When reasoning about science studies, people often make causal theory errors by inferring or accepting a causal claim based on correlational evidence. While humans naturally think in terms of causal relationships, reasoning about science findings requires understanding how evidence supports--or fails to support--a causal claim. This study…

When reasoning about science studies, people often make "causal theory errors" by inferring or accepting a causal claim based on correlational evidence. While humans naturally think in terms of causal relationships, reasoning about science findings requires understanding how evidence supports--or fails to support--a causal claim. This…

This study explored the learning experiences of first-year information technology students at the beginning of their studies. Identifying the early experiences is important, as we know they can predict later challenges and persistence in studies. We focus on a novel understanding of relations between learning approaches, self-efficacy and burnout…

Social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic raised concerns about its psychological impacts. The present study therefore investigated two negative states, loneliness and depression, and their temporal relationship, in two samples of emerging adults attending college. The first (N=323) was assessed prior to a stay-at-home order and 4 weeks after…

Most current statistics courses include some instruction relevant to causal inference. Whether this instruction is incorporated as material on randomized experiments or as an interpretation of associations measured by correlation or regression coefficients, the way in which this material is presented may have important implications for…

Publication pressure has been touted to promote questionable research practices (QRP) and scientific or research misconduct (RM). However, logically attractively as it is, there is no unequivocal evidence for this notion, and empirical studies have produced conflicting results. Other than difficulties in obtaining unbiased empirical data, a direct…

The attribution of learning success or failure is crucial for students' learning and motivation. Effective attribution of their learning success or failure in the context of a small private online course (SPOC) could generate students' motivation toward learning success while an incorrect attribution would lead to a sense of helplessness. Based on…

The retention of students is a challenge faced by many universities in countries where participation rates are high. Living learning communities (LLCs) have been adopted by college administrators to increase retention, even though evidence of their effectiveness is largely anecdotal. This paper uses propensity score matching to address selection…

Why is invention strongly positively correlated with parental income not only in the US but also in Finland which displays low income inequality and high social mobility? Using data on 1.45M Finnish individuals and their parents, we find that: (i) the positive association between parental income and off-spring probability of inventing is greatly…

The emigration of skilled and able workers from Russia markedly increased in the last five years, prompting Russian scholars to reassess the phenomenon of brain drain, its definition, scope, consequences and causes. This article finds that the perceived connection between increasing 'brain drain' from Russia and the internationalization of higher…

Inequality in students' degree outcomes has been a concern for the higher education sector and the UK government for more than a decade. Since its inception in 2018, the Office for Students in England has prioritised the need for evidence of causality through requiring institutions to evaluate the effectiveness of their initiatives as set out in…

Student dropout is a multi-causal process. Different theoretical models on student dropout consider dysfunctional study behavior (e.g., academic procrastination) and low study satisfaction as possible determinants of students' dropout intentions during their university studies. However, these models neglect contemporary conceptualizations that…

Meeting the current demand for STEM graduates requires significantly increasing the number of students majoring in STEM fields. One program designed to increase the number of STEM majors is Project Lead The Way (PLTW). Using statewide data from Indiana, this research examined the effects of PLTW participation in high school on the likelihood of…

Causal reasoning is a fundamental cognitive process that supports a wide range of learning activities such as making predictions and inferences, explaining phenomena, and drawing conclusions. In physics learning, causal reasoning plays an important role in developing conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills. This study builds off the…

While there are many measures of anxiety, there are few measures or descriptions of confidence. This study considers students' perceptions of what it means to be or to look confident during undergraduate presentations. Findings show students placed high value on effective posture as the most common behavior that was causally connected to a…