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Teacher beliefs and practices related to them could provide varying opportunities for students to develop their agency related to learning math. The aim of the current paper is to explore how different math teacher beliefs (concerning the nature of mathematics, constructivist beliefs, and self-efficacy) relate to different dimensions of student agency in primary education. A two-level multilevel model was analyzed to find out to what extent selected teacher beliefs are associated with student math competence and agency dimensions. The study was conducted in Estonia and data from 3rd and 4th grade students (N = 1557) and their teachers (N = 121) was included in the analysis. The results showed that teacher self-efficacy beliefs, constructivist beliefs, and static views on the nature of mathematics were related to students' agency dimensions. Possible explanations and directions for further studies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As teacher profession can be seen as a learning profession, it is crucial that teacher education equips future teachers with high-level skills to update and increase their proficiency and expertise throughout their career. In this aim, cognitive processing strategies and metacognitive regulation strategies as well as academic self-efficacy beliefs play a crucial role. This study examined Finnish first-year preservice teachers' (N = 538) initial learning profiles in terms of their learning strategies and self-efficacy beliefs upon entry to teacher education. Furthermore, the association between the profiles and pre-entry factors (age, written entrance exam) as well as first-year achievement was studied. The data were gathered via questionnaire from four universities and their student registers. The person-centred approach utilising a latent profile analysis was applied to identify learning profiles among preservice teachers. Three distinct learning profiles were identified: unregulated students with low self-efficacy (37.5%), average strategists with low self-efficacy (33.1%) and self-regulated and deep learners with high self-efficacy (29.4%). The first profile performed worst in the first-year studies, whereas the last profile was characterised by the oldest students and best performers in the written entrance exam. The findings expand our understanding of the initial learning profiles of preservice teachers and thus offer valuable information for teacher educators to support teaching practices and curriculum design. Practical implications of the results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By differentially reinforcing questionnaire statements that favored teachers' behavior-specific praise in a multiple-baseline design across participants, we altered the verbal behavior of general education teachers. Our target was a written verbalization favoring the delivery of specific rather than general praise. We then assessed the effects on their spoken interactions with their students. The teachers' specific praise of student behavior increased while reprimands decreased or remained stable. These effects continued after the differential reinforcement procedure was discontinued. The differential reinforcement of verbal behavior is an alternative strategy for adding desired behavior to the repertoires of teachers; it may be more effective than giving instructions about the behavior or directly targeting the behavior itself with differential reinforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A deficit-based approach to teaching is widely embedded in higher education. Such an approach emphasizes what is wrong and does not allow for a comprehensive view of students. To counteract this negative approach, higher education teachers may employ strengths-based practices, which bring one's strengths and resources to light, enabling a holistic understanding of self and students. Existing literature supports the positive effects of strengths-based teaching practices on college students, including their self-efficacy, which is crucial to their development. As such, this study sought to add empirical evidence for the relationships between strengths-based teaching in higher education and college students' general, strengths, and academic self-efficacy (N = 268). Correlational analyses revealed statistically significant, moderate positive relationships between a strengths-based teaching practice and college students' general, strengths, and academic self-efficacy. These findings offered insights into higher education teaching practices. Specifically, it may benefit higher education teachers to employ a strengths-based teaching approach as an inclusive practice to serve all college students. However, given the limitations of the current study, additional empirical research on strengths-based teaching practices is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study takes environmental factors and individual factors as variables to explore the deep internal mechanism of the impact of a comprehensive environment on higher education physical education (PE) teachers' job burnout. Little research has been done on how environmental factors affect the internal mechanism of college and university PE teachers' job burnout through individual factors (e.g., professional pressure and teaching efficacy). In this study, the participants were 231 PE teachers from seven comprehensive universities, and four questionnaires were administered to measure the participants' job burnout, perceived overall environment, teaching efficacy, and occupational stress. Research has found that environmental factors have a significant negative impact on occupational stress, and occupational stress plays an important mediating role between environment and occupational burnout. Research has shown that differences in external environments lead to varying levels of personal stress among college physical education teachers, which in turn affects their level of occupational burnout. The study concludes that a good social, working, and living environment helps to reduce the work pressure on PE teachers, improves their sense of teaching efficacy, and inhibits the occurrence of teachers' job burnout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to establish a fully 3D modeled immersive virtual reality (IVR) system for primary school students learning about plants and evaluate teachers' perceptions of the usage of the system and pupils' flow experiences and learning attitudes. There were 5 teachers with expertise in science and IVR experience who were first interviewed to understand their consideration of the limitations of teaching about plants in the classroom. The framework and script of the learning content for the IVR system, as well as the user interface and function were then comprehensively described. Another 10 teachers were invited to evaluate the appropriateness of the system for fifth-grade students to learn about plants. These teachers generally expressed positive attitudes towards exploiting the IVR system for their teaching. Moreover, there were 37 fifth-grade students contributed to the evaluation of the system. The results indicated that the IVR system was capable of offering the pupils perceptions of antecedences to achieve flow such as task challenge, clear goal, instant feedback, well control, and playability, and aroused their flow experiences, particularly regarding autotelic experience and concentration. This study also verified the relationships between the pupils' flow experiences and learning attitudes. The crucial roles of flow perceptions including playability, challenge, and autotelic experience in the pupils' learning attitudes were further identified. According to the results of the evaluation from the teachers' and students' perspectives, several practical and academic implications of this study are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 pandemic forced post-secondary institutions to shift their technical offerings to blended and/or remote delivery. The Pandemic was a catalyst for pre-service Technology Education programs, traditionally designed for face-to-face learning, to explore innovative pedagogical arrangements. The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences and perceptions of pre-service teachers as they navigated their way through their Pandemic-impacted Technology Education Diploma program. In particular, pre-service teachers were asked about the challenges, benefits, and lessons learned through their lived experiences dealing with the re-organization for remote and blended learning in response to the various waves of the Covid-19 Pandemic. An exploration of the learner experience within pre-service Technology Education programs contributes to a growing body of literature that continues to offer meaningful insight on the institutional arrangements to cope with the limitations brought on by the Pandemic. Interviews from a purposeful sample of nine (N = 9) pre-service teachers was the primary data source within this qualitative study that sought to understand the following research question: How have institutional responses to Covid-19 impacted the experiences and perceptions of pre-service teachers enrolled in a re-organized Technology Education Diploma program? Thematic analysis was used to identify and explore recurring nodes within the data. The findings of this study suggest that the shift in instructional modality had significant impacts on how pre-service teachers experienced their Technology Education program. The reorganization delayed the development of peer relationships within the program cohorts and disrupted lines of communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multitiered support for professional development (MTS-PD) is emerging as a research-supported, three-tiered framework to support teachers' classroom management skills through targeted training and ongoing coaching. In this study, we applied MTS-PD to increase elementary general education teachers' treatment fidelity of a targeted behavioral support (i.e., self-monitoring) and examined whether increases in treatment fidelity were accompanied by increases in on-task behavior for three focal students who were identified as at-risk of being identified for having an emotional/behavior disorder. Results, which were evaluated in the context of a multiple-probe, single-case research design, indicated that MTS-PD increased teachers' treatment fidelity. However, outcomes were inconsistent with regard to increases in focal students' on-task behavior and decreases in rate of disruptive behavior as a result of increases in treatment fidelity. Results of this study demonstrate that MTS-PD can support teacher implementation of targeted behavioral supports. Practical and research implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging technological innovations offer the potential for experiential engagement through virtual scenarios, yet the viability of this approach for educational purposes remains significantly underexplored. This study aims to assess the feasibility of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies in providing users with aesthetic experiences when visiting digital exhibitions. A total of 190 students participated in this investigation. The control group visited traditional exhibits at the Palace Museum in Beijing. This group underwent a survey to evaluate their acquired aesthetic experience. In contrast, the experimental group, comprising 96 students, engaged with VR/AR scenarios at the Palace Museum in Beijing. Accordingly, students in the experimental group were also surveyed to evaluate both their aesthetic experiences and, additionally, their user experiences. The survey results unveiled significant distinctions in aesthetic experiences between students in the control and experimental groups. Moreover, there were notable correlations between individual variables related to user and aesthetic experiences within the experimental group. Furthermore, the study revealed disparities in both user and aesthetic experiences among male and female students. The findings have implications for aesthetic education teachers and officials in the context of developing sound strategies for providing aesthetic experiences to their students. This information is also of interest to employees of museums, exhibitions, and other cultural facilities, who are interested in holding or hold digital exhibitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual reality is a rapidly growing technological innovation that continues to garner attention for use in education. This self-study of two teacher educators spans immersive head-mounted virtual reality implementation from 2014–2023 with middle-grades students, preservice teachers, and adult learners. Empirical data sources include learner perceptions and researcher generated teaching vignettes and reflective diaries. Framed by a systems thinking approach to design, results highlight the experiences and growing insights during each of the four chronologically ordered implementation phases. Phase one emphasizes the responsibility of project constituents and lack of organizational support. Phase two highlights the ripening of education virtual reality resources and adapting pedagogy to learner characteristics. Phase three explains the application and transfer within a new context. Phase four encapsulates shifts among external factors with a desire to improve performance needs. Findings compare and contrast education virtual reality with entertainment virtual reality, to advance instructional design and development to improve learning. Insights and practical recommendations apply to teacher educators, educational technologists, and computer scientists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical reflection with a focus on student impact is now a mandated attribute for graduate teachers across Australia via the capstone teacher performance assessment task. This policy move is forcing teacher educators to examine their programs to find space for activities that help pre-service teachers to develop the skills and dispositions required for the teacher performance assessment. Some of the best opportunities for clinical reflection occur after pre-service teachers teach lessons during their professional experience in schools. The data for this study were generated during the trial of a lesson feedback and reflection form for pre-service teachers in NSW, Australia. This study examined 13 pre-service teachers' responses in 134 lesson feedback and reflection forms. A phenomenographic analysis was conducted on the responses to produce an inclusive and hierarchical four-level taxonomy of clinical reflection. These data showed that although all levels of the taxonomy were present in post lesson feedback and reflection forms, clinical reflection was less frequent than other categories of reflective practice such as causal. These findings have clear implications for the precision of the learning protocols deployed in professional experience experiences in teacher education for the purpose of fostering clinical reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has continued to effect higher education globally in significant ways. During 2020, many institutions shifted learning online overnight as the sector closed its doors and opened new sites for remote teaching. This article reports on an international study [Phillips et al., 2021] that sought to capture how cross-sectoral teachers experienced these emergency changes during the first months of restrictions. The data, analysed using narrative identity theory, revealed concerns that fall into two broad categories: technologies and relationships. Significantly, it was not a loss of content delivery or changes to assessment that prompted the greatest anxiety for our colleagues, but that they held significant concerns about their students' mental health; inequities of access to a range of services including technological; and challenges connecting emotionally with their students at a distance. The results provide actionable strategies for higher education institutions to apply in future emergencies where remote teaching is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complex nature of teaching draws teachers to read so as to satisfy their curiosities, problem-solve and innovate. However, teachers find it challenging to access and learn from educational research findings. Through our work as 'consultant coaches' in one Australian school over the duration of one school year, we co-constructed strategies to support teachers in translating insights from professional reading in their classrooms. This article reports on how regular coach meetings provided a forum for professional discourse about successes and struggles that contributed to the generation of four interconnected strategies that supported teachers in making connections between educational research and their problems of practice. While experimenting with more sophisticated research-informed pedagogies sometimes produced tensions in the form of student resistance, persistence led to eventual success and tended to affirm for the majority of teachers that reading is a worthwhile professional activity. This, in turn, motivated teachers to continue reading. That coaches grew in their ability to encourage teachers to read and experiment is testament to the effectiveness of the coach meetings for supporting and extending their work as teacher educators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including social validity, psychometric studies, factors influencing student transitions, and intervention effectiveness for various challenges.

Evidence-based practice, in a form which draws predominantly on quantitative research and privileges randomised controlled trials as research methods, has been translated from medicine into education. It follows that combining understanding of both disciplines may contribute to insights into the costs and benefits of this project. This article shares findings from a small study initiated by a medical doctor and teacher educator to compare versions of practice and professionalism offered by two texts from our respective disciplines. These texts advocate evidence-based practice for patients and students with disability and/or special needs. We describe our methodology and methods for interdisciplinary comparative textual analysis and share how this comparison contributes to understanding ways evidence-based practice is performed in education. In particular, we compare the versions of professionalism imagined in these cases and ask questions for policy and practice about motivations for the choices made in the apparently neutral process of "translation". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For English as a foreign language (EFL) graduate students in STEM, with the need to publish in an international journal comes the double burden of developing general English language skills and discipline-specific writing skills. To help these students effectively, discipline-specific scientific writing (SW) instruction is necessary but has been scarce in Asian contexts. This study investigates how discipline-specific SW courses were developed for graduate students at a Korean science and engineering university, if the courses were successfully implemented, and what could be done to improve the offering of such courses. The study uses a mixed methods research design, informed by the research paradigm of pragmatism. The dataset used in the present study includes interviews, questionnaire surveys, and performance measurement. Interviews were conducted with six language and five content professors and nine teaching assistants, and 42 students involved in the development and offering of the SW courses. A purposive sampling approach was used in selecting interviewees. In addition, two types of questionnaire surveys were conducted among the students who had taken the courses: 225 participated in the university survey and 312 in the program survey. In addition, a pretest and posttest were given to measure students' improvement in their SW performances. For data analysis, text analysis and descriptive statistics were used. The results show that the courses were well received by all those involved. Students expressed appreciation for their instructor's individual attention and feedback on their writing. Moreover, students' posttest scores showed substantial improvement. On the other hand, the study raises such issues as difficulties in collaboration between the language and content professors and the need to enhance the course's relevance to students' major fields. The study concludes by offering suggestions on how to improve the interdisciplinary aspect of SW courses for STEM students and by providing a recommended model of interdisciplinary collaboration among language and content professors and teaching assistants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses an Aboriginal cultural mentoring project for non-Aboriginal teachers that positions Aboriginal people front and centre as cultural and educational experts. In so doing it sets out to contribute to work in Australia that challenges 'common' understandings about mentoring in educational contexts where the expert is usually a western-educated non-Aboriginal teacher. In this project, non-Aboriginal teachers are supported in implementing culturally responsive curriculum and pedagogies into their classroom through building relationships with Aboriginal mentors and students. Analysis of thirteen pre and post surveys, four mentee interviews and one mentee focus group, illuminated the emergence of collaborative cultural mentoring processes, where teachers developed trusting, reciprocal and respectful relationships with Aboriginal people. We argue that a systematic, well-supported Aboriginal cultural mentoring program can be used to create and convert new knowledge into practice, and that this can have a positive impact on teachers' understanding of teaching/learning processes thereby contributing to Aboriginal student engagement in their learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although digital personalized learning (DPL) is assumed to be beneficial for the student as well as the teacher, the implementation process of DPL tools can be challenging. Therefore, the aim of our study is to scrutinize teachers' perceptions towards the implementation of DPL in the classroom. A total of 370 teachers from primary and secondary education (students aged 6–18 years old) were questioned through an online survey. An overview of descriptive results is presented regarding (1) teachers' reported technology use, (2) their perceptions towards adaptivity and dashboards in DPL tools and (3) their expectations of support in view of implementing DPL. Based on a cluster analysis, three teacher clusters are distinguished. Results reveal all three clusters had positive perceptions towards DPL. Nevertheless, there is great variety in reported use of DPL tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disciplines in Higher Education have their own interpretations of what is essential knowledge that influences what is taught, how teaching occurs, and the role of digital tools. Disciplinary culture is dynamic and evolving, informed by disciplinary research and technology improvement. During the COVID-19 pandemic, digital solutions enabled ongoing teaching when undergraduate courses could not be taught on campus, in lecture theatres, seminar rooms, laboratories, or in the field. Using digital tools and changes in teaching practices has created a context where Higher Education teachers must consider how future learning and teaching should occur. To explore this, a cross-discipline team used appreciative inquiry framed in complexity theory to examine how teaching in undergraduate programmes is changing in the digital age and implications for Higher Education teachers. The research identifies how digital technologies influence undergraduate programmes in Applied Statistics, Computer Science, Critical Indigenous Studies, Geography, and Information Systems. Analysis of the case studies identified how disciplinary culture, context, and technology combine to influence pedagogical practice and digital capabilities needed to teach in undergraduate programmes. We conclude that Higher Education teachers require capability in appropriate pedagogical practice that aligns with disciplinary culture and the technologies available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Welcome to this special issue, focussing on teachers' digital competencies in Higher Education. The articles in this special issue explore the question of how digital competencies in higher education are conceptualized after the Great Online Transition, during and after the pandemic. A few of the topics addressed in the special issue are: new competency frameworks, the issue of disciplines and artificial intelligence and looks into the future of higher education learning and teaching. In this preface to the special issue, we first present a brief introduction to the context and the problem statement. We then provide a summary of each of the ten papers included in this special issue, we present how they are related and how each article makes a unique contribution to the main goal of the special issue. Finally, the implications are discussed together with suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is little consensus about the nature of teachers' digital competencies in Higher Education. Moreover, existing digital competence frameworks have largely been developed for teachers in secondary education. In response to this, the current study focuses on developing and validating a framework of digital competencies for teachers in Higher Education. First, a review was conducted to determine the state of digital competence research regarding dimensions and definition of digital competence. In a next step, similarities and differences between existing digital competence frameworks were identified. Based on the outcomes of the review and the framework comparison, a framework was developed in an iterative process through expert meetings with policy makers, experts in the field of educational technology, and validated with practitioners. The new framework includes four dimensions of teachers' digital competencies: (1) Teaching practice, (2) Empowering students for a digital society, (3) Teachers' digital literacy, and (4) Teachers' professional development. The resulting Higher Education Digital Competence (HeDiCom) framework will provide guidance and clearer expectations of teachers' digital competency. Ultimately, improving teachers' digital competencies will contribute to improving the quality of digital competencies of the students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers' belief systems about the inclusion of students with special needs may explain gaps between policy and practice. We investigated three inter-related aspects of teachers' belief systems: teachers' cognitive appraisals (e.g., attitudes), emotional appraisal (e.g., feelings), and self-efficacy (e.g., agency to teach inclusive classrooms). To date, research in this field has produced contradictory findings, resulting in a sparse understanding of why teachers differ in their belief systems about inclusive education, and how teachers' training experiences contribute to their development of professional beliefs. We used meta-analysis to describe the level and range of teachers' beliefs about inclusive education, and examine factors that contribute to variation in teachers' beliefs, namely (1) the point in teachers' career (pre-service versus in-service), (2) training in special versus regular education, and (3) the effects of specific programs and interventions. We reviewed 102 papers (2000–2020) resulting in 191 effect sizes based on research with 40,898 teachers in 40 countries. On average, teachers' cognitive appraisals, emotional appraisals, and efficacy about inclusion were found to be in the mid-range of scales, indicating room for growth. Self-efficacy beliefs were higher for preservice (M = 3.69) than for in-service teachers (M = 3.13). Teachers with special education training held more positive views about inclusion than regular education teachers (d = 0.41). Training and interventions related to improved cognitive appraisal (d = 0.63), emotional appraisal (d = 0.63), and self-efficacy toward inclusive practices (d = 0.93). The training was particularly effective in encouraging reflection of beliefs and, eventually, facilitating belief change when teachers gained practical experience in inclusive classrooms. Six key findings direct the next steps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schoolteacher and early childhood educator wellbeing is associated with their ability to provide high-quality educational experiences to students and children in their care. Given the importance of this topic, this systematic review sought to (1) identify available evidence-based wellbeing initiatives for educators and schoolteachers, (2) appraise the quality of evidence demonstrating the efficacy of these initiatives, and (3) summarise the characteristics of these initiatives. In total, 23 studies on 19 distinct initiatives were identified. Although most initiatives improved schoolteacher wellbeing, the quality of available evidence is modest, especially for early childhood educators. Existing teacher and educator wellbeing initiatives predominantly target individual and not systematic determinants of educator wellbeing, even though wellbeing of these groups is determined by a combination of personal and education setting influences. More research is needed to improve the evidence on teacher and early childhood educator wellbeing initiatives, as well as development of initiatives that aim to change workplace demands and education setting culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Progressive Education, with its pedagogical desire to engage students in a taught curriculum in a meaningful way, is often viewed in opposition to Conventional Education. In this conceptual paper, I argue that despite and even because of this opposition, Progressive Education contributes to the stability of Conventional Education by making Conventional Education bearable for its teachers. I claim that despite its institutional rarity, Progressive Education remains hegemonic among educators because of its promise of meaningful learning for all their students that can be achieved in and out of the conventional school settings. I provide a critique of Progressive Education from the Critical Dialogue Education and Democratic Education perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers' pedagogical practices have been consistently highlighted either as a support, or as a barrier, to girls' science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) engagement. Research suggests that teachers can display forms of gender bias during STEM experiences, such as unintentionally favouring boys in STEM participation. Investigation into early childhood and primary STEM education highlights teacher professional development as a priority, with a key focus on the awareness of gender issues. This study explores whether and how the STEM practices of early childhood teachers change and develop towards supporting girls' STEM engagement through Conceptual PlayWorlds as a model of practice. Through an educational experiment, the study design involved professional development workshops introducing teachers to the Conceptual PlayWorld model for the intentional teaching of STEM, with ideas on how to engage girls through the five characteristics of a Conceptual PlayWorld. Interview responses of seven teachers and one assistant principal regarding their experience of teaching STEM through Conceptual PlayWorlds are analysed in line with the cultural-historical approach. Findings highlight the teachers' developing consciousness regarding girls' STEM engagement through participation in the professional development workshops and Conceptual PlayWorlds, creating a shift in their teaching practices towards becoming more agentic in actively engaging girls with STEM. It is argued that while increasing teachers' consciousness informed and transformed their STEM practices, leading to teacher development, further relevant and meaningful professional development opportunities are required to support early childhood teachers in positioning STEM as a truly welcoming and inclusive space for girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, technology is now a vital element of the school curriculum. Technology has changed the way children learn, and when teachers integrate technology into pedagogical practices, resources, and assessment it expands the way teachers teach. This paper explores how initial teacher education (ITE) programs across Australia position the Technologies Curriculum. It uses data provided at a symposium of teacher educators who deliver ITE in the use of technologies. The paper maps data from 32 universities, including primary, secondary, undergraduate and postgraduate programs. It also investigates the naming conventions of courses in these programs and exemplifies the student experience by providing three vignettes from three programs in three different states. The findings suggest that Technologies education in Australia is offered in many ways to pre-service teachers, thus the landscape of this teaching area is diverse. This paper contributes to the field in being the first research to explore how Australian universities teach Technologies within their ITE programs. It offers a snapshot of how technologies are positioned in Australian ITE programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of behavioral skills training (BST) that included video vignettes used for modeling and rehearsal to train preservice general educators how to collect accurate antecedent-behavior-consequence (ABC) data using a structured recording format. The effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated within the context of a multiple probe single-case research design. This study also assessed generalization of collecting correct ABC data across a narrative format, given that this format is commonly used in schools. BST was effective for training preservice general educators to collect ABC data using a structured recording format and participants also generalized this skill to a narrative recording format. These findings extend the literature on BST as an intervention that can improve preservice general educators' behavioral abilities. Practical implications and future areas of research are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to analyze different interpretations of public good(s) in the context of higher education, the contributions that higher education makes to the public good, and how these contributions are measured in Japan. The analysis draws on 17 semi-structured interviews with policy makers, presidents of national professional associations, institutional leaders, deans and professors from contrasting disciplines, and other administrators from two national universities in Japan. Firstly, all interviewees believed that Japan's higher education could be considered to be a public good. However, they did not consider it a pure public good. Secondly, the study not only reveals a wide variety of interviewees' interpretations of the public good, the public good of higher education, the contributions that higher education makes to the public good, and the measurement of these contributions, but also suggests to what extent interviewees' understanding deviates from the literature. Finally, while the structure of Japan's higher education system, including the quantitative dominance of private universities, tuition fee system, and existing oversight of the public good, may suggest that there are fewer contributions to public good in Japan's higher education than in European continental countries, the study reveals that Japan's higher education, including private universities, contributes the public goods, and its contributions to the public good or public goods are highly valued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated STEM labs and makerspaces have become increasingly common in P-16 schools, higher education residence halls, libraries, and community centers. Although these collaborative learning spaces provide increased access to cross-cutting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) practices, they pose inherent safety risks that are often overlooked. This study utilized a concurrent quasi-mixed design (Teddlie & Tashakkori, 2006), to investigate changes in the safety perceptions of educators' from 21 school districts. Pre- and post-survey ratings were mixed with content analyses from open-ended survey questions and accident report forms. The findings suggested that the PD experience had a significant influence on participants' safety perceptions; however, there were no significant differences according to certification areas. The analyses also revealed female participants' reported significantly greater safety self-efficacy gains than males. Additionally, 82% of the sample indicated the PD positively influenced their makerspace and integrated STEM safety knowledge. The findings indicate that high-quality safety PD can significantly influence educators' perceptions (especially females) about safer integrated STEM teaching and learning in makerspaces. This study provides implications for STEM educators, librarians, administrators, teacher educators, researchers, state education departments, school district safety officers, and others to improve the safety of cross-cutting STEM learning occurring in collaborative environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Securing the quality of Australian education is a key policy target, and teaching workforce development has long been identified as the means to that end. This case of personalised professional learning in a school through a series of interactions between teachers and university-employed teacher educators (as academic coaches) speaks to teachers' perceptions of being on the receiving end of such policy targets. Teachers' experiences of working with an external coach was transformative for some, valuable for most, but not suited to everybody. The analysis of teacher participant data revealed three paradoxes in the delicate matters of power, choice and agency associated with being coached by outsiders. We apply a Bourdieuan lens of 'symbolic power' to make sense of these inherent power relations, and anticipate such insights will be informative to teacher educators involved in developing teacher coaching programs in the future, both at system and school levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through culturally sustaining teaching, teachers can transform practice and pedagogy to challenge inequities and create a space for affirming students' diverse religious backgrounds. Teacher educators and teachers must develop this pedagogy to understand diverse student populations and facilitate students becoming citizens who accept and empathize with others who have different religious beliefs and traditions. Our purpose was to explore and select multicultural literature that represents religious diversity for early childhood classrooms. Our search focused on major religions practiced in the U.S., which yielded 549 books. We obtained 436 books; 54 met the rubric criteria with a majority focusing on Judaism. We identified four themes: immigration and refugees, holidays, sharing memories and stories, building understandings and empathy. We offered examples of the themes and an example of implementation in the classroom. We recommended this sample that we believe can foster understanding and respect for diverse religious and cultural groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a report of a design-based research project undertaken to build a blended teacher education program that focuses on cultivating teachers' competencies for personalized and blended learning in K-12 classrooms. Two iterations were designed and examined in total, with 10 teacher educators and two teacher candidate cohorts. Teacher educators collaborated with the project director to design and redesign online courses for two years, and each cohort took online teaching methods courses and trained at personalized learning schools in Texas over the course of a year. Using a mixed-methods design, teacher educators' and teacher candidates' perception data were collected and analyzed to evaluate the program's effectiveness and identify design implications and elements that inform the design and implementation of the program. The reflections and insights gained through this project offer an understanding of how blended teacher preparation can be designed to directly address the needs of K-12 schools for teachers trained in personalized and blended learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dr. Archambault advocates for an approach to teacher education that puts teachers in the central role of learning designer and professional. While teachers need to continue to be critical evaluators of all the resources they use, the fact that they can go online and find resources that have been created by classroom teachers who know exactly what the job is like and can create proven materials, has been an extraordinary support for many teachers. I Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual i .- Arthur Koestler I We need to do a better job in teacher education of helping teachers adapt, remix, modify, and combine resources in novel ways; to really design a learning experience for their students. i - Leanna Archambault Introduction Our interviewee for this special issue is a scholar who is well known for her work in the field of online learning, Dr. Leanna Archambault. Recommendations for the Future Dr. Archambault believes that one of the most important things that educational scholars can do for the future is to nurture the instructional design skills of teachers by making it a part of teacher education programs. [Extracted from the article]

An editorial is presented on the manuscripts covered a breadth of topics around behavior and assessment or intervention research crossing various service delivery contexts. It outlines the descriptive analysis of a telehealth intervention conducted with three families following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 world health crisis has profound implications for the care and education of young children in homes and schools, the lives of preservice and inservice teachers, and the work of college/university faculty. This article begins by discussing the implications of a world health pandemic for education and the challenges of conducting a literature review on such a rapidly evolving topic. The next four sections categorize the COVID-19 literature into themes: (1) threats to quality of life (QoL) and wellness, (2) pressure on families and intensification of inequities, (3) changes in teaching methods and reliance on technology, and (4) restructuring of higher education and scholarship interrupted. Each of the four themes is introduced with a narrative that highlights the current context, followed by the literature review. Next is a compilation of high-quality, online resources developed by leading professional organizations to support children, families, and educators dealing with the COVID crisis. The article concludes with changes that hold the greatest potential to advance the field of early childhood education and care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maker-centered learning is a creative hands-on educational strategy that uses a variety of tools and materials to support the iterative design of physical or digital artifacts. It involves the "messy" process of trial and error; therefore, authentic integration of maker-centered learning requires teachers to embrace ambiguity. This descriptive case study explores how two in-service teacher participants tolerate ambiguity through unpacking the ways that they process, interpret, and react to ambiguous stimuli. The study uses participants' weekly reflections during a 15-week course focused on tools and strategies to support maker-centered learning. Findings highlight examples of how participants' experiences connect to the four ambiguity constructs (i.e., complexity, insolubility, uncertainty, unfamiliarity) and the dual roles of ambiguity as a learner and ambiguity as a teacher. Implications for teacher educators who design maker-centered learning professional development experiences are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For teacher educators, one challenge is how to prepare pre-service teachers to engage more deeply with students in high-poverty communities, some of whom they will ultimately teach. Addressing community engagement requires an institutionally embedded strategy to involve Indigenous, refugee, poor, and other historically vulnerable communities in central, rather than tokenistic, ways. This paper reports on the first conceptual stages of a framework for an Australian community-engaged pathway into teaching based on research into how teachers can work for and alongside under-represented families from high-poverty communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a focus on methodology and research process, this paper explores researcher collaboration in the development, implementation, analysis, and dissemination of a multi-institutional study of teacher educators' perspectives on technology infusion. At the conclusion of the 2018 National Technology Leadership Summit (NTLS), attendees recommended use of Q methodology to provide a holistic approach to understanding perspectives of teacher educators who were not technology specialists. As lead researchers, the co-authors worked together to design the study, develop materials, and analyze data. Research collaborators were recruited to collect data, implementing the Q sort process with participants from multiple institutions across the United States. Results revealed (1) variance in participant beliefs about the value of and expertise in integrating technology in teacher preparation and (2) consensus amongst participants about multiple challenges for achieving technology infusion across teacher preparation programs. Q methodology served as an effective approach for collecting both quantitative and qualitative data for subsequent analysis. We explored features of several software programs tailored for Q methodology and gained new insights about the benefits of and challenges to engaging in a collaborative research process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider how teachers and teacher educators may foreground relationships, experiences, pasts, and possibilities to more fully recognize and extend already-present literacy practices of youth of color as strengths from which more equitable curriculum and teaching opportunities may be designed and enacted. We assert theoretical perspectives of artifactual literacies within and across a contextual rendering of the popularized narrative of Donald Glover's "This is America," and conceptual meanings as expressions of poet Robert Hayden's austere love, put, in unanticipated ways, to everyday use. We wrote analytic narrative vignettes and used analytic memoing to examine the interplay of three artifacts—these shawls, these curriculum binders, and this keychain—through the theoretical lensing of artifactual literacies. Recommendations for teachers, teacher educators, and educational researchers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although learning styles (LS) have been recognised as a neuromyth, they remain a virtual truism within education. A point of concern is that the term LS has been used within theories that describe them using completely different notions and categorisations. This is the first empirical study to investigate education professionals' conceptualisation, as well as means of identifying and implementing LS in their classroom. A sample of 123 education professionals were administered a questionnaire consisting both closed- and open-ended questions. Responses were analysed using thematic analysis. LS were found to be mainly conceptualised within the Visual-Auditory-(Reading)-Kinaesthetic (VAK/VARK) framework, as well as Gardner's multiple intelligences. Moreover, a lot of education professionals confused theories of learning (e.g., behavioural or cognitive theories) with LS. In terms of identifying LS, educators reported using a variety of methods, spanning from observation and everyday contact to the use of tests. The ways LS were implemented in the classroom were numerous, comprising various teaching aids, participatory techniques and motor activities. Overall, we argue that the extended use of the term LS gives the illusion of a consensus amongst educators, when a closer examination reveals that the term LS is conceptualised, identified and implemented idiosyncratically by different individuals. This study aims to be of use to pre-service and in-service teacher educators in their effort to debunk the neuromyth of LS and replace it with evidence-based practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If we envision a future for Black young learners where their full humanity is honoured and educators facilitate rigorous science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning experiences that are justice-focused, we must disrupt systemic racism now. In this article we discuss how anti-Blackness is pervasive in science and mathematics education, especially for young learners. We also address why teacher educators must disrupt anti-Black racism in our work with elementary teacher candidates and in our research. We argue that to do this work and disrupt anti-Blackness, elementary teacher educators and teacher candidates need political clarity (Beauboeuf-LaFontant, 1999). Political clarity is the understanding of how structural and school inequalities work to (re)produce differential learning experiences for minoritized learners. We offer suggestions for how teacher educators can further develop their teacher candidates' political clarity. Drawing upon our prior research, course assignments, and experiences as Black women educators and teacher educators, we share examples of how an individual's political clarity can be developed within science and mathematics methods courses. In doing so, we build upon prior research in STEM teacher education on how teachers come to see teaching as a political act and engage in the hard work of equity-focused STEM teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring language provides us with one approach to better understanding the practices and beliefs of a community. With advances in technology—specifically, computational text processing and machine learning tools—we can now examine written language on a large scale. In this study, we investigate the language of mathematics teaching and learning in the USA over a decade (2009–2018) by analyzing text from articles published in Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School. Our analyses explore the terminology used by middle school teachers and teacher educators to discuss their practice, revealing terms that are used widely, terms that have largely been absent from such writing, and terms that have shifted in usage over the past decade. This research provides insight into the zeitgeist of mathematics teaching and learning during a particular period of time, while also suggesting a fruitful approach to examining language as a means of uncovering the beliefs and practices of a community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing number of technological devices available in schools, aligned with curriculum guidance, set an expectation for mathematics teachers to incorporate these devices into their teaching. This qualitative study investigated prospective teachers' use of TPACK and mathematical action technologies as they created screencast video lessons using iPads. Results showed prospective teachers' effective use of pedagogical techniques and the screencast app as an amplifier tool, according to the amplifier-reorganizer metaphor. Half of the participants used mathematics technology to confirm and expand the results they had found without technology. The other half had mathematics technology integrated into their solution exercising the balance among TPACK components. For some, their use of the mathematical tool had the potential of expanding the mathematical repertoire of virtual students. We conclude by making recommendations for teacher educators to implement cycles of learning for pre-service teachers to design, enact, and reflect upon the creation of screencast video lessons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite calls for an increase in diversity and equity in early childhood classrooms, preschool teachers sometimes struggle to effectively address race in their classrooms, leaving young children to try to make sense of it themselves. Therefore, in this qualitative study, researchers examined how race issues were manifested in the play of young Black preschool girls. Findings indicate that young Black girls had a strong preference for the nonblack dolls. This preference was evident in their repeated rejection of the Black dolls. These findings have significant implications for early childhood teachers and how they anticipate notions or misconceptions children may have about race, structure discussions and activities about race and racism, and scaffold children's development of their racial identity. Further, the paper presents how teacher educators can help to prepare future practitioners for work in helping to foster positive racial identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examined Australian distance education teachers' perspectives about how they drew on technological tools to support their primary and secondary students' learning. Via two focus groups (n = 9, n = 7), teachers identified that technology greatly assisted them in relation to developing relationships with students and families, creating interactive lessons, differentiating learning, providing quality feedback, and connecting peers. However, they also reported experiencing ongoing challenges and constraints related to gaining technology expertise, overcoming technology faults, and coping with additional accountability. Data made it clear that teacher use of technology was driven by specific student needs and that teachers drew heavily on both core pedagogical knowledge and technological pedagogical content knowledge. Findings suggest the need for more distance education specific professional development to ensure that teachers have the knowledges needed to support diverse learners in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to develop an attitude scale towards online teaching and learning for higher education teachers. It included 687 participants (77 Professors, 67 Associate Professors and 543 Assistant Professors) from various colleges and Universities of India. This tool development was a part of research conducted to examine the preparedness of Indian higher education teachers during the period of lockdown due to Covid-19 pandemic. After reviewing related literature, initially 37 items related with the attitude of teachers towards online education were framed. Later on, 11 items were modified and four were deleted as per the opinions of the experts. The draft scale consisting of 33 items was administered on teachers and data was collected with the help of Google forms. Item analysis was carried out using t-value and r-value. Reliability of scale was determined by using Cronbach Alpha value (0.88) and split-halt correlation (0.82). After item analysis, the scale items were reduced to 30 and four factors were established as a result of factor analysis (Principal Component Analysis). Psychometric scale analyses have shown that this scale is valid, reliable and thus can be used in the evaluation of teachers 'attitudes towards online teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dealing with the complexities of the classroom and the diversity of events in classroom situations presents a major challenge for classroom management. The knowledge a teacher has for processing this complexity depends a great deal on their level of experience, leading to differences in the way teachers perceive and interpret classroom events. This includes how they monitor events and how they maintain an ongoing awareness of classroom situations. It also impacts decisions about when and how to act in response to events. Research on classroom management has often focused on how to handle common classroom situations, but does not provide a theoretical description of how knowledge from experience affects teachers' awareness and ability to manage the classroom. This article proposes a definition for classroom management scripts by contrasting expert and novice teachers' knowledge and their decisions to act in response to classroom events. Classroom management scripts help clarify differences in teachers' recognition and representation of events by considering how expertise influences visual perception and mental interpretation. The proposed model exposes the internal cognitive processing involved in classroom management. Such insights can be useful for helping teacher educators and teachers themselves analyze and make sense of puzzling events. In turn, this may help develop training approaches to improve teachers' awareness of factors easily overlooked when considering classroom management, enhancing professional vision. This theory also underlines the centrality of facilitating and sustaining learning when grappling with the challenges of managing a classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching is a complex and demanding endeavour. Teachers must deal with numerous forces, often face dilemma-ridden and ambiguous situations and have to act under time pressure. In order to accomplish these tasks, teachers must apply professional knowledge differentially (Fairbanks et al. 2009). In recent decades, various studies have focused on defining and investigating the domains of teachers' professional knowledge. In this respect, much attention has been paid of late to the concept of professional vision. In the present study, we look for indications of professional vision using eye tracking data and post hoc think-aloud verbalisations. We worked with student teachers and teacher educators, who watched a short video clip of a school lesson and described afterwards what they had seen. The video shows an authentic teaching situation and discloses a 'critical incident'. The results show that there are differences between the two groups of participants, both in terms of eye tracking and post hoc think-aloud verbalisation. However, the differences originate primarily from six teacher educators explicitly mentioning the 'critical incident' in the post hoc think-aloud verbalisation. As with other studies, these results indicate differences in professional vision between novice and experienced teaching professionals. Additionally, our analysis reveals that eye tracking data can assist in identifying professional vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper was developed in response to the article titled, "A design framework for enhancing engagement in student-centered learning: Own it, learn it, share it," by Eunbae Lee and Michael J. Hannafin (2016). Their work is examined through a research perspective. The authors' discovery of the lack of a comprehensive framework to guide the design, development, and implementation of student-centered learning prompted them to develop the model. The result advances a three-stage model known as, Own It, Learn It, and Share It. The impact of the model can be understood through the simplicity of the OLSit model by how it affords educators a clear pathway for transforming instructional planning. Given the many uncertainties associated with the "shift to digital" as a result of COVID-19, the OLSit model is very applicable for action research by teachers, student teachers, and teacher educators. A critique of the model is provided along with suggested applications to extend the OLSit research base. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]