In the future, vocational students will face all changes and developments in technology and information. In this context, students' digital literacy skills need to be trained to adapt to the demands of the world of work. This article aims to present the results of a study on factors that can improve the digital literacy practice for vocational students as a roadmap for digital learning in the current era. The sampling technique used purposive random sampling of 8 Vocational Schools in East Java Province, Indonesia. The number of respondents in this study amounted to 355 second-year students. The study has found that online learning, motivation, and technology introduction are influenced by students' digital literacy practices, while teacher readiness and infrastructure must be mediated by online learning. The findings in this study indicate that collaboration from various parties is needed from teachers, school administrators, and policymakers in planning learning that focuses on students' digital abilities.

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.

This meta-analysis study investigates the effect of computer-based tests on motivation. The random effect model is the basis for calculating the summary effect, and it is found that the 30 articles obtained through the PRISMA method, which consist of four parts, namely identification, screening, eligibility, and included, can be generalized. Data analysis was performed using R studio and OpenMEE. Based on the research results, the p-value <.05 was obtained, so it was concluded that using a computer-based test significantly affected motivation. In the moderator analysis, it was found that computer-based tests were most effective for intrinsic motivation for the motivation variable, university students for the participants variable, and the country of Iran for the region variable. Evaluation of publication bias using the funnel plot and regression method shows no publication bias, proving that the 30 articles analyzed represent all existing studies on computer-based tests.

Industry 4.0 has affected various aspects of life, including the organization of higher education. In the current era, higher education is required to transform themselves from using the conventional way of administration to the digitalized one. The said transformation also includes the services provided and management carried out by the organizations. The objective of this study is to measure the understudied mediation of digital innovation in the effect of the nexus of digital leadership and digital literacy on the performance of higher education. This quantitative research was conducted by distributing questionnaires to 234 faculty members of four higher education institutions in Malang City, Indonesia. Partial Least Squares – Structural Equation Modeling was applied to analyze the data. This study finds that digital leadership significantly affects the higher education performance and conclusively predicts digital innovation. As hypothesized, digital literacy has a significant effect on the higher education performance and digital innovation, and digital innovation plays a substantial role in the higher education performance. In addition, digital innovation mediates the influence of digital leadership and digital literacy on the higher education performance.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has affected the educational sector globally. One of the impacts of this outbreak is observed in the implementation of digital learning, which involves problems such as poor internet connection and a lack of information technology facilities. However, university youth could be seen as resilient if they could keep up with good academic performance despite going through various challenges of digital learning. Thus, this research would like to explore the resilience of university youth while undergoing the challenges of digital learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research adopted a qualitative approach, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Purposive sampling was used, where five respondents among the University Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) youth with a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.50 and above were selected in this research. The research found that the challenges faced by the majority of the respondents during digital learning were the non-conducive learning environment and the poor internet connection. In addition, findings also found two protective factors that helped the respondents be resilient, identified as the internal factor (i.e., self-concept and cultural sensitivity) and the external factor (i.e., parents' support and positive peer relationships). The research findings showed that the university youth also need support and help from various parties alongside their own efforts in academics in order to face any kinds of risky situations and grow as resilient youth.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between teacher professional development, quality of lecture design, student engagement, teacher technical skills, pedagogical content knowledge and teacher satisfaction in using Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Powered Facilitator for designing lectures. The study used a non-random sample technique, and 208 participants answered a survey via Google Form after one semester, using a 5-point Likert scale to rate their responses. The structural equation model was used to analyze the data, and six factors were included in the study. The study confirmed hypotheses that teacher professional development, quality of lecture design, student engagement, and pedagogical content knowledge have a positive effect on teacher satisfaction. However, the study also revealed that teacher technical skills have a negative effect on teacher satisfaction, and pedagogical content knowledge has no significant effect. The proposed conceptual model explained 55.7% of the variance in teacher satisfaction Theoretical and practical implications were also discussed. These findings provide insights into the factors that contribute to teacher satisfaction in utilizing AI-Powered Facilitator for designing lectures and could inform the development of effective teacher training programs.

This study sought to investigate the current state of innovative teaching research and identify emerging themes and trends in the field from 2013 to 2023. The Scopus database was searched for the term “innovative teaching,” resulting in 1005 documents. After manual screening, 903 articles were exported in the BibTeX format for further processing in Bibliometrix using three bibliometric analysis types: network analysis, science mapping, and performance analysis. Performance analysis revealed bursts in publication output in 2015 and 2021, with a moderate boost in 2018. Ten top-cited journal papers were identified. The citation rates were low between 2019 and 2021, but there has been an upturn since 2022. The top keywords included simulation and nursing education, and there was a shift in research topics from broad educational concepts to more specific approaches, such as e-learning. Innovative teaching has been predominantly investigated in higher education, particularly in nursing education, with themes like “teaching/learning strategies” suggesting an emphasis on enhancing teaching practices not just through technology infusion. This study can aid educators and researchers in staying current with innovative teaching developments and inform their teaching practices.

Implementing online learning has led to several issues, especially those related on assessments to measure students’ learning achievement. This study aimed to obtain accurate information on learning assessments for vocational high school (VHS) students during online learning, including assessment for learning (AfL), assessment as learning (AaL), and assessment of learning (AoL). It also investigated students’ perceptions of the assessments based on their grades. This quantitative research employed the survey method, collecting data through questionnaires. The population of this research is VHS students in Indonesia, totaling 86,885 students. The participants of this study were 487 VHS students. The data were analyzed using descriptive and ANOVA techniques. The results show that most VHS students positively perceive the assessment of learning achievements in online learning for AfL, AaL, and AoL aspects. Moreover, there is a significant difference in students' perceptions of the assessment in online learning based on grades. The perception of class XII students is the highest (average value = 3.90) of all classes, while the other classes have an average value of 3.38 for class XI, and the average value of class X is 3.81.

This study aims to analyse the relationship between critical thinking and the learning experience provided by instructors through active learning models, specifically Project-based Learning (PjBL) and Simulation-based Learning (SBL), to the potential achievement of academic performance in undergraduate students. The main analysis technique employed in this research was logistic regression, with additional analysis techniques including discriminant validity, EFA, as well as Kendall’s and Spearman’s correlation, serving as a robustness check. The results of this study indicate significant correlations and effects of critical thinking (CT) on academic performance. Higher levels of CT are associated with a greater likelihood of achieving academic excellence, as indicated by the cum laude distinction, compared to not attaining this distinction. Experiences of receiving PjBL (0.025; 6.816) and SBL (0.014; 14.35) predicted the potential for improving academic performance to reach cum laude recognition, relative to not achieving this distinction. Furthermore, other intercept factors need to be considered to achieve cum laude compared to not achieving cum laude. We recommend that policymakers in higher education, instructors, and others focus on enhancing critical thinking and utilizing both Pub and SBL as learning models to improve students’ academic performance.

Kindergarten educators represent the first contact of children with the institutional environment. In this article we assume that kindergarten educators have a significant impact on children's perception of their first/mother tongue and their language development. Language is one of the core kindergarten curriculum areas in which the educator needs to be adequately empowered to set an example for the children, while at the same time developing their communicative competence which is the basis for (later) efficient communication. We carried out a questionnaire-based survey involving 236 students pursuing early childhood education in all three public universities in the Republic of Slovenia which prepares students for the role of kindergarten educators in order to study their perceptions of the language. The questionnaire-based survey was answered by students in their first and third years i.e., when starting and finishing their studies. A large majority of future kindergarten educators consider their positive attitude towards language in general to be extremely important for kindergarten children as language forms the basis for all other curriculum areas. Also, when surveyed, almost all future kindergarten educators considered it essential to be proficient in the language and to encourage language development in children by following their own example. Furthermore, they believe it is important to have a well-developed linguistic capability (language knowledge), to have the capability of crafting linguistically accurate written content and to master a suitable literary expression.

Given the insufficient involvement of business investments in adult education, this study focused on the factors that motivate managers and entrepreneurs to invest in continuing education. For this purpose, we conducted a systematic literature review of studies referenced in Scopus and Web of Science since 2015. The factors for training were classified into four levels: personal, organizational, industry-related, and national. The results indicated that the inside firm-related determinants are the most studied and essential. A consensus emerged in the relevant literature on the positive impact of a supportive workplace culture, a learning orientation, formalized human resource development practices, and employee voice. The long-term orientation of managers and the perception of employees’ flexibility and adaptability to change also play a role. The study highlights the increasing pressure from regulations and market competition, as well as the (in)capability of universities to provide training tailored to the specific needs of companies. Although institutional factors appeared to predominate, economic considerations also influence training decisions; the latter means that the two underlying theories – institutional theory and human capital theory – complement each other when explaining employers' incentives to invest in training.

The present study aimed to improve the speaking skills of university students at the B1 level who presented limitations in their oral competence. An educational methodology based on designing and implementing an application adapted to the Common European Framework of Reference was developed and applied to boost language performance. A case study was used to conduct the two stages of this research; the former had to do with a control group where intervention was carried out using non-probabilistic sampling with students of the Computing Faculty; a pretest was applied to test the knowledge acquired in their classroom sessions during the first quarter in 2020. The second process was tracking an experimental group, which was assessed after implementing the developed methodology using the app "4skillsweb". A posttest was used to evidence learners' progress during the COVID-19 lockdown, and the results showed improved oral competence in aspects such as grammar and vocabulary, discourse management, pronunciation, and interactive communication, with about 95% confidence in its validation. A qualitative-quantitative methodology was used to determine the influence of the English app. A t-students test was implemented to corroborate the data analysis taken by both groups through SOFTWARE JMP v 11.0.0G.

The present study explores the Quality of Life (QoL) of young people with intellectual disabilities engaged in a social farming initiative, known as ‘‘Tuttincampo: Social Farming and Inclusivity’’. The project stands as an innovative approach to improving social inclusion and providing vocational education and training. The initiative seeks to offer a viable alternative to traditional rehabilitation day centers by establishing a network of both public and private institutions. To explore the QoL of the young people we analyze data from the Personal Outcome Scale (POS), a tool that investigates the perception of QoL through self-assessment and hetero-assessment. Data were collected at the beginning and at the end of the social agriculture project. The results obtained confirm the importance of planning pedagogical actions to support social inclusion and vocational training for people with intellectual disabilities, highlighting, as well, the potential of social farming as a new “space” to achieve a higher level of QoL.

<p style="text-align:justify">This study aimed to assess the geometric knowledge of student teachers from a university in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The study used a sample of 225 first-year student teachers who completed school mathematics baseline assessments on a computer- aided mathematics instruction (CAMI) software. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional research design, using quantitative data to measure student teachers&rsquo; geometry achievement level, and qualitative data to explain the challenges encountered. The results show that student teachers exhibited a low level of understanding of school-level geometry. The low achievement levels were linked to various factors, such as insufficient grasp of geometry concepts in their secondary school education, difficulty in remembering what was done years ago, low self-confidence, and lack of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skills along with the limited time for the baseline tests. These results suggest that appropriate measures should be taken to ensure that student teachers acquire the necessary subject-matter knowledge to teach effectively in their future classrooms.</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.

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.