This article provides practical strategies for language educators to utilize picturebooks in nurturing learners' critical perspectives. It emphasizes the importance of encouraging students to challenge their established viewpoints within the framework of critical multicultural education. By adopting a critical lens when engaging with picturebooks, learners are empowered to explore and critically examine the power dynamics embedded within various cultures, facilitating the recognition of their own privilege and its impact on society. Picturebooks that depict characters from diverse backgrounds can prompt discussions about privilege, empathy, and social justice. The article includes a comprehensive analysis of a carefully selected picturebook, along with recommended pedagogical techniques for cultivating critical reading skills. These insights assist educators in designing instructional content that expands and challenges learners’ perspectives. This approach fosters open-mindedness, counters biases, and stimulates proactive engagement among learners, ultimately leading to a more equitable and inclusive society. By leveraging the unique qualities of picturebooks, educators can create a dynamic and transformative learning environment that supports critical thinking and social awareness.

This study was conducted to explore the relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy belief levels and their self-efficacy in developing digital materials. A 26-item self-efficacy scale for creating digital materials and a 27-item teacher self-efficacy beliefs scale were administered to 266 secondary school teachers during the 2022-2023 academic year. The findings revealed that teachers demonstrated high levels of self-efficacy in both developing digital materials and their overall self-efficacy beliefs. Moreover, a statistically significant, positive, and low correlation was found between teachers’ self-efficacy in developing digital materials and their self-efficacy belief levels. Specifically, a one-unit increase in teacher self-efficacy belief levels resulted in a 0.45-unit increase in self-efficacy for developing digital materials, indicating that teachers’ self-efficacy for digital material development was predicted by their self-efficacy belief levels. These results demonstrate a positive relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and their self-efficacy in developing digital materials, suggesting that teachers’ general self-efficacy beliefs can serve as a predictor of their confidence and competence in creating digital materials.

The research aims to explore the acquisition of Computational Thinking (CT) sub-skills among 5th and 6th grade secondary school students in Turkey through a block-based programming application, code.org. It seeks to understand if mastering these skills is essential for students globally. This study involved seven volunteer students selected through a mixed-methods suitability sample for the academic year 2021-2022. It utilized multiple tools: the Computational Thinking Skill Level Scale (CTSLS), observations, and interviews. Each student completed six tailored lessons via distance learning, which were recorded for observation and followed by interviews. Analysis of CT skills was conducted descriptively, considering the CTSLS scores before and after the lessons, observation of CT sub-skills during each session, and individual progress. Despite individual variations in CT skill display, there was no significant difference in the CTSLS scores pre- and post-intervention or between students of middle and high skill levels. The findings suggest that while individual progress in CT skills can be noted, the overall impact of the intervention on enhancing CT skills as measured by CTSLS is limited. This highlights the need for further investigation into the methods and effectiveness of teaching CT skills through block-based programming platforms.