Qi-Fan Yang

Background: Augmented reality (AR) enables students to explore otherwise inaccessible scientific phenomena, offering enhanced learning experiences and outcomes in science education. However, AR‐based instruction often lacks structured teacher guidance, which may limit the development of higher order cognitive skills. Blended learning (BL) can address this limitation by combining technology‐driven exploration with teacher–student interaction. Yet, the absence of explicit learning strategies frequently hinders the effectiveness of BL approaches. Objectives: This study aimed to develop and evaluate a blended learning model that integrates AR systems and is grounded in the 5E Learning Cycle Model (5ELCM) to support deeper cognitive engagement in elementary science education. Methods: A quasi‐experimental design was employed involving 104 fifth‐grade students assigned to one of three conditions: BL‐AR with 5ELCM, conventional AR learning, or traditional lecture‐based instruction. The intervention was guided by the 5ELCM to scaffold the learning process through structured phases: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate and Evaluate. Results and Conclusions: Findings revealed that students in the BL‐AR group demonstrated significantly greater gains in biological knowledge, problem‐solving ability and meta‐cognitive tendencies compared to those in the other two groups. The integration of AR within a structured BL framework grounded in 5ELCM shows promise for promoting deeper learning and higher order thinking in elementary science classrooms.

Background: STEM education aims to develop innovation and problem‐solving skills through interdisciplinary learning, yet struggles to foster student engagement and interdisciplinary thinking. Whilst alternate reality games (ARGs) can boost motivation via game‐based problem‐solving, integrating large language models (LLMs) remains underexplored. LLM‐based virtual agents offer new opportunities for adaptive support. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of an LLM‐assisted ARG system (LLM‐ARG) in enhancing academic performance, metacognitive awareness, and engagement. Methods: A quasi‐experimental study compared LLM‐ARG with conventional ARG methods amongst primary school students. The experimental group used LLM‐ARG with personalised virtual agent support, whilst the control group employed a conventional ARG with a traditional, rule‐based virtual agent that offered only pre‐scripted feedback. Data were collected through pre‐ and post‐tests, metacognitive awareness questionnaires, and interaction logs. ANCOVA and correlation analyses were conducted. Results and Conclusions: LLM‐ARG significantly improved learning achievements and metacognitive awareness compared to conventional ARG. High‐frequency interactions promoted exploration but did not consistently enhance problem‐solving, whilst low‐frequency interactions led to higher success via goal‐directed strategies. Metacognitive competence emerged as a key predictor of academic performance, highlighting the need to balance exploration with efficiency. This study demonstrates how LLM‐driven scaffolding supports diverse learning strategies and promotes adaptive learning in STEM education.

En la nueva era, un fenómeno acentuado de la política mundial es la estabilidad del orden internacional ha descendido, y es muy difícil para los países predecir el comportamiento y los resultados sociales de los demás. En este mundo de incertidumbre, China siempre ha sido una promotora del orden internacional. Basándose en los cuatro pilares que sustentan la estabilidad del orden, el análisis de este artículo señala que los cambios dentro de los pilares han llevado al descenso de la estabilidad del orden internacional. El artículo sostiene que las contramedidas de China al declive de la estabilidad del orden internacional se plasman en dos pilares: el grado de institucionalización y la mejora del bienestar de los países. En el pilar del grado de institucionalización, China ha salvaguardado las instituciones fundacionales básicas de los propósitos y principios de la Carta de la ONU, y ha establecido las instituciones nuevas que necesita la comunidad internacional. En el pilar de la mejora del bienestar de los países, China ha contribuido al crecimiento económico global y a la paz mundial. Para la comunidad internacional que está en un orden inestable, el desarrollo de China es la estabilización, no el desafío, no es la amenaza, sino la oportunidad.

According to previous studies, traditional laboratory safety courses are delivered in a classroom setting where the instructor teaches and the students listen and read the course materials passively. The course content is also uninspiring and dull. Additionally, the teaching period is spread out, which adds to the instructor's workload. As a result, students become less motivated to learn. In contrast, artificially intelligent educational robots (AIERs), help students learn while lessening the workload on instructors by enhancing teaching strategies, using robots to substitute for teachers, giving students access to a variety of instructional content, and improving interaction with students through the use of intelligent voice interactions and Q&A systems to promote student engagement in learning. If the robot is used for a long time for learning, it may lead to a decrease in students' interest in learning. Therefore, this study introduces the GAFCC model (the theory-driven gamification goal, access, feedback, challenge, collaboration design model) as an instructional design model to guide the development of a gamified AIER system, aiming to improve students' motivation and learning effectiveness for laboratory safety courses. To test the effectiveness of the system, this study conducted an experimental study at a university in China in the summer of 2022. 53 participants participated in the research, with a random sample taken from each group. Each participant was able to choose the time of their free time to engage in the experiment. There were 18, 19, and 16 participants in experimental group 1, experimental group 2, and the traditional group, respectively. Students in experimental group 1 learned using the gamified AIER system, students in experimental group 2 learned on a general anthropomorphic robot system and the control group received traditional classroom learning. The experimental results showed that compared to the other two groups, the gamified AIER system guided by the GAFCC model significantly improved students' learning achievement and enhanced their learning motivation, flow experience, and problem-solving tendency. In addition, students who adopted this approach exhibited more positive behaviors and reduced cognitive load in the learning process.

Background: As adequate support, virtual reality (VR) has been increasingly introduced into the classroom to help students learn a new language. However, empirical studies exploring the educational potential of using 360° spherical video‐based virtual reality (SVVR) in high‐school Chinese language classrooms are still lacking.Objectives: A mind mapping‐based SVVR learning system is proposed for international high‐school students' Chinese courses and examines its effects on improving Chinese learning achievements and perceptions among Grade 10 students who learn Chinese as a foreign language.Methods: This study adopted a quasi‐experiment design. Participants (N = 66) were assigned to one of three conditions: mind mapping‐based SVVR (MMBSVVR), conventional SVVR (CSVVR), or traditional lecturing (TL). Our mixed‐method approach employed pre‐and post‐tests to measure Chinese learning achievements, questionnaires to measure Chinese learning motivation, problem‐solving ability, and self‐efficacy, and semi‐structured interviews to further explore students' feelings and attitudes about Chinese courses in corresponding learning environments.Results and Conclusions: The results showed that the MMBSVVR classroom significantly improved high students' Chinese learning achievements in Chinese vocabulary and making sentence, problem‐solving ability, and self‐efficacy. Moreover, SVVR stimulates students' learning interest and class participation, and mind mapping provides students with a clear guide to arrange the knowledge. These findings help interpret the relationships between MMBSVVR and learning achievements, Chinese learning motivation, problem‐solving ability, and self‐efficacy in an international high school Chinese courses, thus providing insight on integrating MMBSVVR into existing classrooms.