OAR@UM Community:

Phenomenography in a more-than-human world - clarity, coherence and critical renewal

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Title: Phenomenography in a more-than-human world - clarity, coherence and critical renewal Authors: Cutajar, Maria Abstract: Phenomenography is an interpretative research approach for investigating the “qualitatively different ways in which people experience, perceive, and understand various aspects of, and phenomena in the world around them” (Marton, 1986, p.31). In its short history of a few decades phenomenography accumulated a substantial body of literature. A few stand out as seminal works developing phenomenography knowledge. Historically, Marton and Booth (1997) was an unmatched reference work that set out the philosophical and theoretical foundations of phenomenography, elevating it from a set of qualitative research methods to a research approach, while concurrently laying out the foundations of the variation theory of learning as a pedagogy using phenomenographic outcomes for scaffolding students’ thinking and learning. [Excerpt] Description: This extended book review does not include an abstract.

Finding care in networked learning : close encounter with a virtual assistant

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Title: Finding care in networked learning : close encounter with a virtual assistant Authors: Cutajar, Maria Abstract: A theme that emerged from the selection of papers drawn from the 14th edition of the networked learning conference and included in the edited book in the Research in Networked Learning series was that of care. The editorial team noted that while care is an assumed aspect of networked learning, it has not received direct attention in the networked learning literature. What began as a curiosity about the presence of care in recent networked learning scholarship developed into a motivated inquiry to examine both the thematic representation of care and the possibilities researching with a virtual assistant. The guiding question was: What are the distinct ways in which care is thematically represented in recent networked learning literature? The question was answered with reference to the proceedings of the two most recent conferences on networked learning that generated a dataset of 92 papers. This corpus was chosen as representative of the field in the period following the Covid-19 pandemic and the concurrent rise of generative artificial intelligence (Gen-AI) and other AI-driven applications. These developments and related regulatory debates increased the attention to care and care ethics. The study confirms the limited direct focus on care in the recent networked learning publications. From the small subset of papers that explicitly address the theme, it is evident that care in technology mediated education settings is a troubling concern, spanning practices, approaches, values and beliefs and tensions in the intersectionalities cutting across them. Care demands genuine action towards the mattering of both human and non-human actors. The tensions surfaced suggest that care needs to be foregrounded more explicitly in networked learning to highlight conflicting perspectives, counter hollow political discourse, and emphasise care as integral to design, implementation and practice. As the postdigital entanglement with sophisticated AI-driven technologies deepens, appeals for care and care ethics are expected to intensify. This experimental study conducted with a chatbot illustrates such entanglement. The personal experience of doing this work further underscores the necessity of human oversight – not only to verify and validate the outputs of non-caring algorithmic systems but also to ensure that digital assistants remain accountable tools rather that arbiters of what the world is.

Assessing student engagement in higher education : validation of the university student engagement inventory among Maltese University students

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Title: Assessing student engagement in higher education : validation of the university student engagement inventory among Maltese University students Authors: Deguara, Josephine; Borg, Jonathan A.; Marôco, João; Hanssen, Natallia Bahdanovic; Løken, Trygve Kvåle Abstract: This study examined the psychometric properties of the University Student Engagement Inventory (USEI) among Maltese university students, addressing the lack of validated tools for assessing student engagement (SE) in Malta’s higher education (HE) context. The questionnaire was sent to all 12,400 University of Malta students out of which 323 fully completed the USEI, measuring behavioural (BE), emotional (EE), and cognitive engagement (CE). Confirmatory factor analysis supported both the three-factor model (CFI=0.945, TLI=0.933, RMSEA=0.073) and an excellent second-order model fit (CFI=0.981, TLI=0.977, RMSEA=0.057). Reliability was good for EE (α=0.83, ω=0.81) and CE (α=0.79, ω=0.76), and marginal for BE (α=0.68, ω=0.65), consistent with international findings. Measurement invariance was confirmed across STEM and non-STEM groups, indicating model stability across disciplines. Predictive validity showed that higher SE significantly predicted fewer dropout intentions (β=–0.49, p<0.001) and higher self-reported academic performance (β=0.56, p<0.001). Results confirm the USEI as a reliable and valid tool for assessing SE within the Maltese HE context and confirms its use in identifying disengaged students and informing interventions to enhance persistence and academic success.

Stimulating change at the human–computer interface : cultivating cognitive and critical thinking through immersive virtual reality as an innovative pedagogy in STEM education

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Title: Stimulating change at the human–computer interface : cultivating cognitive and critical thinking through immersive virtual reality as an innovative pedagogy in STEM education Authors: Camilleri, Patrick; Frendo, Clarisse Schembri Abstract: Crafting STEM teaching into meaningful experiences can transform facts into knowledge. Immersive virtual reality (IVR) represents a significant pedagogical disruption, offering novel modalities of engagement with science content, extending beyond passive reception towards enhanced critical inquiry, reflective evaluation, and the cultivation of higher-order thinking skills. This study investigated how 20 Maltese students (mean age 12) adjusted their perceptions and acceptance of IVR when encountering it for the first time in formal STEM education. A quasi-experimental design was employed over six weeks, with data collected through pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. The analytical framework combined the Technological Frames of Reference (TFR) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to capture perceptual snapshots and attitudinal shifts. While IVR initially stimulated enthusiasm, sustained exposure prompted critical reflections on its potential and limitations, particularly in relation to subject relevance, peer communication, and ease of use. Such deliberations are themselves suggestive indicators of reflective engagement. Rather than being demonstrated evidence of cognitive skill development, they are consistent with the early exercise of analytical and evaluative reasoning. These insights underscore the recursive dialog between technology-in-use and user contextualization, revealing how perceptions mature through experience. By examining how young learners engage with emergent technologies, this research highlights education’s role in cultivating adaptability, reflective judgment, and critical thinking capacities—central to innovative pedagogy and support for uncertain futures.