This study investigated the influence of CThink4CS² Module on computational thinking (CT) skills of form four chemistry students. The CThink4CS² Module integrated CT with the Engineering Design Process (EDP) in chemistry class. This study utilized quantitative research methods and quasi-experimental design. Quantitative data were collected using the Computational Thinking Skill Test (CTST) which consisted of algorithmic reasoning, abstraction, decomposition, and pattern recognition constructs. A total of 73 students were in the treatment group (n=39) and control group (n=34). Experimental data were described by means of descriptive analysis and inferential analysis employing two-way MANOVA analysis. The results of the analysis indicated significant differences in CT skills between groups; students in the treatment group demonstrated better results compared to those in the control group. The paper provides insight into the integration of CT and EDP as effective pedagogical strategies for inculcating CT skills.

Teachers' classroom practice encompasses diverse facets of teacher behavior. Understanding teachers’ classroom practice is important as the literature has been well documented its association with student, teacher, and classroom outcomes. Positive teacher-student relationships and proper classroom management, both are important aspects of teachers’ classroom practices, have been empirically linked to increasing student academic performance and reducing problem behaviors. This study explored patterns of teacher classroom practices across teacher-student relationships and classroom management and validated them using a person-oriented approach, k-means clustering, on three sets of data with over 600 participants. Using indicators of classroom assessment scoring system (CLASS), three distinct teacher profiles were identified: supportive, intermediate, and detached. Supportive teachers demonstrated high levels of teacher-student relationships and classroom management, while detached teachers showed low levels of both. Intermediate teachers fell between these two groups. The study also compared these profiles based on teacher self-efficacy, work stress, and classroom climate. Supportive teachers had the highest classroom climate scores, followed by intermediate and detached. Work stress was comparable for intermediate and supportive teachers, but both were lower than detached. No group differences were found for self-efficacy. This study contributes to the understanding of teacher behaviors with students in the lower grades.

Mathematical modeling offers a promising approach to improving mathematics education. This study aims to determine if the concept of metacognitive awareness in the learning process is associated with mathematical modeling. This study also considers the interaction effect of sex and academic year level on both variables. Focusing the study on preservice elementary teachers might address potential issues and targeted intervention in their preparation program concerning their ability to teach and guide young learners in modeling activities. The research sample includes 140 preservice elementary teachers at Central Luzon State University, Philippines. Data collection used an adapted metacognitive awareness inventory and a validated researcher-made mathematical modeling competency test aligned with the K-12 mathematics curriculum in the Philippines. Results revealed that the preservice elementary teachers had a high metacognitive awareness and mathematical modeling competency, ranging from 22 to 31 out of 36 points. Besides, Factorial ANOVA indicates that academic year level positively affects both variables regardless of sex, and stepwise regression analysis unveiled that information management, declarative knowledge, and planning significantly predict 41.4% of the mathematical modeling competency variance. This suggests that developing metacognitive awareness supports preservice elementary teachers in performing modeling tasks that improve their competency level in mathematics.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) brings modern learning approaches, forms and methods to education, and with them new opportunities for learning and teaching. The use of ICT in the classroom motivates students, enables them to participate, provides individualisation and differentiation, interactivity, and encourages creativity and critical thinking. Teachers play a very important role in this, as they are the ones who can provide students with a stimulating learning environment, including through the use of ICT. As Slovene (first language) is the subject with the most teaching hours in public primary schools in the Republic of Slovenia, we conducted an empirical study on the views of general and subject teachers of Slovene (N = 190) on the integration of information and communication technology in teaching. Teachers’ opinions were investigated through quantitative research. We found that teachers frequently use ICT in Slovene lessons, namely for repeating and consolidating learning material and for presenting new learning material, and that ICT is used most often in frontal forms of learning. Teachers mostly use LCD projectors, computers, interactive whiteboards, e-workbooks, audio recordings and videos. We also found that teachers are moderately satisfied with the available ICT equipment and e-materials, and that they feel moderately competent when it comes to using ICT in Slovene lessons. Teachers also used ICT during the COVID-19 epidemic. We also found that there are no statistically significant differences in the use of ICT between teachers teaching Slovene according to their teaching level, age and years of service.

This paper examines how peer mentoring strengthens teaching practices in Regular Basic Education considering the changes undertaken since the COVID-19 pandemics. Peer mentoring is an in-service teacher training strategy that includes mutual collaboration, learning and monitoring. In this systematic review, we retrieved 24 articles since 2020 from Scopus (8), Web of Science (8), Dialnet (5), Google Scholar (2) and SciELO (1) to find out about the benefits of peer mentoring. Our review was guided by the PRISMA criteria. We found that educational companionship has a positive impact on reducing knowledge gaps regarding new technologies through the exchange of experiences, promotes openness to criticism, as well as the interest in learning and unlearning, supporting learning self-regulation, and guarantees consultation, reflection, and agreement between members of the teaching communities. We conclude that peer mentoring fulfilled, to a large extent, its purpose of improving teacher performance as one of the keys to educational quality.

This paper explores information related to misconceptions and conceptual change during the last thirty years 1992-2022 to be used as a preliminary study in science education. This study used bibliometric analysis with the help of the Scopus database. This paper used a bibliometric analysis study with the Scopus database and the help of MS Excel, VosViewer, and Rpackage software to visualize the data obtained. The results of this research found that Indonesian researchers have contributed the most in terms of the number of documents published in Australia and the United States. Additionally, research on these two topics has decreased since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, these findings present trends in the areas of misconceptions and conceptual change that can be used as baseline data for future research. Studies related to misconceptions will continue to develop because they cannot be separated from the inside of education, whether at any level of elementary school, middle school, or college. This is an opportunity that must be taken advantage of by institutions and policies in an effort to improve and create quality of education, teacher resources, and students.

Writing is a complex activity. If a child’s preparation for writing, which begins to develop in the preschool years, is poor, this can inhibit writing and cause problems. Because children are expected to know how to hold a pencil correctly, how to sit correctly while writing, and how to prepare and adjust the writing surface without planning, this study seeks to determine how first graders are prepared for writing in terms of selected biomechanical and ergonomic factors at the beginning of the school year. The goal was to determine whether there are any differences between students according to sex and handedness and if there is any connection between basic pre-writing skills and the ergonomic suitability of furniture (table and chair size). An empirical study was conducted involving 246 first graders from randomly selected public primary schools in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and fifteen of their female teachers. The results of the research showed that inadequate furniture size affects how students sit and that there are statistically significant differences between the positions of the writing surface for right-handers and left-handers. The research did not show a correlation between posture and pencil grip, but it is very likely that it would have been demonstrated in a larger sample. No sex differences were found between pencil grip, writing surface position, and posture; no connection between handedness, pencil grip, and posture; no connection between pencil grip, poor posture, and writing surface position; and no connection between posture and ergonomically appropriate school desks and chairs.

This study evaluates the effectiveness of a twelve-week Inquiry-Based Science (IBS) program on enhancing science process skills and scientific knowledge among preschool children in Morocco. Conducted in a quasi-experimental setting, it involved 105 children (M = 60.46 months, SD = 4.32), with 37 in the IBS group and 68 in the control group. The program utilized the 5Es instructional model and the Engineering Design Process (EDP) to engage children in active, hands-on learning experiences. Statistical analysis demonstrated that the IBS group achieved substantial improvements in both science process skills and scientific knowledge relative to the control group, with between-group effect sizes (Cohen’s d) ranging from 1.02 and 2.31. These findings highlight the significant impact of structured inquiry-based approaches in early childhood education. The study underscores the need for integrating such methods into the preschool curriculum to foster scientific understanding and skills from a young age, thereby better preparing Moroccan children for future academic and professional challenges. The results advocate for educational stakeholders to consider adopting inquiry-based learning frameworks to enhance the overall quality of early childhood education in Morocco.

Developing efficient and reliable tools for assessing early mathematical skills remains a critical priority in educational research. This study aimed to develop and validate a brief version of the Prueba Uruguaya de Matemática (Uruguayan Mathematics Test, PUMa), a digital tool to assess mathematical abilities in children aged 5 to 6. The original test included 144 items covering both symbolic (66%) and non-symbolic (34%) tasks, such as approximate number system, counting, numerical ordering (forward and backward), math fluency, composition and decomposition of numbers, and transcoding auditory-verbal stimuli into Arabic-visual symbols. Unlike most existing tools that require individual administration by trained professionals and lack cultural adaptation for Latin American contexts, PUMa is self-administered, culturally grounded, and suitable for large-scale assessments using tablets. Using a sample of 443 participants and applying parametric and non-parametric models within the framework of Item Response Theory (IRT), along with correlations with TEMA-3, preliminary evidence was generated showing that the brief version retained precision and validity. The resulting shortened tests included 69 and 73 items for the parametric and non-parametric versions, yielding a balanced representation of symbolic (56%) and non-symbolic (44%) tasks. Despite item reduction, ability scores remained highly correlated between original and brief versions (r > .90), and both brief versions demonstrated strong internal consistency (α = .94). PUMa improves upon existing assessments by combining cultural relevance, group-based digital administration, and real-time data collection, offering a scalable solution for early identification and intervention. These features support personalized educational strategies that foster cognitive and academic development from the earliest stages.

This study delved into Terry Borton’s reflective model and 7E instructional model to produce comprehensive and guided tools that fit as observation and reflective tools for enhancing learners’ engagement and outcomes in Mathematics lessons. The aim was to gather insights that can inform strategies to adapt Borton’s model to produce tools to be used to observe and analyse 7E model-based Mathematics lessons to contribute to improved student outcomes. Literature information was used to explore, analyse, and synthesise the study’s related existing theories and models to provide a deeper understanding of constraints and prompt question descriptors to produce 21st-century tools to observe and reflect on a Mathematics lesson. After comparing different prompt question descriptors from different literature and Borton’s model, concise descriptors were retained for educational purposes to be analysed, considering the 7E model phases, to produce the guided tools. As a result, two products. “Classroom Observation-Guided Tool”, which includes a guided tool table with a last column for the observer to write comments during class. This column is used to identify gaps in student engagement and learning practices across the 7E phases, which may have been misused. The “Post-Lesson Discussion Guided Tool”, to make a positive post-lesson discussion session, enabling teachers to identify areas for improvement in student engagement to achieve better outcomes next time. Other researchers can study the applicability of 21st-century observation and reflection-guided tools to other subjects, exploring their long-term impact on teacher professional development to improve overall student achievement across all school subjects.