Natasha Anne Rappa

With the introduction of ChatGPT in 2022, Large Language Models (LLMs) have been increasingly used in classrooms to support teaching and learning. However, the nature of communication between students and LLMs remains under-examined. The current study explored this communication through the lens of Paul Grice’s cooperative principle, examining the extent to which students and ChatGPT adhered to Gricean maxims of quantity, quality, relation and manner in their one-on-one communication during class. The study was implemented in 2023 in a Year 10 English class in an all-boys independent high school in Western Australia. 10 students participated in a poetry-focused lesson, where they interacted with ChatGPT to explore poetic texts. The lesson was designed not only to support understanding of the poetry but also to foster students’ capacity for critical questioning and engagement with AI-generated output by positioning the GenAI as a dialogic partner. The findings identified specific user violations of Gricean maxims in students’ communication with ChatGPT and the impact such violations had on ChatGPT’s output. These findings affirm the relevance of Grice’s cooperative principle and maxims for analysing conversations with LLMs and the potential for identifying interaction patterns with GenAI that differ from human-to-human conversations, underscoring the importance of examining human input as well as LLMs’ output. In place of a recent trend towards technocentric approaches to researching human-GenAI communication, the paper advocates a sociotechnical approach as a means to examine such interactions holistically.

The rapid integration of Generative AI (GenAI) in education presents both opportunities and challenges in fostering critical questioning – a skill essential for critical thinking and AI literacy. In the context of GenAI, critical questioning refers to the ability to question, probe, and critically assess information generated by GenAI that will equip students with the discernment necessary in a digital world. However, there is limited research on how students develop and apply critical questioning when interacting with GenAI. This study addresses the research gap by investigating the pedagogical and contextual conditions that support high school students in critical questioning with GenAI. Through an action research study situated in a Grade 10 English classroom, the study examines the key conditions that facilitated students’ critical questioning with GenAI. Ethnographic methods were used to generate data from classroom observations, interviews, and student chatlogs that captured how students engaged with GenAI in situ within the classroom environment. A prior critical questioning framework was modified and used to identify instances of critical questioning with GenAI in the data, which were coded along the dimensions of context, delivery, and competency. Findings highlight how the instructional design of AI-mediated interactions, role of the teacher, students’ knowledge and disposition, and the delivery of GenAI platform were crucial in shaping the quality and depth of students’ questioning. These findings indicate that the success of critical engagement with GenAI does not rest on its technological capabilities alone, but on the specific pedagogical and classroom conditions that enable students to use it purposefully and reflectively. By extending our understanding of critical questioning in AI-mediated learning environments, this study provides insights into the conditions that foster AI literacy, which can lead to students actively and critically engaging with AI-generated content rather than passively consuming it.

The Australian Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group (TEMAG) highlighted critical areas for improvement in teacher education, namely, effective pedagogies, assessment and feedback, classroom management, and collaborating with parents and the wider community. This paper describes one Australian university's implementation of a four-part continuum experience using simulations within a mixed reality learning environment to address these areas for improvement in the initial teacher education (ITE) program. We also discuss the theoretical foundations underpinning this implementation process. Our findings indicate the ITE simulation program represents one way to prepare reflective pre-service teachers (PSTs) with knowledge, skills and a flexible outlook when teaching in diverse schooling contexts. It identifies potential adjustment areas when implementing simulations for PSTs who have already grappled with the complexity of managing their classes in a real-world setting. It suggests further investigations into feedback mechanisms that support PSTs' positive transfer of learning are needed.

Purpose
Challenges associated with transitioning from graduate to employee are often attributed to a lack of “work readiness”. A useful tool to address this issue is a valid and reliable measurement scale for graduate work readiness (GWR), which is the purpose of this study.

Design/methodology/approach
Using a mixed-method exploratory sequential design, this study draws from a priori conceptual knowledge of GWR to refine and validate a new 67-item scale. It also explores the interrelationships between factors to establish the nomological network. A sample of eight students participated in focus group discussions and individual interviews to pilot test the scale, after which another sample of 101 second-year university students completed a GWR survey.

Findings
A partial least squares-structural equation modelling with 101 survey responses confirmed the original four-factor solution, comprising cognitive, metacognition, intrapersonal and interpersonal domains organised into a hierarchical structure, six lower-order constructs: critical thinking, innovative thinking, problem-solving, planning and organisation, collaborative leadership and social self-efficacy mapped onto three higher-order constructs, namely cognitive, metacognition and interpersonal, while the intrapersonal construct was not hierarchically organised. The validated model comprised 35 items with good internal reliability and validity. The results also indicated statistical evidence that the metacognition and intrapersonal constructs influenced the interpersonal construct and the intrapersonal construct significantly affected the cognitive and metacognition constructs.

Originality/value
This study provides a new validated scale for measuring students’ and graduates’ work readiness more robustly than previous scales.

This study investigates the knowledge and experiences of 11 teachers in China, facilitating online learning for young children aged two to six in Early Childhood Education (ECE) during the COVID- 19 pandemic. The pandemic caused global school closures, prompting a swift move to online education. The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework was used as an analytical tool to investigate how ECE teachers incorporated information and communication technology (ICT) to facilitate play-based learning in a virtual environment. A multi-case study approach was employed, collecting qualitative data from five international schools implementing three curricula. The study aimed to uncover the strategies teachers used, identify the challenges they faced in sustaining playbased pedagogy online, and highlight the potential of ICT in fostering engagement and developmental learning for young children. The findings offer insights into the challenges and opportunities of online teaching for young children, offering practical guidance for creating effective online environments that support play-based learning within diverse curricula. This research contributes to a broader understanding of online pedagogy for young learners in crisis contexts.

Objectives:
This scoping review aims to examine the current literature on using extended reality (XR) technologies to teach communication skills in nursing education.

Design:
This scoping review was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) method.

Data sources:
Searches were conducted in five electronic databases: CINAHL Ultimate, Cochrane Library, ERIC, PsycINFO, and PubMed, in February 2024.

Review methods:
The research procedure was assessed using the PRISMA-ScR checklist.

Results:
The analysis generated four overarching categories that described key characteristics of the integration of XR technologies: program overview, pedagogical approaches, evaluation, and nursing students’ experiences.

Conclusion:
This review underscored the effectiveness of XR technologies, particularly VR, as the predominant tool for enhancing communication skills in nursing education. It identifies gaps in the diversity of communication scenarios covered and recommends expending future research to include diverse clinical settings and scenarios. Furthermore, this review highlights a paucity of research utilizing mixed reality (MR) technology for communication training. The insights gained from this review are instrumental in directing further research into MR-based simulations for communication skills training across various nursing contexts.

This study initially undertook a scoping review of mobile Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (mCSCL) to determine the characteristics, and methodologies of the reviewed studies, and its benefits and challenges in resource-constrained nations. Online databases yielded no related articles on mCSCL in resource-constrained countries from 2007 to 2023. Nevertheless, 32 papers centred on mobile learning (m-learning) in resource-constrained countries were identified. Findings from the research questions encompass the theoretical framework used, the study context, sample size, and research design of the reviewed articles; and the benefits, and challenges of m-learning in resource-constrained countries. Implications for future m-learning and mCSCL studies in resource-constrained countries are considered. These include focussing on the benefits of m-learning as a basis to foster its implementation in the region, while providing adequate measures to mitigate its challenges, potential areas for investigation, such as research situated in resource-constrained countries in South American and Eastern Europe and research on aspects of m-learning such as mCSCL, more strategically focussed research interventions utilising available mobile infrastructure in developing countries, studies grounded in established theoretical frameworks and seminal studies on research methodology to inform research design.

The quality of teaching is a critical factor in educational success, and innovative tools like SimLab offer promising opportunities for enhancement. This research aims to analyze how SimLab user responses contribute to the development of teaching skills among students and to identify the challenges encountered during its implementation. A mixed-methods approach was employed, involving bilingual PGSD students from Unesa as the subjects of the study. Data were collected through a combination of surveys, interviews, and observations, with analysis conducted using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The findings indicate that SimLab significantly enhances various aspects of teaching proficiency, such as boosting self-confidence, improving the effectiveness of lesson delivery, engaging avatar students, interpreting avatar student body language and voice, providing constructive feedback, and fostering relationships with the avatars. However, the research also uncovers several challenges students face, including academic difficulties in adapting teaching methods to diverse student profiles, cultural obstacles related to the student's cultural adaptation, and technical challenges, such as unstable internet connections and limited technological facilities. The study concludes that while SimLab has substantial potential as a tool for preparing competent future educators, addressing these challenges is crucial for maximizing its effectiveness.

This paper explores the pedagogical potential of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in secondary education through a dialogic approach to teaching, learning and assessment. It presents an ongoing action research project in collaboration with a high school in Western Australia, involving four teachers to integrate GenAI in their classrooms. The study aims to develop and evaluate innovative pedagogies for leveraging GenAI to enhance educational practices and student learning outcomes across three action research teams focusing on critical questioning, assessment and differentiation. Drawing on Bakhtin's concept of heteroglossia, the study conceptualizes GenAI not as a definitive knowledge provider but as a dialogic agent that facilitates collaborative dialogue and co-construction of knowledge among students. This perspective aims to encourage students to critically engage with AI-generated content and integrate multiple viewpoints into their learning, thus fostering key epistemic skills. Initial findings demonstrate active student engagement in dialogues with GenAI, highlighting the use of follow-up questions that indicate critical thinking and creativity. These findings underscore the significance of integrating multiple perspectives and fostering epistemic skills among students, promoting a comprehensive and ethical approach to AI use in education. The research calls for further exploration of GenAI's pedagogic potential and its broader implications for educational practices, suggesting a promising avenue for pedagogical innovation and the development of critical thinking skills in the digital age.

There is growing evidence about the importance of establishing clarity around the ‘work readiness’ concept. A conceptual understanding of its meaning, structure, and components, as well as the essential characteristics for developing and assessing work readiness (WR), is not well established. This conceptual paper examines how WR can be articulated with greater clarity for furthering research in the field. It critically reviews the literature to provide comprehensive insights on its meaning, structure, and components around three questions: How is WR defined? What constitutes WR? And how can it be conceptualised? Graduate WR is theorised as a set of multi-dimensional constructs of cognitive and non-cognitive skills evolving in an environment driven by three approaches: demand-, equilibrium-, and supply-oriented, each guided by three types of definitions: organisational-, process- or outcome-based. The structure consists of WR skills organised hierarchically into three-order skill levels. This paper integrates WR components into a comprehensive three-dimensional conceptual model which researchers can use to construct their conceptualisations.