European Journal of Education最新文献

This research analyzes the effect of the implementation of citizen science activities in the Environmental Education (EE) subject program of the Degree in Primary Education applying Experiential Learning Theory. Environmental Attitudes Inventory (EAI) was used to measure the change in environmental attitudes (EA) of 173 preservice teachers through a pre-test–post-test experimental design without a control group. Participation in the training program significantly improved EA in the 12 dimensions defined in the EAI. Of the dimensions included in the second order factor Preservation, Enjoyment of nature reached the largest effect size and Environmental movement activism is the one that obtains the smallest effect size. With regard to Utilization, all dimensions presented a large effect size. No significant differences were found in EA based on the gender variable. It can be concluded that the incorporation of citizen science activities in the EE program significantly improves EA.

Grade retention is at the core of the education debate in Spain, to the extent that its impact on students' competences has not been assessed beyond correlation. Because of that, in the present study, we analyse the influence of grade retention on students' competences, using more than 146,000 students from 6 PISA cycles (2003–2018) and an instrumental variable approach, in order to approach a causal influence. Our results show that repeating a grade in Spain seems to reduce students' competences between 1.5 and 1.7 standard deviations. Based on these results, we conclude that the Spanish educational authorities should find an alternative to grade retention, in order to prevent students from attaining a lower competence level due to repetition.

In today's schools, students can be given high grades in examinations and class performance. High grades can lead to the problem of inflated grades. Inflated grades can lead to grade inflation. The subject of this study is to investigate the existence of high grades in primary school, secondary school and high school. The main purpose of the research is to reveal the existence, causes and consequences of high grades. The study group consists of teachers (n = 203) working in primary, secondary and high school educational institutions in Van. Case study design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. According to the research results, the majority of teachers point out that inflated grades are given to cover up failures. According to the participants in this research, there is a problem of inflated grades at all levels of education. Likewise, inflated grades are common in both public and private schools.

Education for Sustainable Development focuses on improving environmental knowledge to combat misinformation and promote sustainable behaviours. In two experiments, we investigated whether retrieval practice, known to foster lasting knowledge acquisition, is a useful tool for (1) increasing environmental knowledge and (2) for improving environmental attitudes and behaviour (i.e., spillover effect). Participants studied a text on the effects of online streaming behaviour by means of retrieval practice or by copying the text. Knowledge gain was assessed after one (Experiment 1) and two weeks (Experiment 2). Attitudes and behaviour were assessed pre- and post-intervention. In both experiments, participants recalled more environmental knowledge after retrieval practice compared to copying. Attitudes and behaviour did not differ between both groups, but attitudes increased after the intervention in both groups. Only Experiment 1 showed declining streaming times. Our findings suggest that retrieval practice enhances lasting knowledge acquisition but barely affects environmental attitudes and behaviour.

Preparing high-quality graduates is a pressing challenge in teacher education, particularly among vocational high school graduates in Indonesia who face elevated unemployment rates. This experimental study explores the impact of integrating augmented reality (AR) and higher order thinking skills (HOTS) into vocational teacher education, empowering future educators with essential skills to meet evolving educational demands. The proposed learning media served to assist students in better comprehending abstract content through HOTS-based learning activities, improving subject mastery. We investigated the effects of AR-based HOTS learning media on learning performance based on self-regulated learning, digital literacy, and critical thinking, using a mixed-method research design with 241 participants. Our results demonstrate a positive impact on these factors, underscoring the significance of effective AR-based learning tools in enhancing the quality of vocational teacher education.

Specifically in the field of language teaching, it has been recognized that metacognitive strategies maximize language acquisition and improve performance. But despite this, it appears that few teachers currently consider metacognition in their teaching practices. The current study adopted a qualitative design to focus on the reasons that inhibit teachers in French-speaking Belgium from prompting their students to engage in metacognition in first-language (L1) lessons. Semistructured interviews were conducted with seven teachers. The teachers in our sample believed that use of metacognitive strategies can provide benefits for students. But despite this, they explicitly said that they do not prompt their students to engage in metacognition in L1 language lessons. And this for seven specific reasons, as outlined in the article. Knowing these reasons allows us to target the points of attention to be had in training teachers in metacognition in L1.

Teachers' psycho-affective states are considerably reported to play a vital role in English as a foreign language (EFL) education. However, the overall mechanism, realization, and representation of teachers' psychological ill-being (PIB) have been widely kept under the shadow of well-being. To fill this gap, this qualitative investigation examined 46 Chinese EFL teachers' perceptions about the causes, outcomes and solutions of PIB. The results of thematic analysis revealed that PIB was caused by different personal, interpersonal, professional, task, student and contextual factors among Chinese EFL teachers. More specifically, ill-being emerged out of “heavy workload pressure”, “mental and physical exhaustion”, “unrelated tasks to teaching”, “students' classroom behavior and performance”, “unfriendly school climate”, “poor interpersonal relationships with colleagues” and “social and cultural environment”. The findings also indicated that teachers' ill-being led to different outcomes such as “reducing teaching quality”, “creating negative emotions”, “causing physical and mental health problems”, “leading to burnout” and “hurting students' feeling and learning rate”. To solve this aversive state, the participants suggested different techniques such as “reducing workload”, “learning emotion regulation strategies”, “establishing a positive classroom/school climate”, “offering teacher training courses”, “providing support and facilities for teachers”, “increasing salary” and “reading books”. A discussion of the findings and implications for EFL teachers, teacher educators and policy-makers is provided to enhance their emotional literacy and competency regarding negative teacher-related emotions in L2 teaching.

Early childhood teachers' emotions have increasingly received the attention of researchers in the past decades. The present study conducted a systematic review of the research on early childhood teachers' emotions published in English up to 2022. Based on evidence from 103 empirical studies, the results presented the significant roles of early childhood teachers' emotions in teaching and learning in early childhood education. A conceptual model was developed to illustrate how early childhood teachers' emotions are viewed at the intrapersonal, interpersonal and sociocultural levels. Most of existing studies adopted quantitative methods to explore early childhood teachers' emotions at the intrapersonal level, and a strong link between research methods and research themes was revealed. Implications for future research are discussed.

This review focuses on studies on students' views of inclusive education in the field of educational research. The studies reviewed in this study focused on research conducted in inclusive comprehensive schools. A total of 62 studies published between 2006 and 2022 were included, in which both qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed, with questionnaires and interviews being the most commonly used data collection methods. In addition, the connection was examined between the study's theoretical foundation and students' rights through the analysis of citations related to the UN Conventions (CRPD or CRC) or the Salamanca Statement. The results of this review are divided into three themes: attitudes towards inclusive education, academic inclusion, and social inclusion, and further into subthemes examining the differences in attitudes between students with and without special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and elements promoting and inhibiting aspects of both academic and social inclusion.

This study investigates the integration of 21st-century skills into the teaching practices of pre-service teachers during their off-campus experiences. Focusing on essential skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity, self-direction, and the use of technology, this research aims to identify which skills are most effectively applied by pre-service teachers in real-world settings. Data were collected from 370 final-year pre-service teachers using a cross-sectional design and a tailored survey instrument adapted from Ravitz's work. The findings indicate that pre-service teachers most frequently integrated technology use and self-direction into their teaching practices. Conversely, skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and fostering creativity were less commonly applied. No significant gender differences were found in the application of these skills among pre-service teachers in the Central Region of Ghana. These results reveal insights into the readiness and capabilities of future teachers to integrate essential 21st-century skills into their teaching practices, underscoring the critical role of teacher education programmes in preparing educators for the demands of modern classrooms. The study highlights the importance of continuous professional development and the incorporation of innovative teaching methodologies to enhance educational outcomes.