A review of teacher evaluation beliefs

Teacher evaluation beliefs have received a substantial amount of attention in the educational literature, but comparatively little attention from the belief research topics specially. As the driving force, evaluation resembles belief mention but lack the systemic description. On the base of the student-centered and teacher-centered philosophy, in the present paper, we provide a literature review to explore the essential factors of teacher evaluation beliefs (why, what, who, when and how), followed by the key problems of Chinese New Curriculum Reform as “why-aim”, “what-content”, “who-student-teacher relationship”, “how-method” and “when- time”. In line with the discussion of five factors of evaluation beliefs, we proposed six perspectives to inform educational researchers for the further researches

Digital learning resources and ubiquitous technologies in education

This research explores the educators' attitudes and perceptions about their utilisation of digital learning technologies. The methodology integrates measures from ‘the pace of technological innovativeness’ and the ‘technology acceptance model’ to understand the rationale for further ICT investment in compulsory education. A quantitative study was carried out amongst two hundred forty-one educators in Malta. It has investigated the costs and benefits of using digital learning resources in schools from the educator’s perspective. Principal component analysis has indicated that the educators were committed to using digital technologies. In addition, a step-wise regression analysis has shown that the younger teachers were increasingly engaging in digital learning resources. Following this study’s empirical findings educational stakeholders are better informed about how innovative technologies can support our students. In conclusion, this paper puts forward key implications and recommendations for regulatory authorities and policy makers for better curricula and educational outcomes.peer-reviewe

Active Labour Market Services Privided by NGOS - The Potential for Social Capital Building In Poland

This paper bases on thirty case studies performed in Polish NGOs providing active labour market services to differentiated groups of beneficiaries. Paper describes behavioural patterns of Polish non-profits which substitute the public service in implementing active labour market policies, focused on high-risk groups of the unemployed. The described patterns emerge in an institutional environment which is characterized by powerful bureaucracy, scarcity of social capital, high level of generalized distrust and an the very low level of support for civic initiatives on the side of public administration and its agencies, still strongly prejudiced against non-profits. In such situation NGOs see their task beyond handing out public money – they are trying to engage into multiple cooperative games at grass-roots level, building networks of fragmented groups of charities, independent experts and self-help initiatives. Forging such spontaneous alliances help to build bonds among different social groups (which rises the level of bridging social capital) and strongly supports the unemployed beneficiaries themselves, giving them access to new social networks. On the other side, the strategy in which public employment services and local authorities are (self)excluded ends up with the impossibility to develop a long-term employment policy both on local and central level. Thus the only win-win strategy is the one in which the public – non-profit cooperation is enhanced through the effort of self-limiting on both sides. We support the thesis that engaging public agencies into cooperative games with NGOs and subsequent empowering of nonprofits should lead towards remodelling of the whole labour market policy in Poland and improve the quality of employment services.social capital; NGOs; ALMPs; Poland

Can 3D gamified simulations be valid vocational training tools for persons with intellectual disability? A pilot based on a real-life situation

Objective: To investigate if 3D gamified simulations can be valid vocational training tools for persons with intellectual disability. Methods: A 3D gamified simulation composed by a set of training tasks for cleaning in hostelry was developed in collaboration with professionals of a real hostel and pedagogues of a special needs school. The learning objectives focus on the acquisition of vocabulary skills, work procedures, social abilities and risk prevention. Several accessibility features were developed to make the tasks easy to do from a technological point-of-view. A pilot experiment was conducted to test the pedagogical efficacy of this tool on intellectually disabled workers and students. Results: User scores in the gamified simulation follow a curve of increasing progression. When confronted with reality, they recognized the scenario and tried to reproduce what they had learned in the simulation. Finally, they were interested in the tool, they showed a strong feeling of immersion and engagement, and they reported having fun. Conclusions: On the basis of this experiment we believe that 3D gamified simulations can be efficient tools to train social and professional skills of persons with intellectual disabilities contributing thus to foster their social inclusion through work.Postprint (author's final draft

Do business games foster skills? A cross-cultural study from learners’ views

Purpose: This study seeks to analyse students’ perception of the effectiveness of business games as an e-learning method in management training. This analysis of games’ effectiveness is centred in the generic and managerial skills acquired, through the comparison of students’ opinions in different cultural contexts within Europe. Design/methodology: The analysis focuses on 120 management students at postgraduate level who use the same business game at different universities in five European countries: Spain, Ireland, Portugal, Italy and Germany. Findings: The results indicate that students positively assessed the generic and specific managerial skills fostered by the business game. The generic skills most valued were information and decision-making, and leadership. Regarding the specific skills, the most valued were management skills and the least valued, skills related to planning and the acquisition of theoretical knowledge. However, significant differences were found between students in different cultural contexts and education systems in the case of certain specific managerial skills. Practical implications: This finding suggests that the students’ perception of how a business game helps them acquire specific managerial skills is influenced by cultural aspects and previous exposure to experiential learning, which determine that the teachers’ role and the teaching process should be adapted to the students’ learning model. Originality/value: With this study, a better knowledge about the students’ perception of this e-learning method is obtained, not just considering a specific educational environment, but comparing opinions of students from different cultural contexts, which adds value to the analyses developed.Peer Reviewe

The students' perceptions of digital game-based learning

This paper provides a critical analysis on the rationale behind the utilisation of educational technologies, including; digital learning resources. A qualitative research sheds light on the students’ discernment and preconceptions toward the use of digital games, stories and simulations, in-class. Semi-structured, face-to-face interview sessions among secondary school students suggest that students are increasingly acquiring skills and competences from blended learning. Their engagement with educational applications (apps) is improving their critical thinking as it helps them make evaluative decisions to solve problems. At the same time, the results reveal that most of these students are developing their interpersonal skills as they collaborate in teams and work in tandem with their peers, during their formative activities. However, there are also a few students who are not perceiving the usefulness and the ease of use of playing digital games at school. This study postulates that students seem to possess dissimilar skills as they exhibit different learning abilities. The students’ gender, age as well as their position in the social strata could possibly influence their disposition to engage with others. These findings imply that practitioners in education ought to consider taking an iterative approach as they identify what, where, when and how digital games are (or are not) consistent with the courses’ learning outcomes and curriculum programmes. In conclusion, this paper opens-up some avenues for future research in the promising field of digital game-based learning.peer-reviewe

Let’s Play … eGovernment! A Simulation Game for Competence Development among Public Administration Students

The rollout of eGovernment is in full swing worldwide, because of governments’ realization of its possible efficiency and effectiveness gains. The introduction of service accounts, as exemplary initiation of the European eID strategy in Germany, is one of the eGovernment projects that keeps the German public sector busy. Owing to the federal structure of Germany, the nationwide implementation poses an extraordinary challenge. With this, it forms a good example for the complexity of eGovernment projects in federal states. (Future) public servants need to have a full understanding of the interdisciplinary environment, they will need to operate in. Simulation games, offering the possibility of immerging into a subject matter in a neutral, risk-free environment, are increasingly used in educational programs in times of digitalization and therefore could represent a powerful tool to teach the needed eGovernment competences. At the same time, they help to early sensitize eGovernment students to the numerous exigencies in their working life. We developed a simulation game, targeting the introduction of service accounts in Germany, and tested it with an international student group (n=16) to measure its potential for competence development in higher education programs in eGovernment

Business game to promote learning in higher education

[EN] The current renewal of teaching methodologies that underlie the process of construction of the EHEA aims to give students a greater role in their learning, to encourage collaborative work and to develop teaching materials that facilitate autonomous work. Therefore, the aim of this study is to provide evidence of the influence of the use of business game in the improvement of the teaching-learning process. In order to carry out the study, a questionnaire was drawn up, based on the generic competences included in the Tuning Project and the Participants students of the Faculty of Economics. Results suggest that business game in the classroom motivate students to use different theoretical frameworks to analyze problems and make decisions, fostering teamwork, leadership and creativity, all of which are skills and abilities of an executive..Tamarit-Aznar, M.; Urquidi-Martín, A. (2022). Business game to promote learning in higher education. En Proceedings INNODOCT/21. International Conference on Innovation, Documentation and Education. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 155-162. https://doi.org/10.4995/INN2021.2021.1345615516

Cognitive and affective perspectives on immersive technology in education

This research explains the rationale behind the utilization of mobile learning technologies. It involves a qualitative study among children to better understand their opinions and perceptions toward the use of educational applications (apps) that are available on their mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets. The researchers organized semi-structured, face-to-face interview sessions with primary school students who were using mobile technologies at their primary school. The students reported that their engagement with the educational apps has improved their competencies. They acquired relational and communicative skills as they collaborated in teams. On the other hand, there were a few students who were not perceiving the usefulness and the ease of use of the educational apps on their mobile device. This study indicates that the research participants had different skillsets as they exhibited different learning abilities. In conclusion, this contribution opens-up avenues for future research in this promising field of study.peer-reviewe