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This paper reflects the results from a 3-year quantitative study in higher education on inquiry-based learning (IBL). Utilizing primary data collection in a quasi-experimental survey, we examined the impact of IBL on six cohorts of undergraduate students. We aimed to answer our main research question: Can IBL be an effective pedagogy that helps students develop their key skills, through: (1) exploring how students assessed themselves and their peers on four skills; and (2) comparing student and peer assessments across social work courses utilizing IBL as pedagogy utilizing a social work course taught with traditional methods (non-IBL), and a nonsocial-work course using IBL. We analyzed the quantitative data applying bivariate analysis (paired and independent t-tests) with SPSS. We found that in social work and nonsocial-work courses using IBL as pedagogy, students and their peers identified an increase in the development of their key skills; peer-assessments were consistently higher than self-assessments. Our study reveals that IBL may offer an opportunity to provide authentic learning activities and assessments in social work education to support students' development of four key skills required for success in higher education.

This quantitative study investigated teachers' self-efficacy for teaching online compared to teaching in-person during the COVID-19 pandemic. Teacher self-efficacy is a significant predictor of both teacher practice and student outcomes. During the pandemic, teachers were forced to suddenly shift their teaching online and as a result, many new challenges were faced. Teachers from three teaching contexts (public, private, and virtual public schools) in Ontario, Canada completed the Ohio State Teacher Efficacy Scale (OSTES) and questionnaires measuring online teaching experience and training in May-June 2020 (phase 1) and again one year later, in May-June 2021 (phase 2). Results indicated that while the perceived self-efficacy of teachers improved over the course of the study, specifically in classroom management and student engagement, their perceived self-efficacy did not reach the levels reported for self-efficacy for in-person teaching, highlighting the persisting limitations educators experience in online learning environments. Additionally, efficacy for instructional strategies had not significantly increased by phase 2, indicating a particular need of targeted instruction for future teacher education programs. These results offer insights into the kind of experience and tools teacher education programs can extend to enhance teacher preparedness, and the conditions that best encourage improvements in self-efficacy for in-service teachers.

Language disorder (LD), as a public health concern, has received increasing attention from researchers. This study provides an overview of the knowledge domain of LD research and unveils the thematic patterns and emerging trends. A total of 8,649 articles on LD from 2003 to 2022 were collected from WoS and CiteSpace was employed for data analysis. The study focuses on temporal and geographic distribution, top journals, categories, authors, and co-citation analyses of references. The findings indicate that: (1) LD is of most concern in the fields of linguistics, rehabilitation, audiology and speech-language pathology, psychology, and neuroscience; (2) there is a dominance of the USA and England in LD publications; (3) the main thematic patterns include identification of language problems, neurogenetic mechanisms, diagnostic markers, cognitive mechanisms, auditory processing, and motor speech disorder; (4) the emerging trends include criteria and terminology for language problems, cognitive mechanisms, neurobiological factors, diagnostic markers, the population design, and longitudinal design. Future trends suggest a continued interdisciplinary approach into potential origins of LD, integrating new theoretical insights from linguistics, psychology, neuroscience and genetics, and this integration is enhanced by the application of digital technologies and artificial intelligence for improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. This scientometric analysis provides valuable insights into the evolving landscape of LD research, underscoring the need for more intense collaboration and further investigations in the field of LD.

This study intends to demonstrate a detailed knowledge map of language teachers' self-efficacy research via the past 20 years' data from the Web of Science (WoS) database. A bibliometric analysis was employed to analyze the articles published between 2003 and March 2023 to show the status of language teachers' self-efficacy research in the last two decades. Hot research topics and future directions in this field have also been discussed. By applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 250 documents were finally retrieved for analysis. Through production, citation, and content analysis with the help of Biblioshiny, this study finds that language teachers' self-efficacy research has increasingly gained popularity in the academic field over the past 20 years, and its booming production involves many authors, journals, institutions, and countries. Furthermore, English teachers' "professional development," "beliefs," "job satisfaction/burnout," and context impacting the construction of teachers' self-efficacy are the hotspots in language teachers' self-efficacy research. However, specific issues concerning measures to develop language teachers' self-efficacy and their effect on practical language teaching and learning will keep good topics in future research.

This paper reports the findings of a Canada based multi-institutional study designed to investigate the relationships between admissions criteria, in-program assessments, and performance on licensing exams. The study's objective is to provide valuable insights for improving educational practices across different institutions. Data were gathered from six medical schools: McMaster University, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine University, Queen's University, University of Ottawa, University of Toronto, and Western University. The dataset includes graduates who undertook the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Part 1 (MCCQE1) between 2015 and 2017. The data were categorized into five distinct sections: demographic information as well as four matrices: admissions, course performance, objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), and clerkship performance. Common and unique variables were identified through an extensive consensus-building process. Hierarchical linear regression and a manual stepwise variable selection approach were used for analysis. Analyses were performed on data set encompassing graduates of all six medical schools as well as on individual data sets from each school. For the combined data set the final model estimated 32% of the variance in performance on licensing exams, highlighting variables such as Age at Admission, Sex, Biomedical Knowledge, the first post-clerkship OSCE, and a clerkship theta score. Individual school analysis explained 41-60% of the variance in MCCQE1 outcomes, with comparable variables to the analysis from of the combined data set identified as significant independent variables. Therefore, strongly emphasising the need for variety of high-quality assessment on the educational continuum. This study underscores the importance of sharing data to enable educational insights. This study also had its challenges when it came to the access and aggregation of data. As such we advocate for the establishment of a common framework for multi-institutional educational research, facilitating studies and evaluations across diverse institutions. This study demonstrates the scientific potential of collaborative data analysis in enhancing educational outcomes. It offers a deeper understanding of the factors influencing performance on licensure exams and emphasizes the need for addressing data gaps to advance multi-institutional research for educational improvements.

The mental health treatment gap remains wide across the world despite mental illness being a significant cause of disability globally. Both end-user and healthcare provider perspectives are critical to understanding barriers to mental healthcare and developing interventions. However, the views of providers are relatively understudied. In this review, we synthesized findings from current literature regarding providers' perspectives on barriers to mental healthcare in Canada. We searched Medline, PsycINFO, Embase, and CINAHL for eligible Canadian studies published since 2000. Analysis and quality assessment were conducted on the included studies. Of 4,773 reports screened, 29 moderate-high quality studies were reviewed. Five themes of barriers emerged: health systems availability and complexity (reported in 72% of the studies), work conditions (55%), training/education (52%), patient accessibility (41%), and identity-based sensitivity (17%). Common barriers included lack of resources, fragmented services, and gaps in continuing education. Interestingly, clinicians often cited confusion in determining the ideal service for patients due to an overwhelming number of potential services without clear descriptions. These five domains of barriers present a synthesized review of areas of improvement for mental healthcare spanning both patients and clinicians. Canadian mental health systems face a need to improve capacity, clinician training, and in particular service navigability and collaboration.

School dropout is a significant issue in distance learning, and early detection is crucial for addressing the problem. Our study aims to create a binary classification model that anticipates students' activity levels based on their current achievements and engagement on a Canadian Distance learning Platform. Predicting student dropout, a common classification problem in educational data analysis, is addressed by utilizing a comprehensive dataset that includes 49 features ranging from socio-demographic to behavioral data. This dataset provides a unique opportunity to analyze student interactions and success factors in a distance learning environment. We have developed a student profiling system and implemented a predictive approach using XGBoost, selecting the most important features for the prediction process. In this work, our methodology was developed in Python, using the widely used sci-kit-learn package. Alongside XGBoost, logistic regression was also employed as part of our combination of strategies to enhance the models predictive capabilities. Our work can accurately predict student dropout, achieving an accuracy rate of approximately 82% on unseen data from the next academic year.

Social contagion, the process whereby psychological states spread from one person to another, is a pervasive phenomenon. However, this has not been adequately explored in the educational context, especially in relation to the social contagion between principals and teachers. This study aimed to examine the social contagion of job satisfaction from principals to teachers and its implications for instructional quality (i.e., clarity of instruction and cognitive activation). We made use of the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018 data and drew on 47,315 teachers and 3008 principals from two cultural groups: Confucian societies (Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and Shanghai) and English-speaking societies (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United States, and United Kingdom). Results of multilevel mediation analyses revealed that principal job satisfaction was related to teacher job satisfaction, providing support for the principal-teacher job satisfaction contagion. The job satisfaction contagion was subsequently associated with teachers' clarity of instruction and cognitive activation in Confucian societies, but only cognitive activation in English-speaking societies. Teacher job satisfaction was associated with both instructional quality indicators in both cultural groups. The study provided evidence of the social contagion of job satisfaction between principals and teachers. Study results also demonstrated how the contagion of job satisfaction is subsequently associated with teachers' instructional quality across different cultural contexts.

Children show less positivity toward gender-nonconforming (GN) than gender-conforming (GC) peers. Yet, little is known about children's reasoning about peers of varying gender expressions, including age-, gender-, and culture-related influences. We investigated how children aged 4- to 5- and 8- to 9-years-old in Hong Kong and Canada (N = 678) reason about their moral judgments of GC and GN peers. After viewing vignettes describing GC and GN boys and girls, we asked children whether each target peer's behavior was right or wrong and why they thought so. We coded children's reasoning using a new coding scheme developed via inductive content analysis. Overall, children's most commonly used reasoning styles were global standard, personal choice, gender stereotypes, "don't know," and others' welfare. Children used more gender stereotype-related reasoning when they were older and from Hong Kong, appraising the GN boy, or when they perceived the target's behavior as wrong. In contrast, children reasoned based on personal choice more when they were from Canada or when they perceived the target's behavior as right. These findings inform how age-, gender-, and culture-related factors are associated with children's reasoning about the acceptability or appropriateness of varying kinds of childhood gendered behavior. They provide insights regarding children's appraisals of different gender expressions by illuminating not only how they view GC and GN peers but also, from their own perspectives, why they do so. These insights have implications for strategies aimed at decreasing gender-related biases and increasing children's acceptance of gender diversity.

Final-year nursing students are known to face high levels of stress due to increased demands in academics and clinical practicum. In this study, a virtual peer mentoring program was pilot-tested, involving alumni as mentors. Using a mixed-methods approach, we sought to describe the acceptability, feasibility and satisfaction associated with the intervention. Study intervention involved: (a) orientation, (b) mindful self-compassion training workshop, and (c) virtual mentorship interactions for nine months. Evaluation of study variables was done at the completion of training and at the end of the virtual peer mentoring program via self-reported questionnaires and interviews. The current virtual peer mentoring intervention was deemed acceptable, feasible and satisfactory to mitigate challenges for final-year nursing students. The virtual component of the study was considered to be convenient and appropriate, however, future mentoring interventions could be more effective by employing a form of mixed-contact involving both virtual and in-person interactions.

A lack of dialogue and collaboration between researchers and practitioners has been recognized in the field of second language education. Social media platforms such as X/Twitter have potential for connecting professionals in the teaching of English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) community and supporting professional learning and research; however, studies of TESOL professionals' uses of X/Twitter have only examined posts/tweets from a limited number of communities marked by hashtags/ keywords. This study identified 23 hashtags relevant to TESOL instruction for adults in the Canadian context and used them as search parameters to extract a data set of 4,833 posts/tweets. Eighty-two North American university professors who had published in the field of TESOL, were selected and searched for on X/Twitter. Upon locating 15 X/Twitter professor accounts, all 272 posts/tweets posted over the one-year period, were extracted. Two content analyses were conducted to infer the purpose of the posts/ tweets and identify the hashtags used by the professors. Results reveal considerable variation in the professors' and other TESOL community members' uses of X/Twitter and suggest that the two groups participate in rather separate X/Twitter communities. Recommendations for maximizing X/Twitter as a tool for professional learning and research and fostering the research-practice link are provided.

Different variants of the selected-response (SR) item type have been developed for various reasons (i.e., simulating realistic situations, examining critical-thinking and/or problem-solving skills). Generally, the variants of SR item format are more complex than the traditional multiple-choice (MC) items, which may be more challenging to test takers and thus may discourage their test engagement on low-stakes assessments. Low test-taking effort has been shown to distort test scores and thereby diminish score validity. We used data collected from a large-scale assessment to investigate how variants of the SR item format may impact test properties and test engagement. Results show that the studied variants of SR item format were generally harder and more time consuming compared to the traditional MC item format, but they did not show negative impact on test-taking effort. However, item position had a dominating influence on nonresponse rates and rapid-guessing rates in a cumulative fashion, even though the effect sizes were relatively small in the studied data.

Purpose: The Canadian university where this study took place has established an international exchange program in teacher education with a large Chinese university. This study was designed to examine how the international exchange program influenced Chinese science teacher candidates' understanding of science education and how such learning impacted their teaching in China. Design/Approach/Methods: The study adopted a qualitative research design with interview and reflective journal as the main approaches for data collection. Findings: Participants greatly appreciated the opportunity of exchange. They reported an improved understanding of Canadian school education and its science curriculum and pedagogy, which changed many aspects of their original values about the relationship between the teacher and students, classroom environment, and so on. Although they faced many constraints to implement what they learned from the exchange in Chinese science classrooms, what they learned had never been forgotten. Participants tried to apply them here and there at the level they could control. Originality/Value: There are many reported studies in the literature about Chinese international students on Western campuses. However, research on Chinese students who participate in international exchange programs is very rare. The findings of this study can inform policymakers and education practitioners about student international exchange programs and benefit future exchange participants.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) indicates that education for global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity should be embedded at all levels of curricula. In this paper, we share findings from an analysis of curriculum documents in Victoria, Australia and Québec, Canada that identified learning related to this goal and explored the potential depth of intercultural understanding (ICU) this may lead to. While we view ICU as linking directly to the SDG4 aim of developing learners' global citizenship, we also investigated the extent to which ICU transcends the appreciation of cultural diversity or 'other' cultures. Our findings suggest that in both contexts, ICU could be categorised into three key dimensions: a focus on similarities and differences, a focus on reflection and self, and a focus on transformation. In addition, there was little evidence of interculturality beyond the cultures of immigrants. Given the history in both contexts, we identify that interculturality must also involve more inclusion of Indigenous cultures within the curriculum for all students to ensure transformative intercultural outcomes are maximised.

Vice-principals' (VPs) work is intensifying in its complexity and volume but the changing nature of their work is not thoroughly documented. This article focuses on the often-overlooked VP's role and records the factors that evidence the intensifying work conditions for VPs. The data for this article come from a large-scale online survey that has been distributed among the VP members of the Ontario Principals' Council (OPC). The research findings comprehensively document the increasingly complex and multifaceted nature of VPs' work and highlight the specific challenges facing VPs, particularly in the areas of motivation and expectation gap, duties and responsibilities, policy influence, challenges and possibilities, emotional well-being and coping, and mentoring. This study provides evidence of the need to reexamine the role of VPs and an urgency to provide targeted training, mentorship and professional development to VPs so that they can flourish in their roles.

This study uses bibliometric techniques to explore the international knowledge base on climate change education (CCE), which considers education as crucial for addressing the climate emergency through fostering climate-literate citizens. Analyzing two decades of scientific literature on CCE, we identify evolving considerations, foci, trends, and recommendations, examining a total of 1,264 articles published between 2000 and 2022 in educational-related fields in Web of Science. Using bibliometric techniques, we assessed research trends, author co-citations and journal citations to reveal an evolving publication landscape, including shifts in locations of productive researchers, influential articles, and leading journals publishing CCE studies. Bibliometric techniques help to identify the intellectual knowledge structure and inter-journal referencing, encompassing Theoretical Basis of CCE, Psychology of CCE and Communication, Climate Change within Socioscientific Issues, Conceptions of Climate Change, and Epistemology in CCE. Based on the trends, association networks, limitations and gaps revealed by this analysis, we conclude with suggestions for future research.

While well-being of school principals is becoming an increasing concern in public education, the understanding of well-being and its manifestation is still lacking in research. This research tackles the nuances and complexities surrounding the notion of well-being and sheds light on its conceptualisation, manifestation, and contributing factors. Data for this research come from an online survey among public school principals in the province of British Columbia, Canada. This survey research utilised reliability, factor, correlation analysis, and structural equation modelling (SEM) and examined how well-being of school principals is manifested along different well-being dimensions and what underlying relationships exist between each dimension in relation to principals' overall well-being and their demographics. The results reaffirm that well-being is a multidimensional construct, encompassing dimensions that speak to different but interrelated aspects of a principal's well-being state, among which emotional and psychological well-being has been revealed as a vital component in principals' overall well-being. The findings have significant implications on health and well-being related support for school principals in order to prepare them for the increasingly demanding job.

When the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching was established in 1905, universities in Canada and Newfoundland were eligible for participation in a pension fund for faculty and grants to universities. Canadian universities were quick to seek access to the Carnegie pension plan and for support from the Corporation. Access to both programs came with strings attached, including recommendations of educational studies commissioned by the Foundation, six of which addressed Canadian higher education specifically. As attractive as the prospect of Carnegie support was, it posed a dilemma for many universities and self-regulated professions associated with them in regard of mandate and autonomy. This study investigates how Canadian universities and the professional societies associated with them responded to the studies, found ways to take advantage of the reports, or in some cases make compromises to manage the internal conflicts that arose from them, and finally their embryonic introduction of the concept planned systems of higher education.

Instructional quality is associated with better academic outcomes for students. This study aimed to investigate how teachers' job satisfaction was associated with clarity of instruction and cognitive activation as measures of instructional quality. In addition, we investigated whether this association between teachers' job satisfaction and instructional quality was mediated by teacher-student relationships. Drawing on the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), we compared participants from both Eastern (N = 27,106; Japan, Taipei, Korea, Shanghai) and Western sociocultural contexts (N = 20,209; Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United States, United Kingdom). Multilevel structural equation modelling results indicated that teachers' job satisfaction was positively associated with instructional quality across Eastern and Western settings. The relationship between teachers' job satisfaction and instructional quality was partially mediated by better student-teacher relationships. There were some differences between the cultural settings in how job satisfaction correlated with clarity of instruction and cognitive activation. We suggest that these differences may be accounted for by cultural characteristics leading to different approaches to teaching. Our results suggest that teachers' job satisfaction and the quality of classroom-level relationships may be important indicators of positive instructional outcomes. While schools focus on student outcomes, they should also address teachers' job satisfaction and prioritise the importance of relationships between teachers and students in classrooms.

Emotion in second language acquisition (SLA) has recently received greater attention because it is largely implicated in daily conversations, which may affect second or foreign language (L2) use including listening comprehension. Most research into emotion and L2 listening comprehension is focused exclusively on anxiety, with an attempt to reduce its negative effects on individuals' listening performance. With the arrival of positive psychology in SLA, researchers began to take a holistic view of a wider range of emotions including enjoyment that language learners experience during their L2 communication. The current study explored the relationships among listening anxiety, enjoyment, listening comprehension performance, and listening metacognitive awareness among a group of 410 international students in a Canadian university. Correlational analyses showed that listening anxiety was negatively correlated with enjoyment. However, these two variables shared only 18% of their variance, indicating that listening anxiety and enjoyment are related but independent emotions. This study suggests that anxiety and enjoyment in L2 listening are not the opposite ends of the same emotional continuum, but each serves a different purpose. L2 learners should work to find intriguing and enjoyable experiences in language learning, rather than focusing merely on reducing anxiety.

When the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March 2020, the lives of families all over the world were disrupted. Many adults found themselves working from home while their children were unable to go to school. To better understand the potential impact of these educational disruptions, it is important to establish what learning looked like during the first school shutdown in the spring of 2020, particularly for the youngest learners who may feel the longest lasting impacts from this pandemic. Therefore, the purpose of the current descriptive study was to gather information on how kindergarten teaching and learning occurred during this time, what the biggest barriers were, and what concerns educators had regarding returning in person to the classroom setting. The sample for the current study was 2569 kindergarten educators (97.6% female; 74.2% teachers, 25.8% early childhood educators) in Ontario, Canada. Participants completed a questionnaire consisting of both quantitative scales and qualitative open-ended questions. Educators reported that parents most often contacted them regarding technological issues or how to effectively support their child. The largest barrier to learning was the ability of both parents and educators to balance work, home life, and online learning/teaching. With regards to returning to school, educators were most concerned about the lack of ability of kindergarten aged children to do tasks independently and to follow safety protocols. Our findings highlight unique challenges associated with teaching kindergarten during the pandemic, contributing to our understanding of the learning that occurred in Ontario during the first COVID-19 shutdown.

Emotion is central to principals' daily operation of schools. As principals' work is intensifying, principals are increasingly encountering emotionally charged situations on a daily basis. This article uses data from a large provincial survey to explore what time demand factors contribute to these emotionally draining situations that principals are experiencing in the context of work intensification. An ordinal logit regression that is commonly employed for the analysis of ordinal categorical data was used for data analysis. The findings reveal that the time demands, such as the fast work pace, long work hours and lack of time, all work in concert to increase the likelihood of emotionally draining situations among school principals. As principals try to manage emotional situations, these contributing factors are far beyond their control. The unmanageable time demands can leave principals feeling frustrated and vulnerable and evoke negative emotions that adversely impact their own well-being as well as their schools.

First-year mathematics instructors at universities across North America and the globe have been noticing a decline in the mathematics skills and preparation of their incoming students, who have been failing out of first-year mathematics courses at alarming rates. Though some universities have implemented placement or diagnostic tests to measure students' preparedness, many still use high school grades as the only indicator of readiness for university mathematics. However, researchers have questioned how effective these high school grades are at predicting success in university mathematics classes due to factors such as mis-aligned teaching methods, curriculum, and grade inflation. This study analyzes the relationship between grade 12 Pre-Calculus grades and first year university Calculus grades at a large Canadian university over the period from 2001-2015 in an attempt to quantify previous research in a large-scale, longitudinal manner. Results show that there is a significant disconnect between these grades, that the disconnect has been growing over time, and that it is is quite significant for students who are not performing well at the Calculus level. Recommendations moving forward include the implementation of placement examination in a wide-scale manner, and increased communication and collaboration between K-12 and university mathematics educators and administrators.

Internationally educated nurses' (IENs) English language proficiency is critical to professional licensure as communication is a key competency for safe practice. The Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses (CELBAN) is Canada's only Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) referenced examination used in the context of healthcare regulation. This high-stakes assessment claims proof of proficiency for IENs seeking licensure in Canada and a measure of public safety for nursing regulators. Understanding the quality of rater performance when examination results are used for high-stakes decisions is crucial to maintaining speaking test quality as it involves judgement, and thus requires strong reliability evidence (Koizumi et al., 2017). This study examined rater performance on the CELBAN Speaking component using a Many-Facets Rasch Measurement (MFRM). Specifically, this study identified CELBAN rater reliability in terms of consistency and severity, rating bias, and use of rating scale. The study was based on a sample of 115 raters across eight test sites in Canada and results on 2698 examinations across four parallel versions. Findings demonstrated relatively high inter-rater reliability and intra-rater reliability, and that CLB-based speaking descriptors (CLB 6-9) provided sufficient information for raters to discriminate examinees' oral proficiency. There was no influence of test site or test version, offering validity evidence to support test use for high-stakes purposes. Grammar, among the eight speaking criteria, was identified as the most difficult criterion on the scale, and the one demonstrating most rater bias. This study highlights the value of MFRM analysis in rater performance research with implications for rater training. This study is one of the first research studies using MFRM with a CLB-referenced high-stakes assessment within the Canadian context.

How does a person decide whether she or he is willing to communicate? Dual-process theories have been influential in the literature on the psychology of making judgments and decisions. Dual-process theories make a distinction between cognitive processes that are fast, automatic, and unconscious (also called 'experiential' thinking) and those that are slow, deliberative, and conscious (also called 'rational' thinking). The study assesses differences in willingness to communicate (WTC) ratings made based on rational and experiential processes, and differences between native to second language WTC. Data were collected from a sample of 84 students in Iran and 82 students in Canada. Both groups assessed their WTC using English as a second language in Iran and as a native language in the Canadian sample. Data analysis showed that a preference for using rational thinking, as measured by the Rational-Experiential Inventory (Pacini & Epstein, 1999), was correlated with WTC ratings made fast and slow, but only in the second language. We also found WTC ratings were significantly higher when made fast compared to slow, regardless of language group. Pedagogical implications are discussed with advice to teachers how to capitalize on rational thinking and to avoid hesitation in communication.

Job demands overburden school administrators' personal and professional capacity and affect their performance and well-being. However, studies on principals and vice-principals' work intensification fail to highlight how their work demands and challenges are manifested, and how work demands contribute to the changing nature of their work. This qualitative study explores in what ways job demands are manifested in school administers' intensified work conditions and how their perceptions of job demands help them create a sense of control. The study utilizes the job demands model as a framework to help closely examine two types of job demands: job challenges; and job hindrances though principals' accounts. The results show that job challenges tend to be transitory and are more likely to be overcome; job hindrances however tend to be more institutional and less temporary and harder to overcome. Attempting to deal with job challenges the same as dealing with job hindrances may become challenging itself and build up rather than alleviate work-related stress among school principals.

The COVID-19 outbreak has had a significant influence on all aspects of society, and it is necessary to comprehend the responses of various stakeholders as well as the challenges that higher education has encountered in the aftermath of the outbreak. This study systematically analyses the measures taken by higher education stakeholders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges faced by higher education in the post-COVID-19 era. To analyse the actions taken by higher education stakeholders and the challenges that remain, this study critically analyses government policy documents, reports from international organisations and perspectives of experts in the field of higher education, studies from Chinese journals, and international scientific literature. While stakeholders responded quickly during the outbreak, providing financial and material assistance, developing online learning, and facilitating international student mobility, the study finds that these measures are insufficient when compared to those in other sectors, and higher education stakeholders' responses to COVID-19 have been fragmented, uncoordinated, and fraught with conflict and ambivalence. The study finds that higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic faces multiple challenges, with COVID-19 exacerbating inequities in educational access and educational achievement due to uneven educational infrastructure and resource allocation. The availability of infrastructure and the lack of preparedness of faculty and students have dimmed large-scale experiments in online education. Future international student mobility patterns may need to be restructured.

Teaching-learning approaches of university faculty increasingly include supporting their own wellbeing, as well as that of their students. Engaging in mindful practices has the potential to increase faculty capacity for reflexivity and compassion, which they can incorporate into their teaching-learning. However, few faculty have knowledge and skill of such practices. The aim of this mixed-method study was to pilot-test a mindfulness intervention designed to build faculty capacity for mindful practices. Faculty from an urban university in Canada participated in a three-workshop series on mindful practices, which they were then encouraged to practice and bring into their classrooms. Data collection included pre and post-test measures of mindfulness, wellbeing and self-compassion. Qualitative focus-group interviews were conducted at the end of the study. Mindfulness scores significantly increased. While wellbeing and self-compassion scores also improved, the change was not statistically significant. Faculty described potential benefits and barriers to applying mindful approaches in the classroom. Mindful practices were well received by faculty and show promise in supporting their wellbeing and the quality of their teaching-learning. Further research is required to address how best to position faculty to engage in mindful practices in a sustainable way to also enhance the quality of students' teaching-learning experience.

Willingness to communicate (WTC) reflects an intersection between instructed second language acquisition and learner psychology. WTC results from the coordinated interaction among complex processes that prepare second language (L2) learners to choose to use their L2 for authentic communication. Prior research has revealed considerable complexity in the influences on dynamic changes in WTC from moment-to-moment. The heuristic 'pyramid model' of WTC (MacIntyre et al., 1998) proposes interactions among approximately 30 different variables that may influence WTC. The present study uses the pyramid model to interpret data from three focal participants, all English as a second language (ESL) learners and international students in Canada, with varying degrees of experience in an English-speaking context. Using the idiodynamic method, all participants were recorded while describing a self-selected, personally meaningful photo. Second, participants rated their WTC in English using software that played a recording of their speech and collected continuous WTC ratings. Finally, participants were interviewed about their WTC ratings. Triangulating the data revealed how processes on multiple timescales interact during L2 communication about the photos. WTC changes as speakers' motivations and emotions are influenced by the deep, personal relevance of the topics under discussion. Pedagogical implications for the results of this study and the use of the idiodynamic method in L2 classrooms are discussed.

Mindfulness-based approaches have been shown to be effective in improving the mental health of parents of youth and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities, but prior work suggests that geography and caregiving demands can make in-person attendance challenging. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary outcomes of a mindfulness-based group intervention delivered to parents virtually. It was feasible to deliver this manualized intervention. Twenty-one of 39 parents completed the intervention and completers reported high satisfaction ratings. Parents reported reduced levels of distress, maintained at 3-month follow-up, and increased mindfulness. Changes reported following intervention were similar to changes reported in a prior study of parents competing an in person mindfulness group.

Physical activity has several mental and psychological health benefits for students. Various studies in western countries have shown evidence of a relationship between physical activity and academic anxiety. Further, researchers have suggested testing the mechanism of this relationship. In this study, we aim to test the association between physical activity and academic anxiety of Canadian university students and to examine whether the mediation of self-enhancement and self-criticism explains this relationship. Four hundred and forty-two university students participated in the study. Structural equation modeling was applied to develop multiple mediation models. Results revealed that physical activity does not directly affect academic anxiety, but indirectly through self-enhancement and self-criticism. Based on the study findings, it is recommended that physical activity be promoted among students to promote self-enhancement, minimize negative thinking and self-criticism, and reduce their academic anxiety.

This study examines principals' job satisfaction in relation to their work intensification. Frederick Herzberg's two-factor theory was used to shed light on how motivating and maintenance factors affect principals' job satisfaction. Logistic multiple regressions were used in the analysis of survey data that were collected from 2,701 elementary and secondary school principal members of the Ontario Principals' Council in Ontario, Canada. Approximately 1,423 valid cases were used in data analysis. Results show that principals' work intensification affects their job satisfaction. As a result of work intensification, motivating factors, such as workplace challenge, recognition from the employer, and work demand; and maintenance factors such as external policy influence, organizational support, principals' relationships with teachers, superintendents, and unions are having a significant impact on principals' job satisfaction. These factors affect the extent to which they are able to contribute effectively to improving student achievement and school performance.

This research critically analyzes the introduction of the Express Entry system in Canada, requiring foreign nationals to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) and wait for an invitation before being allowed to apply for permanent residence. Drawing on available empirical data, I argue that this reform jeopardized international students' chance to become permanent residents. Despite recent modifications that intended to improve their situation, the pathways to permanent residence of international students are still restricted. Particularly, international PhD students are negatively impacted as the previously existing PhD stream under the Federal Skilled Worker Program covertly disappeared from the current regime. This research concludes with suggestions on how to further modify the current immigration system to facilitate international students' transitions into Canada.

This qualitative study intends to highlight social injustices that appear of the greatest concern to school leaders. Semi-structured interviews were used to glean data on principals' work contexts, their perceptions of social in/justices, and relevant anecdotes, stories, and examples. Twenty-one elementary and secondary school principals were interviewed in the Greater Toronto Area. The discussion of the salient issues as identified by principals entails presenting various forms of injustices, and explaining how each relates, overlaps, and interacts to affect students' lives. Essentially, it prompts us to rethink oppression and injustice in schools and the actions required in response.

Children with autism spectrum disorder have a high risk of vision problems yet little is known about their vision care. This cross-sectional survey study, therefore, examined vision care among 351 children with autism spectrum disorder ages 6-17 years in the United States or Canada who were enrolled in the Autism Treatment Network Registry. Vision care variables were vision tested with pictures, shapes, or letters in the past 2 years; vision tested by an eye care practitioner (e.g. ophthalmologist, optometrist) in the past 2 years; prescribed corrective eyeglasses; and wore eyeglasses as recommended. Covariates included sociodemographic, child functioning, and family functioning variables. Multivariable models were fit for each vision care variable. Though 78% of children with autism spectrum disorder had their vision tested, only 57% had an eye care practitioner test their vision in the past 2 years. Among the 30% of children with autism spectrum disorder prescribed corrective eyeglasses, 78% wore their eyeglasses as recommended. Multivariable analysis results demonstrated statistically significant differences in vision care among children with autism spectrum disorder by parent education, household income, communication abilities, intellectual functioning, and caregiver strain. Overall, study results suggest many school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder do not receive recommended vision care and highlight potentially modifiable disparities in vision care.

The work of contemporary school principals is intensifying in terms of complexity and volume. Many factors moderate and drive such work intensification. More than ever before, school principals are expected to build relationships with organizations and agencies connected to the student and school community. Using findings generated from a large-scale survey of 1,400 Ontario principals, this paper reports on the influence of opportunities for school--community involvement on the work principals do on a daily basis and details how involvement in such activities influences and impacts their workloads. Survey findings indicate that principals are engaged in an average of 4.4 community involvement opportunities at the school level. Almost two-thirds of principals reported that school-community involvement increases their workload. Four ways in which work intensification influences principals' ventures in school-community involvement are also identified, including how school-community involvement leaves less time for direct instructional leadership practices.

We examine recent research across countries and cultures in regard to the issues related to the formation of gifted and talented education perspectives, policies, and practices. Many modern cultures and subcultures have developed formal and informal definitions of what it means to be gifted and talented, and when we compare the perceptions, policies, and practices across nations, we discover very different constructs of intelligence and ability. These understandings of giftedness and gifted and talented education can be grouped into four binary dimensions, scholarly versus co-curricular capabilities, aptitude versus achievement, nature versus nurture, and individualistic versus collective, that have significant implications for policy and practice. These constructs can serve as a foundation for countries that are looking to formalize or expand their gifted and talented education models or can be used to challenge the norms of established systems. We put forward recommendations to address some of the challenges in advancing gifted education cross-nationally, an area that is often assumed to introduce risks of enlarging social inequity. We also provide a cross-national matrix that captures known elements of gifted education policies and programs from over 20 subnational jurisdictions, countries, and world regions.

This article will discuss how open educational resources and instructional technology are used to support student academic success and continuous faculty pedagogical development, as well as reduce barriers to access at an R1 university. This article uses case examples from two instructors from a Mathematics and Computational Sciences department who are using open educational resources and instructional technology as part of an inclusive active learning pedagogy. The first case study is from an integral calculus course and the second case study is from a discrete mathematics course. The article highlights the role of the educational developer in providing pedagogical and technological support to the faculty. The support the educational developer provides is framed by an inclusive pedagogy that foregrounds access and accessibility. Future considerations provided in the article highlight the need for connections and collaborations supported through a Teaching and Learning Collaboration with an emphasis on active learning, classroom training, and open educational resources to create more pedagogically comprehensive and inclusive learning environments.

With an increasing number of international students coming to Canada for higher education, Canadian universities are offering diverse English language improvement programs (ELIPs) to improve international students' English proficiency. However, some Chinese international students struggle to pass such programs and eventually withdraw. This study examines the living and learning experiences of Chinese international students who dropped out of ELIPs and identifies the factors associated with their decisions to drop out. The findings indicate that Chinese international students dropped out due to academic failure that was related to low learning motivation, lack of time management and self-regulation, and insufficient academic and social integration. Implications for educators in higher education, study support services, and students are presented.

Differentiated instruction has been identified as the most effective means of addressing the various learning, cultural, ethnic, and socio-economic differences within inclusive classrooms. The purpose of this study is to review and evaluate the professional preparation that Canadian elementary school teachers are offered in their university programmes regarding inclusive education and differentiated instruction, and to compare that level of preparation with individual provincial policies regarding inclusive education. All the Canadian university programmes that offer a bachelor degree in education in elementary education were reviewed (N = 53) for the number of courses and course credits they include regarding education in differentiated instruction or inclusive education practices and the programmes were compared within and between provinces. The results indicate that the majority of elementary school pre-service teachers receive an introduction to inclusive teaching practices. On average, 7.2% of the course credits in Canadian bachelor of education programmes are dedicated to introducing pre-service teachers to inclusive or differentiated teaching practices. Pre-service teachers entering the workforce will likely require additional professional development and support to effectively differentiate their instruction to meet the needs of diverse student populations. The results of this review have implications for universities, school administrators, teachers, and other education professionals.

Despite existing studies on teachers' emotional labour having been primarily correlational in nature, most researchers to date have assumed teachers' emotional labour to predict well-being outcomes (e.g. job satisfaction, burnout). Moreover, although it is commonly understood that teachers strategically manipulate their expressions of emotions (e.g. intentional displays of anger or disappointment) as effective classroom management strategies, the predictive relationship between their emotional labour and student engagement lacks empirical investigation. The present short-term longitudinal study addresses these research gaps by evaluating the directionality of relationships between teachers' emotional labour, psychological well-being, and perceived student engagement in 1,086 Canadian practicing teachers. Structural equation modelling analyses showed both teachers' well-being and perceived student engagement to directly predict their use of emotional labour strategies rather than vice versa. Further theoretical and pedagogical development implications are discussed.

This phenomenological study provided an in-depth description of the internal meaning of the lived experiences of Canadian-born and foreign-born Chinese students in Canada and uncovered the differences in their social experiences. The study used semi-structured interviews to allow the participants to express their views on their lives in Northern Ontario, Canada. Four themes emerged: (a) perceptions of ethnic identity; (b) cultural integration; (c) perceptions of academic performance and (d) the effect of Canadian education on career options. The study revealed that Canadian-born Chinese students differed from their foreign-born counterparts in their viewpoints on ethnic identity; their perceptions concerning acculturation; and academic performance. They shared similarities in their views about Canadian and Chinese educational systems, teaching styles, and their career expectations.