Considerable research has shown that receiving effort-focused praise affects motivation positively, while ability-focused praise affects motivation negatively. However, these studies have investigated only the effects on the one receiving praise (the praisee). Therefore, we examined the effects of praise on the one offering praise (the praiser),…

The outbreak of COVID-19 and the consequent lockdown took the world by surprise, forcing the trimming of the school curriculum and institutions of higher learning to urgently adopt online platforms to continue teaching and learning. This article is a case study that explores the use of a social media platform, WhatsApp, to improve peer learning…

This phenomenological study sought to understand how Black vertical transfer students experience interpersonal and academic validation at historically white institutions (HWIs). Rendon's (1994) validation theory provided a theoretical framework to examine their post-transfer experiences. A qualitative research design was used to collect data…

Retention is a universal issue for institutions of higher education in the United States. Students face many challenges in the transition to college, which can contribute to a student's decision to transfer. On top of the traditional obstacles faced by college freshmen, student-athletes encounter additional stressors associated with competing in…

COVID-19 led college and university faculty to quickly shift courses online. With this shift came concerns regarding educational quality; thus, many faculty opted or were encouraged to offer synchronous and/or hybrid online courses in Fall 2020 and Spring 2021. This led faculty to consider relying on webcams to engage students. Anecdotal and…

During peer review, students often exhibit resistance when asked to respond critically to their peers' writing. Most students tend to offer gentle critiques, especially when they personally know the peers whose writing they are reading. This tendency to be overly kind can be frustrating for instructors, yet there may be logical reasons for…

Although cell phones are often discussed as a problem in higher education research, the literature focuses largely on disciplinary tactics or integration of phones into the curriculum. The present study provides further support for the use of positive reinforcement to minimize the negative effects of cell phones in the classroom. A…

Given their multifaceted roles, mentors provide many benefits. They make themselves and their experiences available to others. They share their knowledge, expertise, skills, and insights. Mentors pay attention, and they help to strengthen one's abilities. Through their teaching and role modeling, their mentees develop leadership, communication,…

Feedback has been increasingly conceptualised as a dialogical process where students interpret the provided information through interaction with comment providers and use it to enhance their learning. A major challenge for the development of sustainable feedback is closely related to how students think about it. This study explored how 25 Chinese…

The research reported here was focussed on accessing the perceptions of pre-service teachers regarding the critical factors which support highly effective learning in schools in the United Kingdom. Their perceptions were arranged into a taxonomy so that they can be used as a starting point for their reflections on the observations they make of…

Two students at a Canadian university perceived there was a lack of opportunities for peer mentoring support in their teacher education program. They approached a faculty member to co-create and research a blended peer mentoring support program embedded in a first-year education course. This study documents the journey of these two students as…

Despite the popular belief that fun has a positive impact in learning contexts, empirical research on fun in the classroom has been limited. To extend research in this area, the goal of this study was to develop and validate a new scale to assess fun in the classroom and examine its relationship with student engagement. The multi-stage scale…

Peer assistance activities can strengthen online learning environments. And yet, like other professional adult learners, working post licensure nurses attending university part time to upgrade their credentials may have limited interest in student-to-student interaction. Some intentionally choose asynchronous self-paced courses so they can work on…

This paper sets out to interrogate the role played by peer interactions in the teaching and learning of College Algebra in a classroom setting. It also explores the impact of positive student-lecturer relationship on teaching and learning of College Algebra at the university level and the general improvement of student performance. The instrument…

We are delighted to welcome you to the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT) 2016, taking place in Lisbon, Portugal, from 30 of April to 2 of May, 2016. Psychology, nowadays, offers a large range of scientific fields where it can be applied. The goal of understanding individuals and groups (mental functions and…