The following article investigates the Metaverse and its potential to bolster digital accessibility for persons with disabilities. Through qualitative analysis, we examine responses from eleven experts in digital accessibility, Metaverse development, disability advocacy, and policy formulation. This exploration uncovers key insights into the Metaverse’s current state, its inherent principles, and the challenges and opportunities it presents in terms of accessibility. The findings reveal a mixed state of inclusivity within the Metaverse, highlighting significant advancements along with notable gaps, especially in integrating assistive technologies and ensuring interoperability across different virtual environments. This study emphasizes the Metaverse’s potential to revolutionize experiences for individuals with disabilities, provided that accessibility is embedded in its foundational design. Ethical and legal considerations, such as privacy, non-discrimination, and evolving legal frameworks, are identified as critical factors that shape an inclusive Metaverse. We propose a comprehensive framework that emphasizes technological adaptation and innovation, user-centric design, universal access, social and economic considerations, and global standards. This framework aims to guide future research and policy interventions to foster an inclusive digital environment in the Metaverse. This paper contributes to the emerging discourse on the Metaverse and digital accessibility, offering a nuanced understanding of its complexities and a roadmap for future exploration and development. This underscores the necessity of a multi-faceted approach that incorporates technological innovation, user-centered design, ethical considerations, legal compliance, and continuous research to create an inclusive and accessible Metaverse.

This study aims to investigate the effect of school administrators’ personal initiative behaviors and their leadership styles on teacher motivation. In this study, designed with a quantitative research approach, the relational scanning model was used, and a model was created to test the effect of school administrators’ leadership styles and personal initiative behaviors on teacher motivation. In this context, the leadership styles of school administrators and their personal initiative behaviors were studied as independent variables, while teacher motivation was studied as a dependent variable. In the study, 406 teachers working in high schools in Manisa city center were selected using the purposeful sampling method. Pearson moment correlation techniques and multiple regression analysis techniques were used to determine whether there was a significant relationship between dependent and independent variables during the data analysis. According to the results obtained from the research findings, it was observed that the general motivation levels of the teachers were high. In the analyses conducted in terms of the relationships between school administrators’ personal initiative-taking behaviors and teachers’ motivation, it was found that these variables had a significant and positive relationship; similarly, it was determined that there is a significant relationship between the leadership styles of school administrators and the motivation of teachers. In the regression model established to examine the effect of the leadership styles of school administrators on the internal factor dimensions of teacher motivation, it was determined that all sub-dimensions of leadership styles predicted teachers’ internal motivation. This research provides evidence that school administrators’ personal initiative behavior is directly related to teacher motivation and positively affects teacher motivation, thereby affecting the quality of their teaching.

Transformation of learning and teaching in higher education now offers greater educational equality through enhanced access and collaboration within the framework of lifelong learning in the digital age. This study aims to evaluate online peer learning and assessment in the collaborative learning process in higher education practices. The study also investigates the impact of online peer learning on the development of skills within collaborative learning through the use of volunteered responses from learners concerning their experiences with and perceptions of online learning. Therefore, a quantitative approach is applied through the administration of a survey with 32 items that is distributed to 715 participants. According to the objective of the study, a set of inferential statistical analyses are performed. The theoretical framework of this study is the CHAT (cultural historical activity theory) which reconstructs the knowledge of learners through the application of the Adobe Connect program to demonstrate how learners can be collaborative and social with their peers in an online context. The results revealed that the collaborative online peer learning process in higher education encourages critical reflection and self-assessment. The study contributes to the understanding of the value of learner satisfaction in online collaborative learning environments through the experiences of learners.

The future of education relies on the integration of information technologies, emphasizing the importance of equity and inclusiveness for quality education. Teacher education programs are essential for fostering qualified educators for the future. Integrating AI in education is crucial to ensure inclusivity and comprehensive services for all. This study aims to evaluate student teachers’ perceptions of using AI in learning and teaching, and to provide suggestions for enhancing sustainable education through information technologies. A qualitative research design was adopted to gather perceptions and experiences from 240 student teachers who participated in a seminar on AI usage and completed self-reflection tasks. These student teachers, enrolled in various teaching methods and principal courses, contributed to the thematic analysis. The study reveals that AI should be carefully planned and incorporated into lesson plans to enhance personalized learning. Student teachers reported that AI supports and motivates the learning process, effectively transforming students’ needs and learning experiences. However, they also noted potential drawbacks, such as AI imposing restrictions on the teaching profession, replacing teachers, and producing biased results. The study suggests that capacity-building strategies for student teachers should be enriched across different courses to raise awareness about AI’s applications.

With the rapid integration of technology into educational environments during the pandemic period, the teaching processes in classrooms and private education institutions began to be carried out with technology support. Game-based animation learning designs in technology-supported educational environments provide an interesting and motivation-enhancing learning experience in developing students’ education skills. In today’s educational environments, 2D and 3D animation game designs are the unique technology-supported learning environments in teaching many different skills, behaviors, and concepts to individuals with special needs. Visual designs and animations are one of the technologies necessary to prepare individuals with special needs for an independent life. The accessibility of animation designs for teachers and families has gained significant importance during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Technology education supports the visual, listening, reading, writing, social, and communication skills of individuals with special needs, facilitates their independent life skills, and contributes to their development as a guide. This allows individuals to learn the targeted information more easily, permanently, and quickly. In this context, this study provides information on the use and accessibility of animation technology in special education, offers suggestions for the benefit of visual design and animation, which are among the assistive technologies, and gives insights into how school management is ready for digital education.

Children are a country’s most valuable asset. Educating them and bringing them into society is one of the most fundamental tasks of a nation. The disadvantageous position that individuals with a disability are exposed to shows the importance of the need for inclusive education for the quality of life. It is important to use the merits of digital transformation to provide services and education for all to support sustainability. This research aims to shine a light on the problems related to inclusive education faced in the special education schools and rehabilitation centers and put forward suggestions for digital transformation. As inclusive means inclusion, social interaction, access, and equality for education, the role of digital transformation is examined for the quality of inclusive education. Self-reflection is a qualitative form which was employed in the research involving school managers and teachers who were selected randomly from the Special Education Schools and Rehabilitation Centers that participated in the research. It is revealed that most of the studies focus on inclusive education, the digital divide, social inclusion, online learning, and the implication of inclusive education in digital transformation. Although studies expose inclusive education in digital transformation, most of these have 0.20 quality criteria, showing an intensified need to extend the existing body of knowledge. It is shown that the vast majority of inclusive education aligns with the institution’s inclusive education vision and purpose. Concerning financing, it is difficult to find sponsors among non-governmental organizations to support the institution’s inclusive education-related material, equipment, and security needs, and Ministry of National Education funding is essential. There is a need to improve the inclusive education competencies of administrators and teachers, and in-service training should be provided. Self-improvement opportunities of administrators and teachers of the institution are significantly inadequate and should be improved.