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PurposeChildren's ability to adjust one's language according to discourse context is important for success in academic settings. This study examined whether second graders vary in linguistic and discourse features depending on discourse contexts, that is, when describing pictures in contextualized (describing the picture to an examiner while looking at it together) and decontextualized (pretending to describe the picture to a friend while sitting in front of the examiner) conditions.MethodA total of 330 English-speaking second graders in the United States (M age = 7.33 years; 53% boys; 55% Caucasian children, 35% African American children) described three pictures in contextualized and decontextualized conditions. Children's picture descriptions were transcribed verbatim and coded for linguistic (e.g., elaborated noun phrase) and discourse (e.g., proper character introduction, degree of decontextualization) features.ResultsType-token ratio was higher in the contextualized condition than in the decontextualized condition, whereas certain types of elaborated noun phrases (e.g., simple descriptive noun phrase, noun phrase with postmodification), coordinating conjunctions, and nonclauses occurred more frequently in the decontextualized condition, controlling for total productivity and student demographics. The proportion of proper character introduction was higher in the decontextualized condition, whereas higher degrees of decontextualization and complex perspective-taking were found in the contextualized condition.ConclusionVarious linguistic and discourse cues illustrated the extent to which primary grade students employ their discourse knowledge when producing oral language.

It is widely recognized that individuals with dyslexia have difficulties with word reading and spelling, and individuals with reading comprehension difficulties have low vocabulary knowledge. However, little is known about the extent to which spelling and vocabulary are informative of reading difficulties. In the present study, we investigated whether information on students' spelling and vocabulary in kindergarten increases the precision of identifying students with reading difficulties, using longitudinal data from kindergarten to Grade 2. The sample was composed of 247 kindergartners (55% boys; 56% White children, 35% African American children, and 5% mixed-race children; 72% from low SES) who were followed to Grade 2. Spelling improved the accuracy of identifying students who experienced word reading difficulties in kindergarten and Grade 1. In contrast, vocabulary did not improve the accuracy of identifying students with reading difficulties over and above word reading and spelling. These results indicate the importance and utility of including spelling, in addition to word reading, as an integral part of accurately identifying children with reading difficulties as early as kindergarten. In addition, although vocabulary did not contribute additional predictive power, it is likely to exert its influence at a later phase of reading development.

Classroom Pivotal Response Teaching (CPRT) is a community-partnered adaptation of a naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention identified as an evidence-based practice for autistic children. The current study evaluated student outcomes in a randomized, wait-list controlled implementation trial across classrooms. Participants included teachers (n = 126) and students with autism (n = 308). Teachers participated in 12 hours of didactic, interactive training and additional in-classroom coaching. Generalized Estimating Equations accounted for clustering. Adjusted models evaluated the relative effects of training group, CPRT fidelity, and classroom quality on student outcomes. Results indicate higher CPRT fidelity was associated with greater increases in student learning. Having received CPRT training predicted increased student engagement and greater decreases in reported approach/withdrawal problems. These differences may be linked to the theoretical foundations of CPRT of increasing student motivation and engagement and collaborative adaptation to increase feasibility in schools. Overall, results suggest CPRT may be a beneficial approach for supporting autistic students.

This paper combines recent developments in theories of knowledge (complex dynamic systems), technologies (embodied interactions), and research tools (multimodal data collection and analysis) to offer new insights into how conceptual mathematical understanding can emerge. A complex dynamic system view models mathematics learning in terms of a multimodal agent who encounters a set of task constraints. The learning process in this context includes destabilizing a systemic configuration (for example, coordination of eye and hand movements) and forming new dynamic stability adapted to the task constraints. To test this model empirically, we applied a method developed to study complex systems, recurrence quantification analysis (RQA), to investigate students’ eye–hand dynamics during a touchscreen mathematics activity for the concept of proportionality. We found that across participants (n = 32), fluently coordinated hand-movement solutions coincided with more stable and predictable gaze patterns. We present a case study of a prototypical participant’s hand–eye RQA and audio–video data to show how the student’s cognitive system transitioned out of prior coordination reflective of additive thinking into a new coordination that can ground multiplicative thinking. These findings constitute empirical substantiation in mathematics education research for cognition as a complex system transitioning among dynamic equilibria.

Ongoing professional development is important for collaborative biostatisticians, as it enables them to remain current with the latest advances in statistical methodology and software, refine their analytical skills, and expand their domain knowledge, thereby facilitating their ability to contribute effectively to biomedical research. Although external opportunities for professional development, such as attending conferences and workshops, are widely recognized and valued in the field of biostatistics, there has been comparatively little attention given to internal opportunities for enhancing the skills and knowledge of biostatisticians which can be implemented with lower financial and time investment than external offerings. The purpose of this paper is to offer guidance for ongoing internal professional development activities that can be employed by collaborative biostatistics units in universities and academic medical centers to complement structured curricula and initial training. Specific examples of activities are provided so that collaborative biostatisticians and/or managers of biostatistical units can flexibly combine components to create an appropriately scaled, customized program that meets the needs of themselves or of the unit.

Abstract: This study considered a preservice teacher’s (PST’s) attention to multilingual learner core practices within her approximations of practice of mathematics language routines during a secondary mathematics methods course. We used a framework of approximations of practice to understand how a PST enacted and developed an understanding of multilingual learner core practices. To provide a vision for what multilingual learner core practices can look like in nontraditional instructional contexts, we qualitatively analyzed four approximations of practice of mathematics language routines from a single PST during a single semester of a methods course. We share how she navigated the remote teaching context and engaged sample students in all of the multilingual learner core practices despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing an example of what these practices may look like in remote instruction. We also discuss how these multilingual learner core practices interact and complement one another. We consider possible implications, limitations, and future research directions.

Abstract: The study investigates a tension between affirmative action scholars who hypothesize that affirmative action bans would increase underrepresented minority students’ STEM college completions and scholars who have empirically estimated declines. It also questions results that that find no existence of a STEM penalty (compared to non-STEM) caused by affirmative action bans and finds that a STEM penalty is likely, but varies from a very modest effect (using the Department of Homeland Security taxonomy) to a more substantial impact (using the National Science Foundation taxonomy). This study finds that many of the tensions between affirmative action scholars studying STEM are likely the product of model specification. It illustrates how the following have impacted the estimates: the period studied, the inclusion and exclusion of certain ban states, the measure of institutional selectivity, and most importantly, the taxonomy of STEM. Furthermore, this study builds upon prior studies by analyzing private schools and the shorter-term and longer-term impacts of the bans.

Internationally, research comparing education systems across countries and jurisdictions is valuable and can elicit nuanced insights into how particular systems operate. This paper's interest lies in considering the scope and content of research comparing education systems across the four UK nations (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales). This study sought to determine the coverage of UK cross-national comparative education research ('home international' research) between 2000 and 2022. We chose this time period as 1999 marks the devolution of education policy to each UK nation. We aimed to investigate what educational issues had been discussed in the literature and identify any gaps in the content covered by the research. An exploratory, high-level review of 'home international' education research was conducted, based on the review of abstracts. We searched several research databases using a variety of keyword combinations to identify relevant literature published since 2000. Our search identified 53 studies that met our selection criteria. Using a meta-synthesis approach, we coded the content of each abstract to build a picture of the range and thematic coverage of research involving comparisons between at least two of the four UK nations. The analysis of abstracts identified that, over the last two decades, UK 'home international' research has tended to include comparisons of all four nations, coverage of multiple educational phases and a focus on national education policy reviews. Furthermore, we pinpointed a number of gaps in coverage that might not have been anticipated (e.g. relatively little cross-national research focusing on assessment). This high-level review uncovers the landscape of recent 'home international' research, allowing us to view issues that are driving the cross-national research agenda in the UK and recognise implications relevant to education systems that may resonate with jurisdictions beyond these four UK nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the effects of education system types and characteristics on changes in the distributions of literacy and numeracy skills during the upper secondary phase of education and training. Whereas there is a substantial literature on system effects on skills during the primary and lower secondary phases of education, much less has been written about these effects in relation to the upper secondary phase. This article reports on research using quasi-cohort data for 15-year-olds in PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) and 18- to 20-year-olds in the Survey of Adult Skills to test the effects of a range of system indicators on changes in skills distributions during the upper secondary phase. Consistent with some dominant theories, our difference-in-difference analysis identifies a range of system characteristics associated with skills inequality reduction in upper secondary education and training, which relate to 'system standardisation' and 'parity of esteem', and which can explain why some 'system types' are more effective than others in reducing skills inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Historically, teachers had been delegated the primary responsibility for the organization and management of classroom instruction in US public schools. While this delegation afforded teachers professional autonomy in their work, it has also resulted in disparities in students' educational experiences and outcomes within and between classrooms, schools, and systems. In the effort to improve instruction and reduce disparities for students on a large scale, one reform effort in the US has focused on building instructionally focused education systems (IFESs) where central office and school leaders collaborate with teachers to organize and manage instruction. These efforts are playing out in a variety of contexts in the US, including in public school districts, non-profits, and other educational networks, and it is shifting how teachers carry out the day-to-day work of instruction. In this comparative case study, we investigate two IFESs in which efforts to improve instruction pushed against historic norms of teacher autonomy. We found that these new systems are not at odds with teacher autonomy, but rather these systems reflect a transition to more interdependent notions of teacher autonomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy literacy is a developing field of research and practice that provides a comprehensive way of understanding how energy functions in the universe, on the earth, and in our social and personal lives. This literature review, building on an increasing momentum of research across various disciplines, outlines current energy literacy scholarship focused on a range of educational contexts (i.e., K-12, higher and post-secondary, teacher education and professional programs, and informal education). This review aims to show how energy literacy serves as a multifaceted way of developing knowledge and experiences about energy, which is an integral part of environmental and sustainability education, and that links to educational research and scholarship that supports energy transition in society more broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the effects of grade nondisclosure (GND) policies implemented within master of business administration (MBA) programs at highly ranked business schools. GND precludes students from disclosing their grades and grade point averages (GPAs) to employers. In the labor market, we find that GND weakens the positive relation between GPA and employer desirability. During the MBA program, we find that GND reduces students' academic effort for a given course by approximately 4.9% relative to comparable students not subject to the policy. Consistent with our model, in which abilities are potentially correlated and students can substitute effort toward other activities in order to signal GPA-focused abilities, students participate in more extracurricular activities and enroll in more difficult courses under GND. Finally, we show that students' tenure with their first employers after graduation decreases under GND. This paper was accepted by Suraj Srinivasan, accounting. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4816. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a conceptual model which explains the challenges of providing high quality sustainable, teacher professional development at scale. It provides a framework to support holistic thinking at a systemic level, applicable across different systems. It draws on sociocultural theories of learning and encourages the user to think about the knowledge and skills required by actors at different levels of the system and the structures required to support their learning. It brings together the needs of teachers, school leaders and Education Officers (at the County, District or Provincial level). The empirical evidence for this model comes from a seven-year programme of activity supporting school-based professional development in Zambia. Evaluation findings highlight the importance of the role of mid-level professionals (District and Provincial Officers) in ensuring the sustainability of gains made through development projects. This is important because the professional development needs of those supporting teachers are often neglected.

PurposeThis study examined relationships among family characteristics, caregiver change in use of strategies, and child growth in spoken language over the course of a parent-implemented language intervention (PILI) that was developed to address some of the challenges associated with the fragile X syndrome (FXS) phenotype.MethodParticipants were 43 parent-child dyads from two different PILI studies, both of which taught parents various language facilitation strategies to support child language. Before starting the intervention, parents reported on their mental health, parenting stress, and parenting competence. This study focused on potential barriers to treatment gains by examining correlations between the measures of parent well-being and (a) parent change in use of intervention strategies taught in the PILI and (b) changes in child language outcomes from preto post-intervention.ResultsParents in this study had elevated mental health symptoms across several domains and increased rates of parenting stress. Furthermore, although PILI resulted in treatment gains for both parents and children, a variety of parent mental health symptoms were found to be significantly and negatively associated with change in use of strategies and growth in child language over the course of the intervention. Some inconsistent findings also emerged regarding the relationships between parenting stress and competence and change in parent strategy use and growth in child language.ConclusionsThis study provides preliminary evidence that parents who are experiencing significant mental health challenges may have a more difficult time participating fully in PILIs and that there may be subsequent effects on child outcomes. Future PILIs could benefit from addressing parent well-being as a substantial part of the intervention program.

Higher education has expanded at astonishing rates around the world. We seek to understand the oppositions that periodically arise, which may produce enrollment declines and/or imposition of political controls. The post-1945 growth of higher education was – to a greater extent than is often recognized – propelled by the liberal, and later neoliberal, international order. Oppositions arise from illiberal alternatives, which also may organize globally. The recent weakening of the global liberal order, associated with growing populism and nationalism, creates conditions for a new wave of oppositions. We hypothesize that attacks on higher education emerge in countries less integrated into world society and in countries linked to international structures that support illiberal alternatives. We examine cross-national data on higher education over the period 1960–2017. Enrollments and funding are higher in societies more tightly linked to world society and lower in countries tied to illiberal international organizations. Analyses of enrollments in various fields, constraints on academic freedom, and terrorist attacks on education institutions show similar pattern. Finally, we observe heterogeneity in the forms of illiberal opposition: countries that suppress academic freedom generally are less likely to restrict enrollments.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic caused graduate medical education (GME) programs to pivot to virtual interviews (VIs) for recruitment and selection. This systematic review synthesizes the rapidly expanding evidence base on VIs, providing insights into preferred formats, strengths, and weaknesses.MethodsPubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, ERIC, PsycINFO, MedEdPublish, and Google Scholar were searched from 1 January 2012 to 21 February 2022. Two authors independently screened titles, abstracts, full texts, performed data extraction, and assessed risk of bias using the Medical Education Research Quality Instrument. Findings were reported according to Best Evidence in Medical Education guidance.ResultsOne hundred ten studies were included. The majority (97%) were from North America. Fourteen were conducted before COVID-19 and 96 during the pandemic. Studies involved both medical students applying to residencies (61%) and residents applying to fellowships (39%). Surgical specialties were more represented than other specialties. Applicants preferred VI days that lasted 4-6 h, with three to five individual interviews (15-20 min each), with virtual tours and opportunities to connect with current faculty and trainees. Satisfaction with VIs was high, though both applicants and programs found VIs inferior to in-person interviews for assessing 'fit.' Confidence in ranking applicants and programs was decreased. Stakeholders universally noted significant cost and time savings with VIs, as well as equity gains and reduced carbon footprint due to eliminating travel.ConclusionsThe use of VIs for GME recruitment and selection has accelerated rapidly. The findings of this review offer early insights that can guide future practice, policy, and research.

This randomized controlled trial study examined the effects of bilingual discussion prompts with feedback within a multimedia interactive e-book on parent-child shared reading for young English language learners aged 3–7 in China. Sixty-four parent-child pairs read a multimedia English storybook with bilingual discussion prompts in the treatment condition, and forty-three pairs read the same multimedia storybook without discussion prompts. After reading the storybook twice, children in the discussion-prompt group outperformed the control group on story comprehension and retelling measures. However, children in both groups showed comparable gains in English vocabulary. According to our qualitative analysis of parent-child responses on discussion pages, when parents follow the question-response-evaluate-feedback flow of the discussion sessions, they tend to practice dialogic reading strategies and scaffold children's learning naturally and effectively without explicit training. With the learning facilitation from both the storybook and parents, children received more comprehensible input, produced more English output, and became active storytellers instead of passive learners. Moreover, the e-book with a built-in questioning avatar established children's parasocial relationship with the story characters. These findings suggest an exciting potential for multimedia interactive e-books, powered by bilingual discussion prompts, as an effective educational tool for families from diverse linguistic backgrounds.

PurposeCommunity aphasia groups serve an important purpose in enhancing the quality of life and psychosocial well-being of individuals with chronic aphasia. Here, we describe the Aphasia Group of Middle Tennessee, a community aphasia group with a 17-year (and continuing) history, housed within Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.MethodWe describe in detail the history, philosophy, design, curriculum, and facilitation model of this group. We also present both quantitative and qualitative outcomes from group members and their loved ones.ResultsGroup members and their loved ones alike indicated highly positive assessments of the format and value of the Aphasia Group of Middle Tennessee.ConclusionBy characterizing in detail the successful Aphasia Group of Middle Tennessee, we hope this can serve as a model for clinicians interested in starting their own community aphasia groups, in addition to reaching individuals living with chronic aphasia and their loved ones through the accessible and aphasia-friendly materials provided with this clinical focus article.

Guiding teachers to customize curriculum has shown to improve science instruction when guided effectively. We explore how teachers use student data to customize a web-based science unit on plate tectonics. We study the implications for teacher learning along with the impact on student self-directed learning. During a professional development workshop, four 7th grade teachers reviewed logs of their students’ explanations and revisions. They used a curriculum visualization tool that revealed the pedagogy behind the unit to plan their customizations. To promote self-directed learning, the teachers decided to customize the guidance for explanation revision by giving students a choice among guidance options. They took advantage of the web-based unit to randomly assign students (N = 479) to either a guidance Choice or a no-choice condition. We analyzed logged student explanation revisions on embedded and pre-test/post-test assessments and teacher and student written reflections and interviews. Students in the guidance Choice condition reported that the guidance was more useful than those in the no-choice condition and made more progress on their revisions. Teachers valued the opportunity to review student work, use the visualization tool to align their customization with the knowledge integration pedagogy, and investigate the choice option empirically. These findings suggest that the teachers’ decision to offer choice among guidance options promoted aspects of self-directed learning.

Bringing effective, research-based literacy interventions into the classroom is challenging, especially given the cultural and linguistic diversity of today's classrooms. We examined the promise of Assessment-to-Instruction (A2i) technology redesigned to be used at scale to support teachers' implementation of the individualized student instruction (ISI) intervention from kindergarten through third grade. In seven randomized controlled trials, A2i and ISI have demonstrated efficacy. However, the research version of A2i was not scalable. In order to bring A2i to scale in schools serving linguistically diverse students, we carried out the current study across two phases. This study represents both an exploration of what it takes to bring an educational intervention to scale (Phase 1) and a quasi-experiment on the literacy outcomes of learners whose teachers used the technology (Phase 2). We integrated assessments of vocabulary, word decoding, and reading comprehension; revised the A2i algorithms to account for the constellation of skills English learners (ELs) bring to the classroom; updated the user interfaces and added new graphic features; and improved bandwidth and stability of the technology. Findings were mixed, including several non-significant results, a marginally significant intent-to-treat effect on word reading in kindergarten and first grade for English monolingual students and ELs, and one significant interaction effect, which suggested ELs and students with less developed reading skills in second and third grade benefitted most from the intervention. With some caution, we conclude that A2i demonstrates potential to be used at scale and promise of effectiveness for improving code-focused skills for diverse learners.

BackgroundRemediation of struggling learners in pulmonary and critical care fellowship programs is a challenge, even for experienced medical educators.ObjectiveThis evidence-based narrative review provides a framework program leaders may use to address fellows having difficulty achieving competency during fellowship training.MethodsThe relevant evidence for approaches on the basis of each learner's needs is reviewed and interpreted in the context of fellowship training in pulmonary medicine and critical care. Issues addressed include bias in fellow assessments and remediation, the impacts of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, the specific challenges of pulmonary and critical care fellowship programs, a brief review of relevant legal issues, guidance on building and leveraging program resources, and a discussion of learner outcomes.ResultsThis results in a concise, evidence-based toolkit for program leaders based around four pillars: early identification, fellow assessment, collaborative intervention, and reassessment. Important concepts also include the need for documentation, clear and written communication, and fellow-directed approaches to the creation of achievable goals.ConclusionEvidence-based remediation helps struggling learners in pulmonary and critical care fellowship to improve their ability to meet Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) milestones.

Undergraduate education represents an important transitional stage in which students make career decisions, and undergraduate research experiences (UREs) play a critical role in training the next generation of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics researchers. Extensive studies have identified the different ways in which researchers and graduate students understand their profession, but little work has focused on undergraduate students. To contribute to this gap in literature, this study examines how undergraduate students conceptualize successful researchers. Data were collected using semistructured interviews with transfer students at a research-intensive university, in which participants articulated how they perceive a successful researcher and how their conception had changed based on their undergraduate experiences. Using phenomenography as the research approach, three conceptions of successful researchers were identified based on variations within the following aspects: process of research, interactions with other researchers, and scope of contribution. Retrospective conceptions were more simplistic, with little appreciation for the complex methodological processes and collaborations needed to meaningfully contribute to the research community. After UREs, participants reported conceptions with more nuanced understanding that successful researchers demonstrate proactive engagement, collaboration, and contribution. These findings can be applied to facilitate meaningful research experiences and target undergraduates' professional development as they are enculturated into the research community.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1128/jmbe.00190-21.].

Community and citizen science in online settings could be seen as a means for young people to engage with and contribute to authentic science. Yet, there is a limited understanding of who takes part in citizen science among young people, what they learn, and through which processes, particularly in online settings. In this exploratory study, we analysed 34 in-depth interviews and log files of young people aged 11-19 years old who took part in citizen science projects, hosted on the Zooniverse platform. Data analysis suggested that participation in online citizen science can bring environmental science learning benefits to young people, with some participants reporting evidence of agency with science, highlighted by taking action to do science in another context. Many participating youth exhibited substantial previous science experiences that helped them to take part and learn from citizen science projects. Considering findings from this study, we present a first working framework of how environmental science learning is enabled or hindered by certain types of participation, as a means to guide the design of online citizen science for young people. We recommend that the future project design, publicity and recruitment in online citizen science activities explicitly target the needs and interests of young people with diverse characteristics and competencies to truly open science to all.

Education systems are shaped by various internal and external contextual forces (De Beer, 2017). External contextual trends typically include language, demography, geography, technology, politics, and financial and economic trends. Religion represents one of these external contextual trends that can affect an education system (see Van der Walt, Potgieter & Wolhuter, 2010; Wolhuter & Van der Walt, 2018). Making use of established metableti-ccomparative methodology, this article seeks to highlight the impact of religion as a formative factor of education in the BRICS countries. Religion is treated significantly differently in the education systems of the BRICS member states. In schools in India and China, no religious activities are allowed in accordance with the respective constitutions, while any religious activities may take place in schools in Brazil, Russia and South Africa, provided that the activities comply with particular guidelines. Broadly considered, any religious activities are conducted in primary schools in Brazil, provided that attendance is voluntary. Religion in Brazilian schools is influenced by the strong position of the Roman Catholic faith in Brazilian society, which could potentially be detrimental to minority groups in Brazil (Senefonte, 2018:440). Learners in Russia, according to Russian law, are free to choose for themselves the religious module in which they wish to receive education. Schools in Russia do not, however, always implement this legislation correctly, since a school's resources actually determine which module the learners should take. The manner in which religion is being dealt with, causes unhappiness among learners and parents as they do not really have freedom of choice regarding the religious module in which they wish to receive instruction (Zöllner, 2016). The legislation in China clearly states that no religious activities may take place in public schools, yet the ruling party of China intends to enshrine tenets of atheism in learners in schools (Vickers, 2022; Wang & Froese, 2020). Compared to the other BRICS member states, China has the most officially, constitutionally recognised ethnic groups. In terms of legislation and policy formulations, the ethnic minority groups obtain various benefi s in terms of education. The wide variety of ethnic groupings poses various challenges to the government of China as the views of all these groups in the education system have to be taken into account. Various documents, including the South African Schools Act 76 of 1996, and other education policies provide clear guidelines as to how religion ought to be dealt with in South African schools. In South Africa, learners are taught various major deities worldwide. All learners in South Africa are exposed to the concept of religion through the subject Life Orientation (Grades 7-12). Teachers in South Africa face the challenge of respecting all kinds of religions and not preaching their own views on a religion. This challenge of respecting all religions can result in confl ict in schools, as learners may feel that they will be discriminated against if one type of religion is singled out, for example during assembly. This underscores the role and value of South African teachers in inculcating citizenship values (see Wolhuter, Janmaat, Van der Walt & Potgieter, 2020). The Government of India faces opposition from minority groups with regard to religion in schools as the socio-political hegemony religion is especially preferred in terms of the drafting of academic textbooks (Traub, 2018). This preferential treatment of a particular religion is contrary to the Indian constitution, as no single religion may be singled out, nor should any religion be discriminated against (Majumdar, 2018). The preference given to a particular religion in textbooks can result in a negative impact on the education system of India. The analysis and interpretation show that there is still a close relationship between religion and education in the BRICS countries. However, all five BRICS member states face different problems regarding religion and each of the five member states also deals with its problems differently. This conclusion is now unpacked in this summary, and in detail defended in the ensuing full text. In terms of dealing with religion, South Africa appears to be more tolerant than Brazil, Russia, India and China, although this tolerance still causes more problems for the South African government, in the sense of opposition from various adherents of a wide variety of faith groupings who would like schools to play a role in strengthening the religious beliefs of their children. Several court cases have been fought in South Africa as schools struggle to accommodate the wishes of all religious groups in South Africa (see Nthontho, 2020). In contrast to forces in all the BRICS countries trying to separate religion and (public) education, the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, the proto-charter of Human Rights Charters in the contemporary world, Article 26 states that everyone has the right to education, education should be oriented towards the total development of the child's personality, and that parents have a preferential right to decide on the type of education their children should receive. The BRICS member states can learn from each other how to deal with religion in schools, even though none have yet managed to deal satisfactorily with religion in education. The common factor among all five BRICS countries is that religion is used again and again (consciously or unconsciously) to reinforce political or ideological hegemony. It seems that the shortcoming in all these countries is pointing to a lack of recognition of the place and role of religion in the lives of their citizens and that secular-political objectives, notably the forcing of official ideological hegemony, as well as the achievement of national unity above the full recognition of religious freedom, are also stated in the education system and in citizens' choice of the kind of religious education of their children. As a result, the role of religion in creating a strong moral fibre for a society therefore never seems to come into its own. Moreover, judging by the United Nations Charter's Human Rights provisions on education, educative education (incl. teaching and learning), in accordance with its full scope of semantic value, does not currently come into its own. The same seems to be the case as regards the human right to parental advocacy with respect to religious education. The experience of the BRICS countries in terms of religion-in-education shows that it is sensible and even necessary, for example, along the path of enlarged parental speech in education and school autonomy, to allow more room for religious freedom in education. The BRICS countries are currently being proposed as the leading grouping of the Global South in a new formative world order. Against this background, current trends regarding religion-in-education in these countries therefore probably represent a bold example. However, it should nonetheless be denounced by the academic community and better examples should subsequently be extracted and presented from other national education systems from future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To what extent do features of education systems in the secondary school influence university graduates being overeducated? Previous research shows that the social origin and the field of study of university graduates are relevant predictors of overeducation. However, the strength of the influence of their social origin varies across fields of study. Having a privileged social origin prevents university graduates from being overeducated in fields of study that are not occupationally focused (e.g. humanities), while it is less relevant in other fields (e.g. engineering). The unevenly distributed effect of social origin in relation to the field of study may also vary across countries, depending on the influence of the secondary education system on social selection. Social origin may provide a filter earlier in vocationally oriented educational systems, whereas in comprehensive systems the social filter occurs at the graduate's entry into the labor market. This would make university graduates from nonoccupationally focused fields of study and with a disadvantaged social origin more vulnerable to being overeducated in countries with comprehensive secondary school systems, while in vocationally oriented systems social origin may be less influential at that later stage. Using Research into Employment and professional FLEXibility/Higher Education as a Generator of Strategic Competences (REFLEX/HEGESCO) data in combination with macro-level indicators, I assess how secondary education systems mediate the influence of social origin in terms of the university graduate's risk of overeducation by field of study. When using a subjective measure of overeducation results suggest that social origin is less important in predicting the overeducation of university graduates in countries with greater vocational orientation at the secondary level, while in comprehensive systems social origin regains its influence as a filter when graduates in nonoccupationally oriented fields join the labor market. Yet, results do not hold when using an objective measure of overeducation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have long theorized that characteristics of education systems impact both perceived and experienced corruption in public schools. However, due to insufficient cross-national survey data with measures on corruption in education and unassembled yet publicly available institutional data, there are few empirical tests of this theory. This article provides the rare direct test of the relationship between corruption in European public schools and three education system factors: government expenditure on education, education staff compensation, and teacher workload (pupil–teacher ratio). With a newly constructed harmonized data set for European countries, and controlling for national economic factors and individual characteristics, results of multilevel analyses suggest partial support for the theory that specific institutional characteristics of education systems impact public school corruption. The theorized institutional factors have different effects that depend on whether we examine bribe-giving experience or corruption perception. Results show that bribe-giving experience in public schools of Europe is weakly yet significantly related to education staff compensation. For corruption perception, low levels of government expenditure on education and a lopsided pupil–teacher ratio (too few teachers per student) increase the probability that people view corruption as prevalent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Less-educated workers have the lowest participation rates in job-related further training across the industrialized world, but the extent of their disadvantage varies. Using data on 28 high- and middle-income countries, we assess different explanations for less-educated workers' training disadvantage relative to intermediate-educated workers, with a focus on the role of labor market allocation (i.e. job tasks, other job features and firm characteristics). Shapley decompositions reveal a broadly similar pattern for all countries: differences in labor market allocation between less- and intermediate-educated workers are more important for explaining the training gap than differences in individual learning disposition (i.e. cognitive skills and motivation to learn). Our analysis further suggests that the training gap is related to educational and labor market institutions and that labor market allocation processes play a key role in mediating any institutional 'effects'. Strong conclusions regarding the role of institutions are hampered by the small country-level sample, however. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need to constantly and consistently improve the quality and quantity of the educational system is essential. E-learning has emerged from the rapid cycle of change and the expansion of new technologies. Advances in information technology have increased network bandwidth, data access speed, and reduced data storage costs. In recent years, the implementation of cloud computing in educational settings has garnered the interest of major companies, leading to substantial investments in this area. Cloud computing improves engineering education by providing an environment that can be accessed from anywhere and allowing access to educational resources on demand. Cloud computing is a term used to describe the provision of hosting services on the Internet. It is predicted to be the next generation of information technology architecture and offers great potential to enhance productivity and reduce costs. Cloud service providers offer their processing and memory resources to users. By paying for the use of these resources, users can access them for their calculations and processing anytime and anywhere. Cloud computing provides the ability to increase productivity, save information technology resources, and enhance computing power, converting processing power into a tool with constant access capabilities. The use of cloud computing in a system that supports remote education has its own set of characteristics and requires a unique strategy. Students can access a wide variety of instructional engineering materials at any time and from any location, thanks to cloud computing. Additionally, they can share their materials with other community members. The use of cloud computing in e-learning offers several advantages, such as unlimited computing resources, high scalability, and reduced costs associated with e-learning. An improvement in the quality of teaching and learning is achieved through the use of flexible cloud computing, which offers a variety of resources for educators and students. In light of this, the current research presents cloud computing technology as a suitable and superior option for e-learning systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of the remarkable phenomenon of information and communication technology (ICT) in the last two decades of the twentieth century, and its integration into the formal education systems of leading countries, has expanded learning opportunities and facilitated easy access to educational resources. Due to the vast amount of information available, there is a growing emphasis on information management. This approach allows students to enhance their learning by utilizing various tools and visual aids. These tools help in teaching and training by engaging students' different senses, making learning more realistic, practical, and enjoyable. The quality of education and the effectiveness of educational systems are among the most important concerns for educational developers, and decision-makers in any country. The areas of education is one of the fields that has undergone fundamental changes with the emergence of information technology. Information technology has been recognized as an effective tool in the learning and teaching process. In this research, we will discuss the role of ICT and its impact on enhancing the quality of education systems. The results demonstrate that ICT plays an effective role in the design, planning, implementation, learning, educational evaluation, and structure of education. This includes aspects such as timing, suitability, accuracy, adequacy, realism, speed of transmission, learning accuracy cost reduction, and educational effectiveness. Based on the aforementioned points, educational institutions must offer a suitable framework for integrating ICT into education through thorough planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A central challenge of developing learning technologies for K-12 classrooms is designing for sustainable use - ensuring that the technology has a lifespan in the classroom beyond the term of a research project or implementation period. This half-day workshop aims to bring together designers, researchers, and educators creating K-12 learning technologies to share and reflect on the challenges and opportunities of designing for sustainable use in classrooms. In the workshop, we seek to develop a set of heuristics to guide designers and provide a context for designing for sustainable use. By sharing the outcomes of this workshop we hope to develop a common language, design goals, and examples of successes and challenges in designing for sustainable use.

BackgroundIntensive care unit (ICU)-ward patient transfers are inherently high risk, and clinician miscommunication has been linked to adverse events and negative outcomes. Despite these risks, few educational tools exist to improve resident handoff communication at ICU-ward transfer.ObjectiveWe used human-centered design (HCD) methods to cocreate a novel electronic health record ICU-ward transfer tool alongside Internal Medicine residents at three academic hospitals.MethodsWe conducted HCD workshops at each hospital, performing process mapping, brainstorming, and rapid prototyping. We performed thematic analysis on verbatim-transcribed workshop audio recordings to inform development and adaptation of the final resident prototype into the ICU-PAUSE tool.ResultsICU-PAUSE focuses on reasons for ICU admission and problem-based ICU course (I); Code status, goals of care, and family contacts (C); a diagnostic pause acknowledging Uncertainty (U); Pending tests (P); Active consultants (A); high-risk medications, including medications to be Unprescribed (U); Summary of problems and to-dos (S); and a current physical Exam (E).ConclusionWe used HCD to cocreate a novel, more user-friendly electronic ICU-ward transfer tool, ICU-PAUSE, alongside Internal Medicine trainees. Future steps will involve formal usability testing, evidence-driven implementation, and clinical evaluation of ICU-PAUSE across multiple hospitals.

Research findingsUsing two groups of dual language learners (DLLs), the current study examined links between two developmental constructs closely linked to school readiness: the home language environment (HLE) and executive function (EF). In a sample of 90 children (age range = 38-70 months, 59% girls) from either Mexican American (MA, N = 46) or Chinese American (CA, N = 44) low-income families enrolled in Head Start preschool programs, parents reported on their HLE (home language balance, home English/heritage language activities) and children's EF (inhibitory control and attention shifting) was measured by cognitive tasks. Findings showed preschool-aged DLLs in low-income immigrant families received more heritage language exposure relative to English language exposure at home. Several demographic variables (parental education, per capita income, DLL group, child age of English acquisition, child generation, child English receptive vocabulary) were related to various aspects of HLE. Controlling for covariates, the amount of heritage language activities at home was uniquely and positively related to children's attention shifting.Practice or policyThe findings underscore the importance of incorporating language background considerations when designing intervention programs that target HLE and EF in low-income DLLs.

In discipline-based education research (DBER), early career scholars, such as graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, observe a slew of possible career pathways. Yet, there is a lack of opportunities to learn about such pathways, particularly when transitioning from traditional science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) disciplinary training into a DBER position. Thus, the DBER Scholars-in-Training Professional Development subcommittee was created within the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER) community to develop a collection of workshops that would serve the greatest professional development needs of early career scholars entering DBER. Through a series of surveys disseminated over multiple years, early career scholars expressed interest in better navigating their career options, which led to the development of the career panel workshop, held during the 2019 and 2020 SABER Annual National Conferences. In this report, we explore the development, implementation, and results of two career panel workshops and compare and contrast the 2019 in-person workshop with the 2020 virtual workshop. We also offer our insights on the value of the career workshop, discuss the next steps, and explore valuable resources for those planning on organizing similar events.

The majority of academic institutions were underprepared for a global pandemic, leading to spikes in instructor anxiety and drops in student engagement with STEM courses. With many STEM professors teaching online for the first time, they independently sought out training in distance education and inclusive teaching practices. Had institutions been proactive in providing such professional development prior to the pandemic, the negative impacts of transitioning to online education would have been reduced. While recent events are still fresh in people's minds, we advocate for increased or maintained professional development opportunities for STEM instructors in order to protect this critical pedagogical support from budget cuts.