Characterizing the nature of students' affective and emotional states and detecting them is of fundamental importance in online course platforms. In this paper, we study this problem by using discussion forum posts derived from large open online courses. We find that posts identified as encoding confusion are actually manifestations of different…

A phenomenographic analysis explored 18 teachers' conceptions of feedback and how they were enacted. Five hierarchically ordered categories of feedback were seen as aligning with three major functions; that is, (1) satisfying stakeholder expectations (Category 1), maintaining student psycho-social well-being (Category 2), and supporting learning…

This paper provides a detailed description of how a smart spaces laboratory has been used for assessing learners' performance in various educational contexts. The paper shares the authors' experiences from using sensor-generated data in a number of learning scenarios. In particular the paper describes how a smart learning environment is created…

This qualitative pilot study at a cooperative living facility for young men in the juvenile justice system examined participants' social development following a humane education program. After a course that taught the care, handling, and training of foster dogs, five participants shared their reflections, offering their insights into the ways in…

Research has demonstrated that cognitive and motivational teacher characteristics are crucial for students' development. Surprisingly less is known about teachers' negative affective characteristics and students learning. Therefore, we investigated the association between teachers' emotional exhaustion and students' achievement in mathematics.…

Increasingly faculty find themselves in the postsecondary classroom with students who display behaviors typical of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). I designed and distributed a mixed methods electronic survey to discover faculty perceptions of a list of eleven particular behaviors that may create challenges: no eye contact, extended eye contact,…

This study employs Deardoff's (2006; 2009) model of cultural competence and applies it to an undergraduate preservice teacher course on children's literature in order to address concerns that preparation programs are not providing opportunities for students to discuss socio-historical issues and cultural inequities. Qualitative data was collected…

Given the Digital Technologies rationale of the Australian Curriculum, it is critical that both teachers and students use design thinking to be creative and innovative producers of digital solutions and knowledge. Teachers and students are increasingly being required to self-produce films and digital content across subject areas. Their productions…

The relationship between Young's (1999) Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMSs) and Baumrind's (1971) parental authority prototypes (i.e., permissive, authoritarian, and authoritative) were investigated. As hypothesized, parental authoritarianism positively predicted the prevalence of EMSs, whereas authoritativeness was inversely related to EMS scores.…

Modern urban life provides less opportunities to contact with nature, which is a potential cause of developmental deviances in children. We investigated the potential therapeutic effect of woodlands, within the context of Practical Skills Therapeutic Education at the Ruskin Mill College, UK. Data on physical and emotional perceptions were…

The purpose of this paper is to discuss a pilot study conducted in a graduate action research class that sought to investigate the impact of multicultural literature experiences on third-grade students' ability to make empathetic connections in their writing and discussions about literature. Conducted as participant action research, five…

The world is extensively changed by Social Networks Sites (SNSs) on the Internet. A large number of children and adolescents in the world have access to the internet and are exposed to the internet at a very early age. Most of them use the Social Networks Sites with the purpose of exchanging academic activities and developing a social network all…

This research examines the characteristics of adults that girls and adult OST facilitators consider most important for supporting positive youth development experiences in the outdoors. Three factors are identified: Emotional support, challenge support, and outdoor preparedness. While Emotional Support is rated most important by both girls and…

Introduction: The article contributes to the conceptual studies of affective factors in information seeking by examining Kuhlthau's information search process model. Method: This random-digit dial telephone survey of 253 people (75% female) living in a rural, medically under-serviced area of Ontario, Canada, follows-up a previous interview study…

Accessing children's feelings and attitudes towards mathematics is a challenging proposition since methods for data collection may be fraught in terms of bias and power relations. This paper explores a method using iPads and a video diary technique not dissimilar to the "Big Brother" room with which many children are familiar. We…