Productive failure is an instructional approach that requires learners to struggle as they attempt to generate solutions to problems before, rather than after, receiving direct instruction on a targeted concept. Studies demonstrate that productive failure prepares students for later learning of new, related knowledge. Our study explored the…

Parents in the United States frequently supplement the student loans available to their children by cosigning on a loan, borrowing against their home equity, or with unsecured debt in their own names. This paper investigates whether some students are constrained from attending and completing college by their parents' lack of access to credit…

Many educational institutions in higher education switched to problem-based learning (PBL) in the last 5 decades. Despite its' successful implementation worldwide, many institutions still encounter problems in their daily teaching practices that limit deep learning in students. This raises the question: How else can we look at PBL practice and…

Background: Research integrity has gained attention in the general public as well as in the research community. We wanted to investigate knowledge, attitudes, and practices amongst researchers that have recently finished their PhD and compare this to their responses during their PhD fellowship. In particular, we wanted to investigate whether their…

Mathematical Communication Skills (MCS) refer to the students' ability to (1) arrange and link their mathematical thinking through communication; (2) communicate their logical and clear mathematical thinking to their friends, teachers, and others; (3) analyze and assess mathematical thinking and strategies used by others; and (4) use mathematical…

The ability to correctly interpret data is an important skill in modern knowledge societies. The present study investigates adults' ability to interpret covariation data presented in bar graphs. Drawing on previous findings that show that the problem context influences the interpretation of contingency tables (grounded and concrete problems are…

Exhibitions in museums are increasingly becoming popular public pedagogical strategies that engage with stories of social struggles faced by certain communities. In this paper, I will look at how we at Mutare Museum used an exhibition on diamond mining--the research, the design, and the production--to create a public forum for dialogue and…

The purpose of this study is to examine organizational decision-making processes of problem-solving groups. This experimental design study utilized a case study method bounded by a fictional problem-solving scenario to illicit problem solving in groups. Fourteen undergraduate pre-service teachers were placed into six groups and given 45 minutes to…

Reasoning and problem solving skills are not just for researchers; they are also progressively significant for making knowledgeable decisions in our everyday lives. Showing variations in learning styles have any influence on these skills? The current state of research address the learning styles in context of reasoning and problem solving ability.…

Heat and enthalpy are challenging topics for general chemistry students because they are conceptually complex and require avariety of quantitative problem-solving approaches. Expert chemists draw on conditional knowledge, deciding when and under what conditions a certain problem-solving approach should be used. Decision-based learning (DBL)…

Reflection and recalibration, two key hallmarks of metacognition, are important elements of productive problem solving in scientific research. Often, training in these skills is obtained informally through direct exposure to independent research after college. Although some undergraduate students participate in extra- or co-curricular research…

Just as steam was found to be a source of power during the Industrial Revolution, increasing factory production and improving transportation, today STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) can be found to be a framework that empowers teachers, increases student engagement, and improves student understanding. Although a…

The movement toward open-science is multifaceted with the general goal to promote both better scientific practices and greater access to scientific information. One aspect of the open-science framework is the recommended use of registered reports replacing the legacy model that dictates research manuscripts are submitted for initial review only…

Developing an understanding of fractions is critical and is an educational focus, as reflected in national standards and principles. This study conducted a quantitative synthesis of 22 experimental studies to investigate the overall efficacy of previously conducted fraction interventions compared to standard instruction. Instruction type and…

An important aspect of bringing innovation to education is supporting children's own innovative thinking. Teachers are finding that escape room activities can provoke children's wonder and determination to pursue their curiosity, which builds a foundation for innovators of the future.