These days, many schools are reviewing their curricula, and Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education is one area where these changes are being applied. Because STEAM education integrates five subjects, it requires an approach in which teachers from these subjects work collaboratively. However, applying traditional assessment methods in STEAM education is challenging, as it requires teachers to jointly decide on appropriate assessment strategies. At present, no clear framework exists to support this process. This study examined the potential of the ordinal priority approach (OPA), a recently introduced method for multi-criteria decision-making, to facilitate teachers’ collaborative selection of assessment methods for STEAM education. It further explored the extent to which subject differences affect collaboration by comparing the decision-making of two groups: a homogeneous group (teachers of the same subject) and a heterogeneous group (teachers of different subjects). Pre- and post-questionnaires were administered to both groups to determine how the OPA can assist teachers in jointly developing a STEAM assessment method. Analyses of the responses identified differences in each group’s consensus-building process. The study revealed three key contributions of OPA to teacher collaboration in STEAM education: 1) it ensures that teachers from diverse subjects have their opinions considered; 2) its transparent decision-making process helps mitigate distrust during discussions; and 3) it promotes fair decision-making, unaffected by social power differences within the group. Based on these findings, OPA appears effective in converging diverse expert opinions through a clear decision-making process.

In recent years, significant developments have occurred in AI-based chatbots that have been effectively deployed in the educational field. However, given the novelty of this technology, descriptive analyses remain scarce. Although many review studies have focused on the effectiveness of chatbots, they generally present broad results, and only a few have addressed the impact of this technology on learning outcomes. The present study examines the educational implications of AI chatbots on various learning outcomes through a post hoc analysis conducted in accordance with PRISMA principles. It aims to aggregate and analyze findings from studies that examined the use of chatbots and their impact on specific learning outcomes. A total of 26 studies were selected from a pool of 6,721 published between 2021 and 2024 and indexed in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Data analysis was conducted using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for Education. The results revealed that AI-chatbot technology has a positive influence on several learning outcomes, including academic achievement, motivation, self-assessment, engagement in learning, self-efficacy, and language learning, among others. The studies also detailed the methodologies and tools employed in these investigations. The study also offers insights into how intelligent chatbots can be leveraged to enhance various learning outcomes.

Family routines and practices are recognized as critical determinants of child development. Despite extensive research on the socio-emotional benefits of family routines for school readiness in various contexts, there remains limited empirical evidence directly linking these routines to academic performance. This is because a lot of existing literature has focused on younger children below 8 years. This study sought to address this gap by examining the role of family routines on academic performance among middle school students in informal settlements. The study involved 351 middle school students and their parents from informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya. Family routines were assessed using a structured questionnaire adapted from the Family Routine Inventory (FRI) scale. Academic performance data were obtained from the most recent school examinations of each participating student across five subjects (English, Kiswahili, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies) as percentage scores. Results show that routines related to basic needs provision were the strongest predictors of academic performance, followed by academic monitoring routines. Emotional support routines moderately contributed to academic outcomes, while routines related to family outings and bonding had a limited impact. The study recommends further exploration of context-specific family routines using longitudinal designs to identify long-term impacts.

Vocational education plays a pivotal role in nurturing talent and supporting national development. However, challenges such as outdated talent development concepts, insufficient teacher training, and a lack of attention to soft skills cultivation from both schools and students have hindered the comprehensive development of secondary vocational students. This study aims to explore the direct effect of perceived teachers’ transformational leadership on the soft skills of 324 secondary vocational students in China and to examine the mediating role of students’ self-efficacy in this relationship. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the results show that teachers’ transformational leadership has a significant positive effect on students’ soft skills (β = 0.33, p < .01). Moreover, self-efficacy partially mediates this relationship (indirect effect β = 0.07, p < .05), accounting for 22.6% of the total effect. These findings suggest that teachers’ inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, and intellectual stimulation directly foster students’ communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills, while also indirectly strengthening them by enhancing students’ confidence. Practically, the study underscores the need for teacher training in transformational leadership and for policy initiatives that integrate soft skills into vocational curricula.

This quasi-experimental study compares the differences in psychological well-being impact factors of school-based yoga interventions and mindfulness practices for at-risk Hispanic adolescent high school students with similar students enrolled in traditional physical education classes in a face-to-face setting. Convenience sampling was applied to freshmen students enrolled in a Physical Education 1-hour course at a designated high school in South Texas. A hypothesis model was utilized: mind-body awareness, self-regulation, and physical postures. To assess psychological wellbeing constructs of mood and affect, measurement instruments employed were two commonly utilized questionnaires, the Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS) and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS-C). Statistical analyses included Friedman’s Test for nonparametric data, comparisons of pre-post change scores between yoga and physical education classes, and longitudinal data trends for each measurement instrument’s subscales from inception to conclusion.  Overall, longitudinal trends in participant responses from Week 1 to Week 10 comparisons demonstrate a practical significance of gradual increases in improved student well-being in comparison to traditional physical education classes. Overall positive impacts continue to support overall improvement for students participating in Yoga as a form of physical fitness.

Academic studies are an important stage in the development of professional identity and perceptions regarding a person’s future occupation. This study examined the relationships between experiences during college studies and professional identity and motivation to work in the studied field among female undergraduates from the Ultra-Orthodox sector. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design with a sample of 93 participants, who were all studying for B.A. degrees on an Ultra-Orthodox college campus. At the end of the 2023 academic year, participants completed anonymous, self-report questionnaires about their attitudes toward academic studies, professional identity, and motivation to work. The data from the questionnaires were analyzed using t-tests, ANOVA, correlation analyses, and multiple regression. The findings revealed significant, positive relationships between satisfaction with one’s studies and professional identity and between professional identity and motivation to work in one’s field of study. Contrary to what had been hypothesized, no relationship was found between the students’ satisfaction with their studies and their motivation to work in their field of study. In addition, the professional identity of students in the later years of their programs was no stronger than that of first-year students. This indicates that perceptions of one’s college studies are not directly related to occupation or motivation for work. The findings show that the year in one’s study program did not affect work motivation, suggesting that the link between academic experience and occupation is weak. In addition, the fact that professional identity did not act as a mediating factor in the examined model suggests that professional identity may develop before individuals begin their college studies.

This study aimed to examine the impact of self-organization and self-efficacy in predicting attitudes toward cheating in online exams among undergraduate students. Drawing on the self-regulated learning framework, a cross-sectional survey design was employed to collect data from 153 students at a Saudi university using three validated scales. The findings revealed that self-organization and self-efficacy were significant negative predictors of attitudes toward cheating, with higher levels of these attributes associated with less favorable attitudes toward cheating. Furthermore, moderation analysis showed that self-efficacy significantly moderated the relationship between self-organization and cheating attitudes, suggesting a complex interplay between the two constructs. The findings highlight the importance of fostering self-regulated learning skills to enhance academic integrity in online assessment contexts.  

A survey of literature on methodology reveals that the whole-part relationship is broken between the overarching definition of methodology and compatible sets of methodic practices and underlying assumptions. Two key general structures are missing: (a) a big picture view within which to organize definitions and parts, and (b) a framework within which to guide analysis of any particular feature of methodology without detaching from an understanding of the particular in relation to the whole. As a consequence, a basic question remains unanswered about what social scientists mean by methodology. The current manuscript explored literature relating to methodology, without emphasis on any specific paradigm, with the aim of synthesizing both the definitions (i.e., the whole) and components (i.e., the parts) of methodology. Using hermeneutic synthesis, nine definitions of methodology and four methodological decision sets were inferred. Definitions and decision sets were integrated into a range-based methodological framework. The resulting framework captures the continuum of methodological choices made by inquirers, which has implications for educators, methodologists, and researchers seeking to engage in inter- and intra-paradigm methodological analysis to understand and compare methodological decision points. 

The introduction of evolution in post-apartheid South Africa in 2008 presented significant challenges for teachers, due to both their own and their students' faith-based biases. This study investigates South African teachers' attitudes and understanding of evolution, utilizing Lemkian sociocultural theory and Vygotskian ZPD scaffolding. A mixed-methods approach was employed, including a Likert-scale questionnaire from 91 life science teachers and qualitative insights from open-ended questions. Results reveal a lack of enthusiasm for teaching evolution, influenced by personal religious beliefs and doubts about its scientific validity. Teachers often call for equal representation of evolution and creationism in classrooms. The preparation of teachers must address the stagnant discussion of evolution, while the life sciences curriculum emphasizes the Nature of Science, scientific literacy, and connections between science and society is compromised.

Team-based learning (TBL) is a popular form of collaborative learning designed to increase student engagement and motivate students to learn. A growing body of research, particularly in the health sciences, has demonstrated that TBL has positive impacts on student performance and classroom dynamics. However, much less is known about the student outcomes associated with TBL courses in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, fields in which active learning is especially important for student success and retention. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic review of the student outcomes associated with TBL in undergraduate STEM education. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method, we identified 55 empirical and qualitative research articles published between 2005 and 2024 that reported on TBL implementation practices and student outcomes. Importantly, we found that most studies described increased student performance and improved measures of classroom dynamics when TBL was compared to lecture-based teaching approaches. These findings provide further evidence that TBL is an effective instructional method and suggest that TBL can be implemented successfully across a wide range of student populations and undergraduate STEM disciplines.

This study investigates how learning-oriented school cultures, conceptualized through the Schools as Learning Organizations (SLO) framework, relate to teacher self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and work effectiveness in primary schools within a centralized education system. While these constructs have received considerable attention in the literature, they have rarely been examined together within a unified organizational learning perspective, particularly in contexts marked by limited school autonomy. Using a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 94 teachers in nine public primary schools, alongside aggregated student ratings of instructional effectiveness from 364 pupils. The findings showed that learning-oriented school cultures were positively associated with teacher self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and work effectiveness. Teacher self-efficacy also partially mediated the relationship between SLO conditions and both job satisfaction and work effectiveness. These findings indicate that learning-oriented school cultures may strengthen teacher outcomes directly and indirectly by reinforcing teachers’ sense of efficacy. Thus, the role of school leadership in cultivating collaborative and inquiry-oriented professional environments is particularly important  

Teacher-targeted victimization remains an under-integrated dimension of school violence research. This systematic review follows PRISMA 2020 guidelines and synthesizes 56 empirical studies (2015–2026) examining how teacher-targeted victimization is conceptualized and analyzed. The review maps patterns in geographic distribution, methodology, behavioral aggression forms, perpetrator framing, and the integration of institutional variables. Findings reveal the predominance of quantitative cross-sectional designs (75.9%). Physical (n = 28) and verbal aggression (n = 26) are the most frequently examined forms, with over half of the studies conceptualizing aggression as exclusively student-perpetrated. Institutional and governance variables remain limited: 84.8% of studies include no institutional variables beyond exposure or rely solely on general school climate indicators, while governance-level constructs appear in only one study. Drawing on Organizational Justice Theory and Institutional Theory, the review advances a Multilevel Institutional Accountability Model that conceptualizes teacher-directed aggression across behavioral exposure, institutional processing, and governance architecture. The findings highlight the need for greater integration of institutional and governance variables in future research.  

University teaching staff are increasingly engaged in innovative sustainability-related initiatives aimed at improving teaching-learning processes while fostering their own academic development. However, the literature has only tentatively explored the impact of this participation on academic development. This work, therefore, aims to analyse the dimensions of the sustainability-oriented learning environment known as Ocean i3 that influence the academic development of university teaching staff. It is based on a case study approach that enables an in-depth and contextualised analysis of this complex phenomenon in a real-world setting. Interviews and a focus group were used as data-collection instruments while inductive content analysis guided the interpretation and discussion of the findings. The results suggest that the complexity of the educational choreography—including project design, institutional context, the teaching team, and the active involvement of staff and students— plays a key role in the academic development of university teaching staff. The study concludes that these dimensions should be strengthened in innovative sustainability-oriented learning environments in order to promote teachers’ academic development.