To further the study of learning in the context of immersive virtual technologies, this systematic literature review addressed the following research questions: 'How is self-efficacy being studied in immersive virtual learning environments?' 'What kinds of self-efficacy findings have been made in immersive virtual learning environments?' The…

Block-based visual programming tools, such as Scratch, Alice, and MIT App Inventor, provide an intuitive and easy-to-use editing interface through which to promote programming learning for novice students of various ages. However, very little attention has been paid to investigating these tools' overall effects on students' academic achievement…

When evaluators plan site-randomized experiments, they must conduct the appropriate statistical power analyses. These analyses are most likely to be valid when they are based on data from the jurisdictions in which the studies are to be conducted. In this method note, we provide software code, in the form of a SAS macro, for producing statistical…

Recent research provides evidence that individuals shift in their perception of variants depending on social characteristics attributed to the speaker. This paper reports on a speech perception experiment designed to test the degree to which the age attributed to a speaker influences the perception of vowels undergoing a chain shift. As a result…

The National Research Council's (NRC, 2005) publication "America's Lab Report: Investigations in High School Science" provided the impetus for this study. In the NRC report, the experiences of high school students nationally are described along with recommendations for improving and supporting these experiences. Since the NRC report was…

The educational potential of non-linear systems is given surprisingly little attention in science education research--at least in research that links content matter and educational issues. The project on educational reconstruction of non-linear systems at the IPN has investigated the educational significance of threferring phenomena and the…

Recently, Professor Sonia Nieto of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst presented the results of her research on the factors that contribute to the sustainment of the professional vitality and commitment of quality teachers in urban high schools. Through her interactions with the teachers in her study, Professor Nieto identified seven themes…

Inquiry training is a powerful teaching model for principals to know and teachers to implement. It is designed to teach students to engage in causal reasoning and to become more fluent and precise in asking questions. Further, inquiry training helps learners build concepts and form and test hypotheses in all curriculum areas. The current emphasis…

This document presents the proceedings of an annual educational research forum held at Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) on December 10, 2003. A table of contents and 31 research studies of high school teaching are included. The following studies are included: (1) No, Seriously: Humor Use by High School Social Studies Teachers…