One of the basic features of the modern educational system is manifested in the reversal of the transmissive (traditional) approach to learning and teaching to the transformational (modern) approach. The transmissive approach to learning and teaching is that one in which students adopt readymade constructs of organised knowledge through passive…

For poetry as a stand-alone subject, there is very scant empirical evidence that exist which estimates the impact of constructivism on its learning and teaching in Africa. There are, however, a number of existing studies in this regard in the Western context. This paper, using an experimental approach, examines the impact of constructivism on…

This study investigated the relationships between primary school mathematics teachers' conceptions of mathematics, conceptions of teaching and learning, and their commitment in the context of mainland China. A total of 847 primary school mathematics teachers participated in a paper-based questionnaire survey. The results indicated that these…

Teachers' adaptivity of constructivist and direct-transmissive beliefs may be beneficial for students' learning based on the theoretical claim that low-ability students need more teacher guidance than high-ability students. The goals of our study were to validate a new questionnaire that measures teachers' adaptivity of beliefs and to investigate…

This study aims to find out the effects on pre-service teachers of a constructivist teaching approach aided by use of a Porphyrios-tree. Use of a Porphyrios-tree is thought to be the basis of and most principled conceptual teaching tool to aid meaningful comprehension about concepts of interspecies relationships. The study has a quasi-experimental…

The derivative is a central concept in calculus and has applications in many disciplines. This study explored students' understanding of derivatives with a particular focus on the graphical (geometric) representation. The participants were four Mathematics Honours students from a university in Lesotho. Data were generated from the written…

Teaching spelling is controversial because teaching approaches vary considerably in the contemporary classroom. Teachers may privilege visual over linguistic strategies, select words based around themes or let students choose spelling words, rather than focus on the explicit teaching of phono-morphological structures of words. A nine-week…

This paper describes an alternative approach to teaching and learning practices in an undergraduate physics laboratory. The instructor plans and implements the 5E instructional model into the laboratory instruction. The article includes an example of the 5E lesson for the laboratory component of a physics course, which has separate lecture and…

Several studies revealed that probability misconceptions were widespread among students, but the activities for addressing the misconceptions has been lacking. This study designed activities that reflect real life situations for addressing equiprobability bias, positive and negative recency effects, belief bias and representativeness bias for…

This review paper examines the theories of behaviourism, cognitivism, and constructivism that are considered to underpin the theory and practice of inclusive education. We argue that education practices related to the inclusion of students with special educational needs can be derived from each of the three theoretical perspectives. By adopting an…

Is constructivist teaching still valuable and relevant in an era where standardized testing reigns supreme? If so, how do college students, who have been subject to a considerable amount of testing, respond to constructivist pedagogy that nurtures student autonomy? This QUAN-QUAL study, conducted at a mid-sized university in the United States…

Teachers participating in curricular reforms, especially reforms based on constructivism, are expected to bring about change in their teaching approach. This is often a difficult, complex and intensive process, and demands a radical reculturing of the classroom. This is also the case for social constructivist reforms in chemistry education, which…

In this commentary, we reflect on the articles in this special collection from our lens as scholars who have chosen to conduct research with a focus on climate change education. We start with statements of positionality, as certainly our own experiences and philosophical stances shape our work and reflections included here. Afterwards, we present…

European higher education has been highly influenced by the Bologna-process, entailing coordination and standardisation from policy to teaching practices. This led to increased demands on university teachers. Courses in university pedagogy are required as part of competence development and have become decisive for employment. Constructive…

Simulation educational technologies provide a convenient way to augment classroom learning in higher education. The University of Colorado Boulder has created many Physics Education Technology (PhET) computer simulations relevant to concepts in Sciences and Mathematics. There is a notable gap in the literature of simulation-based technologies,…