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This research aims to promote diversity and inclusion among higher education students by examining the integration of technology into project-based learning (PBL) for English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher candidates. Based on a mixed-methods approach and convenience sampling (n = 84 participants), this study involved pre-service teachers who collaboratively employed several authoring tools to create 16 digital comic strips for teaching English. The focus of the project was on inclusivity, cultural diversity, and affective education. This study consisted of five stages corresponding to different critical thinking skills: comprehension, negotiation, creation, presentation, and evaluation. The instruments used for quantitative data included a pre/post-survey based on two validated scales. Qualitative data were gathered through class discussions and semi-structured interviews. The results, analyzed through SPSS and QDA Miner Lite, revealed that teacher candidates lacked prior experience using digital tools to create EFL-inclusive materials. However, the study also highlighted increased awareness of inclusive education and strong advocacy for the integration of transformative technology in teacher training programs.

AbstractRecent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have paved the way for the integration of text-based and voice-enabled chatbots as adaptive virtual tutors in education. Despite the increasing use of AI-powered chatbots in language learning, there is a lack of studies exploring the attitudes and perceptions of teachers and students towards these intelligent tutors. This study aims to compare several linguistic and technological aspects of four App-Integrated Chatbots (AICs) and to examine the perceptions among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher candidates. In this mixed-methods research based on convenience sampling, 237 college students from Spain (n = 155) and the Czech Republic (n = 82) interacted with four AICs over a month, and evaluated them following a rubric based on the Chatbot-Human Interaction Satisfaction Model. This scale was specifically designed to assess different linguistic and technological features of AICs such as response interval, semantic coherence, sentence length, and user interface. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered through a pre-post-survey, based on the CHISM model and student assessment reports. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS statistics software, while qualitative data were examined using QDA Miner software, focusing on identifying recurring themes through frequency analysis. The findings indicated a moderate level of satisfaction with AICs, suggesting that enhancements in areas such as better adapting to learner needs, integrating interactive multimedia, and improving speech technologies are necessary for a more human-like user interaction.

The current study aims to support the development of useful and desired methods for active ageing education in the respective local communities across the EU for older adults aged 55+. The PPS project will develop a face-to-face training programme (30 hours) on active ageing and an e-learning training (11 modules). The main research questions of this study are: What is active ageing education and how responsive are older adults to active ageing education? How can active ageing trainings/courses be integrated into local communities? Spain is currently one of the pioneering countries in the field of active ageing. Thanks to scientific breakthroughs, to the high quality of public healthcare and to the development of social policies, Spanish citizens live longer and with a better quality of life, due to which seniors have grown in number, enjoy an improved health condition, are more participative and, therefore, are expected to play a more relevant role in society. Today's older adults are largely active and healthy; they look after themselves in order to stay independent and autonomous as long as possible, and they also demand social space and voice.