A Q-matrix is a binary matrix that defines the relationship between items and latent variables and is widely used in diagnostic classification models (DCMs), and can also be adopted in multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) models. The construction process of the Q-matrix is typically carried out by experts in the subject area of the items…

In this article, after delineating a Deweyan framework that reclaims the autonomy of education against any instrumentalization, while not curtly writing off the vocabulary of instrumentalism, I will address the question of the "what and what for" of education in reference to schooling and, more particularly, to an emerging emphasis on…

n this essay, Kevin Pugh, Dylan Kriescher, Simon Cropp, and Maaly Younis revisit the philosophical roots of transformative experience (TE) theory by explaining how the theory emerged from John Dewey's philosophies of aesthetic experience, intellectual experience, and educative experience. In doing so, the authors clarify the linkage between…

The constant and perennial plea by academics in the field to reform or change physical education share some similarities with the myth of Sisyphus from Greek mythology. Just as Sisyphus was condemned to an eternity of endless frustration of rolling an enormous stone up a mountain as punishment for trying to be too clever, we argue that if the…

This work relates L. S. Vygotsky's theory to the rhetorical and poetic pedagogy, which is a set of educational ideas and practices derived from the philosophical-educational tradition initiated by the Sophists. It is verified that the Vygotskyan concepts contribute to broaden the foundations of poetic and rhetorical pedagogy, presenting a…

The status of learning styles theory in educational studies is uncertain as we inhabit the liminal phase between the theory's death as proclaimed by educational psychologists who avow to have disproven it and whatever afterlife will follow. At this moment, with both past and future in view, that we have an opportunity to reflect on the…

Similar to joining comparative education and international education, bridging theory to practice is a hallmark of the field of comparative and international education (CIE). Despite the commonality of citing "theory to practice," a disconnect exists between comparativists who develop theories and practitioners who supposedly implement…

Background: School feeding programs' evaluation requires the measurement of food insecurity, a more objective indicator, within school in low-income countries. The Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF) uses subjective indicators to report school feeding coverage rates across many countries that participate in the global survey of school meal…

Various professional development activities including training workshops are organised annually for school leaders. However, there have been questions as to whether participants in training workshops do necessarily implement lessons learnt from such workshops in their schools. This study reports lessons from school leaders who were adjudged to…

A central concern that TL theory approaches but does not fully address is the process whereby an individual generates a more adequate meaning perspective after shedding an outmoded one. This article complements TL theory's account with a phenomenological description of the dangers and opportunities encountered on that quest. It employs the concept…

As the final piece of scholarship in the special issue, this paper pulls together data from the "Aboriginal Voices" project to analyse how Aboriginal students in Australia today experience schooling, particularly in relation to the futurity of their identity as sovereign First Nations Peoples. Using Decolonising Race Theory as a key…

Conspiracy theories express mistrust in common explanations and epistemic authorities. Independent of concrete content, the extent of endorsing conspiracy theories has also shown associations with interpersonal mistrust. Arguing from an evolutionary and error-management perspective, this increased interpersonal mistrust could either represent an…

Research suggests that a number of cognitive processes--including pattern perception, intentionality bias, proportionality bias, and confirmation bias--may underlie belief in a conspiracy theory. However, there are reasons to believe that conspiracy theory beliefs also depend in part on a failure to understand the probability of actual events…

Empathy is an important element of the social action, leadership, and transformation model for student leaders. Specifically, "critical empathy" is vital in developing group solidarity toward social-justice outcomes. In this article, we explain how we facilitate the development of critical empathy among student leaders in a co-curricular…

Item response theory (IRT) models typically rely on a normality assumption for subject-specific latent traits, which is often unrealistic in practice. Semiparametric extensions based on Dirichlet process mixtures (DPMs) offer a more flexible representation of the unknown distribution of the latent trait. However, the use of such models in the IRT…