Showing papers in "Frontiers in Education in 2022"

Distance Learning in Higher Education During Covid-19

Abstract: COVID-19’s pandemic has hastened the expansion of online learning across all levels of education. Countries have pushed to expand their use of distant education and make it mandatory in view of the danger of being unable to resume face-to-face education. The most frequently reported disadvantages are technological challenges and the resulting inability to open the system. Prior to the pandemic, interest in distance learning was burgeoning, as it was a unique style of instruction. The mini-review aims to ascertain students’ attitudes about distant learning during COVID-19. To accomplish the objective, articles were retrieved from the ERIC database. We utilize the search phrases “Distance learning” AND “University” AND “COVID.” We compiled a list of 139 articles. We chose papers with “full text” and “peer reviewed only” sections. Following the exclusion, 58 articles persisted. Then, using content analysis, publications relating to students’ perspectives on distance learning were identified. There were 27 articles in the final list. Students’ perspectives on distant education are classified into four categories: perception and attitudes, advantages of distance learning, disadvantages of distance learning, and challenges for distance learning. In all studies, due of pandemic constraints, online data gathering methods were selected. Surveys and questionnaires were utilized as data collection tools. When students are asked to compare face-to-face and online learning techniques, they assert that online learning has the potential to compensate for any limitations caused by pandemic conditions. Students’ perspectives and degrees of satisfaction range widely, from good to negative. Distance learning is advantageous since it allows for learning at any time and from any location. Distance education benefits both accomplishment and learning. Staying at home is safer and less stressful for students during pandemics. Distance education contributes to a variety of physical and psychological health concerns, including fear, anxiety, stress, and attention problems. Many schools lack enough infrastructure as a result of the pandemic’s rapid transition to online schooling. Future researchers can study what kind of online education methods could be used to eliminate student concerns.

Changes in Teacher Burnout and Self-Efficacy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Interrelations and e-Learning Variables Related to Change

Abstract: Although the reciprocal relationship of teacher burnout and teacher self-efficacy (TSE) is well documented, the literature still lacks studies investigating their (latent) changes and interrelations of change over time. By applying a latent change regression model in our study, we aimed to contribute to this research gap by examining changes in burnout and their relations to changes in TSE during the COVID-19 pandemic—a very challenging time for teachers. As the implementation of digital learning material played a major role during the pandemic, we were also interested if attitudes and self-efficacy toward e-Learning were related to changes in burnout and TSE. Our sample consisted of 92 German in-service teachers who completed a questionnaire twice during the 2019–2020 school year. Our main findings are that the burnout components depersonalization and lack of accomplishment significantly increased from the pre- to post-COVID-19 outbreak, whereas emotional exhaustion did not. Changes in burnout were negatively correlated to changes in TSE, but we found little evidence for relations of change in burnout and TSE with variables concerning e-Learning. Our findings indicate that the challenge was not the work overload but rather a lack of resources. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Engagement in Online Learning: Student Attitudes and Behavior During COVID-19

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in nearly all universities switching courses to online formats. We surveyed the online learning experience of undergraduate students (n = 187) at a large, public research institution in course structure, interpersonal interaction, and academic resources. Data was also collected from course evaluations. Students reported decreases in live lecture engagement and attendance, with 72 percent reporting that low engagement during lectures hurt their online learning experience. A majority of students reported that they struggled with staying connected to their peers and instructors and managing the pace of coursework. Students had positive impressions, however, of their instructional staff. Majorities of students felt more comfortable asking and answering questions in online classes, suggesting that there might be features of learning online to which students are receptive, and which may also benefit in-person classes.

The Difference Between Emergency Remote Teaching and e-Learning

Abstract: Online education is a well-established pedagogical paradigm that has been studied and discussed from numerous perspectives (Kanuka et al., 2007; Blayone et al., 2017). Moreover, online education is often associated with a variety of opportunities and obstacles (Gillett-Swan, 2017; Ferri et al., 2020). While crises and disasters are not a new phenomenon in education (Winograd, 2016), the global pandemic, namely COVID-19, made contact teaching in an unprecedented move temporarily impossible (Fuchs and Karrila, 2021). The list of countries that mandated their educational institutions to shift toward online education has been growing by the day in 2019 (Ng, 2021). Henceforth, the paradigm of emergency remote teaching (ERT) emerged. Nevertheless, there is a distinguishing difference between emergency remote teaching and e-learning (i.e., online teaching or online learning). This opinion paper discusses implications for educational researchers when using the terms as a synonym and provides a value-added perspective on the differences between ERT and traditional online education.

Social Media Technologies Used for Education: An Empirical Study on TAM Model During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract: The study’s major goal was to figure out what factors impact university students’ behavior and intentions to use social media to boost their academic performance during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Given the context-dependent nature of online learning, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was adopted and supplemented with components largely relevant to harnessing social media for collaborative learning and engagement. Collaborative learning, student participation, and a social media mindset are just a few of the new features. The enlarged model was validated using empirical data from an online survey questionnaire filled by a sample of 409 Saudi Arabia higher education students, which assesses students’ social media usage intentions and academic performance during the COVID-19 Pandemic. AMOS-SEM was used to analyze the model’s various assumptions (Analysis of Moment Structures- Structural Equation Modeling). The findings revealed that: (1) utilizing social media for collaborative learning and student engagement has a direct positive impact on perceived usefulness, ease of use, and enjoyment; (2) perceived usefulness, ease of use, and enjoyment has a direct positive impact on attitude to use social media; and (3) the link between TAM characteristics “usefulness, ease of use, and pleasure” and behavior intention to use social media is mediated by attitude to use social media. (4) Students’ attitudes and behavior intentions on social media have a direct positive influence on their academic performance during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Academics, higher education institutions, and educational technology application providers will benefit greatly from the conclusions of this study, both theoretically and practically.

Study of Resilience in Learning Environments During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract: The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a great change in the world. One aspect of the pandemic is its effect on Educational systems. Educators have had to shift to a pure online based system. This shift has been sudden and without any prior warning. Despite this the Educational system has survived and exhibited resilience. The resilience of a system can be determined if the system continues to operate or function as effectively as before a change. Resilience in a system implies the ability to work and develop when the forces in the environment are unexpected, abrupt and sudden as well. The environment may change or evolve but the underlying system must keep functioning, developing and responding. Resilience is a trait in a system. It is a set of characteristics in the system that enables it to sustain itself in the face of change. A resilient system can cope and prosper in the face of change. For the domain of education, the Covid-19 pandemic served as a phenomenal change event and a wakeup call to the education fraternity. As a social system, resilience meant that the people in the educational environment continued to function albeit differently. The environment, meaning the processes, hierarchy and the intricate social ties in the system contributed to the resiliency of the system. Thus the measure of resilience in education has three major facets—people, the technology which facilitates the process and the process environment. This work aims to understand the resilience of the teachers due to the Covid-19 pandemic, especially how learning continued and what contributed to this continuity. Resilience research and understanding is as important as the pedagogical and technological aspects in an Educational system as it is a trait that encompasses the people, the socio-economic system and their relationships. In this work, we analyzed resilience as trait, its relevance in an Educational system, factors that make up resilience in an Educational system and finally the relevant research about resilience in Education during Covid-19. Based on the results of our literature review we formed a model for Educators. A survey was conducted among educators of three countries namely Malaysia, Fiji, and India to determine the essential elements of resilience that were relevant to the continuity of an educational system from the point of view of teachers. We arrived at a set of factors that are relevant to the teachers in the educational systems which can be an impetus for policy makers to focus on and develop. The major results from the study are the need for Educational systems to focus on three facets—internal, interpersonal and external aspects of teachers and strengthen factors such as support for teachers, strong academic leadership, trust of teachers, increase self-motivation, enhance communication with stakeholders and emphasize systems that enhance student-teacher communication. The future areas of research are also discussed in the work.

COVID-19 Accelerating Academic Teachers’ Digital Competence in Distance Teaching

Abstract: This study examines, using a cross-sectional approach, the digital competence of academic teachers at a time when teaching shifted to digital distance learning at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers from different academic fields at a large multidisciplinary Finnish university (N = 265) responded to a questionnaire about the purposes for which they use digital tools in teaching, how they evaluated their competence at distance teaching during the lockdown of March-May 2020 and their beliefs about distance teaching. The respondents used digital tools in teaching mostly for delivering information. According to their evaluations, their competence in distance teaching increased during the early stages of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but their beliefs about distance teaching did not relate to the feelings of competence. Respondents with no experience in distance teaching before the lockdown evaluated their competence as having increased more than did respondents with previous experience. The implications of the findings for understanding competence development are then discussed.

South African Higher Education Institutions at the Beginning of the Covid-19 Pandemic: Sense-Making and Lessons Learnt

Abstract: After the unprecedented changes experienced in higher education due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there is a need to integrate initial thoughts and reflective experience to decide on the way forward. This study aimed to reflect on, and make sense of the events related to South African higher education institutions HEIs at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic by using the Cynefin framework. Data from a rapid review of online media at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and a collaborative autoethnography session 1 year since lockdowns were implemented are used to present perspectives for the sense-making process. This offers insights to both ends of the spectrum as it highlights the evolution of processes taking place at multiple levels from government policies to institutional practices, as well as how this impacted on both staff and students. The Cynefin framework demonstrated sense-making efforts in the disordered, to the chaotic, to the complex, then to the complicated and eventually to the simple domain. Each domain ushered in its peculiarities and highlighted the issues ranging from vulnerabilities experienced in the higher education sector, to trying to reconfigure the academic year, to dealing with wicked problems, to eventually relying on expert assistance to navigate the virtual university space. Trying to establish causality in the simple domain proved challenging as the information available during the time was sparse. Despite these challenges, the lessons learnt include the importance of the sense-making process among all academic staff, the significance of collaboration and team efforts and the need to adapt leadership and self-leadership approaches to the changed ways of working in higher education institutions.

Learning Through Play at School – A Framework for Policy and Practice

Abstract: Learning through play has emerged as an important strategy to promote student engagement, inclusion, and holistic skills development beyond the preschool years. Policy makers, researchers and educators have promoted the notion that learning though play is developmentally appropriate—as it leverages school-age children’s innate curiosity while easing the often difficult transition from preschool to school. However, there is a dearth of evidence and practical guidance on how learning through play can be employed effectively in the formal school context, and the conditions that support success. This paper addresses the disconnect between policy, research and practice by presenting a range of empirical studies across a number of well-known pedagogies. These studies describe how children can foster cognitive, social, emotional, creative and physical skills through active engagement in learning that is experienced as joyful, meaningful, socially interactive, actively engaging and iterative. The authors propose an expanded definition for learning through play at school based on the science of learning, and summarize key findings from international studies on the impact of children’s learning through play. They identify four key challenges that underpin the considerable gap between education policy and practice, and propose a useful framework that addresses these challenges via a common language and structure to implement learning through play.

Impact of Principal Leadership Styles on Teacher Job Performance: An Empirical Investigation

Abstract: This study is intended to investigate the relationship and effect of principal leadership styles on teacher job performance at public secondary schools in Faisalabad city, Punjab, Pakistan. Given a correlational design purpose, data were assembled by drawing a sample of 102 principals and 512 teachers through self-administered questionnaires. The first instrument titled “Questionnaire for Principal Leadership Style” (QPLS) comprises three subscales, all reflecting a high degree of internal consistency, namely, autocratic leadership (α = 0.832), democratic leadership (α = 0.759), and laissez-faire leadership (α = 0.852). The second tool, Questionnaire for Teacher Job Performance (QTJP), also indicates good reliability (α = 0.813). Regarding the verification of the research questions and hypotheses, percentages, multiple regression, and Pearson's correlation coefficient were subsequently performed at the significance level of p < 0.05. As the findings attest, 59.3% of the variation in teacher job performance was statistically explained as the result of shared involvement of principal autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire leadership styles. The results also revealed that the autocratic leadership constituted the largely exercised style, significantly exerting a strong and positive impact on teacher job performance, while the impact of laissez-faire leadership style was either problematic or unhelpful. Ultimately, the findings suggest that the principals under study should leverage a wise integration of leadership styles according to specific circumstances of their respective schools.

Online Teaching During COVID-19: Exploration of Challenges and Their Coping Strategies Faced by University Teachers in Pakistan

Abstract: The provision and practice of an online environment have become the main challenge for many institutes including universities during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the use of an online learning system was used by the majority of the teachers through an understanding of the adoption of ICT with the major challenges faced by them during the teaching–learning process. It has been found through this study that the teachers are lacking in ICT literacy. Therefore, they are facing online classroom management and connectivity issues throughout their journey during COVID-19. This study aims to explore the challenges and coping strategies faced by university teachers during the pandemic of COVID-19. A qualitative research method with a case study approach was used to get an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon of online teaching during COVID-19. Interviews were collected from eleven teacher educators (TEs) of the university. After analyzing the data, nine themes were generated with major findings, that is, connectivity issues, online teaching methods and techniques, learning environment for online teaching and learning, and challenges faced by teachers. The study findings are a good sought of addition and contribution for the university policymakers to evaluate, influence, and ensure the successful implementation of the e-learning system. Additionally, it is a suggestion for the university management to arrange some workshops or training programs for TEs to improve productivity and performance during their online teaching.

Long-Term Consequences of Repeated School Closures During the COVID-19 Pandemic for Reading and Mathematics Competencies

Abstract: School closures during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 were associated with attenuated learning gains compared to pre-pandemic years. In Germany, two further pandemic waves led to school closures and periods of remote learning between December 2020 and May 2021. The present study investigates the academic achievement of all incoming fifth-graders in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg before and during the pandemic, using educational large-scale assessment results in reading and mathematics. Each year, the assessments took place at the beginning of the school year in September (each n > 84,000). The comparison of average competence levels in 2021 with pre-pandemic years (2017–2019) indicates that the downward trend that was observed after the first pandemic wave in 2020 came to a halt in the domain of reading and continued at a slower rate in the domain of mathematical operations. Achievements in the mathematical domain of numbers even rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. Longer periods of school closures were associated with larger learning losses. Additional analyses showed larger learning losses for the group of low-achieving students and for schools with less socio-cultural capital. The partial rebound of learning outcomes suggests that most teachers and students successfully adapted to the pandemic situation in 2021. Still, disadvantaged student groups are at high risk of further substantial learning losses due to school closures that may negatively affect their future education. Accordingly, disadvantaged student groups in particular should receive additional support to compensate for the loss of learning opportunities in the classroom.

A qualitative exploration of university students’ perspectives on distance education in Jordan: An application of Moore’s theory of transactional distance

Abstract: The current study aimed at exploring university students’ perspectives on the emergency distance education strategy that was implemented during the COVID-19 crisis in Jordan, one of the countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Utilizing a qualitative design supported by Moore’s theory of transactional distance, a total of 17 semi-structured interviews were conducted with university students of various study levels and disciplines. Data were inductively analyzed using thematic analysis as suggested by Braun and Clarke. Seven themes have emerged, including, (i) students’ psychological response to the sudden transition in educational process, (ii) students’ digital preparedness, equality, and digital communication, (iii) students’ and teachers’ technical competencies and technostress, (iv) student–student and student–teacher interpersonal communication, (v) quality and quantity of learning materials, (vi) students’ assignments, examinations, and non-reliable evaluation methods, and (vii) opportunities with positive impact of distance learning. The study findings provide evidence that the sudden transition from traditional on-campus to online distance education was significantly challenging in many aspects and was not a pleasant experience for many participants. Various factors under the jurisdiction of academic institutions and decision-makers are considered main contributing factors to the students’ educational experiences amid the pandemic crisis. Therefore, better planning and more sustainable utilization of educational resources have paramount importance in providing a high-quality education. Additionally, more dedicated efforts in terms of equitable, reliable, and credible evaluation systems should be considered in Jordan’s distance education strategy.

Impact on Medical Education and the Medical Student’s Attitude, Practice, Mental Health, After One Year of the Covid-19 Pandemic in Indonesia

Abstract: Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruptions in educational institutions across the country, prompting medical schools to adopt online learning systems. This study aims to determine impact on medical education and the medical student’s attitude, practice, mental health after 1 year of the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia. Methods This study utilized a cross-sectional design. An online questionnaire was distributed digitally to 49 medical schools in Indonesia from February–May 2021. A total of 7,949 medical students participated in this study. Sampling was carried out based on a purposive technique whose inclusion criteria were active college students. This research used questionnaires distributed in online version among 49 medical faculties that belong to The Association of Indonesian Private Medical Faculty. Instruments included demographic database, medical education status, experience with medical tele-education, ownership types of electronic devices, availability of technologies, programs of education methods, career plans, attitudes toward pandemic, and the mental health of respondents. Univariate and bivariate statistical analysis was conducted to determine the association of variables. All statistical analyses using (IBM) SPSS version 22.0. Results Most of the respondents were female (69.4%), the mean age was 20.9 ± 2.1 years. More than half of the respondents (58.7%) reported that they have adequate skills in using digital devices. Most of them (74%) agreed that e-learning can be implemented in Indonesia. The infrastructure aspects that require attention are Internet access and the type of supporting devices. The pandemic also has an impact on the sustainability of the education program. It was found that 28.1% were experiencing financial problems, 2.1% postponed their education due to this problems. The delay of the education process was 32.6% and 47.5% delays in the clinical education phase. Around 4% student being sick, self-isolation and taking care sick family. the pandemic was found to affect students’ interests and future career plans (34%). The majority of students (52.2%) are concerned that the pandemic will limit their opportunities to become specialists. Nearly 40% of respondents expressed anxiety symptoms about a variety of issues for several days. About a third of respondents feel sad, depressed, and hopeless for a few days. Conclusion The infrastructure and competency of its users are required for E-learning to be successful. The majority of medical students believe that e-learning can be adopted in Indonesia and that their capacity to use electronic devices is good. However, access to the internet remains a problem. On the other side, the pandemic has disrupted the education process and mental health, with fears of being infected with SARS-CoV-2, the loss of opportunities to apply for specialty training, and the potential for increased financial difficulties among medical students. Our findings can be used to assess the current educational process in medical schools and maximize e-learning as an alternative means of preparing doctors for the future.

Is Education 4.0 a Sufficient Innovative, and Disruptive Educational Trend to Promote Sustainable Open Education for Higher Education Institutions? A Review of Literature Trends

Abstract: The paper explored whether Education 4.0 is a sufficient innovative, and disruptive educational trend to promote sustainable open education for higher education institutions (HEIs). To investigate whether this is the case, the paper reviewed published journal articles that provide real-world, empirical applications of Education 4.0 in the higher education (HE) sector that are intended to promote and realize the United Nations’ (UN) sustainable development goals (SDGs). In particular, the paper focused on aspects of SDGs related to education (or to sustainable open education), and which had relevance to the HE sector. Three of the findings of this review study are worth mentioning. First, real-world Education 4.0 is confined to certain countries, and is more concentrated to a few countries and to a few HEIs. Second, ten sets of Education 4.0 technologies were classified as disruptive, scalable, and sustainable, and as holding the prospect to promote sustainable open higher education in accord with the UN’s SDGs. Thirdly, most of the soft-skill affordances cited (especially the twenty-first century skills cited), lend themselves well as stylized facts as they predate Education 4.0 and are, thus, not exclusive to it.

Applying Learning Analytics in Online Environments: Measuring Learners’ Engagement Unobtrusively

Abstract: Prior to the emergence of Big Data and technologies such as Learning Analytics (LA), classroom research focused mainly on measuring learning outcomes of a small sample through tests. Research on online environments shows that learners’ engagement is a critical precondition for successful learning and lack of engagement is associated with failure and dropout. LA helps instructors to track, measure and visualize students’ online behavior and use such digital traces to improve instruction and provide individualized support, i.e., feedback. This paper examines 1) metrics or indicators of learners’ engagement as extracted and displayed by LA, 2) their relationship with academic achievement and performance, and 3) some freely available LA tools for instructors and their usability. The paper concludes with making recommendations for practice and further research by considering challenges associated with using LA in classrooms.

The Digital Transformation of Higher Education Teaching: Four Pedagogical Prescriptions to Move Active Learning Pedagogy Forward

Abstract: Digital learning technologies are expected to reform higher education: The recent Digital Education Action Plan (2021–2027) of the European Commission (EC) states that digital education should facilitate more personalised, flexible, and student-centred teaching (European Commission, 2021). This places great demands on university teachers, whose technological skills have long been considered the most formidable barrier to the digital transformation of higher education (Børte et al., 2020). Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a steep technological learning curve among higher education teachers. Overnight, university teachers were forced to adapt their teaching to a digital, online format to meet the needs of more than 1.5 billion students across the globe who have been affected by COVID-19 restrictions (UNESCO, 2021). Despite a great willingness to change, over a year into the pandemic, the frustration among (university) teachers has become apparent. A United Kingdom survey found that higher education teachers thought that their pedagogical practis had been “reduced to the fulfilment of rudimentary technical functions” and that they played more of a transmissionist pedagogical role (Watermeyer et al., 2020). Taking the perspective of the students, recent survey data from Norwegian higher education shows that, during the pandemic, lack of motivation and sense of loneliness have been an increasing problem among students (NOKUT the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education, 2020). From this we learn that a fully digital approach in higher education has limitations both when it comes to pedagogical practices and students’ well-being. A review of the literature in undergraduate science, engineering, and mathematics courses found that compared with traditional lecturing, active learning in combination with traditional lecturing, increases student performance and is therefore the preferred teaching practice in regular classrooms (Freeman et al., 2014). The same is true for higher education in general, where the literature broadly supports active, collaborative, cooperative, and problem-based teaching approaches (Prince, 2004). Despite this support, the adoption of active learning by higher education teachers has been contested for decades. A widely cited report on United States universities in the early 1990s concluded that the implementation of active student learning was obstructed by the powerful influence of educational tradition and a lack of coordinated institutional actions (Bonwell and Eison, 1991). It has been suggested that to promote active learning, institutions must take a more active role in changing teaching beliefs among academic staff (Antunes et al., 2021). Despite the high expectations to digital education, a review commissioned by the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research found that technology was most often used to support traditional teaching and that scholarly approaches that promote active pedagogies are lacking Edited by: José Antonio Marín Marín, University of Granada, Spain

Phish Derby: Shoring the Human Shield Through Gamified Phishing Attacks

Abstract: To better understand employees’ reporting behaviors in relation to phishing emails, we gamified the phishing security awareness training process by creating and conducting a month-long “Phish Derby” competition at a large university in the U.S. The university’s Information Security Office challenged employees to prove they could detect phishing emails as part of the simulated phishing program currently in place. Employees volunteered to compete for prizes during this special event and were instructed to report suspicious emails as potential phishing attacks. Prior to the beginning of the competition, we collected demographics and data related to the concepts central to two theoretical foundations: the Big Five personality traits and goal orientation theory. We found several notable relationships between demographic variables and Phish Derby performance, which was operationalized from the number of phishing attacks reported and employee report speed. Several key findings emerged, including past performance on simulated phishing campaigns positively predicted Phish Derby performance; older participants performed better than their younger colleagues, but more educated participants performed poorer; and individuals who used a mix of PCs and Macs at work performed worse than those using a single platform. We also found that two of the Big Five personality dimensions, extraversion and agreeableness, were both associated with poorer performance in phishing detection and reporting. Likewise, individuals who were driven to perform well in the Phish Derby because they desired to learn from the experience (i.e., learning goal orientation) performed at a lower level than those driven by other goals. Interestingly, self-reported levels of computer skill and the perceived ability to detect phishing messages failed to exhibit a significant relationship with Phish Derby performance. We discuss these findings and describe how focusing on motivating the good in employee cyber behaviors is a necessary yet too often overlooked component in organizations whose training cyber cultures are rooted in employee click rates alone.

Predictors of Central Student Learning Outcomes in Times of COVID-19: Students’, Parents’, and Teachers’ Perspectives During School Closure in 2020—A Multiple Informant Relative Weight Analysis

Abstract: School closures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic very quickly led to many studies on distance education. Currently, there are only studies available that explored the importance of different features of distance education for student learning during school lockdowns in 2020 relying on a single perspective—student, parent, or teacher data. Thus, we present results from a multiple informant study in which we compared prediction models based on the different perspectives of relevant actors in the school system. Against the background of the context, input, process, and output model, we explored the impact of a broad range of features of distance education on central student learning outcomes using data from students (N = 315), parents (N = 518), and teachers (N = 499) in German and Austrian secondary schools. Although findings from relative weight analysis portray a relatively similar pattern of relevant predictors for students’ learning outcomes (i.e., self-rated achievement, learning effort, and intrinsic motivation) across the three respondent groups, some predictors largely differ between the groups. While students’ ability to self-organize emerged as the most significant predictor across all three informant groups, predictors, such as the lack of parental support during school closure, turned out to be relevant only from parents’ perspective. We discuss the implications of these findings for future educational practice and research.

Teacher’s Perceptions of Using an Artificial Intelligence-Based Educational Tool for Scientific Writing

Abstract: Efforts have constantly been made to incorporate AI into teaching and learning; however, the successful implementation of new instructional technologies is closely related to the attitudes of the teachers who lead the lesson. Teachers’ perceptions of AI utilization have only been investigated by only few scholars due an overall lack of experience of teachers regarding how AI can be utilized in the classroom as well as no specific idea of what AI-adopted tools would be like. This study investigated how teachers perceived an AI-enhanced scaffolding system developed to support students’ scientific writing for STEM education. Results revealed that most STEM teachers positively experienced AI as a source for superior scaffolding. On the other hand, they also raised the possibility of several issues caused by using AI such as the change in the role played by the teachers in the classroom and the transparency of the decisions made by the AI system. These results can be used as a foundation for which to create guidelines for the future integration of AI with STEM education in schools, since it reports teachers’ experiences utilizing the system and various considerations regarding its implementation.

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: Implementation of a Didactic Proposal for Preservice History Teachers

Abstract: Information and communication technologies (ICTs) now form part of virtually all aspects of our daily lives, including education. However, teacher training in digital competence has been pushed into the background, especially in social sciences and in history instruction, in which digitalization and the use of ICTs is an opportunity for improvement and educational innovation. Consequently, proposals integrating the various types of knowledge into the training of history teachers are still rare and scarce. To solve this problem, this study presents a mixed quantitative and qualitative analysis using a pre- and posttest questionnaire with a sample of 235 students of the primary education degree at the Public University of Navarre who took part in an innovative didactic proposal that was implemented using the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) model based on digitized primary sources in three resources: PARES (Spanish Archive Portal), EUROPEANA, and BNE (National Library of Spain). The primary aim of this study was for preservice teachers to develop digital competence in teaching social sciences by integrating the technological, pedagogical and content knowledge types using the TPACK model. There were three specific objectives. The first was analyzing the digital knowledge of students following a primary education degree concerning the use of ICTs in history instruction. The second was implementing a didactic proposal in the teaching social sciences course based on the TPACK model by integrating ICTs and history instruction using Spanish and European digitized primary historical sources. Finally, the third was evaluating the impact of this didactic proposal on developing the knowledge types linked to the TPACK model, especially content knowledge (CK) and its technological content knowledge (TCK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) combinations.

Evaluation of the Emergency Remote Learning of Veterinary Anatomy During the COVID‐19 Pandemic: Global Students’ Perspectives

Abstract: Purpose: The present study assessed the shift to remote teaching of veterinary anatomy during the COVID‐19 pandemic based on students’ perspectives. Methods: Participants were invited to answer an anonymous online Google Form questionnaire using the snowball sampling method. Only students who studied anatomy online during the COVID-19 lockdown period were eligible to answer the questionnaire. A mixed-method research design was used to evaluate students’ perspectives. Results: A total of 961 participants were enrolled in this study from 87 countries and six continents. Data showed that the majority of students (81.6%) were interested in studying anatomy online during the COVID-19 lockdown. Moreover, approximately 82% of students were comfortable with the technological skills, and approximately 61% of students can understand online anatomy well during the lockdown. Furthermore, approximately 52.76% of students believed that online learning of anatomy suited for theoretical, 8.74% believed that it suited for practical parts, and 30.28% believed that it suited for both theoretical and practical parts. On the contrary, about 36.63% of students thought that online learning of anatomy could replace face-to-face teaching. In conclusion, shifting to remote teaching appears to be a good and convenient approach during the lockdown period as shown by students’ interest to study anatomy online during the COVID-19 lockdown, their comfortability with the technological skills, and their level of understanding. However, practical classes with cadaver dissection and dealing with different anatomical specimens is essential for veterinary students; therefore, blended learning is recommended. Conclusion: The study highlighted several challenges associated with studying anatomy online during the lockdown period and recommendation to overcome these challenges.

Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Elementary School Teachers’ Practices and Perceptions Across the Spring and Fall 2020 Semesters

Abstract: Following the closure of schools in the spring 2020 semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed two surveys to understand how the pandemic affected elementary education in the U.S. First, we distributed a survey at the end of the spring 2020 semester to understand how school closures impacted delivery of instruction. Second, we conducted a follow up survey in November 2020 to determine the nature of instruction provided to students when schools did or did not re-open in Fall 2020 and understand teachers’ perceptions of student learning and achievement during the pandemic. Each survey was sent to a sample of over 9,000 teachers who were randomly selected to be representative of the population of the U.S. Results indicated that many students did not receive direct instruction in academic skills during the spring 2020 semester. Although by late fall 2020 teachers reported broad use of some form of in-person instructional model, teachers indicated that many of their students were not ready to transition to the next grade level and that achievement gaps were larger in fall 2020 than in typical years. These findings have important implications for practices during potential school closures in the future.

Students’ Perception of the Role of Online Teachers:Comparing Routine and Emergency Times

Abstract: Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic forced the education system to instantly transition to online learning and teaching. Studies show that the challenges of emergency remote teaching (ERT) differ from those of online learning during routine times. Do student’s perceptions of teachers’ roles during online learning differ between ERT and routine online classes as well? Addressing this question can illuminate different aspects of the role of a teacher at different times, thus facilitating the improvement of online learning. This study compares students’ perceptions of their teachers’ roles in the online courses they attended during the pandemic, with perceptions of students who attended online courses in routine times when distance learning was a regular part of the academic program. The participants who attended online courses during routine times were 520 undergraduates in a teacher-education college. A second group of 475 undergraduates from the same college responded at the end of a semester of emergency online learning during the pandemic. Both groups answered questionnaires regarding their perception of four aspects of the role of online teachers: pedagogical, technical, affective, and differentiating. The findings showed that during emergency times, students had significantly higher expectations for teachers’ technical and affective roles than in routine times. However, students had lower expectations regarding teachers’ differentiating role during emergencies, and similar expectations for teachers’ pedagogical role in both situations. These findings highlight the need to plan curricula to suit different situations and different needs, and emphasize the different characteristics of the teachers’ role in different situations, in order to optimally address students’ needs in times of routine and emergency alike.

Psychosocial Impacts of Mobile Game on K12 Students and Trend Exploration for Future Educational Mobile Games

Abstract: Due to the popularity and advancement of 4G/5G networks, mobile games have already currently become profitable tools for major internet platforms. These games are even refined to cover almost all age groups of the population rather than the young people. Yet in the perception of the public, mobile games have always seemed to be associated with various derogatory terms such as interfering with learning, addiction, and violence. K12 students usually have less self-control capability, and they are undoubtedly the biggest advocates of mobile games. This paper summarizes the technological development of mobile games from the aspects of hardware and software in chronological order. The psychological and social problems that mobile games have brought to K12 students are analyzed from a neutral perspective. At the end of the paper, the future development of educational games and current limitations of mobile games are also given for the explorations of future trends of game-based education. This position paper aims to provide the insight of what psychosocial impacts that the current mobile games have on the student, and it may also serve as a reference for the how the game-based education has been developing according to the mobile technology wise.

Factors Affecting the Quality of Online Learning During COVID-19: Evidence From a Developing Economy

Abstract: This descriptive study was conducted to evaluate the factors affecting the quality of online learning of Pakistani students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Developing economies such as Pakistan present a unique context to online education as there is limited access to technology, ITC services, and the internet for the general public. This paper integrates the factors affecting the online learning process of students while taking the situational factors as a boundary condition (moderating variable). Data were collected through a Appendix Questionnaire administered to students studying in different universities in Pakistan. Stepwise linear regression and PROCESS Macro by Hayes (2013) was used for data analysis. Results revealed that university support, instructors’ support, and motivational factors predicted the quality of online learning. The situational factors negatively influenced the relationship of instructors’ support and motivational factors and the quality of online learning. University support and the quality of online learning relationships were not moderated by situational factors.

PISA Achievement in Sweden From the Perspective of Both Individual Data and Aggregated Cross-Country Data

Abstract: This study set out to analyze Swedish 15-year-olds’ PISA performance in 2015 and to lesser extent 2018 by using a combination of individual data (2015) and aggregated cross-country data for 2015 and 2018, inclusive of 31 OECD countries. At the within-country and individual level, native Swedish students who took the PISA test in 2015 outperformed first- and second-generation migrants. Moreover, the latent socioeconomic variable “number of books at home” was associated with higher PISA math achievement. Ambition was positively associated with PISA math scores, wheres worry was negatively associated with PISA math. At the cross-country level, GDP per capita was associated with higher PISA scores but ethnic homogeneity was not. IQ scores, PIAAC scores for teachers, and teacher salaries were also moderately correlated with PISA math achievement. This indicates that a country with high cognitive ability levels, as well as cognitively competent and well-paid teachers are likely to perform better in large-scale international assessments such as PISA.

The Limits of Sharenting: Exploring Parents’ and Adolescents’ Sharenting Boundaries Through the Lens of Communication Privacy Management Theory

Abstract: Parents sharing information about their children on social network sites (SNSs) (i.e., sharenting) is common today. However, previous work confronting parents’ and adolescents’ views on sharenting and related privacy concerns is limited. Therefore, the present study scrutinizes parents’ motives for sharenting and adolescents’ attitudes toward sharenting and negotiated privacy management strategies. Communication Privacy Management (CPM) was used as a theoretical framework. Based on 30 semi-structured interviews, two motives for sharenting were identified. Parents share information about their adolescent children because they are proud of their offspring or to inform family and friends. In turn, adolescents’ approval of their parents’ sharenting behavior depends on the content parents disclose online. Adolescents perceive sharenting as positive as long as they are nicely portrayed and positive events are shared. Additionally, both adolescents and parents are concerned about the child’s online privacy. They adopt several strategies to respect privacy boundaries and to avoid privacy turbulence.

Reinventing talent management: How to maximize performance in higher education

Abstract: Talent management is considered a new organizational priority in managing people that both academicians and practitioners discuss. The purpose of this research was to examine the role of talent management (TM), knowledge management (KM), university transformation (UT), and academic climate (AC) in increasing the performance of private higher education institutions (PHEIs). This research applied a quantitative approach by collecting data from 382 lecturers who worked at various private universities in Indonesia. Online questionnaires were used to collect the data using a stratified random sampling method. Then these data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Square. The findings indicated that systematic application of talent management and knowledge management, university transformation, and academic climate in PHEIs improves organizational performance. Developing a plan to transform their talent and the business process is the key to emphasizing its importance in shaping the character and quality of PHEIs. The practical implication, PHEIs must offer a conducive academic climate for talented lecturers. The study offers a value-add to the resource-based view theory, managing talent and knowledge as essential resources for organizational transformation to maximize organizational performance.

Tools for Teachers to Support Music Students in Managing and Coping With Their Workload in Higher Education

Abstract: One-to-one tuition is an essential part of studying music and is appreciated by the music students. Problems can occur when there are diverse perceptions between teacher practice and student expectations. This study provides research-based evidence on 155 music students’ experiences of workload, stress, and coping in their interaction with teachers in higher education in Finland and the United Kingdom. The theoretical framework was informed by several theories in educational psychology research, such as the influence of teaching and learning environment on students’ perceived workload, and constructivist approach in teaching and learning music. The data included 155 music students’ open-ended answers in the questionnaire and interviews with 29 music students. The qualitative analysis was conducted through the methodological framework of transcendental phenomenology. The findings illustrate music students’ interaction with teachers concerning (1) the structure of students’ workload, (2) a music student’s individual workload, (3) workload relating to teaching and learning environments, and (4) psychological and physiological issues. A total of 43 constructive tools for teachers were created based on these music students’ experiences. These tools are based on the constructivist principles focusing on the music students’ knowledge and capabilities and they can be utilized to better support students in managing and coping with their workload and stress in higher music education institutions.