Evidence-Based Policies in Education: Initiatives and Challenges in Europe

Purpose: This article examines the state of progress of evidence-based educational policies in Europe and identifies organizations for the generation and dissemination of evidence. Further, it discusses some of the most relevant challenges facing the development of evidence-informed education policies in Europe. Design/Approach/Methods: This article analyzes official documents by the European Commission (EC) and other organizations. Literature in the field of evidence-based education worldwide is examined to identify the primary challenges and issues related to the development of a culture of evidence in Europe's education sector. Findings: The EC has recently prioritized evidence-informed policy and practice in education, increasingly encouraging member states to utilize evidence in the policy decision-making process. According to official documents, this process began in 2006 and has since enjoyed remarkable progress through several initiatives intended to spread a culture of evidence in education. However, several challenges and issues remain regarding the promotion of evidence-informed policymaking. Originality/Value: Having prioritized evidence-informed policy and practice, the EC strongly encourages the adoption of evidence in the policymaking process. This article provides a point of reference regarding the initiatives already undertaken and the challenges facing evidence-based educational policies and policymaking in Europe

Open Educational Resources: strategie di ricerca e selezione

La diffusione di una cultura open in ambito educativo si sta manifestando in rete con la sempre crescente disponibilità di risorse e pratiche didattiche aperte, in altre parole condivise liberamente, senza restrizioni sul loro uso e riuso. In questo contributo, dopo una breve introduzione al tema delle competenze di information literacy richieste a studenti e insegnanti nell’era digitale, si presentano risorse e strategie per la ricerca e selezione di open educational resources e se ne discutono le criticità

L'ontologia BIA-Net: una base per la ricerca di informazioni secondo rapporti di rilevanza nella Bibliotheca Iuris Antiqui

BIA-Net è la versione accessibile via Web del vasto archivio della Bibliotheca Iuris Antiqui, che consta di tre grandi parti: Opera, un archivio bibliografico di oltre 50.000 opere di diritto romano, Thesaurus, un sistema di classificazione dei documenti presenti in Opera, e infine Fontes, l'archivio digitalizzato delle fonti dei diritti dell'antichità. Questo lavoro presenta una proposta di ontologia per BIA (Ontologia BIA-Net), mediante la descrizione dettagliata delle classi e relazioni costitutive di ciascuno dei suoi tre archivi e delle relazioni fra gli archivi stessi. Nella parte finale vengono anche proposte ulteriori prospettive di ricerca, inerenti allo sviluppo di due applicazioni di tipo semantico, un motore di ricerca e un browser, tramite cui rendere la base di conoscenze di BIA semanticamente interrogabile e navigabile

About the Efficacy of Virtual and Remote Laboratories in STEM Education in Secondary School: A Second-Order Systematic Review

Online laboratories brought new opportunities for instruction. In this work, a secondorder systematic review about the efficacy of virtual and remote labs on learning in high school STEM education is presented. Nine systematic review and a meta-analysis were included. A descriptive summary (qualitative and quantitative) of their findings is provided. On average, online laboratories support learning to an extent comparable to that observed in real labs; their effect is even more positive when they are integrated into more traditional teaching practice (e.g., as pre-lab practice sessions before the hands-on experiments) and when they are supported by adequate teacher feedback. Content knowledge is the learning outcome most often assessed; while practical and inquiry skills related to scientific reasoning are investigated less frequently. The results are promising for instructional design and for the future research, despite the data variability and some methodological limitations of individual studies (lack of relevant quantitative data, such as effect sizes and moderator analysis). Further experimental research is required to estimate the effect of online labs on different learning outcomes and to better understand the moderating role of some variables related to interventions and students

Come rilevare la visione professionale degli insegnanti. Uno schema di codifica

L’uso dei video a supporto dello sviluppo delle competenze di insegnamento rappresenta una opportunità ampiamente indagata nella ricerca educativa. In questo ambito, presso l’Università di Cagliari, in collaborazione con l’Università di California-Irvine, si è avviato un progetto di formazione degli insegnanti basato sull’uso delle tecnologie digitali per la video-osservazione con l’obiettivo di favorire lo sviluppo delle competenze di visione professionale (professional vision), intesa come la competenza di notare e attribuire significato a ciò che di rilevante avviene in classe in relazione all’apprendimento degli studenti. In linea con gli obiettivi del progetto, sulla base di modelli già affermati nella letteratura internazionale, riferibili prevalentemente all’area della didattica della matematica, gli autori hanno sviluppato un primo schema di codifica a otto dimensioni delle competenze di visione professionale, caratterizzato dalla trasversalità rispetto agli specifici ambiti disciplinari. Nel presente contributo, si introducono i fondamenti di tale costrutto, si presentano le dimensioni e indicatori dello schema, e se ne discutono ambiti di applicazione, potenzialità e criticità.The use of video to support the development of teaching competencies represents an opportunity that is widely investigated in educational research. In this area, at the University of Cagliari, in collaboration with the University of California-Irvine, a teacher professional development project based on the use of video technology and focused on video observations was initiated. The project’s objective is to support the development of professional vision competencies, that is the ability to notice and make sense of fundamental classroom events that are relevant to student learning. In alignment with the project objectives and drawing from existing frameworks from the international literature, particularly from the field of mathematics education, the authors have developed an initial coding system of eight dimensions that captures teacher professional vision across various disciplinary fields. In the present contribution, the construct of professional vision is introduced, the dimensions and indicators of the coding framework are presented, and applications, potentialities, and critical aspects are discussed

I laboratori online per l’apprendimento scientifico: sintesi delle evidenze

In this study, the results of a second-order systematic review concerning the impact of online (virtual and remote) laboratories on learning in STEM education for secondary school students are discussed. After the selection phase, based on eligibility criteria, ten systematic reviews and meta-analyses were included. The comparative analysis of data provides useful information for the instructional design of laboratory activities mediated by technologies and for the future research. In particular, results showed that online laboratories generally support learning outcomes comparable to those in traditional laboratories; and they suggest that some factors (e.g. teacher training; coherence of goals, laboratory activities, assessment; teacher feedback; integration of online-traditional laboratory activities) can maximize their efficacy. In addition, methodological limitations of current literature suggest the need for further primary studies with a more rigorous design.In questo lavoro, si presentano e discutono i risultati di una revisione sistematica di secondo ordine sull’efficacia dei laboratori online (virtuali e remoti) per il miglioramento degli apprendimenti nell’educazione STEM, in contesti di scuola secondaria. Al termine della fase di selezione, sulla base dei criteri di eleggibilità adottati, sono stati inclusi dieci studi secondari (revisioni sistematiche e meta-analisi). L’analisi comparativa di questi ultimi fornisce indicazioni utili per la progettazione didattica di attività laboratoriali mediate da tecnologie e per gli sviluppi futuri della ricerca. I risultati consentono di affermare che tendenzialmente i laboratori online permettono agli studenti di raggiungere risultati di apprendimento comparabili a quelli dei laboratori tradizionali e suggeriscono la rilevanza di determinati fattori (tra cui, la formazione degli insegnanti; la coerenza tra obiettivi, strategia laboratoriale e valutazione; il feedback dell’insegnante; l’integrazione tra attività laboratoriali online e in presenza) al fine di massimizzarne l’efficacia. Allo stesso tempo, si rilevano alcuni limiti metodologici della letteratura esistente, tali per cui ulteriori studi e un maggior rigore nel design di questi appaiono auspicabili

Evidence Based Education e modelli di valutazione formativa per le scuole

Evidence Based Education and School Education Evaluation ModelsEvidence Based Education (EBE) is emerging as an approach focusing on the problem of reliability in educational research, on its theoretical foundations, and on the relationship between research and decision-making. On the latter, less well known are the implications resulting from it for the development of innovative school evaluation systems based on dynamic methods, and thus differing from static models based on raw data compared to general standards. We shall firstly provide a brief summary of the EBE approach as well as the main research centers and general issues in this field. Then, we will show how notions of feedback and formative assessment, currently recognized as really effective individual learning strategies, can act as reference points for school evaluation and orientation models, by introducing the New Zealand system, developed with the collaboration of John Hattie, one of the most representative of the EBE approach, which suggests to move from a static to a dynamic accountability

Learning, Social, and Psychological Outcomes of Students with Moderate, Severe, and Complex Disabilities in Inclusive Education: A Systematic Review

The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the learning, social, and psychological outcomes of students with moderate, severe, and complex disabilities (MSCD) in inclusive settings. The review discusses barriers to conducting rigorous research in this field. Whilst an initial literature search located 1,338 records, only 18 were finally included due to the eligibility criteria. Studies were placed in categories based on the topics investigated. Regarding learning outcomes of students with MSCD, findings were moderately in favour of school inclusion for both academic achievement and adaptive skills. Regarding social outcomes, results showed that inclusive settings offer more access to instructional time and peer interaction, although they reported marginalisation during class activities and social isolation within the peer group. Finally, in terms of psychological outcomes, inclusive settings appeared to reduce the frequency of challenging behaviours. The paper also addresses conceptual barriers regarding the definition of inclusion and its consequences on research and practice as well as research design barriers resulting from the quality of research in this field. Based on review results, this paper outlines epistemological propositions for developing standards of quality for both research and practice in the field

Nuovi orizzonti della ricerca scientifica in educazione. Raccordare ricerca e decisione didattica: il Manifesto S.Ap.I.E.

Here some theses introduced in the S.Ap.I.E. (Società per l’Apprendimento e l’Istruzione informati da Evidenza) Manifesto are developed. Firstly, we summarize the relevant advances in educational research characterizing the new millennium, related to Evidence-Based Education and its convergence with other fields. These gave rise to a new scientifically-based perspective in education and to a new domain that we named Instructional and Learning Science. Then, we examine some developments now possible concerning fundamental principles of instruction and recommendations to which teachers should refer; the critical revision of some widespread beliefs not based in evidence at all; and the possibility of defining rational frameworks, informed by evidence, to support educational decisions. Finally, we introduce some challenges for the new generation of educational scientists, in the hope that the current stalemate in Italian educational research can be overcome. These concern mainly: (i) the graduate programs in education in which methods of educational research, within a critical culture on knowledge reliability, should be at the basis; and (ii) new forms of collaboration between universities and schools which, leaving current models of limited impact, should be oriented towards clearly defined objectives and effective programs