Knowledge about HIV and level of HIV-related stigma have been considered the main indicators of the community’s readiness to combat and bring the HIV epidemic to an end. Of all Serbia, the northern Kosovo province is especially vulnerable to the HIV spread because the infrastructure and the entire regulatory system had to be rebuilt after the ethnic conflict. The study objective was to examine the association between HIV-related knowledge level and attitudes towards people living with HIV (PLHIV) among university students from northern Kosovo using the quantile regression. A total of 1,017 students filled in an anonymous questionnaire. The questionnaire examined socio-demographic characteristics, HIV-related knowledge, attitudes towards PLHIV, sources of information about HIV, past experiences with PLHIV, and health behaviours. The dependent variable in the model was the attitude score (ATS) divided into quantiles (Q) in quantile regression analysis: Q0.10, Q0.25, Q0.50, Q0.75, and Q0.90. The independent variable was the knowledge score (KNS). The model was adjusted for relevant covariates. The majority of students had adequate HIV-related knowledge (89.6%) and 10.4% had lower knowledge. Most students also had a positive attitude (83.9%), while 16.1% were indecisive towards PLHIV. No students exhibiting wrong knowledge and negative attitudes were observed. The KNS and ATS significantly correlated with one another (ρ = 0.383; p = 0.001). The quantile regression model adjusted for variables associated with both KNS and ATS showed a negative association between KNS and ATS in the lowest quantile (Q0.10) of the ATS. In all other quantiles (Q0.25–Q0.90), a higher KNS was associated with having stronger positive attitudes towards PLHIV. This study confirmed that higher knowledge about HIV was associated with stronger positive attitudes towards HIV. Still, some students remain indecisive despite being knowledgeable about HIV. These students could benefit the most from continuing educational programmes to reduce the HIV-related stigma.

Following inter-/transdisciplinary ideas, environmental education inherently collaborates with other subjects, including physical education. As the work with other subjects might be jeopardised by differing worldviews and paradigms, it is worth illuminating compatible and incompatible positions for inter-/transdisciplinary work. In physical education, the concept of physical literacy (PL) has recently gained considerable attention and adopts a student-centred perspective on human existence and learning. Therefore, the goal of the present narrative integrative review was to review the existing literature at the nexus between physical education and environmental education through a PL lens (five pre-defined concept assumptions). After screening for eligibility, a total of 129 articles were assigned to five different thematic categories: (a) conceptual discussion/argumentative patterns, (b) curricular discussion and international comparisons, (c) programming/intervention content, (d) teacher and enabler perspectives and (e) student outcomes/perspectives. The synthesis revealed that PL can harmonise with the educative work when respecting the disciplinary interests of both physical education and environmental education. However, few intervention studies translate the holistic PL claims into interventions. Accordingly, evaluations with teachers or students less frequently integrated holistic learning experiences in line with PL. In summary, previous research at the nexus has not yet exhausted its full inter-/transdisciplinary potential.

To assess the effectiveness of the ‘Weet wat je eet’ (‘Know what you eat’) school-based nutrition education programme on behavioural determinants and behaviour among students aged 12–15 years. A quasi-experimental study design was used, collecting data at baseline and after implementing the programme in both an intervention and control group (in total 611 students) across the Netherlands. Students from eighteen Dutch secondary education schools completed two consecutive questionnaires, assessing knowledge, self-efficacy, attitude, subjective norm, intention, and behaviours related to healthy, safe, and sustainable nutrition. Multilevel regression analyses were conducted corrected for gender, grade, education level, and school location. The intervention group showed a significant higher increase in self-efficacy, attitude, intention to drink water (all three P < 0.01), and a significant higher decrease in the consumption of sugary drinks, snacks, and meat (all P < 0.05) than the control group. Both the groups scored significantly higher on knowledge during the post-test (both P < 0.05), although the intervention group not significantly higher than the control group (P = 0.14). No significant effects were observed for subjective norm, intention, and fruit, vegetable, and whole grain bread consumption. The results of this study showed positive effects of the ‘Weet wat je eet’ school-based nutrition education programme on self-efficacy and attitude towards healthy, safe and sustainable nutrition, intention to drink more water, and various healthy eating behaviours among secondary school students. Further research is necessary to assess the long-term sustainability of these results.

Researchers need to reach a new academic normal in which virtually every piece of scholar-facing humanities work generates a public-facing writing component. This essay recounts interactions with a colleague who, in a curriculum meeting, described public humanities as “a hobby.” I suggest arguments and strategies to lead skeptical colleagues to re-envision the value and possibilities – and occasional dangers and pitfalls – of the public humanities. Public writing is a practice that academic humanists should regularly engage in and a mode we must be willing to teach in order to win back public trust in higher education and to reinvigorate humanities research at a time of precarity.

Prospective university students experience substantial academic stressors and psychological vulnerabilities, yet their mental health literacy (MHL) remains inadequately explored. This study investigates four dimensions of MHL – help-seeking behaviors, stigma, knowledge about mental health and understanding of mental illnesses. Besides, Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques are employed to analyze spatial disparities in MHL, which is the first in the context of MHL research. A total of 1,485 students were assessed for sociodemographic characteristics, admission-related variables, health behaviors and family histories of mental health issues. Data were analyzed using SPSS and ArcGIS software. Multivariable linear regression analyses unveiled predictors of the MHL dimensions, with gender, family income, admission test performance, smoking, alcohol and drug use, physical and mental health history, current depression or anxiety and family history of mental health and suicide incidents emerging as common predictors. GIS analysis unraveled notable regional disparities in MHL, particularly in knowledge of mental health and mental illness, with northern and some southern districts displaying higher literacy levels. In conclusion, these findings accentuate significant gender and sociodemographic inequalities in MHL among prospective university students, highlighting the imperative for targeted interventions to enhance MHL and foster mental well-being in this cohort.

This article evaluates the implementation of the pedagogical model by Schio and Reis (2024), aimed at promoting ocean citizenship within basic education. The evaluation is based on a pilot project from the 2021/2022 school year, which involved 543 students, aged 10 to 11, from 10 Blue Schools located along the Portuguese coast. This paper reports on phases 3 and 4 of the Design-Based Research cycle, corresponding to the implementation and evaluation phases of the pedagogical model. Preliminary results allowed us to verify the emergence of new knowledge, skills, values, critical thinking and attitudes, reflecting the development of ocean citizenship competencies among students. These outcomes affirm the model’s applicability and its potential to seamlessly integrate ocean citizenship into the basic education curriculum. However, it was observed that the activism dimension requires additional emphasis. Further testing in diverse educational settings is crucial to refine the model, adjust to local nuances and maximise its impact on nurturing future generations committed to ocean sustainability.

While mentors can learn general strategies for effective mentoring, existing mentorship curricula do not comprehensively address how to support marginalized mentees, including LGBTQIA+ mentees. After identifying best mentoring practices and existing evidence-based curricula, we adapted these to create the Harvard Sexual and Gender Minority Health Mentoring Program. The primary goal was to address the needs of underrepresented health professionals in two overlapping groups: (1) LGBTQIA+ mentees and (2) any mentees focused on LGBTQIA+ health. An inaugural cohort (N = 12) of early-, mid-, and late-career faculty piloted this curriculum in spring 2022 during six 90-minute sessions. We evaluated the program using confidential surveys after each session and at the program’s conclusion as well as with focus groups. Faculty were highly satisfied with the program and reported skill gains and behavioral changes. Our findings suggest this novel curriculum can effectively prepare mentors to support mentees with identities different from their own; the whole curriculum, or parts, could be integrated into other trainings to enhance inclusive mentoring. Our adaptations are also a model for how mentorship curricula can be tailored to a particular focus (i.e., LGBTQIA+ health). Ideally, such mentor trainings can help create more inclusive environments throughout academic medicine.

The Chinese government promotes cooperation between colleges and companies in vocational education to improve the supply of skilled workers and increase labour productivity. This study employs the concept of positive coordination – negotiations concurrently addressing productive and distributive questions – to analyse the advantages and limitations of voluntary cooperation embedded in networks. In terms of production, many projects focus on updating, narrowing and deepening curricula to lower the costs of initial training borne by companies and the risk of labour turnover. In terms of distribution, however, the deep and narrow curricula are at odds with students’ preference for general and transferable skills; and the mutual commitments of both companies and students are uncertain. The solutions provided by cooperation are partial and unstable. Overall, they reduce skill mismatches but cannot control turnover or overcome market failure, which undermines tertiary vocational education's contribution to labour productivity.