Mageswaran Sanmugam

Students’ understanding of abstract concepts has long been a major challenge in school learning. In geography learning, visual representations are widely used, and anthropomorphic graphics have attracted attention for their potential to make abstract content more accessible. However, existing research has primarily focused on their effects on attention and affect, with limited attention to their role in supporting conceptual understanding. This study explores how anthropomorphic graphics support students’ learning of complex abstract concepts and how such support varies according to learners’ prior knowledge. Using a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six Chinese high school students aged 16-17. The findings indicate that anthropomorphic graphics help students relate abstract concepts to everyday experiences, making complex ideas easier to understand and remember. Differences emerged across learners: students with higher prior knowledge tended to use these graphics as explanatory tools for interpreting conceptual relationships, whereas those with lower prior knowledge viewed them primarily as memory aids. The effectiveness of anthropomorphic graphics was also influenced by instructional factors such as teacher guidance and textual support. The study highlights the role of anthropomorphic graphics as instructional tools in supporting abstract concept learning and suggests their effectiveness depends on learners’ prior knowledge and instructional design.

Empirical evidence for AI formative assessment combined with gamification remains scarce in subjective aesthetic disciplines. This study examined whether such integration enhances metacognitive regulation in undergraduate color education and whether the effect is conditional on learners’ prior AI credibility belief. A four-arm, four-wave cluster-randomized controlled trial (N = 540, 24 classes, eight cross-allocated teachers) compared gamification with AI feedback, gamification with dose-matched human feedback, gamification only, and traditional instruction; the primary outcome was metacognitive regulation measured 4 weeks post-intervention. Gamification produced a small-to-medium effect over traditional instruction (d = 0.34, p_Holm = 0.015). AI and human feedback did not differ on average (d = 0.07; underpowered). Autoregressive mediation confirmed metacognitive regulation as a longitudinal mediator of intervention effects on motivation and achievement. On an exploratory basis, prior AI credibility belief moderated the AI-versus-human indirect effect on motivation (p_Holm = 0.034) but not achievement (p_Holm = 0.054), with higher-belief learners benefiting; given the limited power of the AI-versus-human comparison, this conditional pattern is reported as a tentative finding rather than as confirmatory evidence. These findings extend self-determination theory and the self-regulated learning framework to aesthetic education and provide preliminary support for the deployment of prior-trust-aware AI feedback, pending replication.

The Arabic language is one of the foreign languages offered in Malaysian education. In Arabic, learning vocabulary is particularly important because it forms the foundation of language acquisition. However, past research showed that a large number of Malaysian students struggle with understanding and memorizing Arabic vocabulary because they are unfamiliar with it. Thus, this research focuses on developing an appropriate mobile application that will support Malaysian religious secondary school students in improving their mastery of Arabic vocabulary. This study attempts to create a mobile application-based digital drama by adopting the analyze, design, develop, implement, and evaluate (ADDIE) model. The ADDIE model was integrated as a structured approach for producing educational material that is both enjoyable and beneficial to students. Six subject matter experts were invited to evaluate the effectiveness of the mobile application-based digital drama. Based on the validation results and feedback obtained, it can be concluded that mobile application-based digital drama was valid and effective with high scores for format and graphic suitability to be utilized as an instructional tool for learning Arabic vocabulary among Malaysian religious secondary school students.

This qualitative study examines the English writing experiences of 12 primary schoolchildren (PSC) from a vernacular school in Malaysia, employing Herrington and Kervin’s principles of authentic learning as its theoretical framework. Data were collected through in-depth one-on-one interviews, e-diaries, and unstructured non-participant observations, and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that the participants effectively employed authentic learning strategies (AuLStra) in their writing activities, which included online reflective writing, collaborative online writing, and peer feedback. The use of AuLStra facilitated a collaborative environment where participants engaged in authentic writing tasks, benefiting from teacher scaffolding and peer assistance. Participants noted that reflecting on meaningful personal topics and engaging in creative writing through online collaboration significantly enhanced their writing fluency. The study highlights the impact of authentic learning practices on writing development and offers insights into the pedagogical and theoretical implications of integrating such strategies in primary education.

Background: The rapid advancement of ICT (information and communication technology) during the Fourth Industrial Revolution offers great potential to transform physics learning, especially for abstract topics such as fluid matter. Limited laboratory facilities and suboptimal learning schedules in many schools can hinder students' understanding and cognitive learning outcomes.Objectives: This research seeks to: (1) ascertain the viability of the developed media, (2) measure the improvement in high school students' cognitive learning outcomes, and (3) determine students' responses to the learning media.Method: The ADDIE model (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) was used in this research and development (R&D) study. The learning media developed was a 360° Virtual Reality video based on the Kuula platform integrated with ClassPoint. The trial was conducted on 39 eleventh-grade students utilizing a pretest-posttest approach in a single group. Data were collected through media and subject matter expert validation sheets, cognitive learning outcome tests, and questionnaires for student responses. Validation and student response data were subjected to descriptive and quantitatively analysis, while improvements in cognitive learning outcomes were analyzed using N-Gain scores.Results: Expert validation produced an average feasibility score of 90.16% (highly feasible). Students' cognitive learning outcomes improved significantly, with a high category N-Gain score of 0.83. The media received a highly favorable response from students, with an average score of 91.37% (very good).Conclusion: The virtual reality learning media based on the Kuula platform assisted by ClassPoint that was developed was declared highly feasible and effective in raising high school students’ cognitive learning outcomes on fluid material, particularly Archimedes' Principle. This media is an innovative alternative for schools with limited laboratory facilities.

Dyslexia, a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder affecting reading and writing skills, poses significant challenges to educational attainment. In recent years, mobile assistive technologies have emerged as promising tools to support dyslexic children in their journey. Despite the increasing focus on mobile assistive technology for dyslexic children, a comprehensive overview of the research landscape is lacking. The field is characterized by a proliferation of studies, diverse methodologies, and an expanding knowledge base. This bibliometric review leverages advanced analytical tools, with a primary focus on the VOSviewer software, to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the 53 literatures spanning from 2014 to 2024. A carefully curated dataset, comprising research articles sourced from reputable databases, forms the basis of the analysis. Anticipated outcomes include visually rich maps depicting the keyword co-occurrence patterns within the realm of mobile assistive technology for dyslexic children. We expect to identify key articles shaping the field, prominent clusters of research, and evolving trends. This bibliometric review aspires to contribute a panoramic view of the last decade's research landscape in mobile assistive technology for dyslexic children. The anticipated insights hold the potential to guide future research directions, technological innovations, and educational interventions, ultimately enhancing the support available to dyslexic children through mobile assistive technologies.

Although Virtual Reality (VR) is widely regarded as an effective tool for enhancing experiential learning, its role in fostering spatial presence in English for Specific Purposes (ESP), particularly in a hotel English course, remains underexplored. This study examines whether Immersive VR (IVR) elicits stronger spatial presence than Desktop VR (DVR) and how these differences are reflected in learners’ experiences of self-location and possible actions. To systematically investigate these relationships, a dual-mode VR hotel English training system was developed, with identical content, tasks, and instructional design across conditions, differing only in interaction modality. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed (QUANTITATIVE → qualitative = explanation). In the quantitative phase, 144 undergraduate students were assigned to IVR or DVR conditions in a quasi-experimental study. In the qualitative phase, 8 participants were interviewed to further explore their experiences. Quantitative results showed that students in the IVR condition reported significantly higher spatial presence than those in the DVR condition. Qualitative findings indicated that IVR enhanced learners’ sense of self-location and possible actions through greater immersion and interactivity, although some participants reported discomfort and occasional difficulty concentrating. DVR, while less immersive, was perceived as more comfortable and easier to use. By integrating spatial presence theory with ESP pedagogy, this study provides empirical evidence for selecting appropriate VR modalities for hotel English instruction and offers a more explanatory framework to narrow the gap between students’ conversational competence and the communicative demands of the hospitality industry.

Providing timely, personalized feedback in creative graphic design courses remains a persistent challenge. Using AI gives a possible way to solve this problem. This study examines how ArtPattern-AI (an AI-based craft pattern design learning system) affects students' motivation, engagement, and self-efficacy compared with general AIGC tools. ArtPattern-AI is designed as a lightweight, web-based system accessible across mobile and desktop devices, supporting flexible learning beyond classroom settings. The study used both quantitative and qualitative methods, combining a quasi-experiment with follow-up interviews. A total of 73 undergraduate students from two visual communication design classes took part. The experimental group (35 students) used ArtPattern-AI (AAI-CD), while the control group (38 students) used general AIGC tools (GAI-CD). The results showed that the ArtPattern-AI group did better than the AIGC tool group in motivation, engagement, and self-efficacy. These results suggest that AI can support the development of a more active, student-centered learning environment in creative design education.