Educational Technology Quarterly
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Evolution of digital competence development for mathematics educators in technical universities: a contemporary framework
Full text linkThe continuing digital transformation of higher education necessitates the ongoing development of educators' digital competencies, particularly in mathematics education within technical universities. This paper revisits and modernizes the conceptual framework for digital competence development among mathematics educators in light of recent technological advances and the accelerated digitalization prompted by global educational disruptions. Building upon previous work, we present an updated model of digital competence that incorporates contemporary frameworks such as DigCompEdu and the latest UNESCO ICT Competency Framework. The paper analyzes the evolving technological landscape in mathematics education, including the integration of cloud-based tools, artificial intelligence, and immersive technologies. Additionally, we propose a revised curriculum for professional development that addresses current needs and emerging trends. The multilevel competency development model presented accounts for varied starting points in digital literacy and provides a pathway for sustainable professional growth. Recommendations are provided to support the digital transformation of mathematics education in technical universities, with connections to broader educational quality goals
Innovative approaches in teaching coding skills to young children: a scoping review
Full text linkThis scoping review explores innovative approaches to teaching coding skills to young children, a crucial competency in our increasingly digital world. For consistency in terminology, the study uses the term young children to describe individuals up to nine years old. The research integrates data from several educational settings and explores approaches such as game-based learning, graphical coding treatments, hands-on robotics, and unplugged activities. The study highlights the effectiveness of tools such as ScratchJr, KIBO robots, Code Karts, and Blink debugging in enhancing young children's computational thinking and problem-solving abilities and increasing interest in coding. A number of studies have shown that coding enhances cognitive development in young children by encouraging computational thinking, which is vital for future careers and other fields such as STEM. Using unplugged approaches promotes communication, motor skills, and socialisation. A key recommendation to educators, which this study suggests, is to design coding programmes to suit the developmental stages of different age groups. There are, however, some limitations to the study, including the use of a single database and the lack of longitudinal studies to estimate long-term impacts. One of the study's limitations is the absence of longitudinal studies to estimate long-term effects. It is important to note that despite these challenges, the findings highlight how innovative teaching approaches could equip young children with the fundamental skills needed to succeed in a technologically advanced society. Future work should focus on collecting empirical data from coding schools for young children
Exploring teachers' pedagogical practices employed during and post-COVID-19 pandemic in Tanzania secondary schools: The case of Mbeya City Council
Full text linkThe study explored the pedagogical practices employed by secondary school teachers in Tanzania during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on Mbeya City Council. The study was guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The study aimed to explore the pedagogical practices used by teachers during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in Tanzania's secondary schools. A qualitative approach was utilised with a phenomenological research design. A total of 33 participants were involved, including one District Secondary Education Officer (DSEO), two Ward Education Officers (WEOs), six secondary school heads, and 24 teachers (four from each selected school). The data were analysed using thematic analysis strategies. The study revealed that teachers employed various methods, such as adaptive learning platforms, collaborative learning, interactive presentations, online discussions, and tools for assessment and feedback. However, these efforts were hindered by challenges such as unreliable internet access, insufficient infrastructure, and inadequate administrative and technical support. The study concludes that teachers' capacity for technology-enhanced pedagogy should be strengthened. The study recommends that the government and education stakeholders provide support to secondary schools in adopting digital tools for teaching and learning to ensure high-quality education that can compete in the global market
A global triangulation approach to ChatGPT integration in education
Full text linkThis study investigated the utilization of ChatGPT in education through a data triangulation methodology that analyzed the perspectives of artificial intelligence experts, researchers, educators, and students. The objective was to construct a comprehensive understanding of the role of emerging AI technology in the educational context. A total of 16 artificial intelligence experts, 5 researchers, 9 educators, and 14 students from 13 countries were consulted for this study, and the analysis yielded both consensus points and divergent insights among the different groups. This study revealed a shared recognition of ChatGPT's potential benefits in enhancing productivity, providing resources, and facilitating homework and research tasks. However, the analysis also identified common concerns, including issues related to academic dishonesty, accuracy, and the impact on learning motivation and traditional pedagogy. Additionally, a consensus emerged on the necessity of adapting the education system for responsible AI integration with an emphasis on preparing students and educators for the future by addressing AI's limitations and ethical implications. Significant insights emerged from each group: AI experts emphasized the necessity for responsibility and guidance in the utilization of AI tools, highlighting limitations in understanding and response accuracy, stressing the need for educational strategies to regulate ChatGPT usage; educators expressed concerns about AI replacing humans in education, emphasizing adapting pedagogical methods, and students raised ethical concerns, particularly about academic dishonesty and the impact of AI on creativity and ethics. These findings support the development of targeted integration strategies for ChatGPT in educational contexts, underscoring the importance of considering both shared and individual stakeholder perspectives in this regard
Reading habits, digital fluency and academic achievement of secondary school students in a local government area in South West Nigeria
Full text linkThis study explored the impact of four key variables - reading habit, computer literacy, internet usage, and social media engagement - on students' academic achievement in public secondary schools in the Ibadan Northeast local government area in Oyo State, Nigeria. A quantitative research approach employing survey methodology was utilised to gather data from students in public secondary schools. A structured questionnaire was distributed among participants to collect information on their reading habits, computer literacy, internet usage, social media engagement, and academic performance. Statistical analysis, such as regression analysis, was conducted to ascertain the relationship between the aforementioned variables and academic achievement. The findings suggest a significant correlation between certain variables and academic achievement among students in public secondary schools. Reading habit demonstrated a strong positive association with academic performance, while computer literacy and selective internet usage showed moderately positive influences. Conversely, excessive engagement with social media negatively impacts academic achievement
Integrating AI in higher education: transforming teachers' roles in boosting student agency
Full text linkArtificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as an integral part of education. It is revolutionising teaching and learning by offering personalised and engaging atmospheres to learners. Specifically, AI competes with agency-building among learners and teachers. Broadly, AI has strengthened learner agency despite teachers' ongoing uncertainty about whether it supports or complicates their work. This study aimed to assess how AI integration in higher education affects teachers' roles in promoting student agency and to explore how AI has transformed teachers' roles in fostering student agency. A sequential mixed method was used as the design of the study. A survey using a five-point Likert scale was conducted to analyse the roles of teachers in the context of integrating AI to enhance agency in higher education. A total of 121 teachers from seven different universities in Nepal duly completed the Google Form, which was distributed via email and social media platforms. Similarly, in-depth interviews were conducted with three teachers teaching at the same level to gather qualitative information and derive qualitative findings. The findings suggest that integrating AI in teachers' roles significantly enhances student agency. The findings also elaborate that AI integration in higher education largely affects teachers' roles in promoting student agency. Similarly, this study contributes to enhancing student agency within the context of changing teachers' roles due to the use of AI in the teaching-learning process. To tackle the issue effectively, the researchers emphasise the need to shift the traditional role of teachers to that of mentors or facilitators, ensuring seamless enhancement of student agency through the integration of AI
State of the art approaches to the quality of distance education
Full text linkThis article examines contemporary approaches to quality assurance in distance education from a comprehensive perspective. To address this multifaceted topic, we analyze general frameworks for educational quality, European quality assurance standards, and specific frameworks for distance learning quality, with particular attention to the five pillars of quality established by the Online Learning Consortium. Through a systematic literature review, we identify emerging models and frameworks developed since 2020 in response to the global shift to distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis reveals significant evolution in quality frameworks, moving beyond student satisfaction to incorporate multiple stakeholder perspectives, data-driven assessment methods, competency-based approaches, and institutional resilience factors. We also examine methodological approaches to quality assessment, post-pandemic shifts in quality frameworks, and practical implementation strategies for educational institutions. The findings demonstrate that quality assurance in distance education requires a multidimensional approach that balances technological infrastructure, pedagogical effectiveness, and stakeholder satisfaction while addressing contextual factors. We conclude that as distance education becomes increasingly embedded in mainstream educational practices, quality frameworks continue to evolve toward more comprehensive, flexible, and contextually responsive models that incorporate lessons learned during the pandemic era
Digital leadership: shaping school effectiveness in the digital era - a meta-analysis
Full text linkThis meta-analysis examines the relationship between digital leadership and school effectiveness in the digital era, synthesising evidence from 11 empirical studies across six countries. Against the backdrop of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which has transformed educational paradigms through technologies like AI, IoT, and ICT, digital leadership has emerged as a critical factor in enhancing institutional outcomes. The study addresses five research questions, employing PRISMA-guided methodology to analyse peer-reviewed studies (2010--2024) from Scopus, Semantic Scholar, and Google Scholar. Using JASP 0.16.4 for random-effects modelling, the analysis revealed a robust pooled effect size (r = 0.672, p < 0.001), confirming digital leadership's significant positive impact on school effectiveness. Subgroup analyses showed notable variability, with Thailand (r = 0.784) and Malaysia (r = 0.553) demonstrating the strongest effects, while Indonesia (r = 0.123) and Bahrain (r = 0.209) exhibited weaker but still significant correlations. Publication bias assessments, including funnel plot asymmetry and trim-and-fill analysis, indicated minor bias but did not undermine the overall significance of findings. Fail-safe N tests (p = 0.000) further validated the results' robustness. The study highlights the need for context-specific digital leadership frameworks, particularly in regions with limited research representation. Practical implications include prioritising administrator training in data-driven decision-making and ICT integration, while policy recommendations emphasise infrastructure investment and standardised competency frameworks. Limitations include geographic underrepresentation and reliance on correlation-based studies. Future research should expand to underrepresented regions. This meta-analysis contributes to the growing evidence supporting digital leadership as a transformative force in 21st-century education
Psychological foundations of technology-mediated educational process management: a narrative review
Full text linkThe rapid proliferation of educational technologies has outpaced systematic understanding of the psychological principles that should inform their design and implementation. This narrative review synthesises research on the psychological foundations of technology-mediated educational process management, employing Scopus AI-assisted literature discovery to comprehensively map the theoretical landscape. The review examines how cognitive load theory, self-determination theory, self-regulated learning frameworks, social cognitive theory, and affective perspectives inform the design of learning management systems, adaptive learning platforms, intelligent tutoring systems, and learning analytics applications. It analyses how educational paradigms - constructivism, connectivism, humanism, and critical pedagogy - shape technology integration approaches. The synthesis reveals significant gaps between psychological research and educational technology practice, including under-theorisation of many technology implementations, methodological limitations in evaluation studies, and insufficient attention to diverse learner populations and cultural contexts. To address these gaps, the paper proposes the psychological integration framework for educational technology management (PI-ETM), a four-layer model that connects psychological foundations, educational paradigm alignment, technological instantiation, and contextual implementation. Seven guiding principles - theoretical explicitness, multidimensional integration, paradigmatic coherence, learner-centred adaptation, teacher empowerment, contextual sensitivity, and ethical grounding - structure framework application. Implications for researchers, designers, practitioners, and policymakers are articulated, alongside a future research agenda that addresses emerging technologies, including generative AI and extended reality. The review presents a unified conceptual architecture for psychologically informed educational technology, guiding both scholarship and practice
Temporal patterns and educational use of smartphones among Algerian secondary learners
Full text linkThis study examines the relationship between smartphone use and duration, as well as educational applications and other features used by Algerian secondary school students. Through a questionnaire, data were collected from 375 learners (53.3% female and 46.7% male) in the Setif district of Algeria using a quantitative research design and a questionnaire. In SPSS v27, we analysed the data by mean, standard deviation, and Pearson correlation. A correlation was found between the duration of smartphone use, preferred usage times, and educational use among learners. We found students who use their smartphones less than 4 hours per day tend to peak between 4:30 PM and 6:30 PM, while others who use their smartphones more than 4 hours per day tend to peak between 8:30 PM and after 00:00 PM. Students who used their smartphones for educational purposes often did so during specific times, primarily in the evenings and at night, typically in shorter bursts (1 hour or less per day). Longer smartphone use for educational purposes (2 hours or more) is most likely to occur in the afternoon and early evening. However, the study also revealed that students use their smartphones to browse social media and watch fun reels and videos all day, but most of the time, it is from 4:30 PM till 00:00 AM, and their peak time is between 8:30 PM and 10:00 PM. Game playing peaks in the evening, between 8:30 PM and 10:00 PM. One of the most important recommendations we can make is to learn as much as possible about how learners use their smartphones and how they think about them