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Hand raising recognition in remote learning environments using Vision Transformer
No full textIdentifying when students raise their hands is a fundamental aspect of tracking engagement in remote learning environments. However, existing systems often face several key challenges, including scalability, robustness, interpretability of model outputs, and the accurate detection of subtle or partial hand-raising gestures. This paper proposes a framework using a Vision Transformer (ViT) to recognize hand-raising gestures from classroom images. The ViT captured spatial and contextual features from the image data. To evaluate the proposed ViT model, experiments were conducted on the Student Classroom Behavior (SCB) dataset, which includes activities featuring students’ hand-raising gestures and other behaviors. Gradient-Weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-Cam) was employed to provide visual explanations of what information the ViT model learned from images to recognize the hand-raising gesture. The proposed ViT model achieved a maximum average recognition accuracy of 93.82 ± 2.16% under 5-fold cross-validation, outperforming the baseline convolutional neural network model (CNN). The Grad-Cam outcomes show that the model focuses on valid features to determine its recognition. With the achieved level of performance, the proposed framework may assist in supporting immediate feedback loops, informing instructors of student queries, and promoting interactive remote learning experiences
Dialogic ethical criticism in practice: Examining student receptivity and resistance to ethically oriented literature pedagogies in Singapore secondary schools
No full textIn our distracted, distressed, and divided age, ethically oriented literature pedagogies offer adolescents a space to practise ethical deliberations about the other. However, educators face challenges in navigating complex and confounding student responses. I propose a framework of Dialogic Ethical Criticism, building on key strands and practices of ethical criticism, Emmanuel Levinas' ethical responsibility, and Hans-Georg Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics. Through an integrative literature review of empirical studies on student responses to ethical literature instruction, and an exploratory multiple case study of five Singapore upper secondary school literature classes, I examine classroom discourse to map student stances toward the other: resistant and self-centred, receptive yet self-centred, and receptive and other-centred. I also identify dialogic acts that facilitate or inhibit ethical meaning-making. Finally, I show how a preliminary taxonomy of Dialogic Ethical Criticism can be used for confronting empathetic complexity, reflexive ethical reasoning, and brokering brave spaces for ethically oriented literature classrooms
NIE-NTU Best Foot Forward 2025 (21 Feb 2025)
No full textGroup photo: Winning team of Best Foot Forward 2025
Parental perceptions of environmental factors on preschoolers’ sleep duration among 23 low-, middle-, and high-income countries
No full textThe open access publication is available at https://doi.org/10.1080/15402002.2025.2576917ObjectiveTo examine the associations between parent perceived environmental factors, nighttime sleep duration and 24-h sleep duration among an international sample of preschool-aged children.MethodsSecondary analyses of cross-sectional data from preschoolers across 23 countries (19 LMICs), collected during the third pilot phase (January 2021–August 2024) of the SUNRISE Study. Parents completed a questionnaire which asked about their child’s sleep patterns and environmental factors that impacted their child’s sleep in the previous 3 days.ResultsData from 2,219 children were analyzed. A significant difference was observed between nighttime sleep (F = 14.27, p = ConclusionsPublic health researchers and professionals should prioritize context-specific strategies to minimize the impact of weather conditions on sleep to promote healthy levels of sleep among preschoolers from diverse settings.OER 04/19 TW
AI for Education Certificate Programme 2025 (Apr 2025)
No full textAttendees participating in a class activity at the AI for Education Certificate Programm
El Niño was a key driver of anomalous ocean warming in Southeast Asia in 2023
No full textThe open access publication is available at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-99511-wIn 2023, global ocean heat content reached unprecedented values since records began in 1960. The translation of global ocean heat into regional and local-scale ocean warming remains poorly understood because of limited observational data, particularly within Southeast Asia. Here, we investigate the 2023 ocean warming event in Southeast Asia using near-continuous 41-month in-situ ocean temperature observations from the Singapore Strait, satellite sea surface temperature (SST) measurements, and high-resolution reanalysis products. We document anomalous ocean warming across the Singapore Strait and surrounding South China Sea and Indonesian Seas to depths of at least 40 m. Peak SSTs of 1.8 °C above the climatological mean were recorded in the central Sunda Shelf in November 2023 for the first time in > 40 years. Concurrent anomalous freshening of the Singapore Strait was observed, with average salinity below the climatological mean from October to December. We identify a southward migration of warm temperature anomalies beginning with the onset of the El Niño in July 2023 near the Luzon Strait. This occurred alongside southward shifts in mean sea-level pressure and near-surface ocean currents in the region. We attribute these observations to the southward shift of the North Equatorial Current bifurcation latitude, which permitted the intrusion of Pacific western boundary currents into the South China Sea and Indonesian seas. Compared to the oceanic drivers, atmospheric forcings played a limited role in driving the ocean warming in 2023. Our study highlights El Niño as the key driver of the ocean warming in Southeast Asia in 2023, and emphasises the need for expanded continuous, in-situ ocean temperature monitoring to enhance understanding of evolving ocean-atmosphere dynamics and impacts in Southeast Asia under a warming climate.</p
The interplay of home language use, oral language and early reading and writing skills in Singaporean bilingual children’s English and Chinese languages
No full textThis study examines the intricate relationships between home language use, oral language skills (phonological awareness, morphological awareness, and receptive vocabulary), and literacy skills (word reading and spelling) in English and Chinese among young bilinguals. The sample includes 249 first-grade and 263 third-grade bilingual students in Singapore. Path analysis revealed a developmental shift in the roles of phonological awareness (PA) and morphological awareness (MA) on word reading from Grade 1 to Grade 3. In English, PA was the sole predictor in Grade 1, while MA gained prominence in Grade 3. For Chinese, all three oral skills were significant predictors in Grade 1, but by Grade 3 only MA and receptive vocabulary remained significant. The influence of these oral language skills on spelling was more consistent across grades. English PA and receptive vocabulary significantly predicted English spelling, whereas all three oral skills predicted Chinese spelling. This suggests that oral skills have different impacts on early reading and writing developments. Additionally, the predictive role of home language use, measured by the frequency of English spoken at home, varies across oral language skills and literacy outcomes. While English home language use only affected English receptive vocabulary, it influenced both receptive vocabulary and MA in Chinese, with negative impacts in this case. Furthermore, home language use had both direct and indirect negative impacts on Chinese word reading and spelling across both grades, but no significant effects on English word reading or spelling.Accepted versionOER 13/21 OB
Reconceptualizing epistemic dependence for future scientific literacy: A lesson from the LK-99 case
No full textToday's science education faces the imperative task of developing students’ competency to navigate misinformation while broadening the scope of scientific literacy. Traditionally, the concept of epistemic dependence, which encourages public trust in professional scientists, has supported this goal. However, the current landscape of science challenges the notions of experts with unanimous opinions and ‘the public’ as passive recipients of scientific information. In response, this case study examines the LK-99 incident, which involved a claimed discovery in the historic room-temperature and ambient-pressure superconductor, employing the Hype Cycle as the analytical framework. Data were collected on internet search traffic, discourse within the scientific community, mass media articles, and social media posts from July to December 2023, utilizing various online data analytics platforms. The researchers (1) quantitatively identified patterns in search trends, document sentiments, and associated word tokens related to LK-99, (2) qualitatively analyzed the shifting standpoints of stakeholders, the scientific community, mass media, and social media, and (3) synthesized these findings within the Hype Cycle framework. The results illustrate how the misinformation about LK-99 rapidly spread online (phase 1), leading to disagreements among scientists and confusion among the public, alongside erratic behavior in the stock market (phase 2). Ironically, the stakeholders' positioning themselves as scientists facilitated the scientific community's falsification of the claim (phase 3). We discuss the methodological and theoretical implications of this case and propose a reconceptualization of epistemic dependence centered on the scientific community as a whole and its collectively committed process of resolving uncertainty and verifying knowledge claims
