Acta Pedagogia Asiana

A Narrative Review of How Students Perceive a Good Teacher

Kuok Ho Daniel Tang — 2025-02-24

Students come to class with various perceptions of what constitutes a good teacher. These affect how a teacher is evaluated in increasingly student-centered classrooms where students’ needs, interests, and learning styles are prioritized. To better understand how students perceive a good teacher, this review comprehensively presents the perceptions of students at different educational levels on the traits of a good teacher. It discusses the nuances in these perceptions and whether they are justifiable. It reviewed more than 75 papers to achieve its aims. This review indicates that effective teachers possess characteristics like desirable personality, interpersonal skills, and instructional methods. It highlights the complex role teachers play in influencing students' academic and emotional growth. The shift from teaching skills in primary to relationship-oriented traits in secondary education shows that a student's developmental stage significantly affects their view of effective teaching. Secondary students often emphasize relational elements, such as appreciation and empathy, due to their need for autonomy and peer-like connections. University students value subject expertise, effective communication, and motivation. Like secondary students, they view traits like empathy, respect, and approachability as important. The perceptions of a good teacher, particularly the ability to create a safe and supportive environment, relational skills, and competence in delivering content, are largely justifiable. However, the emphasis on rendering socio-emotional support and a student-consumer mentality in universities that prompts students’ needs to be prioritized could add to teachers’ already heavy workload and result in burnout. While serving as motivators, teachers themselves need motivation to perform their work more effectively.

Addressing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Environmental Engineering Education: A Review of Strategies

Paran Gani — 2025-06-06

While environmental engineering helps to solve major world challenges, it still struggles with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). This study seeks to understand the current progress of DEI in environmental engineering education at the university level and for professionals. It analyzes studies related to DEI to discover difficulties that hinder its integration and considers proposed solutions for promoting an inclusive environment. Some main obstacles are the low number of minorities, insufficient DEI information in courses and opposition to reform within institutions. Various promising ways such as making changes to the curriculum, inclusive teaching, student mentorship schemes, instructor development and community involvement are covered. Even so, these different approaches often miss proper support and coordination which reduces their usefulness over time. The review points out flaws in how assessment is done and suggests incorporating DEI concepts throughout education policies, teaching activities and professional life. In the end, it recommends ways that teachers, schools and policy groups can promote DEI by staying committed and joining forces.

A Systematic Review of Innovative Teaching Strategies in Science: Exploring Hands-on Learning, Technology Integration, and Student-Centered Approaches

Shella Mae Tanghian Laid — 2025-06-06

This systematic review examined the effectiveness of innovative teaching strategies in science education, focusing on hands-on learning, technology integration, and student-centered approaches. Using the PRISMA framework, 18 peer-reviewed studies from 2020 to 2025 were analyzed to identify trends, benefits, and challenges. Findings revealed that hands-on learning enhanced engagement and problem-solving skills but faced resource constraints. Technology integration improved accessibility and visualization but required teacher training and equitable access. Student-centered approaches promoted critical thinking and collaboration but demanded alternative assessment methods. Addressing these challenges through blended learning and policy support was found to enhance science education outcomes.

Blended Learning for Stoichiometry and Mass Balance in Environmental Chemistry

Tony Hadibarata — 2025-05-09

Teaching environmental chemistry today involves both conventional and digital learning modes. Traditional approaches such as lectures, problem-solving, and laboratory exercises, offer content that is more or less structured with direct interaction, but not active engagement, interactivity, and enough resources are often found wanting. To better learn the subject, blended learning has been introduced, including some important digital tools like online facilities, simulations, and virtual labs. These ensure access and increase participation but the major con that students show low motivation because of the unequal access to the tools, the challenge that teachers face using the new tools, low student motivation, and problems in assessment. Its use has grown, but the effectiveness of blended learning, especially in stoichiometry and mass balance, which are considered to be rather complex, is not well documented. This review aimed to answer how traditional, digital, and blended learning approaches work in environmental chemistry education and what the benefits and challenges of each are. While traditional methods are more inclined to encourage the interaction of the instructor, which already appears to be passive and sometimes disconnected from the real situation outside the classroom, the blended learning method will put forward greater interactivity and personalization, though much will now depend on the individual student and the access to technology. A balanced approach will be evidenced by blended learning, with the strong points imbibed from both the modes, but, however, much intelligence is required to apply it to steer clear of further weaknesses. For improvement in the teaching of Environmental Chemistry, it is essential to invest in the digital infrastructure, faculty training, strategies of student engagement, and innovative models of assessment. If applied strategically, then blended learning can bridge effectively between theory and practice, making the teaching of Environmental Chemistry more engaging, inclusive, and outcome-based.