Journal Articles

Development of creativity is one of the desired outcomes of integrated STEM learning and can serve as an indicator of high-quality education. Reliable evaluation of creativity can serve as an indicator of the success of integrated STEM learning. Current methods of creativity assessment such as the Torrance Test of Creativity (TTCT) have limitations as they are domain-generic and may not accurately reflect creativity valued by specific domains. Furthermore, creativity has been argued to be a dynamic phenomenon, which tests such as the TTCT fail to measure accurately. To consider disciplinary peculiarities, this study examined the value of considering disciplinary epistemic practices and task requirements in evaluating creativity. We adapted the Scientific Creativity Test (SCT) by incorporating elements that are more domain- and task-specific to vertical farming integrated STEM learning and trialed it with pre-service teachers. To measure changes in creativity over time, behavior of pre-service teachers when they are engaged with the integrated STEM activity was monitored through video recordings. Scoring of the adapted SCT revealed a decrease in creativity, but low sample size and "memory" effects meant that no meaningful conclusions were drawn. Behaviors during the integrated STEM learning associated with higher creativity were identified. Findings suggested that the two creativity assessment tools are not substitutable but are complementary—the SCT is suited as an easy-to-administer assessment for a larger number of students, while monitoring behavior of students during integrated STEM learning is suited for smaller groups and can shed light on more aspects of the student's creativity. Recommendations for future studies on the SCT and behavior-monitoring were made.

Learners’ emotional engagement in synchronous online learning (SOL) is critical for improving learning persistence and performance. Nevertheless, there is currently a lack of comprehensive and systematic reviews of emotional engagement in SOL. This review synthesizes the strategies to promote emotional engagement in SOL found in published empirical studies. A total of 32 articles were systematically analyzed by following the grounded theory approach. The primary themes were grouped into four categories: (a) instructor actions (e.g., interacting informally before and after class, encouraging the expression of ideas), (b) learner behaviors (e.g., building rapport with peers, recognizing individual accountability), (c) environment characteristics (e.g., creating a supportive atmosphere, selecting communication modes), and (d) activity design (e.g., using breakout rooms, embedding diverse elements). These findings offer comprehensive understanding and guidance for promoting emotional engagement in SOL for instructors, researchers, and course developers.

With its versatile applications, sand is now the second-most-consumed natural resource by human beings. The ever-growing demand for sand has, however, led to extensive sand extraction that resulted in the world's most significant anthropogenic mining endeavor. Intensive mining activities have caused severe socio-environmental consequences, with many being overlooked. This Voices asks: what pressing issue must be urgently addressed to faciliate a sustainable future for sand?

Environmental pressures have significantly impacted agricultural land use in deltas worldwide, leading to transformative changes in livelihoods. The Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD) is a vital region for national food security and global agricultural markets but is threatened by climate change, hydropower dams, sand mining, and excessive groundwater extraction. These pressures challenge the VMD's agricultural productivity and sustainability in the Anthropocene era. Despite efforts to foster resilience, there remains a critical gap in understanding how these agricultural transformations respond to environmental challenges. This review explores the multifaceted relationship between livelihood transformations and environmental pressures in the VMD, offering a comprehensive analysis of agricultural shifts over the past 50 years to identify viable adaptation pathways. Our review highlights that climate change-induced sea level rise and hydropower dam development both cause an increase in salinity intrusion, damage many agricultural lands and lead to substantial land use change and livelihood transformation, particularly in the floodplains and coastal areas. Additionally, sand mining has significantly influenced livelihood transitions in urban areas by causing riverbank erosion and leading to agricultural land losses. Furthermore, extensive groundwater extraction instigating land subsidence triggers land allocation, particularly in coastal zones. We emphasize the importance of adaptive management at both delta-wide and farm-level scales, integrating stakeholder engagement with institutional improvements. This approach aims to address environmental impacts while pursuing a pathway incorporating nature-based solutions and smart technologies to enhance the sustainability of agricultural systems in the VMD under current and future environmental pressures. Our review provides a foundation for developing adaptive strategies that promote sustainable development and resilience in deltaic environments and share knowledge for similar deltas worldwide.

Perennials improve soil strength and stabilize the slope. However, they are very prone to drought stress (DS). To identify plant health indicators, this study investigated the responses of five tropical perennials commonly grown in Singapore’s slope to DS and re-watering (RW) in the greenhouse. The durations for mild, intermediate, and severe DS defined as T1, T2, and T3, respectively, before RW were based on the extents of reduced Fv/Fm ratio (maximal quantum efficiency of PSII) and the levels of wilting. After RW, soil water content (SWC) increased until field capacity in all DS soil, although they were significantly lower than in well-watered (WW) soil. Overall, the Fv/Fm ratios and leaf water content (LWC) decreased significantly in all DS plants compared to those of WW plants, but all increased to the similar level as WW plants after RW. Nitrogen deficiency did not occur in any plants during DS. There were clear positive correlations of SWC with Fv/Fm ratios, LWC, effective quantum yield of PSII (∆F/Fm’), electron transport rate (ETR), and photochemical quenching (qP) for all species. To monitor plant health, it would recommend using both non-destructive measurements such as SWC and Fv/Fm ratios and destructive parameters like LWC, ∆F/Fm’, ETR, and qP.