CAL (Computer Assisted Learning) programs are widespread today in schools and families due to the effectiveness of CAL programs in improving students' learning and task performance. The flourishing of CAL programs in education has brought large amounts of students' learning data including log data, performance data, mouse movement data, eye…

This study examines the impact of Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) lessons on elementary students and their writing competency. Over the course of one school year, second grade students in a public school in New Jersey were exposed to the VTS protocol as established by Abigail Housen in her Theory of Aesthetic Development. These students' pre and…

Recent studies show that English learning students are a growing population within the United States school system. Language barriers have been shown to negatively influence reading scores as well as math scores, and math scores are a predictor of future academic success in many subject areas. This qualitative action research study demonstrates…

This study investigated the understudied area of virtual reality (VR) creation among elementary-aged youth, exploring their engagement in VR creation and the ways in which educators can facilitate this creative process. Using an embedded case study, the researcher examined how the youth visualize writing using the VR creation tool, CoSpaces. To…

The purpose of this study was to explore students' mathematical practices while working on modeling problems using 3 interactive computer simulations. Three fifth grade students' interactions with computer-based modeling simulation were examined to identify how children defined and prioritized and coordinated variables and parameters in…

The purpose of this study was to examine gender differences across three types of spatial ability; namely, spatial perception, spatial visualization, and mental rotation in conjunction with working memory. The study utilized a causal-comparative research design involving group comparisons. In this design researchers collect data about variables…

The purpose of the study was to explore the use of Visual Thinking Strategies as it applied to mathematics instruction for teachers in a small, urban elementary school containing grades 1-6 in a large Midwestern metropolis. This study was implemented to address the problem of low math scores in urban schools that have students with low…

Practitioner knowledge, as the center for change in teacher education, is the heart of The Carnegie Project of the Educational Doctorate (CPED) program. Margaret Lata and Susan Wunder explain a key principal of CPED is to grow practitioners as change agents, through the development of a Problem of Practice. In their article, Investing in the…

In three experiments, I tested for the presence of the naming capability, the participants' drawing responses of the stimuli learned in the absence of the visual stimulus, and the participants' comprehension of texts with and without pictures present. In Experiment 1, I tested for the presence of naming and the drawing responses for the stimuli…

In the late 1970's, Durkin's landmark study showed that less than 1% of elementary classroom reading instruction was dedicated to comprehension strategies because teachers were not explicit in their instruction. This qualitative study explored the types of questions posed by elementary and middle school teachers to elicit students' responses and…

Imagination has been described as a cognitive endeavor that serves as a catalyst for creative actions and aids in the development of comprehension skills. Studies show that incorporating imagination into classroom practice builds on children's lived experiences and encourages the creative reworking of elements that enable the generation of new…

Visualization was once thought to be an important skill for professions only related to engineering, but due to the realization of concurrent design and the fast pace of technology, it is now desirable in other professions as well. The importance of learning basic knowledge of geometrical concepts has a greater impact than it did prior to the 21st…

This study examined (a) the effects of Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) on student use of critical thinking skills (CTS) in written responses to district reading assessments, (b) if practiced oral responses affected the ability to respond critically using written language, (c) whether there was a relationship between the development of the CTS of…