This study investigates university students’ understanding of the mole concept and its implications for chemistry education, highlighting the critical role of mathematical education. A questionnaire was administered to 303 students from universities in Panama, Mexico, Cuba, Chile, and Spain. The results reveal that only 29.7% of participants recognize the mole as a fundamental unit, while 20.8% confuse the amount of substance with a non-existent “Chemical System.” Only 18.5% correctly identified the substance quantity symbol as “n” and 32.7% were aware that Wilhelm Ostwald introduced the term mole, indicating deficiencies in historical knowledge. The significance of these findings highlights major misconceptions and gaps in both conceptual understanding and historical knowledge, underscoring the urgent need for revised teaching strategies. Addressing these issues is crucial for bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, thereby enhancing instructional methods and optimizing chemistry education to improve students’ comprehension of fundamental concepts.

This study explores the determinants of political participation among Thai youth, focusing on the roles of political interest, knowledge, and efficacy. Employing stratified random sampling, data were collected from 191 university students in Bangkok. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) via Smart PLS was utilized to test hypotheses regarding the direct and mediating effects of political interest and knowledge on participation, highlighting the mediating role of political efficacy. The findings indicate that political efficacy significantly enhances participation, while political interest boosts knowledge significantly but does not directly influence efficacy. Furthermore, political knowledge positively affects efficacy but not participation directly. Notably, the indirect effects of political interest on participation through efficacy alone are insignificant, but the pathways from interest to participation through both knowledge and efficacy, and from knowledge to participation through efficacy, are significant. These results elucidate the complex interactions between political interest, knowledge, and efficacy in shaping the political engagement of Thai youth.

This study analyzes the perception of university students regarding the use of virtual reality (VR) in higher education, focusing on their level of knowledge, usage, perceived advantages and disadvantages, as well as their willingness to use this technology in the future. Using a mixed-methods approach that combines questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected to provide a comprehensive view of the subject. The results indicate that while students have a basic understanding of VR, its use in the educational context is limited. A considerable number of students recognize VR’s potential to enhance the learning experience, particularly in terms of immersion and engagement. However, significant barriers to adoption were identified, such as technical issues, the high cost of equipment, and inadequate access to technological infrastructure. Additionally, there is a need for broader training for both students and faculty to ensure the effective use of this technology in academic environments. The semi-structured interviews confirmed that perceptions of VR vary depending on prior exposure to the technology and access to resources. Despite the challenges, most students appreciate VR’s potential to enrich learning, although its effective adoption will depend on overcoming the identified barriers. The study concludes that strategies must be implemented to facilitate the integration of VR into higher education, thus optimizing its impact on the teaching-learning process.

This research presents an in-depth examination of the emotional effects of synchronous hybrid education on undergraduate university students at a pioneering private institution in educational innovation. The study had encompassed all courses that were delivered in a synchronous hybrid format, covering 16 courses and involving 241 students. Each student had been observed and recorded on two separate class sessions, with each recording lasting approximately 30 min. This comprehensive data collection had resulted in 409 recordings, each approximately 30 min in duration, translating to nearly an hour of observation per student across the classes, totaling close to 205 h of recordings. These recordings were subsequently processed using neuroscience software tools for advanced statistical analysis, effectively serving as a comprehensive survey of courses within this modality. The primary focus of the research was on the emotions experienced during both face-to-face and online classes and their subsequent influence on student behavior and well-being. The findings reveal higher emotional time ratios for positive emotions such as joy and surprise in face-to-face students. Notably, both groups exhibited comparable ratios for negative emotions like anger and sadness. The research underscores the emotional advantages of face-to-face interactions, which elicit stronger emotions, in contrast to online students who often feel detached and isolated.

The current examines the influence of Islamic values on smoking behaviors among undergraduate students at Yarmouk University in Irbid, Jordan (N: 334). Tobacco use, in religious and cultural terms, is viewed as abhorrent; it is a significant concern for this population group. The study intends to identify how Islamic values affect the perception of students on smoking and, consequently, their smoking behavior. A self-administered questionnaire assessed sociodemographic data and the past 30 days of cigarette use. Descriptive statistics, such as frequencies and percentages, midpoint and standard deviation, and inferential statistics, such as chi-square tests, t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and hierarchical regression, were used to analyze smoking behaviors, Islamic values, and demographic attributes. The study shows that Islamic values have a strong negative attitude towards smoking; students attributed smoking to religion, family and social expectations and perceptions, health and economic implications. Further, the hierarchical regression analysis revealed that cigarette use, hookah and e-cigarette, gender, and attitude towards Islamic values were suitable predictors for cigarette use. This study advances knowledge regarding smoking behaviors from the cultural-religious perspective. It highlights the importance of historically and culturally informed gender-sensitive prevention programs that address smoking-related beliefs, attitudes, and practices. Collaboration with the Ministry of Health and media outlets to integrate Islamic values into public health campaigns can reduce smoking among university students by aligning cultural and religious beliefs with health messaging.

Gender inequality is a structural social problem, associated with history, culture, education, religion and politics, this difficulty occurs in all social institutions due to the heterogeneity of the structure in the sexual division of labor, socioeconomic inequality, inclusion and inequity in participation in the public space between men and women. Public policies and attitudes towards gender equality in Peruvian university students were analyzed according to socio-academic variables. A descriptive-comparative study, with a quantitative approach, and not experimental cross-sectional, involved 776 university students from a public and a private university in Peru, intentionally selected. Adaptive attitudes (57.9%) were found to tend to be sexist; Likewise, in the study dimensions, the same trend was found in the sociocultural and relational levels, while in the personal dimension students develop sexist attitudes (62.4%). It is concluded, attitudes towards gender equality are sexist reproduction that is influenced by the sociocultural environment of the family, this situation occurs to a greater extent in men, while female students present attitudes of equality in greater intensity to seek equity in the distribution of roles.