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Islamic education (Madrasah) mostly accepts students with economic backgrounds whose parents are poor. their psychological performance is low as they lack self-confidence, and also lack achievement motivation. In strengthening psychological performance, it can be intervened through students' participation both in student organizations and extracurricular activities in school. This study aimed to determine the development of positive values in students at the educational unit level and the follow-up of its development at the ministerial level. This research used descriptive qualitative approach by observing, interviewing and collecting supporting documents. Research subjects and informants were sampled from the education unit level and the ministry level. Data validity was performed by triangulation sources and methods, while data analysis method employed interactive analysis. The results indicate that the development of positive values in students at the educational unit level includes academic skills development, social-emotional development, leadership development and self-confidence in all areas of extracurricular activities. Follow-up development at the ministerial level is in the form of competitions within the framework of developing these skills. This finding explains the importance of extracurricular activities to improve a positive personality and the character of Islamic secondary school students. With this, every school must try to encourage and design the right steps for students involved in extracurricular activities.

Difficulties of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity frequently cooccur with learning disabilities (LD) in childhood (Riccio et al., 1994; Silver, 2004), and are associated with increased risk for maladaptive academic and social-emotional outcomes (Morrison & Cosden, 1997; Bender, 2008). The present study endeavored to further our understanding of protective factors for children with LD who have co-occurring ADHD symptoms by examining the moderating role of the student-teacher relationship. Data was collected from teachers of students with LD who presented with ADHD symptoms in nine public schools. The sample included 81 students: 54 boys and 27 girls (Age: M[subscript boys] = 12.0 (1.14) M[subscript girls] = 11.7 (1.20), M[subscript total] = 11.9(1.16); Grade: M[subscript boys] = 6.7 (1.12), M[subscript girls] = 6.5(1.19), M[subscript total] = 6.7(1.15)) and 79.5% were native English speakers. Step-wise regression analyses were performed to assess the moderating role of student-teacher closeness in the relationship between symptoms of ADHD and both academic and socioemotional resilience factors. Results supported that a close student-teacher relationship diminishes the negative associations between symptoms of ADHD and various academic and socioemotional markers, suggesting that students with LD are more resilient when they have a close relationship with their teachers. These findings are discussed in relation to existing literature and demonstrate the importance of promoting positive student-teacher relationships for students with LD.

Background: While there is now considerable evidence in support of a relationship between executive function (EF) and academic success, these findings almost uniformly derive from Western and high-income countries. Yet, recent findings from low- to -middle-income countries have suggested that patterns of EF and academic skills differ in these contexts, but there is little clarity on the extent, direction and nature of their association. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the contribution of EF to pre-academic skills in a sample of preschool children (N = 124; M[subscript age] = 50.91 months; 45% female). Setting: Two preschools were recruited from an urban setting in a community with both formal and informal housing, overcrowding, high levels of crime and violence, and poor service delivery. Three preschools were recruited from rural communities with household plots, a slow rate of infrastructure development, reliance on open fires for cooking, limited access to running water and rudimentary sanitation. Methods: Pre-academic skills were assessed using the Herbst Early Childhood Development Criteria test, and EF was assessed using the Early Years Toolbox. Results: Although EF scores appeared high and pre-academic skills were low (in norm comparisons), EF inhibition ([beta] = 0.23, p = 0.001) and working memory ([beta] = 0.25, p < 0.001) nevertheless showed strong prediction of pre-academic skills while shifting was not significant. Conclusion: While EF is an important predictor of pre-academic skills even in this low- and middle-income country context, factors in addition to EF may be equally important targets to foster school readiness in these settings. Contribution: The current study represents a first step towards an understanding of the current strengths that can be leveraged, and opportunities for additional development, in the service of preparing all children for the demands of school.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the classroom assessment practices of secondary school teachers in Shiwang'andu District, Muchinga Province, Zambia. The objectives were to: describe the assessments that were being used by teachers in sampled schools; determine teachers' use of classroom assessment results; as well as establish viewpoints of teachers about classroom assessments. The study adopted a descriptive survey design and targeted 62 respondents from 10 selected secondary schools including the District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) office. Simple random sampling was used to sample the teachers, while the Heads of Department and Head teachers were selected conveniently. Purposive sampling was used to sample the District Education Standards Officer (DESO) and the District Resource Centre Coordinator (DRCC). Questionnaires and key informant interviews were used as data collection tools with descriptive statistics and narrative analysis used as data analysis methods for quantitative and qualitative data respectively. The study established that there were more secondary school teachers that use traditional assessments (71%) as compared to those that use contemporary assessments (29%) in sampled schools. Additionally, most respondents (42%) said that they used classroom assessment results to point out the difficult learning areas, identifying what pupils think and how they think and what they understand. 34% of the respondents use classroom assessment results to diagnose the effectiveness and drawbacks of teaching methods. 24% of the respondents indicated that they use classroom assessment results to make decisions regarding pupils' grade retention and promotion. The results also indicate that the majority of the respondents (48%) were of the view that pupils should only recognize rather than generalize their own answers in classroom assessment tasks and the teacher should only evaluate the pupils based on mastery of skills and knowledge. 29% of the respondents indicated that pupils must be assessed in diverse modes and the teacher must give assessments that match with pupils' development level. 23% of the respondents said that pupils must be assessed beyond classroom environment and the teacher to give assessments that promote higher learning skills and problem solving. The Zambian Ministry of General Education and school administrators in Shiwangandu District should ensure that all teachers with teaching certificates go for further training and take more courses in assessment to improve their skills and use of up-to-date desirable classroom assessment practices.

This review presents how chess improves student abilities and underlines inferences about chess and its educational benefits. In this study, quantitative samples, experimental designs, or test scores of studies are not the main focus. Numerous empirical studies and limited review studies about chess instruction in the literature express the effect of chess on students' success and mental skills. However, almost all of these studies address only positive effects; this review attempts to explain "how" chess achieves this success. What are the other components of this effect? Is it possible to determine how chess impacts education? The question is how and why chess is considered so effective. Is it possible to present examples by linking basic features of chess, lessons, and cognitive structures?

Learning needs to develop student's critical thinking because critical thinking is at the core of knowledge construction. Both high and low-ability students should be encouraged to develop critical thinking skills. This research aimed to determine the effect of integrating the Think Pair Share (TPS) and Problem Based Learning (PBL) strategies on closing the critical thinking gap between higher and lower academic skill. The research design is quasi-experimental and was conducted using a pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group design conducted in Kota Metro Lampung in Indonesia. Data on critical thinking skills were obtained by essay tests targeting the ability to formulate problems, argue, deduce, induce, and evaluate. Data were analysed using ANCOVA. It was found that there was an effect of TPS and PBL integration on critical thinking ability. There was no effect of the interaction between learning method and academic ability which led to this increase in critical thinking. TPS and PBL integration were effective in improving the critical thinking of lower-ability students in biology learning by about 24.63%. The researcher suggests that the teachers need to implement TPS and PBL integration in biology learning.

This study aims to examine how five-year-old children demonstrate their learning through mathematical games in preschool settings in Palestine. It also explored the perspectives of children and teachers of different stages of play. The sample consisted of 90 children and 6 teachers. Children were guided to a wide range of mathematical games. Children roamed freely and explored by themselves at first, and then teachers provided suitable environments and instructions to facilitate children's experiences and learning afterward. Qualitative research methods were utilised using different research instruments, including observational notes, teacher interviews, children interviews, and reflective journals. The results show that mathematical games opened new horizons for children to investigate, discover and create mathematical concepts. It allowed children to use their creativity and develop their imagination, skilfulness, and other strengths. The children learned scientific concepts, and their problem-solving ability was enhanced and expanded. The results also indicate that teachers were able to broaden their perspectives regarding students' learning abilities as they observed children invent their games and express their interests with limited support from their teachers. In light of these results, it is recommended that children's learning through play should be promoted in Palestinian preschool settings.

This small-scale study explored the presence of collaborative metacognitive talk (CMT) during collaborative problem solving (CPS) in a Scottish primary mathematics class. Content analysis was conducted on student and teacher group interactions during CPS (n = 12 students in 3 groups × 3 sessions). The largest proportion of CMT was teacher--student, suggesting the use of a dyadic teaching approach between teacher and student as opposed to the teacher facilitating student--student CMT. A teacher focus group provided some tentative explanations as to why the dyadic approach might be adopted over a facilitative role to support student--student CMT, including focussing on strategy use, school culture around CPS, and teacher beliefs about learners' abilities. Implications for practice are discussed.

Purpose: Vocational education in Hong Kong suffers from an image problem. Stakeholders often perceive it as a second-best option for those who fail to advance in academic education. In 2016, to promote vocational education, the Hong Kong government launched a publicity campaign and rebranded vocational education and training (VET) as vocational and professional education and training (VPET). This study critically analyzes the new discourse crafted by this campaign and assesses its potential to change VPET's status. Design/methodology/approach: This study applies critical discourse analysis to the set of television public service advertisements produced as part of the government publicity campaign. Findings: The messaging of the publicity campaign consists of two major discursive strategies. One stresses the ability to find self-fulfillment through VPET. The other stresses the academic ability and middle-class status of VPET students as well as the non-manual and high-end career opportunities for graduates. While the first strategy offers a new basis on which to value VPET, the second recreates assumptions about the value of academic achievement and what constitutes respectable employment, even as it attempts to challenge stereotypes. It reinforces that the ultimate goal of education is financial gain and social status. It overlooks other values of education and the potential value of VPET in enhancing individual choice and agency. Research limitations/implications: Discourse analysis does not provide information about audience perceptions and interpretations. Social implications: The government could consider reframing their messaging in terms of the diverse values and experiences of VPET students. Highlighting the values that VPET students themselves see in their education provides alternative discourses that can better challenge hegemonic ideas. Originality/value: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first discourse analysis of the government's publicity campaign to promote VPET.

Students in the 21st century are expected to possess the ability to solve ill-defined complex problems (ICPs). One challenge to understanding students' ability to solve ICPs is the lack of methods for measuring noncognitive and metacognitive behaviors and relating those behaviors to cognitive behaviors with the goal of investigating differences in student performance across ability levels. Based on the principles of the synthetic intelligence (PSI) framework, this study utilized a computerized interactive assessment platform to design a multidimensional evaluation framework (including the four dimensions of perception, cognition, metacognition, and motivation) and analyzed log file data collected from 132 elementary students with regard to solving ICPs. The results revealed new problem-solving strategies among students in the high-achievement group, who spent more time constructing problem models. Due to their ability to exercise goal-oriented self-control, students in the high-achievement group were able to fully explore the information they needed to optimize their solutions. The results also revealed three types of behaviors that characterized differences in motivation, the most notable of which characterized students who succeeded after relentless attempts. This study also explains the interaction mechanism underlying mental processes based on the PSI framework. The findings suggested that educators can highlight differences between environmental stimuli and students' internal assumptions, encourage students to adopt strategies that disambiguate the task goal and object, and strengthen their ability to search for relevant information to improve their performance in solving ICPs. The results also provide a new paradigm for assessing problem-solving capabilities based on the PSI framework.

The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to investigate the relationship between academic self-efficacy, life goals and subjective well-being of middle school students. The study group for the research comprised 434 middle school students. According to the findings, subjective well-being was correlated at a significant level with academic self-efficacy and life goals. Regression analysis revealed that academic self-efficacy and life goals significantly explained subjective well-being. The research findings provide important data about variables related to the subjective well-being of middle school students. Due to the research results, studies to increase academic self-efficacy and develop life goals for middle school students will contribute to increasing students' subjective well-being. For experts working in the field, the research findings will encourage the emergence of new research ideas related to other variables associated with the subjective well-being of middle school students.

Coding ability has become an essential digital skill for young children. The graphical programming environment is valuable carrier for cultivating children's coding ability. The purpose of this study is to develop a coding ability test for children, to conduct a graphic coding intervention, and to further explore the impact of multiple factors on children's coding ability in ScratchJr intervention. First, the coding ability test for ScratchJr environment was developed based on Item Response Theory to measure kindergarten students' coding ability. The result showed that there are good reliability, content, and structural validity of the test question. Secondly, we conducted a 12-week ScratchJr coding activity teaching experiment on 162 kindergarten students. The analysis of the treated group and the control group showed that coding activity teaching can effectively improve the students' coding ability. Finally, this study analyzed the differences in children's coding ability in coding interest, and coding experience. The results showed that the coding ability was affected by coding experience and coding interest. More interestingly, it was found partial mediation effect among coding ability, coding experience and coding interest. Moreover, ScratchJr coding intervention can influence the direct effect of coding experience on coding ability by improving children's coding interest.

A STEM education program entitled "Come rain or shine" implemented in a primary rural school in southern Greece as part of the "Diffusion of STEM (DI-STEM)" project and the results of its implementation are presented in this paper. The educational program deepened in weather education and intended to develop eight scientific practices for primary students proposed by the NGSS. Students' pretest and posttest questionnaires revealed difficulties in adopting meteorological vocabulary and relative scientific practices through weather measurements in their local environment. Students' answers indicate a variety in their conceptual progress depending on the scientific practice being investigated. They showed great progress in "analyzing & interpreting data, and using mathematics," moderate progress in "developing & using models, and evaluating & communicating data)," limited progress in "asking questions & defining problems," and "planning & carrying out investigations" and a slight setback in "constructing explanations and engaging in argument from evidence." Possible explanations and relative teaching implications for successful STEM education in primary education are discussed.

Based on the information system success and situational strength theories, this study explores the moderating effect of learner quality and instructor quality on the relationship between information quality and student satisfaction with e-learning. Survey data were collected from 333 college students, and the proposed relationships were assessed using the SMARTPLS structural equation modeling tool. The direct relationship between information quality and student satisfaction is significant; however, the moderating effect of learner quality and instructor quality is insignificant. The moderating effects of learner and instructor quality have been less researched in the existing literature. This study contributes to uncovering the complex interactions between these variables and the relationship between information quality and satisfaction.

Upper secondary school students with a strong academic self-concept are more likely to complete their studies and thus increase their well-being in the future. Previous research on the big-fish-little-pond-effect (BFLPE) has thoroughly established the negative contrast effect of average group academic achievement on students' academic self-concept. Many of these studies have been criticised for assuming the underlying social comparison without testing it. Here, survey and registered data from 1,047 Icelandic adolescents are used to explore the role of social comparison in the BFLPE. Models of hierarchical regression showed that students' ideas about their relative position within their group of students mediated the effect of group average achievement on academic self-concept. This strengthens the assumption of social comparison being the underlying factor of the BFLPE. No assimilation effect between the type of school and academic self-concept was found. Implications for educators, school authorities, and policymakers are discussed.

In academic contexts, failure, as compared to success, is likely to threaten self-esteem and thus, to increase the risk of psychological disengagement from one's studies. The goal of the present research is to examine whether belief in school meritocracy (BSM) increases (vs. decreases) the effect of academic performance on self-esteem and psychological disengagement. In two pre-registered studies, university students reported their BSM. Their self-esteem and psychological disengagement were assessed following a manipulated (Study 1, N = 465) or actual (Study 2, N = 375) academic performance. Results indicated that, in both studies, BSM was positively related to performance self-esteem and negatively related to psychological disengagement. However, BSM also increased the effect of performance (manipulated or actual) on psychological disengagement. Indeed, failure led to more disengagement than success, but more so at a high level of BSM than at a lower level of BSM. The double-edge effects of belief in meritocracy are discussed.

Our study examined young children's pre-academic and social skills in relation to parental locus of control and children's behaviours of ADHD. The participants were parents of 1,502 children from four Chinese kindergartens (M[subscript age] = 4.59, SD = 0.93; Girls: 51.40%). Data on six domains of children's pre-academic and social skills, parental external and internal locus of control, and children's inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity were obtained with the Early Learning and Development for Children Aged 3 to 6 years, the Parental Locus of Control scale, and the ADHD Rating Scale-IV Preschool Home Version respectively. Hierarchical regression results showed that controlling for other variables, higher scores in parental external locus of control and child inattention behaviours significantly predicted lower scores in all six domains, while higher scores in internal locus of control and child hyperactivity/impulsivity behaviours predicted higher scores in all six domains (R[superscript 2] ranged from 18.0% to 47.0%). Noticeably, parental locus of control explained a smaller amount of the variance (1.0-5.0%) than behaviours of ADHD (5.0-11.0%) in the children's outcomes.

This essay considers what happens in the English classroom when teaching the same lesson to two classes considered to be of different levels of 'ability'. It explores what happens during a discussion about the fate of Eva Smith in "An Inspector Calls" when students' reading of a text diverges. I consider what teachers do when students' readings of a text goes against our expectations and accepted critical norms of both the teacher and the National Curriculum. Finally, I explore the potential problems with using retrieval practice as a way to manage divergent readings and interpretations in classroom discussion.

Purpose: This study investigates how the practice of dividing students and coursework into leveled categories persists in science education despite decades of efforts aimed at reducing inequities. This study makes underlying logics visible through an empirical analysis of how science educators attempt to reconcile an egalitarian vision of science for all students with divisive practices of grouping students and coursework into levels. Research Methods/Approach: This case study uses ethnographic methods during a 2-year period where researchers were embedded alongside teachers to investigate how a high school science department recreated hidden systems of leveled science coursework within a detracked institutional context. Data analysis draws on scholarship from Science and Technology Studies as well as organizational theory to examine how leveled categories are made through instructional logics built into teachers' work practice. Findings: Findings describe how certain students and science courses are categorized as "not honors material" through recursive discourses and practices that sort, divide, delay, and ultimately deny educational opportunities. Science teachers' instructional decision making was governed by two instructional logics: a mismatch logic and a not-yet-ready logic. These logics made it possible to enact stratification practices denying education opportunities to students seen as mismatched or unready for certain science coursework even as overt tracks were eliminated. Implications: Findings raise implications for current science education reform efforts aiming for greater equity, suggesting that categorization of science courses and students is entrenched in teachers' work practice and will need direct attention to dismantle.

Objective: The aim of this study was to capture the impact of COVID-19 on exercise behavior in U.S. college students. Exercise behaviors and perceived academic stress were examined from pre-COVID-19 (January-March 2020) and early-COVID-19 (April-July 2020) to continued-COVID-19 times (August-October 2020). Participants: One hundred and thirty-two participants completed the online questionnaires retrospectively. Methods: Two-way analyses of variance were used to examine exercise behaviors and academic stress perception over time between genders. Results: Participants spent much time in sedentary behavior and an increase in academic stress was evident in learning during the early-COVID-19 period. The time spent in sedentary behavior was reduced, but the stress involving coursework remained during the continued-COVID period. The impact of the COVID pandemic was observed to be universal across sex groups. Conclusions: Universities should consider how to support physical and mental health during lockdown and extended closure due to a pandemic.

The rapid development of mobile Internet has brought new development opportunities to college education and teaching. Taking university English teaching as the research object, this paper analyses the characteristics of mobile Internet in the classroom, WeChat platform, English learning app and other forms of teaching, the changes and influence of mobile Internet on English teaching, and its application in university English teaching. According to the actual teaching situation, a comprehensive evaluation system based on the learning process and results was established. The results show that the university English teaching model based on mobile Internet and the innovative evaluation and examination system can effectively improve the teaching efficiency and students' independent and sustainable learning ability. Through the reform of university English teaching, students' academic performance and learning ability have been improved. The research results are of great practical significance for promoting the reform and innovative practice of university English teaching.

Children possess different beliefs regarding their ability to succeed in math and science, as well as different levels of enjoyment and interest in these topics. These motivational processes are important because they often shape learning-related behaviours which in turn predict academic outcomes, over and above previous performance. But, what are the potential sources of influence that could explain individual differences in children's academic self-concept and interest in math and science? In this registered report, we adopted a situated expectancy-value theory framework to examine the potential role of teacher instructional practices that emphasize conceptual understanding in enhancing these motivational processes. We focused on practices emphasizing conceptual understanding given science-driven recommendations to implement them across the United States. Contrary to our hypotheses, a multilevel analysis of grade 4 U.S. data from the 2015 release of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) revealed that the self-reported frequency of instructional practices emphasizing conceptual understanding were unrelated to math or science self-concept and interest. Our null findings prompt greater attention to other factors, such as the quality and implementation of instructional practices, differences between instructional goals and actual practices, and classroom composition, that could enhance ability beliefs and values in math and science.

This article reports a study on the impact of online spiritual lessons in improving self-regulation, emotion regulation, affect balance, peer relations, and well-being of high-ability college students of liberal arts disciplines. Compared to an online workshop on affect management, the online spiritual lessons were effective. Moderate effects were observed on the cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression facets of emotion regulation and autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations, purpose in life, and self-acceptance subscales of well-being. Fairly high effects were observed on peer relations, self-regulation, affect balance, and general/overall well-being outcomes. Gender, economic class, study subject, primary caregivers, living arrangements, attending extra lessons/having club memberships for advanced studies, and intervention compliance were significant predictors of intervention impact. Latent class analyses revealed eight classes/subgroups of participants reporting maximum posttest (T2) gains: male students, middle class, students of mathematics, literature, philosophy, who were attending extra lessons/having club memberships for advanced studies, who attended above threshold (51-90 or > 56%) online spiritual lessons, and who did above threshold homework lessons. Male students and those with high intervention compliance reported gains on all outcomes. Online spiritual lessons can be incorporated into socio-emotional leaning for high-ability collegians.

This study investigated daily motivation regulation as a multilevel mediator of undergraduate students' intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and academic functioning. Undergraduate students (N = 124) completed measures on motivation, motivation regulation, and study time for 10 consecutive days leading up to a statistics exam. Bayesian multilevel mediation models were used to examine motivation regulation as a mediator between motivation and daily study time at the within-person level and exam performance at the between-person level. Within-person findings revealed motivation regulation mediated the relation between both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and study time although the indirect effect was substantially stronger for extrinsic motivation. Between-person findings did not support mediation between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and exam performance. Specifically, none of the motivation or motivation regulation factors predicted students' exam performance. It appears that motivation regulation typically stems from extrinsic motivation and is more closely associated with process-oriented rather than product-oriented academic functioning.

Background: Children living in poverty often are exposed to situations that negatively affect various aspects of their development. So, it is important to propose interventional programs that minimize the negative effects of living in poverty on these children. Objective: To verify the impact of a mastery climate cognitive-motor skills school-based intervention on academic and motor performance, body mass index, and perceptions of competence and self-worth in children living in poverty. Method: 280 children (50% girls), 7- to10-years-old, from Ceará state -- Brazil, participated in this study. Intervention (IG, N = 140) and comparison (N = 140) groups were composed. The Test of Gross Motor Development -- 2, the Self-Perception Profile for Children, the School Performance Test (reading, writing, math), and the Body Mass Index (BMI) were used. Children in the IG participated in a mastery climate intervention and children in the CG in a recreational sports program for 12 weeks (36 sessions /140 min each session/ three times a week) with 60 min of academic activities, 20 min recess and snacks, and 60 min of motor practices. Results: The intervention group showed significant improvement from pre- to post-test, and higher motor, academic (reading, math), perceived competence, social acceptance, and self-worth scores than the comparison group at pos-test (p from 0.031 to <0.001). Conclusion: Mastery climate cognitive-motor intervention positively impacts the motor and academic performance and the self-perceptions of the children living in poverty, reinforcing the need for these interventions to helping children become more proficient and assured about their competences.

American students continue to perform poorly on national and international assessments of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) competencies, and achievement gaps spanning racial/ethnic and socioeconomic lines emerge early and widen over time. Scholars and practitioners agree that expanding access to high-quality STEM education has the potential to improve students' performance and reduce inequalities. Research has elucidated the critical role that students' self-perceptions play in driving academic achievement, which has spurred the development of many educational programs and initiatives aimed at increasing students' confidence, self-efficacy, and interest. However, our capacity to determine what programs and initiatives are effective and for whom is limited by our lack of psychometrically sound measures that assess science-related self-perceptions and interests of elementary students from diverse populations. To address this gap, we developed and tested measures of Science Self-Efficacy, Science Self-Concept, Interest in Science Activities, and Attitudes toward STEM careers in a sample of third-grade students (8-9 years) traditionally underrepresented in STEM careers (94% of our sample identified as either African American or Hispanic). We present initial evidence, from a preliminary pilot study, for the reliability and validity of these measures and reveal the multi-dimensional nature of students' self-perceptions and interests in science. We discuss how such measurement tools will inform our understanding of the nature of young students' science self-perceptions, how the utilization of such tools can inform educational practice, and highlight the critical importance of conducting measurement development research with diverse populations.

Researchers have found that violent online game addiction has become a serious global problem that negatively affects younger people. This study used a cross-sectional research design to examine the effects of violent online game contact on individuals' academic procrastination. We further explored the mediating role of emotional self-regulation and the moderating role of peer communication in the link between violent online game contact and academic procrastination. A sample of 1132 students completed self-reported questionnaires regarding violent online game contact, emotional self-regulation, peer communication, and academic procrastination. Participants were randomly selected from Guangdong Province, China. Results indicated that violent online game contact was positively correlated with academic procrastination, while emotional self-regulation indirectly affected the relationship. Peer communication played a moderating role in the indirect effect between emotional self-regulation and academic procrastination. The general pattern of this mechanism illustrates that as peer communication increased, the effects of emotional self-regulation on academic procrastination decreased. The findings elucidate how and for whom violent online game exposure is related to academic procrastination. This research demonstrates that violent game contact is an important factor affecting academic procrastination, clarifies the role of peer communication and emotional self-regulation, and provides practical suggestions for preventing academic procrastination in the field of school psychology.

This study investigated first-year undergraduate statistics students' statistical problem-solving skills on the probability of the union of two events, conditional probability, binomial probability distribution, probabilities for x-limits using the z-distribution, x-limit associated with a given probability for a normal distribution, estimating the y-value using a regression equation, and hypothesis testing for a single population mean when a population standard deviation is unknown. The study was a descriptive case study and employed a mixed-method research approach. Data were collected through content analysis of a statistics course examination script of 120 first-year undergraduate students of statistics in an open distance-learning university in South Africa. Polya's Model of Problem Solving was used as the framework of analysis. The study revealed that the students, in general, had poor statistical problem-solving skills.

Knowledge tracing (KT), the task of tracking the knowledge state of a student over time, has been assessed actively by artificial intelligence researchers. Recent reports have described that Deep-IRT, which combines item response theory (IRT) with a deep learning method, provides superior performance. It can express the abilities of each student and the difficulty of each item such as IRT. Nevertheless, its interpretability is inadequate compared to that of IRT because the ability parameter depends on each item. Deep-IRT implicitly assumes that items with the same skills are equivalent, which does not hold when item difficulties for the same skills differ greatly. For identical skills, items that are not equivalent hinder the interpretation of a student's ability estimate. To overcome those difficulties, this study proposes a novel Deep-IRT that models a student response to an item using two independent networks: 1) a student network and 2) an item network. The proposed Deep-IRT method learns student parameters and item parameters independently to avoid impairing the predictive accuracy. Moreover, we propose a novel hypernetwork architecture for the proposed Deep-IRT to balance both the current and the past data in the latent variable storing student's knowledge states. Results of experiments with six benchmark datasets demonstrate that the proposed method improves the prediction accuracy by about 2.0%, on average. In addition, experiments for the simulation dataset demonstrated that the proposed method provides a stronger correlation with true parameters than the earlier Deep-IRT method does at the p < 0.5 significance level.

The attribution of learning success or failure is crucial for students' learning and motivation. Effective attribution of their learning success or failure in the context of a small private online course (SPOC) could generate students' motivation toward learning success while an incorrect attribution would lead to a sense of helplessness. Based on the attribution theories developed by Wiener and Kelly with learning analytics technology, this article developed a systematic framework for learning analytics in SPOC in an undergraduate course. A total of 197 undergraduates participated in the experiment and were randomly assigned to a treatment group (98 students) and a control group (99 students). The treatment group applied the learning analytics system framework in a SPOC, and the control group applied the traditional SPOC teaching method, and other conditions are consistent. Structural equation modeling is adopted to explore the correlations among attribution variables (i.e., ability, effort, difficulty of the task, and luck), motivational variables (i.e., endogenous motivation, and extrinsic motivation), and learning achievement. The results indicated that all four attribution variables have a significant correlation with both endogenous and extrinsic motivation and have a significant effect on learning achievement. Students in the experimental class exhibited better outcomes than students in the control class with respect to learning motivation and learning achievement. The findings validated the effectiveness of using the SPOC analytics system to facilitate SPOC learners making effective attributions, leading to the enhancement of learning motivation and achievement.

Utilizing Marsh's frame of reference theory, this article seeks understanding about boys' perceptions of giftedness and how academic and social self-perceptions are influenced by gender and ability practices. The literature proposes that gender and ability perspectives influence how boys construct their self-perceptions and how teachers develop stereotypes of male students who are identified as gifted and talented. The findings reveal that the conceptualizations of giftedness contribute to gifted boys developing healthy self-perceptions and influence the complexities of instructional design for gifted learners. The findings also suggest that schools should encourage spaces for students' voices to be heard through inclusive curriculum design.

Teachers play a fundamental role in guaranteeing an inclusive teaching practice using Educational Robotics (ER). However, they may hold gender-differentiated views of their students' academic abilities and aptitudes in ER. This quasi-experimental test investigated gender-differentiated attributions and behavioral intentions of N = 158 Italian learning support teachers (LST) answering a questionnaire at the end of a post-graduate ER course. Participants read one of two vignettes regarding a student failing an ER activity in class: - (1) a boy; or (2) a girl. Then participants answered items based on measures that assessed their gender stereotypes, attributions for the child's failure, and hypothetical intentions to use ER with the same child. Results of moderation analyses indicated that the failure of the depicted girl was attributed to internal, stable and uncontrollable causes (i.e., low abilities in ER) to a greater extent than the same failure of the depicted boy, among LST with high levels of gender stereotypes. Furthermore, LST with high levels of gender stereotypes declared less intention to use ER with the depicted girl as compared with the depicted boy.

There are two ways, broadly speaking, that one might conceive of meritocratic education. On a standard, 'narrow' conception, a meritocratic approach to education is one which distributes certain educational goods and opportunities according to merit. On a second, 'broader' conception, however, meritocratic education is an educational system suited to a commitment to meritocracy - where 'meritocracy' refers to a particular conception of distributive justice. In this article, I argue that these two conceptions are incompatible with each other, and so the standard 'narrow' conception of meritocratic education is, in fact, incompatible with a commitment to meritocracy, at least given the typical way of understanding meritocracy. Of particular importance is that while meritocracy, as a view of distributive justice, requires a commitment to equality of opportunity principles, the narrowly meritocratic conception of education does not. The reason has to do with differences in the underlying justifications of the merit-based principles in each: Meritocracy appeals to moral desert, while the educational desert that is grounded by one's merits is best thought of as a kind of institutional desert. Thus, I will argue, while meritocracy (and so the broad conception of meritocratic education) is constrained by a fair equality of opportunity requirement, narrowly meritocratic education is not. Recognizing the relationships between meritocracy, meritocratic education, and equality of opportunity, I argue, sheds considerable light on disagreements in the debate over equality of opportunity in education.

Researchers pointed at project-based science education encourages students' dialogic practices such as wondering about the scientific phenomenon and asking questions, which may positively affect positively students' democratic practices in the classroom. It is the goal of the present research to verify this issue. Sixty-six Grade 5 students participated in the research. Thirty-two students constituted the project-based science class and were engaged with project-based activities, while 34 students constituted the regular science class. The students in each class were requested to complete a questionnaire that assessed democratic practices (freedom, equality, engagement and justice). The data were analysed using SPSS 21.0. The research results indicate that project-based learning affected positively and significantly the democratic practices of equality, engagement and justice but not that of freedom. In addition, the interactions between project-based programme and gender or science-ability affected only engagement. The project-based class can empower elementary school teachers with. Specifically, the teacher needs to be aware of the constraints of freedom, so that she/he tries to encourage the freedom of the student for expression and decision taking, which are of special importance for carrying out of project-based activities.

Over the past century, health knowledge has advanced dramatically, so it is expected that future health professionals will need to learn effectively in the workplace and adapt to novel situations that cannot yet be predicted. Simultaneously, the demographics of university students have changed significantly in regard to age, gender, and socioeconomic background. Health educators must adapt their teaching methods to foster in each student the development of lifelong learning skills. This perspective article examines the concept of neuroeducation through the lens of Problem-Based Learning (PBL), with an emphasis on PBL coaching. Furthermore, it demonstrates the benefit of implementing a PBL coaching approach, using knowledge from neuroscience findings to enhance students' learning and well-being. Following targeted professional development aiming to consolidate the understanding of the brain's structures and functions that increase student learning capacity and build group coaches' skills, existing PBL academics could be an integral part of such a program.

Grade retention is one of the most discussed and controversial educational measures, and yet, it is still widely applied in many countries. Research investigating the effects of grade retention on students' psychosocial variables presents mixed findings, partly due to the variables assessed, methodological issues, and the length of the studies. This study aimed to analyse both the short to medium and longitudinal effects of grade retention in grades 7 or 8 on Portuguese students' academic self-concept, self-esteem, goal orientations, and school career. Data were collected continuously over a 3-year span (once a year) and, again, 3 years after the third wave. After matching 477 students on several pretreatment variables using inverse probability treatment weighting with time-varying treatments (i.e., retention), our analytical sample consisted of 85 promoted students, 33 students retained in grade 7, and 32 students retained in grade 8. Our results showed that retained students did not differ from their promoted peers in self-esteem and goal orientations in the short, medium, or long term. The exception was for an increase in the academic self-concept of retained students, but only in short term. Finally, considering students' school career, grade retention was not predictive of further retention.