School dropout is a growing concern in Central America, and in Latin America as a whole, because of its consequences for economic productivity, the inclusiveness of growth, social cohesion, and increasing youth risks. This paper utilizes more than two decades of household survey data to construct a systematic overview of school dropout at the primary and secondary levels in Central America, focusing on recent trends in dropout patterns and their underlying causes. Within each country, poverty, rurality, and indigenous group membership are the strongest correlates of dropout, reflecting several underlying factors that affect the marginal benefits and costs of staying in school.  Global and regional evidence increasingly points to common policy priorities for reducing dropout across Central America, including addressing remaining gaps in access at the pre-primary and secondary levels, improving the quality of education at all levels, and strengthening the coverage, targeting, and coherence of existing programs aimed at improving education outcomes.  However, additional rigorous evaluations, including cost data, are needed to identify the most effective specific approaches in each country.  JEL Classification: I2, I24, I25, I26, I28, O15

Preschool education is fundamental to shape children’s aptitudes and skills in early life. Ecuador is following a global education trend for starting-up mathematical thinking at earlier development ages, but this is only reflected in vehement curricular changes that are not supported properly. As a result, the safeguarding of a good children’s education appears to be lessened. This work aimed to evaluate the mathematics thinking practices in preschools of Pasaje city, Ecuador. The investigation employed a descriptive approach, hence data were collected from 65 teachers and 810 parents from public and private preschools by means of interviews and questionnaire in an attempt define some causes (teacher’s education, children’s socio-economical and family circumstances) that impair the initiation of the numerical, spatial and metric and geometric aptitudes in children. The results showed that not only preschool practices but also the home environment linked to socio-economic status appear to have positive or unfavorable influences on their children’s education.

This research presents an analysis of the value given to the game as an educational resource on social networks. The purpose of this study is to analyze the discourse on Twitter of the different educational agents (teachers and other educational professionals) to know the value given to the use of this tool and how the social network is an educational form of communication and interaction. From a qualitative methodology, a descriptive-interpretative study of the information on didactic/play strategies present in social networks is approached. The analysis is performed by the Nvivo12 software through matrices and content analysis. The results show that the game is mentioned within the speech on Twitter where it is alluded to its importance, value, application, etc. From an educational perspective, working in the classroom with the use of social networks provides some significant advantages; these networks offer interactive and effective teaching and learning tools. In addition, the integration of tools and applications. It is concluded that Twitter is an educational and formative way and where the value attributed to the game as a didactic resource is significant.

In this study we modeled the environmental literacy of Vietnamese preschool teachers. 324 in-service preschool teachers from Ha Noi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam contributed to the study via an online survey. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses of the relationships between environmental knowledge (KN), environmental awareness (AS), decision attitude (DA), personal behavior (PB) and environmental teaching activities (ACT) of these teachers. The results showed that the level of environmental literacy of preschool teachers in Vietnam was moderate with mean score for AS, DA, PB, and ACT ranged from 3.18 to 4.32 on a 5-point Likert-type scale. The results also indicate that the preschool teacher’s KN had a positive impact on AS and DA; PB was influenced by AS, but not by KN or DA. In addition, a correlation analysis showed AS and PB had a positive impact on ACT, while DA had a negative influence on ACT. These findings imply that preschool teachers with certain desirable environmental literacy had more tendencies to implement ACT. Based on the findings, recommendations and implications are provided for policy makers, preschool teachers, and researchers in Vietnam and other countries.

The need for early comprehension of scientific concepts in elementary school students is crucial. However, studies have indicated that some students lack a fundamental understanding of such concepts, highlighting the importance of effective teaching methods to improve scientific literacy at an early age. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the ability of Project-Based Learning in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM-PjBL) to improve students' scientific literacy, knowledge, and application of foundational scientific principles. A quasi-experimental methodology was employed, involving 22 female and 26 male fourth-grade elementary school students as participants. The study administered a Scientific Literacy Test (SLT) treatment to the students, followed by unpaired and paired t-tests to examine the impact of the STEAM-PjBL model on their scientific literacy skills. The results showed that STEAM-PjBL improved students' scientific literacy skills significantly more than traditional instruction. The experimental group outperformed the control group in the post-test, indicating the effectiveness of STEAM-PjBL. Therefore, the study recommends the adoption of the STEAM-PjBL model by elementary school teachers to improve students' understanding of fundamental scientific concepts.

This study investigates the social attitudes and acceptance levels towards Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and other sexualities and gender identities, collectively referred to as LGBTQIA+, among students within the College of Education at Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology. Employing a descriptive correlational research design, the research utilized surveys and interviews to collect data from a diverse student body, analyzing their perspectives on LGBTQIA+ inclusion and the impact of educational environments on their acceptance levels. Results indicate a generally positive attitude and high acceptance of LGBTQIA+ students, with significant relationships identified between students' acceptance levels and their gender and year level, while no significant correlations were found with their course and religion. The study emphasizes the critical role of educational settings in fostering an inclusive atmosphere that supports LGBTQIA+ students, highlighting the importance of promoting understanding and acceptance to enhance the educational experience for all students. By shedding light on current attitudes and acceptance levels, this research contributes valuable insights into the efforts required to create more inclusive educational environments for LGBTQIA+ individuals. The findings are of particular relevance to educators, policymakers, and educational researchers interested in advancing LGBTQIA+ inclusion within educational settings.

The integration of AI tools in education is reshaping how students view and interact with their learning experiences. As AI usage continues to grow, it becomes increasingly important to understand how students' perceptions of AI technology impact their academic performance and learning behaviours. To investigate these effects, we conducted a correlational study with a sample of 44 students to examine the relationship between students' perceptions of ChatGPT’s utility—focusing on usage frequency, perceived usefulness, accuracy, reliability, and time efficiency—and key academic outcomes, including content mastery, confidence in knowledge, and grade improvement. Additionally, we explored how these perceptions influence student behaviours, such as reliance on ChatGPT, procrastination tendencies, and the potential risk of plagiarism. The canonical correlation analysis revealed a statistically significant relationship between students' perceptions of ChatGPT's utility and their academic outcomes. Students who viewed ChatGPT as reliable and efficient tended to report higher grades, improved understanding of the material, and greater confidence in their knowledge. Furthermore, the bivariate correlation analysis revealed a significant relationship between dependency on ChatGPT and procrastination (r = 0.546, p < .001), indicating that a higher reliance on AI tools may contribute to increased procrastination. No statistically significant association was identified between ChatGPT dependency and the risk of plagiarism. Future research should prioritize the development of strategies that promote the effective use of AI while minimizing the risk of over-reliance. Such efforts can enhance academic integrity and support independent learning. Educators play a critical role in this process by guiding students to balance the advantages of AI with the cultivation of critical thinking skills and adherence to ethical academic practices.

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed higher education, creating both opportunities and challenges in cultivating students’ critical thinking skills. This study integrates quantitative bibliometric analysis and qualitative systematic literature review (SLR) to map global research trends and identify how critical thinking is conceptualized, constructed, and developed in the AI era. Scopus served as the primary data source, limited to publications from 2022 to 2024, retrieved on February 8, 2025. Bibliometric analysis using Biblioshiny R and VOSviewer followed five stages—design, data collection, analysis, visualization, and interpretation—while the SLR employed a deductive thematic approach consistent with PRISMA guidelines. A total of 322 documents were analyzed bibliometrically, and 34 were included in the qualitative synthesis. Results show that Education Sciences and Cogent Education are the most productive journals, whereas Education and Information Technologies have the highest citation impact. Several influential documents and authors have shaped global discussions on AI adoption in higher education and its relationship to critical thinking. Thematic mapping identified five major research clusters: pedagogical integration, ethical and evaluative practices, technical and application-oriented AI models, institutional accountability, and socio-technical systems thinking. Conceptually, critical thinking is understood as a reflective, evaluative, and metacognitive reasoning process grounded in intellectual autonomy and ethical judgment. Across the reviewed literature, strategies for fostering critical thinking converge into three integrated approaches: ethical curriculum integration, pedagogical and assessment redesign, and reflective human–AI collaboration. Collectively, these strategies ensure that AI strengthens rather than replaces human reasoning in higher education.