The purpose of this research was to apply multimodal learning analytics in order to systemically investigate college students' attention states during their collaborative problem-solving (CPS) in online settings. Existing research on CPS relies on self-reported data, which limits the validity of the findings. This study looked at data in a…

A semantic diagram tool is proposed in this study in order to structure collaborative problem solving (CPS) based on cognitive load theory (CLT). To investigate its effects on transaction cost and the deepening of user understandings, a comparative quasi-experiment was designed and conducted with 49 participants from a university in East China.…

This study investigated the relationship between three cognitive features of mathematical instruction tasks (high cognitive demand, multiple representations, and multiple solution methods) and student learning outcomes among 1,779 students from 30 Chinese fifth-grade classrooms using a new mathematics curriculum. Measures of mathematics learning…

We conducted an intervention-based study in secondary classrooms to explore whether the use of geometric transformations can help improve students' ability in constructing auxiliary lines to solve geometric proof problems, especially high-level cognitive problems. A pre- and post-test quasi-experimental design was employed. The participants were…

We examined the use of balance and inverse methods in equation solving. The main difference between the balance and inverse methods lies in the operational line (e.g. +2 on both sides vs -2 becomes +2). Differential element interactivity favours the inverse method because the interaction between elements occurs on both sides of the equation for…

Intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs), which provide step-by-step guidance to students in problem-solving activities, have been shown to enhance student learning in a range of domains. However, they tend to be pre-established and cannot supply the tutoring function immediately from the diverse mathematical questions. The MITSAS (multiagent…

We modified the Just-in-Time Teaching approach and developed a dual safeguard web-based interactive (DGWI) teaching system for an introductory physics course. The system consists of four instructional components that improve student learning by including warm-up assignments and online homework. Student and instructor activities involve activities…

This study investigated the impact of cognitive strategy instruction (CSI) on mathematical word problem solving of students with mathematics disabilities. A sample of fourth-grade students in a Chinese primary school was divided into a treatment group (75 students) and a comparison group (75 students). The sample consisted of students with…

Creative problem-finding ability (CPFA) is an important component of creativity, but research into it has just started and results so far could not offer much guidance to teaching. This study utilized a 2 (teaching materials or tasks of different difficulty: high and low) × 3 (group member construction: homogeneous group, heterogeneous group, and…

Problem solving has been increasingly used as an important approach to learning especially in ill-structured domains. It is assumed that knowledge can be better consolidated and extended through problem-solving experience. However, many learners do not have the ability to separate general knowledge from specific cases, which inhibits successful…

In this study the author draws on Jane Willis' TBL framework and examines its effects on the improvement of EFL learners' writing competence when such a framework is applied to college writing classrooms in Chinese EFL settings, and thus tentatively explores the feasibility of the task-based approach to the teaching of EFL writing. Results of this…