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Misinformation regarding vaccine science decreased the receptiveness to COVID-19 vaccines, exacerbating the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on society. To mitigate the negative societal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, impactful and creative science communication was needed, yet little research has explored how to encourage COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and address misconceptions held by non-Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics majors (referred to as non-majors). We have previously demonstrated that including expert guest lectures in the vaccine module in the non-major introductory biology course helps combat students' vaccine hesitancy. In the present study, we further address how learning about vaccines impacts student knowledge and impressions of the COVID-19 vaccines through a podcast assignment. As a part of this assignment, non-majors created podcasts to address COVID-19 vaccine misconceptions of their choice. We coded pre and post, open-ended essay reflections (n = 40) to assess non-majors' knowledge and impressions of the COVID-19 vaccines. Non-majors' impressions of the vaccines improved following the podcast assignment with more than three times as many students reporting a positive view of the assignment than negative views. Notably, eight of the nine interviewed students still ended the course with misconceptions about the COVID-19 vaccines, such as the vaccines being unnecessary or causing fertility issues. In a post semi-structured interview following this assignment, students (n = 7) discussed the impact of looking into the specific misconceptions related to COVID-19 vaccines themselves, including improved science communication skills and understanding of different perspectives. Thus, podcasts can provide opportunities for students to improve engagement in valuable societal topics like vaccine literacy in the non-majors classroom.

The complexity of modern biology poses challenges in fostering interdisciplinary understanding, particularly between practicing scientists and the public. Furthermore, scientists often lack formal training in science communication, despite various motivations to engage the public. The science literacy of the public in the biological sciences can also vary across socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. Leveraging popular culture and informal learning practices to promote active learning offers promising avenues to enhance public understanding of biological systems. Organized sports hold collective recognition across various communities and cultures, serving as a means to bring people together. Notably, the NCAA March Madness event holds widespread national and international popularity, presenting an opportunity to laterally apply this concept to promote science communication within STEM and biology education. An educational social media and web-based contest tool was developed integrating NCAA-inspired brackets with animal biological systems concepts. The tool featured tournament-style matchups based on animal biological systems, interesting animal facts, and a voting system, all housed within a user-friendly interface. To encourage regular user access to the tool, graphic designs were developed for all social media posts to aid in visual recruitment to the voting website. Based on online metrics, the use of social media garnered repeat users across both the public and educators. The latter noted the tool's simplicity and informative content. Application of this social media and web-based bracket contest tool, which leverages informal settings for active learning for use in biology education, can foster science communication to engage audiences, improve comprehension, and promote interdisciplinary biology education.

Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada offers two introductory calculus courses designed for students enrolled in science and engineering programs. Students identified as needing additional support based on their admission grades take the version of the course where students meet weekly for four hours instead of three. A new approach for the fourth hour was introduced in Fall 2019 splitting the class into smaller sections of 20-40 students to work in small groups on vertical whiteboards under the supervision of the instructor, complemented by peer tutors. This format introduces an active learning element that improves student performance and attitude. The project was first implemented in Fall 2019, although interrupted due to COVID-19. After returning to the in-person classroom, the whiteboard seminar program was reinstated. In Fall 2022 and Spring 2023, survey feedback was collected from both students and peer tutors for a more holistic perspective on the program. In this study, the results of these surveys are analyzed, focussing on four areas of measurement: students' satisfaction, learning calculus concepts and problem-solving techniques, the contribution of the instructor, and the contribution of the peer tutors. Exploratory factor analysis revealed three latent variables underlying student survey responses. The survey results suggest that interactions with the instructor, peer tutors, and active learning activities all contributed to students' enjoyment of the course and their perceptions of their own learning. We compared students' final course grades from Fall 2018, where the fourth hour was devoted to lecture before the program was implemented, to Fall 2019 and 2022. The data shows a decrease in the percentage of students failing the course and an increase in those earning A's and B's since the program's implementation. Additionally, survey results show that replacing a typical lecture-style hour with a whiteboard seminar improved students' attitudes and perceptions of the course.

Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLS) are an integral part of the healthcare team, who address children and families' psychosocial needs and help children and families cope throughout their healthcare experiences. The history of child life, description of the interventions provided by Certified Child Life Specialists, and educational preparation needed for child life certification will be discussed. Certified Child Life Specialists use family science theories in their interventions with patients and families. Two of the family science theories that influence assessments and interventions are family stress theory (Boss, 1988; Hill, 1949; McCubbin & Patterson, 1983) and family systems theory (Smith & Hamon, 2022). Certified Child Life Specialists utilize these theories to provide support to families and create resources for positive coping and adjustment to their hospital experience. These theories will be discussed, and case studies will be examined to illustrate how Certified Child Life Specialists integrate these theories into their practice.

Recently debatable arguments have existed regarding the perceived lack of numerical skills among the graduates from the Humanities and Social Sciences. In response to this concern, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculties of Art in national universities in Sri Lanka have taken measures to more opportunities to undergraduates to bolster their numerical proficiency. This is achieved through the incorporation of mathematics course units for their degree programs along with the main subject streams. The study focuses on factors that affect the undergraduates' attitudes towards making the decision to select the subject mathematics for their first-degree program. A sample survey was carried out using structured questionnaire and stratified random sampling technique was utilized to select a sample size of 352 from the undergraduates belongs to Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in University of Sri Jayewardenepura. The binary logistic regression model is utilized, and the study revealed that self efficacy, mathematical anxiety, and interest in mathematics are significantly affected students' attitudes on counting mathematics course units for their degree program. The student who has self-efficacy is 1.03 times more likely to select mathematics course unit at the first academic year than other students. A unit increase of mathematics anxiety with all other factors remaining constant, the odds of a student selecting the mathematics course decreased by 11.2%. When one-unit increases in the interest in mathematics of students the odds of selecting mathematics course unit is 1.06 times more likely to than other peers. These insights suggest that educational institutes, particularly those in the humanities and social sciences, should prioritize enhancing students 'numerical skills. This can be achieved by providing valuable consideration aimed at refining their curriculum and support mechanism, increasing awareness programmes about the importance of studying mathematics course units within their degree programmes and conducting programmes to reduce mathematics anxiety while fostering an increased interest in mathematics.

Multitasking has been demonstrated to negatively impact performance across a wide range of tasks, including in the classroom, yet students continue to multitask. This study examined the relationship between college students' perceptions and performance of technology-based multitasking. Technology-based multitasking and self-efficacy data were collected and analyzed from 265 undergraduate students. Students engaged in a technology-based multitasking perceptions survey, a video + survey multitasking task or a video-only non-multitasking task, and a technology-based self-efficacy survey. An analysis of student perceptions indicated that students understood that different tasks required different levels of mental effort to complete successfully and that multitasking across high-mental effort tasks required greater effort than multitasking across low-mental effort tasks. In addition, students in the video + survey multitasking group significantly underperformed students in the video-only non-multitasking group. Finally, the relationship between technology-based multitasking and self-efficacy was addressed in a correlational analysis between student technology-based multitasking scores and technology-based self-efficacy scores, yielding no significant relationship. The study findings indicate that most students have an understanding and awareness of multitasking, but ultimately, whether they believed they could multitask or not, multitasking significantly impeded performance.

In the study reported on here we investigated the impact of Ubuntu on learner behaviour and academic achievement in secondary schools in the Gweru district of Zimbabwe. The study participants comprised 38 learners and 7 teachers from 4 secondary schools in the Gweru district. Data were collected through focus-group discussions, semi-structured interviews, participant observations and document analysis. We established that teachers and learners had a satisfactory understanding of how upholding values of Ubuntu contributed to academic achievement among learners. The findings reveal that in addition to other factors affecting academic achievement, like the school and home environment, learners who upheld the values of Ubuntu were disciplined, focused on their studies, and thus attained higher levels of academic achievement compared to learners who lacked Ubuntu and engaged in substance abuse, pre-marital sex, and lacked focus on their schoolwork. Based on the study we recommend that a course on Ubuntu be introduced in teacher training complemented by professional development workshops for teachers in the field to equip them with skills of integrating values of Ubuntu into the curriculum and thus foster the same among learners.

This action research aimed to study the use the Gamification-Incentive-Feedback (GIF) Model in enhancing the classroom learning experience of Grade 9 students in a private school in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines. The research used convenience sampling and used a combination of Likert scale pre-intervention and post-intervention survey questionnaires as well as focus group discussion (FGD) to gather data and responses. The results were analyzed through the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test and interview responses from the FGD through thematic analysis. Results reveal a significant difference in students' classroom learning experience in terms of motivation. Further, the participants' responses to the FGD revealed that the GIF Model encourages participation and teamwork; that it promotes competition; that it is motivating, fun, exciting, and interesting; that it encourages learning retention; and that the GIF Model should be implemented face to face; among others. It is concluded that the use of GIF Model is a promising approach for the students in the classroom to create an engaging, motivating, and rewarding experience. Educators are encouraged to adapt the GIF Model in their teaching practice but should make sure that it is properly and fairly organized to avoid student frustration.

Although there is increased interest in social and emotional competence and mental health in Croatia, there are currently limited measurement options available for early childhood settings. Thus, the SSIS SEL Brief Scales (SSIS SELb), an efficient measure of social and emotional learning competencies developed in the United States, was translated to Croatian and used by 49 early childhood educators to rate a sample of 685 children (average age 4.3 years) from several counties in Croatia. Regarding measurement invariance, the final model cohered substantially with a CASEL-inspired framework. Overall reliability was also high especially for the SEL Composite ([alpha] = 0.94), with notably lower reliability for subscales. Regarding cross-group concurrent validity, concurrent coefficients were largely similar across age and gender, but there were regional differences in validity. Likewise, validity correlations were in line with expectations, with moderate relationships observed between the SSIS SEL Composite and Child and Youth Resilience Measure scores. In sum, the high level of reliability provided a foundation for applied and research usage of the Croatian SSIS SELb, although further validation research will continue to be necessary before widescale implementation. Limitations to the study are discussed and also point to needed additional research before utilizing the Croatian translated SSIS SELb for applied decisions with young children.

The SSIS SEL Brief + Mental Health Scales (SSIS SELb+MHS) are multi-informant assessments developed in the United States to assess the social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies and emotional behavior concerns (EBCs) of school-age youth. Although there are translations of the SEL items of the SSIS SELb+MHS available in other languages, a German translation has never been completed and validated, despite the growing need for SEL and mental health assessment in German-speaking countries. To address this need, this study's primary purpose was the examination of a German translation of the assessment with a specific focus on measurement invariance and concurrent validity invariance testing with 821 3rd through 6th-grade students in Austria and Germany. Results indicated that the SELb+MHS items clustered into 2 SEL factors and 2 EBC factors. With regard to measurement invariance, the SELb+MHS functioned similarly across both Austria and Germany and full scalar invariance was achieved. Additionally, the overall pattern of concurrent validity relationships was as expected and similar across countries. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Background: Many people view people with intellectual disability primarily as needing help. That perspective limits relationships and can promote discrimination. We sought to better understand social relationships among young adults with intellectual disability. Method: Seven postsecondary students with intellectual disability participated in a photovoice study, sharing photos and stories about giving and receiving help. They participated in individual interviews, a group meeting, and a photo exhibition, and helped identify results and conclusions. Results: Participants viewed themselves as helpers and recipients of help. Themes were: foundational importance of families; openness to being helped; personal growth through challenging experiences; and tension between wanting to help and risks of helping others. Participants wanted to raise awareness that people with disabilities can help others, educate them about disability, and contribute to research. Conclusions: Many young adults with intellectual disability want to contribute to relationships, which are often limited by others' expectations about disability.

Existing measures of belonging in schools do not explicitly elevate the contextual and cultural insights of the educators and students they were designed to assess. Our study addresses this shortcoming through the co-creation of an Opportunities to Belong survey measure for urban middle schoolers. The tool was developed in partnership with practicing educators and normed around Black and Latinx students (N = 225). Results of a multilevel confirmatory factor analysis revealed strong evidence for single factor structure. A within-persons multilevel model revealed that shifts in opportunities to belong predicted fluctuations in student engagement across different academic courses. Implications are discussed.

Students with math anxiety experience low self-efficacy and high levels of distress when asked to approach math tasks and concepts, which often results in poor course performance. Despite the wealth of research on this construct, relatively little is known about how math anxiety impacts math achievement in college-aged students or what types of classroom-based processes might buffer against this harmful effect. The present study therefore examined the student-teacher alliance as a potential buffer against the detrimental effect of math anxiety on course grades in a sample of nonSTEM college students enrolled in a required mathematics course. Students completed questionnaires regarding their math anxiety, overall anxiety, perception of their alliance with their course instructor, and class grade over the course of a semester. Results indicated that, although elevated math anxiety was associated with poorer course performance, this link was weakened for students who perceived themselves to have a stronger relationship with their instructor. However, this moderation effect was present for students with low to moderate, but not high, math anxiety. Findings highlight the importance of college-level math instructors attending to the student-teacher alliance as a potential anxiety mitigation strategy, particularly for students with moderate levels of math anxiety.

Science literacy abilities and collaborative skills are part of the life skills demands of the 21st century. This research aims to analyze the effectiveness of the PjBL learning model in improving the Science literacy and collaborative skills of students at Muhammadiyah 2 Middle School, Batu City and Muhammadiyah 8 Middle School, Batu City. The research design uses Pretest-Posttest Control Group Design. The research sample consisted of 60 class VIII students taken by total sampling. Data was obtained through observation, questionnaires and tests. Data analysis uses covariance analysis (ANCOVA) to verify the data against the proposed hypothesis. The research results show that the average Science literacy and collaboration in PjBL learning is higher than conventional learning. The results of the analysis can be concluded that the implementation of PjBL effectively influences students' Science literacy and students' collaboration skills. Thus, the PjBL model is recommended to be implemented to support the implementation of the Independent Curriculum at the junior high school level as an effort to develop students' 21st century life skills.

As federal strategic plans prioritize increasing diversity within the biomedical workforce, and STEM training and outreach programs seek to recruit and retain students from historically underrepresented populations, there is a need for interrogation of traditional demographic descriptors and careful consideration of best practices for obtaining demographic data. To accelerate this work, equity-focused researchers and leaders from STEM programs convened to examine approaches for measuring demographic variables. Gender, race/ethnicity, disability, and disadvantaged background were prioritized given their focus by federal funding agencies. Categories of sex minority, sexual (orientation) minority, and gender minority (SSGM) should be included in demographic measures collected by STEM programs, consistent with recommendations from White House Executive Orders and federal reports. Our manuscript offers operationalized phrasing for demographic questions and recommendations for use across student-serving programs. Inclusive demographics permit the identification of individuals who are being excluded, marginalized, or improperly aggregated, increasing capacity to address inequities in biomedical research training. As trainees do not enter training programs with equal access, accommodations, or preparation, inclusive demographic measures can welcome trainees and inform a nuanced set of program outcomes that facilitate research on intersectionality to support the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students in biomedical research.

Although many issues about the use of transcripts for studying classroom interactions have been addressed in other studies, little attention has been given to the use of transcripts to study student teachers' classroom interactions. To achieve a deeper understanding of student teachers' perspectives and permit the formulation of a more appropriate framework, it is crucial to hear from student teachers and investigate their experiences about the use of transcripts. Therefore, in the study reported on here we used 7 focus-group interviews of approximately 6 Saudi EFL (English as a foreign language) student teachers in each group to investigate their perceptions on the use of transcripts for studying their classroom interactions. The data were thematically analysed. Three themes that represented the participants' experiences of using transcripts to study their classroom interactions emerged: using the transcript analysis, learning from the transcript analysis, and committing to using the transcript analysis. The findings reveal that most participants felt they had autonomy in using transcripts to study their classroom interactions, but experienced some challenges. Most students were determined to change their classroom interaction based on their analyses of classroom interactions but only a few demonstrated the determination to continue using the transcript analysis approach.

The work of teacher education in a 2020's context is challenging and filled with opportunity. With a diversifying P-12 student body (Love, 2020; Pitts, 2019) and the confluence of social, political, and educational factors (Nieto & Bode, 2018), the complexities of teacher education are vast and fluid. In a historical moment that has included teaching in a time of pandemic, national reckonings over race and injustice, and explicit legislation to guide teaching about social history (Kelly et al., 2023), effective middle level teacher education is multifaceted. It calls for the development of teacher candidates skilled in creating school environments that are "welcoming, inclusive, and affirming for all" (Bishop & Harrison, 2021, p. 12). It also necessitates middle level educators to grapple with the impact of systemic bias and to hold explicit commitments toward equitable and justice-oriented pedagogies (Bishop & Harrison, 2021; Ranschaert, 2021). In "Course Correction" we tell the story of our collaborative self-study of teacher education practices, situated in middle level education. Within this inquiry, we sought to identify points of bias that influence and inhabit our work by assessing our instructional frames, curricular resources, and practices. We also sought to examine our teaching through a critical, antiracist lens, a necessary framing for the 2020's teacher education context.

Background: Lexical properties such as orthographic neighbours have been shown to have an influence on reading and writing; however, this phenomenon is yet to be explored in the Southern Bantu languages. Objectives: We investigate the role of orthographic neighbourhood density and neighbourhood frequency in reading and spelling in Grade 3 isiXhosa home-language learners. The aim is to establish whether orthographic neighbours facilitate or hinder reading and spelling. The dualroute model of orthographic processing is used to interpret our findings. Method: Data were collected from 97 Grade 3 isiXhosa home-language learners. Lexical decision, word reading, and spelling tasks were administered. Tasks included both real and pseudowords varying in orthographic neighbourhood density and neighbourhood frequency, while controlling for word length and word frequency. Results: Findings show a significant inhibitory effect of orthographic neighbourhood frequency and word length for spelling accuracy. Longer words with higher frequency neighbours were more likely to be spelt incorrectly. No effect was recorded for the lexical decision and word reading tasks. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that spelling in isiXhosa relies partially on lexical processing strategies, which allows for the inhibitory effects of orthographic neighbours to be observed. While in reading, sublexical processing is more prominent, therefore mitigating the effect of orthographic neighbours. Contribution: Empirical evidence for the effects of orthographic neighbours, specifically in a Southern Bantu language, provides a clearer picture of the underlying cognitive-linguistic processes involved in reading and writing. This evidence may contribute to the development of targeted pedagogical practices to address spelling errors.

This article explores the relation between future-readiness and Islamic education from the perspectives of Islamic learning centers in Singapore. The main research objective is to examine how the concept of future-readiness and related terms are interpreted, framed, and facilitated in Islamic textbooks. Based on a content analysis of the textbooks used at Islamic learning centers for primary students in Singapore, two research findings are reported. First, the Islamic textbooks interpret future-readiness as equipping Muslim learners with Islamic knowledge and values as well as application and learner-centeredness in the modern world. Second, the Islamic textbooks promote information and communications technology (ICT) as part of preparing students for future-readiness. A major implication from this study is that Islamic curricula evolve in tandem with changing times to support the development of future-ready students. In addition, the advancement of future-readiness is situated within an Islamic worldview that emphasizes religious beliefs and values. A significant limitation of this study is that its research method centered on an analysis of textbooks; hence, empirical research is recommended to corroborate the research findings and implications.

For over 100 years, Cooperative Extension has served communities through local Extension agents with expertise in such topics as agriculture, youth development, and family and community health. In 2008, the Oregon State University Extension Service launched a pilot (Open Campus and Juntos) to broaden Extension's reach by placing agents with "boundary spanning" expertise inside communities to address disparities in educational and economic opportunities. Open Campus and Juntos span three university-community boundaries: cultural dissonance between higher education and communities, particularly for Latinx families; the disconnect among community colleges and universities in supporting transfer students; and the silos among traditional Extension content areas to build programs addressing community needs. Impacts include 7,200 students and family members served through Juntos, increased high school graduation rates for Juntos students, additional transfer support for 1,500 community college students, and the creation of multiple centers providing broadband access in one of Oregon's most rural counties.

Indigenous people are often hesitant to participate in research projects because they lack trust in researcher intentions. In this article, we explore the critical role that Indigenous boundary spanners play in research conducted with Indigenous communities through our research on oceans and human health. Our analysis centers around five principles where Indigenous boundary spanners significantly influence the research process. Centering work around 'ohana (family), being intentional around where to collect data, approaching the work with humility knowing that the community are the experts, cultivating team members' knowledge of community through conversations, and challenging assumptions within the institution are all aspects of research that must be considered when working with Indigenous communities. Including Indigenous community members and Indigenous scholars as part of teams can improve these aspects of research and begin the process of (re)building trust with Indigenous communities.

This article describes a piloted approach to responsive lesson planning and lesson reflection that centers the motivation of both teachers and students in public school settings. Anchored in the African philosophical approach of Sankofa and Self-Determination Theory, the tools and practices described encourage strategic reflection while considering the basic psychological needs of both children and adults. Special Education teachers in Washington, DC employed a Lesson Internalization co-planning tool and found it aligned the paired teachers and filled gaps in the social-emotional and support needs for their students not captured by traditional lesson planning formats. General education teachers in the Bronx utilizing a responsive post-lesson reflection tool were able to adeptly pinpoint problem areas in delivered lessons, identify differences in causes of struggles between different sections of students, and even replace a traditional approach to behavior intervention for a student. Crucially, the practices were found to be fully internalizable and did not unduly add to the planning or reflection workload or time commitment for the teachers. The successes found in these pilots suggest the potential for a broader application of motivation-centered approaches in other aspects of school including conflict resolution, teacher evaluation, coaching, hiring practices, and professional development.

The Khotons, in the west of Mongolia, were originally Turkic people who spoke the Khoton language, until the 19th century, which is currently considered extinct. This study aimed to prove that the Khoton language belonged to the Turkic languages; and to standardize the Swadesh inventory in relation to the Khoton words. The Swadesh inventory of words was the primary source of this research, which was sampled to examine the basic characteristics like semantic (meaning) acoustic (sound-based), pronunciation and spellings. This study adopted a comparative-historical research design with a qualitative approach, which involved an in-depth content analysis of the data. A data classification process was used to analyze the data by dividing them into categories (3-tiers) to enable retrieving, sorting and storing information. The Swadesh list of words also acted as the instrument of the study as this list was used to target the Khoton vocabulary and determine their equivalence. Such a data classification also helped to manipulate, track and analyze individual specimens in data. The findings of the study reveal that a majority of the linguistic combinations (lexemes) sampled for this study were found in the Khoton language, fully corresponding to the meaning of the English words in the Swadesh list. It was also evident that the basic vocabulary of the Khoton language had the elements of a Turkic language; and that there was an opportunity to reproduce the Khoton language. It is recommended that future studies should examine other versions of Swadesh inventory and compare them with the words in Turkic languages.

Programs within the Cooperative Extension Service often develop partnerships with other agencies and organizations to better meet their common goals. While there are many benefits of partnerships, they can be challenging when the partners are unequal or have dissimilar needs. Using a survey and interviews with faculty and administrators at two land-grant institutions we explore the similarities and differences that pull and push at their partnership. Recommendations to strengthen partnering opportunities at the institutional and program levels are provided. [Note: The volume and issue number 61(4) shown in the footer on the PDF is incorrect. The correct volume and issue number are 62(1).]

Few existing research examines the relationship between transformational leadership and professional learning communities. This study aims to explore the relationship between transformational leadership and professional learning community components from the perspective of teachers in the Chinese context. A total of 385 primary school teachers participated in the questionnaire survey. This quantitative study used the 12-item Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and the16-item PLC scale. The structural equation model showed a good fit. The results showed that transformational leadership had a significant positive effect on professional learning community. Moreover, it has a significant impact on all four components of PLC, namely, organizational learning, shared responsibility, reflective dialogue, de-privatized practice. Transformational leadership conflicts with Chinese Confucian culture on some core features, which provides valuable cases for research on the applicability of transformational leadership in different contexts. At the same time, it also provides empirical evidence for the study of the relationship between transformational leadership and professional learning communities.

Recognizing the roles that English vocabulary, social interaction, academic performance, and learning motivation play in language learning can be useful in chiefly enhancing EFL language acquisition. This research explores the challenges that the pre-college EFL students encounter while expanding their word learning knowledge, communicating in the social setting, academically performing, and maintaining learning motivation. To address these challenges, the study explores how a collaborative mobile learning approach can be used to address the challenges and improve language learning for pre-college EFL students. A total of 326 students participated in the study. Data were collected by using a self-developed survey questionnaire with predefined questions to avoid inconsistency in responses. Using the PLS-SEM approach on the collected data, the study identified several significant relationships among the accepted collaborative mobile learning approach, social interaction, motivation to learn English, and the outcome knowledge of new English vocabulary. However, the experiment established that motivation to learn predicted the relationship between mobile collaborative learning and increases in effective vocabulary scores in English as well as academic performance. These significant findings show the essence of creating a spirit of collaboration and a learning environment that focuses on mobile learning, students, and their motivation for effective learning of EFL language goals among pre-college students. As such, this study has important implications for teaching and learning processes in general and valuable implications for the teaching and learning of EFL in particular, offering practical suggestions as to how the educational process could be improved for learners, educators, educational administrations, and policymakers.

The proliferation of digital information technologies has underscored the heightened necessity for online information search. This study is directed towards the analysis of the strategies adopted by prospective teachers in the selection of digital content employed for accessing information, their preferences concerning the use of digital and online tools, and the rationale that underpins these preferences. To achieve this aim, the case study method was used. Employing the purposive sampling method, the study involved a participant pool of 72 teacher candidates in the 3rd and 4th grades within the faculties of education. To collect data, a personal information form, an online interview form, a focus group interview form, and a word association test were employed. The data were analyzed using the content and descriptive analysis methods. At the end of the study, the prospective teachers expressed a common tendency that when it comes to scientific research, they often prefer to search for articles whereas for more general inquiries, they have a propensity for utilizing internet searches. Most of the prospective teachers follow a step-by-step research process when accessing information. In addition, they employ both goal-oriented and general-content resources while in pursuit of scientific information. They pay attention to data reliability, accurate information, speed, and access to the Internet in the process of obtaining information. They consider the tools they use adequate and reliable. Teacher candidates establish complex conceptual networks among the array of tools they employ to access information. A comprehensive discussion concerning the outcomes of the research is also presented.

Exploring the realm of literacy involves understanding how graphic novels shape students' reading and writing journeys. Through scholarly research, the authors delve into the significant impact of graphic novels on education while highlighting their appeal to students through visual features and engaging storytelling. Included is a discussion of lesson planning using eighth-grade English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) focused on exploring the role setting has on a character's motivations, values, and beliefs through the graphic novel "When Stars Are Scattered" by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed. This approach empowers students to become proficient readers and writers in today's visual society.

The use of grades as an extrinsic motivator in formal schooling has been demonstrated in previous research to have negative implications for students' learning and mental health. This subject matter has been particularly absent from the research literature in Vietnam, where the obsession with grades is self-evident. The present study aims to explore Vietnamese university students' orientations toward learning and grades, learning strategy use, mental well-being, and how these variables correlate. In addition, the study examines the potential interplay between learning orientation and grade orientation to influence the latter two variables. A quantitative research design was employed to achieve these goals. Survey responses were collected from 38 second- and third-year students majoring in English Language at a large, public university during a summer semester. Specifically for learning strategy use, participants were directed to pull from their experiences in a Public Speaking course that they had completed in the previous semester. Results revealed that a learning orientation was moderately related to both adaptive learning strategy use and mental wellness, whereas a grade orientation was only negatively related to learning strategy use and unrelated to mental well-being. Moreover, a strong learning orientation alone resulted in the most positive outcomes for both learning and mental health, and higher levels of grade orientation weakened those outcomes. Limitations of the study, directions for future research in this area, and implications for students and educators are then discussed.

We study the effects of the COVID pandemic on educational attainment. By 2022, entry into two-year colleges was 21 percent lower than before the pandemic, with larger declines in Black- and Hispanic-majority colleges. Four-year college entry declined by only 6 percent and then rebounded 4 percent. High school graduation reached an all-time high in 2022. To explain these patterns, we undertook an interrupted time series design. Lower numbers of COVID cases and higher levels of in-person instruction led to increased college entry and possibly increased graduation. Relaxation of graduation standards explain between-state variation in high school graduation and helps explain the continued high graduation rates. Changing labor-market opportunities do not explain cross-state variation in attainment. We suggest additional explanations for these trends. Barring other substantial changes, we predict that future college attainment will be lower for cohorts of school or college age during the pandemic, especially for some marginalized groups.

The occupational therapy doctorate degree requires a capstone experience and project to be completed within a specific occupational therapy (OT)-related setting. The doctoral capstone experience and project can be difficult to complete in the highly specialized Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). This paper provides a sample outline of the doctoral capstone experience and project in the NICU. The NANT Core Competencies, written by the National Association of Neonatal Therapists Professional Collaborative, were utilized as a guideline to track student progress and ensure understanding of neonatal therapy topics. This paper follows one student's doctoral capstone experience and project in the NICU while mentored by an occupational therapist. Learning objectives related to utilizing the NANT Core Competencies, gaining clinical skills, and participating in program development were created. The site mentor trained, supported, and educated the student in the NICU while monitoring her progress during the fourteen weeks. Overall, the student successfully completed all objectives. This paper provides an example of the doctoral capstone experience and project in the NICU utilizing the NANT Core Competencies to support the mentor-student relationship and student learning with educational topics provided in the competencies guiding the capstone experience. With details including student progress, weekly mentor-student meetings, and roles/responsibilities of the student and mentor, this paper serves as a resource and guideline for OT faculty as well as potential mentors of occupational therapy doctorate students in the NICU setting. Additionally, this paper highlights the feasibility of the completion of the OT doctoral capstone in the NICU.

Mounting research has revealed how the labor of caregiving and parenting in the United States fell disproportionately to mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic, with negative impacts on mothers' personal and professional well-being. Here, we advance this growing body of work by examining how mothers' pandemic-related parenting and caregiving experiences differed across socioeconomic status. We ask the degree to which mothers' class-based parenting approaches persisted or dissipated in the wake of the pandemic. Drawing on in-depth interviews conducted with 130 mothers caring for children under eighteen in 2020-2021, we find that these parenting patterns largely continued into the pandemic, with mothers' socioeconomic and employment status shaping how they experienced and navigated this disruption and particularly how they managed competing paid and unpaid labor demands.

Metacognitive skills are important because they help people develop an understanding of effective strategies. This skill also helps improve one's critical thinking and creative thinking so as to be able to overcome problems in everyday life. The purpose of this research is to train students' metacognitive skills through biology learning using the EAQD-PC learning model (acronym of exploring, analyzing, questioning, defining--peer coaching) which is integrated learning journals (LJ). This research was conducted at the University of Muhammadiyah Bone, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Using a quantitative research design, 43 students were taught by EAQD-PC-LJ. Metacognitive skills were tested with an essay test three times. Previous essay tests were validated by expert raters and tested on previous batches of students to measure empirical validity and reliability. All tests are valid and reliable. The results of the treatment showed an improvement in students' metacognitive skills through three tests. The findings of this study prove that EAQD-PC-LJ is effectively used to improve students' metacognitive skills through the learning process. Learning journals have an important role as a tool to train students' mastery of concepts and knowledge.