diff --git a/.github/workflows/master-pipeline.yml b/.github/workflows/master-pipeline.yml
index a95b88f..2fdd6d3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/master-pipeline.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/master-pipeline.yml
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     strategy:
       matrix:
-        python-version: ["3.8", "3.9", "3.10", "3.11"]
+        python-version: ["3.8", "3.9", "3.10", "3.11", "3.12"]
 
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
diff --git a/keras_batchflow/base/batch_shapers/batch_shaper.py b/keras_batchflow/base/batch_shapers/batch_shaper.py
index 8630bf6..aed3316 100644
--- a/keras_batchflow/base/batch_shapers/batch_shaper.py
+++ b/keras_batchflow/base/batch_shapers/batch_shaper.py
@@ -71,9 +71,9 @@ def _create_shaper_func(self, data, leaf, **kwargs):
     def _shape_batch(self, data: pd.DataFrame, func, **kwargs):
         """
         This method forms a batch. Depending on the functions provided it can return different data shaped the same way:
-         - batch-shaped data for keras and tensorflow fit/predict, e.g. ([ndarray, ndarray], ndarray)
-         - component shapes structure, e.g. ([(None, 2), (None, 5)], (None, 2)) for the same example
-         - number of classes for categorical inputs, e.g. ([10, 3], 2)
+         - batch-shaped data for keras and tensorflow fit/predict, e.g. ((ndarray, ndarray), ndarray)
+         - component shapes structure, e.g. (((None, 2), (None, 5)), (None, 2)) for the same example
+         - number of classes for categorical inputs, e.g. ((10, 3), 2)
         :param data: pandas dataframe with the data
         :param func: a function defining the output (self._shape_func, self._transform_func, self._n_classes_func)
         :param kwargs:
@@ -98,10 +98,9 @@ def _walk_structure(self, data: pd.DataFrame, struc, func, **kwargs):
             return ret
         elif type(struc) in [list, tuple]:
             ret = [self._walk_structure(data, s, func, **kwargs) for s in struc]
-            if type(struc) is tuple:
-                return tuple(ret)
-            else:
-                return ret
+            # we always return lists as tuples as tensorflow wants x and y to be tuples in case of multiple
+            # components
+            return tuple(ret)
         else:
             raise ValueError('Error: structure definition in {} class only supports lists and tuples, but {}'
                              'was found'.format(type(self).__name__, type(struc)))
diff --git a/tests/batch_generators/test_batch_generator.py b/tests/batch_generators/test_batch_generator.py
index 73f294d..554a98e 100644
--- a/tests/batch_generators/test_batch_generator.py
+++ b/tests/batch_generators/test_batch_generator.py
@@ -173,14 +173,14 @@ def test_transform(self):
         batch = bg.transform(self.df)
         assert type(batch) == tuple
         assert len(batch) == 2
-        assert type(batch[0]) == list
+        assert type(batch[0]) == tuple
         assert len(batch[0]) == 2
         assert type(batch[1]) == np.ndarray
         assert batch[1].shape == (8, 1)
         batch = bg.transform(self.df, return_y=False)
         assert isinstance(batch, tuple)
         assert len(batch) == 1
-        assert type(batch[0]) == list
+        assert type(batch[0]) == tuple
         assert len(batch[0]) == 2
 
     def test_inverse_transform(self):
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ def test_shapes(self):
         sh = bg.shapes
         assert type(sh) == tuple
         assert len(sh) == 2
-        assert type(sh[0]) == list
+        assert type(sh[0]) == tuple
         assert len(sh[0]) == 2
         assert sh[0][0] == (3,)
         assert sh[0][1] == (1,)
diff --git a/tests/batch_shapers/test_batch_shaper.py b/tests/batch_shapers/test_batch_shaper.py
index 822b677..6ca191b 100644
--- a/tests/batch_shapers/test_batch_shaper.py
+++ b/tests/batch_shapers/test_batch_shaper.py
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ def test_many_x(self, data, label_binarizer, label_encoder):
         batch = bs.transform(data)
         assert type(batch) == tuple
         assert len(batch) == 2
-        assert type(batch[0]) == list
+        assert type(batch[0]) == tuple
         assert type(batch[1]) == np.ndarray
         assert len(batch[0]) == 2
         assert type(batch[0][0]) == np.ndarray
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ def test_many_y(self, data, label_binarizer, label_encoder):
         assert type(batch) == tuple
         assert len(batch) == 2
         assert type(batch[0]) == np.ndarray
-        assert type(batch[1]) == list
+        assert type(batch[1]) == tuple
         assert len(batch[1]) == 2
         assert type(batch[1][0]) == np.ndarray
         assert type(batch[1][1]) == np.ndarray
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ def test_predict_batch(self, data, label_binarizer, label_encoder):
         batch = batch_shaper.transform(data)
         assert isinstance(batch, tuple)
         assert len(batch) == 1
-        assert isinstance(batch[0], list)
+        assert isinstance(batch[0], tuple)
         assert len(batch[0]) == 2
 
 
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ def test_none_transformer(self, data, label_binarizer, label_encoder):
         batch = bs.transform(data)
         assert type(batch) == tuple
         assert len(batch) == 2
-        assert type(batch[0]) == list
+        assert type(batch[0]) == tuple
         assert len(batch[0]) == 2
         assert np.array_equal(batch[0][1], np.expand_dims(data['var2'].values, axis=-1))
 
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ def test_const_component_int(self, data, label_binarizer, label_encoder):
         batch = bs.transform(data)
         assert type(batch) == tuple
         assert len(batch) == 2
-        assert type(batch[0]) == list
+        assert type(batch[0]) == tuple
         assert len(batch[0]) == 2
         assert np.all(batch[0][1] == 0)
         assert batch[0][1].dtype == int
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ def test_const_component_float(self, data, label_binarizer, label_encoder):
         batch = bs.transform(data)
         assert type(batch) == tuple
         assert len(batch) == 2
-        assert type(batch[0]) == list
+        assert type(batch[0]) == tuple
         assert len(batch[0]) == 2
         assert np.all(batch[0][1] == 0)
         assert batch[0][1].dtype == float
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ def test_const_component_str(self, data, label_binarizer, label_encoder):
         batch = bs.transform(data)
         assert type(batch) == tuple
         assert len(batch) == 2
-        assert type(batch[0]) == list
+        assert type(batch[0]) == tuple
         assert len(batch[0]) == 2
         assert np.all(batch[0][1] == 'a')
         assert batch[0][1].dtype == '<U1'  # single unicode character
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ def test_metadata(self, data, label_binarizer, label_encoder):
         batch = bs.transform(data)
         assert type(md) is tuple
         assert len(md) == 2
-        assert type(md[0]) is list
+        assert type(md[0]) is tuple
         assert len(md[0]) == 2
         assert type(md[0][0]) == dict
         assert type(md[0][1]) == dict
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ def test_dummy_var_naming(self, data, label_binarizer, label_encoder):
         md = bs.metadata
         assert type(md) is tuple
         assert len(md) == 2
-        assert type(md[0]) is list
+        assert type(md[0]) is tuple
         assert len(md[0]) == 3
         assert all([type(m) == dict for m in md[0]])
         assert md[0][1]['name'] == 'dummy_constant_0'
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@ def inverse_transform(self, data):
                          data_sample=data)
         shapes = bs.shape
         assert type(shapes) == tuple
-        assert type(shapes[0]) == list
+        assert type(shapes[0]) == tuple
         assert len(shapes[0]) == 2
         assert shapes[0][0] == (3,)    # measured
         assert shapes[0][1] == (11,)   # direct from encoders's shape property
diff --git a/tests/batch_shapers/test_numpy_encoder_adaptor.py b/tests/batch_shapers/test_numpy_encoder_adaptor.py
index 4253f9b..eab2476 100644
--- a/tests/batch_shapers/test_numpy_encoder_adaptor.py
+++ b/tests/batch_shapers/test_numpy_encoder_adaptor.py
@@ -29,7 +29,8 @@ def test_transform_integer_array(self):
         nea = NumpyEncoderAdaptor()
         tr = nea.transform(data)
         assert isinstance(tr, np.ndarray)
-        assert np.issubdtype(tr.dtype, object)
+        # this is for compatibility. Older versions of pandas 2.0.* for python 3.8 return Int64 as object dtype
+        assert np.issubdtype(tr.dtype, object) or np.issubdtype(tr.dtype, int)
 
     def test_transform_datetime(self):
         """
diff --git a/tests/batch_transformers/test_base_random_cell_transform.py b/tests/batch_transformers/test_base_random_cell_transform.py
index b2c2190..684e50a 100644
--- a/tests/batch_transformers/test_base_random_cell_transform.py
+++ b/tests/batch_transformers/test_base_random_cell_transform.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import pytest
 import pandas as pd
 import numpy as np
-from scipy.stats import binom_test, chisquare
+from scipy.stats import chisquare
 from keras_batchflow.base.batch_transformers import BaseRandomCellTransform, BatchFork
 
 
diff --git a/tests/batch_transformers/test_feature_dropout.py b/tests/batch_transformers/test_feature_dropout.py
index ca134b9..534f281 100644
--- a/tests/batch_transformers/test_feature_dropout.py
+++ b/tests/batch_transformers/test_feature_dropout.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import pytest
 import pandas as pd
-from scipy.stats import binom_test, chisquare
+from scipy.stats import binomtest, chisquare
 from keras_batchflow.base.batch_transformers import FeatureDropout
 
 
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ def test_row_dist(self):
         fd = FeatureDropout([0.4, .6], 'var1', drop_values='')
         batch = fd.transform(self.df.sample(1000, replace=True))
         b = (batch['var1'] == '').sum()
-        assert binom_test(b, 1000, 0.6) > 0.01
+        assert binomtest(b, 1000, 0.6).pvalue > 0.01
 
     def test_cols_dist(self):
         sample_size = 1000
@@ -53,15 +53,15 @@ def test_different_drop_values(self):
         fd = FeatureDropout([0., 1.], ['var1', 'var2', 'label'], drop_values=['v1', 'v2', 'v3'])
         batch = fd.transform(self.df.sample(1000, replace=True))
         b = (batch == 'v1').sum(axis=0)
-        assert binom_test(b[0], 1000, 0.33) > 0.01
+        assert binomtest(b[0], 1000, 0.33).pvalue > 0.01
         assert b[1] == 0
         assert b[2] == 0
         b = (batch == 'v2').sum(axis=0)
-        assert binom_test(b[1], 1000, 0.33) > 0.001
+        assert binomtest(b[1], 1000, 0.33).pvalue > 0.001
         assert b[0] == 0
         assert b[2] == 0
         b = (batch == 'v3').sum(axis=0)
-        assert binom_test(b[2], 1000, 0.33) > 0.001
+        assert binomtest(b[2], 1000, 0.33).pvalue > 0.001
         assert b[0] == 0
         assert b[1] == 0
 
diff --git a/tests/batch_transformers/test_shuffle_noise.py b/tests/batch_transformers/test_shuffle_noise.py
index b19e4c9..5dbfa22 100644
--- a/tests/batch_transformers/test_shuffle_noise.py
+++ b/tests/batch_transformers/test_shuffle_noise.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import pytest
 import pandas as pd
 import numpy as np
-from scipy.stats import binom_test, chisquare
+from scipy.stats import binomtest, chisquare
 from keras_batchflow.base.batch_transformers import ShuffleNoise