports can tell us","authors":"Corinne Wyss, Kerstin Bäuerlein, Sara Mahler","doi":"10.3389/feduc.2023.1282992","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1282992","url":null,"abstract":"Teachers are involved in complex teaching situations every day; thus, they must understand what to pay attention to in the classroom, how this information is to be interpreted, and which teaching decisions become necessary as a result. In educational research, these competencies are known as “professional vision.” The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the professional vision of pre-service teachers (PTs) and in-service teachers (ITs) by investigating whether the groups differ in what they notice and how they reason about videotaped classroom events; whether the perspective of the video viewed influences their noticing and reasoning; and to what extent their gaze behavior differs from their verbal statements. Thirty-one PTs and twenty ITs watched a video clip of authentic teaching, shot from different perspectives, and their visual focus of attention was recorded using a remote eye-tracker. Subsequently, participants reported in an interview what they had noticed. The triangulated data show that the gaze behavior of the PTs and ITs did not differ, but the content of their verbal statements did. Depending on the video perspective, participants focused on different subjects, but this difference was not reflected in the verbal data. Thus, the gaze behavior and verbal statements are not consistent. The findings indicate that considering multiple sources and types of data is beneficial to explore professional vision and that further research is needed to understand the concept in depth.","PeriodicalId":52290,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Education","volume":"16 16","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139168425","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}
Seyed-Ali Sadegh-Zadeh, Tahereh Movahhedi, A. M. Hajiyavand, K. Dearn
{"title":"Exploring undergraduates’ perceptions of and engagement in an AI-enhanced online course","authors":"Seyed-Ali Sadegh-Zadeh, Tahereh Movahhedi, A. M. Hajiyavand, K. Dearn","doi":"10.3389/feduc.2023.1252543","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1252543","url":null,"abstract":"In the age of globalization, an internet connection has become essential for enhancing various human activities across the economic, cultural, and defense sectors, among others. This is particularly true for online classrooms. Microsoft Teams, a widely used digital education platform, provides capabilities that allow online teachers to facilitate better interactions and create more effective learning environments in online settings. This study aimed to explore students’ perceptions of synchronous online learning that occurred in an AI-enhanced online course, delivered using MS Teams. As an explorative study that examines the educational intersection of engineering and artificial intelligence, it represents the convergence of these two branches of learning and thus enriches both fields. The research involved 35 online students at the Staffordshire University, with data collected via online questionnaires to gather information about students’ perceptions of online learning through Microsoft Teams. After completing the online course materials, the questionnaires were distributed to students via Google Forms. The data were then descriptively analyzed. The study’s findings revealed that although online learning through Microsoft Teams was a novel experience for the students, the platform’s interactive and engaging learning environment motivated them to participate more actively, ultimately leading to a better comprehension of the course materials. Incorporating AI-enhanced features within the Microsoft Teams platform further augmented the online learning experience, as students appreciated the personalized learning recommendations and real-time feedback, which showcases the synergistic potential of AI and education in the digital age.","PeriodicalId":52290,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Education","volume":"57 13","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138957038","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":"Catching up after COVID-19: do school programs for remediating pandemic-related learning loss work?","authors":"Anne G. M. de Bruijn, M. Meeter","doi":"10.3389/feduc.2023.1298171","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1298171","url":null,"abstract":"COVID-19 had a major impact on education, resulting in learning losses among students. The Dutch ministry set-up a subsidy for schools to implement catch-up programs in tackling learning losses. In this study, we examine (a) which students participated in the programs, and (b) effectiveness of these programs in remediating learning losses in secondary school students.Sixteen program in eight secondary schools were analyzed using data of 16,675 students (9,784 individual students; 1,336 participating in a catch-up program). Schools implemented three program types: tutoring, homework support, and general skills. Per school, a difference-in-difference design was used, computing two effect sizes: comparing grades of participating and non-participating students; and grades in tutoring-specific subjects to non-tutored subject (specifically for tutoring programs). Effect sizes were combined using meta-analytic regressions in JASP.At program onset, students selected for participation had significantly lower overall grades than non-participants, or – for subject-specific tutoring – lower grades specifically in the tutored subject. Tutoring programs significantly increased students’ grades: with higher grades for participants than non-participants, and – for students receiving subject-specific tutoring - higher grades in tutored subjects compared to those in non-tutored subjects. No significant effects were found for homework support and general study skill programs.Schools selected students most in need for catch-up programs. Tutoring interventions seemed to remediate part of secondary school students’ learning losses, whereas general skills programs and homework support programs did not. Large between-school heterogeneity was found, implying that program implementation was at least as important as program type and content.","PeriodicalId":52290,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Education","volume":"9 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138959778","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}
Faraz Khurshid, Elizabeth O’Connor, Rachel Thompson, Iman Hegazi
{"title":"Pedagogical interventions and their influences on university-level students learning pharmacology-a realist review","authors":"Faraz Khurshid, Elizabeth O’Connor, Rachel Thompson, Iman Hegazi","doi":"10.3389/feduc.2023.1190672","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1190672","url":null,"abstract":"The knowledge complexity and varied delivery formats in pharmacology education can leave students unprepared in essential pharmacotherapy skills. This significantly influences their ways of thinking and working in clinical environments, resulting in a challenging clinical transition. This need demands pedagogical innovations to strengthen pharmacology education and improve learners’ skills and competencies in pharmacotherapy. This evidence-based realist review aimed to examine the contextual factors and program theories or causal mechanisms crucial for effective pedagogical interventions in pharmacology, seeking to answer the question of ‘what works for whom, under what circumstances, how, and why’.The realist synthesis was initiated after retrieving data from Medline (OVID), Cochrane, EBSCO hosted ERIC, SCOPUS, and Embase (OVID) including other sources for additional records. The preliminary analysis enabled the establishment of context, mechanism, and outcome configurations (CMOC) and formulation and refinement of the initial program theory regarding the pedagogical interventions in pharmacology. Data synthesis iteration helped to identify the relevant context and unravel its relationships with underlying causal mechanisms through which said interventions generate outcomes of interest.A realist review analyzed 1,217 records and identified 75 articles examining a range of educational interventions from individual efforts to faculty-wide curriculum changes in pharmacology education. The key contexts for pharmacology education were troublesome content, traditional delivery methods, inadequate and limited opportunities for knowledge integration, and application. Active participation in interactive learning, along with enjoyment and motivation, was proposed as a causal mechanism for optimizing cognitive load and achieving positive outcomes. The outcomes of the review include subjective perceptions of improved confidence and satisfaction, objective measurements of high post-test scores.Pedagogical scaffolding in constructivist learning environments helps students overcome challenges in learning troublesome pharmacology knowledge. Considering the human cognitive system’s processing capacity, these interventions improve learning by effectively using cognitive resources. Innovations that focus on enhancing cognitive load through task construction can also promote positive emotional experiences in students, such as engagement and enjoyment, as explained by flow theory. A constructive learning environment, where the cognitive load is optimized and high flow is achieved, can maximize the impact of pedagogical interventions in pharmacology.https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=160441, PROSPERO (CRD42020160441).","PeriodicalId":52290,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Education","volume":" March","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138960486","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}
A. Fröberg, Petter Wiklander, Salvador Baena-Morales, S. Lundvall
{"title":"How to teach about sustainable development in physical education? Examples from the perspectives of certified teachers in Sweden","authors":"A. Fröberg, Petter Wiklander, Salvador Baena-Morales, S. Lundvall","doi":"10.3389/feduc.2023.1294763","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1294763","url":null,"abstract":"Teachers have a vital role in educating and empowering students to become informed and active agents of change in promoting sustainable development (SD). Little is known what PE teachers teach about SD. The aim of the present study was to explore what certified compulsory school and upper-secondary school physical education (PE) teachers in Sweden teach about SD within their practice.An online survey was used to collect data about background information and what the PE teachers had taught about SD in PE. Data from 653 PE teachers was used and the teaching examples were analyzed through thematic analysis.The analysis resulted in eight themes: Equality, inclusion, and norms, Exploring the local environment, Outdoor education and care of nature, Interdisciplinary projects, Picking waste and recycling, Sustainable bodies, Sustainable lifestyles, health and well-being, and Sustainable use of products and consumption.The findings suggest that PE can have distinct subject-specific contribution to aspects of the SD agenda, but also a role to empower students of how movement, exercise, and sport can be embedded within a broader ecological perspective. Furthermore, the described themes may open for research about what competences that are particularly relevant for PE teachers in the context of SD.","PeriodicalId":52290,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Education","volume":" 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138960894","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}