Recent studies identified that faculty research productivity increased when they felt competent in conducting research. Faculty level of research competency varies due to academic training, context, country, discipline, and experiences; however, what is faculty research competency? The core competencies of faculty research are unclear; thus, the current study systematically reviewed the literature. Researchers used Boolean searches of four popular databases to identify 553 articles for first-level screening. These yielded 46 peer-reviewed journal articles for full-text analysis, six of which focused on faculty populations (40 on non-faculty). Six core components of faculty research proficiency were identified: finding and reviewing literature, planning a study, collecting and analyzing data, writing research, disseminating research findings, and managing research projects. Compared to non-faculty populations, faculty are uniquely more engaged in research project management. Researchers also identified 18 sub-competencies that will help to measure faculty research competency more reliably in the future. Finally, as the identified studies relied on self-reported measurements that may carry self-representation bias, an aspirational implication is to develop a competency-based diagnostic test for measuring faculty research competence.

In primary and middle schools in China, banzhuren is the teacher responsible for managing and overseeing a specific class of students. The lower job satisfaction of banzhurens has been a longstanding issue. This study employs a quantitative method to investigate the impact of banzhurens' self-efficacy and burnout on their job satisfaction. A total of 624 primary school banzhurens from G City (in Henan province, China) participated in an online survey assessing their perceived job satisfaction, self-efficacy, and burnout. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling analysis. The results revealed that (a) banzhurens' burnout negatively influenced their self-efficacy and job satisfaction; (b) banzhurens' job satisfaction was positively influenced by self-efficacy; (c) banzhurens' self-efficacy could mediate the adverse effects of burnout on job satisfaction. Therefore, we suggest that banzhurens' job satisfaction can be enhanced by increasing their self-efficacy, particularly in terms of communication with leaders, and by reducing their burnout.

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.

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.

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.

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 aims to address students' low mathematical problem-solving skills and self-regulated learning by developing website-based mathematics learning media using the problem-based learning model. Learning that integrates website-based media allows for more independent learning activities in solving mathematical problems. This study uses the ADDIE model to test the validity, practicality, and effectiveness of the product. Website-based media met the validity criteria based on expert assessments with an average score of 137 from subject matter experts and 78.5 from media experts, and the research instruments were declared valid with an Aiken index ranging from 0.9 to 0.99. Website-based media meet the criteria for practicality based on an average teacher assessment of 90.5, an average student assessment of 50.1, and a learning implementation rate of 93%. Website-based media are proven to be effective through four indicators: (1) students who pass exceed the threshold of 80%. (2) One sample t-test results p-value <.05 and t-value >1.69, so that H_0 is rejected. This proves that website-based mathematics learning media are effective in improving students' mathematical problem-solving skills and self-regulated learning. (3) The results of the paired sample t-test show p-value <.05 and t-value >1.69, so that H_0 is rejected. This proves that there is a significant improvement in students' mathematical problem-solving and self-regulated learning abilities after using website-based mathematical learning media. This study is able to facilitate students' problem-solving and self-regulated learning abilities simultaneously in mathematics education.

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