Building on the multidimensional framework of epistemic cognition proposed by Greene et al. ("Educational Psychologist" 43:142--160, 2008), this study examined beliefs about justification of knowledge claims in science among 65 Norwegian 10th graders. The first research question asked whether beliefs in personal justification,…

This study compared student scientific reasoning and conceptual knowledge in argumentation-based and traditional instruction, taught in school regions with low and high socio-economic status (SES) respectively. Furthermore, concrete and formal reasoning students' scientific reasoning and conceptual knowledge were compared during both instructions…

Problem Statement: The interest in raising levels of achievement in math and science has led to a focus on investigating the factors that shape achievement in these subjects. Understanding how different learning styles might influence science achievement may guide educators in their efforts to raise achievement. This study is an attempt to examine…

Computational thinking aims to outline fundamental skills from computer science that everyone should learn. As currently defined, with help from the National Science Foundation (NSF), these skills include problem formulation, logically organizing data, automating solutions through algorithmic thinking, and representing data through abstraction.…

The number of day-to-day challenges has increased at every stage of life, particularly in developing countries, and therefore there is a crying need for a search for solutions. Education plays an important role in providing correct direction, and science education can prove crucial in achieving this goal. Solutions to individual as well as…

Intellectual freedom has long been a desirable ideal and a foundational value for supporting democratic governance. Since 1948, it has been a universal human right. Given the unique nature of education in democratic societies, schools serve as a crucible for helping children understand and practise the rudiments of intellectual freedom. Drawing on…

The limit concept plays a foundational role in calculus, appearing in the definitions of the two main ideas of introductory calculus, derivatives and integrals. Previous research has focused on three stages of students' development of limit ideas: the premathematical stage, the introductory calculus stage, and the transition from introductory…

Drawing on her research into students' evidential reasoning, Elisabeth Pickles explores the possibilities for how such reasoning might be assessed. Existing exam mark schemes focus too heavily on generic processes involved in the analysis of source material and insufficiently on the historical validity of reasoning and conclusions produced.…

The 21st-century work environment places strong emphasis on nonroutine transversal skills. In an educational context, complex problem solving (CPS) is generally considered an important transversal skill that includes knowledge acquisition and its application in new and interactive situations. The dynamic and interactive nature of CPS requires a…

This article describes a part of a large scale study which helped to gain understanding of the high school mathematics teachers' belief about proof. There is obvious disconnect between general beliefs and high school teachers' conceptions about proof as central element of mathematics and mathematics education. A total of 374 mathematics teachers…

Classically, geometry has been the subject in which students encounter mathematical proof based on formal deduction. Attention to proof in the geometry curriculum is strengthened by a focus on reasoning and sense making. This book examines the four key elements (conjecturing about geometric objects, construction and evaluation of geometric…

To support 11th-grade students' informal inferential reasoning, a teaching and learning strategy was designed based on authentic practices in which professionals use correlation or linear regression. These practices included identifying suitable physical training programmes, dyke monitoring, and the calibration of measurement instruments. The…

Technology can help develop understanding of abstract mathematical concepts through visualisation and graphic representation. The teaching and learning of calculus can be challenging as it involves abstract and complex ideas. The purpose of this study was to investigate how students and teachers attempt to use TI-Nspire, the latest graphing…

This study characterizes how a cohort of 33 middle and secondary mathematics preservice teachers' inferential reasoning changed while enrolled in a statistics course designed for future teachers. Changes in inferential reasoning from pre- to post-assessments are analyzed and further elucidated by midcourse clinical interviews conducted with a…

The purpose of this study was to examine the policy implications allowing administrators to exempt a student from required arts instruction if the student obtained unsatisfactory scores on the high-stake state mandated tests in English and mathematics. This study examined English language arts and math test scores for 37,222 eighth grade students…