Purpose: In today’s educational landscape, technology has become an undeniable force in shaping pedagogical approaches and even the definition of learning itself. But this path contains many obstacles. Within the higher education ecosystem, the digital divide – the disparity in access and use of technology – is proving to be a significant barrier for educational institutions, particularly in developing countries. Hence, the current study attempts to understand the digital divide and its associated consequence on educational in(equity) in higher education, particularly within the context of developing countries.Design/methodology/approach: Using a systematic review methodological approach, this study illuminates the complex dimensions of the digital divide and its associated educational impact in higher education based on the social justice theoretical perspective.Findings: Key findings of the study show that the affordability of digital devices, infrastructure limitations and limited digital literacy are the main drivers of the digital divide. It has also been understood that the digital gap impairs teachers’ pedagogical approaches; thereby, this has a detrimental consequence on students’ learning engagement and academic achievement. More severely, the digital divide exacerbates existing educational disparities disproportionately, impacting students particularly from marginalized communities that already face automated inequality.Originality/value: The study makes some encouraging recommendations for interventions to close the digital divide and reduce its effects on education. These include the implementing of initiatives that minimize access to and use of digital gaps; establishing long-term infrastructure investments to address connectivity issues; and creating adaptable support systems to deal with technical issues. By applying these and related approaches, higher education can bridge the digital divide and promote fair and inclusive learning opportunities, ultimately leading to equitable learning environments for all.

One of the inputs for a high-quality education is using laboratory activities which are characteristic features of science teaching at all levels of education. Consequently, this study was carried out to investigate the perception and practice centered on assessing the practice of laboratory work and identifying the factors that affect its implementation. To achieve these objectives, data were collected from secondary school students and teachers. In doing this study, quantitative and qualitative research methods and a descriptive survey design were used. Stratified random sampling was used in the selection of study participants. The data were obtained through questionnaires, observation, and interviews. Based on the analyzed data, the findings of the study revealed that both students and teachers perceived that chemistry practical courses (experiments) are relevant to students learning. The findings of the study also showed that despite its relevance, the practice of laboratory work is very low. Furthermore, the lack of resources (such as laboratory equipment), the lack of time to practice laboratory work, and students’ lack of engagement in laboratory activities were the major factors that affect the implementation of laboratory work. Finally, recommendations were made based on the major findings to improve the practice of laboratory work.

The main purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) armed violence on the attainment of students' education and the role of parents' involvement in the resiliency of schooling and the education process. In doing so, a convergent mixed-method research design was used. Accordingly, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected simultaneously, and the analysis was drawn upon both strands in search of patterns. Numbers of the study sample were n = 436 and the selection was bounded into three categories of subjects such as school principals (n = 22) for an interview, primary school teachers (n = 384) for a questionnaire and parents (n = 30) for focus group discussion selected through comprehensive, simple random and purposive sampling strategies respectively. Bothe thematic analysis and descriptive analysis (frequency and percentage) were used as data analysis strategies. As a result, the following findings were obtained: Destruction of school infrastructures generate substantial impediments to the supply of schooling. As a result, students' educational enrolment was lowered and students' dropout rate, out-of-school students' rate and related educational wastage increased. Therefore, it can be concluded that sound school administration and active participation of parents and the local community are urgently needed to continue the schooling and education process. Parents and the local community participated to reorganize school activities when the war affected areas were free from the war battle field. However, currently when this study is being investigated, they are looking back due to threats that the war will reawaken and devastate their efforts again.

While several studies have addressed the interconnections between self-assessment and academic stress, much uncertainty still exists about the mediating role of coping styles in this interplay. Therefore, this research aimed to determine the mediating role of coping styles in the relationship between the core of self-assessment and academic stress. To this aim, a total of 384 English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in the training institutes in Woldia, Ethiopia, filled out three questionnaires, including self-evaluations, the coping styles, and the academic stress. The analysis of the data using structural equation modeling revealed that the core of self-assessment had significant negative effects on academic stress, emotion-based coping, and avoidance. Furthermore, self-assessment with the mediating role of other factors, namely problem-oriented coping, emotion-based coping, and avoidance coping showed to have a negative and significant effect on academic stress. Based on the findings, it is possible to receive personality traits as an individual factor, predict differences in individuals coping styles of academic stress, and, as a result, teach appropriate coping styles to EFL learners to reduce their academic stress.

Within the vibrant yet complex ecosystem of higher education institutions, nurturing a culture of employee voice is critical for driving innovation, fostering engagement, and optimizing decision-making. However, it's still a complex task to identify the main factors influencing voice behaviour. This study ventures into this fertile ground, examining the mediating role of leader-member exchanges in the structural relationship between perceived organizational justice and employee voice behaviour in higher education. A correlational study design was used. A total of 361 participants were involved in the study. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using structural education modelling (SEM). The study found that both perceived organizational justice and leader-member exchange have a significant direct influence on employee voice behaviour, suggesting that both variables are important factors in predicting employee voice behaviour. Despite these effects, the contribution of leader-member exchange was found to be more impactful than perceived organizational justice. When the leader-member exchange is entered as a mediating variable in the structural model, the indirect effect of organizational justice becomes large. This suggests that when employees perceive their organization as fair, they are more likely to form positive relationships with their leaders and, as a result, these relationships lead to greater employee voice behaviour. Therefore, it can be concluded that higher education institutions are recommended to create a fair and equitable working environment strengthened by strong relationships between leaders and employees, as this directly contributes to improving employees' ability to express their thoughts and opinions for the benefit of the institutions.

Social media is becoming more popular, and its resourcefulness has given students new opportunities to learn as well as broaden their academic horizons in various ways assumed if social media is handled appropriately. The main purpose of this study was positioned to estimate the predictive mediating effects of social media on the relationship between students’ engagement and academic achievement of undergraduate university students. In doing so, a correlation study design was employed. Data was collected from 395 participants who were selected through a simple random sampling technique. Structural equation modelling was used to analyze the study data. As a result, the study findings showed both social media and student engagement has a significant direct effect on academic achievement. However, when social media entered the structural relationship between students’ engagement and academic achievement as a mediator variable, the mediating effect was no longer significant, indicating social media played a direct-only non-mediation role. This may be due to social media allowing for students’ minimal engagement. The result demonstrates the need for critical consideration when social media and instruction incorporated into educational activities for students’ benefit. This suggests more research is required to confirm the all-round effects of how social media influence students’ engagement in learning, even though in some literature the results are encouraging. More initiatives are essential because they may reveal efficient intervention tactics for integrating social media into higher education systems.