Sustainable Learning in Education

The Relationships of Self-Sustained English Learning, Language Mindset, Intercultural Communicative Skills, and Positive L2 Self: A Structural Equation Modeling Mediation Analysis

Learning English as a second language (ESL) has garnered significant attention from researchers and practitioners over the past few decades, with numerous ESL learning outcomes examined in the literature. However, self-sustained learning (SSL), a crucial factor in promoting students' sustained learning and development within a sustainable society, has long been overlooked. To deepen the understanding of SSL, especially in the context of ESL in China, this study examined the direct and indirect effects of intercultural communicative skills, language mindset, and positive L2 self on sustained English learning among 1238 Chinese college students through descriptive statistics and a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) mediation analysis. The results indicated that Chinese college students exhibited a strong language mindset and positive L2 self. They also scored high in intercultural communicative skills and long-term self-sustained English learning. SEM analysis showed that, after controlling for students' demographic characteristics, both intercultural communicative skills and language mindset positively predicted positive L2 self and self-sustained English learning. Moreover, intercultural communicative skills and language mindset had significant and positive indirect effects on self-sustained English learning through positive L2 self, underscoring the significant mediating role of positive L2 self in the relationships between intercultural communicative skills, language mindset, and self-sustained English learning. These findings suggest that, to promote self-sustained learning among English learners, instructors should enhance students' intercultural communicative skills, foster a growth language mindset, and cultivate positive language learning beliefs.

Flexible Training Planning Coupled with Flexible Assessment: A 12-Week Randomized Feasibility Study in a Youth Female Volleyball Team

According to the Quality Education and Gender Equality ambitions established at the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals, we aimed to test the feasibility of a flexible planning and assessment process, using ongoing, bidirectional feedback between planning and assessment. Eighteen players (11.5 ± 0.5 years of age) from a U13 female volleyball team were randomized into an experimental group (in which the plan could be changed daily) or a contrast group (pre-defined planning, adjusted monthly). The pedagogical intervention lasted three months. Besides ongoing daily assessments from the training practices, the Game Performance Assessment Instrument was adopted as a starting point for the weekly assessments in 4 vs. 4 game-forms (i.e., the instrument was modified monthly based on feedback from the training process). Information from daily and weekly formal assessment was used in the planning of the experimental group, and monthly in the contrast group. Data suggested that pre-established and strict planning (even updated monthly) failed to fit current learner needs. Over 12 weeks, the pre-established planning suffered regular modifications in the experimental group, and the assessment tool changed monthly. In conclusion, both planning and assessment should be open and flexible to exchange information mutually, and support the design of tailor-made learning environments.

Attractiveness of Collaborative Platforms for Sustainable E-Learning in Business Studies

E-learning platforms have become more and more complex. Their functionality included in learning management systems is extended with collaborative platforms, which allow better communication, group collaboration, and face-to-face lectures. Universities are facing the challenge of advanced use of these platforms to fulfil sustainable learning goals. Better usability and attractiveness became essential in successful e-learning platforms, especially due to the more intensive interactivity expected from students. In the study, we researched the user experience of students who have used Moodle, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet. User experience is, in most cases, connected with a person’s perception, person’s feelings, and satisfaction with the platform used. Data were collected using a standard UEQ questionnaire. With this research, we examined whether user experience factors: perceived efficiency, perceived perspicuity, perceived dependability, perceived stimulation, and perceived novelty affect perceived attractiveness, which is an important factor in the sustainability of e-learning tools. The collected data were processed using SmartPLS. The research study showed that all studied factors have a statistically significant impact on perceived attractiveness. Factor perceived stimulation has the strongest statistically significant impact on the perceived attractiveness of e-learning platforms, followed by perceived efficiency, perceived perspicuity, perceived novelty, and perceived dependability.

Using Flowchart to Help Students Learn Basic Circuit Theories Quickly

College education, especially engineering education, is facing big challenges nowadays. Somehow, the gap between quickly developed modern technology used in every field and fundamental theories may discourage some students from continuing their studies in an engineering field. Most fundamental theories are taught in introductory courses in every field and are based on math, which is hard and tedious work to some students. Helping students to build a solid foundation of basic theories in engineering education not only aids students in the study of technical material but also keeps students interested in engineering education, which meets the requirement of sustainability and inclusivity in education. This article proposes a tool to help students quickly grasp basic theories in electronic engineering technology programs. It summarizes basic theories into a flowchart. Students can solve problems in DC and AC circuits following the flowchart with higher accuracy. The flowchart was used by different groups as a reference, and it helps students access to the material quickly according to student performance.

Earthquake Vulnerability Reduction by Building a Robust Social-Emotional Preparedness Program

Despite the progress made in understanding the characteristics of earthquakes, the predictions of earthquake activity are still inevitably very uncertain, mainly because of the highly complex nature of the earthquake process. The population′s mental strength is of high importance not only to cope with an earthquake, but also to return quickly to functioning. Social-emotional preparedness for extreme adverse events and crises is a critical factor in the population’s quick recovery and return to full functioning. In the present study, we apply a multi-disciplinary lens to extend the scope of earthquake preparedness to include social-emotional programs. The goal of this study is to develop a robust “no-regret” social-emotional preparedness program (SEPP) along with methodological tools for evaluating the SEPP robustness against uncertainty in different earthquake scenarios. The research methodology is twofold. First, we develop the SEPP based on social-emotional proxies-for-robustness, and second, we apply the info-gap decision theory (IGDT) methods to assess the robustness of the SEPP in the face of uncertainty in different earthquake scenarios. The findings indicate gaps between the level of robustness of the SEPP in different scenarios. A key conclusion that emerges from this study is the need for a robust SEPP to make a significant contribution to the population’s ability to return to functioning. Such SEPP should be formulated to maximize the robustness against uncertainty in different scenarios, rather than the traditional planning based on a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Formulating a robust SEPP by analyzing the robustness of the SEPP against uncertainty will enable to make decisions immune to surprises. Ways to create or improve earthquake preparedness are suggested for policy and in-school application.

Flipped Classroom and Gamification Approach: Its Impact on Performance and Academic Commitment on Sustainable Learning in Education

The onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic has negatively impacted sustainable learning in education (SLE). During city lockdowns, higher education institutes (HEIs) have transitioned from adopting solely traditional didactic classroom teaching to including innovative, flexible learning approaches such as flipped classrooms. Gamification is a new techno-pedagogy that has been integrated into flipped classrooms to promote learner achievement and engagement. Grounded in self-determination theory, the objectives of this exploratory study were to analyse the influence of the flipped classroom and gamification on SLE concerning learner achievement and engagement. Participants were recruited from postgraduate business education programmes in China, and three instructional interventions were applied for a semester of 10 weeks. The three instructional interventions applied were: gamified flipped classroom (n = 25), non-gamified flipped classroom (n = 24) and gamified traditional classroom (n = 19). A mixed-methods approach was used, and both quantitative and qualitative data were analysed. The results indicated gamified traditional classrooms promote learner achievement, and the gamified flipped classrooms promote learner engagement. Furthermore, learning culture, such as teacher-dependency, also influence learner achievement and engagement. The class observation reports and learner interviews suggested that both gamified flipped classrooms and gamified traditional classrooms support SLE in the time of academic uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic.

An Empirical Investigation of Reasons Influencing Student Acceptance and Rejection of Mobile Learning Apps Usage

Sustainable learning and education (SLE) is a relatively new ideology based on sustainability principles and developed in response to the United Nations’ recently proclaimed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As a result, technologies should be adopted to equip educational institutions with the tools necessary to attain SLE. Recently, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected educational systems globally, leading them to embrace more innovative technological methods to meet academic demands while maintaining SLE principles. Mobile learning apps (MLA) refers to using the unique capabilities of mobile apps to engage and collaborate towards establishing robust online learning. However, the effectiveness of MLA depends on learners’ acceptance. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that could affect MLA acceptance. In order to analyze the collected data from 415 Jordanian students among schools and universities, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used. The empirical findings confirm that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are significantly influenced by self-efficacy and perceived compatibility. Furthermore, perceived usefulness is significantly influenced by perceived convenience and perceived ease of use. Additionally, perceived enjoyment significantly influences the behavioral intention to use MLA. On the other hand, perceived compatibility has no significant influence on perceived enjoyment. Finally, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and perceived compatibility have no significant effect on behavioral intention to use MLA. This study addresses a critical research gap in the distance learning acceptance literature by proposing an exhaustive model in the post-COVID-19 era that can help to improve students’ performance and outcomes in Jordanian schools and universities.

Gamification as a Promoting Tool of Motivation for Creating Sustainable Higher Education Institutions

Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) are responsible for creating healthy and sustainable environments for students and teachers through diverse educational paradigms such as gamification. In this sense, the Healthy People 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals indicated the imperative to provide inclusive and equitable quality education to promote a healthy environment and life. The principal objective was to analyse the impact of gamification on health development in HEIs, highlighting their positive and negative effects. To achieve such an objective, a bibliometric analysis was carried out. The 257 documents showed no significant increasing trend in the last decade (p > 0.05) related to the pandemic. Most of the publications were conferences (45%), and the few published articles were the documents with more citations (p < 0.001). According to their index in Journal Citation Reports, there were significant differences between the citations of articles published in journals (p < 0.001). The analysis of journal co-citations showed that the leading journals (such as Computers in Human Behavior) had a significant part in the clusters formed (p < 0.001), conditioning also the keywords, especially the term “motivation”. These findings were discussed, concluding that the experimental studies focused on the teachers’ adverse effects are yet to come.

Digitainability—Digital Competences Post-COVID-19 for a Sustainable Society

The digitalization of societies, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, is an unstoppable process. This paper seeks to answer the question: what post-COVID-19 digital competences are needed for a sustainable society? It also aims to analyze the digitalization processes in education for shaping a sustainable digital society. A bibliographic search was performed on some of the most relevant international databases of scientific literature and the selected documents were analyzed through a content analysis. It is concluded that digital education has experienced a strong increase, reinforced by COVID-19, shaping the digital presence in all dimensions of life. However, it is not sufficient to assume that the new generations are naturally engaged in and can master digital social sustainability. The results demonstrate the importance of literacy and the unavoidable promotion of sustainability in a digital society. However, this digitalization of the educational process poses several challenges: it requires both software and hardware conditions, as well as digital literacy as a result of a complex of literacies. It also implies that teachers and students change their standpoints and practices with the attainment of new teaching and learning competences in order to fight the digital divide and to foster the widest possible social inclusion for the promotion of sustainable society—digitainability.

Differences in Learning Motivation among Bartle’s Player Types and Measures for the Delivery of Sustainable Gameful Experiences

Gamification is one of the methods used for delivering gameful experiences to Generation Z learners. The player-type theory must be reflected to effectively design gamification. This study aims to analyze the differences in learning motivation among different player types and to propose methods that can deliver effective gameful experiences. The study was conducted on 91 university students who were instructed to attend a class that utilized gamification. Based on the results, there were no statistical differences in the motivation among the different player types. Accordingly, constructing environments that can establish gameful experiences, rules, and strategies preferred by each type of player is proposed as an important factor in gamification design.

The Higher Education Sustainability before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Spanish and Ecuadorian Case

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are key to create sustainable higher education institutions (HEIs). Most researchers focused on the students’ perspective, especially during the online teaching caused by COVID-19; however, university teachers are often forgotten, having their opinion missing. This study’s objective was to determine the factors that contribute to the inclusion of ICTs. The research based on a comparative study through an online qualitative survey focused on the inclusion and use of ICTs in two HEIs and two different moments (pre-and post-lockdowns). There were differences regarding country and working experience (p < 0.001), being linked to the ICTs use, evaluation of obstacles, and the role given to ICTs (p < 0.05). The COVID-19 caused modifications of the teachers’ perspectives, including an improvement of the opinion of older teachers regarding the essentialness of ICTs in the teaching process (p < 0.001) and worsening their perception about their ICTs skill (p < 0.05). Additionally, an initial model focused only on the university teachers and their use of ICTs has been proposed. In conclusion, the less experienced university teachers used more ICTs, identified more greatly the problematic factors, and considered more important the ICTs, with the perception of all teachers modified by COVID-19.

Promoting Sustainable Creativity: An Empirical Study on the Application of Mind Mapping Tools in Graphic Design Education

The development of creative thinking and creative problem solving is an important part of modern sustainable education. In teaching graphic design, educators should ensure the cultivation of sustainable creativity among students. Creative thinking and program development can be facilitated with the help of effective thinking tools. Among the various thinking tools, mind maps represent an easy-to-use visual diagram-based divergent thinking tool. However, few studies have examined the impact of mind maps on sustainable creativity in the design discipline. Similarly, few empirical studies have been conducted to analyse deeply the functional structure of and a graphic design education based on mind mapping. This study aims to examine the relation between students’ use of mind mapping tools and sustainable creativity in implementing mind mapping-based graphic design activities with a sample size of 35 first-year design students. Through an empirical experiment, each student was asked to create a mind map and generate a new graphic design work based on the given experimental materials. The results showed that the mind mapping tool plays an important role in the pre-conceptualization phase of the design process. This tool can effectively help designers develop creative ideas, stimulate their minds, and help them maintain their creative energy and have a sustainable and innovative creative ability.