Effective social studies education involves inquiry into and discussions of controversial social and political issues and difficult topics. In the current polarized political climate, exemplified by the emergence of divisive concepts legislation, the ability of social justice-oriented social studies teachers to provide highly effective instruction…

As democracies have deteriorated worldwide, understanding preservice teachers' perceptions regarding teaching about the 2020 US presidential election helps teacher educators better guide them to make informed and intentional pedagogical decisions for democratic education. Through a survey study, we found that early childhood and elementary…

This study delves into the intricate dynamics of controversial issues in environmental education, challenging conventional notions. It explores the relationship between "controversy" and the field of environmental education, elucidating its multifaceted dimensions in and ambitions of teaching practice. In dialogue with previous research…

This essay elaborates on the notion of risk in relation to democratically challenging situations in education. This refers to situations in which liberal democratic values are potentially challenged, such as in teaching about controversial issues and in moments of expressions of hurtful speech, which can create in teachers an ambivalence for how…

Educational-theoretical discussions of open-mindedness and closed-mindedness focus on the moral benefits and hazards of these dispositions in pedagogical encounters with the new and hitherto alien. Such discussions often employ spatial metaphors of openness and rely on politically safe examples to illustrate ambiguous enactments of open-mindedness…

Our climate is changing due to anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases from the production and use of fossil fuels. Present atmospheric levels of CO[subscript 2] were last seen 3 million years ago, when planetary temperature sustained high Arctic camels. As scientists and educators, we should feel a professional responsibility to discuss major…

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to widespread changes in the ways teaching and learning take place under the pandemic. This has affected more significantly pre-service teachers, as they did not have the opportunity to experience their practicum period in a 'normal' context. Therefore, the aims of this paper are: (1) to explore how pre-service…

This study looked at the effectiveness of differentiated learning in enhancing students' mathematical outcomes by incorporating varied content, processes, and products. Employing a mixed-methods experimental design, the research hypothesized that differentiated instruction significantly influences students' performance in mathematics exams. The…

In recent years, a number of controversies related to climate change, racism and Black Lives Matter, and gender and sexual diversity have characterised public debate in Australia about politically charged content in schools. This paper explores one jurisdiction's "Controversial Issues in Schools" policy through three broad areas of…

This study aims to determine misconceptions about interphase, a basic phase in the cell cycle and to address those misconceptions. Meristem cells in plants, stem cells in animals, spermatogonia and oogonia cells, and some cells with partial regeneration ability do not lose dividing ability. However, normal tissue cells other than these are in the…

Sex and sexuality are complex, multi-faceted topics. Sexuality educators and practitioners often face challenging dilemmas with few ethical decision-making models available. While there are professional codes of ethics for sex educators, there are no practical models to inform an educator's ethical decision-making in professional situations. This…

Sexual health education experienced by lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth varies widely in relevancy and representation. However, associations among sexual orientation, type of sex education, and exposure to affirming or disaffirming content have yet to be examined. Understanding these patterns can help to address gaps in LGB-sensitive sex…

Digital advances in the learning space have changed the contours of student engagement as well as how it is measured. Learning management systems and other learning technologies now provide information about student behaviors with course materials in the form of learning analytics. In the context of a large, integrated and interdisciplinary Core…

The design and implementation of assessment is one of the main challenges for university teachers, who claimed needing more and better professional development courses in such area. Our study aimed to analyse at a nationwide level how public universities (N = 50) design and implement their assessment professional development courses and…

Procrastination is a widespread phenomenon in higher education. Recently, specific aspects of the higher education course context have been theoretically linked to procrastination. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to integrate specific course characteristics (e.g., feedback structure, social norms, clarity of assignments), examine in…