https://phys.org/science-news/education/ en-us Phys.org provides latest news on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education In K–12 schools across the country, administrators are tasked with keeping everyone safe. New research shows they may be the most in need of protection. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-parents-threats-school-administrators-teachers.html Social Sciences Thu, 09 Jul 2026 19:40:04 EDT news702815681 Scientific research publishing is a particularly lucrative industry. The most recent estimates suggest that it generates around 19 billion U.S. dollars (or 16.67 billion euros) in annual turnover, with margins of around 40%. These staggering figures largely reflect the fact that the "Big Five" commercial publishers, such as Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, Taylor & Francis and SAGE, are capitalizing on work that is largely funded by public money. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-scientific-knowledge-free.html Education Thu, 09 Jul 2026 15:20:08 EDT news702820922 A new report sheds light on an understudied aspect of public school success. Since the 1970s, researchers have found that the most effective public schools tend to be led by highly skilled principals. Less clear, though, is what it takes to help principals learn to be successful leaders. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-national-principals-professional.html Education Wed, 08 Jul 2026 10:40:06 EDT news702721921 A new study led by a Boston College researcher has found that experiencing educational opportunities in all stages of childhood and adolescence is the best predictor of higher educational attainment and earnings for disadvantaged American youth, as opposed to the impact of learning access during any single phase. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-opportunities-childhood-degrees-income-youth.html Education Tue, 07 Jul 2026 21:20:04 EDT news702656401 Universities have a role in challenging the status quo on issues such as gender, race, nationality and sexuality. But all too often, they replicate societal inequalities. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-black-women-academics-main-allies.html Social Sciences Tue, 07 Jul 2026 20:20:06 EDT news702654181 Managing pediatric dental patients can be stressful for dental students and inexperienced practitioners, particularly when communicating with fearful and uncooperative children. Previous studies found that dental students experience three times the stress levels of seasoned specialists. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-reinventing-pediatric-dental-singapore.html Education Tue, 07 Jul 2026 08:40:02 EDT news702624301 A systematic review of research on intercultural communication in higher education finds that cultural "power distance," which is the extent to which people accept unequal authority, continues to shape who speaks, who is heard and how knowledge is shared in multicultural classrooms. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-cultural-power-distance-limits-classroom.html Social Sciences Mon, 06 Jul 2026 20:00:02 EDT news702552396 Imagine a student spending hours meticulously erasing and rewriting a paragraph that is already excellent. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-perfectionistic-students-teachers-dont.html Education Mon, 06 Jul 2026 16:40:01 EDT news702560941 A new University of Mississippi-led study suggests that a telepractice resilience program may help children who stutter develop coping and self-advocacy skills. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-resilience-children-stutter.html Education Mon, 06 Jul 2026 15:40:05 EDT news702558602 Adolescents experiencing social isolation or loneliness are at increased risk of developing mental health problems, highlighting the need for preventive interventions before these challenges worsen. However, relatively few psychoeducational programs specifically address isolation and loneliness among adolescents, with most existing interventions focusing on individualized support. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-school-based-loneliness-adolescents.html Social Sciences Mon, 06 Jul 2026 14:00:09 EDT news702553794 Universities need to rethink how they teach, assess and prepare students for employment as artificial intelligence becomes an increasingly important part of everyday life and work, according to a new study from the University of Manchester. The paper, published in Frontiers in Education, argues that AI is changing how people learn, work and make decisions, and that universities need to adapt to this new reality. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-universities-rethink-students-ai-powered.html Education Mon, 06 Jul 2026 12:20:01 EDT news702552122 Picture a bright red apple. Most people can do this easily. They imagine the apple's shape, color and shine. But for others, the image is vague and blurry or they "see" nothing at all. This is known as aphantasia—a "blind mind's eye." https://phys.org/news/2026-07-assume-students-pictures-minds.html Education Mon, 06 Jul 2026 10:40:09 EDT news702550741 A new article by scholars Jennifer L. James, Ph.D., Karen Myers, DNP, and Olivia Miller, M.A., in the Journal of Educators Online, titled "Studying Faculty Perceptions of Rigor in Online College Courses: Compromising or Accommodating?" examines how faculty perceive academic rigor when teaching, grading and managing online courses for nontraditional students. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-scholars-faculty-rigor-online-college.html Education Mon, 06 Jul 2026 07:00:01 EDT news702538527 Enabling people to reflect critically on societal changes and participate in meeting major challenges is the purpose of teaching transformative competencies. In a Perspective article published in the journal npj Climate Action, Dr. Nicole Aeschbach has examined how this approach can be systematically embedded in existing degree programs. The Heidelberg University scholar has developed a conceptual framework connecting research, teaching and learning in such a way that university education can empower students to engage in science-based reflection beyond their disciplinary context and enable them to become personally active. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-degree.html Education Fri, 03 Jul 2026 10:20:07 EDT news702217553 Murder, suicide, spontaneous combustion, sleepwalking, ventriloquism: These are some of the sensational events in the novels of Charles Brockden Brown (1771–1810). As the United States' first professional author, Brown is the Founding Father of the nation's literature. He is, according to one biographer, "the most important American author no one has ever heard of." His fiction was deeply engaged with politics and culture after the American Revolution. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-founding-father-american-literature-charles.html Education Fri, 03 Jul 2026 08:20:08 EDT news702280921 Walk into any college library and you will likely see students wearing headphones and listening to music. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-students-music-focus-stay-doesnt.html Social Sciences Thu, 02 Jul 2026 22:40:01 EDT news702210178 As the United States celebrates 250 years of independence, Science has published a commentary by Johns Hopkins University President Ron Daniels highlighting the impact of the reimagining of the American university pioneered by Johns Hopkins in the late 19th century—and how the benefits of that shift and the later emergence of the compact between research universities and the federal government have been integral to the nation's success and prosperity. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-postwar-compact-fueled-prosperity-decades.html Education Thu, 02 Jul 2026 20:00:03 EDT news702226801 University of Phoenix College of General Studies announced the publication of a new article in The Geography Teacher, authored by Jacquelyn Kelly, Ph.D., associate dean, College of General Studies; Dianna Gielstra, Ph.D., full-time faculty, Environmental Science Program; Tomáš J. Oberding, Ph.D., full-time faculty, Environmental Science Program; and Niccole V. Cerveny, Ph.D. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-awe-overview-effect-students-geography.html Education Thu, 02 Jul 2026 18:20:03 EDT news702216782 Imagine opening a difficult book in a quiet room. The first page is dense. You read one paragraph, then reread it. Nothing "clicks" yet. Your brain is doing what learning often requires: spending effort before the reward arrives. Then your phone lights up. One thumb movement, and the situation changes completely. A joke, a message, a clip, a tiny social reward: all available instantly, all requiring almost no effort. The book has not become harder and, definitely, your intelligence has not disappeared. But the book now feels more expensive, because another activity nearby offers a much better bargain: reward now, effort almost zero. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-instant-digital-rewards-hard-worthwhile.html Social Sciences Thu, 02 Jul 2026 16:40:01 EDT news702221821 Asking open-ended questions and weaving conversations into everyday activities helps toddlers' communication skills, new research shows. Three recently published University of Otago–Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka studies analyzed the outcomes of the Enhancing Rich Interactions (ENRICH) program, which provides early childhood educators with tools and techniques to help improve toddlers' language, literacy and social skills. Using parent and teacher ratings and video analysis, researchers found the program had a positive impact on toddlers' oral language. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-enriching-conversations-toddlers.html Education Thu, 02 Jul 2026 10:00:05 EDT news702204242 The challenges and consequences surrounding children's screen use are a leading concern for UK families. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-screens-hard-children-easier.html Social Sciences Wed, 01 Jul 2026 14:20:04 EDT news702128221 A bibliometric analysis of mobile learning research published between 2017 and 2026 shows a sharp expansion in output. There was a big surge between 2020 and 2022 associated with pandemic-driven shifts in higher education. Mobile learning (m-learning), defined as the use of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets to support educational activity, has grown alongside global device penetration and intensive daily usage among students, according to the study published in the International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organisation. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-mobile-output-rapidly-analysis-papers.html Education Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:43:38 EDT news702128587 Should schools allow AI systems that don't just answer students, but appear to care for them? https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ai-chatbots-simulate-students-alberta.html Education Tue, 30 Jun 2026 16:40:05 EDT news702044822 By their eighth birthday, an estimated 9 in 10 New Zealand children will have experienced some form of serious adversity. They might have been neglected, grown up with family violence, lived through a separation or coped with a parent's mental illness or substance use problem. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-adversity-nz-kids-classroom-schools.html Social Sciences Tue, 30 Jun 2026 11:40:04 EDT news702029641 Outright smartphone bans in schools are likely to be ineffective and undermine students' trust without addressing core issues like harmful online content, cyberbullying and addictive platform design, a new UCL report finds. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-school-smartphone-overly-simplistic-young.html Social Sciences Tue, 30 Jun 2026 10:20:03 EDT news702026882 Last week, a group of parents strongly criticized prestigious Victorian private school Geelong Grammar for using isolation as a form of discipline during a yearlong boarding school program. The disciplinary action was taken after a group of Year 9 students sneaked away to a nearby pub at night. As a result, some of the students were internally suspended for five days. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-isolation-discipline-schools-poor-student.html Social Sciences Tue, 30 Jun 2026 08:40:03 EDT news702019322 Artificial intelligence (AI) is profoundly reshaping education worldwide. While AI tools increasingly support students in brainstorming, drafting and problem-solving, assessment practices often remain narrowly focused on final outputs. This raises a critical question: How can educators truly understand whether students are learning, rather than simply producing polished answers with AI assistance? https://phys.org/news/2026-06-product-ai-approach.html Education Mon, 29 Jun 2026 22:20:06 EDT news701967841 Students whose performance at school declines relative to their peers are at a higher risk of contact with the criminal justice system, a new study by King's College London has found. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-school-linked-youth-criminal-justice.html Social Sciences Mon, 29 Jun 2026 21:00:01 EDT news701939587 England's public libraries are being quietly eroded, according to a major new study from the University of Sheffield. With physical collections shrinking and maintenance budgets falling in real terms, the research warns that libraries risk becoming unable to meet the diverse needs of their communities in the years ahead. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-england-library-danger-hollowed.html Education Mon, 29 Jun 2026 16:40:01 EDT news701954876 It's an understatement that educators worry about students using AI to offload the cognitive struggle that is critical for learning. That worry is well founded. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-universities-wrong-age-ai.html Education Mon, 29 Jun 2026 13:40:01 EDT news701951282