Junior high school students’ perception of physical factors in the classroom based on the Online Q Method

 Students spend a lot of time in the classroom, and the physical environment in the classroom plays an important role in the development of students. It is necessary to scientifically investigate students' views and opinions on the physical factors in the classroom. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this study used the Q method online and allowed 40 junior high school students to rank 32 physical factors in the classrooms according to their own perspectives. The results can provide a reference for the reconstruction and construction of classrooms in middle schools and contribute to the design of learner-oriented humanized classrooms

An Investigation of University Students' Classroom Seating Choices

The classroom is crucial for students, and seating position within the classroom can affect students’ performance. This study conducted a survey to investigate the relationship between seating zones and academic performance among 174 university students in Beijing. The results revealed differences in student performance in terms of seating position in small- and medium-sized traditional classrooms. However, the results did not indicate a similar hierarchy of student performance in terms of seating zones in larger traditional classrooms, horseshoe classrooms, collaboration classrooms, and computer classrooms. Additionally, the results revealed that most students considered the layout of a classroom to affect their performance

A laser-cutting-centered STEM course for improving engineering problem-solving skills of high school students in China

STEM (science, technology, engineer, mathematics) education and engineering education are receiving an increasing amount of interest worldwide, but related research on the influence of STEM courses on students' engineering problem solving in China is scarce. Considering the rapid prototyping function of laser-cutting tools, this study was conducted to develop a STEM course based on laser cutting and to explore how the course affected high school students' engineering problem-solving abilities. A 9-week curriculum was implemented in a science, technology, and fabricating club of a high school in Zhejiang, China. The data were collected by pretest and posttest questionnaires and presentations of group assignments. The results were as follows. First, when presented with an engineering problem, the students demonstrated problem-solving abilities because they followed principles of engineering design, such as sketching, modeling and modifying. Second, while completing the assignment, the students proposed solutions with comprehensive factors in many aspects. They showed high-level thinking, such as consideration of the background, limiting conditions, and multidisciplinary knowledge, and they used technological tools to complete the task. However, some students ignored the assessment and redesign of their solutions. Further research could use a larger sample from different grades and explore how a STEM course combined with technology tools could influence students' high-level thinking skills

A comparative study of pre-service teachers' perceptions on STEAM education in UK and China

As more countries emphasize the development of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) education, the training of professional pre-service teachers has received considerable attention. To explore Chinese and UK preservice teachers' understanding of STEAM education, their willingness to engage in STEAM-related occupations, and their attitudes toward various STEAM disciplines, this study designed a questionnaire to investigate the perceptions of 109 and 379 preservice teachers from the United Kingdom and China, respectively. A quantitative analysis revealed the following: (1) Preservice teachers lacked the understanding of STEAM education in general. (2) Chinese and UK preservice teachers had different overall understandings of STEAM education. (3) Both Chinese and UK preservice teachers had different opinions about the role of art in STEAM. (4) The scores of Chinese preservice teachers in the semantic questionnaire in each discipline were significantly higher than those of the UK teachers, and significant differences in gender and profession were observed. (5) No significant differences were observed between the total scores of the UK and Chinese participants on the career interest questionnaire. Finally, we combined the experiences of the Chinese and UK preservice teachers to provide recommendations for teacher training

Analyzing the students’ achievements of Taiwan web-based mathematics competition by data mining

Experts from three different fields will cooperate to explore this study, including e-learning experts from Taiwan; data mining experts from Canada, and Artificial Intelligence experts from Germany. Through this new analysis technique (data mining), new discoveries can be concluded in the field of web-based mathematics competition. Researchers try to explore these relations between different students’ portfolios and achievements of Taiwan Web-based Mathematics Competition. These findings will provide valuable information for instructors, researchers and government. In particular, optimal learning conditions in- and outside the learning scenario can be explored

Impact of participation in the World Robot Olympiad on K-12 robotics education from the coach's perspective

The integration of robotics education with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education has a great potential in future education. In recent years, numerous countries have hosted robotic competitions. This study uses a mixed research method to explore the coaches' views on student participation in the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) by incorporating the questionnaire surveys and interviews conducted at the 2019 WRO finals in Hungary. By quantitative and qualitative analyses, coaches generally agreed that participation in the WRO improved students' STEM learning skills and cultivated their patience and resilience in handling challenging tasks

Information technology for learning: a European students' perspectiv

This study was mainly focused on European university students, in particular on their thinking about IT for learning. Participators came from different European countries and took part in a summer school this year. A total of 21 international students participated in this summer school program. They came from different European countries. The data collection includes a questionnaire survey and interview data. The data were analyzed and common opinions have been extracted. Finally, the authors of the present paper provide six conclusions and refer to university education in European countries to implement an IT integrated instruction. Researchers hope to promote the instructional quality by a well-performed way of IT integration into instruction in high education