EDUCACIONXX1 is a peer-reviewed, international academic journal dedicated to advancing the field of education through innovative research, theoretical studies, and practical applications. The journal focuses on modern educational challenges and opportunities in the 21st century, providing a platform for the exchange of ideas, methodologies, and findings that contribute to the improvement of teaching and learning practices worldwide.
Between Code and Classroom: The Unequal Promise of Artificial Intelligence in Global Learning
This study examines how artificial intelligence (AI)–powered personalized learning ecosystems shape educational equity and learning outcomes across four low-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, representing distinct levels of infrastructural and policy readiness. It explores the mediating role of pedagogical integration and the moderating effects of socioeconomic status and digital infrastructure on AI-enabled adaptive learning. Adopting a mixed-methods design, the research integrates large-scale learning analytics with qualitative insights from 60 interviews, 18 focus groups, and 24 classroom observations. Using Bayesian multilevel SEM and latent growth modeling, the study analyzes direct, indirect, and conditional effects of AI personalization on equity outcomes, supported by thematic analysis to contextualize implementation processes. Results reveal that AI-driven personalization improves learning equity when coupled with strong pedagogical integration and teacher facilitation. Learners from rural and low-income backgrounds show the largest gains under supportive socio-technical conditions. Cross-country comparisons emphasize the importance of policy commitment, infrastructure, and teacher digital competence. The findings propose a scalable framework for AI-enhanced learning equity, linking adaptive algorithmic design with human-centered pedagogy and inclusive educational development.
Copyright (c) 2026 Suleman Bawa (Corresponding Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Exploring the Influence of Servant Leadership on Organizational Commitment of College Counsellors
Does leadership come from service? Based on the job demand-resource model, this study examined the direct impact of servant leadership on university counsellors’ organizational commitment, as well as the mediating role of work engagement in this relationship. The study included 446 university counsellors from Zhejiang Province, China. Three measurement scales, specifically on servant leadership, organizational commitment, and work engagement, were employed. To analyze the correlation between these variables, a structural equation model was constructed using SPSS. Servant leadership positively impacted organizational commitment and work engagement, whose mediating role was also confirmed. This study proposes and validates an integrated model wherein college counselors' perception of servant leadership influences their organizational commitment. The findings hold both theoretical and practical significance and have implications for improving the work environment of counsellors through advocating servant leadership in management.
Copyright (c) 2026 Shengdong Xu (Corresponding Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
A Scoping Review of AI-Based Teaching and Learning Materials for Students with Disabilities
This scoping review, conducted in accordance with the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines, examines research trends and application characteristics of AI-based teaching and learning materials designed for students with disabilities. A total of 25 academic studies published over the past decade, between 2015 and 2025, were systematically identified and analyzed to map the scope of existing research, with attention to publication trends, instructional contexts, AI functions and purposes, application domains, target populations, and forms of implementation. The analysis revealed a rapid increase in related research after 2020, particularly following the widespread adoption of generative AI technologies. Across studies, AI-based materials were most frequently applied to support language-related learning, while applications in social-emotional learning, daily living skills, and physical activity were less common. The findings also indicate that many studies focused on examining the functional effectiveness of individual AI technologies, whereas fewer studies addressed the integration of AI within broader instructional designs and learning contexts. Overall, this review highlights emerging patterns and gaps in the current literature and underscores the need for context-sensitive, learner-centered design approaches when developing and applying AI-based teaching and learning materials for students with disabilities. The findings provide a foundation for guiding future research and instructional design in special education.
Copyright (c) 2026 Seohyeon Kim, Ye-Lin Kim, Seo-Jin Lee (Author); Seolhee Lee (Corresponding Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
The formation of contemporary higher education students’ spirituality through the prism of literature and philosophy
The article is dedicated to a theoretical exploration of the formation of spirituality among contemporary students in higher education through the lens of Ukrainian and Slovak literary and philosophical traditions, in a comparative context. The study focuses on three key issues: how literature and philosophy function as cultural resources for shaping students' spiritual values; which shared and distinctive axiological orientations are reflected in Ukrainian and Slovak literary-philosophical traditions; and what pedagogical potential the proposed conceptual framework holds in the contemporary sociocultural environment. The analysis is based on an interdisciplinary qualitative approach, including content analysis, philosophical hermeneutics, comparative and synthetic analysis of peer-reviewed scientific articles, monographs, and conceptual works in philosophy of education, literary studies, and cultural studies, as well as Ukrainian and Slovak literary texts from the late 19th to early 21st centuries that represent moral, ethical, and spiritual values. It has been discovered that integrating literary and philosophical approaches creates a productive conceptual framework for the formation of a holistic worldview in students, the development of their reflective practices, and the cultivation of their capacity for responsible moral choice. Ukrainian and Slovak traditions demonstrate shared humanistic orientations, including personal dignity, freedom, moral responsibility, and spiritual resilience, while also exhibiting culturally specific modes of realizing these values. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the proposed integrative conceptual framework, which synthesizes literary-interpretative and philosophical-educational approaches, providing a systematic understanding of spirituality as a multidimensional phenomenon in higher education. The findings underscore the role of the humanities in value-oriented personal development and demonstrate the pedagogical potential for implementing this concept through the integration of dialogical and extracurricular forms of engagement, literary clubs, and intercultural reading activities, which foster critical thinking, moral reflection, and self-awareness in students.
Copyright (c) 2026 Hanna Strohanova (Corresponding Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Promotion of Teacher Leadership in Chinese University under the Agenda of High-Quality Development ：A Case Study of a University in Nanjing
This study investigates the promotion of teacher leadership in the context of High-Quality Development (HQD) through an in-depth case study of a university in Nanjing. Based on qualitative data from an interview with one frontline teacher, it explores how teacher leadership emerges, is constrained, and can be enhanced at policy, organizational, and individual levels. The findings show that teacher leadership operates across multiple dimensions, including instructional leadership in curriculum and classroom innovation, collaborative leadership in cross-disciplinary teamwork, and cultural leadership in value dissemination. In addition to these visible practices, teachers exert influence through informal channels (invisible leadership) and sustain reforms through resilience. However, policy distortions create a “policy temperature gap,” organizational structures limit decision-making power, and individual role conflicts among research, teaching, and administrative duties undermine sustainability. To address these challenges, the study proposes multi-level strategies, such as refining assessment indicators and policy tools, institutionalizing trust and transparent resource allocation, strengthening faculty committees, and promoting data-driven reflection and project-based leadership. As an exploratory single-case study, this research seeks to enrich understanding of teacher leadership in Chinese higher education and to offer practical insights for policymakers, administrators, and teachers under the HQD agenda.
Copyright (c) 2026 Xianguo Wang (Corresponding Author); Suraya Amirrudin, Wang Shuai (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Augmenting Design Insights in Educational Qualitative Research: An Empirical Framework and Ethical Considerations for Integrating Generative
Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly entered educational qualitative research to support ideation, transcription, coding, and synthesis, particularly in design-informed user research. Yet empirically grounded guidance remains limited for integrating these tools without weakening interpretive rigor or breaching ethical obligations. Using a multiple-case study of four education-related teams and 12 semi-structured interviews, supplemented by workflow observations and document analysis, this study developed the Collaborative Insight Generation (CIG) Framework. Findings showed that AI served as a "brainstorming partner","preliminary theme explorer" and "report assistant" while introducing risks including prompt fragility, over-reliance, hallucinations, and reduced contextual nuance. The CIG Framework outlines four phases—Preparation & Scoping, Iterative & Interactive Analysis, Critical Synthesis & Validation, and Transparent Reporting & Archiving—prioritizing human-led inquiry and methodological transparency while embedding privacy protection, accountability, and audit-ready documentation across the research lifecycle. The framework advances educational qualitative research by translating human–AI collaboration into teachable practices for research training and supervision and by offering safeguards for ethically defensible insight generation.
Collaborative Insight Generation (CIG) Framework
Copyright (c) 2026 FAN ZHANG (Corresponding Author); Rainal Hidayat Wardi (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
‘Going Mad’ as Narrative and Resistance: Contemporary Chinese University Students’ Collective Interpretation and Meaning Construction of ‘Madness Literature’
This study examines the phenomenon of ‘Madness Literature,’ which is characterized by exaggeration, playfulness, and irrationality, and is gaining popularity among contemporary Chinese youth in cyberspace. This phenomenon is regarded as a significant expression of culture where the youth are in the process of dealing with structural pressures like ‘involution’ and ‘lying flat.’ Employing a core framework of encoding/decoding theory and everyday practices theory, with an affective sociology approach, the study conducted a June-August 2026 focus group interview with 26 university students and aims to explore how this group perceives and uses ‘Madness Literature’ while constructing their personal and shared meanings of such works. Reflective thematic analysis shows that ‘Madness Literature’ is a sophisticated mechanism of emotional coding in young people, acting as a personal safety valve for the emotions of an individual and a social connector as well. It is a highly contextualized day-to-day strategy, with university students being seen as ‘digital tacticians’ who execute differentiated movements across spaces and provide micro-resistance by poaching mainstream discourse. This in the end leads to a contradictory, suspended resistance identity which is between true madness and meme play, creating a symbolic posture that is both catharsis and futile.
Copyright (c) 2026 Zhaodan Nie (Corresponding Author); Lihua Cui, Jina Cao, Yunli Zuo (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Psychosocial training and university entrepreneurship in Andean worldview contexts
This particular research examined the impact of psychosocial training on university students’ entrepreneurial engagement, taking into account the Andean worldviews of Ayllu, Ayni, and Pacha, which promote reciprocity, community, and harmony with nature. The main objective was to determine the impact of psychosocial training on entrepreneurial participation thru extracurricular activities at a public university in northern Peru. The sample consisted of 222 respondents who were students in the Management program at the School of Management and Tourism. A quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design was employed, evaluating psychosocial entrepreneurial competencies across the seven dimensions of Interest, Value, Educational, Disposition, Intention, Action, Mentorship, and Expectations. The results revealed significant effects on entrepreneurial participation (Z = 18.1139; p < 0.000, r = 0.54) and improvements in motivation, value, educational, action, entrepreneurial, and mentorship dimensions, with a large effect size (r² ≈ 29.2%). Therefore, the study results indicate that psychosocial training, in a culturally situated context, advocates for a transformational pedagogy based on Andean principles that promotes community and sustainability.
Copyright (c) 2025 César Hernán Norabuena-Mendoza (Corresponding Author); Eva Delfina Zarzosa Márquez, Carlos Humberto Chunga-Antón, Lorenzo Rafael Valderrama Plasencia (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
The Role of Metacognitive Cultural Intelligence in Academic Adaptation of Junior College International Students in Guangxi, China: The Mediating Effects of Academic Self-Efficacy
Based on an integrated theoretical model, this study proposed a mediation model examining the relationships among metacognitive cultural intelligence, academic self-efficacy, and academic adaptation. A survey was administered to 412 international students from five public higher vocational colleges in Guangxi, China. After validating the measurement model using established scales, the hypothesized relationships were tested via Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling in SmartPLS 4.0. The results show that metacognitive cultural intelligence is not significantly directly associated with academic adaptation, but is significantly positively associated with academic self-efficacy. Academic self-efficacy, in turn, is significantly positively associated with adaptation and fully mediates the relationship between metacognitive cultural intelligence and academic adaptation. These findings clarify an important theoretical mechanism—that metacognitive cultural intelligence supports adaptation primarily through strengthening academic self-efficacy. The study highlights the critical roles of both constructs in promoting international students’ academic adaptation, suggesting that higher vocational colleges should develop structured programs to systematically enhance students’ metacognitive cultural awareness and self-efficacy, thereby facilitating their academic integration and success.
International and Cross-cultural Education
Copyright (c) 2026 Xiaoying He (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
A Philosophic Inquiry Against the Rigidity of Eurocentric Research Scholarship Towards Afrocentric Epistemology
To some extent, the Western tradition of conducting research has become quite more rigid and dominant in academia, and that brings unnecessary challenges to the Afrocentric epistemic inquiry.The qualitative desktop study seeks to argue against the rigidity of Western research traditions and in favour of including Afrocentric methods within African IKS research/ inquiry.The problem of language use with the Eurocentric approach to the African indigenous knowledge has compounded to the level of blocking the proper referencing of the oral epistemic conveyance of research. The study objectives included exploring the Western research methodological principles for deeper understanding, explore the nature of challenges that African researchers face when conducting IKS inquiry in Africa, a discursively exploration of the ontological differences between African and Western indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) and a critically exploration of the dangers involved in keeping the Western methodological orthodox while conducting IKS research in Africa during the decolonisation era, and an analytically argue that African scholars must adopt and endorse the Afrocentric decolonial research methods suitable for African IKS inquiry. The significance lies in its critical examination and challenge of the dominant Eurocentric paradigms in research and philosophy, advocating instead for the recognition and incorporation of Afrocentric epistemology as an authentic and autonomous framework. This leads researchers into a situation whereby some of the claims to present Indigenous Knowledge System (IKS) while lacking proper Afrocentric reference to the collaborators in research studies. The current study purposively seeks to challenge African scholarship that fails to be Afrocentric in the presentation of research due to some Eurocentric claims of scientific orthodoxy. Ubuntu theoretical framework was adopted for the desktop qualitative study with the aim to argue for the Afrocentric reform in (IKS) research. The study concluded that the rigidity of the Western tradition of conducting research proves to be problematic as its methods contradict the Afrocentric inquiry into the unwritten literature.The major finding of the study hlights that the rigidity of Eurocentric formatting in research hinders the Afrocentric presentation of African indigenous knowledge, and that necessitates a need to revisit the traditional research presentation in African IKS studies. The study seeks to contribute significantly to the literature by suggesting new methods of presenting African IKS as well as less acknowledged epistemic methods that fall outside the Eurocentric orthodox.
Copyright (c) 2025 Mohammed Xolile Ntshangase (Author); Limkani Sincuba (Corresponding Author); Chrise Mutano (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Teacher Professional Development under China’s Double Reduction Policy: A Systematic Review with a Framework-Informed Thematic Refinement
This study examines how China’s Double Reduction Policy (DRP) shapes teacher professional development (TPD) in schools. Following PRISMA, we searched ERIC, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and CNKI (July 2021–February 2024); 62 records were screened and 28 studies were included. Using Kemal’s four domains (personal, contextual, external, resource) as an analytic scaffold, we conducted a framework-informed thematic refinement. The synthesis identifies recurrent DRP-salient themes: empowerment (most frequently reported across the corpus), teacher well-being, competitiveness, and teacher development approaches and evaluation; additional but less frequent themes include explicit policy directions, holistic collaboration, and supervision. Together, these indicate that empowering teachers and aligning development/evaluation with DRP aims are central levers for sustained TPD, alongside protecting well-being and coordinating actors across levels. Practical implications include protecting weekly PD time, aligning evaluation rubrics with DRP goals, granting middle leaders decision rights/micro-grants, and monitoring administrative load to prevent burden shifts.
Teacher Education and Professional Development
Copyright (c) 2025 Yanyan Miao, M Akshir Ab Kadir, Jagdeep Kaur, Sean T. H. Lee (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Revisiting Parental Educational Involvement Through the Lens of Family Resource Allocation: Evidence from Non-Only Child Families
Children with siblings often face disadvantages in acquiring resources and fostering personal development due to intra-family competition. Therefore, this study examined whether parental involvement in education differs between only-child and non-only-child families, focusing on family resource allocation. Survey data from 4,403 parents in Hangzhou, a first-tier city in China were analyzed using OLS and PSM regression analysis, including 2,040 parents of non-only children and 2,363 parents of only children. The results reveal that, compared to parents of only children, parents of non-only children exhibit significantly lower levels of home-based involvement (H1a, p < .001), indicating a negative effect of sibling presence on home-based involvement. While no significant differences are observed in school–family communication or in-school participation (H1b and H1c, p > .05). Both family economic capital and cultural capital are positively influence parental educational involvement among non-only-child families (H2, p<0.001). Parental educational expectations and parenting stress also exert significant positive effects on home-based involvement (H3, p<0.001), with the average marginal effect on home-based involvement being greater than that of other predictors. These findings suggest that sibling presence influences different dimensions of parental involvement, partially supporting the theory of resource dilution while also suggesting a compensatory effect through intra-family resource sharing. Moreover, economic and cultural capital may reshape home-based educational resources, with parents from disadvantaged backgrounds facing greater challenges in balancing educational involvement and fertility decisions.
Copyright (c) 2025 Gaojun Shi (Corresponding Author); Xiaolan Mo, Gaojun Shi (Author); Jianwei Li (Corresponding Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Becoming "Unexpected Elites": A Qualitative Study on Academic Identity Formation in a Non-Elite Chinese University
Challenging institutional determinism in stratified higher education systems, this qualitative study draws on Pierre Bourdieu's concepts of field, capital, and habitus, complemented by Anthony Giddens' structuration theory, to examine how master's students at a non-elite Chinese university construct an elite academic identity despite structural constraints. Through semi-structured focus group interviews with 10 high-achieving elite master's students at an engineering university in western China, this study investigates how they negotiate academic success within a marginal institutional context, focusing on: 1) their construction of academic identity amid institutional marginality, 2) emotional drivers and pressures underlying elite identification, and 3) the emergence of a collective sense of belonging. The findings reveal that "unexpected success" often arises from low external expectations tied to non-elite educational backgrounds, with participants’ achievements catalyzing doctoral aspirations, directed toward Double First-Class universities. While participants demonstrated pride and agency through these accomplishments, their quest for elite recognition simultaneously reinforces structural inequalities within China's stratified academic system. The study argues that cultural capital can be strategically generated and validated beyond elite institutions, illuminating the dynamic interplay between structure and agency. As a result, the findings highlight the need for non-elite universities to challenge internalized narratives of mediocrity and to legitimate peripheral excellence as a meaningful form of academic achievement.
Copyright (c) 2025 Zhaodan Nie (Author); Seon-Joo Kim (Corresponding Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Interactive Effects of Pride, Shame, and Guilt on Foreign Language Learning Motivation and Willingness to Communicate
This study examined how self-conscious emotions—pride, shame, and guilt—relate to English learning motivation and classroom willingness to communicate (WTC) among 472 Chinese non-English-major undergraduates. Validated questionnaires measured foreign-language pride, L2 shame and guilt, learning motivation, and classroom WTC. Correlational and regression analyses were used, and mediation and moderation analyses were conducted. Results indicated that pride strongly predicted higher learning motivation, and motivation fully mediated pride’s positive effect on WTC. Guilt also increased motivation and showed a smaller direct positive association with WTC. Shame produced an inconsistent pattern: it slightly increased motivation but directly reduced WTC. Pride did not significantly buffer shame’s negative effects. Overall, pride and guilt functioned as activating emotions that supported engagement and communication, whereas shame mainly suppressed willingness to communicate. These findings suggest that fostering authentic pride while mitigating shame can enhance EFL classroom communication.
Copyright (c) 2025 Lili Wang (Author); Jianshan Cheng (Corresponding Author); Yanxuan Yang (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Evaluating the reliability and validity of ChatGPT5 in assessing CFL and NC students’ Chinese writing: A preliminary study
This study examined the reliability and validity of OpenAI’s GPT-5 for evaluating Chinese students’ writing in CFL (Chinese-as-a-Foreign-Language) and NC (Native Chinese) contexts using generalizability (G-) theory. The writing samples consisted of 36 HSK-6 writing samples, assessed by ChatGPT5. G-study results showed that persons accounted for 93.54% of variance in CFL scores and 80.63% in NC scores, indicating ChatGPT5 effectively distinguished between writing proficiency levels. D-study analysis revealed that ChatGPT5 achieved high reliability coefficients with just a single rater (G-coefficient = .95 for CFL; G-coefficient = .81 for NC). The results indicated high reliability for both student groups, with G-coefficients being greater than .80. In addition, ChatGPT5 generated substantial qualitative feedback and feedback relevant to the language domain, which is particularly useful for CFL learners. Even though there were no significant differences indicated for feedback in the content or organization aspect. In summary, ChatGPT5 demonstrates reliability and validity as an additional assessment tool that can provide relevant feedback based on consistent scoring that can be used to support student development in writing. Overall, the results indicate that ChatGPT5 can be a valid tool for classroom-based assessment of CFL writing.
Copyright (c) 2025 Rong Wang, Jinyan Huang, Ziying Qin, Yuehan Wang (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Understanding and Enacting Education Policy Reform: A Grounded Theory Study of Chinese Educators’ Responses to the Double Reduction Policy
This study theorizes how Chinese junior high school leaders and teachers understand and enact the Double Reduction Policy (DRP). Using procedural grounded theory, interviews with 24 educators (12 leaders, 12 teachers) from four public junior high schools across Eastern (e.g., Jiangsu) and Southern (e.g., Guangdong) China, the analysis identifies a recursive loop comprising policy understanding, enactment routines, stakeholder impacts, and experiential feedback. This study contributes to policy enactment theory by identifying stakeholder impact as a mediating mechanism that recalibrates educators’ understanding through experiential feedback. The model also specifies a boundary condition: under high-stakes selection, mixed or asymmetric payoffs are likely even when school-level enactment is coherent. Cross-national parallels (Japan, Korea, Singapore) underscore the roles of stakeholder signals and evaluation/selection alignment. Practical implications highlight transparent homework policies, high-quality after-school options, and teacher professional development focused on task design and home–school communication.
Copyright (c) 2025 Yanyan Miao (Corresponding Author); M Akshir Ab Kadir, Jagdeep Kaur (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Development and initial validation evidence for a dual degree student satisfaction scale in an EFL context
In recent decades, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education in Chinese higher education has faced several significant challenges, including difficulties in graduate employment. In response, Chinese universities have implemented English dual degree programs to improve students’ educational outcomes and employability. This study developed and validated a 27-item Dual Degree Student Satisfaction Scale (DDSSS) to assess Chinese EFL students’ satisfaction with these programs. The sample consisted of 583 undergraduate students from six dual degree programs at a Chinese university. Both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted to validate the scale. The results indicated that the DDSSS demonstrated strong psychometric properties, with CFA indices: χ² (df) = 836.58 (314), RMSEA = 0.076, SRMR = 0.055, CFI = 0.903, and TLI = 0.891. The internal consistency was high, with an overall Cronbach’s alpha of 0.958. The scale’s four factors—English degree curriculum and teaching, second degree curriculum and teaching, learning environment, and learning resources—were found to be valid and reliable. Educational implications for improving dual degree program design include enhancing support for learning resources, refining interdisciplinary curriculum integration, and promoting student engagement through extracurricular activities. Further research is recommended to validate the DDSSS in different educational contexts and explore longitudinal effects on student satisfaction and career outcomes post-graduation.
EFL (English as a foreign language) major education
Copyright (c) 2025 Chaolian Tu, Jianshan Cheng (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
A national study investigating strategies to cope with challenges in learning English as a foreign language: A Chinese college student perspective
This national study examined the coping strategies of 1,528 Chinese college students in response to challenges encountered in learning English as a foreign language (EFL). The study utilized a survey comprising a five-point Likert scale self-evaluation and three essay questions addressing students’ challenges, coping strategies, and self-assessment practices. The results revealed that students developed 24 specific strategies across eight key areas of EFL learning: listening, speaking, reading, writing, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and culture. Notably, 48.4% of participants reported using specific strategies to improve their listening skills, while 39.1% focused on improving their speaking proficiency. The study extends prior research by providing national-level data on EFL coping strategies, offering insights into the frequency and diversity of strategies employed across various language skills. These findings have important implications for both Chinese college students and their English teachers, highlighting the need for targeted instructional strategies in different EFL areas. Future research should explore the long-term effects of these strategies and their application in different educational contexts.
Copyright (c) 2025 Chen Cheng, Jinyan Huang, Yingying Ruan (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
The impact of community of inquiry presences on university students’ learning outcomes: Mediating role of self-regulated learning and moderating effect of knowledge-seeking intentions
This study examines the impact of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework — teaching presence (TP), social presence (SP), and cognitive presence (CP) — on university students’ task performance (TKP) and online learning satisfaction (OLS). Using a moderated-mediation model, the research explores how self-regulated learning (SRL) mediates these relationships and how knowledge-seeking intentions (KSI) moderate them. A survey of 726 university students from diverse institutions in China was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and Hayes’ PROCESS Macro. The results revealed that all three CoI presences positively influence SRL, which significantly enhances both TKP and OLS. KSI moderates the effects of TP and SP on learning outcomes through SRL, but does not significantly affect the CP-TKP/OLS relationships. These findings highlight the critical role of SRL in online learning environments and emphasize the importance of fostering knowledge-seeking behaviors to maximize the effectiveness of teaching and social presences. This study contributes to online pedagogy by offering actionable insights for educators and instructional designers to enhance student engagement and satisfaction, while also suggesting areas for future research, such as exploring the role of cultural differences and individual learner characteristics. The study’s limitations, including its cross-sectional design, suggest that future longitudinal research could provide more definitive insights into causality.
Copyright (c) 2025 Ping Huang, Jinyan Huang, Jai Kumar (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Impact of Green Energy Education on University Students’ Attitude, Behaviour Intention and Actual Engagement in Green Energy Practices
The current research investigated the impact of Green Energy Education (GEE) on developing positive behaviors towards green energy among university students in in China, in recognition of the crucial role of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in attaining Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs. The study targeted to analyze initiatives taken by HEIs in offering Green Energy Education (UIGEE), Students’ Attitude Towards Green Energy Education (SAGE), Behavioral Intention towards such activities (SBIGE), and Students’ Actual Engagement in Green Energy Activities (SAEGE). The present study employed cluster sampling, involving 306 valid responses collected from university students in China using an online questionnaire. SEM-AMOS analysis was employed to study the interrelationships among the variables. Empirical results showed that green energy education offered in universities, and students’ attitude towards GEE significantly affects students’ actual engagement in green energy activities and also has a significant influence on SAEGE. Moreover, UIGEE indirectly impacts SAEGE through SBIGE. Overall, the research highlights the significance of offering green energy education in HEIs and fills a literature gap in HEIs' green energy education implementation.
Copyright (c) 2026 Huang Xiaozhen (Author); Priyakrishnan Muthukrishnan (Corresponding Author); Chinun Boonroungrut, Suma Parakaharan, Loo Fung Lan (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
College Students' Dyslexia Self-Assessment, Awareness, and Experiences
Dyslexia presents complex challenges that extend beyond reading and writing, affecting both academic achievement and emotional well-being. Many students with dyslexia struggle not only with the condition itself but also with understanding and evaluating their own experiences. This study, grounded in Duval and Wicklund’s Self-Awareness Theory, used a mixed-methods design to explore how students perceive their condition, assess their struggles, and cope with its effects. Seventy-nine freshmen from five institutions, selected through stratified random sampling, participated in the study using pretested survey questionnaires and focus group discussions. Findings revealed that while general difficulty levels were low, specific areas such as public speaking, memory retention, and handwriting posed moderate to high challenges. These results aligned with Self-Awareness Theory, suggesting that students often evaluated their performance against their internal self-image. Qualitative data reinforced this, revealing emotional barriers like embarrassment and frustration, alongside a strong desire for improvement. Students with greater self-awareness adopted coping strategies such as daily reading, self-acceptance, and consistent practice, demonstrating how self-awareness fosters positive behavioral change. In contrast, some participants showed limited understanding of their condition, reflecting varied levels of awareness and self-perception. The study highlights the need for interventions that address both academic and emotional dimensions, promote effective coping strategies, and cultivate self-awareness in more inclusive learning environments.
Copyright (c) 2025 Ariel San Jose (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Peer assessment in CFL writing classrooms: An empirical study examining reliability, effectiveness, and teacher acceptance
This study investigated the role of peer assessment in Chinese-as-a-foreign-language (CFL) writing classrooms by examining its reliability, effectiveness, and teacher acceptance. Twelve CFL students and six experienced teachers participated as assessors, scoring 20 CFL essays holistically and providing qualitative feedback on content, organization, and language. The findings revealed that while peer assessors showed lower initial reliability compared to teacher assessors (G-coefficients: .53 vs. .66), groups of two to three peer assessors achieved reliability comparable to that of a single teacher assessor. Peer assessors provided qualitative feedback that was as effective as teacher feedback, particularly in areas of content clarity and organizational structure. Teacher acceptance of peer assessment was positive, with all interviewees supporting its use and recognizing its benefits. These results suggest that peer assessment, when properly structured, can be a valuable tool in CFL writing classrooms, enhancing student engagement and improving writing outcomes.
Copyright (c) 2025 Jinyan Huang, Diandian Liu, Rong Wang (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Evaluating ChatGPT4o as a teacher assessment aid: Reliability and feedback in EFL speaking classrooms
This study examines the potential of ChatGPT4o as a teacher assessment aid in EFL speaking classrooms, with a focus on its reliability in holistic and analytic scoring and the usefulness of its qualitative feedback. Thirty EFL speech samples from Chinese university students were evaluated by both ChatGPT4o and four experienced EFL speaking teachers. The results showed that while ChatGPT4o consistently provided detailed feedback across the domains of accuracy, fluency, and complexity, its scoring reliability was slightly lower than that of the human assessors. The teachers expressed a range of views on the adoption of ChatGPT4o, acknowledging its ability to deliver comprehensive feedback but also highlighting concerns about its accessibility, cost, and lack of contextual understanding. Despite these limitations, the study suggests that ChatGPT4o can be a valuable complemenatary tool for EFL speaking assessments, particularly in enhancing feedback delivery and scoring consistency. However, it is recommended that ChatGPT4o be used alongside human judgment to ensure a balanced and effective assessment approach. These findings have important implications for EFL teachers considering the integration of AI tools into their classroom practices, emphasizing the need for careful implementation and consideration of local contextual factors.
Copyright (c) 2025 Yan Zhang (Author); Jinyan Huang (Corresponding Author); Yanan Deng, Jun Yan, Zhen Li (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Validating a Measure of Formative Assessment Practices in University English as a Foreign Language Classrooms
While formative assessment has been greatly promoted worldwide, a lack of a valid and reliable instrument for gauging learner-perceived teacher formative assessment practices in subject-specific classrooms may hinder formative assessment research. This study presents the development and validation of the Teacher Formative Assessment Practices Scale (TFAPS) in a College English course context through a series of rigorous validation procedures. Data were collected from 737 non-English major undergraduate students enrolled in a College English course. Confirmatory factor analysis and multi-group confirmatory factor analysis supported a 22-item five-factor structure of the TFAPS: 1) Sharing learning objectives and assessment criteria; 2) Engaging students in questioning and discussion; 3) Providing feedback; 4) Activating students as instructional resources for one another; and 5) Activating students as the owner of their learning. In addition, correlations between the five TFAPS factors and autonomous motivation,reading engagement, and willingness to communicate supported the concurrent validity of the TFAPS. Measurement invariance analysis further showed that the five-factor structure of the TFAPS remained invariant across gender. These results suggest that the TFAPS is a valid and reliable measure of student perceived formative assessment practices in the College English teaching context. Pedagogically, teachers can use the TFAPS to survey students’ satisfaction with these assessment practices while researchers can employ the TFAPS to examine the relationship between formative assessment practices and student academic outcomes.
English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching
multi-group confirmatory factor analysis
Copyright (c) 2025 Zhengdong Gan (Corresponding Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Examining ChatGPT5’s performance in EFL writing assessment and teacher acceptance in Chinese college English classrooms
Using univariate and multivariate generalizability (G-) theory, qualitative feedback analysis, and follow-up teacher interviews, this study assessed ChatGPT5's holistic and analytic scoring reliability, feedback effectiveness, and teacher acceptance in Chinese English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) classroom writing assessments. Thirty CET-4 (College English Test-Band 4) essays from non-English major students were scored holistically and analytically (with time intervals) by ChatGPT5 Auto and ChatGPT5 Thinking, and by four college English teachers. They also provided feedback on the essays at the levels of language, content, and organization. Finally, teachers were interviewed about their acceptance of ChatGPT5 in their college English classrooms. The findings showed that ChatGPT5 Thinking consistently achieved higher scoring reliability that ChatGPT5 Auto and human raters. Both ChatGPT5 versions provided more comprehensive feedback than teachers, particularly in content and organization. Teachers viewed ChatGPT5 positively as a complementary assessment tool, but highlighted the need for combined feedback, better accessibility, and improved usability. Implications for Chinese college English teachers and their students to adopt ChatGPT5 in EFL writing classrooms are discussed.
univariate and multivariate generalizability (G-) theory
Copyright (c) 2025 Wa Hong (Author); Jinyan Huang (Corresponding Author); Yaxin Dong, Chen Cheng, Jun Yan (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Development of an AI-Based Digital Textbook Prototype for Students with Physical Disabilities
This study aimed to present a concrete development model of an AI-based digital textbook for students with physical disabilities, grounded in special education teachers’ needs and design principles derived from prior research. A Design-Based Research (DBR) methodology was employed, and prototypes were developed and evaluated through two iterative cycles. At each stage, the process of design, expert review, and evaluation was conducted to derive the final version. In the first cycle, an initial prototype was created that incorporated pre-diagnostic assessment, level-differentiated learning activities, real-time feedback, and evaluation functions, and was revised based on expert feedback. In the second cycle, improvements were made by refining diagnostic functions and adjusting task difficulty. The final prototype integrated pre-, in-, and post-class learning functions, providing personalized pathways, adaptive content delivery, and real-time analytics dashboards. These findings demonstrate the potential of AI-based digital textbooks to support customized learning tailored to students with physical disabilities. Unlike existing assistive digital materials, this study presents an empirically validated design model that connects AI-driven adaptivity with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, offering practical implications for inclusive education. The originality of this work lies in bridging AI-based personalization with special education contexts, establishing foundational design principles for future development across diverse disability types.
Copyright (c) 2025 Seolhee Lee, Kyoeun Myung (Author); Gayoung Lee (Corresponding Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Global perspectives on students’ use of AI tools in academic writing: An international faculty comparison
This study examined university instructors' perceptions of the ethical considerations surrounding students' use of AI tools, such as ChatGPT, in academic writing, with a comparative focus on China, America, Canada, and Pakistan. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the research gathered data through a 10-item Likert scale survey and open-ended questions, targeting 266 instructors across 68 universities. The analysis centered on three key themes: ethical responsibilities, academic integrity, and the impact of AI tools on students' originality and critical thinking. Findings revealed significant culture and contextual differences in how instructors view the role of AI in academic settings. Chinese instructors emphasized the importance of fairness, transparency, and ethical education, while instructors from Americ, Canada, and Pakistan highlighted concerns about academic dishonesty, intellectual property, and the potential for AI tools to hinder critical thinking. Despite these concerns, some instructors acknowledged the potential benefits of AI when used responsibly. The study highlighted the need for clear institutional guidelines and educational policies that address the ethical challenges of AI in academic writing, ensuring that these tools enhance learning outcomes without compromising academic integrity. The findings have significant implications for teachers, students, and institutions in navigating the evolving landscape of AI in higher education.
Copyright (c) 2025 Han Gao (Author); Jinyan Huang (Corresponding Author); Jai Kumar, Shahbaz Hussain, Thomas Sheeran (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Does AI peer assessment work in L2 writing? Investigating evidence from CFL classrooms
This study evaluated the role of ChatGPT and DeepSeek in enhancing peer assessment in Chinese-as-a-foreign-language (CFL) writing classrooms, focusing on the scoring reliability and actionability of feedback provided by ChatGPT-4o and DeepSeek-R1 compared to human peer assessors. A sample of 32 CFL learners from six universities in China participated, tasked with condensing a 1000-word narrative into a 400-word essay, mirroring HSK-6 writing assessment conditions. Ten peer assessors, ChatGPT-4o, and DeepSeek-R1 evaluated the writing samples. Using a univariate G-theory framework, this study analyzed both score variability and reliability, revealing that ChatGPT-4o and DeepSeek-R1 provided highly reliable and consistent scores, outperforming human peer assessors. Qualitative analysis of feedback showed that ChatGPT-4o and DeepSeek-R1 offered more detailed and actionable feedback than human peers. These findings suggest that AI tools like ChatGPT-4o and DeepSeek-R1 can significantly enhance the assessment process in CFL writing classrooms by providing reliable scores and actionable feedback, thus benefiting both CFL students and instructors. The study also discusses the implications for CFL learners and their Chinese instructors.
CFL (Chinese-as-a-foreign-language) writing
Copyright (c) 2025 Meng Shi (Author); Jinyan Huang (Corresponding Author); Patrick Whipple (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Assessing the Impact of Education on Women’s Empowerment: The Case of District Abbottabad, Pakistan
Education is widely acknowledged as a fundamental catalyst for empowering women, fostering socio-economic progress, and enhancing decision-making abilities, adaptability, and overall quality of life. This study explored the role of education in empowering women in Abbottabad District, Pakistan. Abbottabad was explicitly chosen due to its higher female literacy rate in the province and its geography, which exhibits socio-economic diversity and cultural constraints. To capture both numerical trends and in-depth personal experiences, this research adopts a mixed-methods design, integrating quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis. A pragmatic research approach was employed, using purposive sampling to recruit 130 respondents. Data was collected through structured questionnaires and scheduled interviews, with secondary data obtained from various academic journals, reports, and relevant institutional publications. The analysis of descriptive statistics and thematic methods revealed that 95% of respondents considered education a critical factor in women’s empowerment, significantly influencing their social and economic development. Chi-Square values and p-values indicate that the education level of women significantly affects their social empowerment in terms of decision-making power (χ2=6.02, p-value=0.025) and freedom of movement (χ2=6.93, p-value=0.016). Chi-Square values and p-values further demonstrate that the education level of women significantly affects their economic empowerment in terms of access to the job market (χ2=3.34, p-value=0.089) and equal opportunities (χ2=3.74, p-value=0.077). Women with higher education, such as Graduate or Postgraduate degrees, were found to have better job access and decision-making power. Interestingly, older women with lower educational levels had more influence in social and economic decisions, particularly regarding property matters. The findings highlight that while education is indispensable, other socio-cultural factors also contribute to shaping women’s empowerment.
Copyright (c) 2025 Salwa Haroon (Author); Dr Arif alam (Corresponding Author); Dr Kanwal Rubab, Mahnoor Rizwan (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
The impact of college students' social anxiety on human-machine trust: The mediating role of perceived intelligence and the moderating role of psychological anthropomorphism
This study aims to investigate the influence of college students' levels of social anxiety on the establishment of human-machine trust during interactions. Additionally, the mediating role of perceived intelligence and the moderating role of psychological anthropomorphism will be investigated. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 596 Chinese college students using the Interaction Anxiety Scale (IAS), the Intelligence Scale for AI (ISAI), the Human-Machine Trust Scale (HMT), and the AI Psychological Anthropomorphism Scale. The analysis was conducted using a moderated mediation model based on the Bootstrap method. The results show: 1. Social anxiety exhibits a significant positive correlation with human-machine trust; both social anxiety and psychological anthropomorphism significantly and positively predict perceived intelligence. 2. The perceived intelligence significantly mediated the relationship between social anxiety and human-machine trust. 3. The psychological anthropomorphism moderated the effect of social anxiety on perceived intelligence, such that higher psychological anthropomorphism tendencies weakened the positive predictive role of social anxiety on perceived intelligence. This study not only validates the applicability of CASA theory among individuals with social anxiety in China, but also reveals how those experiencing social anxiety within the Chinese cultural context develop their cognition of and trust in AI technology. It provides both theoretical foundations and practical insights for developing human-computer interaction systems tailored to local sociopsychological characteristics.
Copyright (c) 2025 Zihan Li (Corresponding Author); Ciming Cai, Liwei Wu (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0