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Between two worlds: understanding teachers’ perceptions of national and international curricula in Lithuanian education
Get PDFThis paper investigates the perspectives of Lithuanian teachers on the purposes, practices, and impacts of teaching both the national and the International Baccalaureate (IB) curricula. Utilising qualitative methods, I conducted semi-structured interviews with ten high school teachers in Lithuania to understand their views on the integration of international academic programmes. The findings reveal an emphasis on the moral and humanistic purposes of education, alongside pragmatic and economic dimensions. Teachers believe in fostering personal growth, self-awareness, and community engagement, while also preparing students for higher education and future careers. A notable shift towards student-centred practices within the IB program was identified, highlighting its emphasis on independent learning and critical thinking. The IB program positively impacts both students and teachers, promoting innovative teaching practices, professional development and a significant focus on global perspectives. This study provides valuable insights into the evolving educational landscape in Lithuania and underscores the potential benefits and challenges of integrating international curricular elements into national education systems. Future research could explore long-term impacts, comparative studies, and student perspectives to further understand the integration of international curricula and its implications for educational practice and policy
SEL (social and emotional learning) education in Taiwan: a comparative and international education perspective
Get PDFThis study is among the first domestic research efforts to explore the implementation of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in Taiwan through the lens of Comparative and International Education (CIE). By employing CIE research methods and qualitative approaches—such as online interviews and textual analyses—the study aims to uncover why SEL has not yet been widely and successfully implemented in Taiwan as of 2024. The research examines the issue from multiple perspectives, including those of teachers, students, parents, primary caregivers, public and private educational institutions, government entities, and educational regulations.Through this comprehensive approach, the study not only identifies the practical challenges in implementing SEL in educational settings but also offers suggestions for improvements to enhance SEL integration across Taiwan. Additionally, by incorporating the concepts of globalisation and glocalisation, this research provides targeted recommendations to address the existing gaps in SEL adoption. The study contributes valuable insights that could guide future efforts to strengthen SEL education and its effective application in the Taiwanese context
Nine changes needed to deliver a radical transformation in biodiversity measurement
Get PDFBiodiversity is declining in many parts of the world. Biological diversity measurement and monitoring are fundamental to the assessment of the causes and consequences of environmental changes, identification of key areas for the protection of biodiversity or ecosystem services, determining the effectiveness of actions, and the creation of decision-support tools critical to maintaining a sustainable planet. Biodiversity measurement is rapidly changing due to advances in citizen science, image recognition, acoustic monitoring, environmental DNA, genomics, remote sensing, and AI. In this perspective, we outline the exciting opportunities these developments offer but also consider the challenges. Our key recommendations are to 1) Capitalize on the ability of novel technology to integrate data sources 2) agree to standard methods for data collection 3) ensure new technologies are calibrated with existing data; 4) fill data gaps by using emerging technologies and increasing capacity, especially in the tropics; 5) create living safeguarded databases of trusted information to reduce the risk of poisoning by AI hallucinated, or false, information; 6) ensure data generation is valued; 7) ensure respectful incorporation of Indigenous Knowledge; 8) ensure measurements enable the quantification of effectiveness of actions, and 9) increase the resilience of global datasets to technical and societal change. Radical new collaborations are needed between computer scientists, engineers, molecular biologists, data scientists, field ecologists, citizen scientists, Indigenous peoples, policymakers, and local communities to create the rigorous, resilient, accessible biodiversity information systems required to underpin policies and practices that ensure the maintenance and restoration of ecological systems
Anecdotes and guidance notes: surviving and thriving as a woman in science
Get PDFWomen have overtaken men in academic engagement and achievement at virtually all levels of secondary and tertiary education. However, despite numerous initiatives over several decades, women currently comprise only a fraction (13%–28%, depending on the discipline) of those following engineering, physics and materials-science careers, particularly at the senior level. Consequently, role models for early-career women scientists are sorely lacking. Aware of these and other obstacles for women in science and having engaged with many who have faced such challenges, a group of early- to senior-career women (including four of the current authors) were keen to improve the situation ‘on the ground’ for their peers. Accordingly, meetings were organised in the UK in 2023 (Femincam, focusing on electronic materials) and in 2025 (Women in Science Promoting Energy Research, focusing on energy materials). In total, there were around 200 participants, mainly PhD and postdoctoral researchers, of whom 5%–10% were male. We both heard about the exciting science of early-career women via talks and poster presentations and learned of the personal experiences that accompanied their creative and scientific endeavours. We hoped to find out whether career experiences could be improved and, if so, how this might be done. A wide variety of challenges were articulated, and potential solutions were discussed at both meetings. The challenges reflected existing published data, but new perspectives also emerged. In this paper, we present guidance notes, based on recommendations of and conversations with the participants at the meeting. We hope that all who are concerned with keeping women researchers in science careers find these reflections helpful and are moved to act upon them
Identifying alternations in historical corpus data: the genitive alternation in Old English
Get PDFThis article revisits the diachrony of the genitive alternation, the alternation between ’s and prepositional phrases headed by of in Present-Day English. It is usually assumed to have developed around 1400 CE. For Old English (c. 650–1000 CE), a different alternation between pre-modifying and post-modifying genitive-case-marked noun phrases is suggested to be the genitive alternation. Building on descriptions of competition between genitive-case-marked noun phrases (gen) and prepositional phrases with of (of) in Old English, and unpicking some of the preconceptions about the alternation in Old English, we propose a bottom-up method for systematically identifying possible alternation between of and gen in the York–Toronto–Helsinki Parsed Corpus of Old English Prose (Taylor et al. 2003). Our findings indicate that there is plausibly an alternation in Old English that stands in continuity with Present-Day English and suggest a more complex diachrony for the alternation characterized by continuity and discontinuity in the alternants and the envelope of variation
Investigating the narrative expression of mandarin speaking monolingual and bilingual children: a corpus based approach
Get PDFNarrative expression plays a significant role in children’s development and academic success. The two-structural framework is one of the most common tools to assess children’s narrative expression, which includes macrostructural analysis and microstructural analysis. Previous studies have suggested that children’s narrative abilities develop with age and that narrative expression might differ between monolingual and bilingual children (e.g., Bonifacci et al., 2018; Lindgren & Bohnacker, 2022; Justice et al., 2006). However, most previous studies have focused on narratives for Western languages (e.g., Bohnacker et al., 2022; Lindgren et al., 2023) Therefore, the present study aims to explore the narrative expression of Mandarin-speaking monolingual children and bilingual children whose second language is Mandarin across age groups (i.e., 3 to 9). The two research questions with one sub-question are: RQ1 Do monolingual and bilingual children differ in macrostructure and microstructure narrative expression within the same age group? RQ2: Are there age differences in children’s narrative expression within monolingual and bilingual groups? RQ2a: Does the age effect on the development of narrative expression differ for bilingual and monolingual children? The present study employed a corpora-based analysis using three open-access corpora: Zhou Narrative Corpus (2008), the Xinjiang Corpus (2012), and the “Left-behind" Ethnic Minority Children Corpus (2022). In this study, children’s narratives were measured by two macrostructural metrics (i.e., story structure components and internal state terms) and five microstructural metrics (i.e., TNW, TNC, MLUw, MATTR, and VocD). For RQ1, data were organised into three age groups (i.e., 4, 5, 6). Within each age group, the independent variable (IV) was the language group (i.e., monolingual or bilingual), and the dependent variables (DVs) were the macrostructural and microstructural metrics. For RQ2, data were organised by language groups. Within each language group, the IV was age, and the DVs were the macrostructural and microstructural metrics. MANOVAs were used as the analytical approach. There were significant differences in microstructural narratives between monolingual and bilingual children for the age 4, 5, and 6. However, no significant difference was found in macrostructural narratives between two language groups at ages 4 and 5, while significant differences were found at age 6 for story structure components. Furthermore, significant age effects were observed in monolingual children’s microstructural and macrostructural 4 narratives. For bilingual children, a significant age effect was only found in microstructural narratives, while their macrostructural narratives did not differ across ages. The current findings are generally consistent with previous studies, which show that monolingual and bilingual children differ in microstructural narratives while producing more similar performances in macrostructural narratives. Furthermore, the significant age effects found in this study are supported by previous research. The contribution of the current study is to provide an understanding of how Mandarin monolingual and bilingual children’s narrative development varies across ages. Additionally, this study adds to understanding of the development of narrative structures for non-Western monolingual and bilingual children. However, the limitations of this study, including unbalanced sample sizes, highlight the need for further research
Research data supporting 'Aerosol jet co-printing for flexible and conductive protein-metal electrodes'
No full textDatasets supporting the figures for the article "Aerosol Jet Co-Printing for Flexible and Conductive Protein-Metal Electrodes" published in APL Electronic Devices
Artificial intelligence and deskilling in medicine
Get PDFArtificial intelligence is increasingly being used in medical practice to complete tasks that were previously completed by the physician, such as visit documentation, treatment plans and discharge summaries. As artificial intelligence becomes a routine part of medical care, physicians increasingly trust and rely on its clinical recommendations. However, there is concern that some physicians, especially those younger and less experienced, will become over-reliant on artificial intelligence. Over-reliance on it may reduce the quality of clinical reasoning and decision-making, negatively impact patient communications and raise the potential for deskilling. As artificial intelligence becomes a routine part of medical treatment, it is imperative that physicians recognise the limitations of artificial intelligence tools. These tools may assist with basic administrative tasks but cannot replace the uniquely human interpersonal and reasoning skills of physicians. The purpose of this feature article is to discuss the risks of physician deskilling based on increasing reliance on artificial intelligence
Approaches to address the gap in research on energy use and racialization in the UK
Get PDFThis paper shares findings from research at the intersection of energy use and racialization — an under-researched topic in the UK. Existing literature can be further strengthened by emphasising the energy use experiences of those who are racially disadvantaged, the role played by structures in contributing to or addressing these disadvantages, and what achieving racial justice can look like, in the UK’s context. We sought to understand the reasons for this gap and identify potential approaches to address it in the UK, through semi-structured interviews, whose responses were analysed thematically and validated through a workshop. Participants for the semi-structured interviews (n = 27) and workshop (n = 45) were identified among energy and social researchers and practitioners in the UK. Interview questions explored reasons for the dearth in research, understanding the current state of energy and racialization research (at an experiential and structural level), and aspiring for racial justice in energy research (through a pluralistic definition of racial justice). Thematic qualitative analysis of the interviews, that were further validated by the workshop, revealed the following areas for further investigation—(a) Energy services where people demonstrably experience racialized disadvantages, namely in the built environment, transport, health, and food; (b) Processes through which racially disadvantaged people are disproportionately impacted by how the energy system is governed, especially with respect to norms around how energy use is managed, trust and acceptance of low-carbon technologies, and access to energy advice services; and (c) Methods to strengthen the evidence’s explanatory power in a non-extractive manner. The paper concludes with a call to further research about the diverse energy practices and needs of racially disadvantaged people, thereby challenging assumptions around an archetypal low-carbon energy consumer, and its implications for energy justice in the path to decarbonise
In the metaverse, politicians can hear you scream: corporate scandals, big tech regulation, and the microfoundations of focusing events
Get PDFAround the world, the growing power of giant technology firms has outpaced regulatory oversight, raising urgent questions about how public opinion can be mobilized in support of meaningful reform. When do broad coalitions emerge in support of stronger regulation? This study investigates corporate scandals as windows of opportunity – focusing events – that can galvanize public support for new regulations and amplify issue salience. To assess this possibility, we conducted a two-wave survey experiment that we fielded simultaneously in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. After collecting pre-treatment data in a separate, dedicated survey wave, our subjects were later assigned to read media coverage describing the 2018 Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal. The results confirm our preregistered hypothesis: in all four countries, exposure to scandal coverage significantly increases support for technology regulation and elevates the issue’s salience. Anger mediates this shift, and increased issue salience correlates with a greater willingness to engage in political action around technology policy. At a moment of heightened concern about the concentration of economic and political power in a handful of mammoth technology firms, these findings illuminate the microfoundations of how focusing events can break political inertia and catalyze regulatory reform