The authors discuss loose parts -- pipe cleaners, acorns, fabric, stones, and so forth -- as versatile materials not originally intended for children's play that they can manipulate, modify, and use in their play activities. The authors review the historical foundations of loose parts play, focusing on influential individuals and theories, and…

A small group (n = 11) of singers from the same community of musical practice in the UK participated in focus group workshops to reflect on their experiences of group singing in nature. The study found that group singing in nature was considered to be a (non-religious) spiritual practice that enhances participants' experience of both communitas…

This extensive bibliometric analysis examines Augmented Reality (AR) adoption and its effects on chemistry education from 2002 to 2023. AR's interaction, threedimensional visualizations of molecular structures and reactions prove as a promising method for chemical concepts that are ever-increasingly sophisticated and for educational methods that…

Research into the relationship between innovative physical learning environments (PLEs) and innovative psychosocial learning environments (PSLEs) indicates that it must be understood as a network of relationships between multiple psychosocial and physical aspects. Actors shape this network by attaching meanings to these aspects and their…

Background: Schoolyards and/or playgrounds are important settings for fostering children's social, cognitive, and physical development. Optimal schoolyard design is likely an important health-promoting and equigenic strategy, but prior research does not fully consider multiple dimensions of these spaces, such as vegetation, slopes, ground cover,…

On a daily basis, children make decisions about how to negotiate their physical environment. Sometimes they engage in physical tasks that involve risk, requiring them to judge the safety of how to negotiate the environment safely. Individual differences in children's age, sex, physical size, and personality may impact those decisions. We used…

This study aims to examine the temporal evolution and changes of research interests and trends in the educational augmented reality (AR) literature. To this end, 3718 articles published in the 2003-2022 period and indexed in the Scopus database were analyzed through machine learning-based semantic topic modeling and descriptive analysis. The…

Purpose: The study aims to explore factors that influence students' academic performance in the context of physical ergonomics and assess the mediating effect of motivation between lighting, noise, temperature, chair design and students' performance from the student's perspective. Design/methodology/approach: The research was categorised as a…

Animal welfare is increasingly understood to be a key component of sustainable agricultural production. Southeast Asia and India are witnessing an emerging market for cage-free egg production. To evaluate the economic sustainability of cage-free policies in the region, it is critical to understand how this transition will affect farmers' costs and…

Recent technologies, like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), have revolutionised education. Whereas AR brings the content to life in the real world, VR makes it completely digital, and MR is a blend of both the physical and virtual worlds. This paper discusses how virtual technology could be used in higher…

Classrooms, which were once a place of safety and stability, have changed in many ways due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They have been deep cleaned, rearranged, closed, reopened and, for many, moved online. But just how does the classroom environment impact on pupils' health, wellbeing and ability to learn? Ground-breaking research by Professor…

Background: The use or non-use of mobile technologies and social media in residential outdoor adventurous education (OAE) remains contested and generates an often-cited for-and-against argument in both theory and practice. Purpose: This qualitative study explored instructor perceptions of mobile technologies and social media in their practice as…

The devastating impact of COVID-19 on the mental health and well-being of individuals has led researchers to increasingly consider the importance of people-place interactions as drivers of positive mental health. This study explores people-place relationships with natural areas through the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on subjective well-being and…

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic's effects on college student mental health and its underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Although necessary, physical distancing abruptly restricts interaction with environmental rewards and disrupts sleep patterns, both of which may contribute to psychological symptoms (eg, depression and anhedonia).…

Internationally, over 60% of all lifetime cases of mental health disorders are identified as emerging by 25 years of age. In Australia, young people (aged 16-24 years) report the highest prevalence of mental health problems. Acceptability of mainstream services for young people is a concern, particularly for clients 18-25 years, heterosexual males…