European Journal of Education最新文献

The economic impact of resource investments into higher education has been the focus of considerable research in recent years. Many contributions analyse the strength of the connection between economic development and higher education at the local level and the conditions which make certain systems more effective and efficient than others. In this paper, we provide a systematic bibliometric review of the available literature on the subject, various dimensions of this complex issue, constructing and analysing a map of variables used by selected researchers in the field. A summary of knowledge gaps, research limitations, topics explored and applied methods is provided to envisage future research in this field.

In education, there is a risk that joy in learning is counteracted by allowing a performance culture to dominate. Research shows that emotions are of great importance for results, motivation and well-being. This study aims to add knowledge about the essential meanings of joy in learning based on students' lived experiences and thereby implications for the learning environment. The essence of the phenomenon of joy in learning has been formulated through descriptive phenomenological analysis. Qualitative data consists of 25 narratives from students engaged in voluntary forms of education. The study shows that joy in learning emerges throughout the learning process, when students discover that they gain knowledge, understand and can control their learning process and achieve something with their knowledge. The implications for teaching involve awareness of the learning process providing a balance between structure, support, challenge and personal choice which was valued along with relationships that contribute to autonomy.

Technology has become an integral part of our daily lives, permeating every aspect. One area where technology has shown potential to enhance English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning is through the use of animated movies. Despite the growing significance of technology in education, research is scarce in this specific area. Therefore, the aim of this study, conducted in 2023, was to investigate the impact of animated movies on the development of speaking abilities among motivated EFL learners. A total of 370 elementary students studying EFL in various institutions participated by responding to questionnaires. A multiple-stage cluster sampling approach was employed to select the participants. The students were divided into two groups: the experimental group (EG) and the control group (CG). The selection of 15 animated films from a pool of 50 was performed using the Lawsh CVR (content validity ratio) and CVI (content validity index) algorithms, following validation by professionals. The study was designed as an experiment, and descriptive statistics and the ANCOVA test were employed to analyse the quantitative data. The findings revealed a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test results of the EG in English-speaking skills, vocabulary learning, English pronunciation skills, understanding and recognition. According to the study, animated movies have the potential to aid teachers and EFL students in enhancing their speaking skills. This research sheds light on the benefits of incorporating animated movies into language learning environments, offering valuable insights for both educators and learners alike.

Following the continuous reform and innovation of classroom teaching methods and pedagogy in higher education, the support provided by traditional classrooms for new classes seems to be insufficient. Empirical exploration into the impact of learning spaces on student learning motivation, particularly in terms of how and to what extent, has been limited. This study focuses on student intrinsic learning motivation as the dependent variable and constructs an influence model incorporating factors such as learning space, pedagogy and classroom relationships. A comparative analysis is conducted to assess the differential influence between two learning space types: active learning spaces and traditional classrooms. Utilizing a convenience sampling method, students engaged in coursework at University A's ‘Future Learning Experience Center’ and traditional multimedia learning spaces over three academic terms were selected. Differential tests were performed on data collected from various learning environment types, and the impact of learning space, teaching methods and social relationships on students' intrinsic learning motivation was validated using structural equation modelling. Results indicate that scores in the dimensions of learning space, teacher–student relationships, student–student relationships and student intrinsic learning motivation were significantly higher in the active learning space compared to traditional classrooms. Surprisingly, learning space exhibited no significant direct effect on student intrinsic learning motivation but demonstrated a significant indirect effect. The influencing factors model presented in this study sheds light on the type of learning space's impact on student intrinsic learning motivation, offering theoretical guidance and practical data for future research endeavours.

Hackathons are characterized by their dynamic and collaborative nature, acting as incubators for innovation in diverse contexts. They are celebrated for nurturing creativity and tackling current challenges while offering distinctive educational opportunities. However, participants' lack of confidence and increased anxiety can diminish the utility of a hackathon's outcomes, adversely affecting both the resolution of the challenges at hand and the educational value of the experience. Drawing on 398 responses from verified hackathon participants, we examined associations among experience, intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, confidence and anxiety. The findings confirm that experience at hackathons has a beneficial effect on individuals' confidence levels and concurrently diminishes anxiety. Additionally, intrinsic motivations show negative associations with anxiety and positive associations with confidence, while extrinsic motivations have unequivocal effects. These insights deepen our comprehension of the hackathon ecosystem, underscoring the criticality of participant's well-being and motivation. The ramifications of these findings are multifaceted: they not only inform the enhancement of hackathon frameworks, emphasizing a participant-focused approach, but also facilitate the strategic incorporation of hackathons within educational and organizational contexts.

This essay analyses the implementation of a work-based learning policy in upper secondary schools in Italy. The policy aims to improve student orientation and enhance their soft skills. Based on two ethnographic research studies in Italy, this essay utilises Pierre Bourdieu's theoretical framework, particularly the ‘field’ concept, to examine how this policy has been implemented in different tracks of the Italian school system in a peripheral region. The policy has challenged the autonomy of the scholastic field, primarily advocated by teachers and students in the dominant pole, represented by the classical and scientific lyceums. The policy has been translated into a series of projects in museums, libraries and third-sector associations in this field segment. These initiatives reinforce students' citizenship values while highlighting their detachment from manual work. In the dominated pole of the field, represented by vocational schools primarily located in the suburbs of large cities and rural areas, the policy has been well received as it aligns with the expectations of teachers and students. However, due to the prevalence of small family companies, planning truly formative work-based learning experiences becomes challenging. Consequently, this leads to an early, albeit tense, socialisation of students within the hierarchical order of small companies.

Whereas hackathons are widespread within and outside academia and have been argued to be a valid pedagogical method for teaching interdisciplinarity, no detailed frameworks or methods are available for conceptualizing and organizing educational hackathons, i.e., hackathons dedicated to best achieving pedagogic objectives. This paper is dedicated to introducing EDUCational Hackathons for learning how to solve Interdisciplinary Challenges (EDUCHIC) through: (1) defining the fundamental principles for framing an activity as an EDUCHIC, integrating principles from pedagogical methods, hackathon organization, and interdisciplinarity processes; (2) describing general properties that EDUCHIC possess as a consequence of the interaction of the fundamental principles; (3) developing operational guidelines for streamlining the practical organization of EDUCHIC, including an exhaustive end-to-end process covering all the steps for organizing EDUCHIC and practical frames for carrying the key decisions to be made in this process; and (4) a demonstration of these guidelines through illustrating their application for organizing a concrete EDUCHIC.

The academic dropout of higher education students represents one of the most significant challenges that university institutions have to face today. This research analysed the university academic trajectory of students who dropped out of university for good. The aim of this paper is to examine in depth the factors that influence the idea of the construction of academic dropout and its relationship with the difficulties of adaptation to the university training system. A qualitative study was carried out in which the interview technique was applied to n = 34 dropout students belonging to three Spanish autonomous communities. The results made it possible to identify and examine students' difficulties in adapting to university studies in greater depth. The interviews revealed contextual and emotional details that contributed to dropout, such as personal and professional challenges and a lack of emotional support. The findings lead to the need to approach the issue from a holistic viewpoint in order to address the different reasons behind university dropouts. This broad view of the academic trajectories of university students who drop out is a benchmark for strategies to improve student retention and success in higher education.

This study examines how teachers' perceptions of academic emphasis moderate the relationship between their middle leaders' transformational leadership and organizational resilience subdimensions (principal organizational resilience and faculty organizational resilience). Academic emphasis in schools prioritizes academic excellence in teaching and is crucial in evaluating school effectiveness. The study used a two-source survey design with self-report data from 609 participants in 103 secondary schools in Israel. The results indicate that academic emphasis moderates the relationship between transformational leadership's sub-dimensions (idealized influence, inspirational motivation, individualized consideration and intellectual stimulation) and principal organizational resilience but not faculty organizational resilience. The findings suggest that middle leaders can create a positive academic emphasis to optimize their transformational leadership's effects on organizational resilience. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

New school buildings are often designed for flexible innovative learning environments (ILEs) to support learning future skills better than before. However, little is known about the relationship between environment and pedagogy. This article examines the relationship between the environment and pedagogy from the perspective of primary school teachers in the context of teaching mathematics. We interviewed 26 teachers from 10 Finnish ILEs and did a thematic analysis. The relationship between the environment and pedagogy forms a complex network of entangled tensions between teacher's inner space, community's social space and physical space. When the tensions between these spaces were resolved in a positive way, ILEs enabled pedagogy that diversified mathematics education, improved student cohesion and teachers' well-being at work. However, the ILEs' transformation process often appears to be left unfinished, leading to unsuccessful resolution of tensions. Further, our findings highlight the importance of four-dimensional environmental competence in exploiting the affordances enabled by ILE.