In this conceptual article, we propose a new approach to investigating changeable factors in teaching. Using a constructivist approach as a conceptual framework, we argue for investigating changeable factors recognizing their malleability and suggest studying teaching as a set of natural experiments. Methodologically, we propose an abductive…

This paper explores the effective development and use of interactive simulations as a learning tool, integrating didactic and active approaches with complex laboratory and lecture content in undergraduate biochemistry and immunology courses. University science courses require students to master vast quantities of foundational knowledge that is…

Over the years, three common theoretical perspectives dominated the practices of learner-centered pedagogy (LCP) across the world. These perspectives include constructivism, humanism, and transformative theoretical traditions. This article critically examines the contributions and weaknesses of these theoretical traditions as ways of…

This paper demonstrates that recurrent difficulties students encounter in learning subject-matter knowledge can be traced, in part, to assumptions about how students best learn knowledge that significantly shape instructional approaches. First, I review the significant influence of empiricist epistemological assumptions on education, covering…

"Self-directed learning" and "student-centred learning" are key theoretical constructs in the educational literature. However, to date, the similarities and differences between these terms have not been examined. This paper therefore provides a historical overview of both constructs, followed by an analysis of the similarities…

This study aimed to explore Cooperative Learning theories and practice by examining the relationships among three aspects: Experience, Practice and Perceptions. The data were from interview records from eight science teachers. As a student-centered active pedagogical trend, cooperative learning has become part of one of the most effective and…

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between online instructors' pedagogical beliefs and their choices of online learning activities. Data were collected from 167 faculty members with the use of online instructors' pedagogical beliefs and student learning activities surveys at a medium-sized masters-level public university…

Student-centered classrooms, where the focus is on the way students learn concepts and skills rather than the way a teacher delivers the lessons, is a popular theme in current classrooms at all levels. A clear distinction must be made between student-centered teaching as a philosophy and student-centered teaching as a specific set of instructional…

This research is set in the active learning context and focuses on students' intentions for presentation. Following research that suggests teachers' teaching intentions and approaches are influenced by conceptions of teaching, we tested if a similar relationship exists between students' conceptions of teaching and their intentions for…

Constructive Alignment (CA) is a pedagogical tool for designing student-centered instruction aligned to learning outcomes. Despite strong evidence that CA and student-centered instruction are superior to lecture-based pedagogy, the latter remains prevalent across higher education. This descriptive-explanatory case study (n=20) investigates how…

This study was conducted to compare the efficacy of Lecture-Based-Learning (LBL) and Cooperative-Learning (CL) in teaching 'classification of living things' to Senior High School (SHS) students in Tamale, Northern Region, Ghana. The study was conducted in two SHSs using two science classes offering Biology during the 2020-2021 academic year. A…

Using social constructivist theories of adult learning, the Faculty Pedagogical Development (PD) Programme was designed to offer faculty a unique professional learning experience at one university in Qatar. This study reports on the evaluation of this PD programme that involved 24 participants from different colleges in its first round of…

Educational visits to historical sites related to the Holocaust face significant constraints: Groups have limited time to see the site; guides are meeting students for the first time; they do not know them or what preparation (if any) students have had. Teachers and students expect guides to share their expertise, show them the most important…

In this component mixed methods study, we analyzed two STEM teacher candidates' constructivist practices during their alternative route to licensure summer teacher education program. The findings suggest that the STEM teacher candidates incorporated all six components of constructivism in their instruction, although each candidate focused on…

At the level of society and educational planners, there is a widespread expectation that teachers must use creative teaching approaches to fulfill the requirements of the twenty-first century. The mere teacher-centered method mainly focuses on memorization and may not be feasible. Teachers must be aware of innovative methods of teaching. One such…