How do task experiences support proximal and longer-term desires to reengage? Central to this question is the interplay between perceptions of task difficulty and the situational interest. This interplay is increasingly researched but not yet well understood. Micro-analytic, latent studies are important tools for replicating past findings and…

This study tested competing theories about the effectiveness of different instructional sequences for learners with different levels of prior knowledge. Across two classroom experiments, undergraduates learned about noncovalent interactions in biochemistry by either receiving explicit instruction before problem-solving (I-PS group) or engaging in…

This study examined "backward transfer," which we define as how students' ways of reasoning about previously encountered concepts are modified when learning about new concepts. We examined the backward transfer produced when students learned about quadratic functions. We were specifically interested in how backward transfer may vary for…

Hands-on activities promote interest in engineering, but their use in primary education is under pressure due to doubts about their effect on learning. Based on the Challenge Point Framework, we hypothesized that an adaptive approach in which a pupil starts with tasks at its level of prior knowledge would raise the learning results of hands-on…

This research memorandum highlights the collaborative efforts of the literacy panel for the ETS Return on Investment (ROI) Study, Phase 1, comprising Jean-François Rouet, M. Anne Britt, and Tobias Richter, in developing their research memorandum, "Literacy Skills at and around Level 2 of the PIAAC Cycle 2 Proficiency Scale." This…

Research has revealed that student teachers benefit from teaching practicum programs. The programs present the student teachers with myriad opportunities to negotiate and deconstruct their personal and practical knowledge with the help of teacher mentors and supervising faculty members. This study reports on a case study that examines the…

This study investigates how undergraduate physics majors develop an interest in specific subfields. We examine interest formation through the lens of social cognitive career theory (SCCT) using four SCCT constructs: learning experiences, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and proximal environmental influences. We conducted 27 interviews with…

To achieve efficient reading comprehension, Chinese as a second language (L2) learners adopt various component skills and knowledge, including the aspects of vocabulary, grammar, and coherence. However, there is no consensus regarding the relative predictive powers of these three areas in L2 reading comprehension. Instead of employing direct…

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) is widely recognized as an effective approach for developing second language (L2) learners' English skills. However, its success often depends on the teacher's ability to design engaging tasks and dynamic learning platforms that foster active participation. While previous studies highlight the importance of…

The challenges facing non-native English-speaking students (NNESSs) in adapting to the conventions of academic writing at the tertiary level in English-medium institutions have been widely canvassed in scholarly research. Nonetheless, there does not appear to be a great deal of research that investigates the experiences of Arabic-speaking students…

Previous research on how UK schools can meet the needs of refugee students has not focused on Ukrainian refugee students' learning of mathematics. This group faces specific challenges, simultaneously studying different mathematics curricula, face-to-face in the UK and by distance in Ukraine. We examine the experiences of Ukrainian refugees in UK…

This study explored the relationships between English as a medium of instruction (EMI) effectiveness factors and students' EMI course satisfaction. In addition, responding to the call for adaptive EMI, it also examined how students and teachers' background characteristics could shape such relationships. Using the convenience sampling method, 821…

Recent scholarship in multiliteracies-oriented pedagogies has advocated for greater attention to fostering 'textual thinking', understood as forms of literacy that consider the complexities of semiotic choices made by authors, and their underlying meanings, rhetorical purposes, and cultural contexts. This kind of engagement with texts calls upon…