To enhance how educators use robotics to support the development of STEM and 21st century competencies, we report findings from focus groups and interviews with 133 elementary teachers and 46 elementary students, 19 video-recorded classroom observations, and a teacher survey from Ontario, Canada. We find that teachers use robotics in a variety of…

This thematic report is the culmination of the OECD's first comparative education policy focus on physical and health education in school systems around the world. Conducted under the auspices of the OECD Future of Education and Skills 2030 project as part of the International Curriculum Analysis, this report presents new insights into the…

There is an increasing support from international organizations and the research community for stepping beyond infant or child mortality as the most common child level social indicator and progressing towards an international measure of child development. The Early Development Instrument (EDI) is a teacher-completed measure of children's…

It is important for academic credibility that the process of prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) keeps learning and knowledge as its foundational tenets. Doing so ensures PLAR's recognition as a fertile ground for learners' cognitive and personal growth. In many postsecondary venues, PLAR is often misunderstood and confused with…

A study examined the value of two different sets of variables as predictors of first-grade writing achievement. A set consisting of six variables measuring cognitive development was found not to predict writing achievement, while another set consisting of seven subtests of the Canadian Readiness Test was found to be a significant predictor.…

This study describes the use of content analysis to develop a framework for analysing children's animated television programs (in this case, "Bob the Builder") and as such represents the initial stage of a larger project. Results indicate this popular TV series for preschoolers presents contradictory social messages about the roles of…

A study of 348 Canadian students (grades 6-8) identified as gifted by domain-general criteria, investigated whether the students would score at similar levels on linguistic, logical/mathematical, and social/emotional measures or whether their scores would indicate domain-differentiated patterns of development. Results indicate the students had…

This document is an update of Focus on Research: A Guide to Developing Students' Research Skills (Alberta Education, 1990). Focus on Research was developed in response to suggestions from Alberta teachers during the implementation of Focus on Learning: an Integrated Program Model for Alberta School Libraries (Alberta Education, 1985). …

During the past decade, it has become fashionable to include an evaluation component with each new bilingual education program. The proliferation of empirical evaluation studies seems, however, not yet to have shed much light on very basic issues, such as the relationship between language of instruction and cognitive growth, academic achievement…