Issue, No. 30/2025

Abstract The Romanian national curriculum sets the general framework for organizing teaching-learning-assessment processes but does not always explicitly reference outdoor education. This analysis seeks to identify the extent to which school curricula support or limit lower secondary and high school teachers' initiatives to implement outdoor activities. Such opportunities become real extensions or even substitutions for classroom-delivered content and provide occasions for personality development, value and attitude formation, experimentation with less commonly assumed roles and responsibilities, and recognition of students' qualities that often escape traditional evaluations. Outdoor education, through experiential learning, direct observation, and research, should not be disregarded, regardless of how sophisticated school structures may become. Essentially, the curriculum represents the totality of learning experiences offered to students within an educational institution or specific program. In the field of outdoor education, discussions about curriculum encompass what students learn (content) and how they learn and experience education outdoors. Therefore, a curriculum that includes outdoor education involves planning and implementing activities, setting learning objectives, integrating key themes and concepts, and defining how students will actively participate and receive feedback on their learning process. >> Read the article

Abstract This pre-experimental mixed design study comprised pre and post-self-report measures as well as the conduct of in-depth interviews with preservice teachers sought to ascertain the effect of an elective drama course on effective communication skills, identify challenges to effective communication faced by preservice teachers, and learn how student teachers perceived the course's impact about previous challenges and potential career implications. Pre-interviews and post-interviews, pre-test and post-test applications were carried out with preservice teachers majoring in early childhood education in their senior year. The findings revealed that the preservice teachers' effective communication skills improved significantly in the areas of ego-enhancing language, active/participative listening, and I message as a result of taking the drama course. The drama activities primarily assisted the participants in overcoming the emotional and interactional challenges that limited their ability to communicate effectively and provided guidance for the instructional process as well as for building relationships with parents, administrators, colleagues, and students. >> Read the article

Abstract Pursuing success has necessitated a shift from considering knowledge to considering both knowledge and knowledge management potential. Different institutions, including higher education, are working hard to possess new KM strategies and processes. This stems from their managers’ belief that an effective KM policy would enable different stakeholders to function actively and work collaboratively in order to achieve the institution’s intended objectives. Yet, the implementation of KM at higher education faces many challenges most of which are related to a lack of technological competence and the unwillingness of many individuals to share and disseminate their knowledge with their peers due especially to competition and lack of recognition. This descriptive study sheds light on knowledge management in the context of higher education. It discusses the opportunities as well as the problems related to the implementation of this latter. It seeks to answer especially three main questions: How important is KM in higher education? What are the organizational resources that control KM? What are the challenges that would hinder an effective KM in higher education? This study ends with a set of strategies that would enable an effective implementation of knowledge management in higher education. >> Read the article

Abstract The present study investigated the expectations and concerns of future teachers in Romania, aiming to identify their needs during the transition from student status to that of a teaching professional. The research was conducted through an online questionnaire distributed to 90 participants, students preparing to become teachers. The results revealed that their most significant concerns were related to classroom management, with 31.5% of respondents considering this aspect one of the most significant challenges. Additionally, 22.2% of the students highlighted difficulties in collaborating with parents, suggesting a need for training in communication and building trustful relationships with students' families. Another significant issue is the heavy workload (10.3%), reflecting concerns about administrative tasks and balancing professional and personal life. In contrast, positive expectations are centered around the desire to inspire students and apply innovative teaching methods, with 40% of students considering interaction with students as essential to their teaching activity. Based on these results, it is evident that future teachers need continuous professional development, including in student behaviour management, communication with parents, and streamlining administrative tasks, to ensure a successful transition to a teaching career. >> Read the article

Abstract Empathy has been a constant component of anti-bullying programs based on bystander intervention. However, less is known about how cognitive and affective empathy are related to bystander behavior. The aim of the current meta-analysis and systematic review was to test the association between cognitive and affective empathy with three categories of bystanders: defenders, outsiders and pro-bullies. We systematically searched PsychINFO, Scopus, Web of Science and PubMed until March 2025. A total of 32 studies were included, with a combined sample of 24,783, mean age 11.93 years old. All studies were evaluated to be of good or fair quality. Results indicate significant positive correlations between defending and both cognitive and affective empathy, with a slightly larger correlation coefficient for affective empathy. Being an outsider was negatively and significantly related to affective empathy and negatively, but not significantly to cognitive empathy. Only one study has investigated cognitive empathy in relation to pro-bully involvement, therefore analyses were conducted exclusively on affective empathy. The association between affective empathy and pro-bully bystanding was negative and significant. Heterogeneity levels were high across results. No moderation effects were identified, but sensitivity analyses revealed minor improvements after eliminating ad-hoc measures of empathy in some instances. Funnel plot visual investigation indicated possible small study effects, but the Egger’s formal test revealed no publication bias. Results based on a limited number of studies should be interpreted with caution. Altogether, findings suggest that future studies should distinguish between cognitive and affective empathy and should address multiple bystanding behaviors. >> Read the article

Abstract Issues relating to student engagement with their studies have become high on the agendas of higher education institutions both locally and globally. This paper reports on a research aiming to investigate the factors that determine student engagement in the different degree courses within a sample of 50 third year undergraduate EFL students in the Department of English, University of Algiers 2 during the first semester of the academic year 2024/2025. Data for the study were collected using a mixed questionnaire and follow-up interviews. The findings have shown that course credit, interest in course content, attendance policy, career pressure, campus environment, use of technological tools, classroom tasks, perceived usefulness of the course, assessment mode, students’ rapport with the teacher, along with classroom interaction and intrinsic motivation are factors that influence student engagement. Although these factors were found to affect student engagement to greater or lesser extent, the teacher’s instructional style was found to be the most determining factor. Based on the findings of this study, some suggestions are made to students, teachers, and policymakers in order to help students engage more deeply with their courses. It is recommended that future research examines the impact of such factors as intrinsic motivation, as well as interaction on student course engagement at university in more detail in order to advance related scholarship and practice in this area. >> Read the article

Abstract Romania’s national European target for 2020 was to reduce early school leaving rate to 11.3%. Unfortunately, we missed the target, taking into consideration the fact that in 2023 the rate dropped only to 16.6%. However, progress has been observed, with a 5.3% improvement over an eight-year period (for example, Romania recorded a 19.1% rate in 2015, which decreased to 16.6% by 2023). Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyse the key policy initiatives targeting the reduction of early school leaving, with a particular emphasis on several supply-driven factors, with a strong focus on several supply-driven factors that include the scarcity of second chance opportunities programs, the lack of effective communication among various stakeholders within the school community, such as parents and families, and not at least the notable disconnection between the education options available and the demands of the job market. The research was conducted by searching publications across the following databases from January 2010 to July 2023: PubMed, Web of Knowledge, Educational Resources, Information Centre and Scopus. As a comprehensive search, the following keywords were used for the abstract, title and keyword sections: early school leaving prevention, dropout prevention, educational attainment, retention rates, second chance education, reintegration programs, and policy frameworks for reducing early school leaving. The findings revealed that, although progress has been made in reducing early school leaving, several areas still require improvement. These include the need for more coherent and structured policy initiatives, as well as a stronger emphasis on follow-up mechanisms to better assess the impact of these policies. >> Read the article

Abstract This study examines the qualitative aspects of a geometry intervention program for fifth and sixth grade students. The program was conducted in 2023 in an Israeli elementary school, using emotional support tools in geometry lessons. The intervention was designed to improve mathematical achievement, reduce anxiety, and foster self-efficacy. The study investigated the impact of the program based on students’ experiences and post-participation reflections. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 20 students and an analysis of 20 student portfolios. Thematic analysis of the interviews and portfolios revealed significant improvements in academic performance, emotional balance, and students’ attitudes toward geometry. These findings highlight the value of using emotional strategies in geometry teaching to improve learning outcomes and overall performance. >> Read the article