Background/purpose – The current study aims to analyze the thematic structures and trends of scientific publications that examine the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and education, while presenting a roadmap for future research on this topic.

Materials/methods – The data were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) bibliographic database by identifying the publications that examine the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and education, then were analyzed using bibliometric methodology and content analysis. VOSviewer, GraphPad softwares, and visualization maps were used to analyze the data and to present the findings.

Results – The results of the study show that publications examining the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and education focused on “online education” and “teacher education,” while the countries that contributed the most to publications on this issue were USA, United Kingdom, Canada, and Spain. It was determined that most publications preferred the “theoretical model” and the majority of the research data were obtained through “scale/interview forms.” Furthermore, the findings of this study revealed that during the COVID-19 pandemic period, the editorial/refereeing processes of the articles submitted to academic journals were carried out very quickly and the articles were published unusually quickly.

Conclusion – This study indicated that the majority of scientific studies on COVID-19 are focused on the field of health, and that there is limited edition research on COVID-19-related education. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the current study is the first research article in the international literature to examine the thematic structures and trends of scientific publications on the relationship between solely education and COVID-19 through bibliometric and content analysis; and contributes to the knowledge base on COVID-19-related education by mapping the existing knowledge.

Background/purpose – Contemporary teaching focuses on the students’ active role in the acquisition of knowledge and largely neglects the role of emotions. Given the importance of empathy when it comes to the emotional development of the individual, and the opportunities offered by history as a subject with regard to encouraging empathy, the main purpose of research is to analyze the extent to which history textbooks contribute to empathy as one of key competencies of today’s world.

Materials/methods – In the research, qualitative and quantitative content analysis was used. The analysis includes only one didactic-methodical toolkit of the textbook - questions and tasks by the formulation of which it is possible to identify in which direction the teaching process “moves” and to what extent it encourages the cultivation of emotions.

Results – The results suggest that high school history textbooks overemphasize the cognitive aspect of the learning process while simultaneously inadequately putting students in a position that would also allow them to be more emotionally engaged with the historical events and to thereby develop empathy.

Conclusion – It is necessary to develop detailed guidelines with clear instructions on how to encourage students’ emotional engagement in individual subjects and teaching units.

Background/purpose – The main purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the mobile pre-learning system developed according to the surface learning approach on academic achievement and mobile learning attitudes.

Materials/methods – The research was conducted with 135 university students and a 12-week pretest–posttest unequaled control group quasi-experimental research method. Prepared in line with the content of an Instructional Technologies course, 12 educational videos varying from 3 to 6 minutes, and designed according to the surface learning approach, were issued to the experimental group’s students via the mobile pre-learning system 1 day prior to the relevant lesson, and the data obtained were then analyzed.

Results – As a result of the research, it was determined that the mobile pre-learning system developed according to the surface learning approach had a significant effect on the participant students’ academic achievement and mobile learning attitudes.

Conclusion – It was observed that the mobile pre-learning system developed according to the surface learning approach had a close to medium-level effect on the satisfaction and motivation factors of the participant students’ mobile learning attitudes. However, it was determined that it had no significant effect on the impact and usefulness factors of learning. In addition, it was concluded that the mobile pre-learning system based on the surface learning approach had a significant effect on the participant students’ academic achievement.

Background/purpose – This sequential explanatory mixed-methods study inspected the impact of an online ESP course on postgraduate students’ content knowledge development about epidemiology in general and COVID-19 in particular. The course was titled “English for Pandemics” and was administered via a Learning Management System (Edmodo).

Materials/methods – Needs Analysis was (informally) deployed to trace participants’ needs, preferences, and wants in order to shape the landscape of the treatment. The researcher employed a quasi-experimental design (a one-group, pretest-posttest design). Participants were pretested prior to the treatment. The treatment consisted of online exposure to eight units (English for Pandemics), capitalizing on Edmodo in content delivery, receipt, mastery, and assessment. Following the treatment, after 8 weeks, the participants were post-tested.

Results – Quantitative results revealed a statistically significant difference in the participants’ content knowledge regarding epidemiology and COVID-19. Qualitative findings divulged that participants highly appreciated Edmodo interactive features (simplicity, functionality, control, communal learning, and real-time feedback), and voiced their readiness to opt for Edmodo in future learning experiences.

Conclusion – Based on empirical evidence, the current study argues that the Edmodo learning management system has the potential to push content delivery, receipt, mastery, and assessment in ESP courses to the next level.

Background/purpose – COVID-19 emerged at a time when many different psychological factors can negatively affect the human psychology, and thereby making life even more difficult over and above the physical health impact. As known, with the development of modern-day technology, Internet usage has become a part of everyday life. However, this situation often brings about the problem of Internet addiction. A positive relationship is known to exist between Internet addiction and psychological problems. This study aims to examine the moderator effect of COVID-19 fear on the “mediating role of boredom proneness in relationship between internet addiction and DASS-21.”

Materials/methods – In the current study, the effect of boredom proneness in this relationship was examined through the mediator effect of boredom proneness in the relationship between Internet addiction and the “Depression, stress and anxiety scale” DASS-21. Then, the moderator effect of the fear of COVID-19 was examined on the mediator role, which constitutes the main purpose of this research. For these purposes, 560 students studying at the undergraduate level at state universities in Turkey were reached as a sample. In the analysis of the collected data; parametric tests, correlation test, structural equation model, and moderator analysis were employed.

Results – In the model in which the moderator effect of COVID-19 fear was examined; it appears that fear of COVID-19 increases the relationship between Internet addiction and boredom proneness. It also increases the relationship between boredom proneness and DASS-21. However, no significant moderator effect was found to exist in the relationship between Internet addiction and DASS-21.

Conclusion – This study shows that the fear of COVID-19 has a significant effect on Internet addiction, boredom proneness, and psychological problems. This research was conducted based on the analysis of certain variables, presentation of the results and their subsequent discussion, and the putting forward of various suggestions.