Mathematical problem solving is one of the most valuable aspects of mathematics education. It is also the most difficult for elementary-school students (Verschaffel, Greer, & De Corte, 2000). Students experience cognitive and metacognitive difficulties in this area and develop negative emotions and poor motivation, which hamper their efforts…

This article presents a new paradigm for continuing education of Clinical Instructors (CIs): the Constructivist Tridimensional (CTD) model for the design of an online curriculum. Based on problem-based learning, self-regulated learning, and adult learning theory, the CTD model was designed to facilitate interactive, collaborative, and authentic…

How do teachers and teaching appear to international students moving from the home country component of a twinning programme to the overseas partner university? This narrative study explored the perspectives of five Vietnamese students in their first months of studying for a commerce degree at a New Zealand university, having completed the first…

The vast growth of technology has brought about new ways of learning. Distance learning has evolved over the years and, due to the growth of the Internet, has presented itself to be a growing phenomenon. Distance learning changed the way educational institutes and organizations train, learn, and do research. Past studies have shown academia's…

This mixed method study explored three approaches to reading fluency and their impact on students' reading fluency, perceived reading efficacy, and engagement. The quantitative portion of the study was conducted with 182 second-grade students and was guided by the following questions: (a) Which instructional method, iPod Touch, student-pairing, or…

Clinical nursing courses can already be challenging, in the traditional context of placements and hours spent in a health care setting. These types of courses are additionally problematic when offered via distance learning, due to geographic separation of students, lack of clinical placement sites in the student's community, and lack of…

This article explores the issue of students' writing skills in the discipline of Engineering and beyond. It is the result of a discussion between three academics from different discipline backgrounds: Teaching and Learning, the Humanities and Engineering. We start with a review of the strategies commonly used to address problems in students'…

This article explores the process of Learning to Learn from the pupils' perspective. The Learning to Learn in Schools Project started in 2003 and includes teachers and pupils from primary and secondary age phases in four local authorities. Key to the project has been a focus on the collaborative exploration of metacognition in practice. With the…

This article identifies those aspects of the academic environment that are associated with graduates' overall satisfaction with their higher education (HE) course. We use REFLEX data, which allow comparison among 14 European countries, based on a pooled sample and individual country regressions. Overall, the degree of satisfaction with HE studies…

Heutagogy, a form of self-determined learning with practices and principles rooted in andragogy, has recently resurfaced as a learning approach after a decade of limited attention. In a heutagogical approach to teaching and learning, learners are highly autonomous and self-determined and emphasis is placed on development of learner capacity and…

Computer Based Assessment (CBA) is propounded as a technique which seeks to meet competing pressures within higher education, both economic and pedagogic. There is, however, a need to better understand the use of CBA across different subject areas and levels, identifying barriers and enablers to its efficacy whilst also ensuring its fit with other…

We investigated the relationship between four inquiry-based teaching practices (use of: (1) models or applications, (2) hands-on activities, (3) interaction and (4) independent investigations) and science achievement for 15-year olds across eight countries participating in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2006. Within each…

In this paper we present a web-based innovative education tool designed for automating the collection, evaluation and error detection in practical exercises assigned to computer programming and control engineering students. By using a student/instructor code-fusion architecture, the conceptual limits of multiple-choice tests are overcome by far.…

Indications of poor quality in students' written work necessitated the need for deeper investigations aimed at designing and applying appropriate teaching/learning and assessment innovations in the course curriculum. The project-exercise engaged a conceptual-explorative approach through: reviews/investigations; educational diagnosis;…

Research in EFL and ESL has confirmed that self-efficacy affects language learners' choices of learning tasks, persistence, motivation and achievement. As a cognitive construct, self-efficacy can be strengthened by both outcomes of behaviors and input from the environment. This paper studies the effects of an English Bar, a self-access center for…