Data gaps in Education

Representative open questions

Showing 30 of 487 — one per source paper, highest-quality first.

• Sex Differences in Mathematics: A Meta-analytic Review Across Content, Grades, and Geographic Regions (2026) · doi

  The GGGI scores of countries with lower scores were underrepresented in the sample, making it difficult to fully disambiguate between the role of GGGI and other cultural factors.

• Power-Optimized AI-Enhanced Telepresence Robots: A Validated Multi-Modal Framework for Sustainable Remote Learning in Higher Education (2026) · doi

  The 315-participant sample provided cross-sectional engagement and usability data but lacks longitudinal assessment; sustained participation rates, learning outcome retention, and adaptive AI effectiveness over extended deployment periods (semester-long or academic-year-long studies) are unmeasured.

• Error Patterns and Predictors in Solving Algebraic Word Problems: Evidence from Secondary School Students (2026) · doi

  The study identifies reading errors as the least common (5-7%) despite evidence that proficient readers misinterpret critical algebraic terms; however, it does not investigate whether reading error rates differ when linear equation word problems incorporate domain-specific terminology versus everyday language, or test targeted reading comprehension interventions.

• ChatGPT in computer programming education: A review of current literature and applications (2026) · doi

  Research into ChatGPT adoption in programming education is concentrated in developed regions, with under-representation from Africa, the Middle East, and South America. Comparative studies examining regional differences in access, perception, and pedagogical integration are needed to reveal cross-cultural adoption patterns and inform localised AI system customisation.

• Coding Science: The Role of Block-Based Programming Activities in Enhancing Computational Thinking and Science Achievement (2026) · doi

  Targeted subgroup analyses are needed to examine how gender, prior science achievement, and previous technology exposure mediate the impact of block-based programming integration on computational thinking and science achievement, as aggregate group-level reporting may mask individual differences.

• When teachers learn by observation: Vicarious reinforcement and student response systems in teacher education (2026) · doi

  The paper identifies that English language barriers exist when students use written communication through SRS platforms (given Arabic is their first language), but does not investigate how language mode effects (verbal vs. written responses in student response systems) impact content understanding and vicarious learning outcomes in multilingual teacher education contexts.

• A(n) (re)awakening: preservice teachers connecting their culture to science teaching along the US–México border (2026) · doi

  Longitudinal studies are needed that follow preservice teachers from their teacher preparation programs through their induction years to investigate how they maintain culturally relevant science instruction practices when navigating institutional constraints and administrative pressure to comply with traditional curricula in K-12 settings.

• When faces trigger feelings: multi-stakeholder experiences, use, and expectations of facial-emotion learning technologies and materials for autistic people (2026) · doi

  The paper documents that some autistic children refuse to engage with emotions labeled as negative (anger, sadness) in facial-emotion apps because the emotional displays provoke anxiety or distress. Research is needed to determine which specific emotions and facial expressions trigger rejection versus acceptance in autistic populations, and how to design curricula that safely introduce challenging emotions.

• On the development and potential influential aspects of prospective science teachers’ competencies for the use of explainer videos for learning in physics education (2026) · doi

  Content knowledge (CK) related to electrical circuits was not collected in this mixed-methods study despite empirically proven positive relationships between CK and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK); a follow-up study should include CK measures to explain variance in prospective teachers' professional vision of learning support features.

• Producing concept-motivated signs supports learning of STEM in American Sign Language (2026) · doi

  Participants' ASL age of acquisition ranged widely (see Table 3) but the analysis does not examine whether age of ASL acquisition or native versus non-native ASL status moderated the effects of concept-motivated versus engagement-motivated signing on STEM learning outcomes, despite acknowledging variation in language backgrounds across the sample.

• Digital Disruption of Academic Integrity (2026) · doi

  The gap between plagiarism awareness and plagiarism practice among postgraduate students remains unexplained; research is needed to investigate whether this knowledge-ethics behavior reconciliation gap varies by discipline, institutional plagiarism policy stringency, or student demographic characteristics in digital scholarship environments.

• No one-size-fits-all: a study of prompt techniques and large language models to enhance AI’s mathematics educational quality (2026) · doi

  The study uses only six problem-solving tasks focused on number and algebra domains. The transferability of findings regarding prompt techniques and model architecture effectiveness to geometry, data, and mathematical modelling domains remains unexplored and requires empirical validation.

• Pre-service Teachers' Self-Directed Learning in a Blended Learning Environment: A Study on Scale Development and Affecting Factors (2026) · doi

  The model explains 67.4% of SDL variance, leaving 32.6% unexplained; additional predictors beyond student awareness, technological ability, self-monitoring, and autonomy need identification and measurement, particularly institutional factors (course design structure, instructor training, LMS affordances) that may influence SDL in blended learning contexts.

• Does “Maniplo-Spatial Arty” Really Work? A Study of the Effectiveness of “Maniplo-Spatial Arty” as a Teaching and Learning in Science Pedagogy (2026) · doi

  The study's evidence for Level 2 effectiveness relies on two weak sources: short-term knowledge reported within lessons or immediate post-lesson interviews, and retrospective learner annotations on previous maniplo-spatial tasks conducted in some cases a year prior. Systematic measurement of retention intervals (e.g., 1 week, 4 weeks, 8 weeks post-lesson) using consistent assessment instruments across multiple maniplo-spatial tasks is absent.

• Quality Evaluation of Indonesian Student-generated User Stories: Insight from Human and ChatGPT Evaluation (2026) · doi

  The study evaluated user stories exclusively in the Indonesian language context with a small number of human evaluators; future research must expand to multilingual and cross-cultural datasets with more diverse evaluator groups to establish whether the identified quality issues (Uniform, Conceptually Sound, Atomic, Ambiguity) generalize across different linguistic and educational contexts.

• Mind the gap: Learning the surface forms of movement dependencies (2026) · doi

  Studies on functional elements in infant processing (Höhle et al. 2004, Kim & Sundara 2021) demonstrate sensitivity to morphology and determiners by 6-19 months, but the excerpt does not indicate whether functional morphemes specifically signal filler-gap dependency structure in child-directed speech. Corpus-based analysis of morphosyntactic marking of movement dependencies in naturalistic input to children is needed.

• Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine (2010) · doi

  The expansion of ambulatory experiences over the past decade is noted, but the paper lacks specific documentation of which subspecialty electives incorporate ambulatory components, what proportion of students participate in primary care electives, and whether differential outcomes exist between students with varying ambulatory versus inpatient experience ratios.

• Research on the Teaching Model of AIGC-Empowered Interdisciplinary Competence Cultivation for Postgraduates in Biomedical Fields (2026) · doi

  The 'Four-Wing Intelligent Integration' teaching model's teacher training includes 'AIGC Tool Workshop' and 'Interdisciplinary Teaching Design Seminar,' but no data is provided on teacher competency assessment outcomes, training duration, or the specific AIGC tool platforms used in the biomedical engineering interdisciplinary curriculum.

• Academic Medicine in a Transformational Time (2015) · doi

  The paper acknowledges increased reliance on international medical graduates in primary care but lacks specific analysis of how many IMG positions could be replaced by domestically trained physicians under different medical school expansion and specialty preference scenarios, or what threshold of IMG dependence creates exacerbated health challenges in source countries.

• The Effect of Videoscribe Media Assisted by the Guided Inquiry Learning Model on Students’ Physics Learning Outcomes (2026) · doi

  The research was conducted on physics students described as 'relatively less independent' learners, but does not stratify results by learner independence levels or test whether the medium effect of Videoscribe-Guided Inquiry is replicated in highly independent, moderately independent, or diverse independence-level student populations.

• John McCutcheon (2020) · doi

  While Pauly's work emphasizes total fish and invertebrate catch as a crucial impact measure, the review does not detail specific protocols for estimating unintended bycatch and discards in small-scale subsistence fisheries where catch reporting is minimal or absent.

• MENCAPAI DEEP LEARNING MELALUI MODEL PENGOLAHAN INFORMASI:ANALISIS STRATEGI PENGUASAAN KONSEP TANPA SEKAT MATA PELAJARAN (2026) · doi

  The study emphasizes that success of deep learning strategies depends on alignment between learning strategy and assessment methods, citing Zafirah et al. (2025), but does not provide empirical data on the specific misalignment patterns between current Indonesian school assessment practices and information processing-based instruction, nor identifies which assessment-instruction combinations yield optimal deep learning outcomes.

• Lifestyle Medicine at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine (2021) · doi

  The paper mentions investigating how the pandemic affected the sleep habits of preclinical medical students at UCF COM, but provides no specific data on sleep metrics, assessment instruments, or comparison timepoints (pre-pandemic vs. pandemic-affected cohorts) that were used or should be used in this investigation.

• McGill University Faculty of Medicine (2010) · doi

  While the One45 software program (implemented July 2009) is noted as helping track clinical exposures and evaluations, the paper does not report quantitative data on its effectiveness in resolving the tracking comparability challenge or provide benchmarks for optimal clinical exposure distribution across pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology rotations with increased class sizes.

• INTEGRASI MODEL PENGOLAHAN INFORMASI DAN METODE INQUIRY DALAM MENDUKUNG DEEP LEARNING PADA KURIKULUM MERDEKA (2026) · doi

  The paper identifies time management as a critical implementation challenge for integrating the Information Processing Model and Inquiry Method, but does not provide empirical data on optimal time allocation ratios between inquiry stages (problem formulation, data collection, discussion, reflection) within dense curricula constraints of Kurikulum Merdeka.

• University of Oklahoma College of Medicine (2010) · doi

  Approximately 25% of the medical school class elects the Tulsa School of Community Medicine (SCM) track emphasizing care of underserved and vulnerable populations; comparative outcome data regarding career placement, practice location, specialty selection, and long-term service to underserved populations between SCM track and traditional track graduates are not discussed.

• From Equations to Real Problems: A Problem-Based Reform of Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics Teaching in Higher Education (2026) · doi

  The paper notes that some students accustomed to lecture-centered teaching may need time to adjust to problem-based learning, but provides no longitudinal data on the duration of this transition period, the specific demographic characteristics of students who struggle with the adjustment, or what pedagogical scaffolding mechanisms should be implemented to support this transition in thermodynamics courses.

• The Impactful Weight of Treating Beyond the Scale: A Comprehensive Course to Improve Obesity Care Among Medical Students (2026) · doi

  Table 2 shows significant postcourse improvements in nutrition knowledge and knowledge about patient-centered language (both starting at 2.3 M precourse), but the paper does not specify which specific nutrition approaches, dietary counseling frameworks, or evidence-based weight management strategies were emphasized in the curriculum content, making it unclear what specific nutritional competencies students acquired.

• West Virginia University School of Medicine (2010) · doi

  The paper notes challenges in finding timely and appropriate community settings to meet rural health requirements due to increased competition from other health profession schools, but does not specify which specific rural counties or Health Professions Shortage Areas (HPSA) are experiencing training site saturation, what capacity thresholds exist at the 533 training sites, or how to systematically evaluate and expand community-based training infrastructure across West Virginia's underserved regions.

• Case-based Learning and Artificial Intelligence-based Gamification to Improve Undergraduate Students’ Motivation for One Health and Climate Change: A Pilot Study (2026) · doi

  The paper identifies resource consumption and staffing requirements as barriers to long-term implementation of the CBL format for One Health education, but does not provide empirical data on the specific staff-to-student ratios, time investments per case development cycle, or cost-effectiveness analyses needed to determine scalable implementation models across different institutional contexts.