The purpose of this paper is to explore if the learning of biographical writing contributes to the positive views and attitudes towards others of different groups. The paper used the Research and Development approach by designing and implementing a learning model of biographical writing. The subjects of this study were 200 seventh-grade students having different ethnic and religious backgrounds from nine junior high schools. The data-collecting method was pretest-posttest. The results of the study demonstrated that the average scores of the aspects of student empathy, student positive attitudes towards ethnic differences, and student positive attitudes towards religious differences increased in all the schools investigated. The increase of average score in the aspect of student empathy, positive attitudes towards ethnic differences, and positive attitudes towards religious differences could be classified into three categories: high, medium, and low. Most of the schools under study experienced medium and low increases of average score in all aspects.

In Austria, segregated German language support classes (GLSC) were introduced in the school year 2018/19 to intensively support students who had previously little or no contact with German, the official language of instruction. These classes have been widely criticised; however, a formal evaluation of their effects has yet to be published. In absence of this evaluation, this article describes the language support model as it currently exists in Austria and reviews existing evidence about its efficacy. The literature review synthesises findings from educational research undertaken in other contexts that offer insight into features of ‘good practice’ in language support models. The article then explores the extent to which GLSC comply with these features. As such, this review allows insights into ways of ensuring students’ language and socio-emotional development – all central aspects of academic success – in language support models. It therefore allows research-informed understanding of the effects of the newly implemented model of German support classes in Austria and makes recommendations for further development.

Evolution is one of the most difficult and controversial topics. Scientific knowledge of evolution should belong to general knowledge of people, it should be the part of their natural science knowledge or biological education because it is the basis for accepting or refusing of other important topics such as genetical modification, global climatic change and others. Our aim was to analyse the inclusion of evolution in the teaching process in Slovakia in the subjects of history and biology and the associated potential threats to the formation of misconceptions. We measured the level of knowledge and understanding of evolution and evolutionary processes among high school graduates (N = 200). In doing so, we hypothesized that graduating high school students who have received evolutionary education achieve higher levels of both knowledge and understanding of evolutionary processes compared to those who have not received such education. We hypothesized that interest in science and acceptance of evolution would also positively influence levels of knowledge about evolutionary phenomena and understanding of evolutionary processes. Having used research, we claimed the impact of interest in natural science. We suggest to include the evolution as a main topic of biology into education through exploration- oriented teaching.

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) state of emergency has brought about a radical change in the way of teaching. In a questionnaire, we asked 120 teachers from Italian Primary, Middle and High Schools about the advantages and disadvantages of online teaching, the students’ conduct during lessons and the methodologies applied to students with special educational needs. Primary School teachers most strongly reported an increase in boredom and distraction, and disagreed that online teaching helps students’ learning and that it makes them more active. The main advantage of online teaching was the technical and methodological innovations, while the main disadvantage was the lack of relationship with students. In the case of students with special educational needs, many teachers reported that they used simplified procedures and personalized meetings. Overall, teachers appear to think that online teaching has many drawbacks, though it also has some positive aspects that need to be appreciated and exploited.

This study investigates the inspiring leadership values in building an excellent inclusive higher education, including proactiveness, high-spiritedness, visionary, and humanist mindset. This was a case study where data were collected through in-depth interviews, direct observation, document analysis, and audiovisual material observation. The analysis was carried out by making data transcription, notes, video recordings, and documents; generating ideas, codifying data, designing themes, and interpreting data. Results show that inspiring leadership with a proactive mindset in policymaking can create original ideas, realize them actively and innovatively as well as solve problems creatively. High motivation leadership is seen through its activeness in asking the academic community to work together in building an inclusive higher education such as by attending activities related to special needs students. Visionary leadership is seen from its ability to build clear and measurable vision, mission, and organizational goals. In addition, it is also capable to see opportunities related to inclusive higher education's future development by generating appropriate policies and finding job opportunities for special needs students. Humanist leadership is an ability to manage challenges, conflicts, and resistance often arising during the process to build an inclusive higher education. Regarding the results, this study implies that inspiring leadership serves as one of the key factors to build an excellent inclusive higher education. However, due to limitations of this study, it is required further studies.

In the last decades, the notion of universal design for learning (UDL) has gained prominence in the Greek educational scene (former government plan in education, projects based on UDL). This educational philosophy is essentially a necessary inclusive practice given the new conditions, the extreme heterogeneity of the student population due to socio-political and economic factors, and the exceptional circumstances due to COVID-19 pandemic. The UDL aims to ensure access and equity in learning for all learners despite differentiating characteristics. With our study, we seek to investigate whether teachers in secondary and second chance schools (SCS) are ready to implement UDL, what their expectations are, what obstacles they face, and the results of implementation through their records in reflection journals, a practice that is fully consistent with the context of UDL.

The pandemic case has shifted away from face-to-face teaching to online blended learning. This phenomenon certainly causes various problems in the world of education. The online blended learning is good when applied with good internet connections and complete facilities. However, it differs from Indonesian coastal students who do not have supporting facilities. Therefore, this research aims to analyze the experience and readiness of Indonesian coastal students. It determines the facilities of the process using qualitative research with a phenomenological approach. Purposive sampling was used to collect data from 25 students living in coastal areas in Aceh, Indonesia. Furthermore, in-depth interviews were used to obtain instruments and techniques for data collection, observations, field notes, and audio-visuals. Data analysis was carried out qualitatively by reducing, displaying, drawing conclusions, and verifying data. The data processing was conducted using NVivo 12 plus software. The kappa coefficient is used to check the accuracy of the data since there was no bias during coding. The analysis results show that Indonesian coastal students are not ready to conduct the online blended learning process. Furthermore, it is recommended that future research focus on coastal students’ development. A Hypothetical Learning Trajectory design should be created to assist in independent learning and lessen their readiness.

Multiculturalism in the school environment is challenging for all educational systems. This study examines the effect of multicultural school leadership on multicultural teacher culture and determines mediating effects of multicultural inspiration, personality, and attitude. A quantitative research approach using a cross-sectional survey was used for this study. The population and sample of this study were school principals and high school teachers in Central Java Province, Indonesia. The participants were a total of 357 individuals. Data analysis was done by structural equation modeling (SEM) using the software AMOS 24. The results show that multicultural school leadership directly influences multicultural teacher culture. This study also highlights multicultural inspiration, multicultural personality, and multicultural attitude as factors that mediate the effect of multicultural school leadership on multicultural teacher culture. This study makes a practical and theoretical contribution, especially by providing data to support the improvement of multicultural teacher culture and the importance of multicultural leadership of school leaders in influencing these factors through multicultural inspiration, personality, and attitude.

This study explores a socially relevant problem related to teachers' conceptions of hate speech from a gender perspective present in the discourse of teaching history and social science educational practices. The methodology was used within the paradigm with a case study design, as a generalization was not intended. The sample consisted of 80 professors of history and social sciences. A quantitative questionnaire was used to determine the conceptions of the participants. The main findings include the constraints placed by programs and curricula on the presence of hate speech, student interventions in classes, and strategies implemented by participating teachers to position counter-narratives to hate in their practice. The conclusions include the importance teachers place on analyzing the prevalence of hate speech in their practice, both by students and the media, and its impact on teaching. In addition, the results offer some educational insights and perspectives for positioning hate speech as a transformative social justice perspective.

The most crucial factor influencing inclusive education is the preparation of educators for their professional activities. The aim of this study was to create and present a model for developing the professional competences of pre-service social educators in the context of inclusive education. The model reflected its main components: aim, objectives, methodological approaches, principles, technologies, study conditions, forms of training and stages of implementation (preliminary, main and final). The model introduced for professional activity in the conditions of inclusive education in the university's study process has the following characteristics: expediency, integrity, internal unity and consistency. The distinctiveness of the presented model lies in the possible application of taught subjects, such as the Inclusion in the Educational Environment module developed by the authors, educational internships and research work of students (RWS). Furthermore, the model is functional, based on a systemic and student-centred approaches and the principle of continuity of learning, i.e., lifelong learning (LLL).

Teachers play an important role in helping students improve their learning and achieve the intended curriculum outcomes. Therefore, it is essential to look at teachers’ knowledge, understanding, and perceptions of any educational innovation. The present study aims to examine knowledge, understanding and perceptions of Rwandan science teachers with respect to the competence-based curriculum (CBC) introduced in 2015. The 2015 curriculum framework included features like the rationale for its adoption, the concept of competence, different competences to be developed by learners upon CBC implementation, principles guiding CBC implementation, and cross-cutting issues to be addressed by CBC implementation. This research is a multiple case study that adopted a qualitative approach with interpretivism paradigm. Twelve science teachers from three secondary schools, selected based on their differing teaching experience, participated in the study. Data were collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The data were transcribed and qualitatively analyzed using content analysis. The findings revealed some satisfactory knowledge, understanding and perceptions of science teachers. Further, knowledge and understanding gaps as well as negative perceptions of CBC were identified. Towards the effective and efficient implementation of the CBC, this research suggests appropriate training and establishment of the school community of practices for improving teachers’ experience of the CBC.

Several reforms have been introduced to help enhance Vietnamese people’s English competencies. However, research on what reforms Vietnamese teachers support or resist is limited. Also, the impact of teachers’ demographic information on their responses to reforms is underrepresented. This mixed-methods study used a questionnaire, responded by 102 English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers, and six semi-structured interviews to address the gap. The results revealed that the teachers supported the reforms in their teaching context. They preferred using their self-developed or self-adapted materials to using required materials. On the other hand, using the VSTEP framework for designing tests was not supported. Teachers’ demographic information, especially educational qualification, significantly differed one’s responses to reforms from those of another. Some practical implications were discussed at the end of this paper. Also, some recommendations were presented to be considered for further studies.

Collaborative learning has been identified as an essential aspect in the process of learning. As accelerated advancement continues to characterize the developments of technology, innovative mobile technology appears to be transforming the way collaborative learning is taking shape. This study focused on identifying whether mobile technology has a significant impact on collaborative learning in engineering studies in a private University in Malaysia. Using a quantitative approach, an online survey was administered for the data collection. Some 221 participants were selected randomly among undergraduate engineering students in the University. Data were analyzed using SmartPLS. The research findings revealed that mobile technology has a significant impact on collaborative learning. The findings also indicated that two of the mobile technology dimensions, namely mobility and immediacy have significant impact on collaborative learning. Consequently, this research suggests engineering educators can integrate mobile technology into their future instruction for more collaborative learning and create a smart workforce consisting of fast and adaptive engineers as well as other learners in Malaysia.

In the vulnerable and unstable contexts that characterize populations in mobility between countries, especially immigrants and refugees, the second language learning has assumed new traits of difficulty. To help the new generation of learners, mainly with origin in forced immigration, the mobile-assisted learning helps motivation for language learning and reduces anxiety related to language acquisition. Attending to this challenge educational scenario, this review study presents a literature systematic analysis and a concrete technology tool that advocates the student-centered approach. A mobile pedagogical plan was developed for the learning of European Portuguese as a Second Language and as a Foreign Language. A critical review of 38 studies was conducted to understand how the mobile-assisted learning responds to the inclusion and education, especially concerning minorities. Based on previous empirical data with 108 immigrants, we understand the type of tasks that new immigrants have more difficulty learning in Portuguese. It was developed as a mobile app for Android, IOS, computers and tablets: the GoGenius app. In mobile format, individuals can access fourteen themed units with a symmetrical game architecture. These games focused the tasks and themes with priority for new language learners who recently arrived in a hosting country. These units involve a consistent number of working hours that intentionally intend to complement to the contact hours that the subjects have in classroom contexts or in unstable communication contexts (daily communication). This technology project aims to match “tailored” psychological and technological resources. Flipped classroom approach showed how mobile-assisted learning reinforces the educational goals worldwide, specifically for language learning. However, mobile tools should be well structured and centered on students’ needs, especially with migration backgrounds.

Environmental damage must be taken seriously. Strengthening human attitudes to preserve the environment is the keyword, and strengthening the aspects of knowledge about the environment must be pursued. However, a scientific basis is needed that shows that it is true that strengthening the aspects of knowledge about the environment can improve a person’s attitude toward preserving the environment. The purpose of this research is to find the relationship between a person’s knowledge and their behavior in preserving the environment. By defining the general picture of the relationship between knowledge and attitudes, future accurate educational policies can be taken in the context of environmental protection. This research is a meta-analysis of correlation types. The inclusion criteria for selecting the data are as follows: studies published from 1999 to 2022 in English, analyzed by correlation analysis, have descriptions of many samples and correlation indices, and published in Google Scholar-indexed journals. Based on this inclusion criteria, 23 studies were selected containing 36 relevant sets of research data. The results showed that there was a correlation between knowledge and a person’s attitude toward the environment (.37). Assuming a 95% confidence level, the real score ranges from 0.26 to 0.48. The publication bias test using the trim and fill method showed that none of the data contained biased publications, so the meta-analysis results could be declared valid. Now, there is an urgency to expand environmental education to encourage the development of good attitudes by the community toward the environment.

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.

An issue that has preoccupied young researchers and educators is the interaction of the fields of special and intercultural education as well as the factors that lead to the coexistences of them. The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that hinder the learning process of second-generation immigrant students in Greek primary schools. The ages of the children we will refer to are 7-8 years old due to the school achievements in reading and writing that are mastered up to this age point. This study is part of a larger study, which consists of qualitative and quantitative data from two research tools: interviews and questionnaires from teachers and guardians. The results were divided into categories. One of the main ones that stand in the way of children's learning is psychological and social factors, according to 91.8% of the participants in the questionnaire. In addition, it is worth noting that 82.6% argued that the reason students have learning difficulties is due to biological reasons. In conclusion, there is a correlation between learning difficulties and intercultural education that should be studied. The latter can play a pivot role to the assistance of the diverse categories of students' needs.

Most Greek primary teachers, not having enough training in learning difficulties, cannot effectively help these students, nor easily include them in the school context. An exploratory methodological approach has been used and an ad hoc questionnaire with four dimensions and 44 items has been designed. In this work we focus on dimension IV: Teacher training. 205 Greek primary school teachers have participated. One of the main results has been that most of the participants consider training in learning difficulties to be important and believe that the lack of training greatly affects the inclusion of students with learning difficulties. Equally important is that the majority of participants consider that training affects their attitudes. It was also found that Greek teachers do not believe they have enough training in learning difficulties, due to lack of time, the cost of training as well as the absence of frequent training activities in this field.

Secondary subject subcultures, differing in status, perceived sequentiality, and scope, have been shown to form within departmental content areas. This study aimed to determine if preservice secondary teachers also exhibited attributes of secondary subcultures. Through the Teacher Multicultural Attitude Survey and the Culturally Responsive Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale, this study revealed that subcultures also occur within preservice teachers, specifically preservice mathematics teachers and preservice English teachers, with regards to multicultural awareness and attitudes. The results from this study support the need for purposeful and consistent focus on multicultural education and Ethnomathematics education in mathematics education programs. In doing so, secondary mathematics students can obtain a robust background in multicultural education before entering the PK-12 classroom. When they do enter the PK-12 classroom, they will be able to empower all students that they teach.

There is a great need to provide transition planning and enhance the success of individuals with intellectual disabilities in employment and independent living through appropriate practices. This study aims to explore the essential components of effective transition services that teachers should include in their instruction of students with intellectual disabilities. A descriptive quantitative research design was utilized, and data were collected through an online survey from 102 teachers of students with intellectual disabilities. The findings indicated that participants sometimes included most of the five essential components of effective transition service components in their teaching. No statistically significant differences were found in participants’ responses based on school type, years of teaching experience, or qualifications. However, statistically significant differences were found between male and female participants in responses to two of the main components, namely, student-focused planning and interagency collaboration, with male participants reporting higher mean scores than female participants. The study’s implications for practice and future research are also discussed.