Steeped in a rich history of formal connections between institutions of higher education and the citizens and communities in which they are embedded, the importance of engaging education in the community has long been recognized for its myriad of benefits to all involved including increased funding for university research, more informed practice…

We developed a single crystal X-ray crystallography experiment based on the crystal structure of sucrose (table sugar), and a more challenging experiment using Epsom salt. Both crystals are readily available in X-ray quality crystalline form. In these experiments, students mounted a crystal on a MiTeGen loop and analyzed it using a Rigaku XtaLAB…

With future shortage of professionals with programming and computing skills, many countries have made programming part of kindergarten -- grade 12 curriculum (K-12). A possible approach is to make programming part of an already existing subject. Sweden has chosen this approach and in 2017 programming was integrated in the subject content of K-12…

A clear relationship exists between the consistent selection and implementation of cognitively demanding tasks and students' conceptual understanding of mathematics. However, mathematics teachers often struggle to maintain the cognitive demand of implemented tasks, with a number of factors identified as contributing to this decline. As many…

Background: To increase teachers' capacity to implement high-quality instructional materials with fidelity in their classrooms through a video-based professional learning cycle, the Analyzing Instruction in Mathematics Using the Teaching for Robust Understanding framework (AIM-TRU) research-practice partnership was formed. Drawing upon the…

The world currently faces many globally connected and locally specific challenges that stimulate new ideas and expectations for science education. One response to these challenges has been development of visions for school science that seek to foster social responsibility in learners, encouraging them to take a critical stance towards products of…

Studies suggest that active learning positively impacts the student learning experience. However, the supporting data are mostly aggregated across different demographic groups, and hence little is known about equity in active learning implementation and how it may vary across diverse populations and different instructional components. This…

This article explores teachers' experiences in preparing to enact a new senior secondary school subject, psychology, in Queensland, Australia, at a time of major curriculum reform. In this study, 62 teachers completed an online survey about their experiences on the eve of enactment. From an ecological lens, data were analyzed via descriptive…

RBL (Research-Based Learning) is multi-faced learning. RBL can be applied through different instructional strategies and techniques. The outcome of RBL itself also varies according to the skills needed in the 21st century. However, RBL requires specific guidance on how to implement it properly and correctly so that the multi-faced RBL can be…

The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the contributing factors that influence online instructors' decisions on course design and delivery strategies in higher education institutions. We conducted a principal component analysis with 81 online instructors across the United States of America to validate a conceptual framework that…

Finding affordable textbooks is a challenge within many educational contexts, including English as a foreign language (EFL) settings and English as a second language (ESL) settings, such as universities and Intensive English Programs (often referred to as IEPs) in the United States. As educators, we know it is a struggle for many of our students…

This paper examines whether teachers' prior professional development (PD) in Project-Based Learning (PBL) significantly related to teachers' enactments of PBL practices within the classroom. Teachers (N = 40) were recruited based on their commitment to enacting PBL in their classrooms. Teachers were surveyed regarding the extent to which they had…

We use statewide data from Massachusetts to investigate teacher performance evaluations as a measure of teaching effectiveness. Schools tend to classify most of their teachers as proficient, but we document substantial variation across schools in the extent to which ratings differentiate teachers. Using event study and teacher fixed effects…

In 2018, the state Kindergarten sector in Malta (3-5 years) was influenced by the shift from a prescriptive to an emergent curriculum, and the increasing use of eTwinning - a particular scenario that is research-worthy. Through one narrative inquiry of a Kindergarten educator who decided to 'marry' the emergent curriculum and eTwinning in…

In elementary classrooms, reading and math traditionally receive more emphasis, reducing the time available for social studies instruction (Heafner & Fitchett, 2017). However, this marginalization of social studies has a negative impact on access, equity and learning outcomes (Tyner & Kabourek, 2020). This research sought to (1) define the…