Frontiers in Education

Taking care of teachers’ competencies is essential to determine a satisfactory level of quality in teaching, with a crucial impact on the proper functioning of educational services. In order to be effective, this training must consider the most recent developments in the field of technology-enhanced learning, such as Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL). Although research in the educational field has shown that DGBL enhances learning processes, promoting learning by doing and cooperative learning as well, with all their positive effects, there is still a paucity of studies on the subject; hence, the intrinsic reason for the present investigation. This review aims to fill this gap, analyzing studies that explore DGBL for teacher training and/or teacher attitude toward using DGBL in their professional activity. We searched the following bibliographic databases: Scopus, ERIC, and Web of Science. After an accurate screening, 20 papers have been selected and included. Main results returned a clear framework of what the current literature presents as effective DGBL training for teachers and pre-service teachers and of facilitators and barriers that impact teachers’ attitudes toward the use of DGBL at school.

Benedetta Ragni

Giusi Antonia Toto

Marco di Furia

Andreana Lavanga

Pierpaolo Limone

The use of Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) in teachers’ training: a scoping review

Extensive research has established that spatial ability is a crucial factor for achieving success in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). However, challenges that educators encounter while teaching spatial skills remain uncertain. The purpose of this study is to develop a research framework that examines the interrelationships, barriers, and enablers amongst various educational components, including schools, teachers, students, classrooms, and training programs, that are encountered when teaching for spatial ability development. A thorough examination of international research, in combination with a detailed review of the primary Science and Mathematics curricula in Ireland, Latvia, Sweden, and the Netherlands, is undertaken to acquire a more concentrated comprehension of the incorporation of spatial components in the curriculum. The review seeks to establish the fundamental factors that enable or hinder teachers in terms of curriculum, pedagogy, pedagogical content knowledge, and spatialized classroom practices.

Ergi Bufasi

Ting Jun Lin

Ursa Benedicic

Marten Westerhof

Rohit Mishra

Dace Namsone

Inese Dudareva

Sheryl Sorby

Lena Gumaelius

Remke M. Klapwijk

Jeroen Spandaw

Brian Bowe

Colm O'Kane

Gavin Duffy

Marianna Pagkratidou

Jeffrey Buckley

Addressing the complexity of spatial teaching: a narrative review of barriers and enablers

Introduction In their study, the authors delve into the impact of preschool curriculum on the spatial abilities development of children. They specifically explore the significance of spatial understanding through Piaget’s primacy of topological concepts and the increasing emphasis on projective geometry. The research focuses on preschoolers in Serbia, aged 5.5–6.5, as they transition to primary school. Methods The study involves 103 children exposed to two distinct preschool curricula: The General Foundations of the Preschool Curriculum (GFPC) and The Foundations of the Preschool Curriculum – Years of Ascent (YA). Drawing on the typology of spatial tasks in the 2 × 2 matrix, the researchers conducted individual structured interviews comprising 8 tasks. These tasks were designed to assess children’s performance across four sub-domains: Intrinsic–Static, Extrinsic–Static, Intrinsic–Dynamic, and Extrinsic–Dynamic. Results The findings reveal a general poor performance in solving spatial tasks among the children. Despite inconsistent results in the cognitive structures of spatial ability, the study indicates that the type of preschool program or gender does not significantly influence preschoolers’ spatial abilities in Serbia. Notably, differences were observed in the sub-domains of Static and Dynamic. However, the analysis suggests that the 2 × 2 model may not be an appropriate fit for the Serbian sample. Discussion The authors acknowledge the limitations of the 2 × 2 model and propose further exploration of alternative typologies to better characterize children’s spatial skills development in Serbia. They advocate for a model that accurately describes preschoolers’ spatial abilities and can inform curriculum creators in enriching mathematics education. The study underscores the importance of spatial reasoning for success in STEM fields, as supported by meta-analyses of children’s spatial abilities.

Olivera J. Đokić

Marija M. Vorkapić

Spatial skills of preschool children from Serbia and a possible model for the typology of children’s spatial skills

Until sufficient practical experience and documented examples are available, emerging technological methods to create educational content typically require in-depth knowledge from different fields in order to apply them in the most beneficial way. The method of creating photorealistic 3D models (PR3DMs) of real-world objects with the methods of photogrammetry is an example of such emerging technologies. This paper discusses the fundamental concepts of photogrammetry to provide an overview of the necessary basic knowledge for educators and researchers interested in the presentation of realistic virtual materials. Additionally, a deeper introduction to basic psychological processes while learning with photorealistic materials is presented. This provides deeper insights into potentials and issues, as well as an overview of the most crucial research gaps in learning with PR3DMs. Finally, current and future applications, as well as the potential for learning topics apart from factual knowledge, such as emotional or behavioral outcomes, are discussed.

Steve Nebel

Maik Beege

Sascha Schneider

Günter Daniel Rey

Front. Educ.

A Review of Photogrammetry and Photorealistic 3D Models in Education From a Psychological Perspective

Known as one of the competences of the 21st century, research competence can help students navigate through the complexities of a continuously shifting world. This study aims to analyze the acquisition and development of this competence in a sample of 154 undergraduate students of two bachelor’s degrees in Education Sciences (Social Education and Pedagogy) of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain). We conducted a three-phase study, in which (1) the learning outcomes related to research competences declared in the syllabi were identified and mapped through a content analysis of each syllabus; (2) students’ perceptions about the development of these learning outcomes were gathered through a questionnaire; and (3) guidelines to foster research competences among these undergraduates were explored by a Delphi panel technique. The results show that communicative skills and state-of-art reviewing skills are the least present across the courses of both degrees. The design of research competency acquisition across courses is uneven and does not seem clearly articulated. The students’ perception is consistent with the shortcomings, or disarticulation, observed in the curriculum analysis. They consider that the most poorly acquired competencies are the state-of-the-art reviewing, content knowledge, and communicative skills. Apparently, more emphasis is given to reflective thinking and communicative skills; but still, it is necessary to strengthen the acquisition of scientific content, the search for trustworthy information. These results were discussed with two panels of experts from which guidelines were defined to improve the acquisition, development, and evaluation of the research competence through university training in this field.

Anna Ciraso-Calí

J. Reinaldo Martínez-Fernández

Georgina París-Mañas

Angelina Sánchez-Martí

Laura B. García-Ravidá

The Research Competence: Acquisition and Development Among Undergraduates in Education Sciences

Introduction Teaching computer programming can be challenging, especially for individuals with intellectual disability (ID) who exhibit a wide range of learning abilities and behavioral characteristics. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of an intervention designed to teach computer programming skills to individuals with ID. Method Four women with ID, aged 27 to 54 years, were selected to participate in the study. Participants were taught computer programming using authoring software to create multimedia educational activities. A discrete trial teaching (DTT) approach was employed to teach specific skills and to gradually fade prompts to promote independent learning. A multiple-probe design across subjects was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. This design involved a baseline phase, a training phase with a most-to-least prompting procedure, and a 1-month follow-up phase to assess skill maintenance. Results The results demonstrated that all participants were able to acquire the necessary programming skills and complete the assigned tasks independently. Conclusion Computer programming can provide valuable learning and development opportunities for individuals with ID. However, it is essential to tailor the instruction to individual needs and provide appropriate support.

Maria Agatina Stimoli

Francesco Domenico Di Blasi

Silvestro Maccarrone

Angela Antonia Costanzo

Paola Occhipinti

Serafino Buono

Teaching basic computer programming to young adults with intellectual disability

教授智力障碍青年基础计算机编程

Introduction The field of poetry learning is currently facing significant challenges, primarily due to a lack of motivation and interest among students. This has resulted in educators encountering difficulties in identifying suitable educational alternatives. To address the latter issue, immersive learning has emerged as a potential solution, as it has been demonstrated to enhance motivation and learning outcomes in a multitude of fields. Methods In light of the aforementioned considerations, this field study seeks to examine the potential of virtual reality (VR) tools in enhancing the memorization of poetry by increasing the engagement of the participants. The study concentrated on the acquisition of a French poem by a group of middle school students. A virtual environment has been developed for this purpose, tailored to the poem in question. The experimental design included a pretest, segmented learning sessions, a posttest, and a retention test. To evaluate student engagement, both motivation and sense of presence were measured using Likert-scale questionnaires, while memorization performance was assessed through a scoring system based on recall accuracy. Results The findings reveal that the VR group demonstrated significantly higher motivation than the control group, with a mean difference of 12.626 on a 7-point Likert scale (six items), indicating that VR is a notably more effective tool for enhancing motivation in poetry learning than traditional methods. Additionally, the VR group reported a significantly stronger sense of presence, with a mean difference of 6.111 on the same questionnaire scale, further suggesting that VR enhances students’ sense of immersion in the learning experience. These results indicate that students using VR exhibited higher levels of overall engagement than those in the control group. Discussion However, this increased engagement did not lead to improved memorization outcomes, as there was no significant difference in recall accuracy between the two groups. A potential explanation for this discrepancy is the “novelty effect” of VR, which may have distracted students from focusing fully on the memorization task. The implications of integrating VR in educational settings are thus discussed.

Vincent Reynaert

Jalal Possik

Catherine Demarey

Danny Kieken

Benoit Abert

Benjamin De Witte

Immersive poetry learning: a field study with middle school students

沉浸式诗歌学习：一项针对中学生的实地研究

Artificial Intelligence (AI) promises to revolutionize nearly every aspect of human learning. However, users have observed that the efficacy of AI assistants hinges crucially on the quality of the prompts supplied to them. A slight alteration in wording can make the difference between an assistant misinterpreting an instruction and exceeding expectations. The skill of precisely communicating the essence of a problem to an AI assistant is as crucial as the assistant itself. This paper aims to introduce Prompt Engineering (PE) as an emerging skill essential for personal and professional learning and development in the 21st century. We define PE as the skill of articulating a problem, its context, and the constraints of the desired solution to an AI assistant, ensuring a swift and accurate response. We show that no existing related frameworks on 21st skills and others cover PE to the extent that allows for its valid assessment and targeted promotion in school and university education. Thus, we propose a conceptual framework for this skill set including (1) comprehension of the basic prompt structure, (2) prompt literacy, (3) the method of prompting, and (4) critical online reasoning. We also discuss the implications and challenges for the assessment framework of this skill set and highlight current PE-related recommendations for researchers and educators.

Denis Federiakin

Dimitri Molerov

Olga Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia

Andreas Maur

Prompt engineering as a new 21st century skill

提示工程作为21世纪的新技能

This article provides insights from a collaborative grant effort centered on supporting women in sports leadership through the context of a global professional learning community. This grant initiative, called IDEA-SPORT, focused on enhancing the leadership and sports knowledge of girls and other vulnerable and under-served populations in sports-related fields by encouraging leadership and sports collaboration through curricular design and leadership exercises. This article will focus on leveraging an international, bi-directional professional learning community and deliver a collaborative data-informed workshop focused on leadership education for social responsibility.

William L. Sterrett

Aisha Mahmood

Mar Magnusen

Ahsan Bashir

Sohail Sukhera

M. A. Saeed

Ayaz Muhammad Khan

Brooke Ramsey

Charles Ramsey

Jess Boersma

Hina Abel

Meredith Frey

Engaging an international professional learning community to support underrepresented educators in sports leadership

吸引国际专业学习社区支持体育领导中的代表性不足的教育工作者

Introduction The purpose of this study was to adapt the English version of the Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy (SEE) for use in the Japanese context and to determine the validity and reliability of the adapted version to allow for the measurement of cultural empathy and promote further research into this concept in Japan. The SEE is a widely-used measure of cultural empathy which has been adapted for use in a number of cultures (e.g., Turkish, Swedish, Spanish), however the validity and reliability of this scale in the Japanese context has yet to be determined. While recognition of the importance of learner empathy in intercultural interactions has increased, at present, a validated scale to measure ethnocultural empathy has not been presented. Methods Responses from 777 Japanese undergraduate students were used to determine the construct validity of the SEE using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, as well as to assess the convergent validity of the scale using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). Reliability was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha and test-retest validity. Results Factor analysis revealed two factors underlying the Japanese version of the SEE (SEE_J), explaining 42.1% of variance. The two factors—Empathic Feeling and Expression (EFE_J) and Empathic Awareness and Perspective Taking (EAPT_J)—were moderately correlated. Correlations between the SEE_J, EFE_J and EAPT_J with two subscales of the IRI provided evidence of convergent validity. The SEE_J, EFE_J and EAPT_J displayed sufficient internal and test-retest reliability. Respondents reported significantly higher levels of EFE_J than EAPT_J, and women reported significantly higher SEE_J and EFE_J than men, both of which are similar to the results of past studies using the SEE in other cultural contexts. Discussion The validation of the SEE_J allows for the measurement of cultural empathy and further research into this concept in the Japanese context, as well as the development of programs to enhance ethnocultural empathy in areas where Japanese individuals come into contact with individuals from other cultures, such as counseling, healthcare and education.

David Ostman

Larry Xethakis

Measuring ethnocultural empathy in Japanese undergraduates: the validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the scale of ethnocultural empathy

日本大学生种族文化共情测量：日本版种族文化共情量表的效度和信度

Abbreviation	Front. Educ.
Journal Impact	2.02
Quartiles(Global)	EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH(Q2)

ISSN	2504-284X
h-index	40

Publication Information	Publisher: Frontiers Media SA，Publishing cycle: ，Journal Type: journal，Open Access Journals: Yes
Basic data	Year of publication: 2016，Proportion of original research papers: 90.39%，Self Citation Rate:10.50%， Gold OA Rate: 99.75%
Journal Fees	$1285Details
Average review cycle	网友分享经验：14 Weeks

Frontiers in Education

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