Background: Studies on the effectiveness of block-based environments continue to produce inconsistent results. A strong reason for this is that most studies compare environments that are not equivalent to each other or to the level of learners. Moreover, studies that present evidence of the effectiveness of block-based environments by comparing…

Background: Collaboration is a crucial concept in learning and has the potential to foster learning. However, the fact that collaborative groups act with a common understanding in a common task brings many difficulties. Therefore, there is a need for group regulation and guidance to support effective group regulation in collaborative learning. On…

Background: Inquiry-based learning (IbL) has significantly contributed to science education, and this impact can be enhanced with technology. Augmented Reality (AR) offers 3D visualisation and interactive experiences, whereas Video-based Learning (VbL) provides narratives with visual and audio support. Both methods aid students in exploring,…

Background: Video lectures which include the instructor's presence are becoming increasingly popular. Presenting a real human does, however, entail higher financial and time costs in making videos, and one innovative approach to reduce costs has been to generate a virtual speaking instructor. Objectives: The current study examined whether the use…

Background: Collaboration has commonly been integrated in computational thinking education to foster novice learning. While the majority of existing studies on developing students' CT skills have been based on competency or personality factors, social factors have been largely ignored. Objectives: This systematic review, framed by social cognitive…

Background: In recent years, the importance of emotions in learning has been increasingly recognized. Applying emotional design to induce positive emotions has been considered a means to enhance the instructional effectiveness of digital learning environments. However, only a few studies have examined the specific effects of emotional design in…

Multiple studies have revealed the beneficial effects of emotional design on affective or motivational factors but not often on learning outcomes. We, therefore, tested one important boundary condition: the duration of the learning episode. For the implementation of emotional design, we used the video format of sketched explanation videos, which…

Background: This paper examines the use of augmented reality (AR) as a concept-association tool in schools, with the aim of enhancing primary school students' learning outcomes and engagement. Conflicting findings exist in previous studies regarding the cognitive load of AR-enriched learning, with some reporting reduced load and others indicating…

Background: The growth of teaching practices conducted to promote cognitive activation and active participation in the classroom in recent years has become the epicentre of an active debate regarding their effectiveness. Objectives: This study is aimed to shed some light on this topic by empirically analysing the causes and consequences of more…

There is a large volume of published studies describing the positive role of Augmented Reality (AR) in educational settings. However, there is a paucity of empirical work that explores its role in supporting primary school pupil's motivation and creativity. Moreover, numerous studies have confirmed that pupils have difficulties in learning…

Because the microworld can create a learning environment that allows learners to interact with the real world, the view of the microworld has been widely used in education and training. In this study, the simulated transactional interactive concurrent system (STICS) was used to provide an environment that simulates the stock market trading of the…

Learning a foreign language requires interaction with language input while involved in a task. Given that problem-based learning (PBL) offers hands-on application in realistic contexts, and that virtual reality (VR) enables learners to interact with multiple modalities of information, this study examines how the integration of VR technology into…

Background: The global introduction of complex measures directed at the containment of the COVID-19 spread has spurred a massive shift to distance learning among educational institutions. As far as such a learning mode is rather forced and, probably, only a few establishments faced no difficulties with it, the matter of assuring teaching…

Background: Engaging students in computer-assisted guided inquiry learning has great potential to scaffold their scientific understanding: Students are expected to improve their scientific problem-solving skills, and at the same time gain a deep conceptual understanding of the subject-matter. Additional generative activities such as creating video…

Educational robotics programs offer an engaging opportunity to potentially teach core computer science concepts and practices in K-12 classrooms. Here, we test the effects of units with different programming content within a virtual robotics context on both learning gains and motivational changes in middle school (6th-8th grade) robotics…