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“Talk to me about the LEGO!” A Qualitative Exploration of Autistic Students’ Experiences with LEGO-Based Therapy
LEGO-Based Therapy (LBT) is a play-based social skills intervention which is being employed widely in schools across the UK to support autistic students’ social and emotional wellbeing. However, the existing literature lacks insight into how the children themselves experience and benefit from this intervention. Furthermore, there is a need for research that engages with under-represented autistic individuals (e.g., those with accompanying cognitive, behavioural and language difficulties). The following study explored autistic students’ experiences with LBT and aimed to answer whether and how this intervention supports their social and emotional wellbeing in school. The experiences of 14 autistic students with accompanying cognitive, behavioural or language needs (Nfemale = 2, Mage = 10.14 , NCaucasian = 5) from an independent special school in London were captured using video-recorded semi-structured interviews. Multimodal qualitative analysis yielded three key themes: i. Students have positive experiences with LEGO, ii. Majority of students have positive experiences with LBT, and, iii. LBT helps the majority of students and they have suggestions on how it can be better adapted to support them. These findings and the methodology are discussed and emphasise that in order to better represent the entire spectrum of needs in the autistic community in school-based research, future research can use mixed-method approaches which promote positive rapport so neurodivergent children and young people feel empowered to share their experiences through a medium which supports their needs.
The Relationship Between Depth of Vocabulary Knowledge and Chinese Non-English Majors’ L2 Lexical Inferencing Strategy Use and Success
The present study aims to explore the correlation between Chinese non-English majors’ depth of vocabulary knowledge (DVK) and their lexical inferencing strategy use and inferential success in English as a foreign language (EFL) reading comprehension. With Qian and Lin’s DVK framework (2020) and Nassaji’s classification of the lexical inferencing strategies (2003) as the theoretical foundation, this mixed methods study investigates 40 third-year non-English major participants, who are categorised into the low-intermediate DVK level (LIL) group and the high-intermediate DVK level (HIL) group. The major findings reveal that: (1) The HIL learners adopted more strategies of word associations, discourse knowledge, and world knowledge, while the LIL learners chose more strategies regarding homonymy, morphology, and sentence-level grammatical knowledge. (2) The HIL learners made more effective use of all types of strategies. However, when both groups utilised the strategies of word associations and sentence-level grammatical knowledge, the difference in their inferential success was not remarkable. (3) Participants’ different choices on strategy use were mainly caused by their understanding of vocabulary meanings and lexical collocations. The LIL learners tended to be attracted to the sound relationships, word forms, and sentence structures, whilst the HIL learners were adept at internalising mnemonic techniques, contextual clues, and their common sense, and thus they focused more on the relationship between unknown words and the whole text. (4) The HIL learners’ inferential success was attributed to both their richer accumulation of vocabulary meanings as well as collocations and their higher degree of risk taking in lexical inferencing. Findings of this study may help Chinese college English teachers effectively with the training of English vocabulary and reading by offering pedagogical implications for non-English majors’ DVK improvement and lexical inferencing strategy development.
Teaching Activist Thinking in Canadian Education: The limitations of play-based learning and radical potential of Indigenous land-based learning
Amidst a climate crisis induced by settler colonialism and capitalism, education is key to developing new tools and envisioning solutions. Fostering skills for children to critically engage with systems of power is fundamental to how the next generation will address urgent global issues. Drawing on decolonial methodologies outlined by Linda Tuhiwai Smith (2012) and Zoe Todd (2016), I question whether play-based models are successful in teaching activist thinking in Canada. As an educational framework, play-based learning is gaining interest, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic that required children to adapt to outdoor learning. Forest Schools Canada is one example that claims to revolutionize how children interact with the natural world to develop eco-stewardship skills in an age of ecological collapse. However, I find that mainstream play-based methods are not necessarily radical when examined alongside Indigenous land-based learning. Both frameworks prioritize intergenerational relationship-building, immersive storytelling, and hands-on learning outdoors, but the intention behind Indigenous land-based learning is inherently decolonial and anti-capitalist by necessity; conversely, play-based learning can inadvertently perpetuate these damaging systems. Using auto-ethnographic professional experience, governmental policies, and Sandra Harding’s (2016) work on standpoint theory, I critique current examples of Canadian play-based education concerning their effectiveness in teaching activist thinking. I rely on Indigenous scholars in New Zealand and Turtle Island to inform academic theories of land-based learning with examples, supported by interviews with former Indigenous colleagues in eastern Canada. My narrative-like writing and inclusion of practice-based methodology—two video conversations—deviates from traditional qualitative research to foreground relationships consistent with the frameworks I discuss. Though play-based learning shows limited promise in deconstructing harmful structures of power, especially within established western contexts like public schools, storytelling has potential to generate meaningful change if layered with intention, such as naming root causes, linking to current affairs, and inviting creative solutions through play.
A Review of the Literature on the Role of Non-formal Education in Promoting Girls’ Education in South Asia
Many girls in South Asia face significant barriers in accessing education. However, non-formal education (NFE) programs are sometimes able to address or work around these barriers to reach and teach girls who would otherwise be unable to attend the traditional school system in their region. This study provides a comprehensive review of peer-reviewed, scholarly articles about NFE and girls’ education in South Asia to describe the strengths and weaknesses of NFE programs in reaching these girls. First, it provides a thorough explanation of what NFE is and the primary actors involved in its deliverance. Next, it identifies common barriers to education faced by girls in South Asia, including distance to schools, conflict, conservative cultural norms and practices, and inappropriate or irrelevant curricula. Then, it briefly describes some challenges that NFE programs face in delivering education to girls in South Asia, such as concerns relating to sustainability and proper certification for learning. It suggests that future NFE programs should focus on these shortcomings and highlights the lack of attention to educational quality compared to educational access in NFE research and programming.
Transitions, Truth-Telling and Teaching History
Employing Visual Narrative to Alternate Readers’ Perspective: A Case Study of Boxers & Saints
Over the recent decade, interdisciplinary research in literature has witnessed a burgeoning interest in visual narratives such as picture books and comics. Despite some scholars’ acknowledgement of their transformative value, the field still remains debatable as others question the universality of visual language. This study uses Boxers & Saints as an example to join this debate and explore the effects that visual techniques can produce in readers. Boxers & Saints is a graphic novel created by Gene Luen Yang, which depicts the racial and ethnic conflicts during the Boxers Movement. By employing unique and creative artistic techniques such as the diptych form, contrastive colour palettes and visual braiding, Yang intends to help readers alternate between double perspectives and see the connection between the two seemingly opposing sides, thus developing a more nuanced way of thinking about the historical past and conflicts. Drawing upon reader-response theory and a cognitive approach to comics, this study conducts empirical research to investigate how and to what extent comics can help readers lay aside their preset beliefs and alternate between different perspectives. By conducting interviews with two participants—a Chinese and a British Catholic—and studying their responses to the selected panels in the book, this study questions the take-for-granted universality of visual language and reveals how preset beliefs influence the way they switch between different perspectives. The study ends with implications for future interdisciplinary research in comics and literature: what ethical considerations future researchers should attend to while doing interdisciplinary research in literature, what specific questions can be asked for future research regarding the cognitive approach to visual language, and how to tailor the research design for specific questions.
The Role of Inhibitory Control in Achievement in Early Childhood Education
This review paper explores the relationship between academic achievement in early childhood education and inhibitory control, namely students’ ability to regulate behaviour, emotions and thoughts to complete specific tasks. The majority of research in this area has focused on achievement in mathematics, literacy or a combination of both. Despite the recent uptake of ‘whole child’ focused education initiatives, few studies explore social-emotional learning, or all three areas collectively, a gap this paper aims to address. This paper offers a comprehensive review of previous research on inhibitory control and achievement to highlight areas of focus for future research and provide a theoretical basis for study design. The review draws on articles published in the English language and systematically compares research methodologies to elucidate the choices made by researchers. The findings indicated correlations between inhibitory control and the three areas of early childhood education, mathematics, literacy and social-emotional learning, although causation is not established. Hot inhibitory control, involving emotion or an external motivator, was found to be closely related to social-emotional learning and cool inhibitory control, limited emotional and an abstract motivator, with mathematics and literacy. Notably, emergent literacy varied by the language spoken by students. A look at the measures and samples used revealed that purposefully employing inhibitory control measures that align with real-world classroom activities may provide greater insight into the relationship between achievement and inhibitory control. The findings of this paper pose significant implications for research, policy and practice, especially with the recent uptake of social-emotional learning by education programs, as they reveal how inhibitory control relates to students’ ability to thrive in early childhood education settings. In the light of these findings, it is important for educators and researchers to consider how inhibitory control may in itself, be considered a goal of early childhood education.
L2 Motivation and Identity in Chinese Students Learning a Second Language
This literature review explores the evolving landscape of L2 motivation, emphasizing the interplay between motivation and identity among Chinese students studying a second language. From Gardner to Dörnyei, the review traces theoretical developments, highlighting the significance of ideal and ought-to selves within the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS). Integrating empirical findings, it reveals how Confucian-influenced societal norms shape Chinese students’ motivations, particularly in English versus Languages Other Than English (LOTE) contexts. Given the large numbers of Chinese students learning languages abroad and in China, the review emphasizes the need for further research into the dynamic relationship between identity and motivation in multilingual environments, with Chinese learners as a focal point.
Rethinking the Significance of Creative Writing: A Neglected Art Form behind the Language Learning Curriculum
In many countries, including China and the UK, creative writing is seen as a subject within the broader area of first language learning. Embedded within language learning, creative writing therefore appears very functional. Teachers often pay more attention to the technical writing skills but neglect emotion and creativity. However, many researchers argue that emotion and creativity should be the core elements when seeing creative writing as valuable for its own sake, as an art form. This essay will draw on the argument that we should rethink the significance of teaching creative writing as an art form. As the author had educational experience in both the UK and China, this paper will mainly use the examples in the UK and China to explore the following questions: in what ways can we see creative writing as an art form and why is it educationally valuable? What is lost in a functional view of creative writing and how does it contribute to language learning? These answers will address the democratic nature of art education, the role of aesthetics in generating creativity and motivation for language learning. From the perspective of democracy, creative writing is a significant way for self-expression and voice of freedom. From the view of aesthetics, aesthetic experience takes an important role in generating emotion and creativity, which helps personal growth rather than only working on the skill-based learning. Another perspective is that creative writing can help students generate motivation in language learning by giving them more space and time for self-expression and helping them experience the beauty of language, which corresponds to the democratic and aesthetic factor.
Mindful Parenting and Adolescents’ Behaviour Problems: The Moderating Role of Family Structure
This present study investigated the associations of mindful parenting with adolescents’ externalising and internalising problems in Chinese families and explored the moderating role of family structure. The sample included 134 Chinese parents (64.9% mothers; 23.1% single parents) aged 33 to 55, whose adolescents (56.7% girls) ranged from 11 to 16 years old. This study employed a cross-sectional survey on Qualtrics. Parents’ levels of mindful parenting and adolescents’ behaviour problems were measured with parent-reported items. Data were analysed using hierarchical linear regressions. As expected, quantitative results suggested that mindful parenting was significantly negatively associated with Chinese adolescents’ externalising and internalising problems. Contrary to the prediction, since this study found no interaction effects between family structure and mindful parenting on Chinese adolescents’ externalising and internalising problems, family structure did not moderate any associations of mindful parenting with Chinese adolescents’ behaviour problems. The study extended empirical studies to Chinese adolescents and offered fresh insights into potential variances in the influence of mindful parenting on adolescents from dual-parent and single-parent families. Furthermore, the study contributed policymakers and Chinese secondary schools to designing evidence-based mindful parenting training programmes
Expanding the Horizons of the Referentiality Approach
Making Sense of Special Schools from Sociological Perspectives
Jumping out of the Fishbowl. Swimming to the Sea: Scholars’ Reflexive Agency in Shaping Global Opening Research System
This essay argues that scholars have the agency to reshape the research cultures of the global research system they are in. However, their agency cannot independently generate, just like the constraining fishbowl and its single-type water that the fish live in, the dynamics of scholars to jump out of the fishbowl and swim to an open ocean of knowledge not only demand their criticality and reflexivity of perceiving what their water is like but also should be guaranteed by an enabling structure aligning with the values of an ecological global opening science system. Firstly, to explain the dynamics of agency, the essay discusses the interdependent relationality between researcher-agency interaction and multipolarised structural and cultural changes in global sciences. Then, the study explains three stages for the scholars to act their agency in participating in global science by comparing and contrasting the analogies of ‘fish jump to another fishbowl’ and ‘fish jump into the ocean’ to call for the scholars’ agential imaginary of the global opening science system. The study shows the implications of critically recognising the university scholars’ reflexive agency as the autonomous foundation of the global science system, and envisions the supportive multi-level structure and ecological research cultures for empowering pluralistic knowledge as global common goods.
Early childhood education in India: A possible investment in better outcomes? A quantitative analysis using Young Lives India
This paper explores the relationship between early childhood education and academic outcomes for children in India by estimating the ability of preschool participation at age 5 to predict results on major cognitive assessments at age 12. Initially looking at differences in means, it moves on to utilise regression analysis first in an uncontrolled model, and then in a model which controls for both gender and maternal education, as these have been deemed important inputs for academic attainment in the wider literature on human capital development. The sample used for this research is constructed from Young Lives (India), which from 2002 to 2017 surveyed two cohorts of children across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, with a pro-poor sampling strategy. Surprisingly, the results of the analysis find that participation in early childhood education had a negligible effect on test scores, even when controlling for gender and maternal education. Meanwhile, maternal education emerged as a strong predictor of test results. These findings contradict much of the existing evidence that demonstrates associations between early childhood education and cognitive development, and, in turn, improved economic outcomes. Accordingly, it raises questions about the generalisability of the existing evidence and the quality of India’s ECE offering. The premise, method and findings of this paper are divided into nine sections, including an introduction, an explanation of Human Capital as the paper’s conceptual framework, a literature review, an overview of the context of ECE in India, a section on the paper’s data and variables, a methods section, an overview of the results, a discussion, and conclusions.
Marginalisation and the Voices of Gypsy/Traveller Girls
A Review of Gender Representation in Primary School Textbooks in India
The curriculum is regulated by the sociocultural aspects, political ideologies, values and morals of the ecosystem it is created in. When the ecosystem is a South Asian country like India, especially post-colonisation, the hyper focus on nation building led to clearly differentiated gender roles to protect the moral and cultural integrity of the state. The purpose of this review is to critically explore the existing literature to understand how gender is represented in primary school textbooks in India. The review highlights the temporal and historical evolution of gender-based curriculum reforms in India while illuminating patterns in the literature through themes such as visibility, portrayal and intersectionalities of gender. This review is restricted to the last 25 years, following the National Education Policy of 1986. Subsequent to this policy introduction, textbook analysis became more commonplace. Additionally, the review addresses the potential impact caused by such textbooks and recommendations made by various Indian researchers are also highlighted in this review.
A pilot study of autistic and non-autistic adults’ systemizing in a learning task using observational measures of attention, misunderstanding, and reasoning
This pilot study compared autistic (N = 15) and non-autistic (N = 19) adults in a systemizing (physics reasoning) task using observational measures of attention, reasoning, and communication. Autistic adults mentioned more non-salient details (autistic; M = 4.43, non-autistic; M = 0.89) and had a greater ratio of attention to non-social versus social stimuli (autistic; M = 5.70, non-autistic; M = 3.27). Misunderstandings were more frequent (autistic; M = 2.07, non-autistic; M = 0.47) and longer (autistic; M = 64.63 seconds, non-autistic; M = 5.89 seconds) for autistic adults. However, the form of reasoning employed in the task was similar for both groups. The results suggest that the autistic adults experienced the task differently and had more difficulties. Implications for inclusive educational environments are discussed. This pilot study is presented to encourage a larger scale study using these novel methods.
Embodied meaning making: A case study investigating the use of gesture in the responses of year 1 children to a wordless picturebook
This research paper explores how embodied communication modes affect the dialogic meaning making of year 1 children when responding to wordless picturebooks. Through observing the paired interactions of children, it appears that children are able to use gesture to navigate between intra-dialogic and inter-dialogic meaning making. A review of the literature identifies talk as a key strategy for meaning making (Mercer, 1994; Alexander, 2011). However, the theory of multimodality is used to support the claim that attention should be paid to how children use embodied modes, specifically gesture, as part of meaning making. It is suggested that this is of significance to year 1 children as they have recently experienced the Early Years Foundation Stage, which supports the use of multimodal resources and responses. Methodologically, this research paper is rooted in qualitative, naturalistic inquiry. This approach was selected for its ability to allow for ‘thick description’ of complex interactions (Geertz, 1993). The research design involved a small-scale, theory-seeking case study that used unstructured video observations. This resulted in multimodal data. Inductive coding, influenced by constructivist grounded theory, was applied to the gestural content of the data. These codes were then grouped into themes that suggested how children used embodied modes to manage space, identify narrative entities, make connections across those entities and to imagine beyond what is immediately present in a visual text. The latter two themes involve creative ‘possibility thinking’ (Craft, 2000). The prominence of creative ‘possibility thinking’ makes a case for recognising the value of embodied modes as part of meaning making for year 1 children. However, it is recognised that the research presented is preliminary and the field of embodied meaning making in primary schools deserves further research.
What are the benefits of extended writing in mathematics education?
Evaluating the impact of technology-supported personalised learning interventions on the mathematics achievements of elementary students in India
Technology-supported personalised learning (TSPL) refers to the use of technology to personalise a learner’s experience by adjusting the pace and relevance of content based on the learner’s age, capability and prior knowledge (FitzGerald et al., 2018). Although technology has been epitomised in creating personalised and effective learning experiences for students, there are perennial debates on its role in enhancing quality, productivity and learning (Payal Arora, 2019; Zierer, 2019). This review explores the effectiveness of TSPL on the mathematics achievements of elementary students in India. This review argues that while evidence on using TSPL at scale to benefit all learners remains mixed and inconclusive, with continued iterative research, TSPL holds promise in serving learners’ needs irrespective of achievement level or socio-economic background. In doing so, this review outlines an agenda for future research to improve the efficiency, reach, and effectiveness of TSPL. This involves gaining a deeper understanding of whether TSPL works best as either a supplement or substitute in classrooms and the impacts of doing so in different quality schools. Mechanisms around how TSPL interventions can operate via low-tech mechanisms to better serve low-income communities and to advantage students of all learning abilities are also explored.
Self-Directed and Self-Regulated Learning in Professional Development (SDRL-PD): An Integrated Paradigm
In the context of a changing economic landscape, perpetual learning is essential for career advancement. This study introduces an integrated framework termed Self-Directed & Regulated Learning in Professional Development (SDRL-PD), which synthesises the principles of Self-Directed Learning (SDL) with those of Self-Regulated Learning (SRL). While both constructs address ownership and agency in learning, this framework calls for the complementation of SDL’s emphasis on learners’ exercised control over learning trajectory with SRL’s focus on the management of specific tasks to improve learning outcomes. This paper provides a review of the existing literature relating to SDRL-PD, which includes an examination of the processes and the identification of factors that influence SDL and SRL. It proposes a need for a conceptualisation that ties SDL’s macro-level focus on learning trajectory with SRL’s micro-level focus on learning processes. Three directions for future research were highlighted: a deeper examination of existing SDL and SRL models, the integration of learning constructs relating to PD, and the development of validated measurement tools. Such advancements will foster a greater understanding of SDRL-PD, ultimately promoting more effective professional development practices.
A Preliminary Small-Scale Enquiry into Student Agency in a Master of Fine Arts Programme in Hong Kong: An Ecological Perspective
As research on student agency in higher education gains popularity, a gap remains in investigating university student agency from an ecological view. In Hong Kong, despite the increasing number of Creative Writing programmes in higher education institutions, there is a lack of recent research from the students’ learning experience. The present study investigates the agency of five graduate student-writers who were enrolled in a Master of Fine Arts programme in Creative Writing in English at a university in Hong Kong during the 2021- 2022 academic year, with data collected one year after their graduation. Adopting an ecological framework, the study poses two research questions: How do student-writers explain their agency, and what forms of agency are emerging? A qualitative research method is used, with data obtained primarily from semi-structured interviews, supplemented by my autoethnographic experience, where I position myself as a creative writer in Hong Kong, as additional evidence. The findings reveal that student-writers become aware of the multilingual nature of their environment and act by means of this environment rather than merely within it. Past experiences play a crucial role in enabling student-writers’ agency, while contextual situations—such as the multilingual environment and materials in Hong Kong—interact with students as they take actions during the learning process. Theoretically, this study demonstrates the applicability of using the ecological perspective in interpreting university students’ agency. Pedagogically, it underscores the importance of a contextualised environment and materials in fostering student agency. Although the study includes only a small group of students, it holds implications for advancing the theorisation of the Creative Writing discipline and research into student agency from an ecological view in university settings. For future research, arts-based research methodologies could be adopted to shape both a critical and creative research.
Age-related changes in sustained attention for older children from high poverty communities in the USA
Sustained attention influences academic achievement because maintaining focus on a task for an extended period supports the acquisition of new skills. Investigating the development of sustained attention has been an important topic in educational and psychological research. This study includes secondary analysis of data collected as part of a larger project that provided opportunities for children to learn chess after school. This study analysed data related to sustained attention, which was measured by the Continuous Performance Task across one academic year in a predominantly African American sample. This sample consists of 149 participants (n = 66 females, M age = 9.57 years, SD = 0.89 years) attending schools in high poverty communities in the USA. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to examine changes in sustained attention in ethnic minority students from high poverty areas using a longitudinal design. A repeated-measures ANOVA was used to conduct statistical analysis. The results indicated that participants’ performance on the sustained attention task improved significantly from the beginning to the end of the school year. Although past studies have examined changes in sustained attention in children using this same task, no studies have used a repeated-measures design in ethnic minority samples. These findings demonstrate the possibility that sustained attention improves continuously in children, despite the difficulties associated with growing up in high poverty environments.
Speaking Through a Dead Bird: Using Art for Emotional and Communicative Accessibility in an A-level Classical Literature Classroom
This paper explores how the viewing and creating of art improved accessibility for students with emotional and communicative learning needs in an A-Level classical literature classroom. Motivated by my own classroom, a review of the literature reaffirmed concerns that students with special education needs/disabilities (SEND) - in particular autism spectrum condition and anxiety - are at a disadvantage in being able to demonstrate the key skills required by the A-Level Classical Civilisation exam board. The literature review also demonstrated that although art therapy has seen great success in improving accessibility, this success has not yet been integrated as part of a curriculum-based intervention. This small-scale, action research project realised a teaching sequence developed by both participant and researcher, that saw students examine Homer’s Odyssey through active engagement in visual art. Findings suggested that using art as an exploratory mode improved accessibility for students with emotional and communicative learning needs, and henceforth improved their ability to demonstrate their understanding in line with the exam specification. However, the findings also raised further research questions of how educators can allow for emotional differentiation in the classroom. The project champions the inclusion of people with disabilities into the discussion of accessibility, sharing the experience of participants with SEND and myself as an author with disabilities.
Understanding Special School Provision for Children with Severe Learning Difficulties in Relation to Inclusive Education