Purpose: The purpose of this conceptual paper is to describe how the affinity space concept has been used to frame learning via social media, and call for and discuss a refresh of the affinity space concept to accommodate changes in social media platforms and algorithms. Design/methodology/approach: Guided by a sociocultural perspective, this…

Online education has grown and continues to expand, driven by innovative information and communication technologies that facilitate effective interactions both within and outside the online classroom. Post-traditional students with diverse and complex identities face unique challenges in establishing connections within online learning environments…

While classroom discussion is often cherished as a cornerstone of effective social science teaching, knowledge on when and where discussions tend to turn deliberative is lacking. To make up for this lack of knowledge, the present study examined classroom discussion in three conditions: a whole-class condition, a small group condition, and a pair…

Teacher-parent communication is one of the domains in teacher education where the gap between theory and practice is evident. Although teacher-education programmes are responsible for developing preservice teachers' (PSTs') effective parent-teacher communication skills, such interactions are rarely practiced during the training. Simulation-Based…

'FUSE' is an anti-bullying and online safety programme developed to support schools in complying with the Action Plan Procedures (2013). Between 2019 and 2022, 56% of all Post-Primary Schools in Ireland registered for the programme. FUSE is designed to address two key concerns, (a) students tend not to report bullying, and (b) students are…

Background: Project-based collaborative learning (PBCL) is a technique that supports knowledge and skill development through complex, real-world projects. Understanding factors that influence group performance in PBCL, such as gender composition, is crucial. Objectives: This study investigates the impact of gender composition on group performance…

Background: The conceptualisation of autism as a disorder where Theory of Mind (ToM) and pragmatics are fundamentally impaired has prompted a wealth of research on autistic deficits, most of which is characterised by two main assumptions: first, that autistic people would display said deficits, if present, with any conversation partner and in any…

Background: Functional Communication Disorders (FCDs) are one specific presentation of Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). FND is characterised by neurological symptoms, such as sensory and motor symptoms, which are not explained by neurological disease. Speech and language therapists (SLTs) have expertise in managing communication disorders,…

This review provides a critical assessment of Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) and personalized learning within formal education by juxtaposing their beneficial effects against the potential issues that could impede their effective use. Through meticulous screening and reviewing procedures, 53 articles were thematically analyzed and the main…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres implemented various protective and hygiene measures. Some of these, such as maintaining distance or wearing face masks, temporarily restricted interactions between pedagogical staff, children, and parents. This may have made it difficult for staff to provide…

This study proposed a novel approach to classroom debates, in which chatbots that are able to engage in argumentative dialogues are adopted to facilitate students' debate preparation. The approach comprised three stages: first, students interacted with a chatbot named Argumate to help them generate ideas; second, students discussed the ideas with…

This study investigates whether audiovisual phonetic training with hand gestures encoding visible or nonvisible articulation features has a differential impact on learning second language sounds. Ninety-nine Catalan-Spanish bilingual students were trained to differentiate English /ae/ and /[lambda]/, which differ in the visible lip aperture and…

Interactive learning environments provide a variety of instructional tools including educational graphics interchange format (GIF) and PowerPoint presentations which facilitate delivering stimulating and motivating lessons. This study examined the potentials of visual tools for grammatical development by administering GIFs as the educational…

This study aimed to evaluate the crisis management plans in Saudi Arabian universities by identifying key challenges and obstacles. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 473 faculty members. The participants completed a survey that included the university campus's existing crisis management plans, educational leaders' challenges in…

Motivation, belonging, and inclusion are all critical factors for student success but can be difficult to support in asynchronous online courses. Active learning and required group work have been shown to increase student motivation in in-person and synchronous online courses, but little is known about their impact in online asynchronous settings.…