A LACANIAN ETHICAL RECONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE AI EDUCATION

Within the global agenda of "Sustainable AI and Education," mainstream AI educational systems are predominantly built upon cognitive and behaviorist paradigms. These systems emphasize efficiency, predictability, and immediate feedback, presupposing the learner as a quantifiable and optimizable cognitive subject. However, this technological imagination of a "transparent subject" obscures the fundamental condition of subjective existence revealed by psychoanalysis as early as the beginning of the 20th century—namely, split subjectivity, the insatiability of desire, and the continuous illusion of unconscious processes from structures of meaning. Adopting a Lacanian critical perspective, this paper argues that current AI educational systems, in their attempt to algorithmically satisfy learners' "demands," systematically repress "desire," which constitutes the core dynamism of subjectivity. Lacan emphasizes that the essence of human desire is an eternal pursuit of "lack," rather than a "need" waiting to be fulfilled. When existing AI educational systems operate on learners merely through a cyclical "satisfaction-feedback" pathway, they effectively induce a narcissistic loop akin to the "Imaginary order." This process deprives learners of the opportunity to confront the traumas, unknowns, or gaps of meaning associated with the "Real," thereby obstructing the potential for "symptoms" manifest in the learning process—such as frustration, dissonance, and confusion—to be transformed into creative forces. Based on this analysis, this paper introduces the Lacanian concept of "desire" as a critical entry point for examining the numerous ethical controversies in sustainable AI education. It proposes an ethics of desire for educational practice, positing that AI should not be viewed merely as a technical tool for addressing learners' demands. Instead, it should precisely function as an "Otherness" ethical medium that reveals the structural lack within the subject and guides learners into a dialogue with their own desire. Thus, as an "irreducible heterogeneity" for the learner—that is, an ethical other in the Lacanian sense—AI education can persistently evoke the learner's awareness of the fundamental (lack) inherent in knowledge and the self. This transforms education from an object of technical optimization into a sustainable ethical practice of desire. Within this practice, AI ceases to be a technological tool for narcissistic collusion with the learner and becomes an ethical partner that facilitates the learning subject's continuous transcendence of established cognitive boundaries towards unknown possibilities through the endless dialectic of desire

A LACANIAN ETHICAL RECONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE AI EDUCATION: Received: 08th December 2025, Revised: 15th December 2025, 16th December 2025, Accepted: 18th December 2025, Date of Publication: 01st January 2026

Within the global agenda of "Sustainable AI and Education," mainstream AI educational systems are predominantly built upon cognitive and behaviorist paradigms. These systems emphasize efficiency, predictability, and immediate feedback, presupposing the learner as a quantifiable and optimizable cognitive subject. However, this technological imagination of a "transparent subject" obscures the fundamental condition of subjective existence revealed by psychoanalysis as early as the beginning of the 20th century—namely, split subjectivity, the insatiability of desire, and the continuous illusion of unconscious processes from structures of meaning. Adopting a Lacanian critical perspective, this paper argues that current AI educational systems, in their attempt to algorithmically satisfy learners' "demands," systematically repress "desire," which constitutes the core dynamism of subjectivity. Lacan emphasizes that the essence of human desire is an eternal pursuit of "lack," rather than a "need" waiting to be fulfilled. When existing AI educational systems operate on learners merely through a cyclical "satisfaction-feedback" pathway, they effectively induce a narcissistic loop akin to the "Imaginary order." This process deprives learners of the opportunity to confront the traumas, unknowns, or gaps of meaning associated with the "Real," thereby obstructing the potential for "symptoms" manifest in the learning process—such as frustration, dissonance, and confusion—to be transformed into creative forces. Based on this analysis, this paper introduces the Lacanian concept of "desire" as a critical entry point for examining the numerous ethical controversies in sustainable AI education. It proposes an ethics of desire for educational practice, positing that AI should not be viewed merely as a technical tool for addressing learners' demands. Instead, it should precisely function as an "Otherness" ethical medium that reveals the structural lack within the subject and guides learners into a dialogue with their own desire. Thus, as an "irreducible heterogeneity" for the learner—that is, an ethical other in the Lacanian sense—AI education can persistently evoke the learner's awareness of the fundamental (lack) inherent in knowledge and the self. This transforms education from an object of technical optimization into a sustainable ethical practice of desire. Within this practice, AI ceases to be a technological tool for narcissistic collusion with the learner and becomes an ethical partner that facilitates the learning subject's continuous transcendence of established cognitive boundaries towards unknown possibilities through the endless dialectic of desire

ACCESS TO HOUSING FOR MIGRANT SINGLE MOTHERS

This study explores migrant single mothers’ access to housing and its crucial role in family reunification, wellbeing, and social integration. The analysis combines a comparative review of housing policies in three destination countries representing different welfare regimes—the United Kingdom, Germany, and Norway—with 30 semi-structured interviews conducted with Lithuanian single mothers who migrated to these countries. The findings reveal that, in formal terms, migrant single mothers enjoy similar access to housing as nationals (in the case of the UK, prior to Brexit). Nevertheless, they encounter a range of additional barriers, including limited awareness of their eligibility for housing support, language difficulties, discrimination in the rental market, and constraints associated with employer-provided accommodation in remote areas, which restrict independent housing searches. Despite these challenges, access to adequate housing emerges as a fundamental condition for migrant single mothers, particularly as it determines their ability to bring their children to live with them in the host country. Housing also represents their largest financial burden, and securing stable, affordable accommodation significantly reduces stress and economic vulnerability. Furthermore, living in quality housing in well-connected neighbourhoods—as opposed to marginalised or low-income social housing areas—enhances both mothers’ and children’s quality of life by ensuring access to essential services, education, and opportunities for social integration. The study highlights housing as not merely a material need but a cornerstone of social inclusion and family stability for migrant single mothers in Europe

QUANTIFYING PERSONALIZATION: A MULTIVARIABLE STUDY OF INDIVIDUALIZED TEACHING PLAN EFFECTIVENESS: Received: 04th December 2025, Revised: 11th December 2025, Accepted: 15th December 2025, Date of Publication: 17th December 2025

Education systems around the world are moving away from traditional teacher-centered methods toward learner-centered approaches that prioritize inclusion, personalization, and measurable growth. However, turning these ideals into consistent and sustainable teaching practices remains a challenge for many educators. This study introduces an evidence-based framework for creating and implementing Individualized Teaching Plans (ITPs) that bridge this gap. It combines theoretical insights, empirical data, and statistical analysis to uncover the factors that most significantly contribute to student success. Drawing from 63 international studies published between 2018 and 2024, nine key instructional parameters that support effective ITPs were identified. In addition, 30 real-world student cases were analyzed alongside the perspectives of 30 education experts to evaluate how these parameters influence academic progress. A multivariable regression analysis revealed that instructional adaptation, goal clarity, review frequency, and assessment regularity have the strongest positive effects on learning outcomes. When teaching is both personalized and guided by data-driven practice, it shows a moderate-to-strong impact on achievement (g = 0.61; R² = 0.72). The paper concludes by presenting a nine-factor ITP model designed for global use—one that highlights the importance of adaptive instruction, reflective planning, and educational equity as essential pillars for improving learning experiences for all students

BETTER SELF-FINANCING EFFICIENCIES OF TOP UNIVERSITIES? THE CASE OF NTU IN TAIWAN

Utilizing Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) in conjunction with financial data analysis, this study assessed the self- financing efficiencies of the top university National Taiwan University (NTU) from 2012 to 2023. The results underscored the infeasibility of the current financial autonomy model for public universities in Taiwan, amidst the simultaneous and rapid exacerbation of the declining birth rate and the widening social wealth disparity. Furthermore, the findings signaled a precarious threat to the financial stability and long-term sustainability of public universities in Taiwan under the existing system. This suggested an urgent need for policy reforms to ensure the financial sustainability of universities and enable them to fulfill their social responsibilities

CAN THE COLLAPSE OF THE TRADE SYSTEM UNDER THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION BE PREVENTED?

The World Trade Organization (WTO) was formed as a much-needed organization that will deal with trade issues and form binding rules for international trade. But today, in many discussions, the question is raised, is the WTO still relevant? The rules-based multilateral trading system has been around for so long that countries, companies, and consumers largely take it for granted. These rules are essential for ensuring trust in a stable and predictable trading environment. The aim of the research is to determine the extent to which the existing system of global trade regulation has collapsed and to what extent it is possible to recover, modernize and make it functional for the needs of WTO member countries. We will pay attention to the various interests of powerful and rich countries, emerging economies, large and small countries, as well as poor and underdeveloped countries. In the analysis, we take into account the pros and cons of maintaining the current WTO system, as well as the proposals for reform and sustainable development of this international organization. We will give a critical review of international trade regulation through the WTO system, which is currently changing and trying to justify its status and results. The current state of the WTO is a matter of general interest and it is important that all member countries engage in recovery, regardless of the issues and how different their views are. This paper should contribute to the ongoing discourse and provide materials for the future discussions on the topic of WTO survival and reform. &nbsp

THE MERGER OF TOP UNIVERSITY- EXPLORING THE OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY OF TAIWAN’S NYCU FROM A FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE: Received: 28th November 2025, Revised: 03rd December 2025, Accepted: 05th December 2025, Date of Publication: 12th December 2025

This study utilized data envelopment analysis (DEA) to empirically evaluate the operational efficiency of Taiwan's top university NYCU from a self-financing perspective between 2012 and 2023. The results demonstrated that although the merged NYCU maintained increasing returns to scale (IRS) in research output, his teaching output transitioned to more severe decreasing returns to scale (DRS) beginning from the second year post-merger (2022). This shift, coupled with a simultaneous surge in four input factors—particularly administrative and general affairsexpenses—drove NYCU's overall operations into increasingly severe scale inefficiency. The findings confirmed that the merger-induced diversity of fields, disciplines, and missions, along with the multi-campus structure, resulted in diseconomies of scale and scope. Additionally, the study identified NYCU's strong resilience against declining birthrate impacts, while noting that Taiwan's current public university tuition system undermined institutional financial stability and efficiency

MODERN VISUALLY EFFECTIVE TOOLS FOR BUILDING QUANTITATIVE CONCEPTS IN KINDERGARTEN CHILDREN

Digitalization and the rapid development of information and communication technologies over the past decades have significantly changed social life and the conditions in which preschool education is carried out. By using different aids for visualization in teaching, the contradiction between the abstract nature of mathematical concepts that children learn in kindergarten and their concrete-active and visual-imaginative thinking is overcome. The modernization of education in mathematics in kindergarten is related not only to the application of innovative technologies and approaches but also to the contemporary tools that are used. The problem of selecting them and using them adequately in methodological work exists and is significant. The aim of the research work is to analyze and systematize theoretical concepts related to modern visual-active tools and to develop and test methodological options for their application in building quantitative understanding in children in kindergarten. The empirical study was conducted with 128 children from a kindergarten in the town of Stara Zagora. The obtained results show that the use of modern visual-active tools supports the development of children's knowledge and skills regarding the quantitative and ordinal value of numbers up to 10, the formation and comparison of sets through the relations "as many as," "more," "less," the subtraction or addition of 1 or 2 elements from a given set, and the modeling of numbers up to 10. The new educational paradigm requires the application of modern visual-active tools in preschool education in mathematics, which contributes to improving the level of knowledge and skills of children in the educational Cluster "Quantitative Relations," as well as their interest, activity, and motivation

ENERGY EFFICIENCY THROUGH COMBUSTION SYSTEM OPTIMIZATION IN REHEATING FURNACES

Reheating processes, which constitute a critical stage in steel industry production, hold significant importance in terms of energy efficiency due to their high energy consumption. In reheating furnaces, by-product gases, natural gas, or fuel oil are typically utilized. The walking beam reheating furnace examined in this study heats billets to the required temperatures— depending on product size and type—through 32 burners positioned in different furnace zones, providing stepwise heating. However, the imbalance in heat transfer within the furnace and the non-uniform distribution of heating rates lead to deviations from the target heating curve, thereby intensifying the scaling problem that causes production losses. The primary aim of this study is to reduce unnecessary natural gas consumption and minimize the carbon footprint by improving the control of the air–fuel mixture inside the furnace through burner optimization and automation systems. As a result of the implemented measures, considering the annual production capacity, a total of 1,950,000 Sm³ of natural gas savings was achieved, corresponding to approximately 3,705–3,900 tons of CO2 equivalent emission reduction. These findings demonstrate a successful large-scale industrial application aimed at enhancing energy efficiency in reheating furnaces while mitigating environmental impacts

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEACHERS’ ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT, EFFECTIVE TEACHING PRACTICES, AND STUDENTS’ LEARNING OUTCOMES IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS, PAKISTAN

Teacher commitment and instructional quality are established predictive factors of student achievement; however, empirical investigations of their interplay within resource-constrained environments, such as Pakistan, remain sparse. This research explores the interplay of teachers’ organizational commitment, effective pedagogical practices, and instructional outcomes within secondary schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Employing a quantitative survey framework, data was collected from a purposive sample of 320 teachers. A previously validated instrument operationalized three latent constructs: organizational commitment (affective, normative, continuance), effective teaching practices (clarity, metacognitive strategies, feedback, formative assessment), and student outcomes (cognitive and non-cognitive dimensions). Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and structural equation modeling were used to evaluate the data.  The analysis revealed moderate indices of teacher commitment and teaching effectiveness, juxtaposed against low student outcomes, especially in non-cognitive areas. Positive and statistically significant correlations appeared between commitment and practices, and between practices and outcomes. The mediational analysis revealed that teaching practices wholly mediated the linkage between commitment and outcomes, rendering the direct effect of commitment on outcomes statistically non-significant. These findings underscore the mediating influence of pedagogical practices in converting teacher commitment into measurable student success. Within resource-limited contexts, strategic investment in commitment—via professional recognition, structured mentoring, and participatory leadership—coupled with continuous pedagogical training, is recommended to amplify student engagement and achievement