The aim of this study was to investigate how the use of the technologized model of critical thinking development affected the self-study process of students of higher educational institutions (HEIs). The research methodology was based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative empirical methods, as well as a descriptive approach to data analysis. The study involved a quasi-experimental model supposed to influence the variables under study. The technology-based educational model of autonomous learning with a focus on the critical thinking development in students of HEIs consisted of the following processes, such as: communication, analysis, synthesis, problem-solving, evaluation, and reflection. The Watson Glaser Test was adapted to monitor the level of students’ critical thinking. The average score on the final control of students’ knowledge was used to monitor the experimental group students’ performance. By monitoring the development of students’ critical thinking and the dynamics of their performance in the course of training, where 90% of the time students studied independently, it was established that the use of a technological educational model had a positive effect on the critical thinking of students of HEIs, and as a result, the effectiveness of their self-study.

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.

In today's World, data-driven methods are behind the determination of potential action plans in every area of life. These data-driven methods help individuals or policymakers to figure out the strengths and weaknesses on the subject that are worked on and to make a comparison to the best practices. Thus, actions can be taken immediately on the specific factors that have a huge impact on the topic investigated. In the educational area, countries are using the same approach to measure, monitor, and improve the quality of education by attending international studies. In this study, for both Turkish and Singaporean students, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model is performed to predict the students' mathematics achievement and to identify factors that have a high impact on achievement using Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 2019 with the data of 3,586 Turkish and 4,750 Singaporean students. The reason behind comparing the results of Turkey to Singapore is that Singapore is the best-performing country in terms of mathematics achievement in the TIMSS in 2019. The model results show that the top two crucial factors in both countries are the frequency of absenteeism from school, and students’ confidence in mathematics with the accuracy of 75%. In addition, relevant policy implications are given based on the importance level of significant factors.

This study used the structural equation modeling (SEM) approach to test a model that hypothesized the influence of self-efficacy, self-control, emotion, and engagement on student academic performance. The structural equation modeling model was developed to link all the study variables with a literature review to describe the interrelationship. Data collected were from 413 college students in their second year. The results show that self-efficacy, self-control, emotion, and engagement predict student academic performance. And through emotion and student engagement, both self-efficacy and self-control predict student academic performance indirectly. Practically the measures used in this study give more information about the learning environment in higher education settings than those usually come from traditional practices faculty received in the classroom, such as student rating forms and feedback. The main findings of this study have some implications for higher education, theory development, measurement, and future research.

Digital puzzle worksheet (DPW) is innovative teaching material designed using open-source software such as Canva and Liveworksheets. Subsequently, puzzle games in the form of questions can improve problem-solving skills by engaging in metacognitive processes. This research used a case study method to describe the impact of applying the DPW to identify the metacognition levels of students through the assignment of contextual maths problems. The source of informants was third-grade elementary school students in West Java, Indonesia. Test instruments, observation sheets, and interviews were used, while data analysis adopted an iterative model. Furthermore, the method and time triangulation increased confidence in the resulting conclusions. The results showed that male students were at the metacognitive level of ‘strategic use’ and ‘aware use’ for females, based on the characteristics of the observed metacognitive level. The most prominent feature was identifying and determining problem-solving strategies with metacognitive awareness. The reaction of students to the DPW improved problem-solving abilities, expanded conceptual understanding, and enhanced digital technology competence. Therefore, this experience was applied when solving contextual mathematical problem assignments.

Lesson study, observation and analysis are relevant to professional development and initial teacher education. As a strategy, it helps to bridge the gap between theory and practice. The health conditions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic forced the restriction of the tutors’ direct observation of preservice teachers at school. This study analyses preservice teachers’ performance through video observations to evaluate their professional activity at school during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fifteen Items Revised Tsang-Hester Observation Rubric (FIR-THOR) was administered to a sample of 166 preservice teachers in their internship schools and their video recordings each one of 45-minute teaching lessons were analysed. The results show that the FIR-THOR appears as a robust instrument, which allows us to conclude that the instrument works well in the three five-items dimensions that compose it - Instruction, Management, and Assessment - proving to be reliable for assessing teacher intervention in the classroom. Among the three dimensions, the preservice teachers’ performance stands out in the Management of the classroom, as well as in the classroom Instruction. This contribution is relevant considering the potential of lesson analysis in learning and professional development during initial teacher training.

The purpose of the current study was to analyze social media content related to physical education. In the context of summative qualitative content analysis, I took advantage of big data analytics to access the data. Machine learning of this big data mapped the large content volume from four major social media platforms. The data was collected by extracting social media posts from January to December 2020. The big data analysis process sorted, categorized, and classified the enormous data into several preeminent topics regarding PE. These computerized analyzes were used to identify themes that were further analyzed using qualitative methods. The results revealed two overarching themes. These themes were (a) PE representation as a school subject and (b) the images of PE teachers on social media. The second theme consisted of three subthemes: masculine traits of PE teachers and negative and positive sentiments toward these teachers. I concluded that key aspects of PE discourse in virtually mediated reality share topical characteristics with what people have previously socially constructed. However, the themes offer a new addition to the literature in that the analysis offers a new perspective on ongoing debates about the social construction of PE through enormous large data sets.

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.

Logical-mathematical intelligence is highly needed to ease students’ understanding of mathematics concepts. Therefore, it is necessary to delivery an innovative teaching approach to enhance students’ logical-mathematical intelligence. This study aims to investigate the use of mathematics comics to increase the logical-mathematical intelligence of junior high school students in urban and rural schools. This study employed a quantitative approach with a pretest-posttest control group design. The population of this study were seventh-grade students from a junior high school in Banda Aceh (urban areas) and a junior high school in Aceh Besar (rural areas), Indonesia. The samples of this study were two classes (experimental and control) from each school which were selected randomly. To collect data, we used a logical-mathematical intelligence test and analyzed it by using t-test. This study shows that the use of mathematical comics in urban schools can improve mathematical logical intelligence. However, there was no improvement in students' mathematical logical intelligence in rural schools. Therefore, this study showed that using mathematics comics in different school conditions yield different results in logical-mathematical intelligence. The findings suggest that other learning innovations are required to improve students' logical-mathematical intelligence in rural areas.

A virtual-based disaster learning model was created to enhance understanding of COVID-19 disaster mitigation following the characteristics of elementary school students because the high number of child deaths brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic served as the driving force behind this research. The virtual-based disaster learning model had been deemed valid, but more study is required to ascertain its impact on primary school pupils' comprehension of COVID-19 disaster mitigation. This study sought to determine how the virtual disaster learning model affected elementary school pupils' understanding of COVID-19 disaster mitigation. This study was a quasi-experimental investigation. Non-equivalent control group design was the type of experimental design employed. The t-test showed that students who studied using virtual-based disaster learning models and those who used conventional learning had different average levels of understanding of COVID-19 disaster mitigation. According to the findings, primary school children who learned using virtual disaster learning models had higher scores than students who used conventional methods. This finding revealed that virtual disaster learning models could improve understanding of COVID-19 disaster mitigation. The results of this study's implications can be applied as a different approach to enhancing elementary school kids' comprehension of emergency planning for COVID-19.

This study aimed to find the Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Modern Test Theory (MTT) item parameters of the Differential Aptitude Test (DAT) and examined their comparability of them. The item parameters being studied are difficulty level and discrimination index. 5.024 data of the result sub-test DAT were documented by the Department of Psychology and Guidance and Counselling bureau. The parameter of classical and modern test items was estimated and correlated by examining the comparability between parameters. The results show that there is a significant correlation between item parameter estimates. The Rasch and IRT 1-PL models have the highest correlation toward CTT regarding the item difficulty level. In contrast, model 2-PL has the highest correlation toward CTT in the item discrimination index. Overall, the study concluded that CTT and MTT were comparable in estimating item parameters of DAT and thus could be used independently or complementary in developing DAT.

Motivation is essential in shaping how much a student is interested in learning and also affects how much students will learn from a learning activity or how much students' ability to capture the information presented by the teacher. Well-motivated students will produce a vibrant learning atmosphere and a better success rate. This research aims to determine whether the motivating active learning in physical education (MALP) model can help kids in elementary school develop their capacity for critical thinking. The design used is experimental. The research subjects were grade 6 elementary school students representing five sub-districts in the Tasikmalaya district. One elementary school was taken from each sub-district through a probability sampling technique using the cluster random sampling approach. The total sample taken was 137 people. The results of the study prove that applying the MALP model can greatly influence improving the critical thinking skills of elementary school students. The result of the study is proven by the significance test using the paired sample t-test; the results obtained from sig. (2-tailed) of .001< .05. So applying motivating active learning in the physical education model influences increasing elementary school students’ critical thinking skills.

This study analyzes the narrated reflection of the students in relation to their learning, based on the perceptions that emerge from their experience in the development of the project. Participants were 53 fourth year Pedagogy in Physical Education students, with an average age of 24.3, who were divided into 13 groups. A qualitative study that used the narrated reflection of the students in relation to learning, based on a driving question. In order to help guide the students’ work, and to collect the perceptions they experienced during their participation, the following four components were integrated into the development of the project and included in the final product: a) historical and heritage sites, b) technology used to measure energy expenditure, c) type of active commuting, d) reflection on what was learned. The students designed 13 routes of active commuting through the city, which included different cultural, heritage and historical landmarks. The students analyzed the learning experience, highlighting the importance of knowing and caring for the heritage of the different cities around which they traveled. PBL can be a didactic alternative in initial Physical Education teacher training to achieve learning by linking subject content with the motivations and interests of the students.

Education delivers systematic instruction so effective learning acquisition may take place. It molds students into holistic well-being to contribute to various industries; hence, relevant competencies are developed. Strengthening education significantly encompasses the production of formfitting and distinct instructional materials to invite a sequential way of presenting quality instruction. This research is focused on knowing the effectiveness of the modules developed in Human Resource Management for Filipino business students. Specifically, it is developmental research and utilizes a pretest and post-test control group design. Numerical data were supported by phenomenological interviews, strengthening the study's results. It involved 80 college students classified as the experimental and control group. Moreover, the interview includes 10 participants. Findings reveal that utilizing the modules realized the increase in performance of the experimental group due to their exposure to the materials. However, one of the pitfalls has been revealed in utilizing self-directed learning material; thus, academic performance will only improve if students are organized to set their own goals and learning pace. Using outcomes-based instructional materials leads to substantiating learning, effectively enticing learners' interest. It maximizes students' motivation and participation since topics are well-planned and designed comprehensively. The materials are an essential tool in inviting the enthusiasm of business students to engage in learning. These are valuable means to encourage independent learning without sacrificing the competencies to be learned and applied by the learners.

The accuracy of assessing the capabilities of the process and product in chemical practice activities requires appropriate measurement procedures to be followed. It is crucial to identify the components that can introduce bias while measuring student abilities during the measurement process. This study aims to identify the components or criteria used by teachers to assess student performance in practicum activities and analyze the quality of the rubrics developed. The study was conducted with the participation of three raters, 27 high school students, and nine assessment criteria. A quantitative descriptive approach was employed using the many-facet Rasch model (MFRM) analysis for measurement. The results of the MFRM analysis show no significant measurement bias, with data measurement facets fitting the MFRM model. The reliability of all the facets meets the criteria, and the scale predictor functions appropriately. While all students can easily pass four out of nine items, five items can only be partially passed by students. The assessment criteria that require special attention include communication skills, tools and assembly, interpretation, cleanliness, and accuracy when performing practicums. These criteria provide feedback for teachers and students to ensure successful practicum activities. The Discussion section of this study delves into the findings and their implications.

This study seeks to investigate the relationship between dropout intent, the weekly work duration of student employees, and university social capital by analysing empirical evidence from three European countries, including Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland. This exploratory study utilised Eurostudent-VII survey data and employed cross-tabulation and exhaustive Chi-square Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID) to achieve its objectives. Findings indicate that student employees who believe they get along well with their teachers and have more connections with fellow students to discuss subject-related issues are less likely to intend to drop out of university. In addition, the results show that students’ likelihood of abandoning their higher education increases in the presence of difficulties caused by an inapt academic programme. Regarding employment duration, for the Estonian and Lithuanian markets, there is no difference between working more than 20 hours per week or less than that with the intention of dropping out of university. In Poland, however, the disparity in working hours interacts with other factors related to social capital to explain dropout intent. These findings provide novel insights into the dropout literature by refreshing thoughts on the role of teacher-student and peer relations in the dropout intentions of student employees. In addition to reviving the relevance of university social capital, which has received too little attention lately, they have also sparked a recent debate on whether or not combining work and university actually affects the intention to drop out.

This study aimed to compare and examine the effectiveness of interactive STEM learning and paper-and-pencil STEM learning in terms of mathematical literacy skills of elementary school students. This research is of a quasi-experimental type with a non-equivalent pretest-posttest control group design. Sampling was carried out on the elementary school populations in Bengkulu and South Sumatra Provinces in two stages. In the first stage, schools in rural and urban areas were selected, and in the second, classes in each school were randomly selected. The selected sample consisted of fifth-grade students of the Public Elementary School of Terawas, Musi Rawas, with an experimental class A (n = 20) and an experimental class B (n = 19), as well as fifth-grade students of the Public Elementary School of Bengkulu City, with an experimental class A (n = 25) and an experimental class B (n = 22). Data collection was conducted using mathematical literacy skills tests in reference to the PISA and Minimum Competency Assessment (level 1–3). Data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistics; it employed an independent t-test for the comparative testing and an N-gain test for testing the effectiveness of STEM learning. The results showed that there were differences in math literacy skills between interactive STEM and paper-and-pencil STEM for students in urban schools, but not significantly different for students in rural schools. General STEM learning was effective in increasing the literacy of elementary school students, and interactive STEM in particular demonstrated the highest level of effectiveness in the urban school.

The purpose of this research is to strengthen pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in designing laboratory activities based on small-scale chemistry approaches. This research is action research involving 60 trainee teachers with stages that include (a) Reflect; (b) Plan; (c) Act; (d) Observe; (e) Reflect (2nd); (f) Plan (2nd). Qualitative data were collected through (a) Questionnaires reflecting on experiences in practicing chemistry learning and responses to the importance of learning, (b) a Portfolio of chemistry practicum design, (c) documentation of the process of carrying out design, implementation, and practicum evaluation activities, (d) field notes, (e) reflection sheet, and (f) Portfolio of follow-up plans. The data is displayed through the R computation system with data pre-processing stages in the teacher's reflection text which includes basic cleaning, case folding, normalization, stemming, and deleting meaningless words. Display data in the form of word clouds, frequency expression diagrams, and tabulations. Descriptive narratives are used to analyze the documentation obtained in the action process. The teacher group demonstrated performance in implementing small-scale practicum activities. Teachers are increasingly skilled in modifying conventional laboratory equipment, minimizing the amount of chemical use, minimizing waste disposal, and increasing efficiency in the duration of practicum implementation. The follow-up plan for this activity includes quality improvement in aspects of (a) skill in using laboratory equipment, (b) understanding of chemical concepts, (c) equipment availability, materials, and work procedures, and (d) implementation of chemistry practicum.

Creativity and information literacy are skills necessary for students for task completion in the learning process. One of the tasks assigned to students in learning is to write drafts of scientific articles. Furthermore, teachers must pay attention to cognitive styles in the learning process. This study aimed to describe students' creativity in writing drafts of scientific papers based on information literacy concerning reflective and impulsive cognitive styles. This research was exploratory qualitative research to explain the creativity of reflective and impulsive students in writing scientific article drafts based on information literacy. The research subjects comprised two students for each reflective and impulsive cognitive style. The cognitive style was measured using the Matching Familiar Figure Test instrument. Students' creativity was measured using a test with fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration indicators. The results indicated that reflective students were highly creative in writing drafts of scientific articles. Meanwhile, impulsive students were relatively creative in the same activity. In conclusion, students possessing the reflective cognitive style are more creative than students following the impulsive cognitive style in writing drafts of scientific articles based on information literacy. We recommend that writing articles based on information literacy is required to increase HOTs (Higher Order Thinking Skills).

This study examined the impact of teaching biology using interactive multimedia on the students’ academic performance in biology at Community Day Secondary Schools (CDSS). This study was conducted in three secondary schools in the Dedza district, in the central region of Malawi. A pretest-posttest quasi-experimental approach was used in this investigation. A total number of 189 Form Four students were selected from the three schools. The schools were categorized into three groups, namely: (a) urban, (b) rural, and (c) control. The control group received instruction using a teacher-centered approach, while the experimental groups received instruction using interactive multimedia resources. The pretest was conducted for three weeks, after which the posttest was administered. One-way ANOVA in IBM-SPSS software was used to analyse the data. Our findings showed that multimedia instruction packages had a significant impact on student performance (F (2, 188) = 126.557, p < .001). Furthermore, after the intervention, the scores of the rural group and the urban group significantly varied (p < .001). Gender had a significant influence on the performance of students in biology (F (1, 188) = 8.78, p = .003). Therefore, the study concludes that the use of multimedia instructional packages helps learners understand abstract concepts in biology, and the study further recommends that multimedia instructional packages be used to teach hard-to-grasp concepts in biology in CDSS.