Critical thinking is a skill that enables individuals to keep pace with changes and enhances crucial competencies for contemporary competitiveness. Many researchers have studied learning management approaches to develop students' critical thinking, resulting in a substantial body of knowledge but lacking clear systematic summaries. The researchers aimed to (a) examine the effect sizes and research characteristics influencing students' critical thinking, and (b) compare the effect sizes of learning management approaches after adjusting with propensity score matching from 108 graduate research published between 2002 and 2021. Data were collected using research characteristics recording forms and research quality assessment questionnaires. Effect sizes were calculated using Glass's method and analyzed through random effect, fixed effect, and regression meta-analysis. Findings revealed that (a) research on developing learning management approaches influences students' critical thinking at a high level (d ̅ = 1.669), with nine research characteristics, including the field of publication, courses, total duration, teacher learning process, learning media, measurement and evaluation, research design, research statistics, and research quality, statistically significantly influencing students' critical thinking, and (b) after adjustment, inquiry-based learning significantly influences students' critical thinking. Recommendations for developing students' critical thinking include learning activities that encourage problem exploration, expanding thinking through collaborative analysis, and applying diverse media and activity sheets tailored to context suitability.
 

<p style="text-align:justify">The primary objective of this study was to determine how students and teachers in primary schools view the classroom climate and its dimensions: (a) peer relationships and (b) student-teacher relationships. Additionally, the study aimed to explore the role of students&#39; age (11-12 years old - 7th grade students vs. 14-15 years old - 9th grade primary school students) and gender on their perceptions of the school climate. Classroom climate was measured with the &quot;Classroom Climate Questionnaire&quot;, which was completed by a total of 1,531 students (792; 51.6% female) and 348 teachers (296; 84.6% female). The findings of the study indicated that both students and teachers generally perceived the classroom climate as being relatively neutral to positive. However, teachers tended to report more positive classroom relationships compared to students. Furthermore, the study found no significant gender-based differences in how students perceived the classroom climate, peer relationships, and student-teacher interactions. However, differences were identified based on the age or grade level of the students. The results were discussed in the context of the students&rsquo; psychological development characteristics and the aspects of socio-emotional learning within school environments, also considering educational policies for achieving greater school quality.</p>

Students’ mastery goal orientation tends to decline over the course of compulsory school, especially after the transition to lower secondary school. According to stage-environment fit theory, secondary school is less accommodating to students' needs, interests, and abilities than primary school. In consequence, the perceived person-environment fit declines as well. It is assumed that a strong sense of classroom community in primary school can counteract a potential decline in both of these important individual aspects. Using data from the Swiss longitudinal research project WiSel (“Wirkungen der Selektion”; “Effects of Tracking”), we conducted a latent growth curve model (LGCM) to examine the correlation between the development of students' mastery goal orientation and the development of their person-environment fit during the transition from primary school to lower secondary school. Perceived classroom community was assumed to benefit from these developments. The results show that both mastery goal orientation and person-environment fit decrease during the transition to lower secondary school. A strong sense of classroom community in fifth grade leads to a smaller decline in both constructs. Implications for educational practice are discussed.

Analytical thinking is crucial for developing problem-solving, decision-making, and higher-order thinking skills. Many researchers have consistently developed learning management models to enhance students' analytical thinking, resulting in extensive knowledge but lacking clear systematic summaries. This study aims to: (a) explore the effect sizes and research characteristics influencing students' analytical thinking, and (b) compare the effect sizes of learning management models after adjusting for propensity score matching. In exploring 131 graduate research papers published between 2002 and 2021, the research utilized forms for recording research characteristics and questionnaires for assessing research quality for data collection. Effect sizes were calculated using Glass's method, while data analysis employed random effects, fixed effects, and regression meta-analysis methods. The findings indicate that (a) research on learning management models significantly impacts students' analytical thinking at a high level (d̅ = 1.428). Seven research characteristics, including year of publication, field of research, level, duration per plan, learning management process, measurement and evaluation, and research quality, statistically influence students' analytical thinking, and (b) after propensity score matching, learning through techniques such as KWL, KWL-plus, Six Thinking Hats, 4MAT, and Mind Mapping had the highest influence on students' analytical thinking. Recommendations for developing students' analytical thinking involve creating a learning management process that fosters understanding, systematic practical training, expanding thinking through collaborative exchanges, and assessments using learning materials and tests to stimulate increased analytical thinking.

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.

This comprehensive systematic review delves into the increasing prevalence of integrating chatbots into language education. The general objective is to assess the current landscape of knowledge regarding chatbot utilisation and its influence on three crucial elements: students' skills, attitudes, and emotions. Additionally, the review seeks to scrutinise the advantages linked to incorporating chatbots in foreign language teaching, exploring their potential benefits while considering limitations and potential negative impacts on specific skills or user experiences. Consequently, this research offers valuable insights into the application of chatbots in foreign language education, shedding light on their potential advantages and areas that warrant further exploration and enhancement. The integration of chatbots in language learning, despite certain limitations, generally yields positive outcomes and enhances educational results in students' skills. Its characteristics can also influence a language learner's attitude, impacting factors such as motivation, interest, autonomy in learning, and engagement or even their sense of fun. Additionally, chatbots prove to be helpful in creating emotionally positive learning environments and can contribute to boosting students' self-esteem and self-confidence.

Research in higher education has revealed a significant connection between executive functions (EF) and study success. Previous investigations have typically assessed EF using either neuropsychological tasks, which provide direct and objective measures of core EF such as inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, or self-report questionnaires, which offer indirect and subjective assessments. However, studies rarely utilize both assessment methods simultaneously despite their potential to offer complementary insights into EF. This study aims to evaluate the predictive capabilities of performance-based and self-reported EF measures on study success. Employing a retrospective cohort design, 748 first-year Applied Psychology students completed performance-based and self-report questionnaires to assess EF. Maximum likelihood correlations were computed for 474 students, with data from 562-586 first-year students subsequently subjected to hierarchical regression analysis, accommodating pairwise missing values. Our results demonstrate minimal overlap between performance-based and self-reported EF measures. Additionally, the model incorporating self-reported EF accounted for 13% of the variance in study success after one year, with the inclusion of performance-based EF raising this proportion to 16%. Self-reported EF assessments modestly predict study success. However, monitoring levels of self-reported EF could offer valuable insights for students and educational institutions, given that EF play a crucial role in learning. Additionally, one in five students reports experiencing significant EF difficulties, highlighting the importance of addressing EF concerns for learning and study success.

The development of communicative competence is a fundamental goal of Slovene language teaching in Slovene primary schools. As part of this goal, reading literacy is also being developed. In the project Reading Literacy and the Development of Slovene–ARLEM (Awareness, Reading, Language, Evaluation, Models), a reading comprehension test for fifth and eighth grade has been developed, consisting of four tests. This article focuses on two of them, the Vocabulary Test and the Reading Comprehension Test for fifth and eighth grade. A study conducted among more than one thousand students showed a correlation between students’ vocabulary comprehension and reading comprehension, and a relationship between these two variables and teachers’ assessment of students’ reading and students’ grades in the school subjects Slovene, math, and social studies / history. The results also show that, on average, boys score lower than girls, that on average, students whose first language is not Slovene score lower than students whose first language is Slovene, and that students who receive additional professional help with reading score lower than students who do not need additional help with reading. The results confirm the importance of developing vocabulary and reading skills randomly and in a planned way in all school subjects. Furthermore, the results show the importance of acquiring reading techniques over time and developing reading motivation. Furthermore, the results show the need for cross-curricular integration, individualization, and differentiation.

Digital competence entails the healthy, safe, and responsible use of digital technologies to take engage in society, to learn, work and to interact with. However, the use of digital devices is not exempt of risks. The objectives of this study were to analyze the mediating effect of fear of missing out (FoMO) on phubbing and nomophobia, and to explore the perception of the use of Internet-connected devices among 522 Spanish university students, with an average age of 27.11 years. The 80.8% are women and 68.2% study degrees related with Educational Sciences. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining bivariate correlation with structural equation modelling (SEM), and qualitative content analysis. SEM analysis revealed that FoMO had a significant effect on nomophobia and phubbing. Qualitative content analysis underlined that the time spent, problematic use, and sense of dependence were the main concerns for participants. It is emphasized that the plethora of ICT opportunities exposes individuals to risk contexts, necessitating media education to mitigate psychological and social consequences stemming from Internet risks.