Evolutionary trees are central to learning about evolutionary processes, yet students at all educational levels struggle to read and interpret them. The synthetic tree-reading model (STREAM), based on published and not yet empirically tested models, was tested to determine whether the assumed hierarchy of the model could be substantiated and how…

The present study is concerned with the relationship between brain hemisphericity and the reading comprehension of adult Saudi EFL learners. The tendency to rely on one side of the brain over the other can affect the degree of success in learning a foreign language as well as the appropriateness of learning and teaching strategies. A total of 122…

Although technology-enhanced feedback (TEF) from teachers to pupils is given daily, little is known about pupils' thoughts about this feedback in Finland. Pupils' perceptions were studied to evaluate whether TEF support self-regulated learning, as suggested. Interviews (N = 62) and questionnaires (N = 132) about pupils' perceptions and emotions…

In a qualitative study, photo narratives from eight students covering eighty total photos were collected and analyzed to understand the existing student experience across eight short-term study abroad programs from three different institutions in Texas. Photos and their connected narrative interviews were examined for compositional focus,…

As a high-impact educational practice, cooperative learning uses a structured group study to promote students' active learning. Currently, it lacks economical yet effective tools to facilitate the interactive nature of structured cooperative learning in regular classrooms. Here, we have established a mobile technology-based cooperative learning…

Embodiment is particularly relevant for learning anatomy as the knowledge to be acquired is related to the body itself. Several tools using three-dimensional (3D) anatomical structures and avatars (e.g. augmented reality; virtual reality; immersive anatomy; 3D animations) were developed to enrich students' experience by including gestures and body…

Information communication and technologies (ICT) as a facilitator of active learning (AL) in higher education is becoming an increasingly important tool. One of the most significant developments with the use of ICT in higher education over the last decade has been the integration and application of e-learning systems to support the processes of…

The infusion and diffusion of the interactive whiteboard (IWB) has attracted considerable interest in educational contexts over the past years. However, research to date has been controversial with regard to the effectiveness of IWB-based instruction on cognitive learning outcomes. This study identified empirical publications that examine…

When digital assistants are used to process search queries, generate driving directions, or answer voice commands, advanced technologies gather available data and use this information to perform tasks that require decision making and problem solving. These examples of machine learning have become commonplace in our everyday lives. Machine learning…

Understanding genetics is one of the most significant learning difficulties faced by students. To improve teaching genetics and the students' representational competence within the classroom have been proposed using multiple representations. This study presents an analysis of representational levels used by high school students learning Mendelian…

Recent science education reforms, as described in the "Framework for K-12 Science Education" (NRC, 2012), call for three-dimensional learning that engages students in scientific practices and the use of scientific lenses to learn science content. However, relatively little research at any grade level has focused on how students develop…

This article reports the effect of short films as an advance organizer on the development of students' reading skills. The current study aimed to investigate how short films affect the comprehension and reading self-efficacy perception of students from different socioeconomic levels. The participants included 204 fifth grade students from three…

The present study compared a Whiteboard animation with a PowerPoint slideshow. A presentation in each style was analysed in detail for compliance to Mayer's (2014) twelve multimedia principles and Kosslyn, Kievit, Russel and Shephard's (2012) eight cognitive communication principles. An experiment is reported that compared the effects of each…

This work describes how the combination of the mistakes committed by a group of pre-service teachers when solving a Fermi problem, with the representation of the temporal analysis of their resolutions, can offer more in-depth information about their conceptual misconceptions regarding mathematical and modelling concepts. The combined…

The development and evaluation of valid assessments of scientific reasoning are an integral part of research in science education. In the present study, we used the linear logistic test model (LLTM) to analyze how item features related to text complexity and the presence of visual representations influence the overall item difficulty of an…