This study examines the perceptions of first-year, mathematics graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) participating in a six-week summer course designed to deepen their knowledge of collegiate mathematics teaching practices before being assigned to instruct undergraduate students in the subsequent fall semester. Through hybrid deductive-inductive…

Research findings support a relationship between writing self-efficacy and writing production. A multiple-probe across students design was used to evaluate the effects of a writing intervention, which included strategy instruction and cognitive-behavioral components, on the writing production of three middle school students. Visual analysis of…

Many high school classrooms in the United States have physics teachers who are teaching the subject outside their certified content areas because of a severe shortage of physics teachers. There is a critical need to improve the knowledge base of these out-of-field teachers. This comparative case study examined the instructional practice of…

Knowledge transfer refers to the (1) recognition of overlap in past learning and new academic goals, (2) recollection of previously learned information, and (3) application of past learning in a new context or discipline. Promoting effective transfer remains a notorious challenge for chemistry educators. To address this need, the step back,…

Teacher confidence with technology is essential during times of rapid changes in digital technologies. In this study, we draw on theoretical accounts from creativity research and the educational technology literature to characterize an approach to teaching--a creatively focused technology fluent (CFTF) mindset. Following our work with five cohorts…

Promoting online academic success is complex for underserved, unprepared, educationally marginalized students who display lower engagement. Instructors typically suggest tutoring or generic resources, but two factors found to influence online success are engagement and self-regulated learning (SRL). We embedded then evaluated (a) the GAME plan for…

This mixed methods research investigated the relationship between student and teacher perceptions of five motivational components of instruction--appeal, challenge, choice, meaningfulness, and academic self-efficacy--and how teachers' knowledge of their students' perceptions informed their reflection on the quality of instruction. The Student…

A search through the 2015 annual conference program of the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) turned up a dozen sessions focusing on the topic of study abroad, demonstrating that a growing number of honors programs and colleges are encouraging or requiring study abroad. Many programs now offer and support honors semesters abroad or…

This paper outlines the results of a pilot study conducted to determine the impact on grade outcomes and self-efficacy from the incorporation of preparation-homework (pre-hw) in a developmental mathematics classroom. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. This study found that those students who reported doing pre-hw significantly…

Tech Trek opens up STEM possibilities for girls in many contexts. It expands and influences their academic and social lives, starting in middle school and continuing on into their careers. The program seeks out talented girls, sparks their interest, illuminates the value of a college education, and validates their passions. Tech Trek's exciting,…

The transition from general chemistry to organic chemistry is challenging for many students. To succeed, students must remember their foundational chemistry skills and effectively transfer that knowledge into the context of organic chemistry. However, this transition is often hindered by many obstacles: (1) lack of prerequisite knowledge, (2) lack…

Adopting new curricula presents both a need and an opportunity for professional development to advance teacher content knowledge and instructional practices for achieving curriculum-specific student outcomes. This study examines two modalities of professional development: face-to-face in a summer workshop and online that included two days of…

The authors investigated whether the amount of instructional guidance affects science learning and self-efficacy. Sixty 9- and 10-year-old children were randomly assigned to one of the following three instructional conditions: (a) guided instruction consisting of examples and student-generated explanations, (b) direct instruction consisting of a…

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of a teacher professional development program on the classroom teaching practices of the participants. This particular professional development program included an intensive summer institute, 8 monthly follow-up sessions, informal participant-professor mentoring and peer networking. The majority…

A mixed-methods research study was designed to examine teachers' knowledge and confidence for implementing a STEM-based problem-based learning (PBL) unit in their 6-12 grade science and math classrooms. Twenty-one teachers (7 in-service and 13 pre-service) participated in an intensive two-week summer workshop during which they engaged in, and then…