The goal of this design-based research study was the creation and evaluation of a mini-unit intended to foster perceptually grounded understandings of the concept of slope in middle-school students. Central to this unit was an innovative device designed to create a productive pedagogical space between student intuition for steepness and formal…

Although researchers call for inquiry learning in science, science assessments rarely capture the impact of inquiry instruction. This paper reports on the development and validation of assessments designed to measure middle-school students' progress in gaining integrated understanding of energy while studying an inquiry-oriented curriculum. The…

In this study, the authors investigate the impact of authoring hypermedia on English as a second language sixth- and seventh-grade students' academic English vocabulary and underlying-concept development. Analysis of data showed that students participating in hypermedia projects, as opposed to traditional science or social science curriculum, were…