Assessments built on a theory of learning progressions are promising formative tools to support learning and teaching. The quality and usefulness of those assessments depend, in large part, on the validity of the theory-informed inferences about student learning made from the assessment results. In this study, we introduced an approach to address…

A range of pedagogical learning theories has been proposed to guide science teachers' classroom teaching. This study presents the results of the development and use of an 18-item Arabic language rating scale survey to assess Omani teachers' (N = 400) views towards the application of selected pedagogical learning theories of potential use in their…

Clear and rigorous quantum reasoning is needed to explain quantum physical phenomena. As pillars of true quantum physical explanations, we suggest specific quantum reasoning derived from quantum physical key ideas. An experiment is suggested to support such a quantum reasoning, in which a quantized radiation field interacts with an optical beam…

This study analyses an online scenario-based instrument in which secondary mathematics teachers from across the United States were presented with episodes of mathematics instruction and then asked to make a decision at a critical juncture. The theory of practical rationality suggests that the decisions of mathematics teachers can be understood as…

This study implemented the principles of dynamic assessment (DA) with computer technology, iSpring Quiz Maker, to (1) identify the English listening difficulties of 172 L2 English learners; (2) diagnose their individual learning needs, and (3) promote their future potential abilities. Upon evaluating the participating junior high school students'…

As multi/plurilingual research advances understandings of plurilingual speakers' fluid language use, particularly in multilingual settings, new research methods and pedagogical orientations that address this complex phenomenon are needed. The present study considered the development, reliability, and validity of the Plurilingual and Pluricultural…

Ishimoto, Davenport, and Wittmann have previously reported analyses of data from student responses to the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE), in which they used item response curves (IRCs) to make claims about American and Japanese students' relative likelihood to choose certain incorrect responses to some questions. We have used an…

The relationship between second language (L2) listening presage and process variables was examined in a large cross-sectional study. A formal model of learning beliefs was adapted to create a structural equation model testing the interrelationships of individual difference (gender, practice, experience with native teachers) and trait variables…

We examined the feasibility and results of a multilevel multidimensional nominal response model (ML-MNRM) for measuring both substantive constructs and extreme response style (ERS) across countries. The ML-MNRM considers within-country clustering while allowing overall item slopes to vary across items and examination of whether certain items were…

Representational competence is essential for the acquisition of conceptual understanding in physics. It enables the interpretation of diagrams, graphs, and mathematical equations, and relating these to one another as well as to observations and experimental outcomes. In this study, we present the initial validation of a newly developed…

The present study is an attempt to describe the development and validation of an inter-language pragmatic questionnaire to examine the kind of instructional approaches and techniques that EFL teachers use to practice the pragmatic features in their classes. The research made use of two theories; cognitive processing and language socialization…

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Curriculum Development: Theory into Design.] Research in physics education has contributed substantively to improvements in the learning and teaching of university physics by informing the development of research-based instructional materials for physics courses. Reports on the design of these…

Advances in computer technology and artificial intelligence create opportunities for developing adaptive language learning technologies which are sensitive to individual learner characteristics. This paper focuses on one form of adaptivity in which the difficulty of learning content is dynamically adjusted to the learner's evolving language…

Research has shown that a high level of content knowledge (CK) is necessary but not sufficient to develop the special knowledge base of expert teachers known as pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). This study contributes towards research to quantify the relationship between CK and PCK in science. In order to determine the proportion of the…

In seeking to both confirm previous conclusions and expand the literature of the field with a different group of participants, McNulty (2012) was (partially) replicated. Three instructional interventions were designed to ascertain which activity type was responsible for learner gains. One treatment group (R) included referential-only practice…