Past research repeatedly revealed students' struggles to understand chemical equilibria, especially concerning their dynamic nature. Black-box simulations have proven to be helpful here. However, the effect is strongly dependent on the quality of teaching, the design principles of which are not yet fully known. One aspect of debate concerns the…

In recent years, discussion of the limitations of the standard cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) has increased, and the random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) has been proposed as an improved approach to modeling. By now, there are some first applications of the model to investigate reciprocal relations in self-concept development.…

Academic self-concept and achievement have been found to be reciprocally related across time. However, existing research has focused on self-concept and achievement scores that have been averaged over long time-periods. For the first time, the present study examined intraindividual (within-person) relations between momentary (state) self-concept…

The following survey study uses a quantitative research design to investigate motivational and affective aspects of students (aged 14-17) in a mathematical workshop on graph theory. Motivational and affective aspects are related to heart rate measurement (using the digital medium of a pulse watch) in mathematical knowledge development processes in…

Successful reading comprehension--especially in a second language (L2)--relies on the ability to monitor one's comprehension, that is, to notice comprehension breaks and make repairs. Comprehension monitoring may be limited given effortful word processing but may also be supported through active reading. The current study addresses to what extent…

Educational science has consistently examined what drives adolescents to aspire to occupations in math-related fields -- and which factors, such as gender stereotypes, may drive them away. In this study, we utilized a large longitudinal data set (N = 1,092) to test whether past grades, gender, and the math level of mothers' and fathers'…

For plant identification in school biology, many digital and analogue identification methods have been developed to make this demanding and little motivating process more student-orientated. In this experimental field study, we examine two empirically developed tools: the digital identification app "ID-Logics' and the paper-based key,…

Social comparisons with peers are important sources of self-development during adolescence. Many previous studies showed that students' academic self-concepts (ASC) form by contrasting one's own achievement with the average of one's class or school (the Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect [BFLPE]). Based on social comparison theory, however, we would…

This quantitative study developed a measurement instrument, The Assessment of Historical Perspective-Taking (AHPT), to evaluate historical perspective-taking skills among 15- and 16-year-old students within their United States History classes by adapting an existing measurement instrument developed in Germany. Applying a theoretical framework that…

Academic self-concept is understood as a multidimensional, hierarchical construct. Multidimensionality refers to the subject-specific differentiation of academic self-concepts, whereas hierarchy refers to the aggregation of more specific facets of self-concepts into more general ones. Previous research demonstrated that students distinguish…

Using the dual process theoretical framework (Brandtstädter & Rothermund, 2002), we examined whether the tendency to pursue goals tenaciously (TEN), in conjunction with the tendency to flexibly adjust one's preferences (FLEX), would be beneficial or detrimental for high school students' self-reported life satisfaction and achievement on tests…

For biology students, the diversity, complexity, and abundance of content in this field yield a heavy study load. Hence, appropriate learning strategies are key in supporting learners' academic success. In biology, the factors gender and interest hold a unique position within the natural sciences, as there is an academic imbalance to the…

A positive academic self-concept (ASC) relates to many desirable educational outcomes. Research on which student characteristics relate to the formation of ASC is therefore crucial. To examine the importance of personality for ASC, we investigated the relation between Big Five traits and mean level as well as within-person variability in state…

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has become an essential issue for schools facing major challenges such as bridging the knowledge-action-gap. Interactive simulations could help to focus on action-oriented learning. As part of a design-based research (DBR) process, we investigated the learning potential of game elements within a digital…

In order to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools have been closed for several months as of March 2020 in Germany. The unplanned and rapid shift to distance learning formats has led to fears that extensive learning deficits will be created and educational inequality will be further exacerbated. This paper, therefore, investigates the…