Background: Undergraduate STEM instructors want to help students learn and retain knowledge for their future courses and careers. One promising evidence-based technique that is thought to increase long-term memory is spaced retrieval practice, or repeated testing over time. The beneficial effect of spacing has repeatedly been demonstrated in the…

The Pirie-Kieren Model (PKM) was a paradigm shift in theories of learning by presenting a coherent, consistent theory compatible with complexity theory. PKM recognized that learning is non-linear, recursive, iterative, and emergent. PKM was one of the first theories to depart from the linear models of learning that dominated theories of learning…

Curriculum-based measures (CBMs) such as Word Identification Fluency promote student achievement, but because they are timed and administered frequently, they are prone to variation in student response styles. To study the impact of WIF response styles, we created and examined the validity of a novel response style measure and examined the degree…

This quantitative, nonexperimental research study focused on discovering the impact of inquiry-based instruction on the science achievement of rural Georgia fifth-grade students as measured by the Georgia Milestones Assessment System (GMAS), a criterion referenced test. Inquiry-based instruction is a teaching method that combines the natural…

Flexible grouping aims to divide students into groups according to their strengths and abilities. This will allow teachers to tailor instruction to meet the needs of students, allowing them to thrive within their current environments. Quantitative research was used to investigate whether flexible grouping had a positive effect on student…

The rapid development in the world of technology and communication has contributed directly to the teaching and learning process in schools. Therefore, a paradigm shift towards learning methods in the education system needs to be implemented to meet the educational aims of the 21st century. This is due to the current methods of delivery in…

Fitness assessment can be an important and useful component of physical education. This article discusses how to avoid the pitfalls that lead to negative student experiences with fitness assessment and presents research-based suggestions for creating a positive experience for all students. A section to help teachers understand how to use fitness…

While the International Baccalaureate's Middle Years Programme (MYP) is growing in popularity in Australia and across the globe, few studies have examined the benefits and challenges of this IB programme for supporting student learning. Using a qualitative case study design of three Australian schools that formerly offered the MYP, we investigated…

The purpose of this quantitative retrospective quasi-experimental study was to determine if there was a statistically significant difference between sixth, seventh, and eighth grade special education students receiving multiple instructional strategies and sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students receiving traditional instructional strategies.…

This paper discusses the use and impact of formative feedback and scaffolding to develop outcomes for complex problem solving in a required first-year course in engineering design and practice at a medium-sized research-intensive Canadian university. In 2010, the course began to use team-based, complex, open-ended contextualised problems to…

Examinations play a central role in the educational system due to the fact that information generated from examinations is used for a variety of purposes. Critical decisions such as selection, placement and determining the instructional effectives of a programme of study all depend on data generated from examinations. Numerous research studies…

Examinations play a central role in the educational system due to the fact that information generated from examinations is used for a variety of purposes. Critical decisions such as selection, placement and determining the instructional effectives of a programme of study all depend on data generated from examinations. Numerous research studies…

According to Every Student Succeeds Act, schools are accountable for the improvement of all children; including those with disabilities or difficulties, recently arrived English language learners (ELs) as well as long-term ELs, and all students for whom English is not their native language. To meet the accountability requirements, it is essential…

Background: This study investigates how the criterion-referenced (CR) approach has impacted relationships between goals, classroom practices, and student achievement in English education in Japan from 1994 to the present, a period covering three government-mandated administrations of a national curriculum (Course of Study). No study has…

This study was conducted at a large technical university in Russia, which offers English language courses to students majoring in nine different degree programs. Each degree program develops and delivers its own English language curriculum. While all degree programs followed the same curriculum development model to design language courses, each…