Generation 1 learners are adult-arrival immigrants who enter U.S. education through adult ESL. Verbatim speech was collected from interviews and observations of six Generation 1 learners in their first college term. This taxonomic analysis presents learners' descriptions of their college reading. Learners held complex understandings of reading,…

Despite the advantages of technological tools in large statistics lectures, results of research on their actual value are inconsistent and only point to minimal effects on academic achievement. To fill this gap, in this study, participation in optional electronic quizzes and its effects on exam grades in large statistics classes depending on…

Objectives and Theoretical Frame: Previous research has established the role of proactive interference (PI)--when old knowledge interferes with acquiring new knowledge--in forgetting simple experimental materials like lists of words (Wickens, 1972), nonsense syllables (Keppel & Underwood, 1962), and word pairs (Postman & Keppel, 1977).…

While scientific argumentation has been a robust topic in the research literature, much of the evidence from this area has been on learning science through text. This study was designed to analyze how individuals generated scientific evidence following engagement in a web-based global climate change simulation. Prior to engagement in the…

Previous research suggests that activating background knowledge immediately prior to read-alouds in Kindergarten is an important strategy for improving children's learning (e.g. Cervetti & Hiebert, 2015). But, because children's background knowledge varies considerably at the individual level, teachers are also often providing relevant…

When learners highlight or tag content, they metacognitively monitor information to select and mark it. From a levels-of-processing framework, standards used in metacognitive monitoring could affect learning. We examined effects on recall and transfer of different metacognitive standards -- free highlighting expressing a generic…

Coaching is a strategy employed by districts to improve teacher skill and advance student learning. Despite widespread adoption of coaching, research has not yet explored teachers' emotional responses to coaching, which may impact the success of the coaching practice. This study examines teacher perception of coaching and coinciding emotional…

The impact of a novice programmer's first language on their subsequent achievement in further computing education has been the subject of much study in the field of computer science education. Our research is a retrospective study of more than 10,000 undergraduate students enrolled in CS1 (introduction to computer programming) from 118 US college…

Within the context of complex cognitive processing and educational interventions, Woolfolk (2016) makes reference to problem solving acquisition, problem solving retention, and problem solving transfer. In each of the aforementioned types of problem solving activities, problem identification and problem representation (reflecting procedural…

This paper discusses the result of a statewide research effort in California to improve the accuracy of student placement in math and English in the California Community College system. We apply decision tree methods to high school and college transcript data to identify key measures of high school achievement that predict success in ten levels of…

Given the urgent need for increased diversity in the scientific workforce, this paper explores Underrepresented Minority (URM) students' paths to the biomedical science doctorate. The Ph.D. pathways of first-generation and continuing generation students were compared. Surface features, such as timing of initial Ph.D. pursuit considerations and…

This study tested a comprehensive model of the effects of noncognitive factors (academic mindsets, learning strategies, grit), as well as student background (e.g., Pell-eligibility) and academic preparation (e.g., high school GPA), on college academic performance (e.g. first-term GPA) and retention through structural equation modeling.…

This proposal presents findings from the large-scale study "Literacy Teacher Educators: Their Backgrounds, Visions, and Practices" which includes 28 literacy/English teacher educators (LTEs) from four countries. Five LTEs who use a constructivist approach are presented. Three aspects of their constructivism are discussed: knowledge is…

We built on two cognitive and three motivational theoretical constructs to create a combined intervention aiming to improve course achievement and retention in STEM for first-year ("gateway") biology students. Participants were 350 students in one of 8 conditions or a no-treatment control group. Messages supporting cognition and…