Aug 2026· Journal of Education and Training· Vol 13, pp. 93· 0 citations
Abstract
This conceptual paper proposes a framework explaining how critical pedagogy can foster students’ sense of belonging, essential for their meaningful learning. This paper argues that a sense of belonging in classrooms is a multidimensional construct that promotes physical engagement, emotional connectedness, and intellectual investment in the learning process. It further explains how, by implementing critical pedagogy, teachers can provide students with a positive experience that fosters a sense of belonging; without it, students feel alienated and unrecognized. Drawing on Freirean principles, the paper identifies five pedagogical pathways through which critical pedagogy promotes classroom belonging: dialogue, collaboration, problem-posing, shared authority, and student voice. These pathways foster respectful relationships, a sense of learning community, purpose, ownership of learning, and recognition of students’ identities, experiences, and perspectives. Together, these pathways provide a conceptual framework for understanding how critical pedagogy creates classroom conditions in which students experience belonging and, consequently, engage more meaningfully in learning. The paper concludes with implications for teachers and teacher educators seeking to design classrooms that intentionally cultivate belonging as a foundation for meaningful learning.
The proposed framework demonstrates how drama pedagogy, integrated with the underlying social constructivist principles and VT routines, can stimulate collaboration, creative and reflective thinking and thus engagement amongst learners.
Zaamah Mohd Nor, Laura Dass, Jebakumari Selvarani· Quantum Journal of Social Sc...· 0 citations
Bridging theory and practice in Technology education remains a challenge for many educators in primary and secondary contexts. While theoretical models offer valuable insights, classroom application requires careful consideration. This article explores how key philosophical and pedagogical frameworks, including Constructionism, Social Constructivism and values-led approaches foregrounding ethics, sustainability, and critical thinking, inform hands-on teaching that supports creativity, problem-solving, and meaningful engagement with technology.
Focusing on project- and inquiry-based learning, we synthesise literature showing how these approaches promote authentic, student-centred engagement. We also consider the contribution of Indigenous technological knowledge systems, illustrating how culturally grounded perspectives sustain community-driven design and enrich ethical practice.
These perspectives have important implications for teachers and students. In contemporary Technology education, educators must move beyond ‘telling’ to facilitating Design thinking, problem-solving, and critical inquiry, guiding students to engage in hands-on, iterative learning. Students take on a more active role, constructing knowledge through experimentation, collaboration, and reflective practice. By shifting from passive recipients to innovators and ethical decision-makers, students develop skills in technology use, critical thinking, creativity and adaptability.
Technology education therefore equips students with both technical knowledge and the agency to situate it within broader ethical and cultural contexts, preparing them to shape sustainable technological futures.
T. Mason, Belinda von Mengersen, Lincoln Gill et al.· Australasian Journal of Tech...· 0 citations
This book review examines Problem-Based Learning in Elementary School: Strategies for What Helps Students Thrive by Samantha S. Reed, Carol A. Mullen, and Emily T. Boyles. The book discusses the implementation of problem-based learning (PBL) as an instructional approach that supports students’ knowledge and skill development through collaborative engagement in solving authentic, real-world problems. This review adopts a descriptive-critical approach, analyzing the book’s content, theoretical foundation, key themes, and findings from teacher interviews, while also evaluating its relevance to classroom practice in elementary education. The book emphasizes the development of 21st-century skills, known as the 5Cs, namely critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, and citizenship, and demonstrates how PBL can enhance student engagement, motivation, and academic achievement. Its main strength lies in bridging PBL theory with classroom practice through teachers’ lived experiences, making it highly relevant for educators and education stakeholders. However, the book has limitations, particularly in its limited discussion of assessment practices, teacher training, scaffolding strategies, and the challenges of implementing PBL across diverse educational contexts, indicating the need for further elaboration to strengthen its practical applicability.
Imellia Imellia, D. S. Nusantara, D. Nguyen et al.· Journal of General Education...· 0 citations
The transition from teacher-centered instruction toward student-centered pedagogy represents a major development in contemporary educational theory and practice. Yet the conceptual mechanisms through which student-centered pedagogical practices foster students’ capacity to act purposefully within learning environments remain insufficiently specified. In particular, student agency is frequently discussed alongside autonomy, engagement, participation, self-regulated learning, student voice, and empowerment without adequate conceptual differentiation, contributing to theoretical fragmentation and inconsistent measurement. This study proposes the Student Learning Agency Framework (SLAF), a multidimensional model explaining how specific student-centered pedagogical practices may cultivate students’ agentic capacities. The framework conceptualizes learning agency through interrelated dimensions of intentional action, strategic self-regulation, participatory influence, reflective adaptation, and perceived capacity to influence learning processes. Six pedagogical conditions learner choice, dialogic teaching, formative feedback, collaborative learning, reflective practice, and participation in educational decision-making are proposed as antecedents of learning agency. A multi-stage instrument-development and validation study is designed to test the framework. The proposed methodology incorporates construct specification, expert content validation, cognitive pretesting, pilot testing, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, reliability assessment, convergent and discriminant validity testing, structural equation modelling, and measurement-invariance analysis. Rather than treating student-centered education as a collection of instructional techniques, the proposed framework theorizes it as an educational environment capable of redistributing opportunities for intentional, reflective, and consequential student action. The study is presented as an empirical research protocol; consequently, no findings are fabricated or anticipated as observed results. The framework is intended to contribute to educational theory by clarifying the conceptual boundaries of learning agency and providing an empirically testable explanation of how pedagogical practices may support its development.
Yangyang Zhong, Fahmi Fadhl Al-Hosaini· Global Social Science and Hu...· 0 citations
The paradigm shifts from traditional to digital learning has instigated novel challenges for learner discipline, particularly in inclusive classrooms characterised by high levels of student diversity. While the current discourse largely focuses on technological solutions or behavioural management, it has overlooked the role of teacher-student relationships in shaping teacher-student engagement and learner behaviour online. This study argues that relational pedagogy intentionally cultivates caring teacher-student relationships, thus fostering positive student discipline in digitally mediated inclusive educational environments. Drawing on the Attachment Theory (Riley, 2010), the Community of Inquiry Theory (Garrison et al., 2000), and Noddings' (2013) Ethic of Care Theory, the study adopts a qualitative multiple-case study design to determine the perspectives of ten participants (four lecturers and six students) specifically from higher education digital inclusive classrooms in South Africa, demonstrating that the dynamics of learner discipline differ across educational sectors. The study revealed four findings: relational presence enhances engagement and self-regulation, relational deficits correspond with disengagement and behavioural challenges, contextual and structural factors mediate relational dynamics, and lecturers recognise relational approaches, but face systemic barriers, including large class sizes, limited time, and inadequate training. This study concludes that learner discipline in digitally inclusive educational settings must be reimagined not as a matter of control but as one that emerges from relational trust and belonging. These insights have practical implications for teacher professional development and an inclusive digital policy, representing South Africa’s contextually grounded perspective on global debates on learner discipline.
K. Mbatha· International Journal of Stu...· 0 citations
Contemporary education is shaped by the need for more inclusive, flexible, and student-centered learning environments. As educational systems respond to social, cultural, and technological changes, new pedagogical approaches have become increasingly important in supporting learner engagement, classroom equity, and practical competence. In this context, inclusive pedagogy, active learning models, and technology-supported instruction offer valuable perspectives for modern educational research. The chapters in this volume examine selected issues in teaching and learning from different but complementary perspectives. The first chapter discusses the decolonization of the classroom and proposes a more inclusive pedagogical framework. The second chapter focuses on the flipped classroom model and evaluates its evidence-based outcomes across disciplines. The third chapter explores the role of computer laboratory facilities and self-efficacy in enhancing students’ statistical practicum competence through a stimulus–organism–response perspective. By bringing together these studies, this volume highlights the importance of rethinking classroom practices in line with contemporary educational needs. The chapters demonstrate how inclusive frameworks, active learning models, digital facilities, and learner self-efficacy can contribute to more effective and adaptive educational environments. It is hoped that this book will serve as a useful academic resource for researchers, educators, students, and professionals interested in educational sciences, pedagogy, classroom innovation, digital learning environments, and student competence. We extend our sincere appreciation to all contributing authors for their valuable scholarly efforts.
F. B. Dhaou, M. Trigui, Amal Ayedi et al.· 0 citations