ETR&D
1 day 19 hours ago
Engaging in independent learning during self-study time is an essential part of learning in higher education. The ubiquity of mobile devices and their applications offer students a flexible, on-the-go learning experience. However, flexible learning environments require students to self-regulate their learning. The current study examined student engagement with a mobile study app intended for students to engage in retrieval practice with feedback as part of self-regulated learning (SRL). Three research questions were addressed: (1) What are the student engagement profiles that can be identified based on students’ activity with the study app? (2) Do the profiles differ in SRL and academic performance? and (3) What is the relationship between the identified student profiles, SRL, and academic performance? Through a learning analytics approach, results identified three distinct student profiles: active, disengaged, and utilitarian. Self-efficacy and time-management positively predicted exam grades, while self-evaluation showed an inverse effect. Active engagement positively influenced exam grades, underscoring individual differences in SRL.
6 days 19 hours ago
In recent years, significant advances in brain imaging technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), and neuroscience have significantly improved our understanding of how the brain functions in the learning process. This research aims to explore the role of neuroscience and AI in designing effective feedback mechanisms by investigating their impact on learning-teaching processes. To achieve this goal, the study addresses the following questions: "1) What are the objective orientations, thematic patterns, methodological approaches, and key findings of neuroscience research investigating feedback processes?" and "2) What are the objective orientations, thematic patterns, methodological approaches, and key findings of AI research investigating feedback processes?" This research adopts a systematic review methodology that encompasses four key stages: planning, searching, selection, and synthesis. Using specific keywords, relevant studies in educational sciences, educational psychology, and neuroscience were systematically identified from the Web of Science (WOS) database, specifically targeting publications indexed in SSCI, ESCI, and SCI-E. Through comprehensive thematic analysis, we systematically mapped the research landscapes in both domains. The systematic review reveals that neuroscience and AI research provide complementary insights into feedback effectiveness. The findings suggest that optimal feedback design requires integrating neurologically-informed principles with AI-enabled delivery systems to create developmentally appropriate and individually adaptive learning environments. This study further highlights a notable deficiency in interdisciplinary research that integrates neuroscience and AI approaches to optimize feedback for performance and learning. Limited collaboration between these fields hinders knowledge exchange and prevents mutual enhancement of feedback methodologies. These fields have developed independently with limited integration and a lack of comprehensive theoretical exploration and investigation into various feedback types and strategies.
1 week 2 days ago
2 weeks 3 days ago
Developing sculpting and carving skills among art college students remains a critical problem in art education, where the conventional approaches are not very constructive for creativity, skill generation, and spatial conception development. To overcome this challenge, 3D Virtual Reality (VR) technology was developed for the enhancement of sculpture and carving skills. This research examined the difference between sculpting in a VR environment and traditional clay modeling, including their impact on creativity, skill acquisition, student motivation and participation, learning time, spatial ability, and creativity. A mixed method was used that involved quantitative questionnaires and qualitative interviews, with 532 undergraduate students who were a part of both VR and clay models, focusing on data collection. The result showed that the students were able to perform better in VR environments with enhanced creativity, technical skills, spatial thinking, and higher levels of engagement and motivation when compared to clay sculpting. It was found that VR allowed students to learn and perform complex sculpting processes in a short time, and students were more innovative in the ways they designed sculptures. It was also shown that VR facilitated the acquisition of 3D space and, more importantly, provided an interactive setting that was immersive and promoted creativity. This study demonstrates the use of VR in the field of arts education, providing evidence that VR can change the course of traditional sculpting and carving. The results highlight the VR’s ability to improve technical skills as well as artistic skills. The research indicates that VR improves the process of teaching sculpting techniques and provides a better understanding of the creative function and faster learning of the sculpting process.
2 weeks 3 days ago
The online inquiry-based learning (OIBL) environment enhances autonomy and provides a safe context for implementing science education. It facilitates the development of students’ inquiry skills and understanding of scientific concepts. However, the effectiveness of OIBL is often compromised by students’ limited metacognitive abilities, particularly in planning, monitoring, and evaluating their inquiry processes. To address this challenge, this study designed a metacognitive scaffolding-supported online inquiry-based learning (MS-OIBL) approach to enhance students’ self-regulation and support effective inquiry learning in OIBL environments. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with fifth-grade students at two similar-level schools in Beijing, China. The study evaluated the impact of the MS-OIBL approach on students’ science achievement, metacognitive ability, and inquiry skills. Data were collected through surveys and log entries. A total of 236 students participated; 121 in the experimental group used the MS-OIBL approach, and 115 in the control group used a traditional OIBL approach without metacognitive scaffolding. The results revealed that the MS-OIBL group significantly outperformed the traditional OIBL group in terms of science achievement, metacognitive regulation ability, and inquiry skills. However, no significant differences were found between the two groups in overall metacognitive ability or metacognitive knowledge. These findings suggest that the MS-OIBL approach effectively improves students’ science performance and inquiry skills. It also promotes metacognitive regulation behavior and enhances metacognitive regulation ability. This study provides valuable insights for teachers, students, and researchers in the fields of science education and metacognition. It highlights the potential of metacognitive scaffolding to optimize online inquiry learning environments.
2 weeks 5 days ago
Reading comprehension is an essential skill for learning and is facilitated through extensive reading, text discussion and analysis, and writing. With the spread of mobile technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based chatbots, which combine speech recognition and semantic understanding, is a potential language learning tool to overcome students’ learning difficulties encountered in traditional instruction by providing personalized, real-time feedback. However, some students are not able to well organize learning contents through text-only reading, resulting in ineffective learning. Graphic organization is seen as a useful strategy to improve students' memory and comprehension. The study employed a quasi-experimental design to investigate the effects of an intelligent chatbot combining the graphical summarization strategy, speech recognition, and semantic comprehension on students' reading performance, learning experience, and tendency to think critically and reflectively. The subjects were 107 Grade 10 students, randomly divided into four groups, using a graphical summarization-based AI chatbot, a text summarization-based AI chatbot, graphical summarization-based learning, and text summarization-based learning. It was found that both the AI-based chatbot and graphical summarization strategy benefited students by improving their learning achievements; moreover, the significant interaction between the AI-based chatbot and graphical summarization strategy further showed the effectiveness of combining the two. In terms of intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, critical thinking and cognitive load, the AI-based chatbot benefited the students more than traditional teaching; moreover, the graphical summarization strategy benefited the students more than text summarization did. The interview results further showed that combining the graphical summarization strategy and the AI-based chatbot enabled students to gain a more complete understanding of the learning content.
3 weeks 3 days ago
The question is the primary step in knowledge building (KB) learning. Students propose a profound question that can inspire them to engage in collaborative exploration actively, thereby forming deep KB. However, not all students can pose valuable questions in the current KB. Considering the potential role of questioning in promoting the development of community theory, this study employed an effectiveness validation research design to investigate how a data-driven assessment and feedback approach influences students’ ability to pose thoughtful questions in KB learning. Thirty-two sixth-grade students from a primary school in Yangzhou, China, participated in a 15-week KB learning process using the data-driven assessment and feedback method. The research findings indicated that by addressing challenges such as student anxiety over scores, challenges in teachers’ integration of feedback into instruction, and variations in students’ ability to interpret and apply feedback, the data-driven assessment and feedback approach was refined and optimized. This approach effectively supported students in posing deep questions by enhancing their domain contextuality, openness, and dynamicity. The data-driven assessment and feedback method proposed in this study provided researchers and teachers with operational references for human–computer collaboration and was expected to serve as effective tools for supporting KB learning and posing deep questions.
4 weeks 1 day ago
This study investigates the impact of AI research capacity on research and innovation productivities in higher education institutions in the top 10 countries, by employing Prais-Winsten Corrected Standard Errors (PCSE), Panel Quantile Regression (PQR), and Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS) models from 2017 to 2021. The findings revealed that an increase in AI research output (AIRO) is improving the institutions' research productivity, while AI patent grants (AIPG) have a negligible effect on it; but AI research impact (AIRI) and AI talent concentration (AITC) have no impact on it. Furthermore, increases in AIRO, AIRI, and AIPG improve the institutions' innovation productivity, but AITC does not. Moreover, AI investment (AII) has a negligible impact on AI jobs, skills and AI software development; yet, the AII promotes bachelor’s degree AI professionals but negligibly impacts that of associates, less than bachelor’s degree, and advanced degrees AI professionals. On the other side, AII has a synergetic effect on AIRO and AIPG in stimulating the institutions' research productivity, but it has no such effect on AIRI and AITC. But with respect to the institutions' research innovation productivity, the AII has such an effect on AIRO, AIRI, and AIPG, whereas such an effect is negligible on AITC.
1 month 1 week ago
The recent emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) agents has brought significant potential and challenges in education. In science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) education, it is especially vital to cultivate students’ GenAI literacy and critical thinking skills. These competencies enable students to effectively apply artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in their STEAM learning. The present study proposed a GenAI agent-based STEAM learning approach and adopted the information world mapping (IWM) method to explore how a GenAI agent enhanced the engagement of 12 middle school students in a STEAM course, and their perceptions of GenAI agent-supported STEAM learning. These students fully participated in a 16-week course titled “Creative Design in STEAM Education.” Participants were asked to illustrate significant individuals, items, locations, and their interconnections to delve into their perceptions of and feedback on GenAI agent-supported STEAM learning. The results showed that while middle school students’ GenAI literacy improved, it did not reach a statistically significant level. In contrast, there was a significant enhancement in their critical thinking tendencies. Regarding students’ perceptions of GenAI agent-supported STEAM learning, the majority acknowledged that the GenAI agent played the roles of information provider and interaction facilitator in STEAM learning activities, particularly excelling in information retrieval and learning interactions. Moreover, the GenAI agent had positive influences on students in various aspects, including learning support, task completion, tool functionality, user experience, usage confidence and attitudes, as well as perceived warmth. Overall, the GenAI agent-based STEAM learning approach effectively enhanced middle school students’ technical skills and problem-solving abilities while also strengthening their teamwork, ethical awareness, and reflective capabilities, thereby demonstrating its potential for future applications in education.
1 month 1 week ago
Metacognitive skills are key transversal skills, strongly linked to academic achievement and essential for effective lifelong learning. They are widely recognized to underpin many of the core competencies required for effective social and professional participation, including core competencies such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and self-awareness, highlighted by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as key to Education for Sustainable Development. Digital learning technologies and virtual learning environments increasingly form a core strategic dimension of teaching and learning within Higher Education, however effectively harnessing them to enhance student learning remains challenging. This paper presents the Metacognition Design Framework, an evidence-based learning design that scaffolds the development of metacognitive skills in students through blended learning. It draws on the tools available within the virtual learning environment to provide a unique, and potentially powerful, opportunity to extend ‘metacognitive influence’ on student activity and learning outside standard class times with realistic levels of staff input. The design provides clarity for planning accessible learning interventions, their linkage with appropriate technology, and for guiding how face-to-face and online, or fully online, components interrelate. It also delivers an effective conduit to convey information in a practical format that readily permits adaptation to local contexts. Overall, it offers a practical way to re-frame educators as designers, increasing educator design capacity and the effective deployment of technology to enhance learning, at the same time targeting a learning outcome with high potential impact.
1 month 1 week ago
To address the rising cybersecurity threats associated with educational technology in K-12 schools and the gap in cybersecurity education, we designed and implemented a multimedia-based Educational Technology (Edtech) Cybersecurity and Privacy Awareness-Ask-Action (AAA) professional development (PD) for school administrators, technology support staff, and teachers. This study sought to identify the PD’s effectiveness, specifically focusing on the participants’ knowledge increments and the perceptions of their experience. Fifty K-12 school personnel with diverse demographic, technology and contextual backgrounds (district types and school levels) participated. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests indicated a significant increase in participants’ knowledge between pre- and post-test. Inductive coding identified emerging themes from post PD survey and follow-up interviews, highlighting participants’ perceived benefits, challenges encountered and future needs. Participants expressed an overall positive attitude, appreciating the increased cybersecurity awareness and enhanced ability to recognize and act against potential cyber threats to protect students and schools. However, challenges such as technical complexity and resource constraints were noted. Participants suggested future cybersecurity professional development could include more contextual guidance, AI-related cybersecurity topics, and provide up-to-date resources.
1 month 2 weeks ago
This study compares engineering college students’ learning motivation between AI-featured and traditional scaffolding methods using a mixed-methods approach. Two different types of class activities, one involving solving a computational problem and the other assembling an essay, were designed to be carried out using both AI-featured and conventional methods. All activities were designed using the Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction (ARCS) model and results were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative means. Findings show that participants’ motivation was significantly higher in all Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction categories when they used AI-featured methods for solving computational problems while their motivation was significantly higher when they used AI-featured methods only in Attention and Confidence for the essay activity. Qualitative findings describe how AI features motivated learners based on the different types of scaffoldings. Additionally, how the AI features are related to each ARCS model categories are summarized. The results suggest strategies for optimizing the design of AI-featured scaffolds to motivate learners in STEM fields grounded in the ARCS model. This involves linking learners’ goals and interests to real scientific applications of AI by expanding ‘Relevance’ and adjusting learning requirements to strengthen ‘Confidence’ and ‘Satisfaction’.
1 month 2 weeks ago
This research investigates the design, development and implementation of Multiple Learning Analytics Dashboards (MLADs) with the goal of enhancing data-driven decision-making among teachers in primary education. The study presents a Design-Based Research (DBR) approach to ensure the iterative development and refinement of MLADs through collaboration with educational professionals. The research involved four key steps in the presented DBR approach: 1) identifying the requirements through stakeholder interviews; 2) generating design ideas through brainstorming sessions and prototyping; 3) collaboratively designing and developing MLADs and conducting usability testing to gather feedback; and 4) implementing the MLADs in real-world educational settings. This paper outlines the research methodology, the participants involved, and the progress made toward developing these Learning Analytics Dashboards (LADs). The outcomes highlight the creation of tailored MLADs for teachers across multiple municipalities, as well as the lessons learned from real-world implementation. Additionally, we analyze user feedback from teachers regarding the dashboard’s clarity, navigation, functionality, and design, providing a comprehensive view of the dashboard’s usability and areas for future enhancement.
1 month 3 weeks ago
Background
Briefly describe the educational challenge, the relevance of AI and AR, and why improving practical skills learning is important.
Purpose/Objective
State the primary aim of the study (to investigate the impact of AI and AR on practical skills learning) and any secondary aims (motivation, engagement, retention).
Methods
Include study design (mixed-methods, quasi-experimental), participants, sampling, instruments (questionnaires, observations, interviews), intervention (AI + AR), and analysis methods.
Results
Summarize the key findings: significantly higher post-test scores in the AI/AR group, improved motivation, engagement, satisfaction, and stronger 3-month retention relative to controls.
Conclusion
Provide a concise interpretation that AI and AR effectively enhance practical skill acquisition and have important implications for education and training.
2 months ago
2 months ago
The present study investigated the interplay of cognitive cues and social cues in instructional videos on students’ knowledge acquisition and sense of social presence. 312 preservice teachers took part in the study. Out of these, 238 participants were randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups receiving an asynchronous online video lecture on three research methods topics, featuring either static slides with voiceover (minimal signaling), dynamic slides with voiceover (moderate signaling), or dynamic slides with additional instructor signaling (maximum signaling). 74 participants served as a control group and completed pre- and posttests without attending the course. Perceived difficulty, invested effort, motivation, and notetaking were included as covariates. Dynamic slides did not improve knowledge acquisition compared to static slides. However, instructor signaling enhanced knowledge acquisition when perceived difficulty was high. Furthermore, instructor signaling significantly increased perceptions of social presence for two of the three investigated topics, highlighting the importance of social cues.
2 months 1 week ago
Spirituality and art have been recognized by educators as crucial factors affecting students’ learning outcomes. By taking these two factors into account, this study proposed the project-based STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) approach to improving students’ learning achievement, 21st-century competencies, computational thinking, and project outcomes in a science course in response to several challenges encountered by conventional STEM education in addressing global issues. A quasi-experimental design was employed, involving 79 participants distributed across three groups: a project-based STEM approach, a project-based STEAM approach, and a project-based STREAM approach. The experimental results showed that students who learned with the STREAM and STEAM approaches performed significantly better on learning achievement, complex problem-solving, creativity, and project quality than those who learned with the STEM approach. Students who learned with the STREAM approach had higher meta-cognition and communication than those who learned with the STEAM and STEM approaches. However, there was no significant difference between students who learned with the STREAM, STEAM, and STEM approaches in the collaboration aspect. Students who learned with the STREAM and STEM approaches had significantly better computational thinking than those who learned with the STEAM approach. Additionally, the integration of the religious aspect cultivated a heightened sense of care for their peers and the environment, as well as respect for differing opinions. The findings could be a valuable reference and provide recommendations for teachers, instructors, and researchers to develop the STREAM curriculum.
2 months 1 week ago
With the advancement of technology and the internet, individuals offload their cognitive demands onto the internet to access information and supplement their cognitive capacity. However, heavy reliance on the internet often produces undesirable consequences such as poor metacognitive judgments and memory retention. This study investigated whether these negative effects can be mitigated by making learners more cognitively mindful of their search activities. A total of 104 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to two conditions. In the thinking-before-googling condition, participants had to first generate or guess answers to three brainstorming questions about modern pentathlon, a topic unfamiliar to most college students, before searching to find answers to 15 more specific problems on it. In the googling-only condition, participants were instead shown a keyword slide and immediately started searching the internet for the same 15 problems. The thinking-before-googling group demonstrated significantly higher pre-search curiosity and recall performance compared to the googling-only group. However, no significant group differences emerged in cognitive self-esteem and the estimation of performance and study time. Both groups expressed significantly higher interest in the topic after the search compared to before. Curiosity is discussed as the potential psychological mechanism underlying the benefits of the thinking-before-googling group.
2 months 2 weeks ago
Artificial intelligence (AI) has ushered in an era where Computational Thinking (CT) emerges as a crucial skill. This interconnected, data-driven landscape necessitates deeper CT skills, enabling students to effectively navigate both the opportunities and challenges presented by AI. The flipped classroom model has gained widespread acceptance in CT education owing to its adaptability, interactivity, and personalization. However conventional implementations of the flipped classroom model still face significant limitations such as insufficient student autonomy in learning processes and a need for enhanced quality of classroom interactions. Addressing these, our study introduces a synergy of flipped classrooms with AI, termed the Flipped Classroom with AI Learning Companion teaching model (FC-AIC). This model aims to enhance high school students CT, self-efficacy, and motivational levels compared to traditional flipped classrooms (FC). Our quasi-experimental research involved 60 first-year high school students from central China, divided into control (FC) and experimental (FCAIC) groups over eight weeks. Students completed a questionnaire to self-appraise their CT, self-efficacy, and motivation at pre-intervention and post-intervention stages. Results indicate that FC-AIC significantly boosts student self-perceptions of their own CT skills, specifically in problem-solving and creativity, and improves perceived self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation without notably impacting perceived extrinsic motivation. This investigation highlights how integrating flipped classrooms with AI technologies can synergistically enhance educational paradigms offering new insights about practical innovations for intelligent educational frameworks.
2 months 3 weeks ago
The current study examined the effects of using a commercially available computer program on the early literacy skills of preschool children and the relationship between fidelity and improvement in literacy skills. Parents and their preschool children were recruited to voluntarily participate in an educational app study. Forty-two preschool children were randomly assigned to an intervention group, which used OgStar Early Reader, or a control group, which used IXL Math. The recommendation was to use the program for 15–20 min per day for five days a week over eight weeks in the summer prior to kindergarten. Three Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) measures were used to assess literacy skills: Letter Naming Fluency (LNF), Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (PSF), and Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF). A total of 33 children completed posttests. The intervention group scored statistically significantly higher on LNF posttests (g = 0.41, p = .025) and NWF- correct letter sounds posttests (g = 0.52, p = .009) over the control group. No statistically significant differences were found between the groups for PSF (g = 0.19, p = .458) or NWF- words recoded correctly (g = 0.61, p = .057). Overall, children completed between seven and 131 lesson segments during the study, suggesting fidelity to the planned intervention varied across participants. The number of lessons completed was moderately related to participant gains on LNF and NWF (r = 0.31–0.38). These findings provide some initial support that the use of the early reader app may improve alphabetic knowledge for preschool children.