Journal of International Education and Practice

Neuromotor Adaptations and Coordinative Ability Differences in Judo and Wrestling Athletes from Haryana, India

Ram Niwas, Monika Verma, Avnesh Verma — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0800

This interdisciplinary study examines differences in coordinative abilities—motor control skills enabling efficient and adaptable movement—between male judo and wrestling athletes from Haryana, India. The research investigates how sport-specific neuromotor adaptations, shaped by distinct training environments and biomechanical demands, influence performance across key coordinative domains. Sixty male athletes (30 judokas and 30 wrestlers), aged 18–25 years, were purposively selected from accredited state training centers. Because judo emphasizes explosive, upright throwing techniques while wrestling involves continuous, ground-based grappling, it was hypothesized that notable variations in coordinative profiles would emerge. A cross-sectional comparative design was used. Five coordinative abilities were evaluated with standardized tests: orientation (Numbered Medicine Ball Run Test), differentiation (Backward Medicine Ball Throw Test), balance (Long Nose Test), reaction (Ball Reaction Exercise Test), and rhythm (Sprint at Given Rhythm Test). Independent t-tests and F-values were applied for statistical analysis. Results indicated that wrestlers significantly outperformed judokas in orientation (p < 0.01), rhythm (p < 0.01), balance (p < 0.05), and reaction time (p < 0.05), while no significant difference was found in differentiation ability (p > 0.05). These outcomes reflect the sport-specific nature of coordinative development: wrestlers showed superior spatial awareness, dynamic balance, and rapid reactions, likely due to the demands of ground-based combat, whereas judokas demonstrated strengths in short, explosive precision tasks. The study enhances understanding of neuromotor specialization in combat sports and supports the development of tailored training strategies for performance optimization and talent identification.

Open-Ended Classroom: “Eliduc” by Marie de France and “The Belt” by Dietrich von der Gletze

Albrecht Classen — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0800

In Education, we often confuse two concepts, knowledge and wisdom. It is easy to convey facts, i.e., knowledge, without achieving much in our students’ minds. They might learn via (rote) memorization but then simply accumulate data and do not transform mentally, that is, they do not fully learn and hence do not grow in intellectual terms. The ultimate goal of good teaching is really the acquisition of wisdom, which emerges only in the course of time when a person becomes empowered to balance all the available facts, or to determine what facts there truly are. In the face of a growing availability of AI, for instance, and similar knowledge-producing and storing internet sources, we suddenly face the ancient question again: what true education and hence learning means. Examining two significant medieval verse narratives, this paper will illustrate the great advantage of open-ended forums (aka flipped classroom) as a future-oriented teaching approach in this field of inquiry (medieval or pre-modern literature). It is more important, as this paper argues, for our new student generation to understand the complexity of a matter and to have the intellectual competence to examine it controversially and discriminatingly than to know the many facts surrounding a text, an image, or an object, which can be easily retrieved through print sources or online. What truly matters is the individual’s ability to join an intellectual discourse and to engage with the complex issues in a deeply critical manner informed by the many perspectives one can possibly pursue.

Planning Multi-Tiered Systems of Support in Chilean Public Schools: Balancing Administrative Management and Mental Health

Rodrigo Rojas-Andrade, Annaís Petit López, Felipe Sandoval Bezzolo — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0800

This study examines how Chilean public schools plan mental health actions within the framework of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support [MTSS], emphasizing the balance between administrative management and preventive strategies. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on the annual plans of 45 schools from a public education district in the Metropolitan Region of Chile. Each planned action was coded according to five MTSS components: screening and diagnostics, multi-tiered interventions, progress monitoring, data-based decision making, and interorganizational collaboration. An additional emerging component was identified: professional development. A total of 682 actions were identified, 65% corresponding to multitier interventions. However, a marked imbalance was observed, with universal (44%) and specialized (24%) strategies predominating over targeted interventions (7%). Operational management tended to prioritize attendance and school retention, displacing preventive and socioemotional promotion activities. The findings highlight both advances and challenges in the planned implementation of MTSS in Chile. This study provides one of the first systematic analyses of MTSS planning in Latin America, underscoring the need to strengthen impact evaluation, continuous professional training, and intersectoral collaboration to promote sustainable school mental health systems.

Does Smaller Mean Better? Evidence from the China Education Panel Survey on Class Size and Student Achievement

Jianjiang Luo, Jiawei Gu — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0800

This study investigates the causal effect of class size on student academic achievement in China’s compulsory education system, leveraging the institutional feature of randomized student assignment to establish a quasi-experimental framework. Using nationally representative data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) and applying a two-level hierarchical linear model, the research effectively addresses endogeneity arising from non-random class allocation. Results reveal that large classes exert a statistically significant and negative impact on students’ academic performance, even after controlling for individual, family, and school-level characteristics. Specifically, moving from medium to large classes reduces achievement by approximately 0.03 standard deviations—a magnitude comparable to the effect of parental education. The analysis further identifies that class-size distribution is primarily determined by institutional and demographic factors, such as urbanization, school ranking, and parental education levels, indicating both structural and demand-side sources of educational inequality. Robustness checks confirm the linearity and stability of these findings. These findings provide credible causal evidence that class size is not merely a contextual variable but a critical determinant of educational outcomes and a key mechanism through which inequality is produced and mediated. The results carry substantial policy implications for resource allocation and equity, particularly for large, rapidly developing economies grappling with intense demographic pressure on their urban education systems.

Assessment Strategies for Students with Hearing Impairments in an Inclusive TVET Tertiary Institution in Ghana

Francis Bukari, Wilhelmina Coker Davis, Ronald Osei Mensah , Ramos Asafo-Adjei — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0800

Hearing impairment poses significant challenges to students’ academic performances in tertiary institutions, particularly where assessment practices rely predominantly on written language. These challenges are most pronounced in inclusive educational environments, where uniform assessment methods often fail to address the specific needs of students with hearing impairments. A qualitative research design was used to examine the assessment strategies used by lecturers to support students with hearing impairments in a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institution in Ghana. Using a census sampling approach, the study involved 20 students with hearing impairments and 10 lecturers of the Takoradi Technical University who participated in semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that, despite institutional commitments to inclusive education, written examinations remain the dominant and often the sole form of assessment. As a result, few adaptations are made to accommodate the linguistic and communicative needs of hearing-impaired students. This heavy reliance on written assessments disadvantages these students, as differences in language structure and writing conventions impede their ability to interpret questions and articulate responses effectively, leading to unfavourable outcomes. It was concluded that inclusive assessment practices in TVET institutions remain limited in scope and unevenly implemented. It was recommended that the TVET Disability Policy should be fully operationalised. Disability support desks should be institutionalised across faculties; accessible assessment formats should be adopted. Additionally, examination questions should be designed using clear, concise, and straightforward language. These targeted reforms are essential to promoting fairness, equity, and academic success for students with hearing impairments in inclusive tertiary education settings.

Math Anxiety and Math Self-Efficacy: How Demographic Variables Shape the Relationship

Caterina B. Azzarello, Claire Sharp, Joanna E. Lewis , Molly M. Jameson — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0800

The complex relationship between math anxiety and math self-efficacy (i.e. math dispositions) is well documented in educational psychology; however, while age and gender have been examined extensively, fewer studies have explored how a broader range of demographic factors collectively shape this association across student populations. This study aims to fill this gap by investigating how demographic factors (i.e., gender, age, race/ethnicity, first-generation status, and income level during childhood) influence the relationship between math anxiety and math self-efficacy. The participants completed an online survey that included math anxiety and math self-efficacy measures, as well as an extensive demographic questionnaire. The expected negative relationship between anxiety and efficacy was replicated and clear. This association was moderated by the participants’ self-reported ethnicity, such that the relationship was stronger for Latine students, multiethnic students, and unreported ethnicity students. However, despite the common finding that women report more negative math dispositions, no relationship with gender emerged when additional dispositional factors were taken into account.These findings suggest the importance of considering demographic factors in mathematical outcomes and underscore the need for targeted interventions for students and DEI training for educators. Specifically, educational strategies should be designed to cater to the unique needs of these demographic groups.

Validation of the Expectancy-Value Questionnaire in Sport among Chinese High School Campus Football Players

Chuantong Jiang, Zhicai Qiu, Qingkun Feng, Peng Zhao, Zeng Gao — Sat, 27 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0800

Guided by the Expectancy-Value Theory (EVT), this study aimed to test the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Expectancy-Value Questionnaire (EVQ) among Chinese high school campus football players. A proportionate stratified random sampling method was adopted, and a total of 385 high school campus football players were selected as the sample (228 boys and 157 girls; Mage = 16.07 years; SD = 1.15; age range = 14–19 years). Using SPSS 25 and Amos 24 software, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted with the maximum likelihood estimation method. The results showed that the four constructs (i.e., expectancy beliefs, attainment value, intrinsic value, and utility value) had a good fit with the sample data, and all indicators met the requirements of convergent validity. Moreover, expectancy beliefs and subjective task values exhibited good discriminant validity, while the three sub-dimensions of task values (i.e., attainment value, intrinsic value, and utility value) lacked discriminant validity. Furthermore, the second-order model with task values as a higher-order factor demonstrated an excellent fit, supporting its use in measuring subjective task values in campus football scenarios. This study provides a valid and reliable Chinese version of the EVQ for this population, enriches the cross-cultural empirical evidence for EVT, and offers practical implications for improving the motivation of campus football players. Future studies can be improved by expanding the sample (e.g., covering diverse ages and regions) and adopting a longitudinal design to enhance the generalizability of conclusion.

Using Generative AI to Support Inclusion: Insights from a Psychological Perspective

Melody M Terras, Lynne Beveridge, Graham S Scott, Naeem Ramzan — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0800

This article considers the insights of viewing (Artificial Intelligence) AI personalization from a psychological perspective by offering detailed consideration of the psychological constraints, both cognitive and socio-emotional, to the current and future application of personalized AI solutions in higher educational settings. It maps the relationship between AI personalized solutions and psychological substrates to illustrate how and why AI is an effective way to promote inclusion. Consideration of psychological infrastructure and the skills that support effective learning highlights the importance of individual differences and reminds us that diversity is present in all students, not only those with disabilities. Learner profiles are variable, and the application of a psychological lens provides a way to conceptualise and operationalise this variability by utilising the concept of psychological barriers and enablers. Psychological attributes such as working memory, executive function, metacognition, self-esteem and motivation can influence learning in a positive or negative manner depending on the degree to which they are present; for example, low working memory capacity is a barrier, but high capacity is an enabler. This variability allows them to be targeted and developed. Human intelligence, unlike artificial intelligence, is psychologically constrained, so AI personalisation must be psychologically informed to maximise its educational and inclusive potential.