https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/1164 Thu, 12 Nov 2026 09:49:34 GMT 2026-11-12T09:49:34Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150846 Title: From policy commitment to lived professional experience : educator wellbeing and leadership values in Malta’s National Education Strategy 2024–2030 Authors: Giordmaina, Joseph; Zammit, Lucianne Abstract: This study aims to ask two questions: how does Malta's National Education Strategy 2024-2030 respond to working conditions associated with educator wellbeing, and what would need to change for its commitments to be felt in educators everyday work? We bring together Maltese studies from different periods, relevant international research and a structured analysis of policy documents. Across the Maltese literature, concerns recur about workload, educational reform, professional autonomy, consultation, recognition and support. Because the studies used different methods and populations, they cannot show whether these problems remained at the same level over time or what caused them. The Strategy addresses several of these concerns through commitments to wellbeing support, professional participation, recognition, development and less administration. Whether these measures have been implemented successfully remains an open question. We propose a six-level framework that distinguishes policy commitments, wider system conditions, leadership values, observable practices, educators immediate experiences and wellbeing outcomes, while recognising that feedback can inform future practice and policy. Trust, respect, care, fairness, recognition and empowerment are proposed leadership values, not measured outcomes. The framework offers a way to evaluate policy implementation without assuming that stated intentions lead to better wellbeing. We recommend monitoring what is delivered, how working conditions and professional influence change, and whether educators' wellbeing improves over time. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150846 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150842 Title: Digital values and reported online practices among early adolescents in Malta : student and professional perspectives Authors: Giordmaina, Joseph; Zammit, Lucianne; Marmara, Vincent; Fenech, Christine; Agius, May; Tirazona, Roger Abstract: Digital media are settings in which early adolescents negotiate privacy, respect, consent, responsibility and care. This focused mixed-methods secondary analysis brings together responses from 612 Year 8 students in Malta and interviews with 19 education and youth-support professionals. Students strongly endorsed privacy and respectful communication: 96.0% considered online privacy important, 90.3% agreed that they tried to communicate respectfully, 77.2% reported always or often seeking permission before sharing another person's image, and 80.0% reported always or often checking information before sharing it. Responses were more varied for cyberbullying and screen-time self-regulation: 24.4% selected ignoring online bullying as their most representative response, and 22.4% were unsure whether they prevented screen time from interfering with important activities. Students' open responses foregrounded kindness, non-harm, privacy, consent and reflection. Professionals highlighted peer belonging, visibility, social validation and reduced inhibition in adolescents' digital environments. Bringing these perspectives together identifies common concerns alongside tensions between endorsed values, reported practices and the social settings of online interaction. The findings position digital citizenship as a relational dimension of applied values education and indicate directions for further student-centred research. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150842 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150280 Title: Digital moral agency in school ethics curricula : from responsible use to epistemic and socio-technical judgement Authors: Giordmaina, Joseph; Zammit, Lucianne Abstract: Digital technologies increasingly shape the relationships, information environments and institutional systems within which young people exercise moral judgement, yet curriculum responses often separate digital competence from moral education. This study develops the concept of digital moral agency and examines how it is represented across 13 official Maltese Ethics curriculum, syllabus and policy documents published between 2012 and 2026. Using longitudinal qualitative document analysis, we compared successive formulations of the intended curriculum and coded established dimensions of moral agency and practical wisdom alongside inductively identified digital concerns. The analysis shows continuity in reflection, dialogue, responsibility, care, justice and reason-giving, alongside a widening of the contexts in which these capacities are expected to operate. Digital moral agency emerges across three interrelated dimensions: personal and relational judgement concerning conduct, wellbeing, privacy and relationships; epistemic judgement concerning credibility, influence and synthetic information; and structural judgement concerning algorithms, surveillance, bias, data exploitation and distributed responsibility. These dimensions do not form a simple age-graded sequence: newer Years 7-8 syllabi make algorithms, surveillance and AI-supported decision-making explicit, while the current SEC programme for older students remains more strongly focused on conduct and social influence, reflecting overlapping reform cycles. The findings suggest that digital ethics education should move beyond an ethics of responsible use towards an ethics of participation in socio-technical systems. The framework offers a curriculum-mapping tool for integrating ethical judgement with digital and artificial-intelligence literacy across school years. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150280 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150279 Title: Safe schools, safe futures : a preventive SOP for schools to identify extreme violent tendencies in children and adolescents Abstract: This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) provides school leaders, educators, and professionals with a practical framework for identifying and addressing extreme violent tendencies in children and adolescents. The document focuses on two primary areas of concern: ideologically inspired violent extremism and non-ideological violence fascination—referred to as Violence-Fascinated Individuals (VFIs). It defines key terms, outlines risk factors (such as trauma, neurodivergence, and online radicalisation), identifies behavioral indicators, and presents a structured response model prioritizing early detection, trauma-informed support, internal referral, and escalation to safeguarding authorities. The SOP aims to safeguard educational communities while upholding human rights, inclusion, and non-stigmatisation of vulnerable youths. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150279 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z