Understanding the factors that influence early science achievement is crucial for developing effective educational policies and ensuring equity within the education system. Despite its importance, research on the patterns of young children achieving science learning milestones and the factors that can reduce disparities between students with and without disabilities remains limited. This study analyzes data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten Cohort 2011 (ECLS-K: 2011), which includes 18,174 children from 1328 schools across the United States, selected through a complex sampling process and spanning kindergarten to 5th grade. Utilizing survival analysis, the study finds that children with disabilities achieve science milestones later than their peers without disabilities, with these disparities persisting from early grades. The research highlights the effectiveness of center-based programs in enhancing science learning, particularly in narrowing the achievement gap between children with and without disabilities. These findings contribute to the broader discourse on equity in the education system and policy by introducing novel methodologies for assessing the frequency and duration of science learning milestones, and by providing insights into effective strategies that support equitable science education.

This is a review of empirical studies with the objective of analyzing the theoretical-practical discussions that have been raised internationally to deepen the understanding of the access of rural youth to higher education as an object of study. For this purpose, a narrative review was designed, considering scientific articles published in three different languages and concerning studies conducted in 21 different countries in all regions of the world. The results reveal three discussions: a) the strong interest that higher education has regained in the life expectations of rural young people and their families, especially as a means of social advancement; b) the inequalities that most affect the access of rural youth to higher education are the lack of academic offerings in rural areas and the discontinuities that occur around rural socio-cultural capital; c) since the inequalities experienced by rural youth are diverse, actions to promote greater democratization cannot be limited to implementing systems of grants and scholarships. It is concluded that the major project consists of creating a differentiated higher education model that, in terms of location, academic offerings, recognition of knowledge, and articulation with the environment, allows rural youth to experience their professional training not as an inevitable process of acculturation, but as a continuation of their socio-cultural capital and their territorial yearnings.

Nowadays, urban ecosystems require major transformations aimed at addressing the current challenges of urbanization. In recent decades, policy makers have increasingly turned their attention to the smart city paradigm, recognizing its potential to promote positive changes. The smart city, through the conscious use of technologies and sustainability principles, allows for urban development. The scientific literature on smart cities as catalysts of public value continues to develop rapidly and there is a need to systematize its knowledge structure. Through a three-phase methodological approach, combining bibliometric, network and content analyses, this study provides a systematic review of the scientific literature in this field. The bibliometric results showed that public value is experiencing an evolutionary trend in smart cities, representing a challenging research topic for scholars. Network analysis of keyword co-occurrences identified five different clusters of related topics in the analyzed field. Content analysis revealed a strong focus on stakeholder engagement as a lever to co-create public value and a greater emphasis on social equity over technological innovation and environmental protection. Furthermore, it was observed that although environmental concerns were prioritized during the policy planning phase, their importance steadily decreased as the operational phases progressed.

The proliferation of digital literary discourse has led to a competitive, and often times antagonistic, relationship between this new form and its traditional paper-based counterpart. The success of this new critical literary media has come as a result of major global changes to social consciousness and societal pressures to utilize communication systems that can keep pace with the speed of social action. Discussions on the legitimacy of digital literary discourse are often limited by the use of conciliatory debates that merely present moderate viewpoints. This research addresses the issue using a socio-discursive lens, focusing on a critical exploration of the underlying reasoning for the technological wariness of paper-based literary practitioners. Contrary to the views of many traditionalists, digital literature does not derive its discursive identity, nor its legitimacy, from a combative relationship with paper-based criticism. Instead, this analysis indicates that the use of digital media marks a significant turning point in the institution of literary discourse, formed as a response to shifting individual and collective needs of an accelerating pace of life. Therefore, digital literary discourse is not simply a form or idea that can be accepted or rejected. Rather, it is a forced formation of a new and constantly evolving expressive and inferential space, created by the combination of existing and innovative media, producing new meanings that were impossible to generate under the dominance of old media.

This study aims to quantitatively analyze the equity of social service space in urban parks in China, in order to explore the equity issues faced by different social groups in accessing urban park services. The research background focuses on the importance of urban parks as social service spaces, particularly in improving residents’ quality of life and well-being. Through a comprehensive literature review, the study examines the social service functions of urban parks, the relationship between parks and social psychology, and the theoretical framework of equity. The study employs quantitative research methods, collects data on urban park usage and resident satisfaction, and defines relevant analysis variables. The data analysis section reveals the basic characteristics of park service space usage and resident well-being index through descriptive statistical methods. Subsequently, quantitative analysis is conducted to evaluate the current status of equity in urban park service space and explore the key factors influencing equity. The study reveals a significant correlation between social psychological factors, resident well-being index, and equity in park service space. Finally, the research conclusion emphasizes the importance of improving equity in social service space in urban parks and provides specific policy recommendations. At the same time, the study acknowledges its limitations and suggests future research directions. This study provides insights for urban planners and policymakers on how to enhance equity in urban park services and offers important strategic guidance for improving overall well-being of urban residents.

Adolescent childbearing is a crucial problem challenging policymakers in sub-Saharan African countries. The objective of this study is to show how teenage pregnancy and motherhood is related to social determinants like place of residence, education level and wealth quintiles, and consequently to suggest pragmatic actions susceptible to control the burden of teenage pregnancy. Disaggregated data were analyzed using data covering the decade 2012–2022 and provided by Demographic Health Surveys. In each country considered, the index of dissimilarity (ID) was computed to illustrate the variation of teenage pregnancy and motherhood according to the level of education, the rural-urban residence and the income quintiles. Recent statistics were also used for a comparison between countries. This study showed that childbearing affected 22.7% of African adolescents (15–19 years). However, the rate of adolescent childbearing varied from 40.4% in Nigeria to 5.2% in Ruanda. Moreover, huge differences were found in each country. Teenage girls living in rural areas, illiterate or with low level of education and suffering from poverty are more likely to be early married and to be exposed to pregnancy. The rate of adolescent childbearing is higher in Sub-Saharan African countries compared with countries from Latin America and World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean. Most of the 31 countries considered in this study suffer from high rate of adolescent childbearing and large iniquities by place of residence and/or education level and/or wealth quintiles. Consequently, policymakers should adopt urgent and efficient strategies to reduce (and ideally to end) early marriage and teenage pregnancy by developing a policy that targets disadvantaged girls living in remote areas, having low or no decent income and suffering from illiteracy or low level of education.