Big ideas, sometimes referred to as key, core, fundamental or threshold concepts, are widely applicable concepts at the heart of disciplines that are or have been central and influential for their fields. Attention here is particularly directed to meta-concepts common to sister disciplines in the sciences. "Learning thresholds",…

The growth of the Chinese language in African countries and African students' consequent flocking into Chinese higher education are both emergent phenomena. This partly explains the lack of empirical research on this body of student migrants and their Chinese language learning. This paper applies Watkins' theorisation on pedagogic affect to…

The paper explores the efforts of Kerala to align its undergraduate education with global standards and competence through the introduction of the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUGP) in the realm of curriculum reforms. The paper highlights the significance of curriculum reforms in the context of transforming the State of Kerala into a…

In considering how to bring joy back to education and the curriculum in England, I argue that it is also necessary to bring the joy of teaching back to classroom practitioners. A fundamental contribution to this may be leadership typologies employed by schools' senior leadership. As an experienced secondary English teacher, over the last 20 years…

Curiosity states benefit memory for target information, but also incidental information presented during curiosity states. However, it is not known whether incidental curiosity-enhanced memory depends on when incidental information during curiosity states is encountered. Here, participants incidentally encoded unrelated face images at different…

This contribution evaluates opportunities and challenges concerning the conception and utilization of visuals in current German geography textbooks from multidisciplinary theoretical perspectives. The designer's point of view, with insights from visual communications, information design, user experience design, and instructional design, will be…

In this article we develop the idea that there exists a unique educational love and that it moreover can be identified as essential to education. First, developing Arendt's claim that education is about the existing generation introducing newcomers to the world, we argue that the object-side of educational love is not the student, but first and…

In order to consider the relation between interest and curiosity, we first review various points of view on this issue, and discuss the scientific importance of making a distinction between the two concepts. Next, we explain that interest defined as a psychological state and as a cognitive and motivational variable can be supported to develop.…

Whether an adult is motivated or unmotivated to learn depends on the actual learning experience. To further our understanding of English as a second language (ESL) learners and their language learning experience, this paper delves into the intricate realm of learning resistance. Ultimately, we seek to provide a comprehensive perspective on…

In line with trends in sport management education that have encouraged a transition from traditional forms of passive and depersonalized learning to active and motivated learning, this essay draws on theoretical and applied insight to provide sport management educators with actionable information related to gamification. In educational contexts,…

This text critically examines traditional methodologies for teaching grammar in the context of Portuguese as a Foreign Language (PFL). It proposes an alternative, eclectic approach, which can be used in any foreign language. Drawing on evidence from research and pedagogical practices, it highlights areas for improvement in current approaches, such…

Previous research on open-mindedness, whether by critical thinking researchers, philosophers of education, or intellectual virtue theorists, has not sufficiently addressed the challenge posed by cognitive bias, particularly motivated reasoning. How can students develop their open-mindedness when they are often motivated to preserve their prior…

Age-classes are a salient feature of modern schooling. Yet how did age-grouping come to prevail in entire school systems? And how was this form of grouping related to educational and pedagogic discussions at the time of its emergence? The article addresses these issues by looking at the historical context within which age classes came to a…

In this paper, I present and discuss the findings of an intentional and systematic inquiry into the learning motivation of university master's students taking the same course in online and classroom-based formats during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through capturing the students' motivation using Keller's Instructional Materials Motivation Survey at two…

There seems to be a broad agreement that curiosity is important in education. However, current research often seeks to answer the question of how best to nurture curiosity and fails to ask the normative question of why this should be done. A closer look reveals that the reasons for justifying the importance of curiosity vary, with some theorists…