This study is designed to illuminate the role of four key constructs—teacher-student relationships, peer networks, satisfaction with support services, and employability trust—in shaping the social capital within universities. Utilising a sample of 1902 working students derived from the Eurostudent VII survey data, this research applies both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis to validate the proposed model. The findings indicate that all four constructs demonstrate statistically significant and positive associations with university social capital. Crucially, the measures of reliability and validity are within an acceptable range, lending credibility to the findings. The teacher-student relationship was found to be the most influential factor, highlighting its crucial value in the functioning of social capital inside universities. Along with providing a framework for future studies on the ever-changing nature of social capital in universities, the results highlight the significance of cultivating an interconnected academic community, which enriches the educational organisation as a whole.

The study investigated the effects of utilising English as the primary teaching language on the academic development of Grade 4 (Gr4) learners, specifically focusing on the Life and Living (L&L) component of Natural Sciences (NS). Gr4 learners commonly transition to English as the Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT), relegating native languages such as Sesotho to mere study subjects. This shift often results in comprehension and retention challenges, hindering students' academic achievements. By employing a quasi-experimental research design, the study used a purposefully selected sample of 80 Gr4 students from two primary schools. The control group (45 learners) received English instruction from Grade R to Grade 7, while the experimental group (35 learners) switched from Sesotho to English in Gr4. Both groups underwent pre-tests and post-tests, revealing statistically significant differences favouring the experimental group. These findings support the research hypothesis that introducing English as the LoLT as early as Grade R has a significant impact on learners' performance, particularly in NS. It is recommended that English be adopted as a medium of instruction for NS, as this better prepares students for future academic challenges.

Although regression to the mean is pervasive in data analysis, educational researchers often misconstrue it as evidence of genuine change and mistakenly attribute random changes to treatment effects. A statistical phenomenon where extreme values naturally move closer to the average after repeated treatment, regression to the mean is especially susceptible to misinterpretations in educational studies with pretest-posttest or longitudinal designs. In such studies, observed changes are frequently assumed to be the effects of treatment, even in cases where the changes are statistical artifacts. Using a hypothetical case and two real-world studies, this paper investigates the technical challenges that regression to the mean poses and introduces a hybrid Bayesian model that mitigates its effects more effectively than conventional approaches, such as multiple baseline adjustments and formulaic corrections. In particular, the hybrid Bayesian model relies on multiple baseline measurements to minimize distortions associated with regression to the mean during the pretest phase and leverages prior knowledge—such as standard deviations and population means—to refine post-test data adjustments. It follows that the model provides educational researchers with an innovative tool for accurately evaluating interventions and enhancing the effectiveness of various research-driven educational policies and practices.

This article investigates the adoption, simplification, and usage recommendations of the Indonesian Index of Learning Style Short Form (ILS-SF). The aim is to refine the initial Indonesian ILS, compare the suitability between engineering/non-engineering and high school/university, and assess their learning styles. The participants were 678 students (413 females), with an average age of 19.4±1.92 years. The methods used in this study were adopting the existing Indonesian version of ILS, simplifying–reducing the number of items, empirical verification (validity and reliability), and Indonesia data assessment. The results show that the original ILS could be simplified without sacrificing the quality of the model. On the contrary, validity and reliability measures have increased. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) supports a reduction from 44 to 15 items. It confirms the validity with favorable indices such as CFI (0.972), TLI (0.966), RMSEA (0.021), SRMR (0.049), and GFI (0.999)—Active-Reflective Cronbach's alpha at 0.507, Sensing-Intuitive at 0.590, and Visual-Verbal at 0.553. Indonesian ILS-SF is faster, simpler, more suitable for engineering than non-engineering, and more ideal for undergraduate than high school students. The analysis revealed that sensory (40.2%), active (18%), and visual (10.2%) preferences dominate among Indonesian students. This study highlights assessment tools tailored to diverse educational contexts.

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.

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.

Self-report surveys are extensively utilized in educational research to understand students’ perceptions and experiences. However, younger children, particularly those in elementary school, may exhibit a tendency to provide socially desirable responses, potentially compromising the data quality. This study examined the prevalence and impact of socially desirable responses in self-report surveys administered to elementary school students. A total of 1,024 students from grades 4 and 5 in five elementary schools participated in the study. Socially desirable responses were measured using detection items embedded within questionnaires. The findings indicate that (a) more than 20% of elementary school students demonstrated socially desirable responses; (b) female students and those with higher academic achievement were more likely to provide socially desirable responses; (c) socially desirable responses skewed the sample distribution by inflating mean scores and reducing standard deviations; and (d) while internal correlations within scales remained relatively stable, external validity, as reflected in correlations between self-reports and academic performance metrics, was significantly affected after adjusting for socially desirable responses. These results underscore the importance of addressing socially desirable responses when interpreting self-report data from young students. The study concludes with practical recommendations for improving the validity of self-report surveys in educational research.

This study aimed to develop and validate a comprehensive core competency assessment instrument specifically designed for undergraduate students at a research-focused university. Despite growing emphasis on competency-based education (CBE), there are limited psychometrically sound tools tailored to evaluate students’ level of core competencies in research-intensive universities. The current study proceeded in three phases: (a) development of a conceptual framework comprising six core competencies: Integrated Thinking, Knowledge Inquiry, Creative Integration, Global Citizenship, Communication & Collaboration, and Self-Management; (b) item generation and expert validation; and (c) validation through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The final instrument included 77 items across the six competencies. CFA confirmed adequate model fit (CFI = .934–.957; RMSEA = .057–.088). The results showed that the validated instrument can provide a reliable and comprehensive assessment for students' core competencies in research-oriented university settings. This instrument can provide guidelines for developing competency-based education (CBE) curricula in higher education, as well as criteria for evaluating and refining existing CBE programs. This instrument functions as both a psychometrically robust assessment tool and a practical guide for institutional enhancement. It enables precise measurement of students’ core competencies, offering evidence that can inform curriculum design, academic advising, and policy development. In addition, the validated framework lays a strong groundwork for future research to investigate the long-term effects of competency-based education on student achievement, career readiness, and personal development across various higher education settings.

Teachers’ self-efficacy in classroom management is essential to their professional identity and teaching quality. While contextual factors shape these beliefs, the role of pre-service teachers’ perceptions of teacher education courses in influencing self-efficacy through their classroom management beliefs remains underexplored. This study expands self-efficacy theory by proposing an integrated model in which beliefs serve as both a mediator and a moderator between course perceptions and classroom management self-efficacy, particularly in inclusive classrooms. It builds on previous evidence that pre-service teachers’ beliefs about proactive strategies partially mediate the relationship between their course perceptions and capability beliefs in proactive management practices. This leads to the proposal of a moderated mediation model to explore a more nuanced relationship by investigating whether pre-service teachers’ punishment-oriented classroom management beliefs alter the strength and direction of this partial mediation effect. Data collected online from 480 pre-service teachers enrolled in State University and National Colleges of Education in Sri Lanka, which were used in the previous study, were analyzed using SmartPLS4 structural equation modeling. The findings indicate that punishment-based beliefs negatively moderated the indirect partial effect of pre-service teachers’ perceptions of classroom management training on their self-efficacy for inclusive classroom management, mediated by preventative beliefs. This positive indirect effect was significant only when reactive punishment-based beliefs were at low to moderate levels. These findings suggest that an overreliance on reactive strategies diminishes the beneficial influence of teacher education on self-efficacy in implementing preventive measures for inclusive classroom management. The results emphasize the importance of fostering proactive beliefs through targeted training within initial teacher education programs, supported by dedicated engagement from teacher educators and policymakers.