The research described here examined the sources of knowledge of astronomy of children (age 3-18) in China and New Zealand, together with the development of their awareness of competing sources, ranging from everyday language, childhood literature and folklore to the scientific accounts prevalent in schools. The authors cite examples of the…

The manuscripts in this collection expand the current research on the experience of undergraduate science students with virtual reality laboratories. A systematic literature review and synthesis involving 21 peer-reviewed empirical articles (2009-2018) revealed a dearth of theoretical and methodological approaches exploring VR Labs, which centered…

The relation between prior knowledge and learning has been investigated in many studies. However, a recent meta-analysis showed that most of these studies suffered from serious methodological shortcomings, as they failed to account for knowledge growth over time, possible ceiling effects for learners with high prior knowledge, moderating effects…

Although English-medium instruction (EMI) has been implemented and developed rapidly in higher education, little is known about its learning process and effects. This study employed a systematic approach to explore how diverse factors affect student performance in English and disciplinary learning. We conducted a survey to collect students'…

This study proposed a game-based flipped teaching approach and applied it to a HTML (HyperText Markup Language) course. We developed two versions of the pre-class content testing, one of which was game-based, using a "looking-through" game, and the other which was traditional, using a multiple-choice test. We conducted a teaching…

Context is the background or the settings of an event or idea. It is only when events or ideas are considered within the context in which they occur that they can be fully understood. In education, the application of knowledge communicated in one context to a different one is a central feature of learning. However, knowledge transfer can be…

[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.…

Misalignments in teaching pedagogies between secondary schools and tertiary institutions have exacerbated educational disparities among students from different backgrounds. Given the variation in students' educational background and competencies, there was a need to develop an Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) Foundational Knowledge Assessment to…

This article examines a homework assistance scheme implemented in French secondary schools since 2017, and more specifically the characteristics of the staff members who supervise these sessions. The present study highlights considerable diversity both in the practices observed, but also in the types of knowledge and beliefs held by the homework…

In chemistry, building arguments and applying concept knowledge is closely linked to evaluating claims, supporting claims with evidence, and justifying the linkage of evidence to claim with reasoning. However, previous studies revealed that, when building arguments, students experience challenges either in differentiating between argument…

This study detected patterns in teacher educators' and pre-service teachers' beliefs and practices regarding the degree project. Requirements in policy documents were also considered. The analysis centred on validity, teacher cognition and grounded theory. Conversations were conducted with instructors and students at three departments for teacher…

This study delved into the professional development strategies employed to enhance novice classroom teachers' grasp of culturally responsive teaching and pedagogy and their subsequent impact on cultivating equitable classroom environments. The research question guiding this investigation was: What specific components of culturally responsive…

Problem solving followed by explicit instruction, as suggested by productive failure and several other instructional theories, indicates long-term learning benefits, whereas explicit instruction followed by problem solving has been consistently demonstrated as superior within the framework of cognitive load theory. However, the effectiveness of…

Research has shown that second language (L2) learners generally lack multiword expression knowledge, and L2 researchers and practitioners have tried various techniques to assist L2 learners to acquire it more efficiently. This study adopted an under-researched technique-- repeated oral reading--to enhance the retention of high-frequency multiword…