Only 58% of students worldwide achieved at least the minimum proficiency level in reading at the end of primary schooling in 2019. And this extends past primary education, as lower numbers of pupils are completing secondary schooling, and fewer still are progressing to higher education. The percentage is significantly less in low- and lower-middle-income countries, as many governments do not have the funds to provide quality education to all young people.
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 – Quality Education focuses on ensuring that everyone has access to high-quality education, regardless of their background, location, or socioeconomic status. In this blog post, we highlight education research from Open Research Europe authors that pertains to SDG-4.
A child-centred intercultural approach to the socio-educational inclusion of migrant and refugee children
While migrant and refugee children populate schools across Europe, current educational policies and practices often fail to address their unique socio-educational needs adequately, leading to lower educational attainment. Childhood studies and their inclusive Child-Centred Approach (CCA) have only recently been used in migration studies, giving a better perspective and further understanding of the experiences of migrant and refugee children.
A Review published on Open Research Europe aims to explore the potential of Child-Centred Approaches for studying the socio-educational inclusion of migrant and refugee children in Europe, proposing a framework of inclusive interculturalism to address the specific challenges these children face in educational settings. The Review examines a wide range of peer-reviewed sources to synthesise current knowledge on child-centred education and its applicability to migrant and refugee children, identifying key challenges in adopting the Child-Centred Approach.
Read the full Review here.
Assessment of the use of Open Educational Resources at five European Library and Information Science higher education institutions during and post-COVID-19 pandemic
The global COVID-19 pandemic impacted education in a disruptive way, forcing academics worldwide to adapt their courses to the online educational environment quickly. This situation led to the adoption of more online resources, including Open Educational Resources (OER). OERs can be defined as learning, teaching, and research materials that either reside in the public domain or are under copyright and have been released under an open licence, which permits no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation, and redistribution by others. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation of Open Educational Resources (OERs) had varying degrees of success.
In a Research Article published in the Research on Research Gateway, the authors investigate the adoption of OERs during the COVID-19 pandemic. By undertaking fieldwork at the Library and Information Science departments of universities across Europe, the researchers showed that many faculty members were hesitant to adopt OERs or were unaware of their existence. The Research Article also outlines the importance of post-pandemic OER promotion, both among staff and students, as well as the potential of OERs moving forward.
Read the full Research Article here.
Large Language Models and OpenLogos: An Educational Case Scenario
Large Language Models (LLMs) boast advanced text generation quality and capabilities, often surpassing those of humans. However, they pose significant challenges when used without proper expertise or care. In an educational context, examining language generation tools and their use by students is vital for establishing guidelines and a shared understanding of their ethical usage.
In a Case Study published on Open Research Europe, researchers from the Saints Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, North Macedonia, and INESC-ID, Lisbon, Portugal, explore several aspects of language generation in an educational context. This includes the integration of LLMs into language learning tools, such as paraphrasing and translation. Educators can use these tools to foster a dynamic and enriching learning environment for linguistic growth.
Read the full Case Study here.
Discover further research from authors related to education and academic research in the Research on Research Gateway.
