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This article examines individualising processes in the context of Municipal Adult Education in Swedish for Immigrants (SFI). Demands to adapt education to individual students' needs are increasingly evident in adult education policies, requiring accountable authorities' active engagement in enacting effective organisational frameworks while accommodating the labour market's needs. Such endeavours are often sources of tensions. Conceptual tools from cultural-historical activity theory are employed to address the complexity and multiplicity of individualising processes. An analysis of policy documents and interviews with municipal actors shows that individualising processes are played out through tensions found in three areas of object formation: making of an individual student; making of an effective education; and making of a coherent society. Hence, the study unpacks how individualising processes elicit transformations of SFI education through destabilisation/restabilisation cycles in the involved actors' activities, concluding by highlighting the concept's dynamic and potentiality for development in contemporary adult education settings. more...

Many post-secondary institutions contain organizational values, which describe enduring beliefs that support strategic priorities and guide members of an organization. Relatedly, the adoption of health-promoting frameworks calls on embedding health within post-secondary institutions' core values. The study objective was to map Canada's post-secondary values to determine how health is integrated within value statements. Mixed methods were used to map institutional values, contextualize well-being, and identify thematic messages of health-related content contained within values. Most institutions espoused values (n = 64, 71%), yet only a small proportion of these institutions espoused health within their value statements (n = 7, 11%). Qualitative analysis revealed three thematic messages: (i) health as a descriptor for other institutional priorities, (ii) wellness broadly acknowledged or embedded within non-health values, and (iii) well-being as a core value or commitment. These novel findings suggest more institutions must embed health as a core value to demonstrate institutional commitment. more...

The scope of this paper is to examine the potential capabilities of embossed printers under the lens of Information Technology (IT). One of the main principles of IT is to manage and deliver information into accessible formats to all users with and without disabilities. The present study investigates the discriminability of lines and squares by participants who had severe visual impairment. These lines and squares, produced by braille embossers, represented shapes, figures, and diagrams from a variety of textbooks. Hence, it was expected that the more discriminable these tactile formats are by touch, the more accessible and understandable will be by people who are blind, enhancing the level of collaborative learning and performance. Thirty-four volunteers participated in experiments, and they were invited to conduct matching activities through touch. The researchers, during the experimental phase, recorded (a) all participants' matching stimuli responses and (b) the time taken for each identification during the matching activities. The tactile stimulus material - tactile lines and square areas - was produced by an advanced braille embosser. Four levels of dot heights (0.030, 0.079, 0.227, and 0.468 mm, respectively) were combined with two versions of densities (10 and 20 dpi, respectively) to create embossed dotted lines and square areas. The results indicated that lines had roughly the same success proportion at the two resolutions (10dpi vs. 20dpi). However, squares had a significantly greater success proportion at 10dpi than at 20dpi. In fact, squares were better than lines at 10 dpi but worse than lines at 20 dpi. Finally, the present study highlights the need to examine further the discriminability among the combinations of embossed lines and areas in order to have a clear-cut "picture" of what is really perceived by participants who are blind and then attempt to develop and propose a standardized protocol to incorporate it in the assistive technology market and in the educational reality as well. Many researchers hold the view that apart from the increased accessibility of students who have visual impairments in the content of their classes, communication and discussions will also be enhanced because of the increased interaction and collaboration among students. According to the researchers, this outcome may enhance the dynamics of an inclusive setup, ensuring a potential well-balanced social integration. Finally, it is argued that the production of outstanding and fine tactile graphs will enable students with vision disability to have access to relevant educational content (such as in science and mathematics), ensuring equity and effective inclusion. more...

Background: Sustaining productive student-student dialogue in online collaborative inquiry learning is challenging, and teacher support is limited when needed in multiple groups simultaneously. Collaborative conversational agents (CCAs) have been used in the past to support student dialogue. Yet, research is needed to reveal the characteristics and effectiveness of such agents. Objectives: To investigate the extent to which our analytics-based Collaborative Learning Agent for Interactive Reasoning (Clair) can improve the productivity of student dialogue, we assessed both the levels at which students shared thoughts, listened to each other, deepened reasoning, and engaged with peer's reasoning, as well as their perceived productivity in terms of their learning community, accurate knowledge, and rigorous thinking. Method: In two separate studies, 19 and 27 dyads of secondary school students from Brazil and the Netherlands, respectively, participated in digital inquiry-based science lessons. The dyads were assigned to two conditions: with Clair present (treatment) or absent (control) in the chat. Sequential pattern mining of chat logs and the student's responses to a questionnaire were used to evaluate Clair's impact. Results: Analysis revealed that in both studies, Clair's presence resulted in dyads sharing their thoughts at a higher frequency compared to dyads that did not have Clair. Additionally, in the Netherlands' study, Clair's presence led to a higher frequency of students engaging with each other's reasoning. No differences were observed in students' perceived productivity. Conclusion: This work deepens our understanding of how CCAs impact student dialogue and illustrates the importance of a multidimensional perspective in analysing the role of CCAs in guiding student dialogue. more...

Active breaks (AB) are short periods of physical activity in the classroom. The purpose of this study was to compare the acute effects of 5-minute dance break with an aerobic and a sedentary group on the executive functions, math performance and enjoyment of elementary school children. A total of 67 children (10.41±.13 years) of three fifth grade classes were randomly assigned to the three groups: dance (21 children), aerobic (24 children) and control (22 children). At the beginning and at the end of the intervention, all participants completed the Flanker task, the Digit Span test, the tower of London and a math test (mental calculations). In addition, the dance and the aerobic group were evaluated on their enjoyment level and physical activity intensity. At the end of the intervention both the dance and the aerobic group showed significant improvement in inhibition compared to pre-test. Moreover, the dance group showed higher levels of enjoyment compared to the aerobic group. The findings of the study suggest that even 5-minute dance break may positively affect children's inhibition and enjoyment. Children's enjoyment is crucial for AB participation and affects their academic performance. Therefore, children's enjoyment should also be considered in AB planning, and dance could be a suitable alternative compared to other AB physical activities (aerobic/strength activities). more...

Postural control and muscle strength are important factors for the performance of everyday activities and reduce the possibility of fall-related injuries. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a balance training program using action songs on balance and strength of preschool children. A total of 51 preschool children were randomly divided into an intervention group (25 children) and a control group (26 children). The intervention group received a balance training program with action songs (six weeks, two times a week, total 12 sessions), while the control group followed the normal curriculum. Prior to and after the intervention, both groups were assessed in dynamic balance (walking on balance beams), static balance (single-leg stance on forceplate and Flamingo test) and strength (long jump and handgrip). The results showed that the intervention group performed significantly better in the dynamic balance and Flamingo test. There were no significant differences in the centre of pressure (CoP) displacement in the Medio-Lateral direction (CoP/ML), the Anterio-Posterior (CoP/AP), and the strength variables. The reliability of the single-leg test on the forceplate was moderate. Moreover, there were no correlations between balance and muscle strength variables. It can be concluded that the balance training program with action songs constitutes an effective activity for developing preschool children's balance, but not strength. Perhaps balance and muscle strength are independent of each other and may have to be trained with complementary activities. Moreover, the results of the study and the behaviour of the children during the one-leg stance test on the forceplate gave rise to questions regarding the appropriateness of this test for preschool children. more...

This study examined the sustained and moderating effects of a behavioural sleep intervention for autistic children in a randomised controlled trial. Autistic children (5-13 years) with sleep problems were randomised to the Sleeping Sound intervention or Treatment as Usual (TAU). At 12-month follow-up (n = 150), caregivers of children in the Sleeping Sound group reported greater reduction in child sleep problems compared to TAU (p < 0.001, effect size: - 0.4). The long-term benefits of the intervention were greater for children taking sleep medication, children of parents who were not experiencing psychological distress, and children with greater autism severity. The Sleeping Sound intervention demonstrated sustained improvements in child sleep. Identified moderators may inform treatment by indicating which subgroups may benefit from further support. more...

The COVID-19 pandemic positioned digital education in a new light. The need for educational institutions to develop strategies, standards and establish quality assurance across digital education became even more evident. This paper describes the four-step process of designing an interactive "European Union (EU) Digital Education Quality Standard Framework and Companion Evaluation Toolkit" to guide the design, delivery and evaluation of effective digital education. (1) A review of literature of existing digital education frameworks and models is presented. (2) Variables and sub-variables inherent in designing, delivering and evaluating effective digital education are identified. (3) Next the variables and sub-variables in the framework are defined. (4) The process of designing the interactive framework diagram is described with the companion evaluation toolkit outlined. The proposed framework is flexible and applicable to entities and audiences regardless of where they are in the online learning adoption process. more...

This study examined the validity of the Greek version of the Societal Attitudes Towards Autism (SATA) scale in a Greek community sample (n = 633) and explored how the demographic variables of the sample modulate knowledge and attitudes regarding people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The principal component analysis confirmed the three-dimension model and explained 40.5% of the variance. All Cronbach's alpha values obtained were over 0.70. SATA's subscales were significantly and positively correlated, indicating good internal reliability. Participants presented moderate knowledge about ASD and mediocre positive attitudes towards people with ASD. Gender, age, and educational level significantly affected SATA total scores. Overall, this Greek version of SATA showed acceptable psychometric properties, indicating that can be a reliable scale for use. more...

The prevalence of mental illness is increasing among post-secondary students. Despite more mental health services being offered within post-secondary institutions, uptake among students remains suboptimal. This study aimed to examine facilitators and barriers for students seeking mental health services through service providers' perspectives. Twenty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted at a southwestern Ontario post-secondary institution and were analyzed using thematic analysis using NVivo. Facilitators revealed include strengthening communication techniques; improving equity, diversity, and inclusion; increasing social media promotion; and providing incentives. Barriers identified include fear of judgement, time constraints, individual perceptions of the need for services, unawareness, and higher-level barriers such as lowered capacity of staff and physical resources. These facilitators and barriers should be used in tandem with the Theory of Planned Behaviour to help improve uptake and effectiveness of campus mental health services. more...

The importance of mathematical problem posing has been acknowledged by many researchers. In this theoretical paper, we want to capture different meanings and aspects of problem posing by approaching it from three different levels: (1) by comparing definitions, (2) by relating it to other constructs, and (3) by referring to research and teaching settings. The first level is an attempt to organise existing definitions of problem posing. The result of this analysis are five categories, which shows that there is no consensus regarding the conceptualisations of problem posing. In the second level, we examine how problem posing is conceived by the research community compared to other mathematical constructs, such as problem solving, mathematical creativity, or modelling. Finally, in the third level, we summarise possible ways of implementing problem posing in research and teaching settings as they are depicted in the relevant literature. Given this broad variance regarding the conceptualisations of problem posing, we attempt to provide some arguments as to whether there is a need for consensus on a commonly accepted concept of problem posing. more...

Reading mathematical texts is closely related to the effort of the reader to understand its content; therefore, it is reasonable to consider such reading as a problem-solving activity. In this paper, the Principle of Mathematical Induction was given to secondary education students, and their effort to comprehend the text was examined in order to identify whether significant elements of problem solving are involved. The findings give evidence that while negotiating the content of the text, the students went through Polya's four phases of problem solving. Moreover, this approach of reading the Principle of Mathematical Induction in the sense of a problem that must be solved seems a promising idea for the conceptual understanding of the notion of mathematical induction. more...

Translanguaging has been placed at the center of the research and teaching activity over the last decade, while teachers seem to promote the use of all the linguistic resources of their students in classrooms with linguistic and cultural diversity. Among the best practices for promoting translanguaging and the flexible use of the students' resources, reading multilingual texts is proposed as an important activity for students who are daily bombarded with a great variety of diverse stimuli. To clarify it more, students tend to come into contact with "texts" in every mode, that are not only offered in their L1 but they usually include and are written in various linguistic codes known or not to them. However, limited research has focused on such issues of reading a text with multilingual wealth, thus this was a major factor and reason behind this research initiative. This paper presents a study that aimed at investigating young learners' reading strategies when approaching a multilingual text. More specifically, 27 primary education students of Greek origin were provided with two different types of multilingual texts and they were asked to complete a specifically designed record protocol reflecting on their reading behavior. At first, the students came across a text, which was given both in another language and in Greek while at a second phase, the students were encouraged to read a text in which different languages were used. Within this context, an attempt was made to identify the strategies of students prior to reading, while-reading and upon reading with the purpose to shed light into the multidimensional framework of reading a multilingual text. Following the processing of the data derived from the multidimensional research, it was revealed that students employed a great variety of reading strategies before they begin to read the text. Nevertheless, they did not seem to use while-and post-reading strategies to a great extent, when a multilingual text is given to them inciting more interest in raising students' reading strategies through implementing educational activities. more...

Mental brackets constitute an idiosyncratic use of brackets sometimes used to evaluate arithmetic expressions and are closely connected with students' structure sense. The relevant literature describes the use of mental brackets focusing on primary school students and in the context of arithmetic. Using 181 high school students' solutions to seven tasks, this paper attempts to broaden the scope of mental brackets. It investigates high school students' mental brackets use and their presence in different mathematical domains. The findings show that high school students use mental brackets in the context of arithmetic while evaluating arithmetic expressions, and in the context of algebra, mainly when substituting numerical values in the variables. Moreover, the analysis provides further insights into the use of mental brackets. Sometimes they are applied to the whole expression (global mental brackets) and other times just to parts of it (local mental brackets). more...

Research into second language (L2) reading is an exponentially growing field. Yet, it still has a relatively short supply of comparable, ecologically valid data from readers representing a variety of first languages (L1). This article addresses this need by presenting a new data resource called "MECO L2" (Multilingual Eye Movements Corpus), a rich behavioral eye-tracking record of text reading in English as an L2 among 543 university student speakers of 12 different L1s. MECO L2 includes a test battery of component skills of reading and allows for a comparison of the participants' reading performance in their L1 and L2. This data resource enables innovative large-scale cross-sample analyses of predictors of L2 reading fluency and comprehension. We first introduce the design and structure of the MECO L2 resource, along with reliability estimates and basic descriptive analyses. Then, we illustrate the utility of MECO L2 by quantifying contributions of four sources to variability in L2 reading proficiency proposed in prior literature: reading fluency and comprehension in L1, proficiency in L2 component skills of reading, extralinguistic factors, and the L1 of the readers. Major findings included (a) a fundamental contrast between the determinants of L2 reading fluency versus comprehension accuracy, and (b) high within-participant consistency in the real-time strategy of reading in L1 and L2. We conclude by reviewing the implications of these findings to theories of L2 acquisition and outline further directions in which the new data resource may support L2 reading research. more...

Individualising processes often are prescribed as all-embracing solutions in adult education policies worldwide. Nevertheless, re-adaptation of educational frameworks to individual students' needs may result in tensions for involved agents due to complexities of such initiatives. This literature review examines individualising processes in international adult education research and aims to identify societal needs and challenges eliciting individualising processes and how the latter materialise in policy and practice, causing transformations of adult education in different contexts. The point of departure is Swedish Municipal Adult Education, which is viewed as a collective human activity embedded in a transnational policy agenda and involving a wide array of agents. Thus, the scope of the review involves international research. The analysis of the selected literature is based on the analytical concepts of motive and object, stemming from cultural-historical activity theory. The results indicate that, in the selected literature, individualising processes are problematised within three interrelated and not mutually exclusive themes: mediating between liberation and responsibility; alleviating the risk of exclusion; and addressing student diversity. The study concludes with recommendations for further research that considers the complexity and potentiality of the topic. more...

Objective: To synthesize peer-reviewed primary research exploring factors associated with perceived stress impacting post-secondary students' academic success. Methods: A systematic review identified research conducted in North America, Europe, and Australia in the last ten years across 12 databases. Results: Of the 6,214 references screened, 14 English articles published between 2011 and 2018 were deemed relevant. Subsequent analysis characterized articles by study design, location, population, factors with a statistically significant relationship with both perceived stress and academic success, and future research directions. Findings reveal a complex relationship among overlapping factors associated with perceived stress on academic success at both the intrapersonal (eg, academic, demographic, psychological, attitudinal, and behavioral characteristics) and interpersonal levels (eg, social capital). Conclusions: Further research should measure the association of the identified factors to inform areas where resources could be targeted within post-secondary institutions to prevent stress from unduly impacting students' educational outcomes. more...

The Conference at the University of Oviedo, Spain, within the 44th Annual Meeting of the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities, was an excellent opportunity to share knowledge, explore perspectives and reflect on the study of neurodevelopmental disorders in Europe and elsewhere in the world. The William M. Cruickshank Memorial Keynote Address, "New Directions in the Study of Neurodevelopmental Disorders," covered a broad range of topics relevant to cognition, intelligence, and achievement. It also provided the opportunity to present parts of our current work pertinent to the study of neurodevelopmental dysfunctions and the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) ITN Neo-PRISM-C project. The presentation began by focusing on what we study and how and why we study what we study about neurodevelopmental disorders. This was followed by a discussion about the brain and (learning) behaviour, accompanied by some relevant evidence on the neurological basis for reading difficulties, particularly the phonological and visual deficits pathways in the framework of the magnocellular deficit theory. The session concluded with a discussion of the comorbidity of various disorders and the use of the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework as an alternative to the traditional diagnostic categories for the study of neurodevelopmental disorders. Examples of how neuroscience research can contribute to this endeavour were also provided. more...

This survey study measured the association between risk and protective factors of anxiety and its implications on the academic performance of 1,053 students at a four-year, public post-secondary institution in southwestern Ontario. Logistic regression analyses revealed 13 significant variables at the univariable level, while the multivariable model yielded seven significant factors. Students who felt hopeless significantly increased their odds of reporting anxiety adversely affecting their academic performance, while being able to manage daily responsibilities was the only protective factor against anxiety impacting students' educational attainment. By planning, designing, and implementing proactive programs focusing on these predictor variables, such interventions can equip students against the debilitative influence of anxiety on their academic success. more...

?he CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) approach has been proposed as an effective approach for students' education in the 21st century. Although it was initially proposed for students of higher education, CLIL has become especially attractive for students even in pre-school education. This paper focuses on the importance of CLIL implementation in fostering intercultural competencies among students who are engaged in CLIL programs. More specifically, this paper covers a theoretical review on CLIL and its development, while special emphasis is placed on the position of CLIL in the priorities of the European Council within the context of promoting multilingualism in Europe. CLIL aligns itself with the European Language Policy of improving language learning in its member states and with the EU Commission's objective of EU citizens' competence in European languages other than learners' mother tongue. The paper ends with references to organizations that promote the implementation of CLIL across Europe, while special emphasis is placed upon CLIL in Greek education. more...

Rich and challenging tasks can be the vehicle to bring mathematical challenge in classroom. Challenge emerges when you don't know how to solve the task at first but you can figure out, that is when the solvers are not aware of certain tools to solve the tasks and they have therefore to invent some mathematical actions to proceed. Some challenging tasks in the paper-and-pencil as well as in a digital environment will be presented. The aim is to highlight their potential (i) in engaging students to actions that make sense for them from the mathematical point of view, (ii) to support students in their experimentation and development of problem-solving strategies, (iii) to foster creative mathematical thinking, and (iv) to provoke students' curiosity as the starting point of meaning-making actions in mathematics. more...

Bullying continuously attracts the interest of school communities, government policy makers and researchers. The present study enquires into the role of basic psychological needs in perpetrating and victimisation behaviour of children and youth in the social contexts of school and family in a cross-sectional research design. Specifically, this study focuses on the direct effects that basic psychological needs might have on bullying behaviour and bullying victimisation. It was found that basic psychological needs, forged in the relationships with family and school members, could predict bullying victimisation in each social context. Bullying perpetrations could be predicted only by bullying victimisation stemming from each social context, whereas bullying behaviours in school could also be directly predicted by the basic psychological needs developed in the family. Furthermore, path models verified the multiple influences of family functioning on school relationships. Findings of the present study may contribute to designing effective school interventions and to reforming antibullying guidelines for teachers and parents with respect to the basic psychological needs of the children or adolescents who have been victimised. more...

Background: Engaging in classroom-based physical activity (PA) breaks may help increase children's subjective wellbeing and enjoyment of PA, important precursors for children to remain engaged in PA. We conducted a systematic review to investigate the effect of brief classroom-based PA interventions on primary school children's subjective wellbeing and enjoyment of PA. Methods: Databases were reviewed between the earliest date of records and April 2020. Eligibility criteria included peer-reviewed empirical quantitative or mixed methods studies reporting enjoyment of PA or wellbeing outcomes of participating in a brief classroom-based PA program. Fifteen papers were included. Interventions supported 7022 child participants enrolled at baseline and 6286 children analyzed in interventions across 148 schools. Results: Thirteen studies examined the effect of brief classroom-based PA interventions on subjective wellbeing. Four found a significant positive effect for children in the intervention group (specifically for children's self-efficacy in learning with video exercises, quality of life, and self-confidence). Eight studies examined the effect of brief classroom-based PA interventions on enjoyment of PA. Five studies reported a positive effect for children in the intervention group and only 1 study found a negative effect for 1 grade level of children in the intervention group. The remaining studies with wellbeing and/or enjoyment outcomes reported no significant effect. Conclusions: Findings from these studies indicate that the integration of brief PA breaks may support PA enjoyment and specific self-beliefs and quality of life perceptions that contribute to children's subjective wellbeing. However, more research is needed to confirm this effect. more...

The ITEEA's Council for Technology and Engineering Teacher Education (CTETE) Curriculum Committee solicited, collected, and analyzed several examples of international lesson plans to find out how various countries understand and/or apply the "Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy: The Role of Technology and Engineering in STEM Education" (STEL) in their own technology and engineering education classrooms. Several overarching themes--achieved independently and then confirmed through follow-up discussions among curriculum committee members--appeared in the analysis. These included: (1) Technology and Engineering Education is hands-on; (2) Problem-based learning (PBL) is a central tenet of the curriculum; (3) the STEL standards are/were not equally (or widely) utilized in lesson planning; rather, an emphasis on local (state, region, district, school) standards was evident; and (4) TEE learning is context-driven with an emphasis on the application of knowledge in specific settings/scenarios. As a means of broadening the understanding of what TEE "looks like" around the world, the lessons shared here are brief synopses of the collected lesson plans in addition to a summary of additional findings explored through the means of a follow-up survey sent to each of the contributing teachers. more...

Older children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have high levels of motor impairment, however we are unsure if similar patterns exist in young children. This study aimed to investigate motor competence in four-to-seven-year-old children with (n = 17) and without (n = 17) ASD. A series of ANOVAS indicated children with ASD performed significantly poorer on all measures of motor competence, except MABC-2 manual dexterity and ball skills subscales. Results indicate that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) may influence motor competence, regardless of diagnosis. Establishing appropriate levels of engagement in moderate-to-vigorous PA and SB during early school years is important for the development of all children and may be an important early intervention avenue for motor impairment in children with ASD. more...

School classrooms within the EU are multilingual learning environments. The diversity of pupils in classrooms raises significant challenges for teachers, but to date, there are no data from large-scale surveys that compare views within and across European countries. A bespoke questionnaire was designed to examine views of current classroom learning environments with respect to the multilingualism. The questionnaire was piloted and subsequently completed by 2792 teachers across different European countries. Eleven countries provided sufficient data for analyses. Results from structural equation modelling showed that teachers' attitudes could be reliably measured across Europe with the use of carefully devised questionnaire, whose loading and factor structure remained invariant across countries. Teachers' views about multilingualism were most challenged by the numbers of children in their classes, not the percentage of multilingual pupils in the class. Countries differed in how they perceived multilingualism, with their differences leading to distinctive country clusters. Gender and education level (elementary vs. secondary) differences were also observed irrespective of country. These findings enhance our understanding of the role that the characteristics of teachers and their classrooms play in a multilingual setting across diverse European settings. The practical relevance of the results and new opportunities for teacher training are discussed. more...

The study aimed at evaluating the diadochokinetic (DDK) skills of Greek-speaking preschool children with phonological disorder (PD) by means of a structured evaluation protocol and at proposing cut-off points for children at risk of speech impairment. The participants were 36 children with PD and 60 typically developing (TD) peers. The groups were matched on age and gender. The PD group performed significantly slower than the TD group in all speech DDK tasks but not in the oral-motor tasks. The ROC analysis showed a statistically significant positive discrimination for all speech tasks. The internal consistency of the protocol was excellent (Cronbach's [alpha] = 0.844), while complex stimuli showed a better discriminatory ability. The obtained results agree with Dodd's classification for speech sound disorders (SSDs). Different types of speech stimuli must be included in the evaluation of DDK performance as a clinical predictor for preschoolers with SSDs who face difficulties in speech maturation. more...

Background: The feedback offered to students in audience response systems may enhance conformity bias, while asking closed-type questions alone does not allow students to externalize and elaborate on their knowledge. Objectives: The study explores how writing short justifications and accessing peer justifications as collective feedback could affect students' performance, confidence and opinions in multiple-choice audience response systems that apply the Peer Instruction model of voting/revoting. Methods: For 8 weeks, 98 students, enrolled in an undergraduate course, attended each lecture following a flipped classroom approach. At the beginning of each lecture, students participated in a quiz with eight multiple-choice questions. Four of these questions included a justification form in which students could elaborate on their answers. The students were randomly grouped into two conditions according to the collective feedback they received: the Shared group (n = 54) could see both the percentage each question choice received from the class and the respective peer justifications, while the Unshared group (n = 44) could only see the percentage information. Results: Analysis showed that students in both groups performed significantly better in questions with the justification form being available. Also, the two groups were comparable in terms of performance and self-reported level of confidence suggesting no main effect for making peer justification available. Despite this, students in the Shared group expressed a significantly more positive opinion in the end-of-activity questionnaire in terms of perceived learning gains and the helpfulness of writing justifications for their answers. Take Away: Writing short justifications can have a positive impact on students' academic performance. more...

In this paper, an attempt is made to develop a framework of a "MulDiLanguaging" approach with the purpose to enhance primary school students' intercultural competence. This educational framework consists of three interactive -- interdependent components: (1) Intercultural/multicultural sensitivity and awareness; (2) Intercultural cooperation and communication; and (3) Language and intercultural communication strategies. It includes communicative and creative activities aiming at developing students' intercultural communicative skills in parallel with their target language skills (EFL). In the "MulDiLanguaging" framework, the students are trained to acquire knowledge of 'self' and 'other', knowledge of everyday life in different cultural contexts, to function fully in an intercultural situation, as well as to develop language skills and abilities in the target language and intercultural communication strategies. A number of communicative and creative activities are presented with the purpose to create a group-working, cooperative context and enhance students' intercultural competence. Also, an Intercultural Portfolio is suggested as an alternative tool for assessing students' linguistic skills and strategies and their intercultural communication skills acquired in the "MulDiLanguaging" setting. more...

Not only in the field of education but also in many other forms of social expression and action, a period of fundamental changes can be observed due to the incorporation of new data imposed by the technological revolution. However, the process of integrating Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the learning process requires coordination, system change and radical transformations. These changes should be incorporated into curricula, while active teachers should have ongoing training on new technologies. In such a context, this paper comes to explore the views of secondary education teachers on the use of information and communication technologies in the learning process. In particular, a sample survey was conducted to determine the degree of utilization of new information and communication technologies in the learning process, especially in secondary school teachers in the Prefecture of Aitoloakarnania. The statistical software SPSS 23 was used to analyze the data obtained from the questionnaires. Tools and methods of descriptive and inductive statistics were used. The results highlight the low percentage of teachers who have received Level B certification and demonstrate the low level of ICT use by teachers, identifying at the same time all the factors affecting negatively their use and application. more...

Digital Education Initiatives and Timely Solutions (DIG-IT) is an Erasmus+ project collaboration between university academics, clinical educators, industry partners, healthcare professionals, and technology experts over 5 European Union (EU) states. The objectives are to create digital educational capacity for academic faculty and mobile learning opportunities for continuing professional healthcare education. The first deliverable of this project was the innovative European Union Digital Education Quality Standards Framework and Toolkit or EU-DEF. This framework can be used to consider all principle and secondary aspects when designing, delivering, and evaluating digital education resources. In this article we explore the framework efficacy in collaboratively developing two open access, mobile healthcare apps, ECG Interpretation for Nurses and Nurse Leadership and Management. We describe the teamwork needed and steps taken during this process, and demonstrate the adaptability, usability, and value of this tool for other online development projects. The EU-DEF is an evidence-based, comprehensive framework that can be used as a starting point for individuals or teams when developing digital educational projects. Considering all variables helps focus the expertise required to produce robust end-products. more...

Purpose: We examined the influence of human and psychological capital variables on the reporting of stress affecting Canadian post-secondary students' academic performances. Methods: This cross-sectional study used the Spring 2019 National College Health Assessment-II data collected across 58 Canadian post-secondary institutions from 55,284 respondents. Of this, 31,091 undergraduate students indicated being stressed in the past year and were included in this analysis. Ten variables were selected based on their relevance to human and psychological capital in the literature, and an additional seven socio-demographic variables were adjusted for in subsequent analyses. The associations between these explanatory variables and stress impacting students' academic performances were examined by fitting mixed univariable and mixed multivariable logistic regression models. Results: Students who had a high cumulative grade point average, received information on stress reduction, were aware of mental health resources on campus, felt experiences that challenged them to grow and become a better person, felt their life had a sense of direction or meaning to it, felt interested in life, felt confident, and felt they had something important to contribute to society reported significantly lower odds of experiencing stress that negatively impacted their academic performance. Students who previously utilized psychological or mental health services and who felt hopeless reported significantly higher odds of experiencing stress affecting their academic performance. Conclusion: Targeting these components within post-secondary institutions may cultivate human and psychological capital, mitigate the deleterious effects of stress affecting academic success, and promote intrapersonal resiliency skill-building among students. more...

The purpose of this article is to analyse how education and schooling took part in handling the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in eight European countries (Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Poland and Sweden). The focus is on primary education and on decisions to close schools, or not. Our research was informed by assemblage theory in order to analyse how different components interacted in developing societal responses to mitigate the pandemic. The research was designed as a comparative case study of practical reasoning in diverse contexts. Data sources were the mass media and statements from governments and authorities. Our analyses showed that decisions to close schools, or not, were based on two alternative discourses on schooling. Closing primary schools was a preventive measure underlined by discourses of schools as places for infection. Keeping primary schools open was underlined by a discourse in which schools were conceived of as a place for social supportive measures and caring. Furthermore, the closing alternative was often combined with attempts to replace school practices by distance learning or computerized instruction. Legal constitutions and lawmaking were of significant importance in selecting discourses and the relative impact of different components, mostly political or medical, in responding to the pandemic. more...

This study investigated whether sleep problem severity in children with autism spectrum disorder was associated with maternal well-being. Mothers of 234 children reported on their mental health (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale), parenting stress (Parenting Stress Index-4-SF), health-related quality of life (HRQoL; Assessment of Quality of Life-4D) and their child's sleep (Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire--ASD). Analyses revealed sleep initiation and duration problem severity scores were associated with increased mental health difficulties. Specific child sleep problems were not associated with parenting stress or HRQoL. This study revealed the importance of considering sleep and the family system when assessing maternal well-being. Future research considering parent, child and family factors will be important to informing a family focused approach to mental health. more...

Research on literacy has become universal and is essential for researchers of various disciplines, educators, and psychologists. For this article, we examined the most important methodological challenges that arise when conducting literacy research across languages, some of which have long been acknowledged in the relevant literature. Specifically, we focused on challenges related to research on word reading, spelling, passage comprehension, and writing, ranging from the target skills, constructs, and assessment issues to the matching of the samples and measurement and factorial invariance issues. We conclude that although theoretical and applied issues have been addressed in the literature, to date, this has happened only with limited relevance for reading and writing research across languages. The discussion provides some relevant evidence from a neuroscience perspective to promote useful insights and greater methodological rigor in literacy research across languages. more...

Although water-based approaches have been shown to be beneficial for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), no study thus far has directly investigated the effects of such intervention programs on language skills. The present study aims to evaluate the efficacy of the Aquatic Speech and Language Therapy (ASLT) program, which is a new, exclusively aquatic intervention program designed especially for children with ASD. The effects of ASLT were compared to the outcome of a similar classroom-based intervention, in two groups of children with ASD matched for age, gender, and expressive/receptive vocabulary. Our findings show that ASLT results in significantly greater improvement of vocabulary measures, thus providing direct evidence of water-based intervention's beneficial effects on language skills in ASD. more...

The paper presents the course design and evaluation methods of an online community of inquiry that is developed in a blended learning training course for in-service teachers working in public K-6 schools in Greece. The course content is about digital storytelling, its educational value, and the use of supportive web 2.0 tools for developing digital stories. It lasts four weeks and is carried out mostly online with two face-to-face meetings, one at the beginning and one at the end of the course. The instructional design and evaluation of the course is based on the community of inquiry model of Garrison, Anderson & Archer (2000). Based on the preliminary findings, since the course is still in progress, the course design is found to be sound and in line with the relevant literature. more...

This paper presents a two-stage project designed to develop the partnership between teacher and parents. The project began with a workshop constructed to motivate parents to be interested in doing mathematics in a way that is different from the one they experienced as students and, as a result, to be eager to become involved in the co-production of didactic materials for classroom use. Parents were engaged in real, collaborative, high-level mathematical work as a first step in engaging them as partners in mathematical work with their children. During this first stage, parents were familiarized with inquiry mathematics tasks to provide them with the foundation necessary to become partners and co-producers during the second. The findings give evidence that the learning of reform math tasks and their co-creation supported teacher and parents' partnership and that parents were moved mathematically and personally by the experience. more...

We investigated the role of linguistic and cognitive processes in reading precocity from kindergarten to grade 2. A sample of 33 precocious readers was identified that did not differ on age, gender, and parental education to a control group of 259 typical readers. The effects of verbal ability were also controlled. All children were administered a battery of cognitive and linguistic measures in three assessment points at the midterm of each year. Individual growth modeling (IGM) was used to test the rate and shape of change of the two groups. Results showed that precocious readers exhibited superior performance in phonological awareness, naming speed, and reading fluency, across development, whereas their early advantage in letter knowledge disappeared by grade 1. A cognitive advantage specific to executive function (planning) was also observed for the precocious readers early on and was maintained through grade 2. Precocious readers outperformed the control group also on silent word reading, reading comprehension, and on the expressive (production) and the receptive (recognition) orthographic processing tasks. We concluded that both linguistic and cognitive abilities--independent of verbal ability--underlie individual differences in reading precocity. more...

Multilingualism is a major feature of European schools. The current study examines Danish data regarding teachers' behaviours, beliefs and attitudes about multilingualism. Data were collected using the Multilingual Classroom Questionnaire (MCQ) devised by the European Literacy Network. Sixty-one participants contributed to the Danish sample (85% females). The teachers who completed the questionnaire had a positive attitude to multilingualism, the value of maintaining and supporting children's first language (L1), and the importance of proficiency in L1 for developing language and literacy in children's second language (L2). Teachers' attitudes were influenced by their competence in a foreign language. Limitations and pedagogical implications of the findings are discussed. more...

Escape room games are a popular recreative activity that recently started gaining popularity as both a means for conducting research studies and a teaching and learning environment. This paper follows a group of 16- to 17-year-old students in an escape room while they encounter logical challenges in order to escape from the room in a limited amount of time. Their ability to work effectively as a team and complete activities quickly is a key element to success. In this setting, the aim was to examine in what ways this innovative environment might help students benefit in terms of social metacognition. The findings gave evidence that during collaborative problem-solving in an escape room, cognitive demands are distributed among the players. This makes metacognition visible, facilitates shared management thus improving individual cognition, facilitates reciprocal scaffolding, and enhances motivation. more...

This study presents findings from a feasibility trial, testing an 8-week psychosocial stigma protection intervention (SOLACE) designed to improve the mental health of parents of autistic children. Seventeen parents were stratified then randomly assigned to either SOLACE (n = 9) or control group (n = 8). Retention and adherence rates were excellent with minimal missing data suggesting SOLACE had good acceptability and feasibility. Quantitative analysis revealed that mental health scores had significantly improved for those who took part in SOLACE compared to no significant changes for control group participants. In addition, changes in secondary outcome measures (e.g. stigma, self-esteem and self-compassion) were in favour of SOLACE. Focus group interviews revealed that SOLACE was acceptable to parents. Results suggest that a full randomised controlled trial is warranted. more...

Contribution: Results and conclusions on the use of transactive memory system (TMS) in software engineering (SE) education in student project teams that consist of undergraduate and postgraduate students are documented. This can be valuable for the adoption of this learning approach and team formation by other universities and institutes. Background: Preparing students for the SE industry requires bringing them in close collaboration to real-world tasks. This is usually performed via students carrying out software projects, working in teams. In such environments, the knowledge sharing and the interactions within the team are worth investigating, as they can affect the outcome of the student collaboration and can provide insight on how the collaboration is valued by the team members. Research Questions: 1) What is the effect of TMS on students in SE education? 2) Do parameters, such as gender, affect TMS development? 3) Does the inclusion of a project manager with more expertise affect TMS? Methodology: Students were divided into teams working on SE projects. Teams consist of both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Data from students on TMS for consecutive academic years were gathered. Findings: TMS is present in student teams and some of its scale items are affected by parameters, such as the team composition and the project type. TMS also affects performance. more...

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine whether young learners of varying reading and spelling performance, identified in Grade 2, can be distinguished retrospectively from kindergarten, based on their growth profiles in cognitive (planning, attention, working memory--WM) and linguistic (phonological--PA and naming speed--RAN) skills. Four groups were formed on the basis of word fluency and spelling criterion measures: (a) poor readers/poor spellers (PR/PS, n = 9), (b) poor readers/good spellers (PR/GS, n = 12), (c) good readers/poor spellers (GR/PS, n = 13) and (d) good readers/good spellers (GR/GS, n = 45) groups. Multilevel modeling (MLM) was used to test the rate and shape of change of the four groups. The effects of verbal and nonverbal ability, age, gender, and SES were controlled among the groups. Results showed that the PR/PS group showed the most pronounced deficits, associated with impairments in both linguistic (PA and RAN) and cognitive (WM) measures. PR/GS was found to be impaired in PA, RAN in kindergarten, and the GR/PS group experienced deficits only in orthographic processing in Grade 1. Also, the average rate of change for PR/PS and PR/GS groups in word reading fluency was negative when the respective growth of GR/PS and GR/GS was positive. The present findings have important implications for determining the role of linguistic and cognitive skills in the dissociation of reading and spelling deficits in consistent orthographies. more...

The University of Guelph Master of Public Health program is a professional degree program that seeks to prepare graduates to meet complex public health needs by developing their proficiency in the 36 public health core competencies. Provision of experiential learning opportunities, such as a semester-long practicum, is part of student development. In the Fall 2013 semester, a new opportunity was introduced in which small groups of students were paired with local public health professionals to complete a capstone business plan assignment that addressed a current public health issue. However, the impact of this external collaboration on the student learning experience was unknown. To address this, quantitative and qualitative information about students' perceived proficiency in the core competencies and their learning experiences was collected using a pre/post survey and focus groups, respectively. A post-assignment survey was also administered to participating local public health professionals in which they assessed their group's proficiency in the core competencies, and provided additional feedback. The results of this study showed that students had unique learning experiences with enhanced proficiency in different areas including policy and program planning, implementation and evaluation, assessment and analysis, and partnerships, collaboration and advocacy. Managing and communicating expectations was important throughout the learning experience. By using realistic community-based assignments, graduate public health programs can enrich students' learning experiences by creating an environment for students to apply their classroom knowledge and gain practical knowledge and skills. more...

When a number sentence includes more than one operation, students are taught to follow the rules for the order of operations to get the correct result. In this context, brackets are used to determine the operations that should be calculated first. However, it seems that the written format of an arithmetical expression has an impact on the way students evaluate this expression. It also seems that a connection exists between this way of evaluation and an understanding of structure. Both issues are examined in this paper. A number of arithmetical expressions in a rational form were given to primary school students from Greece and Sweden. The collected findings strengthen our hypothesis that this rational form of the arithmetical expressions was of critical importance for the students' decision on how to evaluate these expressions. They temporarily put aside their knowledge about the rules for the order of operations. Instead, the way they evaluated the expressions indicates an implicit use of what we call in this paper "mental" brackets. It is very likely that the use of these "mental" brackets is closely connected with students' structure sense. more...

This paper reveals the complex intersectionalities of immigrant identity construction, nationalisms (and national exceptionalisms), and how Greek culture/language schools in the United States significantly influenced and created a Greek and Greek-American Identity. Drawing on the Chicago experience and the Socrates and Koraes Greek-American Schools, this paper interrogates the collaborative relationship between the Greek state, the Greek community in the United States and Greek culture/language schools. Part I of this paper discusses the spatial/scalar character of the construction of the Greek culture/language school phenomenon, and the role of the Greek state played in fixing the definition of "Greekness" by establishing a normative historiography and national identity for the homeland. Also considered in this part is the complex relationship of immigrant identity construction, nationalisms and the construction of Greek national identity using geography and history. Part II surveys the empirical dimension of the phenomenon of Greek culture/language education in the United States. Early Greek immigrant efforts sought to preserve a Greek cultural identity through the Greek culture/language schools. Over time questions arose on what type of Greek identity would be (or could be) preserved in the United States. more...

Introduction: This study investigated the user requirements of individuals with visual impairments regarding the information to be included in orientation and mobility (O&M) aids in order for optimally useful audio-tactile maps of campuses to be developed. In addition, this study aimed at investigating the importance (usefulness) that individuals with visual impairments attribute to environmental information of campuses. Methods: The researchers listed 213 pieces of environmental information concerning campuses and address them in survey by conducting a respective questionnaire. Participants were asked to evaluate the information, regarding the importance or usefulness of the information in regard to safety, location of services, and orientation and wayfinding during movement. Through convenience sampling 115 adults (aged from 18 to 64 years) with visual impairments from four countries (Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, and Germany) took part in the research. Results: Pieces of environmental information, sorted in descending order starting with the most useful ones, have been listed. A repeated measures analysis of variance yielded a significant main effect for the type of information (safety, location of services, and wayfinding and orientation): F(2, 228) = 70.868, p < .001. Discussion: This study resulted in the specification of the most significant or useful information that should be included in O&M aids of campuses for individuals with visual impairments. Implications for practitioners: The results of this study will hold the interest of developers of O&M aids, O&M practitioners, rehabilitation teachers, and instructors who design and construct O&M aids. Moreover, the context for appropriately designed tactile or audio-tactile maps for campuses is provided, and campuses around the world could rely on this study for the creation of a valuable accessibility aid. more...