Educational Psychology Is Evolving to Accommodate Technology, Multiple Disciplines, and Twenty-First-Century Skills

This article covers recent research activities in educational psychology that have an interdisciplinary emphasis and that accommodate twenty-first-century skills in addition to the traditional foundations of literacy, numeracy, science, reasoning (problem-solving), and academic subject matter. We emphasize digital technologies because they are capable of tracking learning data in rich detail and reliably delivering interventions that are tailored to individual learners in particular sociocultural contexts. This is a departure from inflexible pedagogical approaches that previously have been routinely adopted in most classrooms and other contexts of instruction with no precise record of learning and instructional activities. A good design of educational technology embraces the principles of learning science, identifies the basic types of learning that are needed, implements relevant technological affordances, and accommodates feedback from different stakeholders. This article covers research in literacy, collaborative problem-solving, motivation, emotion, and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) areas. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Psychology, Volume 73 is January 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

The Efficacy of Promoting Financial Literacy with MOOC among Economics Pre-Service Teachers

It is important to educate financial literacy to pre-service teachers to manage their money well and to disseminate the knowledge to their students. The study aimed to examine the effectiveness of MOOC in promoting financial literacy among pre-service teachers. This paper also examines the correlation among the variables of financial literacy, collaborative skills, problem-solving, accountability, and decision-making. Pre-service teachers' views were discussed after attending the MOOC. The study adopted a mixed-method research design. A total of 100 pre-service teachers were selected through a random-sampling technique to participate in the survey. A purposive sampling technique was used to pick five of the participants for the follow-up interview. The quantitative data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics, while the qualitative data were analyzed on the basis of content analysis. The quantitative method yielded favourable descriptive statistics; and they also showed a significant relationship between financial literacy and MOOC. The variables indicated some correlations. The qualitative results also revealed the positive responses of financial literacy, collaborative skills, problem-solving, accountability, and decision-making. The course design and participants' engagement are the key factors of the success of MOOCs. Future research should emphasize the incorporation of financial literacy into different subjects. Educators and researchers could well provide more online learning in addition to those activities that combine financial literacy in other courses.

Literacy 4 Brown Girls: An Explorative Study Centered on the Identity and Literacy of African-American Girls

The academic needs of African-American girls too often are not linked to their intersecting identities. These interlocked identities often go unseen, thus are rarely addressed in K-12 schools. Specifically, their identities are neglected in some of their English Language Arts classrooms through the sole use of hegemonic literary practices. Literacy 4 Brown Girls was implemented at a Midwest school for twelve weeks. The purpose of this case study was to explore the ways in which a literacy collaborative, designed with the identities of African-American girls in mind, might impact the identity construction of 12 African-American girls at a local school. Through careful document analysis, findings from this study reveal that African-American girls require school programs that focus on honoring, uplifting, and supporting the construction of their intersecting identities. Not doing so posits that the identities of African-American girls are unimportant and perpetuates their academic neglect and disengagement.

Thinking outside the box: a critical literacy collaborative

PurposeThis paper aims to discuss the practical application of critical librarianship through a critical literacy framework using a Teaching and Learning Grant. The purpose of this project was to provide teacher candidates in The College of Education at Georgia Southern University-Armstrong Campus, with tools to understand and practice reading through the lens of critical literacy. The project also serves as an example of how an instruction librarian can work with students outside of the traditional one-shot instruction session.Design/methodology/approachStudents in the Fall 2016 section of EDUC 2120, Exploring Socio-Cultural Perspectives on Diversity in Educational Contexts were introduced to the concept of critical literacy and participated in a series of interactive faculty-facilitated small group discussions with the librarian and College of Education faculty. They concentrated on an analysis of Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah (2008).FindingsStudents provided positive feedback after the project. Many stated that they learned a great deal about the reading process in general and how to read from a critical literacy perspective. Students also stated that they began to think about looking more critically at information in general. Additionally, these pre-service educators now have more tools to use to help their future students become critical thinkers who can read their world for deeper meanings and understandings.Originality/valueThis project fills a need to help college students understand how to use critical literacy skills and become critical consumers of information. The initiative also fostered meaningful collaboration between a Reference and Instruction Librarian and colleagues in the College of Education while expanding on the one-shot instruction technique.

Lifelong Learning in the 21st Century

Learning in the 21st century no longer ends with K-12 and college preparation. Instead, for those adults who will succeed in negotiating the demands of the 21st century, it must continue across their lifetime. More than merely a focus on lifelong learning, however, this chapter illuminates the specific needs and skills of lifelong learning integrated with life and work in the 21st century. The discussion of modern skills includes scope, definitions, issues and trends, current and emerging practices, recommended strategies, and a glimpse of the future. The cornerstones of this discussion include approaches to learning such as lifelong learning, self-directed learning, 21st learning skills, information literacy, collaborative, situated, and problem based learning.