This study explores the integration of multiple sign systems within the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) reading curriculum for undergraduates in Taiwan, addressing varied learning styles that are often overlooked by conventional curricular methods. The purpose is to investigate how incorporating semiotics can enhance learning engagement and…

In common with many other higher tariff universities in the United Kingdom, Durham University uses contextual data about the socio-economic circumstances of applicants to inform decisions about whom to admit to its undergraduate degree programmes. This paper draws on data for undergraduates who entered Durham University in the period 2018-2020 (N…

Specific learning and attention difficulties are often first identified in childhood, but they can cause lifelong academic and occupational challenges. We explored the prevalence of these difficulties and the representation of sex and ethnicity amongst all first-year students in United Kingdom (UK) higher education (HE) across 12 years--almost 5.7…

Objective: The current study aims to compare college adjustment and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on first-year students with and without ADHD. Participants: Two cohorts (pre-pandemic, during the pandemic) of first-year, undergraduate college students (N = 3,006; M[subscript age]=18.32) were recruited from a multisite research consortium…

Background: An increasing number of students are entering universities in South Africa with inadequate academic writing proficiency, displaying unsatisfactory academic writing literacy levels. Therefore, many academic literacy researchers in South Africa have argued that poor academic writing proficiency is a direct result of poor academic…

It is critical and urgent for China to enhance its young people's climate literacy through effective climate change education. However, little is known about Chinese college students' climate change education experiences and their knowledge of climate change. In this study, we surveyed first-year geography-major students (n = 437) from Central…

Background/purpose: The transition to tertiary education presents a critical adjustment period that demands adaptability and resilience from university students. In Malaysian universities, where English is the primary language of instruction, non-native English-speaking students often encounter difficulties in using the language effectively in…

This study explores the phenomenon of chain migration among university students from Sicily to central and northern Italy. Over recent decades, such trends in mobility have been growing. Utilising data from the Italian Ministry of University and Research and focusing on first-year students from the 2014 and 2017 cohorts, this work investigates…

Calculus is the foundation for any STEM degree, yet a large percentage of students fail calculus. Very little is known about the effect purposefully designed video games can have on STEM students studying calculus. The objective of this study was to analyze the impact a purposefully designed educational video game has on freshmen college students…

This study aimed to analyze the effect of blended active method (BAM) on blood pressure (BP) control learning, pretest stress and anxiety, and students' perceptions. With approval from the institutional ethics committee, two freshman Dentistry classes were assigned to either a traditional method (TM; n = 50) or BAM (n = 49) group. All students…

The transition into higher education (HE) is a "mega-scale" change in a student's life. Many of the needs and priorities of incoming students change year-on-year, fuelled by local and global instability. Relying on the traditional "induction week" approach to student arrival is no longer sufficient. We addressed this issue by…

Critical thinking is an essential skill in the age of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). GenAI affords dialectic argumentation, which provides opportunities for the development of critical thinking in argumentation (CTA). However, there was limited empirical evidence of how learners specifically utilize GenAI to construct argumentation.…

This article explores the complex relationship between gender, mathematical self-concept, and choosing to pursue a STEM degree program in Austria. Additionally, it evaluates the accuracy of mathematical self-perception relative to performance across genders. Employing quantitative methodologies including linear mixed-effects models, matching…

In this paper, we identify the use of Digital Storytelling (DS) as a mode of pedagogy aligned with an ethics of care. We consider how DS, as summative assessment, may foreground care ethics such as attentiveness, responsiveness, and trust. Our interest in this topic stems from our concern over the impact on staff and students of the massification…

This study examines the effect of item order (random, increasingly difficult, and decreasingly difficult) on student performance, test parameters, and student perceptions in multiple-choice tests administered in a paper-and-pencil format after online learning. In the research conducted using an explanatory sequential mixed methods design,…