Introduction

In recent years, the fields of education and educational research have witnessed transformative changes driven by both longstanding and emergent challenges. From the disruptions caused by the global pandemic to the rapid integration of digital technologies, educators and policymakers worldwide are navigating a complex landscape. This volume brings together a diverse collection of scholarly works that address these multifaceted issues, offering insights into contemporary educational strategies and practices, social and emotional development, higher education transformations, and global educational policies. This volume includes four thematic clusters with contributions from different regional, theoretical, and methodological perspectives, addressing different dimensions of the challenges that education systems around the world nevertheless have in common. © 2025 Taylor & Francis.