Learning and Emotion

This study examined how Integrative Inquiry, a cross-pollination approach within Place-Based Education (PBE) that grounds learning in local and authentic contexts, enhances teaching and learning in the Master of Education (M.Ed) programmes at Samtse College of Education, Royal University of Bhutan. The project engaged M.Ed students specializing in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics in ecological investigations of the Dhamdum Stream, Samtse district. Working in interdisciplinary teams, students designed research proposals, conducted field data collection (e.g. macroinvertebrate sampling, physicochemical testing, and stream profiling), and assessed stream ecosystem health using Simpson’s Diversity Index and the Hindu Kush-Himalayan Biotic Score (HKHBios). Students’ learning outcomes were measured through survey questionnaires covering seven domains: interdisciplinary integration, collaboration and communication, real-world application, scientific inquiry, motivation and engagement, critical thinking, and sense of accomplishment - rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Additional evidence was drawn from facilitator observations and project reports. Quantitative data were analysed in SPSS using descriptive statistics and paired-samples t tests, with statistical significance set at p < .05. The analyses revealed significant improvements across seven domains: interdisciplinary integration (M = 3.25, 4.17; t(47) = 5.67, p < .001), scientific inquiry and problem solving skills (M = 3.28, 4.15; t(47) = 5.12, p < .001), motivation and engagement (M = 3.42, 4.27; t(47) = 6.23, p < .001), and critical thinking (M = 3.12, 4.05; t(47) = 3.45, p < .01). High levels of collaboration and communication skills (M = 4.32), real-world application (89.6%), and sense of accomplishment (87.5%) were also reported. Overall, the study demonstrates that Integrative Inquiry fosters interdisciplinary approach, problem-solving skills, and professional competencies by embedding learning in authentic contexts, highlighting its potential as a transformative pedagogical model for teacher education programmes.

PurposeService learning is not comprehensively developed in economics such as the implementation of the 17 sustainability goals of the Agenda 2030 – although this would be beneficial as experiential learning is linked to democratic education goals. Service Learning offers itself as a didactic design for this purpose. The paper aims to discuss how service learning can be used to work critically and reflexively on sustainability issues in a cross-university context.Design/methodology/approachThe cross-university teaching-learning project brought together students of industrial engineering and economics. The idea space “sustainable city” was to be developed together with practice partners with the help of the practice-relevant project management method scrum and methods of sustainability assessment in the sense of service learning. Evaluating the project, a written and a qualitative survey were conducted and analysed by means of descriptive statistics as well as content analysis.FindingsSuccess factors include the regular feedback by practice partners and lecturers including reflection questions. Student heterogeneity can hinder effective project work. Complexity can deter effective and successful service learning. The use of scrum in service learning contexts cannot be fully recommended. Although scrum contributes to service learning concepts in economics, in complex sustainability projects either the method should be in focus or prior knowledge of scrum should be mandatory.Originality/valueThe paper discusses how service learning can be used to critically and reflexively address social and practical challenges in a cross-university context. The study contributes to the fact that the complexity of education for sustainable development competencies requires the teaching of knowledge- and fact-based fundamentals as well as methodological-research procedures for research-based and at the same time practice-oriented learning.

Background. Service learning has gained recognition as a valuable pedagogical approach in higher education, aiming to bridge the gap between academic theory and real-world practice. In the context of educational institutions, the role of leadership, particularly transformational leadership, plays a significant role in shaping the effectiveness of such programs. Purpose. This research explores the influence of principal transformational leadership on teacher performance within the framework of service learning in higher education institutions. Method. The study aims to assess how transformational leadership behaviors of school principals impact the engagement and performance of teachers involved in service learning programs. Using a quantitative research design, this study surveyed 150 teachers across several higher education institutions that implement service learning programs. Data were collected through questionnaires that assessed principals’ leadership styles and teachers’ performance in service learning contexts. Results. The results indicate that transformational leadership has a positive and significant effect on teacher performance, particularly in areas related to motivation, professional development, and commitment to service learning objectives. Teachers reported higher levels of engagement and effectiveness when their principals exhibited transformational leadership behaviors, such as inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, and intellectual stimulation. Conclusion. This study concludes that principals who embrace transformational leadership can significantly enhance teacher performance, thereby strengthening the impact of service learning programs.

This chapter reviews the major conceptions of opportunities to learn and assessment within the discipline of sociology. The traditional view of schooling as a meritocratic sorting device is contrasted with (1) the view of schooling that asserts schools (either wittingly or unwittingly) serve to reproduce the existing hierarchies of privilege; (2) the point of view that proposes that schools, peers, and families mediate the relations between structural constraints and human action; and (3) a resurgent democratic conception of schooling.

This paper focuses on the challenges apparent to implementing the engineering experience component within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs adopted at state designated academies in El Paso, Texas, based on a literature review, preliminary to potential research opportunities. El Paso is ranked as one of the poorest metropolitan areas in the country, and improvements in growing STEM success can impact the region's output of qualified professionals in those fields. According to research studies, students enrolled in STEM schools significantly impact enrollment in college, through taking STEM subjects in high school and pursuing STEM careers through higher education. Eight local STEM academies have been established since 2006 and their educators and school leaders may need to revamp STEM efforts by addressing these engineering implementation challenges. The literature reviewed includes national and state policies; local initiatives; integrated curriculum; national and state engineering standards; and school leadership. Some challenges schools face when pursing STEM literacy are educator certification and training, state requirements, standardized testing, insufficient funding, engineering curriculum, among others. As a result of this literature review, future research opportunities are identified within STEM academies, which may guide education leaders towards best practices in engineering education and quality of STEM literacy.

Concerns are growing in many countries, including Ireland, regarding an inadequate number of graduates to meet workforce needs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. These graduate deficiencies are the result of low student uptake of STEM subjects and courses at post-primary and tertiary level education. Low uptake is partly a consequence of negative student attitudes towards STEM. Many students are losing interest in STEM at an early age due to an inability to see any relevance in their everyday lives. In light of such concerns, a Saturday afternoon club entitled “Trinity Walton Club” (TWC) was established in Trinity College Dublin with the purpose of uniting like-minded students to express, shape, inform and grow their interest in STEM. This club attempted to ‘bring STEM to life’ through thought provoking content, real world problems, contextualised analogies and projects. This paper describes the background to the TWC, reviews the literature around promoting student interest in STEM and examines initial feedback from participants in the pilot year of the club. The findings of this preliminary study indicate that the TWC has the potential to promote interest in STEM. Many of the recommendations from the literature review about promoting interest in STEM were referred to by participants in their responses.

Social and emotional learning in middle school curricula: A service learning model based on positive youth development

Starting from a basic dimension of current educational policies, education centered on child/ student, the present paper proposes the approach of the two key themes in the organization of the teaching: organization of integrated learning (transdisciplinary teaching) and development of authentic learning contexts (experiential learning) . The purpose of this paper is to clarify the interrelation between the two concepts, starting from the following premises: the pupil is unique, has individual training needs, and the school must offer him adequate learning contexts; students educational global approach by almost all areas of human development; formal learning should approach everyday life, schools role is to build authentic learning contexts, starting from students personal experiences. Another aim of this paper is to develop an experiential learning model through teaching contexts transdisciplinary organization. The created model starts from the formation of the competence to talk in student native language, aiming the oral expression ability, respectively the written expression ability. Transdisciplinarity analysis as a dimension of the experiential learning contexts organization, is done by presenting a thematic project in the extracurricular activities program The Different School. The thematic project shows formal and non-formal educational activities organized over a week starting from a central theme (literary trip, real life trip). This paper conclusions show the formative value of the formal and non-formal learning activities organization by extrapolating a trip.

Teacher education students play double role as present learners and future educators. Hence, they need targeted training to navigate the growing influence of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) on teaching, learning and professional identity. However, existing artificial intelligence (AI) literacy programmes predominantly emphasize technical AI knowledge and pre‐GenAI tools or are offered by GenAI platforms that focus on their own technologies' features, thereby lacking pedagogically structured frameworks that address non‐technical dimensions such as ethics, contextual understanding and the development of human‐centered, critical and lifelong learning mindsets to adapt to rapid technology changes. Furthermore, limitation of time in teacher education syllabus and faculty's lack of AI literacy require targeted intervention. This design‐based research (DBR) aims to fill this gap by developing and evaluating a set of design principles for GenAI literacy training in teacher education. Integrating contemporary AI competency frameworks for learners and teachers, the study implements these principles in a workshop that serves as the research prototype. The prototype was first piloted with 14 master's students and then evaluated with 29 teacher education (TE) students. Results show significant gains in participants' AI competence self‐efficacy, attitudes towards GenAI and commitment to critical, ethical and pedagogical engagement with GenAI tools. The findings highlight the need for teacher education programmes to integrate GenAI literacy that supports teachers' evolving roles as reflective practitioners, co‐creators and lifelong learners in an AI‐driven world. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic Students' self‐efficacy and mindset influence their adoption of GenAI in learning and teaching. GenAI competency is essential for teacher education students, encompassing technological, ethical and sociocultural dimensions. Implementing AI literacy training faces challenges such as educators' limited AI literacy, the lack of pedagogical frameworks and the need to integrate technical knowledge with ethical reasoning, self‐regulated learning and metacognitive skills. Transformative learning is crucial in preparing teacher education students as co‐creators and facilitators in AI‐enhanced education. What this paper adds This study presents the design and evaluation of an AI competency training programme to enhance teacher education students' self‐efficacy, critical and human‐centered AI mindsets and human–AI interaction skills. Using design‐based research, it identifies key principles for AI literacy training, demonstrating how transformative, active and experiential learning approaches can prepare teacher education students for evolving roles in AI‐enhanced education. Implications for practice and/or policy Educational technologists can apply the proposed design principles to develop GenAI tools and AI systems that enhance AI competency and self‐regulated learning (SRL). Educators can integrate these AI training principles into their teaching strategies and enhance their task assignments and assessments to foster deep learning, self‐regulated learning and metacognitive skills in the age of GenAI. Policymakers should update teacher education curriculum to include AI competency, strengthen content and pedagogical knowledge, especially in social emotional learning, formative and authentic assessment methods and establish guidelines for selecting GenAI tools that support human intelligence and mitigate over‐reliance.

Video games engage players in rapid and complex interactions of self-regulatory processes. The way individuals regulate their cognitive, affective, and behavioral process while playing electronic games, relates to their ability to cope with the onslaught of information that electronic games require for their mastery. The psychological factors that produce self-regulated learning are explored as they relate to a player’s intentionality, interest, aptitude, motivation, goal-setting, and affect while playing games. A discussion of video games as authentic learning environments looks at the roles of student initiated learning in authentic contexts and specific design strategies are outlined. Practical learning strategies that promote SRL are presented to facilitate the use of conscious self-regulatory skills that students can implement in these authentic learning environments. This chapter opens the discussion of the role of self-regulated learning in video game environments and its impact in the field of educational gaming.

Today’s teachers struggle to determine the right balance of homework to assign. This chapter considers moving past quantity of homework to focusing on fewer but more meaningful homework tasks with realistic challenge. Emphasizing authentic classroom instruction that carries into homework and problem-based learning is a viable path. These efforts will help address the commonly reported concern by educators that students, especially older students, do not see the meaningfulness in much of the academic subject matter they are exposed to in school. Meaningful homework activities complement classroom instruction, generate genuine interest in learning, and connect school learning to real-life applications. Strategies presented in this chapter situate learning in authentic contexts and encourage student choice and shared decision-making in order to foster students’ academic motivation and meaningful learning of subject matter. The use of educational technology during homework is of particular interest, given rates of children’s exposure. Children learn best when activities are designed around meaningful experiences that relate to their lives, have scaffolding and assistance while learning, and receive praise for effort that encourages a growth mindset and sense of control over their capacity to learn. However, it is essential that parental help does not hinder the self-regulatory behaviors we wish homework activity to promote. Parental autonomy support, or the extent to which parents use strategies that encourage students’ independent problem-solving, choice, and self-determination, is most associated with intrinsic motivation and self-regulated learning.

Family members’ and other experts’ perceptions of music therapy with children on the autism spectrum in New Zealand: Findings from multiple case studies

Despite the fact that e-service-learning has been regarded as a means to providing students with valuable real-world experiences, the pace of implementing e-service-learning into online courses has not kept up with the overall growth of online learning. Further examination into instructional strategies and supports to facilitate e-service-learning are needed. To address this need, a systematic review of research was conducted to examine instructional supports used to facilitate e-service-learning experiences in an online environment. Many authors recommended the importance of providing the tools necessary to promote collaboration in the online environment. This study proffers a conceptual framework to support the design of learning experiences that promote service-learning, real-world experiences, while contending with contextual factors that impact transfer of learning in authentic contexts. It also examines how instructional scaffolds are being used in digital settings to mitigate design challenges and promote authentic experiences through e-service-learning activities.

Promoting college student’s learning motivation and creativity through a STEM interdisciplinary PBL human-computer interaction system design and development course

This article explores the potential for music making activities such as jamming, song writing, and performance to act as a medium for intercultural connection and relationship building during service learning programs with Indigenous communities in Australia. To set the context, the paper begins with an overview of current international perspectives on service learning and then moves towards a theoretical and practical discussion of how these processes, politics, and learning outcomes arise when intercultural engagement is used in service learning programs. The paper then extends this discussion to consider the ways in which shared music making can bring a sense of intercultural “proximity” that has the potential to evoke deep learning experiences for all involved in the service learning activity. These learning experiences arise from three different “facings” in the process of making music together: facing others together; facing each other; facing ourselves. In order to flesh out how these theoretical ideas work in practice, the article draws on insights and data from Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University’s award winning Winanjjikari Service Learning Program, which has been running in partnership with Barkly Regional Arts and Winanjjikari Music Centre in Tennant Creek since 2009. This program involves annual service learning trips where university music students travel to Central Australia to work alongside Aboriginal and non-Indigenous musicians and artists on a range of community-led projects. By looking at the ways in which shared music making brings participants in this program “face to face”, we explore how this proximity leads to powerful learning experiences that foster mutual appreciation, relationship building, and intercultural reconciliation.