Given the growing popularity of digital games as a form of entertainment, educators are interested in exploring using digital games as a tool to facilitate learning. In this study, we examine game-based learning by describing a learning environment that combines game elements, play, and authenticity in the real world for the purpose of engaging…

This paper seeks to illuminate teachers' perceptions of the challenges and benefits of systematically examining students' thinking as part of a professional development program in elementary mathematics education. Using a framework of models of conceptual change and principles of discomfort, three elementary teachers' perceptions of their…

Current research shows that, despite standards-based mathematics reform, American students lag behind in mathematics achievement when compared to their counterparts in other countries. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine if reading level, as measured by the Scholastic Reading Inventory, is related to standards-based mathematics…

Primary school teachers are often tasked with puberty/sexuality education for students who are undergoing sexual maturation at ever-earlier ages. This study explores the changing trajectories of the pre-service learning and teaching of primary school puberty/sexuality education at an urban university, including student-teachers' childhood…

The lack of academic success by American adolescents has been of grave concern for both researchers and practitioners for many decades. While many American adolescents struggle in school, some students are at a greater risk than their peers based on personal characteristics such as race, socioeconomic status, and motivation. The low levels of…

This study attempted to examine students' learning outcomes and their learning experiences through playing a Serious Educational Game. A mixed-method research design was employed collecting both quantitative and qualitative data. A total of 98 middle-school students ranging from sixth to eighth grades participated through paper-and-pencil…