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Molecular biology, broadly defined as the investigation of complex biomolecules in the laboratory, is a rapidly advancing field and as such the technologies available to investigators are constantly evolving. This constant advancement has obvious advantages because it allows students and researchers to perform more complex experiments in shorter periods of time. One challenge with such a rapidly advancing field is that techniques that had been vital for students to learn how to perform are now not essential for a laboratory scientist. For example, while cloning a gene in the past could have led to a publication and form the bulk of a PhD thesis project, technology has now made this process only a step toward one of these larger goals and can, in many cases, be performed by a company or core facility. As teachers and mentors, it is imperative that we understand that the technologies we teach in the lab and classroom must also evolve to match these advancements. In this perspective, we discuss how the rapid advances in gene synthesis technologies are affecting curriculum and how our classrooms should evolve to ensure our lessons prepare students for the world in which they will do science.

The article is devoted to the study of the issue of training future police officers to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in their professional activities. Based on the results of the theoretical analysis of scientific and applied works, modern trends in the development of drones in the activities of law enforcement agencies were identified, and the problem of their implementation in practical activities was outlined. An online survey was conducted in order to study the opinion of scientific, scientific and pedagogical workers and graduates of higher education institutions with specific learning conditions that train police officers about the need to train future police officers in the control of UAVs. The need to introduce into the system of primary professional training the training of service skills using drones is substantiated. On the basis of the study of the content of the training program for unmanned aircraft systems of the first class according to the basic qualification level of the first level, it is proposed to introduce the general professional educational unit "formation of skills and skills of controlling an UAV" into the training program of the primary professional training of police officers in the specified specialty.

This quasi-experimental study aimed to investigate the effect of polite corrective feedback (CF) on Iranian EFL learners' immediate and delayed grammatical accuracy. The participants included a convenient sample of 60 intermediate male/female EFL learners (four 15-member groups) selected from a private language institute in Tabriz. After the researcher ensured the homogeneity of the participants, a researcher-made multiple-choice pre-test on present and past English tenses was administered. Later, the first and second experimental groups were treated with +Polite Explicit Feedback (in the form of elicitations) and +Polite Implicit CF (in the form of recasts), respectively while the control groups were provided with -Polite Feedback of the same forms. Following the assessment of the learners' oral grammatical accuracy immediately after the treatment (uptake), a multiple-choice post-test was administered two weeks after the immediate post-test to assess their delayed recall. The independent samples t-test and ANCOVA conducted on the pre-test, immediate learning scores, and delayed post-test scores indicated that, although polite CF in both groups had a significant effect on learners' grammatical accuracy, +Polite Explicit Feedback had a more significant effect on participants' performance than -Polite Explicit Feedback and +Polite Implicit Feedback. The results underscore the significance of integrating politeness element into CF discourse, bearing implications for educational planners, materials developers, and EFL instructors.

Lifelong learning is all forms of learning from cradle to grave. Lifelong learning requires everyone to improve themselves. People are expected to be lifelong learners because school knowledge is insufficient. In this framework, educational approaches all over the world focus on lifelong learning and need lifelong learners. This study adopted a qualitative research design to investigate teachers' views on lifelong learning. The sample consisted of 30 teachers from different branches. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview guide. The data were analyzed using content analysis. Participants viewed lifelong learning as a process not limited to schools. They also associated it with all kinds of learning activities and personal growth. They believed lifelong learning was necessary for technological advances, social change, and a high quality of life. They stated that the goals of lifelong learning were accessing educational opportunities, increasing knowledge and skills, and transforming students into qualified people. They noted that motivation, education systems, and social and cultural changes affected lifelong learning.

After the pandemic, research on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the field of education has seen a significant increase globally. However, a few studies conducted before the pandemic addressed the problem of supporting intrinsic motivation in students, crucial for the quality of learning and knowledge retention. This study explores how this topic is covered in recent research, by conducting a cross-disciplinary literature review and critical discourse analysis under the theoretical framework of Activity Theory (AT). It aims to identify the coverage extension of all types of relationships between nodes in the educational activity system, with special attention to Subject (students) and Object, as this central relationship embodies the motive-driven nature of human activity. The analysis incorporated 69 articles from Scopus published from 2020 until now. The results demonstrate the coverage about only some relationships like: Subject-Tools (students' interaction with AI technology), Tools-Object (AI technologies development), and Tools-Community (adapting AI within an educational community). The Subject-Object relationship remains unexplored. Practical implications include refocusing on intrinsic motivation, emphasising epistemological needs, meaning, and choice. This involves evaluating the benefits and risks of AI in specific educational cases. Theoretical implications involve exploring how to sustain students' intrinsic motivation in the context of AI implementation.

This robust mixed-methods study examines ninth-grade advanced course placement in Arkansas, revealing disparities rooted in race and socioeconomic status. Utilizing a logit analysis for a five-year pooled sample (n = 163,616), we find persistent enrollment gaps for Black ninth-grade students after controlling for prior academic achievement, highlighting systemic barriers to access to advanced courses. Socioeconomic divides are also evident in our analysis. Qualitative findings from counselor interviews highlight the importance of parental involvement in course placement decisions, particularly for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Overall, we find through these interviews that districts consider a myriad of factors when considering course placement for ninth-grade courses. We recommend systemic changes for districts, including local norm-based placement systems and automatic enrollment policies to enhance fairness in advanced course placement.

High rates of teacher praise are associated with positive student outcomes (Royer et al., 2019). Research shows secondary teachers deliver more reprimands than praise (e.g. Floress et al. 2022). Performance feedback (PF) is a strategy used to change teacher behaviors. However, it is unknown if PF targeting praise and reprimands for secondary teachers is an evidence-based practice. Although reviews on PF exist, none focus exclusively on secondary teachers. This review was to synthesize 14 PF intervention studies targeting praise and reprimands for secondary teachers. We evaluated PF studies to determine if PF is an evidence-based practice. Results indicate PF targeting praise and reprimands cannot yet be determined as an evidence-based practice for secondary teachers. Limitations, implications, and future directions are discussed.

Time management is essential for strong strategic business planning and marketing campaigns. Having sufficient time to complete essential planning is important, as is the punctuality of meeting deadlines. Temporal Motivation Theory (TMT) explains the relationship between deciding to perform a task and expected incentives, consequences, and the cost of delay. We analyzed the time (in seconds) that business students submitted weekly quizzes before Saturday night deadlines (1,587 quiz submissions). Self-discipline was measured as a student's self-evaluation of their ability to start tasks promptly. We find that self-discipline, by itself, was associated with lower average quiz scores. However, self-discipline combined with greater punctuality was associated with higher quiz scores. High self-discipline associated with low emotional stability resulted in earlier average quiz submissions, which resulted in higher quiz scores than submitting work closer to deadlines. These results indicate using internal pressure like anxiety to initiate studying and completing schoolwork can lead to better academic performance. Based on TMT, students appear to use deadlines to reverse calculate the amount of time before a consequential deadline. This translates into a form of negative reinforcement (avoidance), as opposed to positive reinforcement for punctuality. Implications for business marketing students and academicians are discussed.

Participating in advanced placement (AP) can improve high school students' cognitive and noncognitive outcomes. Despite nationwide efforts, including Arkansas's mandate for statewide AP access since 2003 and exam cost coverage since 2005, disparities in enrollment persist. Using multilevel modeling, we investigate the relation between student/school factors influencing AP enrollment and success. Female versus male (odds ratio [OR] = 1.68), Asian American versus White (OR = 1.90), identified-as-gifted (GT) versus nonidentified as gifted (OR = 1.58) had the highest enrollment odds. Students in the Free and Reduced Lunch program, English Language Learners, and Special education students face pronounced underrepresentation (OR = 0.62; 0.76; 0.10 respectively) to ever enroll in an AP class. Despite universal access across schools, AP enrollment is explained by school factors (proportion of FRL, GT, and student diversity). Our findings have implications to understand the critical intersectionality of student identities--socioeconomic status, language proficiency, and special education needs--influencing AP enrollment despite universal access.

The use of technology-based self monitoring (SM) interventions is becoming more popular, increasing the likelihood that SM interventions will have greater contextual fit within classrooms. SM has resulted in increases in desired school behaviors, such as increases in on task behavior, academic performance, and task completion for students diagnosed with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to extend the findings from Clemons et al. and examine student and teacher use of a web based SM application, I-Connect, and reinforcement to increase on task behavior for three U.S. elementary school students with or at risk for an emotional behavioral disorder using extended SM intervals. All three participants demonstrated significant increases in on task behavior with the use of the I-Connect application plus reinforcement intervention in the classroom.

School transfers may be particularly challenging for students with special educational needs (SEN), and may negatively impact academic and social outcomes for these students. In countries with multiple placement options for students with SEN, although transfers between different types of placements are plausible, studies on this phenomenon are rare. The current study investigates individual placement trajectories over 11 years of compulsory education, using administrative data from a Swiss canton (i.e. federal state) about students with intensive SEN support. We employed sequence analysis to describe individual characteristics of placement trajectories (type of placements attended, number and timing of transfers), and to identify typical placement trajectories. Findings indicate that students with SEN experience frequent placement transfers, however, high variability between individual placement trajectories exists. Four clusters representing typical placement trajectories emerged. The clusters differed in the placements predominately attended by students, the number of transfers experienced, as well as in the distribution of students' age, gender and first language. These differences may reflect variations between clusters in the type and severity of students' SEN. Our study results underscore the importance of understanding the dynamics of placement trajectories for students with SEN, contributing valuable insights into the complexities of their educational journeys.

The lack of digital skills among Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college students is a challenge that negatively affects their academic performance, leading to the college's poor throughput rate. This study aimed to evaluate the digital skills and knowledge of TVET college students of Newcastle, South Africa, about their throughput rate. This is achieved by examining their ability to apply digital skills to succeed in their academic quest. Digital skills are now characterised by globalisation, digitisation, robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), big data, the Internet of Things (IoT), and various other emerging technologies consuming the world. The study employed a descriptive quantitative approach, where respondents completed a four-point Likert scale questionnaire for data collection. The student's assessment records were explored to establish the college throughput rate. Data were descriptively and inferentially analysed by using Microsoft Excel. The relationship between the TVET college's low throughput rate and students' lack of digital skills was statistically significant. An existing digital skills gap calls for educational institutions to equip students with modern and innovative technology-related skills to enhance the throughput rate.

Project-Based Learning (PjBL) curricula offer unique opportunities for student engagement, yet they do not guarantee an engaging classroom. Furthermore, there has been little scholarly work on PjBL pedagogy that supports student engagement. This qualitative research study explores enactment of a PjBL Advanced Placement Physics 1 curriculum and the ways that teachers' pedagogical moves afford or constrain student engagement. We use figured worlds to examine and compare the teaching practices of four teachers. From these findings, we developed a framework of pedagogical practices to support student engagement.

The aim of the article is to explore newly appointed principals' professional identity formation in Sweden. By addressing five specific aspects of principals' professional identity, the article analyses how principals depict their 'knowledge', 'understandings', 'experiences and wisdom', 'values' and 'beliefs' in forming a professional identity. Another focus is on newly appointed principals' knowledge, understandings, experiences and wisdom, values and beliefs, given their biographical histories. The empirical analysis rests on a qualitative survey conducted with 87 principals who were about to begin the National Principal Training Programme that all newly appointed principals in Sweden have to follow. Theoretically, the analytical work rests on a biographical perspective on principals' professional identity. The main results show that the identity of newly appointed principals is diverse and also fragmented. Moreover, from a biographical point of view, there are facts prior to professional experience-knowledge that are significant in identity construction and that give meaning to an identity as school principals.

The effective implementation of blended learning for transforming higher education is hindered by a lack of consensus on its definition. There is a dearth of comprehensive attempts to understand blended learning at the intersection of policy documents and academic literature, particularly in the Indian higher education context. This common understanding is, however, crucial for adding merit to the research and policy initiatives by empirically interlinking them. In its light, the study attempts to understand the term blended learning at the intersection of policy-academia discussions in India. Based on a constant comparison methodology for thematic analysis of various global and national policies and academic research, the study finds three points of discord in defining blended learning, i.e. (i) multi-perspectives on the ingredients of blended learning, (ii) technological hegemony, and (iii) backsliding of the institutional role. This study concludes by proposing a three-fold comprehensive definition of blended learning.

For ages, humankind was unsuccessful in accomplishing their aspirations practically, though sometimes they were able to achieve the same theoretically. However, this gap was bridged by many groundbreaking inventions. One such invention is the World Wide Web. The web, which is often described as an evolving network of networks, has constantly been moving forward since its discovery and thereby giving rise to improved applications. This review paper aims to elucidate the reader on the same. It provides a comprehensive understanding of each iteration of the web and talks about the technological advancements made considering that specific version of the web. The outcome of this review is to present the reader with a comparative analysis of all the iterations of the web based on certain chosen parameters. Furthermore, the findings of this review have been discussed from various aspects to help the reader gain a better understanding of the comparative analysis.

Research Findings: The present study aimed to investigate whether the trial-to-trial intraindividual reaction time variability (IIV), which reflects prefrontal cortex activity related to attentional and cognitive control, mediated the longitudinal effects of earlier harsh discipline on children's later externalizing problems. The study involved 235 elementary school children (M[subscript age] = 7.25, 46% female) who underwent up to three repeated assessments. Specifically, the Chinese version of the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scale and the Child Behavior Checklist were completed by the children's mothers to assess harsh discipline (including corporal punishment and psychological aggression) and the children's externalizing problems at three assessment waves. In addition, the children's IIV was measured using the Go/No-Go task at three assessment waves. The results from structural equation modeling revealed that the longitudinal path between corporal punishment at T1 and externalizing problems at T3 was partially mediated by IIV at T2. This suggested that more corporal punishment children experienced, the greater IIV and the more externalizing problems they will develop at a later stage. Practice or Policy: The findings highlight the proposed process model, which shows that corporal punishment impairs the development of children's prefrontal function as indexed by IIV, ultimately increasing the risk of externalizing problems.

This autoethnography explored how two third-grade dual language teacher partners (English/Spanish) managed challenges such as lack of leadership support, testing pressures, and English hegemony, to help their students grow personally and academically. Autoethnography was chosen as a method because it enables researchers to write evocatively through vivid images and powerful emotions, thus presenting a rich description of the world and its actors. Data collected in the study included reflections on memories, artifacts (pictures), and interviews. The author used a narrative and recursive process in which data generation and analysis occurred simultaneously throughout the writing process. The most salient and illustrative field notebook entries were selected to include in the final manuscript. Findings showed that teachers' cariño practices allowed them to exercise agency and to build strong teacher-student relationships. Cariño practices counteracted test-centric pressures, creating a safe learning environment that improved students' behavior and academic achievement. Safe classroom environments can be created through cariño practices, teacher agency, and positive teacher-student relationships. Trust and positive teacher-teacher relationships were also important contributors to student achievement. Finally, it was found that teacher agency not only impacted students' academic and behavioral growth but also improved teachers' abilities to deal with pressures and stress.

Initiatives to build research universities to have world-class universities, the creator and the disseminator of scientific knowledge in knowledge-based economies, are among the most important policy reactions in higher education systems. With an increase in demands on greater accountability, transparency, and efficiency, studies investigating the excellence initiatives of different countries are growing in number. However, the literature on the Research University Project of Turkey is still in the infancy stage. We, therefore, conducted a quasi-experimental study to evaluate the effect of research university project using six-year panel data between 2015 and 2020. Results from the difference-in-differences analysis showed that the research university initiative of Turkey was not successful in differentiating research universities from non-research universities even if the research universities have not lost the quantitative superiority over non-research universities. However, the result also revealed a possible spillover effect of the initiative on non-research universities by the policy intervention that may have created institutional competition and an isomorphic science production pattern to become a research university.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to systematically dissect strategies against the challenges stalling digital transformation (DT) in the UK higher education (HE) sector. It addresses the challenges impeding DT's incorporation and offers a blueprint for fostering innovation and efficiency within academic institutions. Design/methodology/approach: Using a systematic literature review, the research integrates a nuanced literature review with interpretive structural modelling (ISM). Through meticulous ISM analysis, including sensitivity analysis and level partitioning, a robust framework is developed to pinpoint and interrelate DT challenges. Findings: This investigation delineates a spectrum of impediments to DT in HE, most notably the need for more digital understanding among educators, intensified by inadequate support and resources. The findings reveal that the effective integration of DT is hindered by factors such as insufficient educator digital skills, resistance to technology and the continuous evolution of digital infrastructure. Practical implications: The study's findings and the developed level partitioning diagram offer invaluable insight into how DT must be integrated into the curriculum to enhance HE. Additionally, it could further lead to research within digital infrastructure and how learning needs to be facilitated for students in HE. Originality/value: This study breaks new ground by systematically illuminating the centrality of the educator skill gap. By contributing insights into the educator skill gap, it proposes a unique analytical model that underscores actionable pathways for advancing DT initiatives in HE institutions.

This study examined the extent to which college algebra instructors employ pedagogical practices previously found to assist students master difficult STEM content material and address their own previous math deficits. Faculty classroom behaviors were assessed with a modified version of the Generalized Observation and Reflection Platform (GORP). While it was not surprising that math faculty frequently lectured and wrote on the board, results also revealed that recommended practices were infrequently employed by instructors teaching college algebra. More specifically, faculty teaching introductory college algebra rarely addressed students' misconceptions, made references to their students' prior knowledge, or employed metacognitive teaching strategies. Moreover, while being observed, faculty never applied a mathematical concept to real life. Moreover, mathematics instructors rarely praised their students. The implications of these findings for professional development and hiring requirements are discussed and emphasized for college math department chairs and administrators generally. Results also highlighted the usefulness of the GORP assessment tool for assessing faculty classroom behaviors.

Behavior specific praise (BSP) is widely regarded as an evidence-based classroom management strategy, with decades of research supporting its use. However, relatively few studies have examined the effect of BSP as a "targeted" intervention strategy, particularly for traditionally underrepresented students. The present study evaluated the utility of BSP as an individual behavior management strategy for diverse students in the context of a high-need educational setting. Specifically, it examined the effects of BSP on teacher's ratings of academically engaged and disruptive behavior in the classroom using Direct Behavior Ratings--Single Item Scales (DBR-SIS). A concurrent multiple baseline design was implemented with three racially/ethnically minoritized (REM) target students across one third and one fourth grade classroom. Results demonstrated that teachers' estimated rates of BSP delivered to target students were successfully increased to a criterion level of six per hour following delivery of a multicomponent training package, with high levels of treatment integrity. All participating students demonstrated statistically significant improvements in behavior, although visual analysis suggested only one clear demonstration and one replication of effect. Social validity data revealed high levels of teacher acceptability and willingness to implement the BSP strategy, with mixed perceptions from students. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

This paper discusses the evolution of assessment for learning (AfL) across the globe with particular attention given to Western educational jurisdictions. Scholars from Australia, Canada, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, and the United States discuss prominent assessment reforms within their respective countries over the last decade. Particular attention is given to the impact of the pandemic as well as technological developments for classroom assessment policies and practices. Ongoing tensions that exist between AfL and summative forms of assessment within national policy initiatives are also revisited in relation to the seminal version of this article published 10 years ago.

This study examined the development of the evaluation of praise that differs in congruence between what the praiser is praising (i.e. effort or ability) and what led the recipient to succeed. Children aged 7 and 8 years (second graders) and 10 and 11 years (fifth graders), as well as adults, made emotional and motivational evaluations about protagonists in two scenarios in which protagonists were praised for ability and two other scenarios in which protagonists were praised for effort. Each scenario presented two stories. In one story, protagonists who were good at doing something did it lazily but well, and were then praised for ability (congruent condition) or for effort (incongruent condition). In the other story, protagonists who were poor at doing the same thing tried to do their best and did it well, and were then praised for ability (incongruent condition) or for effort (congruent condition). The results revealed that all three age groups showed an interaction between praise type and level of congruity. Children as well as adults judged that protagonists who were praised for effort in the congruent condition and those who were praised for ability in the incongruent condition felt happier and were better motivated. These results indicate that children aged 7 to 8 years already judge that protagonists feel more positive, regardless of the difference in the type of praise, when they are poor at doing something but they gave it their best effort.