The modifier effect refers to the fact that the perceived likelihood of a property in a noun category is diminished if the noun is modified. For example, "Pigs live on farms" is rated as more likely than "Dirty pigs live on farms." The modifier effect has been demonstrated in many studies, but the underlying cognitive…

The generalisation of linguistic constructions is performed through analogical reasoning. Children with developmental language disorders (DLD) are impaired in analogical reasoning and in generalisation. However, these processes are improved by an input involving variability and similarity. Here we investigated the performance of children with or…

In a world facing complex global challenges, citizens around the world need to be able to engage in scientific reasoning and argumentation supported by evidence. Chemistry educators can support students in developing these skills by providing opportunities to justify how and why phenomena occur, including on assessments. However, little is known…

When we "think like a computer scientist," we are able to systematically solve problems in different fields, create software applications that support various needs, and design artefacts that model complex systems. Abstraction is a soft skill embedded in all those endeavours, being a main cornerstone of computational thinking. Our…

The ability to reason and problem-solve in novel situations, as measured by the Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices (RAPM), is highly predictive of both cognitive task performance and real-world outcomes. Here we provide evidence that RAPM performance depends on the ability to reallocate attention in response to self-generated feedback about…

For decades, higher education institutions such as Yale, Harvard, and Penn State University have recognized the value of implementing visual literacy teaching strategies in seemingly the most unlikely of places: the classrooms of future medical professionals. These schools, and many others, require their medical students to partake in robust…

Adaptive comparative judgment (ACJ) has been widely used to evaluate classroom artifacts with reliability and validity. In the ACJ experience we examined, students were provided a pair of images related to backpack design. For each pair, students were required to select which image could help them ideate better. Then, they were prompted to provide…

This study investigated the role of tools in supporting students to reason about even and odd numbers. Participants included Kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2 students (ages 5-8) at two schools in the USA. Students took part in a cross-sectional early algebra intervention in which they were asked to generalize, represent, justify, and reason with…

Contribution: This research provides insights into the applications of virtual reality (VR) in learning spatial reasoning, which could be utilized and developed in educational frameworks and settings, especially in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM), and other aspects. Background: Spatial reasoning and VR are essential…

We investigated how two didactical tools assist high school students in constructing knowledge about convergence and limits. The first tool is manual plotting of the terms of selected sequences, and the second, a technological applet. Student pairs worked in an interview setting on an activity designed for the purpose of this research. The…

Biological examples have been used to increase innovation in design activities and design education. And biologically inspired design has been studied in mechanical engineering using biological functions and principles as source domains. However, there were few studies regarding shape-based biological design in industrial design; furthermore, the…

Mathematics is crucial to the educational and vocational success of students. The concrete-representational-abstract (CRA) approach is a method to teach students mathematical concepts. The CRA involves instruction with manipulatives, representations, and numbers only in different lessons (i.e., concrete lessons include manipulatives but not…

Prospective teachers facing the 21st century are expected to have the ability to solve problems with a computer mindset. Problems in learning mathematics also require the concept of computational thinking (CT). However, many still find it challenging to solve this problem. The subjects in this study were twenty-one prospective mathematics teachers…

The basic design lesson is an introductory course that teaches students the fundamental principles of design, including elements such as form, space, scale, proportion, and composition. It is also an introduction to both concrete thinking and abstract one, which is rather about ideas and general thought. Abstraction is one of the steps ap- plied…

Our study aims to determine how Habermas' construct of rationality can serve to identify and interpret the difficulties experienced by university students in the mathematical problem-solving process. To this end, a problem which required modelling and solving a differential equation was used. The problem-solving processes of university students…