"Physics Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education (2011 Edition)" requires that physics teaching in junior high schools should focus on the development of students' scientific abilities, including the development of scientific knowledge and skills, scientific methods and attitudes. In view of the problems existing in middle school physics teaching such as being out of touch with real life, lack of interest, and traditional indoctrination teaching, integrating STEAM education concepts into physics experiment courses can greatly improve the interest of physics teaching and put students first. , teachers as instructors and assistants to improve the existing problems in the current physics teaching. Therefore, how to reasonably apply the STEAM education concept to the physical experiment course is a question worth exploring. I take "the design and production of floating sinks" as an example. The general idea is to build the main line of classroom teaching: the smoothness of knowledge logic, the progress of students' cognitive laws, the smooth design of teaching activities, and how to learn buoyancy and explore objects. To better understand the floating and sinking of objects when floating and sinking, interspersed with the educational concept of STEAM.

Given the issues of urban-rural educational inequality and difficulties for children from poor families to succeed, this study explores the impact mechanism of internet usage on rural educational investment in China within the context of the digital divide. Using data from the 2019 China Household Finance Survey (CHFS), this study analyzed the educational investment decisions of 2064 rural households. Results indicate that in the Eastern region, a high level of educational investment is primarily influenced by the per capita income of the family, with social capital and internet usage also playing supportive roles. In the Northeastern region, the key factor is the diversity of internet usage, specifically using both a smartphone and a computer. In the Central region, factors such as the diversity of internet usage, subjective risk attitudes, the appropriate age of the household head, and per capita income of the family contribute to higher levels of educational investment. In the Western region, the dominant factors are the diversity of internet usage, subjective usage and per capita income of the family. These factors enhance expected returns on the high level of educational investment and boost farmers’ confidence. High internet usage rates significantly promote diverse and stable educational investment decisions, providing evidence for policymakers to bridge the urban-rural education gap.

This cross-sectional study examines the knowledge, perception, and practice of health professions students and academics in Jordan concerning halal pharmaceuticals. Health professions students and academics from various universities in Jordan were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and inferential tests to identify factors affecting knowledge, perception, and practice. Participants had a high level of awareness regarding general halal and haram concepts, but there was relatively lower awareness of the term “halal pharmaceuticals” and detailed information about non-halal ingredients. Knowledge scores varied between students and academics, with academics scoring higher. Participants exhibited positive perceptions, acknowledging the importance of knowledge about halal pharmaceuticals and patients’ rights to inquire about medication sources and ingredients. Concerns were raised about the potential controversy surrounding the topic. This research contributes to understanding the role of halal pharmaceuticals in healthcare, particularly in predominantly Muslim countries. The findings highlight the importance of integrating education on halal pharmaceuticals into healthcare curricula, emphasizing patient-centered care, and addressing cultural and religious sensitivity. There is a need for tailored educational approaches and sensitivity training to bridge the gap between knowledge and practice.

The development of critical thinking (CT) enhances academic and professional opportunities. A review of literature reveals the use of fragmented analysis techniques, such as descriptive and correlational methods, among others, which hinder a deeper understanding of CT levels. This research aims to develop a methodology for analyzing Critical Thinking test scores, integrating five phases: exploratory, item analysis, scoring, gap analysis, and correlational. Using a quantitative approach, CT skills were analyzed with the Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment, which includes both open- and closed-ended questions to measure five skills: Verbal Reasoning (VR), Argument Analysis (AA), Hypothesis Testing (HT), Probability Use (PU), and Problem Solving (PS). The sample consisted of 214 students aged 18 and older. The item analysis phase categorized the items into quadrants: satisfactory, for review, or for elimination, based on difficulty and discrimination indices. The gap analysis revealed that Verbal Reasoning and open-ended formats were less satisfactory. The correlational phase, using heat maps, showed a stronger association between Verbal Reasoning and Probability Use. The methodological contributions include a variety of strategies that provide recommended procedures for analyzing tests or questionnaires in general. In today’s digital age, the development of critical thinking is not only a desirable skill but an essential necessity for the higher education system.

In China, ideological and political education is currently the hot direction of teaching reform in various colleges and universities, yet the development of appropriate teaching evaluation methods needs to catch up. This study addresses the pressing need for a preliminary investigation into the complex relationships among ideological and political education, the students’ learning satisfaction and teaching quality. This research examines the influence of teaching and ideological and political education quality on students’ satisfactions by designing a set of scales, collecting about 3800 questionnaires. Utilizing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and qualitative interviews, this study reveals that the teaching quality directly affects students’ learning satisfaction and ideological and political education. Notably, ideological and political education can also affect students’ learning satisfaction. The findings underscore the importance of including ideological and political education assessments in evaluating courses. This research contributes to the ongoing dialogue on effective teaching evaluation methods in the context of evolving educational practices.

Metaverse technology has various uses in communication, education, entertainment, and other aspects of life. Consequently, it necessitates using some interactive mobile applications to enter the virtual world and gain real-time, face-to-face experiences, particularly among students. This research focused on the factors accelerating metaverse technology acceptance particularly, Metaverse Experience Browser application acceptance among the students under the factors proposed by the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model. Notably, lack of studies in metaverse browsers and their prevalence during the post pandemic era, indicates a strong literature gap. The researchers gathered data from n = 384 higher education students from the two cities in the United Arab Emirates and applied Structural Equation modelling (SEM) for data analysis. Results revealed that Performance Expectancy (p < 0.003) and Social Influence (p = 0.000) were significant factors affecting the Behavioral Intention of the students to consider Metaverse Experience Browser as an interactive mobile application. On the other hand, behavioural Intention significantly affects (p = 0.000) Effort Expectancy, which shows how fewer efforts and greater accessibility are associated with one’s behavioural Intention. Besides, the effect of Behavioral Intention (p = 0.000) on Metaverse Experience Browser acceptance also remained validated. Finally, Effort Expectancy (p = 0.000) also indicated its significant effect on the Metaverse Experience Browser. These results indicated that the factors proposed by UTAUT have greater applicability on the Metaverse Experience Browser as they showed their relevance to its acceptance. The present study concludes that the acceptance of Metaverse Experience Browser as an interactive mobile application is a level ahead in improving students’ experiences. Thus, the Metaverse Experience Browser is considered a modified way of creating, sharing, participating, and enjoying the virtual world, indicating its greater usage among students for different purposes, including education and learning.