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Social robots communicate through human-like behaviours and are being used in preschool settings. However, the ways in which young children interact with social robots and how these impact upon early educational experiences are not fully known. This observational study explored preschoolers' (Mean age = 4.58 years; N = 40) interactions with a social robot called NAO during a drawing activity, in South East Queensland, Australia. Most children (83%) engaged in the drawing activity and 60% talked to the social robot. A smaller proportion (10%) of children did not talk to the social robot or attempt the drawing task. Overall, the social robot successfully engaged and instructed preschool children during the drawing task however, not all children interacted with the social robot. It is recommended that a thoughtful approach to introducing social robots to preschools is needed to meet the individual and personal learning needs of young children.

This article argues that the best way to increase inquiry-based instruction is paradoxically to pay more attention to direct instruction because excessive attention to practices like close reading of texts and facilitating text-based discussions has led to neglect of content knowledge explanation as a core instructional practice. This article begins by exploring the centrality of background knowledge for meaningful inquiry and then considers what happens when such knowledge is absent from secondary classroom instruction. The second section examines reasons for the absence of pedagogical attention to acquiring background knowledge. The final section proposes a model of direct instruction, offering concrete examples focused on the expansion of Islam in West Africa. The article concludes with reflections on this model of instruction.

Author(s): Kylie Loveday [sup.1] , David L. Neumann [sup.1] , Linda Hassall [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.1022.1, 0000 0004 0437 5432, School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, , Parklands Drive, [...], A substantial body of literature exists investigating the psychological states underlying peak performance in sports. However, performance excellence among performing artists, particularly actors, has received less empirical study. Thus, this investigation explored what the subjective peak performance experience is like in the context of professional screen acting, and how it is achieved. Adopting a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five professional screen actors exploring a subjective peak performance experience. Transcripts were analysed using an interpretative phenomenological analysis. Two master themes represented peak screen acting performance experiences and described how actors achieved them. The first theme revealed how actors achieve peak performance through preparation processes that afford self-efficacy and acceptance to perform freely. The second theme illustrated that subjective peak screen acting performances were a present, connected, and heightened state where actors felt like they cognitively and physically lived as their character whilst attention resources monitored technical performance factors. Evidently, subjective peak screen acting performance involves an interaction of skill-based and psychological factors. Additionally, the peak performance state involves both cognitive and physical components. Not only can these results offer actors increased self-insight, but educators and directors can use findings to support actors in reaching their performance potential.

Use of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) in education has become more widespread in recent years. This article explores what VR, AR, and MR are and the benefits and barriers they may have with regard to early learning. Deepening the understandings of these digital tools will help inform principals, teachers, policymakers, and other stakeholders who are interested in these digital technologies for early educational purposes.

To date, cross-cultural studies on Theory of Mind (ToM) have predominantly focused on preschoolers. This study focuses on middle childhood, comparing two samples of mainland Chinese (n = 126) and Australian (n = 83) children aged between 5.5 and 12 years. Strange Stories, the most commonly used measure of ToM, was employed. The study aimed to examine the one- versus two-factor structure and measurement invariance of Strange Stories across two cultures; use the verified invariant model of Strange Stories to compare children's cognitive and affective ToM across two cultures; and finally, to investigate correlates of individual differences on Strange Stories cross-culturally. Multiple-groups confirmatory factor analysis revealed the measurement invariance of a two-factor model of Strange Stories (cognitive and affective) in both groups. Chinese children performed comparably to Australian children on cognitive ToM stories, but more poorly than Australian children on affective ToM stories. There were cultural differences in the correlates of ToM. The number of older siblings was a positive predictor of cognitive ToM for Chinese children, but a negative predictor of cognitive ToM for Australian children. The findings confirm that Strange Stories is a reliable measure for evaluating ToM in school-aged children from mainland China and Australia and highlight the importance of considering both cognitive and affective aspects of ToM in cross-cultural comparison.

In the last three decades, history education has focused overwhelmingly on inquiry. In teacher education, the recent turn to "Core Practices" or "High-Leverage Practices" (HLPs) has been applied to history education. Despite the attractiveness of inquiry-oriented instruction, it is still absent from far too many history classrooms. One major obstacle to implementation is the disregard for Presenting Historical Content as a core practice. Rather than dismissing "direct practice" as a self-evident practice, we should give it the same careful analysis accorded other HLPs. Used thoughtfully, Presenting Historical Content serves an essential pedagogical purpose in inquiry instruction: framing student investigation and providing the context necessary for high-level student work. The article begins by exploring the centrality of background knowledge for meaningful inquiry and then explores what happens when such knowledge is absent from secondary classroom instruction. The second section considers reasons for the absence of pedagogical attention to acquiring background knowledge. The section then proceeds to identify key features of background knowledge through backwards design. The final section proposes a model of Presenting Historical Content through a detailed decomposition model, applies the model to a specific lesson example, and ends with reflections on the implications of this model of instruction.

Existing data reveals prevalent performance and image-enhancing drug (PIED) use in specific global regions and higher rates among athletes, however, research on performance-enhancement experiences among elite untested athletes is lacking. Drawing on conceptual frameworks that emphasize the intersection of context and practice, this research aims to gain insights into the subjective perspectives, motivations, and challenges faced by athletes in managing and optimizing their performance while using PIEDs. In-depth interviews were conducted with seventeen strength sports athletes, including powerlifters and bodybuilders, who had competed at national and/or international levels within untested federations. Thematic analysis was employed to examine the interview data within a social constructivist ontology. Findings revealed that PIEDs have dual roles as tools for enhanced recovery and heightened training stress, a delicate balance that aligns with Foucault's notion of self-transformation through technological advancements. These substances exerted power beyond consumption events with long-term psychological effects such as anxiety and irrational behavior emerging as key concerns. Peers with lived experience were key actors in the relationship between responsible drug management, however, the need for informed guidance was acknowledged. Non-human actors, notably biometric data tracking, played a pivotal role in guiding substance consumption. The study underscores the need for further research and tailored frameworks to support the health and well-being of athletes in this domain while addressing the broader implications of PIED use in public health discourse. Specifically, this study highlights the significance of integrating lived experiences and social contexts, emphasizing the need for nuanced harm-reduction strategies in this space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wording of university academic job advertisements can reflect a commitment to equity (affirmative action) as opposed to academic merit in hiring decisions. The method of judgemental content analysis was applied by having three judges rate 810 Australian tenure-stream advertisements on seven-point magnitude scales of equity and merit. The influence of time (Years: 1970-1973; 1984-1987; 2000-2003), institution (major research universities, the self-designated Group of Eight (Go8); colleges of advanced education and institutes of technology; regional and distance education institutions), as well as academic discipline (physical sciences and technology; social sciences; humanities) on ratings were also examined. Inter-rater reliabilities were high ([greater than or equal to] 0.92), and the "equivalence hypothesis" (that merit and equity are the same) was not supported. Merit and equity criteria increased over time and were influenced by institution type and academic discipline, although in different ways. While some effects could be viewed as being due to rational policy decisions, other significant effects suggested influences that are more difficult to explain. University administrators need to be sensitive to the balance between merit and equity when formulating hiring policies. (Contains 3 figures.)

The underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related fields remains a concern for educators and the scientific community. Gender differences in mathematics and science achievement play a role, in conjunction with attitudes and self-efficacy beliefs. We report results from the 2011 Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), a large international assessment of eighth grade students' achievement, attitudes, and beliefs among 45 participating nations (N = 261,738). Small- to medium-sized gender differences were found for most individual nations (from d = -0.60 to +0.31 in mathematics achievement, and d = -0.60 to +0.26 for science achievement), although the direction varied and there were no global gender differences overall. Such a pattern cross-culturally is incompatible with the notion of immutable gender differences. Additionally, there were different patterns between OECD and non-OECD nations, with girls scoring higher than boys in mathematics and science achievement across non-OECD nations. An association was found between gender differences in science achievement and national levels of gender equality, providing support for the gender segregation hypothesis. Furthermore, the performance of boys was more variable than that of girls in most nations, consistent with the greater male variability hypothesis. Boys reported more favorable attitudes towards mathematics and science, and girls reported lower self-efficacy beliefs. While the gender gap in STEM achievement may be closing, there are still large sections of the world where differences remain.

Touch-screen tablets are used in the classroom for assessment. Little is known about the psychometric properties of tablet-based assessments. This study examined the validity and reliability of an expressive and receptive assessment app designed to measure literacy skills. Children (N = 45; 3-5 years) completed the app assessments for alphabet and word skills using a tablet. Children (n = 15) were posttested 1 to 2 weeks later to check test score stability. The tablet measures showed good internal consistency (all a > 0.90) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] range = 0.87 to 0.98). Agreement between scores for the tablet- and paper-based tests was also high (ICC range = 0.91 to 0.98). This indicates that expressive and receptive tablet tests provide valid and reliable measures.

Touch screen tablets such as iPads are becoming increasingly popular as educational tools to support children's first language learning in pre-schools. Apps can also be used to support early learning of a second language in English-speaking countries. However, little work has been done to evaluate these apps. The present research developed criteria for assessing Mandarin learning apps and applied them to evaluate 28 Mandarin apps for English-speaking pre-schoolers. The criteria included the domains of interactivity, usability, cultural awareness, collaboration, language and literacy content, and learning outcomes. The application of the criteria showed that half the Mandarin learning apps lacked key educational features essential for second language learning. The categories in which the apps scored most highly were interactivity, cultural awareness, usability, and language and literacy content. The apps scored lowest in the categories of collaboration and provision of learning outcomes. The findings suggest that further research is needed to inform best practice, app design, and to provide guidelines that help teachers select quality apps to support second language learning.

Touch screen tablets are being increasingly used in schools for learning and assessment. However, the validity and reliability of assessments delivered via tablets are largely unknown. The present study tested the psychometric properties of a tablet-based app designed to measure early literacy skills. Tablet-based tests were also compared with traditional paper-based tests. Children aged 2-6 years (N = 99) completed receptive tests delivered via a tablet for letter, word, and numeral skills. The same skills were tested with a traditional paper-based test that used an expressive response format. Children (n = 35) were post-tested 8 weeks later to examine the stability of test scores over time. The tablet test scores showed high internal consistency (all a's > 0.94), acceptable test-retest reliability (ICC range = 0.39-0.89), and were correlated with child age, family SES, and home literacy teaching to indicate good predictive validity. The agreement between scores for the tablet and traditional tests was high (ICC range = 0.81-0.94). The tablet tests provides valid and reliable measures of children's early literacy skills. The strong psychometric properties and ease of use suggests that tablet-based tests of literacy skills have the potential to improve assessment practices for research purposes and classroom use.