One of the primary skills required by mathematics teachers is the ability to provide effective explanations to their students. Using Kay's (2014) theory-based framework for creating instructional videos, this study explored the quality and growth of explanations embedded in mathematical instructional videos created by 37 pre-service teachers…

This paper analyses the tasks allotted to students, featuring two thematic units in the 6th grade Geography textbook published in 2018 by the Didactic and Pedagogic Publishing House Ltd., Bucharest and used in the schools in Romania during the 2018-2019 school year. After a brief analysis of the textbook and its lesson structure, we studied the…

This aim of this study is to describe the process of local conjecturing in generalizing patterns based on Action, Process, Object, Schema (APOS) theory. The subjects were 16 grade 8 students from a junior high school. Data collection used Pattern Generalization Problem (PGP) and interviews. In the first stage, students completed PGP; in the second…

This study investigated the cognitive processes and reader characteristics of sixth graders who had good and poor performance when reading scientific text with diagrams. We first measured the reading ability and reading self-efficacy of sixth-grade participants, and then recorded their eye movements while they were reading an illustrated…

This paper builds on the current literature base about learning progressions in science to address the question, "What is the nature of the learning progression in the content domain of the structure of matter?" We introduce a learning progression in response to that question and illustrate a methodology, the Construct Modeling (Wilson,…

Spatial thinking is important for success in engineering. However, little is known about "how" students learn and apply spatial skills, particularly in kindergarten to Grade 12 engineering learning. The present study investigated the role of spatial thinking in engineering learning at a middle school summer camp. Participants were 26…

Open-ended, short-answer questions, referred to as constructed responses (CR), allow students to express knowledge and skills through their own words. While CRs can reduce the likelihood of guessing correct answers, they also enable students to provide errant responses due to a lack of knowledge or a misunderstanding of the question.…

Emotions serve a function of preparing individuals' psychological responses to various situations by affecting their decisions in every part of their lives. Cognitive emotion regulation processes lead individuals to identify their priorities and to make life plans and to act in accordance with these plans. In much of the research focusing on…

According to our approach to mathematics education, the optimal aim of the teaching of mathematics is to assist students in achieving efficient mathematical work. But, what does efficient exactly mean in that case? And how can teachers reach this objective? The model of Mathematical Working Spaces with its three dimensions--semiotic, instrumental,…

Theoretical and empirical support for the benefits of elaborative strategy instruction for middle level students is highlighted. Consistent with the "Keys of Educating Young Adolescents," teaching elaborative strategies enhances academic achievement, engages learners, and empowers students' future independent learning. A transactional…

This article describes how participants in the California Teacher Inquiry Network learn the art of making their invisible thinking processes visible, helping them see more clearly that they have internal resources to help students master similar kinds of thinking processes.

This study examined the effect of cognitive demand on situational interest and performance using running tasks in physical education. Adolescents (N = 179) participated in a field study involving three different levels of cognitive demand. Running performances and situational interest were measured four times with a testing interval of seven days.…

The present study examined the social dynamics of interpersonal immediacy, a manifestation of social support, during collaborative small-group discussions. The temporal sequence of three forms of immediacy behaviors identified from 24 discussions in two fifth-grade classrooms were analyzed using statistical discourse analysis. The preliminary…

The capability of reading comprehension is one of the essential skills for learning different topics, and has been recognized as a challenging objective in the Chinese curriculum. In this study, a concept mapping-based summarization strategy was incorporated into flipped learning to improve students' reading comprehension. The participants of the…

We explore the epistemological issues that arise when considering STEM as a curricular and instructional construct. Our approach is somewhat unique in that we are not focused on the curricular or instructional boundaries of STEM education, but consider the nature of the cognitive activity at play during STEM-focused activity, with an emphasis on…