Design and Validation of an Instrument to Measure Educational Innovations in Primary and Pre-Primary Schools

The creation and implementation of innovation proposals in education can provide a new key towards sustainable development. We are aware that schools perform very different innovations but often, with very low levels of impact and dissemination in their community. There are not many studies that describe, put a value on, categorize or analyse the innovations. This study sought to gain insight into the ICT innovations produced in Spanish primary and pre-primary schools. A quantitative approach based on a questionnaire was used to collect the data, named MANEDUIN, completed by 86 teachers selected by stratified random sampling (public - private, rural - urban). The reliability and the construct-related validity was evaluated from the questionnaire and the validity of content decided by means of experts’ judgment. Our findings point to a good consistency in the questionnaire (Cronbach’s Alpha: 0.848). The descriptive statistics and the analysis were made by factorial categories. The results of the factorial analysis confirm the dimensions proposed in the design of the questionnaire in the categories of the factors included in the innovation (social cohesion, interaction with the community, technologies, and success), the innovative schools and their characteristics, the topic and the type of innovation (on resources, direction, materials and time), as well as the obstacles to the innovation. This paper concludes that the questionnaire MANEDUIN is a valid and reliable tool to measure the management of schools’ innovations.

Analysis of Digital Self-Presentation Practices and Profiles of Spanish Adolescents on Instagram and TikTok

This study analyses self-presentation practices and profiles among Spanish teenagers on Instagram and TikTok. Both of these online spaces prioritise and promote visual publications, are structured to allow feedback on self-presentation, and offer the user filters both to control self-image and to target specific audiences. Three research questions guided the methodological process for the twofold analysis of self-presentation practices on social networks: an exploratory factor analysis to identify latent factors among these practices; and a descriptive analysis of the profiles identified by gender and age. Results indicate that adolescents’ self-presentation practices were related to three different factors: social validation; authenticity; and image control. One of the most outstanding results is that self-presentation practices could be less guided by social feedback, since the number of followers or likes was irrelevant for most adolescents, and that adolescents increasingly tend to be guided by innovative predispositions of truthfulness. In turn, conclusions suggest that teens need to be equipped with suitable self-representation practices for safe and sustainable identity narratives on social networks, since the global COVID-19 pandemic has exponentially increased both the usage and the time spent on social networking sites, enlarging the availability of spaces for adolescents to express themselves and build their identities through different self-representation practices.

UNESCO Strategy and Digital Policies for Teacher Training: The Deconstruction of Innovation in Spain

This paper examines initial teacher training policies in the context of youth digitalisation. Based on international ICT competency frameworks for teachers (UNESCO, 2008, 2019) and information literacy, MIL (UNESCO, 2011), we analyse how Spanish (public and private) universities represent digital innovation, and the identity practices of young people, linked to hyperconnectivity. Focusing on initial training received by future secondary teachers, the sample was selected according to the criteria of non-presential learning (online, distance, blended) applied in the teacher training process. Results confirm ongoing deficiencies in critical teacher digitalisation management, highlighting certain asymmetries between the categories constructed. Data reveals the prevalence of intervention more geared towards formal knowledge than towards decoding digital grammar (which is how digitalisation is used in education). The paper concludes by advocating convergence strategies as a circular mechanism that must underpin all teacher training policies in the age of hyperconnectivity.

Youths’ Posting Practices on Social Media for Digital Storytelling

Most young people spend time online every day in order to access social networks, where not only do they consume, but also produce content. The posting of content ends up reflecting a personal story in which young people recognize themselves. This posting practice requires competences that can be developed in digital literacy-related educational activities. Our research is aimed at understanding the posting habits of young people with the goal of integrating these practices in formal educational contexts. For this purpose, we have qualitatively analyzed the interviews of 21 young people. The results show different posting habits, as well as the motivating factors, perceptions and types of content posted by young people on social networks. An interpretative analysis of the results shows the possibilities of working on the storytelling experiences of young people on social networks from the perspective of the Personal Digital Storytelling educational methodology.

Sharing Love for a Common World On and Off Screen. A Pedagogical and Technocentric Account

This contribution deals with the impact of digitisation on what it means to educate and to be educated, especially in the wake of the massive switch to on-screen learning during the COVID-19 crisis. It is argued that we can only adequately relate to this phenomenon if it is based on a strong pedagogical and technocentric account of (school) education. Drawing from authors such as Arendt, Lahire, Stiegler and Serres, the argument is made that four basic pedagogical operations (sharing love for the world, showing newcomers that there is a common world, drawing attention to things that matter, creating the student experience and sense of belonging within a new generation) is under considerable threat. At least, this is the case if we don’t try to conceive of new digital technologies in a pedagogically meaningful manner, instead of unreflectively relying on existing conferencing technologies.

Impact of Online Emotions and Netiquette on Phubbing from a Gender Perspective: Educational Challenges

During adolescence, the Internet is mainly used for purposes of socialization. Non-verbal elements limit online communication, thus leading to widespread use of emotional resources. It would be preferable if virtual interaction did not reduce the quality of person-to-person contacts, particularly thanks to the adoption of netiquette (respectful treatment of others online). Phubbing, the tendency to check one’s mobile phone during a face-to-face conversation, has become a widespread practice that causes anxiety and can lead to social exclusion. Educating on this behavior could be related with emotional content and with netiquette. This study’s objectives are to analyze the extent to which the use of netiquette and online emotional content are associated with and can predict phubbing, taking gender differences into account. 935 adolescents (ages 12-17, 55,1% female) from 13 schools in the region of Aragon (Spain) responded to our questionnaire. Results are revealing: the level of online emotional content increases the level of phubbing; online emotional expression is the most influential risk factor in both genders; netiquette protects girls to a greater degree. We discuss the educational challenges posed by guaranteeing the responsible use of social networks.

Technology Usage and Academic Performance in the Pisa 2018 Report

In the last two decades, the great technological advances sweeping society have made inroads into the educational sphere. The use of information and communication technology and social networks has opened up new possibilities for student learning, which require appropriate treatment by family and teachers. This quantitative study takes a new approach to investigating the relationship between Spanish teenage students’ academic success and their use of technology and social networks. It analyses data published in the 2018 PISA report to assess whether the use of these resources is appropriate, and to determine their impact on students’ learning and performance in reading, mathematics and science. The study takes a new approach in terms of the variables selected and the analysis of the data through two statistical measures. The results suggest that excessive use of technology and social networks, both during the week and at weekends, impairs performance. This finding is more acute in the case of male students, as the data indicates that they start at an earlier age and are more likely to use social media for the detrimental activity of online gaming.

Digital Leisure: An Opportunity for Intergenerational Well-Being in Times of Pandemic?

Leisure activities shared by grandparents and grandchildren provide important benefits. The health and humanitarian crisis caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has made it necessary to use digital tools to alleviate the lack of contact between adults and children. This paper had as its aim to identify the digital leisure shared by grandparents and their pre-adolescent grandchildren (10-12 years old) before and during the pandemic, as well as its contribution to intergenerational well-being from a holistic paradigm, ultimately aiming to determine whether that digital leisure constitutes an experience of human development for young and old people alike. The sample was made up of 153 grandparents of 10-to-12-year-old children living in the north of Spain. Alongside the use of an ad hoc questionnaire, descriptive and inferential analyses were carried out. Most intergenerational leisure activities ceased to be performed during the lockdown, except for those that could be carried out remotely, thanks to information and communication technologies, which ensured the continuity of social and family interactions. Technological connectivity between generations provided greater support to communication and meaningful relationships, additionally facilitating active aging processes.

Personal Management of Digital Information in University Students from a Gender Perspective

The purpose of the present study is to delve into the process of personal management of digital information among Spanish university students in their final year and to analyze whether there are similarities or differences regarding students’ gender. A non-experimental methodological design has been implemented of an exploratory type and based on a questionnaire as a single data collection instrument. The instrument was validated by means of experts’ judgement, cognitive interview, and construct validity. A total of 2,054 students’ surveys were collected, sourced from all areas of knowledge, in 75 public and private universities. These surveys made it possible to obtain information about the information search, selection, organization, processing, and creation processes. The results revealed that university students have a positive self-concept about their own competence for personal management of information. However, they fail to take advantage of all the possibilities that the digital world offers them. Women search the Internet for more diverse resources than men. They have better judgment when it comes to selecting and processing the information they need. Male students rely more often than female ones on digital mediums when organizing and creating information and choose to publish the information in less complex and more popular formats than their female counterparts. The conclusions of the present study match those of the majority of reviewed studies, namely regarding the organization of information, contextual and social factors which influence the management of information, such as third-party support, and also in relation to the increasing implementation of digital technologies in information management processes.

Game-Based Assessment of School Readiness Domains of 3-8-year-old-children: A Scoping Review

Precise assessment of school readiness is critical because it has practical and theoretical implications for children’s school and life success. However, school readiness assessment mainly relies on teacher reports and a few direct evaluations requiring a trained examiner. Studies indicate that 80% of games and apps target preschool children and education, suggesting that apps are familiar and fun for this age group. Previous reviews have focused on these apps’ training capability but not on their assessment of school readiness. This Scoping review examines 31 studies published from 2011-2019. The Evidence Centred Design (ECD) framework was used to evaluate game-based assessment (GBA) suitability to assess school readiness domains. Results show that it is possible to assess school readiness using GBA. Most studies assessed cognitive domains in school settings and adopted an external assessment of the tasks. However, most studies only evaluated one competency, and few intervention strategies targeted the enhancement of school readiness. Besides, few studies followed the ECD framework strictly. Implications include expanding the assessment to other school readiness domains with a real-time inbuilt assessment that conforms to the ECD framework. GBA provides a new approach to assess school readiness outside or inside the school settings in this online era.