Volume 1, Issue 1, 2025

ABSTRACT: Editorial: Introducing the Interdisciplinary Educational Technology

ABSTRACT: This qualitative study investigates the perceptions of Sidama parents in southern Ethiopia regarding the integration of technology in early childhood education (ECE). Despite global advancements in educational technology, its application in culturally distinct, low-resource contexts like the Sidama region remains under-explored. Through semi-structured interviews with 30 parents (12 female, 18 male), this research employed thematic analysis to identify key themes. Findings reveal a complex interplay of acceptance and apprehension, shaped by cultural preservation, socioeconomic status, and access to digital resources. Parents acknowledged potential benefits for learning and digital literacy but expressed strong concerns about excessive screen time, the erosion of cultural traditions, and the digital divide. The study underscores the critical need for a culturally responsive approach to technology integration in ECE that respects indigenous knowledge systems and addresses equity issues. This research contributes to global dialogues by highlighting the unique socio-cultural factors that influence technology adoption in non-Western, low-income communities and offers practical recommendations for policymakers and educators working in similar contexts.

ABSTRACT: This review aims to examine the role of gamification in fostering collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving, and digital literacy–the essential 21st-century skills. The review used a structured methodology, while a comprehensive search was conducted across Scopus, ERIC, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate to analyze studies published between January 2010 and August 2025. The findings reveal that when strategically designed, gamification effectively promotes the development of collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving, and digital literacy skills by embedding game elements into learning activities. Specifically, the findings from the analysis show that collaborative features of gamification tools (e.g., rewards, leaderboards, points) strengthen teamwork, narrative-driven challenges foster critical thinking, and integrated approaches with problem-based learning enhance problem-solving abilities. Furthermore, gamified digital environments significantly enhance students’ digital literacy skills. This review concludes that gamification is a powerful and promising pedagogical tool for developing 21st-century skills, but its effectiveness is contingent upon intentional design.

ABSTRACT: Utilising technology for teaching mathematics relies on the teachers’ ability to select and use suitable digital tools/resources for specific mathematics topics. Therefore, it can be anticipated that activities conducted within various instructional contexts necessitate distinct sets of competencies for teachers. This study examines senior high school mathematics teachers’ perceptions of their levels of digital competencies for teaching with technology, using the Mathematical Digital Knowledge for Teaching with Technology (MDKT) framework. We used a descriptive survey design rooted in the positivist paradigm to collect quantitative data on 178 mathematics teachers’ digital knowledge for teaching with technology in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana. The data were collected from the mathematics teachers using a closed-ended questionnaire administered via Google Forms. The findings showed that mathematics teachers possessed high knowledge of digital content and curriculum, high knowledge of digital content and students, high specialised digital content knowledge, but moderate knowledge of digital content and teaching for teaching mathematics with technology. This calls for targeted training opportunities and professional development interventions to help teachers design and enact lessons using digital resources, thereby improving their digital knowledge for teaching mathematics with technology.

ABSTRACT: This qualitative study aims to investigate the complex experiences, perceptions, and concerns of Cambodian English major undergraduate students regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Grammarly, and Quillbot) for writing. The study employed thematic analysis on 143 open-ended survey responses. The participants were undergraduate students majoring in English at public and private universities in Cambodia. Four major themes were identified based on the thematic analysis. First, AI as an augmentative tool: Efficiency and skill support highlighted AI's perceived benefits in accelerating drafting, structuring ideas, and improving grammar. In addition, the paradox of dependence: Balancing AI utility with critical agency, revealed users' deep anxiety over the risk of cognitive erosion and their proactive emphasis on the need for critical self-regulation. Furthermore, trust deficit: The challenge of accuracy and contextual failure detailing concerns over factual errors, generic output, and the inability of AI to handle specific local contexts. Finally, practical barriers: Financial, technical, and accessibility limitations—identified cost and unreliable performance as constraints. The findings confirm a paradox of augmentation and erosion, where AI is viewed as an essential tool for efficiency and a threat to intellectual integrity. The research provides scholars with an understanding of how sociocultural, economic, and pedagogical conditions in developing educational contexts actively shape AI adoption among students. This study underscores the urgent need for pedagogical interventions that promote critical digital literacy and self-regulatory strategies, particularly in contexts where practical barriers and trust deficits shape user interaction with generative AI technologies.