Papers by Yiannis Georgiou
Sustainability
During the last decade, many cities worldwide have implemented various green policies; in this wa... more During the last decade, many cities worldwide have implemented various green policies; in this way, they have gradually transformed into “green cities”. The emergence of green cities may provide a promising venue to address cities’ environmental degradation and citizens’ disengagement with current socio-environmental issues, thus giving rise to the notion of Environmental Citizenship (EC). Despite these assumptions, empirical research on the topic is currently emerging. In this study, we examine citizens’ engagement in green cities and its interrelatedness with EC through a systematic literature review. The selected empirical studies (n = 25) were published in peer-reviewed journals during the timespan of the last 12 years (2010–2021). In total, 31 green cities were analyzed in the 25 selected empirical studies. Thematic and frequency analysis revealed that green cities encourage citizens’ engagement with the implemented green policies, while also advancing citizens’ EC. Furthermore...
Sustainability, 2021
It is commonly argued that, despite the tremendous resonance Citizen Science (CS) has shown in re... more It is commonly argued that, despite the tremendous resonance Citizen Science (CS) has shown in recent years, there is still lack of understanding of important aspects defining citizens’ participation and engagement in CS initiatives. While CS initiatives could provide a vehicle to foster forms of participation contributing to the democratization of science, there is still limited attention paid to the “Citizen” component of the Citizen Science term. For the purpose of this work, we systematically reviewed the available literature for empirical studies in respect to citizens’ participation in environmental and nature-based CS initiatives established during the last two decades, using the PRISMA methodology. The participatory facet of the retrieved 119 CS initiatives was analysed on the basis of: (a) exclusion and inclusion demographic factors, (b) CS models and practices, (c) facilitators and constraints of citizen’s participation, and (d) environmental citizenship. Our findings show...
Sustainability, 2021
Environmental Citizen Science (CS) initiatives have been recognized over time as a promising way ... more Environmental Citizen Science (CS) initiatives have been recognized over time as a promising way to engage citizens in the investigation and management of various socio-ecological issues. In this context, it has been often hypothesized that these CS initiatives may also contribute to the education and subsequent transformation of citizens into environmentally aware and active citizens. However, the potential of CS to serve as a springboard for supporting Education for Environmental Citizenship (EEC) has not been explored yet. A systematic review was conducted, seeking to examine how citizens’ participation in environmental CS initiatives contributes to the EEC, as a venue through which citizens can undertake actions in different scales (local, national, global) to achieve environmental citizenship. A content analysis procedure was implemented on thirty-one empirical studies (n = 31) retrieved from a systematic review of the literature covering the timespan of the last two decades (2...
This work presents a case study of orchestrating a technology-enhanced embodied learning experien... more This work presents a case study of orchestrating a technology-enhanced embodied learning experience in an authentic classroom. As new technologies (e.g., motion-based technologies, natural user interfaces) and emerging pedagogies (e.g., embodied learning) find their way into the classroom it is extremely important to advance our knowledge of how to improve practice with respect to planning and orchestrating the classroom environment. This case study presents researchers and teachers’ efforts in orchestrating a technology-enhanced embodied learning classroom in elementary education demonstrating the strategies and methods adopted.
Educational Technology Research and Development, 2021
Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) simulations are argued to support students’ learning of complex sc... more Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) simulations are argued to support students’ learning of complex scientific phenomena via the use of realistic graphics and interactions that students can hardly experience in everyday life. However, the integration of immersive VR simulations in science classrooms introduces new challenges, whilst there is a lack of learning designs to inform practice. As part of this study, we firstly present a learning experience (LX) design seeking to introduce an immersive VR simulation in Physics classrooms to support high-school students’ understanding of the Special Theory of Relativity. Then, we present an empirical investigation on the enactment and evaluation of the proposed LX design, with 109 high-school students (10–11th graders). A mixed-method approach was adopted to evaluate students’ conceptual learning gains along with their perceptions of the learning experience, encompassing the immersive VR simulation and the inquiry-based learning process adopted. We reflect on our LX design aimed at the integration of an immersive VR simulation in an inquiry-based learning environment and we highlight questions for further research.
Sustainability, 2021
As we are living amid an unprecedent environmental crisis, the need for schools to empower studen... more As we are living amid an unprecedent environmental crisis, the need for schools to empower students into environmental citizenship is intensifying. Teachers are considered as the main driving force in fostering students’ environmental citizenship. However, a critical question is how teachers conceive environmental citizenship and whether their perceptions of environmental citizenship are well-informed. There is an urgent need to investigate teachers’ perceptions, considering their crucial role in the formation of students’ environmental citizenship. This study examines teachers’ perceptions of environmental citizenship through a systematic review and thematic analysis of relevant empirical studies. The selected studies (n = 16) were published in peer-reviewed journals during the timespan of the last twenty-five (25) years (1995–2020). The thematic findings of this review revealed that teachers’ perceptions: (a) manifest a relatively decreased understanding of environmental citizensh...
Journal of Science Education and Technology, 2021
The integration of immersive Virtual Reality (VR) in authentic science classrooms can result in a... more The integration of immersive Virtual Reality (VR) in authentic science classrooms can result in a totally new learning experience for the students. However, the effect of such a learning experience on students' conceptual learning gains and their perceptions of the experience, while considering students' pre-existing science-and digital technologies-related attitudinal profiles, has not been explored to date. In this study we have enacted a 90-minute technologyenhanced inquiry-based intervention with high-school students (n=107), on the topic of the Special Theory of Relativity in a Physics course, using a learning experience design, structured around an immersive VR simulation. Firstly, we aimed at examining students' attitudinal profiles and, secondly, at exploring the potential differences of those profiles in relation to conceptual learning gains and perceptions of the learning experience. A clustering analysis has revealed two attitudinal profiles: the low-attitudes profile (n=48) included students with low science-and digital technologies-related attitudes, and the opposite for the high-attitudes profile (n=59). Results from a 2x2 RM ANOVA indicated a statistically significant interaction between conceptual learning gains and attitudinal profiles. In addition, a one-way MANOVA test showed statistically significant differences between the two profiles in relation to students' perceptions of the learning experience, with the students of the high-attitude profile outperforming their counterparts. We discuss our findings, focusing on the implications of students' individual differences in learning and attitudes linked to the integration of immersive VR in inquiry-based instruction.
Proceedings of the XX International Conference on Human Computer Interaction, 2019
The theories of embodied cognition and embodied learning have attracted the attention of research... more The theories of embodied cognition and embodied learning have attracted the attention of researchers and practitioners due to the new possibilities opened up by new multi-sensory interactive technologies. The application of these theories and technologies to special education has been intense in the last years, but their introduction in inclusive educational contexts is yet scarce. The <project> aims at fulfilling this gap, by supporting teachers in acquiring knowledge and skills to use multi-sensory technologies to address the needs of special education children in inclusive educational contexts. This paper presents the work done in the first phase of the <project>, aimed at establishing the pedagogical framework and the main concepts involved in the <project>.
Smart Computing and Intelligence, 2019
There is a widespread assumption that technology enhanced learning environments, which are ground... more There is a widespread assumption that technology enhanced learning environments, which are grounded on the notion of embodied cognition, can promote learning. Τhe current study reviews the empirical basis of this assumption by examining literature published from 2008 to 2017 which employs embodied learning environments in K-12 education. As part of this study, we review a total of 41 empirical studies and we focus on the type of embodied learning environments utilized, the research methods adopted for their evaluation and the educational contexts in which they are implemented. At the core of this review study, we investigate students' learning gains whilst examining the learning effectiveness of embodied learning environments, as compared to other interfaces and instructional approaches. In general, the review revealed positive outcomes from the use of embodied learning environments in K-12. Most of the reviewed studies were contextualized in K-12 STEM education, adopted gesture-based technologies and evaluated students' learning using retrospective measures grounded on pre-post questionnaires. Cognitive learning outcomes were dominant in the reviewed studies, while the evaluation of affective and psychomotor outcomes received less attention. The majority of the reviewed comparative studies reported that students in the embodied learning condition had increased learning gains, when compared to their counterparts in the control group. However, these findings should be treated with caution due to a set of methodological concerns that this review identified. We conclude this chapter with a synthesis of our findings in the form of emerged implications and we provide a set of guidelines for future research and practice in the field of embodied learning environments.
Journal of Educational Computing Research, 2021
There are increasing calls to introduce computational thinking in schools; the arguments in favor... more There are increasing calls to introduce computational thinking in schools; the arguments in favor call upon research suggesting that even kindergarten children can successfully engage in coding. This contribution presents a cross-sectional study examining the coding practices and computational thinking of fifty-one primary school children using the ScratchJr software; children were organized in two cohorts (Cohort 1: 6–9 years old; Cohort 2: 10–12 years old). Each cohort participated in a six-hour intervention, as part of a four-day summer club. During the intervention children were introduced to ScratchJr and were asked to collaboratively design a digital story about environmental waste management actions, thus adopting a disciplinary perspective to computational thinking. Data analyses examined children’s final artifacts, in terms of coding practices and the level of computational thinking demonstrated by each cohort. Furthermore, analysis of selected groups’ storyboard interviews...
Computers in Human Behavior, 2018
Relations between student motivation, immersion and learning outcomes in location-based augmented... more Relations between student motivation, immersion and learning outcomes in location-based augmented reality settings Abstract Technology-rich educational environments are argued to facilitate immersion, which can subsequently contribute to students' increased learning; however, empirical evidence is often contradictory. The subjective nature of immersion, which can be influenced by students' individual differences, can provide a plausible explanation which may account for such contradictory findings. Despite the widespread positive claims, research on the relation between immersion and learning is still in its infancy. This study investigates whether the impact of immersion on learning in location-based Augmented Reality (AR) settings is influenced by student motivation. More specifically, this study is focused on the effects of domain-specific motivation and cognitive motivation on experienced immersion in relation to students' subsequent learning gains in environmental science. Data were collected from a cohort of 135 10 th graders, who used an AR app for environmental science learning; data were analyzed using multiple statistical analyses (pretest-posttest comparisons, correlations, regression analyses, cluster analysis). The results demonstrated that immersion was positively predicted by domain-specific motivation and cognitive motivation. In turn, conceptual learning gains were positively related to the level of immersion that students achieved. Implications are discussed along with future research pathways.
Hadjichambis, A. Ch., Georgiou, Y., Paraskeva-Hadjichambi, D. P., Ioannou, H., & Manoli, C. C. (2015). Integrating sustainable consumption into environmental education: a case study on environmental representations, decision making and intention to act. International Journal of Environmental and ... International Journal of Environmental and Science Education
Technology-enhanced embodied learning is argued to have the potential to revolutionize K-12 educa... more Technology-enhanced embodied learning is argued to have the potential to revolutionize K-12 education. Despite the affordances of technology-enhanced embodied learning, its integration in mainstream education is currently at slow pace. Slow adoption of technological innovation is not a new issue in the education arena. Several factors are contributing to why in-service teachers are being reluctant to adopt educational innovations. This study investigated the concerns of 31 in-service primary education teachers about adopting technology-enhanced embodied learning using the Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM). A Professional Development (PD) programme composed of two phases – a Training phase (including experiential workshops) and a Practical phase (including teachers' enactment of technology-enhanced embodied learning in their classrooms) – allowed for the mitigation of these concerns. By the end of the PD programme teachers retained only some high-level concerns, which are esse...
AoIR Selected Papers of Internet Research, 2021
Social media have become online spaces where misinformation abounds and spreads virally in the ab... more Social media have become online spaces where misinformation abounds and spreads virally in the absence of professional gatekeeping. This information landscape requires everyday citizens, who rely on these technologies to access information, to cede control of information. This work sought to examine whether the control of information can be regained by humans with the support of a co-created browser plugin, which integrated credibility labels and nudges, and was informed by artificial intelligence models and rule engines. Given the literature on the complexity of information evaluation on social media, we investigated the role of technological, situational and individual characteristics in “liking” or “sharing” misinformation. We adopted a mixed-methods research design with 80 participants from four European sites, who viewed a curated timeline of credible and non-credible posts on Twitter, with (n=40) or without (n=40) the presence of the plugin. The role of the technological inter...
Sustainability, 2021
As we are living amid an unprecedent environmental crisis, the need for schools to empower studen... more As we are living amid an unprecedent environmental crisis, the need for schools to empower students into environmental citizenship is intensifying. Teachers are considered as the main driving force in fostering students’ environmental citizenship. However, a critical question is how teachers conceive environmental citizenship and whether their perceptions of environmental citizenship are well-informed. There is an urgent need to investigate teachers’ perceptions, considering their crucial role in the formation of students’ environmental citizenship. This study examines teachers’ perceptions of environmental citizenship through a systematic review and thematic analysis of relevant empirical studies. The selected studies (n = 16) were published in peer-reviewed journals during the timespan of the last twenty-five (25) years (1995–2020). The thematic findings of this review revealed that teachers’ perceptions: (a) manifest a relatively decreased understanding of environmental citizensh...
Journal of Educational Computing Research
There are increasing calls to introduce computational thinking in schools; the arguments in favor... more There are increasing calls to introduce computational thinking in schools; the arguments in favor call upon research suggesting that even kindergarten children can successfully engage in coding. This contribution presents a cross-sectional study examining the coding practices and computational thinking of fifty-one primary school children using the ScratchJr software; children were organized in two cohorts (Cohort 1: 6–9 years old; Cohort 2: 10–12 years old). Each cohort participated in a six-hour intervention, as part of a four-day summer club. During the intervention children were introduced to ScratchJr and were asked to collaboratively design a digital story about environmental waste management actions, thus adopting a disciplinary perspective to computational thinking. Data analyses examined children’s final artifacts, in terms of coding practices and the level of computational thinking demonstrated by each cohort. Furthermore, analysis of selected groups’ storyboard interviews...
Sustainability, 2021
Environmental Citizen Science (CS) initiatives have been recognized over time as a promising way ... more Environmental Citizen Science (CS) initiatives have been recognized over time as a promising way to engage citizens in the investigation and management of various socio-ecological issues. In this context, it has been often hypothesized that these CS initiatives may also contribute to the education and subsequent transformation of citizens into environmentally aware and active citizens. However, the potential of CS to serve as a springboard for supporting Education for Environmental Citizenship (EEC) has not been explored yet. A systematic review was conducted, seeking to examine how citizens' participation in environmental CS initiatives contributes to the EEC, as a venue through which citizens can undertake actions in different scales (local, national, global) to achieve environmental citizenship. A content analysis procedure was implemented on thirty-one empirical studies (n = 31) retrieved from a systematic review of the literature covering the timespan of the last two decades (2000-2020), according to the PRISMA methodology. The findings indicated that the majority of the reviewed environmental CS initiatives primarily enhanced citizens' skills and knowledge over the competences of attitudes, values, and behaviors. In addition, it was found that CS initiatives empowered primarily citizens' personal and responsible environmental actions, which were situated in the private sphere and at the local scale. The derived environmental outcomes were mainly related to the solution and prevention of environmental problems. Finally, correlational statistical analysis indicated that there were strong correlations between the Environmental Citizenship (EC) competences, actions and EEC outcomes and unveiled a set of keystone components; namely, components of crucial significance in the field of EC. We reflect on these findings, and we discuss directions for future research.
It is argued that augmented reality games can promote immersion and feelings of presence, which c... more It is argued that augmented reality games can promote immersion and feelings of presence, which could support students’ engagement with the learning process. Sustaining presence is crucial but challenging, since immersion is a transient state. As part of a broader design-based research, in this study, we employed a focus group methodology to investigate the perceptions of eighteen 11th graders regarding the factors which affected their immersion during an augmented reality game for inquiry-based science learning. Introduction and Theoretical Framing There is a wide-spread assumption according to which immersive Augmented Reality (AR) games could result to feelings of presence within the game, as a sense of being there. Dede (2009), who defined immersion “as the participant’s suspension of disbelief that she or he is ‘inside’ a digitally enhanced setting” (p.66), argued that immersive games could increase students’ engagement with the learning process. In recent years, we have witnes...
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Papers by Yiannis Georgiou
argued that inquiry-based science education is of paramount importance in helping citizens become scientifically literate. To achieve this goal it is necessary for teachers to develop ownership of the proposed reformed curricula. Despite the significance of teacher ownership in the success of educational innovations, there is a dearth of empirical investigations regarding the operationalization of ownership and its assessment. In the absence of an evidence-based operationalization of ownership, the construct will remain an idea that will elude practical significance in teacher research and practice. The present study sought to contribute to this gap by employing a model of psychological ownership borrowed from the literature and which is influenced by five components: (a) personal beliefs, (b) outcomes efficacy, (c) self-identity, (d) belongingness and (e) sustained interest. This framework was investigated empirically through the case-study examination of two secondary school teachers’ ownership of inquiry-based science education. The teachers were involved with a process of collaborative participatory design of a web-based inquiry learning environment, which they subsequently implemented with their students. Data were collected during the implementation of the module and included videotapes of classroom discussions as well as teachers’ post-lesson reflections at the conclusion of each enactment session. The analysis of the data provided insights into understanding how each teacher’s ownership developed during the enactments. Findings revealed a variety of factors which positively or negatively affected the development of teachers’
ownership over time. Our findings provided evidence that the theoretical framework employed was useful in understanding the science teachers’ ownership of reform-based inquiry curricula while indicating that ownership is a multi-dimensional construct and not an elusive impression.