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Background: Over recent years, interest towards the use of immersive technologies has grown in parallel with the lowering of equipment costs: educators have started embedding them into their teaching practices at different levels of the educational system, from primary school to higher education. In general, immersive technologies are seen as suitable tools to live vicarious experiences, when the reality is hardly accessible, for instance due to safety issues. Objectives: In this paper, we focus on 360° videos with the aim of developing a more systematic and evidence informed approach to the understanding of the educational uses of 360° in different educational contexts. Methods: A scoping literature review approach has been adopted in order to obtain a comprehensive insight based on objective, replicable and transparent procedures. Results and conclusions: The review includes studies published from 2016 onwards. According to the findings, 360° videos are more suitable for disciplines requiring careful observation of how knowledge is transferred into practice and where practical scenarios are involved: 360° videos have positive effects on learning, especially referring to motivation, attentiveness, information retention and transfer of knowledge. However, as for learners' reactions, physical discomfort is reported, mainly associated with the use of HMD. In addition, challenges, and barriers to the educational use of 360° video should be further analysed, since up to now logistical constraints have limited the studies to a very small sample population, without the possibility of providing suggestions for a wider adoption at organisation and institution level. Implications: As 360° videos are reported to be promising in fostering learning processes, students' engagement, and information retention, further studies are recommend to cover the current gaps in the literature, particularly focusing on drawbacks and organizational challenges.

Faced with the rise in natural disasters, studies on disaster risk reduction education (DRRE) first emerged in the 1990s, predominantly employing a transmissive teaching approach; the literature advocates for interactive models, including extended reality (XR) simulations, which offer cost-effective solutions. This scoping review explores XR in DRRE for teachers, students, and citizens aiming to discern its pedagogical affordances. The databases search identified 34 papers published between 2013 and 2023. The majority centered on seismic events and floods, with Asia, notably Japan, as a primary source. Methodologically, 26 were empirical, using various research designs, and 8 were non-empirical. While XR-based tools demonstrated pedagogical affordances in teaching risk management, the lack of specific educational frameworks and a predominant focus on the acquisition of procedural knowledge and skills indicate that a broader approach is needed, by the incorporation of uncertainty education and complex competences, including attitudes like risk perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rivista di Scienze dell'Educazione is the property of Pontificia Facolta di Scienze dell'Educazione Auxilium and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The connection between Social Work and social relationships can be seen as obvious, but it is complex indeed. The aim of this article is to explore several analytical concepts for a better understanding of the deeply «social» (relational) nature of social work practice. Some fundamental semantic, epistemological, and methodological issues regarding this relationship are briefly explored, with particular attention to the dynamics of networking in coping processes. The background of the paper includes general considerations about the scientific nature and «epistemological object» of Social Work, as well as about the discipline's best place in the ongoing debate between the classical paradigms of determinism on the one hand and of phenomenology on the other. The ambivalent meanings that the widely used term «social» can assume within the label of «Social Work» are analysed, and the different possible connotations of the term «relationship» are discussed. A set of operational coordinates is proposed to better understand what relational (or relationship-based) professional Social Work is and eight levels of relationality in Social Work professional practice are proposed, based on the idea of reciprocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Italian Journal of Educational Technology is the property of Firenze University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper presents the results of a study aimed at exploring the potential of technologies as learning mediators enabling the adoption of interactive and conversational teaching approaches for nurturing engagement and participation, to the benefit of the learning quality. The study was carried out at the University of Florence, involving 138 teachers attending the course of Special Pedagogy and Integrated Management of the Class Group. The empirical study adopted a mixed approach based on an online survey combined with participant observation. The elaboration of the questionnaire data and the transcribed observations indicate positive aspects such as increased levels of participation in the lessons, a more relevant and meaningful learning experience and increased motivation to follow and learn. Although the results of this study are promising, further investigation should be carried out to understand participants' perspectives and thus improve learners' engagement, in favour of pedagogical innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ricerche di Pedagogia e Didattica is the property of Universita di Bologna, Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Educazione and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The reuse of waste in civil construction brings environmental and economic benefits. However, for these to be used in concrete, it is necessary a previous evaluation of their physical and chemical characteristics. Thus, this study aimed to characterize and analyze the waste foundry exhaust sand (WFES) for use in self-compacting concrete (SCC). Foundry exhaust sand originates from the manufacturing process of sand molds and during demolding of metal parts. It is a fine sand rich in silica in the form of quartz collected by baghouse filter. Characterization of WFES was conducted through laser granulometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in the energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) mode, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetry (TG) and derivative thermogravimetry (DTG) techniques. The waste was classified as non-hazardous and non-inert, with physical and chemical properties suitable for use in SCC composition, as fine aggregate or mineral addition. Five mixtures of SCC were developed, in order to determine the waste influence in both fresh and hardened concrete. The properties in the fresh state were reached. There was an increase in compressive strength and sulfate resistance, a decrease in water absorption of self-compacting concrete by incorporating WFES as 30% replacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of digital technology, the proportion of time spent on digital informal learning in students' daily lives is increasing. However, digital informal learning behaviors in sports field have not been fully justified and studied. This article aims to investigate the current situation and influencing factors of digital informal learning of sports knowledge (DIL-S) of Chinese undergraduates. As a cross-sectional study, 401 non-sports undergraduate students from six Chinese universities completed the DIL-S measurement questionnaire. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was constructed to explore association among DIL-S, technology expectancy (TE) and digital competence (DC). Results show that (1) Male students' cognitive learning (CL) was significantly better than that of females; Senior students' metacognitive learning (MCL) was significantly better than that of junior students; Sports university students' cognitive learning, metacognitive learning, and social and motivation learning (SML) were significantly better than that of non-sports university students. (2) Digital competence has a significant positive impact on technology expectancy and digital informal learning of sport knowledge, while technology expectancy has a significant negative impact on digital informal learning of sport knowledge. Based on the results, following conclusions can be made (1) Undergraduates have a strong competence to use digital technology and have a high interest in using digital technology to participate in learning. However, they have a low investment in digital informal learning of sports knowledge fields. (2) Males' sports knowledge learning consciousness and actual performance are better than girls; Compared with freshmen, senior students have stronger monitoring and planning ability for personal sports knowledge learning; The behavior of digital informal learning of sports knowledge in sports university students is better than that of non-sports university students. (3) Digital competence and technological expectancy are key factors influencing digital informal learning of sport knowledge, with digital competence having the most significant impact. These findings underscore the need to enhance the promotion of digital informal learning among undergraduates and to develop assessments that improve their understanding and knowledge of sports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rivista di Scienze dell'Educazione is the property of Pontificia Facolta di Scienze dell'Educazione Auxilium and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Today's children are growing up and spending most of their free time with media, especially social networks, on which various lifestyles are imposed every day, including ideals of beauty that are often based on physical appearance and far from authentic images of the observed object. In this paper, it is shown how the topic of beauty is presented throughout the history of art, with a special focus on the presentation of beauty in theology. Additionally, the paper investigates how much the topic of beauty is treated within the Croatian formal education system, with a particular emphasis on the representation of beauty and to what extent children are prepared to critically evaluate the representation of beauty in different types of media, but also to reflect on the potential impact of such content on themselves. Research has shown that most such content is present in the subjects of Visual Culture, Visual Arts, Croatian Language and Informatics. The paper also presents such contents in the Catholic religious education curricula. In addition to imposed media ideals of beauty affecting childrens' self-confidence, they are often the subject of peer violence, especially in the virtual world. Specifically, humiliation based on physical appearance is a common form of cyberbullying. To determine how physical appearance is used in such unacceptable behavior among children, all the posts that have arrived on UHO, the first online platform for the prevention of cyberbullying in Croatia, were analyzed. Research has shown that girls report such forms of abuse more often than boys, that cyberbullying based on appearance most often occurs inside closed groups or private messages rather than publicly on social networks, and that children rarely report to adults that they are the victims of such forms of violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

the role of technology as a catalyst for change and development has become irrefutable in various language learning settings. However, not all language teachers are mindful about using technology in their language teaching practices, owing to their lack of adequate digital competencies. The purpose of this research is to promote digital competencies and related components among the study participants. This investigation applies the Framework of Competency Profile for digital teachers. The results were obtained by quantitative analysis, using data collected from a sample of 151 language learners, all enrolled in BA English language programmes across 8 universities in Saudi Arabia. These learners are considered pre-service English language teachers, as they are near graduation. The findings demonstrated participants' highest and lowest digital competences, leading the researcher to identify practical implications, particularly regarding how to conduct training to compensate for low competencies. The findings also revealed that there is no correlation between levels of study and digital competencies. There was also no influence of gender on digital competencies. From these findings, the researcher concluded that the identification of competencies is essential for instructors, educators, administrators, and policymakers, in order to design more effective and appropriate training programmes for teachers in each context. Finally, the findings provided realistic analysis of the components and sub-components related to digital competencies among the target audience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Terpenes are emerging as a new complementary therapy for several chronic diseases, but their effects on inflammatory cytokines are not fully clear. The aim of this study was to deepen the understanding of how a hemp seed oil and terpene-based dietary supplement modifies blood cytokine levels in a population of patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis, in comparison with a similar one containing hemp seed oil only. A total of 38 patients were selected using specific criteria and subsequently divided into two subgroups of 19 patients each that underwent a 45-day treatment with these two different dietary supplements. Blood samples were taken immediately before and after this therapy. The group which received hemp seed oil and terpenes had a significant rise in their IL-6 levels and a significant decrease in their IL-1β levels. These blood changes could be the biochemical basis on which to build an anti-inflammatory action at the joint level, consequently opening up new scenarios to follow in the integrative therapies of osteoarthritis. Background: Hemp seed oil and terpenes are emerging as a dietary supplement and complementary therapy for patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis (KOA). However, the mechanisms and effects induced by these molecules on inflammatory cytokines are not yet fully understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in the cytokine IL-1β, IL-1α, IL-2, IL-6, and TNF-α levels from two oral hemp seed oil-based dietary supplements, of which only one included the addition of terpenes, in a population of KOA patients. Methods: Sera from venous blood samples were collected from thirty-eight patients who were divided into two subgroups. The control group underwent a 45-day treatment with a dietary supplement containing only hemp seed oil, while the treatment group assumed a hemp seed oil and terpene-based dietary supplement for the same number of days. A Bio-Plex Human Cytokine assay was performed by a customized human cytokine five-plex panel for IL-1β, IL-1α, IL-2, IL-6, and TNF-α. Patients were evaluated before the beginning of the treatment (T0) and soon after it (T1). Results: No measurable levels of IL-2 and TNF-α were found in any of the subjects. Low levels of IL-1β were found, which were significantly decreased in the treatment group. No change in IL-1α levels was observed, while treated patients had a significant increase in IL-6 levels. Conclusions: Hemp seed oil and terpene treatment modified the IL-1β and IL-6 levels, counteracting KOA inflammation in this way. In this study, IL-6 revealed its new and alternative action, since it is traditionally known as a pro-inflammatory factor, but it recently has been found to have anti-inflammatory activity in the muscle-derived form, which is the one it assumes as a myokine when activated by terpenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]