This article explores the research question: ‘What are ChatGPT’s human-like traits as perceived by society?’ Thematic analyses of insights from 452 individuals worldwide yielded two categories of traits. Category 1 entails social traits, where ChatGPT embodies the social roles of ‘author’ (imitating human phrasing and paraphrasing practices) and ‘interactor’ (simulating human collaboration and emotion). Category 2 encompasses political traits, with ChatGPT assuming the political roles of ‘agent’ (emulating human cognition and identity) and ‘influencer’ (mimicking human diplomacy and consultation). When asked, ChatGPT confirmed the possession of these human-like traits (except for one trait). Thus, ChatGPT displays human-like qualities, humanising itself through the ‘game of algorithms’. It transcends its inherent technical essence and machine-based origins to manifest as a ‘semi-human’ living actor within human society, showcasing the emergence of semi-humans. Therefore, researchers should redirect their attention towards the ‘sociology of semi-humans’ (studying their socio-political traits) beyond the ‘biology of semi-humans’ (examining their technical traits). While medieval society was captivated by mythical semi-human beings (e.g. mermaids), modern society finds itself increasingly captivated by computational semi-human beings like ChatGPT. Ethical concerns arise as semi-humans impersonate human traits without consent or genuine human existence, blurring the boundaries between what is authentically and artificially ‘human’.

Sustainability education has become a global priority in educational systems, aiming to equip learners with the knowledge, values, and skills necessary to address complex environmental and social challenges. This study specifically aims to understand the role of science education in promoting students’ awareness of sustainability and their understanding of the interconnected relationship between humans and the environment, based on the perceptions and practices of primary science teachers in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. A qualitative approach was utilized, which included semi-structured interviews complemented by classroom observations as primary data collection instruments. The targeted participants comprised a purposive sample consisting of forty-nine primary-level science instructors from the Al-Ahsa district, located in eastern Saudi Arabia. Emergent concepts from open and axial coding processes by using grounded theory were developed with the gathered data. Based on the findings, teachers perceive science teaching not only as knowledge delivery but as an opportunity to cultivate critical thinking and nurture eco-friendly actions among pupils. Classroom practices that underscore environmental values and principles of sustainability foster a transformative view of the teacher’s role beyond traditional boundaries. The data also highlighted classroom practices that integrate environmental values and sustainability principles, reflecting a transformative perspective on the teacher’s educational role.

The research investigated how science education through integrated sustainability practices helps primary school students develop environmental identity while studying sustainability practices in their daily schoolwork. The research investigated methods to incorporate sustainability principles into regular school operations, which would lead students toward environmentally responsible conduct. The research used qualitative methods to achieve its goals. The research team conducted 60 sessions of semi-structured interviews and school observations in private schools located in Riyadh and Al-Ahsa regions of Saudi Arabia. The Grounded Theory method enabled researchers to generate concepts that directly stem from the collected data. The research results demonstrated that schools need to implement sustainability practices to teach students about nature-human connections and develop environmental values and sustainable practices and improve daily environmental practices and establish sustainable practices as school examples. The study demonstrated that students developed stronger environmental identity through daily school activities that incorporated sustainability education. Furthermore, students’ environmental behaviors improved through participation in activities such as waste sorting and tree planting. Based on these findings, the study recommends strengthening the role of science education in promoting sustainability through practical activities, training teachers in integrative environmental education strategies, developing curricula that emphasize sustainable practices, and involving parents in raising environmental awareness within the school community.

Amid growing global environmental concerns, education plays a critical role in shaping students' understanding and attitudes toward sustainability. Science education, in particular, is uniquely positioned to foster environmental awareness and encourage responsible behaviors. This research was conducted to identify science teachers' perspectives regarding their role in instilling environmental sustainability values and reinforcing responsible behaviors among their students. A qualitative approach was employed through conducting interviews with a purposive convenience sample of 51 primary-stage science teachers in Saudi Arabia. Collected data was analyzed based on the grounded theory approach to facilitate the extraction of core ideas and themes. The findings demonstrated that teachers are deeply aware of their role in the reciprocal relation between human and the environment, which extends beyond knowledge transmission to shaping students' environmental behaviors, and that their environmental practices function as a model that strongly influences students' practices. Teachers' awareness of modeling, intellectual empowerment, and capability to link learning to real life situations demonstrated their deep understanding of how environmental education shapes long-term environmental attitudes. They highlighted empowering students to expect environmental challenges through integrating science curricula into real-life concerns. The findings strongly support integrating sustainability across disciplines to provide a comprehensive understanding of the concept and demonstrate science teachers' advanced educational vision to facilitate values and critical thinking rather than knowledge transmission. Keywords: primary science education, environmental sustainability, teachers' beliefs, contextualized teaching

Although ambiguity in written, oral, and visual communication is inevitably present across all human societies and cultures, variation among these societies and cultures occurs in the sociocultural causes of its existence. This study helps formulate a conceptual framework that enables the enrichment of knowledge about this variation. It takes a first step by highlighting Arab-specific reasons behind ambiguity in academic writings in humanities and social sciences. The investigation entails thematically analysing the thoughts of 905 Arabs in academia. The findings point to a ‘doing-the-minimum’ mentality, whereby one may act hastily and impatiently and do just enough for one’s manuscript to be published in any journal, thereby rushing into publication while skimping on quality and diminishing attention to manuscript clarity. Another finding is the ambition for rewards that Arab institutions assign to publication, whereby one may boost their publication records to reap these rewards, resulting in high quantity while sacrificing quality (e.g., clarity). Another reason discovered is the conceptualisation of writing as a formulaic and ‘fill-in-the-blanks’ task (templates to be completed and, thus, manuscripts to be constructed), instilling a focus on technicality instead of cognitive depth and clarity. An additional reason found is the passive application of foreign theories and conceptual frameworks without subjecting them to critical reflection, reapplying foreign surveys and mimicking survey-based articles, thereby making their articles culturally shallow, suffer from cultural irrelevance, and thus, ambiguity. This is along with the integration of poetry (wherein ambiguity is culturally viewed as desirable and showing poets to be sophisticated) into Arabs’ daily social and educational lives and mindsets, encouraging the acceptability of ambiguity as a possible linguistic quality in scholarly writing as well. The social context lacks direct, explicit, and free articulation, encouraging one to resort to roundabout ways of composing their manuscripts, thus, making the manuscripts fall into ambiguity.

Formative assessment plays a crucial role in enhancing students’ understanding of complex subjects such as geography. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of formative assessment practices employed by primary geography teachers in Saudi Arabia to promote students’ comprehension of geographic concepts. Seventy teachers from the Eastern and Western regions participated. Data were collected through a structured classroom observation checklist designed to examine formative assessment strategies during geography lessons. Results indicated that teachers, in general, applied formative assessment techniques to foster critical thinking and analytical skills. Common strategies included open-ended questioning, constructive feedback, and peer assessment, which supported students’ understanding and encouraged higher-order thinking. Teachers also promoted active student engagement by connecting lesson content to real-world contexts. However, challenges remained in fully integrating inquiry-based learning, problem-solving, and student-led demonstrations. Findings align with contemporary educational theories such as constructivism and social cognitive theory reveal a gap between theoretical knowledge and practical skill development. To address this, the study recommends expanding professional development programs to equip teachers with diverse formative assessment tools and instructional methods. Additionally, curricula should be revised to incorporate experiential learning opportunities, including fieldwork and modern technologies like Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Enhancing school infrastructure and supportive policies is essential to sustain student engagement and improve the quality of geographic education.