Recent educational policy initiatives in Ireland have focused on improving outcomes in reading and mathematics among students, particularly those experiencing educational disadvantage. However, science achievement in Irish primary schools has received much less research attention, especially in the context of educational disadvantage. This article examines science achievement and its relationship to school compositional effects in primary schools at the national level, including school-average indicators of the school context, as well as examining factors associated with science achievement in three distinct categories of schools (those with high, moderate, or minor levels of educational disadvantage). The data are drawn from the Fourth grade Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2015 database for Ireland. Multilevel analyses were implemented in a stepwise manner. Findings suggest the relevance of school contexts with regard to science achievement. Before including school-level contextual variables, students from ‘minor disadvantaged’ schools achieved significantly higher science scores than students from schools with ‘moderate’ or ‘high’ levels of disadvantaged. However, this difference disappears after controlling for predictors at the school level. The findings highlight the importance of the home environment, including early numeracy activities and skills before children start school. Results are discussed with regard to educational policy and educational practice in Ireland.

Ursula von der Leyen identifies diverse classrooms have different knowledges and ‘epistemologies’. A typology of epistemologies for democratising knowledge ‘A Blueprint for Character Development for Evolution’ (ABCDE) is offered to mainstream policy benefits for all by Higher Education as hubs i) credentialing educational leaders by doctoral-study and ii) propelling networks of Professional Educators and Administrators Committees for Empowerment (PEACE) across professions credentialed by Higher Education and chaired by educational leaders. PEACE builds robust evidence bases to inform redesigning curriculums and culturally responsive pedagogies as policy benefits that empower students to use ABCDE with Assessment for Personal and Social Learning (APSL) to problem solve across the quadruple-helix. Education Outcomes include students’ self-management of personal and social understanding and wellbeing for resilience within sustainable circular, entrepreneurial, green and digitised economies with products and means of production regulated by professions credentialed by Higher Education. Impacts include communities developing responsible historical social consciousness to reinvigorate democratic governance, accountability, transparency, effectiveness and trustworthiness of rule-of-law based institutions and policies to expand active and inclusive citizenship empowered by safeguarding human rights. Further research, building on the powerful European Commission funded platform ‘DocEnhance’ is recommended to inform effective and efficient investment into high quality education and training.

School quality has become a guiding concept that increasingly shapes educational planning and school development. For many decades, it has been a topic of significant interest, resulting in a wide-ranging and diverse research field. However, it is far from clear how school quality should be defined, what it should encompass, and how it influences student performance. The goal of this scoping review is to examine the existing evidence of the relationship between characteristics of school quality and student cognitive output/ student performance in secondary school. More precisely, it aims to (a) identify, (b) categorize, and (c) examine and evaluate the effects of characteristics of school quality affecting student performance and teaching characteristics in secondary school. In order to achieve these aims, we selected, clustered, and analyses 37 articles. The process was conducted by the research group through regular meetings, discussions, and consensus decisions. Our findings contribute to the comprehensive body of literature by identifying the following dimensions: aims and strategies for quality development, leadership and management, professionalism, school culture, and resources. Furthermore, the review revealed that although the field of school quality has been extensively researched, it lacks consistency, with many different operationalisations and definitions, making comparisons and syntheses challenging or even impossible. We believe that clear operationalisations and definitions are crucial to achieving comparability. Additionally, to achieve a standardized understanding of school quality and establish the categories internationally, uniform, theoretically sound, and content-related definitions of each category are necessary.

The number of school-aged refugee background children on Turkish soil was estimated to be over 2 million in 2022. Acknowledging the importance of quality education for these children to achieve equity in Turkish-only public schools, this study examined pre-service teachers' self-efficacies in teaching refugee-background students (RBS). Data were collected from 437 pre-service teachers studying at eight different teacher education programs via the adopted Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) and analyzed with the Tukey multiple comparison test. The findings revealed that pre-service teachers rated low self-efficacies in teaching the RBSs. A comparison of mean scores based on the programs indicated that pre-service teachers in the early education programs scored the lowest self-efficacy while the pre-service teachers in Physical Education programs scored the highest. Moreover, the self-efficacies of bilingual pre-service teachers differed significantly from monolingual Turkish proficient pre-service teachers implying a positive correlation between pre-service teachers’ self-efficacies and bi/multilingualism. Lastly, senior pre-service teachers rated higher self-efficacies than freshmen, junior, or sophomore pre-service teachers. The study implied a need for culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogies and differentiated instruction in the teacher education curriculum to prepare pre-service teachers better for the RBSs in Turkish public schools.

This study explores the extent to which the gendered views exist among students in Kosovo’s compulsory education (primary and lower secondary schools) regarding mathematics and reading. It analyzes students’ perceptions of these academic domains concerning the performance of their peers (the same others) from the gender perspective. Additionally, it examines students’ perspectives on the opinions of their parents and teachers (their significant others) regarding girls’ and boys’ performance in math and reading. Furthermore, the study investigates whether students hold gender-stereotypical attitudes toward professions related to math and those that heavily rely on reading skills. The survey method was used to conduct this study. A sample of 531 students in compulsory education participated in this study, completing a paper-based questionnaire consisting of 14 items evenly distributed between mathematics and reading. The findings indicate that around half of the respondents believe that girls and boys perform equally well in both mathematics and reading and that parents and teachers hold the same views regarding the performance of their children/students in these academic domains. However, among the remaining portion of respondents who expressed gendered views, a higher percentage favored boys as being more proficient in math, while girls were seen as superior in reading skills. This study emphasized the need to address and mitigate these gender stereotypes, to ensure that students of both genders can pursue their careers successfully without any limitations.

The swift widespread shift from face-to-face to emergency remote teaching (ERT) due to the COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by numerous technical, psychological, and pedagogical challenges and prompted educators to look for ways to improve their performance to preserve the high quality of learning. One way to do this is for teachers to adopt charismatic behaviours. This study aims at investigating the concept of and factors determining teachers’ charisma and its connection with students’ intrinsic motivation and perceived learning in a synchronous online learning setting during ERT. The questionnaires measuring students’ intrinsic motivation, perceived learning, and teachers’ charisma were used to collect the responses from Ukrainian university students who reported on their online learning experienced amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Varimax rotation method was applied to determine the factors of charisma. Correlation analyses established a connection between students’ intrinsic motivation and perceived learning and teachers’ charisma as well as each factor of charisma independently. The research is the first of its kind done in an online learning setting in an Eastern European cultural context. The research validates some previous findings done in a face-to-face teaching context. The current study also established the connection between humor and empathy as a factor of charismatic teaching.

The current research aims to analyze art teaching as an inclusive factor and pays attention to diversity in excluded populations to meet the needs of students in the pandemic context. In regard to methodology, we used the naturalistic paradigm, a qualitative approach, and an inductive method with a phenomenological and hermeneutical design. The data collection techniques we used were semi-structured interviews with teachers of the Regular Basic Education in Peru. The findings show that through the mediation of diverse artistic languages and the implementation of different didactic strategies, it is possible to achieve an interaction free from exclusion barriers, driven by good teaching practices that enable the inclusion and attention to the diversity of students, providing them with opportunities to develop capacities and skills to establish better coexistence. We concluded that art education comprises a lasting learning process that guarantees a healthy environment for peaceful coexistence, which today, inclusive teachers, parents, and students should keep in mind.

STEM education is an irreplaceable movement of educational systems across the globe in the 21st century. Both Pre-K, K-12, and higher education institutions consider STEM as an innovative approach to integrate and reform the teaching and learning processes. The purpose of this paper is to examine the development of studies on STEM in the Early Childhood Education context from 1992 to 2022. We investigated a dataset of 308 scholarly works from the Clarivate Web of Science database and figured a diversified collection of research focuses on topics such as children’s readiness, outcomes, teachers’ competency in designing and implementing STEM activities, and the role of computational thinking and robotics. The findings of this paper revealed the dominant contribution of researchers from the USA regarding research quantity and impact, as well as their collaborations with researchers from Western countries. In addition, we also figured out the top influencing authors, documents, and journals as a suggestion for scholars who are new to this topic. However, we would like to note that our findings depended on the quality of the imported database from the WoS system, which covers top-tier journals only.

During the implementation of the inclusive education policy in several countries in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the psychological health of special education teachers should be considered as a key success factor. This study explored special education teachers’ perceived work stress (PWS), bio-psychological burn-out symptoms (BPS), and transformational teaching (TFT) in inclusive education in Indonesia and Thailand. There were 177 Indonesian and 199 Thai teachers completing a series of questionnaires that included BPS, PWS, and TFT. The results showed that BPS and PWS were high, whereas BPS and TFT were significantly different across nations. No gender differences were found among both Indonesian and Thai teachers. Moreover, TFT could be significantly predicted by positive age and negative work stress, which explained 8% of the variance among Indonesian teachers (R2 = .08, F(4, 172) = 4.18, p < .01) and by positive age and negative burnout symptoms, which explained 6% of the variance among Thai teachers (R2 = .06, F(4, 186) = 3.18, p < .05). Furthermore, inclusive education policymakers and stakeholders should be aware of psychological health improvement including burnout symptoms and work stress, which negatively invade the role of TFT among special education teachers in both countries.

Recent research has identified factors influencing the choice of a special education career; however, it has not thoroughly examined their connection with personality traits and identity status. Thus, the present study was designed to explore how different personality traits and identity statuses correlate with the motives and perceptions associated with the choice to teach in special education. The study involved 209 pre-service special education teachers. The NEO-Five Factor Inventory was used to measure the Big 5 personality traits. The Ego Identity Process Questionnaire assessed identity commitment and exploration. The Factors Influencing Teaching Choice Scale was used to evaluate motivations and perceptions about teaching. Regarding the factors that influenced the decision to pursue a career in special education, intrinsic value, shaping children’s future, social equity, making social contributions, working with children, task demands, and job satisfaction were highly rated. Additionally, extraversion, openness to experience, conscientiousness, and identity statuses were identified as positive predictors for certain factors influencing the choice of a teaching career in special education. Finally, the study identified two distinct groups of students: "Identity Achievers" characterized by high positive personality traits, and identity commitment, and "Identity Explorers" characterized by lower positive personality traits and higher identity exploration. Differences were observed between the groups in their motives and perceptions concerning teaching in special education. In conclusion, this study highlights the relationships between personality, identity status, and career decision factors, offering insights into the factors that influence this critical career decision among future special educators. Directions for future research are discussed.

Successfully solving reality-based tasks requires both mathematical and text comprehension skills. Previous research has shown that mathematical tasks requiring language proficiency have lower solution rates than those that do not, indicating increased difficulty through textual input. Therefore, it is plausible to assume that a lack of text comprehension skills leads to performance problems. Given that different sociodemographic characteristics and cognitive factors can influence task performance, this study aims to determine whether text comprehension mediates the relationship between these factors and competence in solving reality-based tasks. Additionally, it examines the impact of systematic linguistic variation in texts. Using an experimental design, 428 students completed three reality-based tasks (word count: M = 212.4, SD = 19.7) with different linguistic complexities as part of a paper-pencil test. First, students answered questions about the situation-related text comprehension of each text, followed by a mathematical question to measure their competence in solving reality-based tasks. The results indicate that: a) Tasks with texts of lower linguistic complexity have a significantly higher solution rate for both text comprehension (d = 0.189) and mathematical tasks (d = 0.119). b) Cognitive factors are significant predictors of mathematical solutions. c) Text comprehension mediates the relationship between the impact of students’ cultural resources and cognitive factors and their competence to solve reality-based tasks. These findings highlight the importance of linguistic complexity for mathematical outcomes and underscore the need to reinforce text comprehension practice in mathematical education owing to its mediating role.

Considering the importance of the results of national and international standardized tests, which are a benchmark for measuring educational quality, the objective of this research was to model strategies to improve the results of the evaluations, specifically the Saber 11 standardized tests. These tests are applied to students who finish their Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Bogotá, Colombia. To achieve this objective, we employed the Systems Dynamics methodology for a comprehensive analysis, which is a tool that allows for the analysis and projecting of the behavior of different systems, in which anticipation by means of modeling results over time is required. The modeling was conducted in two stages: First, a causal loop diagram and a stock-and-flow diagram that linked 45 variables were designed, showing the underlying physical structure of the system. Then, five groups of alternative simulations were conducted over a time frame of six years: Reference mode, student self-efficacy rate, management rate, teaching competencies rate, and educational policy. An increase in results was observed in each scenario. The combined activity of educational stakeholders is a notably effective strategy to achieve significant improvements. The data used for these simulations came from a six-year period of standardized test results in Bogotá. This period was selected to capture both recent trends and long-term outcomes, ensuring that the model reflects current educational conditions while allowing for meaningful trend analysis.

This study investigates the ideological orientations of teachers and the potential transformation of these orientations over 14 weeks, focusing specifically on their conceptualizations of educational ideologies within conservative and liberal frameworks. The research employs an inventory-based assessment to capture participants’ ideological stances. Initial findings revealed participants’ tendency to associate ideological labels with political dualities, reflecting simplified views on educational ideologies. Throughout the study’s second phase, participants engaged in critical reading assignments and reflective discussions designed to expand their awareness and understanding of various educational ideological paradigms. Findings indicate a notable shift in ideological positioning, primarily driven by exposure to foundational texts and structured reflection sessions. In the final phase, participants re-took the initial inventory, allowing for a direct comparison of ideological stances. The comparative analysis demonstrated subtle yet significant shifts, particularly regarding participants’ views on the interrelations between educational ideology, social equity, and the intellectual demands of modern pedagogy. This study underscores the transformative potential of immersive engagement with diverse ideological perspectives, highlighting the need for professional development models that prioritize reflective dialogue and critical exploration of ideological content.

This study addresses global concerns surrounding elementary students' science performance following the COVID-19, as a result of international tests such as Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) highlight the ongoing challenges that urge the exploration of innovative educational approaches to improve science learning. This research employed gamification-assisted instruction and explored its impact on enhancing the understanding of science concepts and attitudes toward science class among fourth graders. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design and included an experimental group (ExG) that was taught using a gamification strategy and a control group (CoG) that was taught using a traditional method with a sample of 38 female elementary students from a public school in Jordan. Data were gathered using valid and reliable tools: the developed scientific concepts test and the Attitude Towards Science class measures. The ANCOVA analysis revealed that gamification significantly improves the acquisition of scientific concepts (η2=.208) and boosts a positive attitude toward science classes among elementary students (η2=.626). These findings encourage decision-makers to incorporate gamification into science teaching practices and methods.

This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric and content analysis of research on autism and mathematics learning from 2010 to 2024. A total of 131 peer-reviewed articles were retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) database using keywords such as autism, mathematics, learning, and intervention. Bibliometric analysis was conducted to quantitatively examine publication trends, leading authors, contributing countries, and co-authorship networks, offering a macroscopic overview of the field’s evolution. Visualisations generated using VOSviewer further illustrated keyword co-occurrence and thematic clustering. Complementing this, content analysis provided a qualitative synthesis of research themes and conceptual progressions across the literature. The findings revealed a clear thematic evolution. Early research (2010–2015) predominantly focused on behavioural interventions, structured instructional approaches, and basic numeracy development. Mid-phase studies (2016–2020) introduced inclusive pedagogies, social-emotional considerations, and differentiated instruction. Recent research (2021–2024) has shifted towards personalised, technology-enhanced instruction, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and the integration of digital tools in mathematics education. Despite this growth, several gaps remain. Research remains limited in addressing cross-cultural diversity, long-term evaluations of digital interventions, and the adaptation of pedagogies in underrepresented regions. This study emphasises the need for future research to explore culturally responsive frameworks, the sustainability of technology uses, and equity in mathematics education for autistic learners.

This research exclusively aims to determine the type of digital media most often used in the teaching and learning process of history and the motivation to use digital media by teachers in teaching history based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). This study demonstrates that online learning platforms have become a widely used tool among Indonesian history teachers, with the highest adoption of online learning platform use in Junior and Senior High School, reflecting the high access to this platform across types of schools. The key driving factor for technology in history learning is that the technology must be user-friendly and have sufficient support for its use by educators. This research, using the technology acceptance model (TAM), contributes to teachers about motivational and environmental factors on technology adoption in teaching. Accessibility and proper support are the primary drivers for using technology in education and were the most impactful factors for teachers incorporating technology into history learning. Along with this supportive infrastructure, an effort must also be made to provide a conducive environment, such as teachers working together in this direction, and sufficient infrastructure for teachers so that it becomes easier for them to access and utilize technology. These methods can all help teachers gain confidence in their use of technology.

This systematic review synthesizes research on the application of Augmented Reality (AR) technology in K–12 special education to evaluate its impact on learning outcomes and identify implementation trends, benefits, and challenges. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, a search of the Scopus, IEEE, Web of Science, and ProQuest databases on 20 March 2024 for English-language peer-reviewed articles published between 2010 and 2024 yielded 16 studies that met the inclusion criteria. The analysis of these studies reveals a growing research interest, particularly after 2019, with a concentration of research in developing nations like Indonesia and Malaysia. The findings consistently show that AR technology interventions, predominantly targeting students with learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) through 3D objects and game-based applications, positively impact academic achievement, motivation, and skill development. Despite these promising outcomes, this review concludes that a significant gap remains between the technology's potential and its current practice, hindered by challenges such as high costs, technical complexity, and a narrow research focus. Therefore, future work should prioritize developing cost-effective, user-friendly AR technology and expanding research to include a wider range of disabilities and educational contexts to ensure equitable and effective access for all students. 

This study used data from the COVID Social Mobility and Opportunities (COSMO) Study, to examine young people’s university aspirations and post-18 education expectations during COVID-19 in relation to their demographic and socio-economic position, school engagement, education disruption, and attitudes to education. Through a series of binary regression analyses, the findings showed the important role school engagement (in the form of online lesson attendance, schoolwork and teacher contact) played in young people’s university aspirations and post-18 education plans, especially at the height of the pandemic. Education disruption and locus of control were found to contribute to young people’s aspirations and post-18 expectations. The findings also highlighted the influence of gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic position regarding university aspirations and expectations, laying bare the obstacles in accessing learning faced by disadvantaged young people at a crucial time in their education. The findings contribute to continued debates about educational aspirations in the post COVID-19 world and have policy implications especially as this generation of young people are still in education. They may also contribute to discussions on ways of supporting this COVID-19 generation through fiscal changes and widening participation policies that extend to post-18 education and early career development.

This bibliometric analysis examines global trends and scholarly discussions on learning poverty, with a focus on numeracy and literacy skills among young learners over the past decade (2015-2023). All data is retrieved from the Scopus database, and quantitative methods were employed to evaluate the impact and influence of literature in this area. In conducting the bibliometric analysis, the study utilised Microsoft Excel for descriptive statistics, Harzing’s Publish or Perish for citation metrics, and VOSviewer to visualize networks related to the co-occurrence of keywords and co-word analysis. The analysis findings indicate a substantial increase in research output on learning poverty, particularly after 2020, driven by the educational disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The key themes identified in the literature include the expansion of educational inequalities, the impact of the digital divide, and the role of educational technologies in addressing learning losses. Co-occurrence and co-word analyses reveal a strong focus on COVID-19, educational inequality, and the integration of advanced learning technologies in recent research. These findings underscore the critical importance of targeted interventions and equity-focused policies to combat learning poverty. The analysis also emphasizes the importance of ensuring that all children, regardless of their socioeconomic background, acquire essential literacy and numeracy skills. Furthermore, the study emphasises the need for resilient and adaptable educational systems to better prepare for future challenges, particularly in the face of global crises such as pandemics. Essentially, the conclusions discuss the sustained efforts to address educational disparities and promote equitable learning opportunities for all.

This study examines the transformation of higher education through digital solutions, with a specific focus on developing a user-centered digital student handbook prototype for Surin Vocational College in Thailand, with potential scalability nationwide. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the research integrates qualitative and quantitative data to design a digital tool that enhances accessibility, usability, and personalization for students. The prototype features key components, including mobile accessibility, real-time updates, interactive notifications, and integration with academic tools, designed to enhance student engagement, career readiness, and academic performance. Data collection involved students, faculty, and experts to ensure a comprehensive understanding of user needs and preferences. The findings indicate that the digital format offers significant advantages over traditional paper-based handbooks, particularly in terms of accessibility, real-time content updates, personalized experiences, and environmental sustainability. However, variability in user feedback suggests areas for further refinement,  emphasizing that there must be continuous improvement. This research offers interesting perspectives on the role of digital solutions in higher education, contributing to the ongoing evolution of learning tools that support academic success, student engagement, and institutional sustainability.