Here we investigate how college students may conceptualize symbolic algebraic properties. This work uses the theory of Grundvorstellungen (GVs) to analyze how learners' conceptions may or may not align with some desired goals of instruction. Through the analysis of interviews with students across a variety of courses, we describe several…

For the past decade, the College of Chemistry at UC Berkeley has iteratively redesigned general chemistry laboratory courses to introduce students to green chemistry concepts, while simultaneously using green chemistry as a relevant context to learn chemistry. To investigate the effectiveness of this curriculum we developed approaches to…

Rural adolescents are at risk for firearm-related injury and death. In response, professional organizations have called for communication between adolescents, parents, and providers about firearms. A shared understanding of firearms between providers and families can facilitate effectiveness of health interventions. However, few studies engage…

This study examined the effects of shared representational guidance (collaborative textural representative tool vs. collaborative graphical representative tool; TR vs. GR) and prior knowledge (low vs. high; LPK vs. HPK) on different levels of individuals' understanding of specific-domain knowledge after collaborative problem solving (CPS). A total…

Many learners seem to struggle to grasp the concepts of forces and Newton's law of motion, possibly owing to decontextualised teaching pedagogies used in science classrooms. This study investigates Grade 11 Physical Sciences teachers' perspectives in South Africa on integrating Indigenous Knowledge (IK) to improve learners' understanding of…

Kinematics is an important but challenging area in physics. In previously published works of the current research project, it was revealed that there is a significant relationship between facial microexpression states (FMES) changes and conceptual conflict-induced conceptual change. Consequently, the current study integrated FMES into a kinematics…

This study explores learning vector addition and demonstrating the understanding of vector addition. Vector addition is a key skill in mathematics and science education, but there is a limited amount of research that focuses on this topic. My study investigates how an instructional design framework "concreteness fading" can be used for…

Self-regulated learning (SRL) has been linked to improved learning and corresponding learning outcomes. However, there is a need for more precise insights into how SRL during learning contributes to specific learning outcomes. We operationalised four learning outcomes that varied on two dimensions: structure/connectedness and level/deepness of…

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Instructional labs: Improving traditions and new directions.] Uncertainty is an important concept in physics laboratory instruction. However, little work has examined how students reason about uncertainty beyond the introductory (intro) level. In this work we aimed to compare intro and beyond-intro…

This study examines the influence of design-based learning on 25 eighth-grade students' design-thinking mindsets, that is, on the mental outlook that they adopt habitually when they engage in design thinking. It also compares changes in design-thinking mindsets across individuals of different genders and different levels of experience in design.…

Children's early knowledge and skills set the stage for later reading development. The present studies examined children's conceptual knowledge of reading prior to formal literacy instruction. Young children's knowledge about who is able to read books and what readers are reading when they read books has been studied primarily through interviews.…

We applied latent class analysis and the rule space model to verify the cumulative characteristic of conceptual change by developing a learning progression for buoyancy. For this study, we first abstracted seven attributes of buoyancy and then developed a hypothesized learning progression for buoyancy. A 14-item buoyancy instrument was…

The aim of the present study is to explore on the alternative conceptions of impetus theory and projectile motion of students with high functioning autism spectrum disorders and compare them with those of typical development. For this purpose, an experimental investigation was conducted with 19 students with high-functioning autism (age range:…

Presenting novel numbers about climate change to people after they estimate those numbers can shift their attitudes and scientific conceptions. Prior research suggests that such science learning can be supported by encouraging learners to make use of given benchmark information, however there are several other numerical estimation skills that may…

While institutions of higher education are investing in diversity education experiences, little research examines how university students understand concepts central to diversity education such as privilege. This qualitative case study explored how eight White, first-year university students varied in their conceptual understanding of privilege.…