One of the most important conditions needed to acquire pragmatic competence--knowing the rules of a language and how to apply them to communicate--is exposure to the target language. That is why research has concentrated on observing how this competence develops in different language learning contexts such as second language (L2), foreign language…

This study investigates whether university students' epistemic beliefs and prior knowledge about controversial socioscientific issues (SSIs) can predict the different types of arguments that students construct. Two hundred forty-three university students were asked to construct different types of supportive arguments--social, ethical, economic,…

Many scholars suggest that recent major science education initiatives apparently tied to intense economic competitiveness and growth have prioritized education about "products" (e.g., laws, theories, innovations) and skills (e.g., experimentation) of fields of science and technology. Such initiatives also, apparently, tend to avoid…

In her efforts to present her students with material that is socio-culturally informed, current, and ultimately liberatory, dance educator Cara Hagan has developed methods of engagement across levels of study. These methods honor voices of color, dance styles derived from various diaspora, and mitigate the censure and control of the dancing body…

Despite best efforts to the contrary, obscenity oozes out from under the rugs of "polite" schooling and "tidy" society. In this post-qualitative inquiry, the authors pursue questions in defense of pedagogies of obscenity. In what ways do educators fail to educate when they eschew obscenity, understand shame and disgust as…

Despite the popularity of massive open online courses (MOOCs), only a small portion of the course participants successfully complete the course. The low completion rate can be partially attributed to the mismatch between the participants' expectations and value delivered by the courses. Therefore, this study leverages MOOC reviews to investigate…

Many tertiary institutions with mathematics programmes offer introduction to proof courses to ease mathematics students' transition from primarily calculation-based courses like Calculus and differential equations to proof-centred courses like real analysis and number theory. However, unlike most tertiary mathematics courses, whose mathematical…

This article outlines a method used to successfully breakthrough student bias surrounding controversial issues in the classroom. The method uses a debate with randomized position assignments to encourage students to consider all sides of the topic. Student feedback is overwhelmingly positive and students appear to develop a newfound respect and…

Given significant changes to legislation, practice, research, and instrumentation, the purpose of this study was to examine the course on cognitive assessment in school psychology programs and to describe the (a) structure, (b) instructional strategies, (c) content, and (d) interpretative strategies taught to school psychology graduate students.…

Of all the arguments directed against presenting mathematical topics within a cultural and historical context, the most serious ones are those that we will refer to as the time and the content arguments. In this paper, after briefly describing these stances, we will endeavor to evaluate and refute their rationales using a social constructivist…

We developed an advanced, year-long course sequence in eukaryotic cell and molecular biology in order to increase conceptual understanding. Three years of historical data from a one semester, traditional-lecture, senior cell and molecular biology course (n = 237) were compared with 3 years of data collected from the year-long course sequence (n =…

Constructive alignment is a learning design approach that emphasizes the direct alignment of the intended learning outcomes, instructional strategies, learning activities, and assessment methods to ensure students are engaged in a meaningful learning experience. This pedagogical approach provides clarity and coherence, aiding students in…

Primary objective: The significance of critical thinking (CT) has grown worldwide in recent years. In teacher education, for example, educators are expected to impart this skill to students but we lack comprehensive international comparative research on CT in pre-service teachers. To begin to develop such assessments, we comparatively analysed CT…

In low-resource settings, non-profit organisations play an essential role in providing services and support for families with young children with autism. However, resource constraints limit access to quality training in evidence-based interventions. Web-based training may help fill this gap. This study examined the feasibility, acceptability and…

Background: The introduction of Small Private Online Courses (SPOCs) in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction at Higher Vocational Colleges (HVCs) signifies a shift in education. Understanding the factors that affect deep learning in this SPOC context is crucial for improving educational outcomes. Objectives: By employing grounded…