In this study, we developed an Explicit Instruction special education teacher observation rubric that details the elements of explicit instruction and tested its psychometric properties using many-facet Rasch measurement (MFRM). Video observations of classroom instruction from 30 special education teachers across three states were collected.…

For the purpose of this article within this special issue on Structured Literacy™, we were asked to address the code-focused skills of phonemic awareness and word reading. Findings from research studies converge to show that explicit and systematic instruction helps most students understand how speech sounds, or phonemes, map to letters and…

Despite an increasing interest in pronunciation instruction in English as a majority language or international "lingua franca," less is known about pronunciation learning in non-English minority languages, especially among child learners. Bilingual education programs provide a unique context to address this research gap, as they involve…

This study investigated the impact of thinking instruction on students' metacognition and thinking behavior. Higher-order thinking occurs when individuals use their underlying metacognitive strategies which increase the probability of achieving a desirable result. The study was designed as a case study of an intervention and a posttest-only…

There are multiple pathways for students with and without disabilities to learn new vocabulary terms. However, the number of empirically tested and validated multimedia options is surprisingly limited. In this study, researchers tested a commercially available app (InferCabulary) to evaluate the impact on vocabulary performance of fifth-grade…

Flipped classrooms have become a widespread form of pedagogical setting, yet there is no consensus on how to define flipped language learning. Several authors consider the use of videos that prepares in-class activities as an essential component. The study presented in this article examined the actual roles of videos in a corpus of 52 second…

This researcher has been greatly distressed, as fifth graders year after year have disregarded mental math strategies for the standard algorithm. Mathematically proficient students should be flexible, efficient and accurate when solving mental calculations. This researcher set out to find out how fifth graders' mental math practice improved their…

Much work has been done to characterize the reasoning of students as they solve mathematics-intensive problems and characterizing differences in expert and novice problem solving. In this work, we characterize the problem-solving strategies in a classroom setting of "transitioning novices," students who have completed an introductory…

Schema-based instruction (SBI) was used to teach nine middle school students with high-incidence disabilities (HID) to solve proportional reasoning word problems. A multiple-baseline-across-groups design was used to determine student understanding of the SBI process. The design consisted of three phases including baseline, SBI process, and…

The following research investigates the effect that unprescribed conversation with native speakers of the target language had on learners' L2 listening comprehension skills at the beginning (n=21) and advanced intermediate levels of Spanish (n=27). Treatment groups completed two-thirty-minute conversations with native speakers via…

Purpose: To assess the impact of a sustained Teaching for Personal and Social Responsibility program in Physical Education. Method: There were 72 primary and secondary education students (11-13 years), enrolled in two different schools, and their four teachers were randomly distributed into an experimental group (n = 35) and a nonequivalent group…

The study aimed to investigate the effect of the explicit strategy training on the students' autonomy in foreign language learning and to seek for their attitudes towards such training. The research lasted for fourteen weeks at the 2018-2019 academic year. Data were collected through the Course Evaluation Questionnaire, the Student Autonomous…

This basic qualitative study identified and described the types of explicit instruction talented and gifted (TAG) teachers used with struggling students and potential twice-exceptional (2e) students. The study also examined how teachers identify struggling students and potential 2e students. This study was essential to the field of education…

Problem solving is recognized as a critical component to becoming a self-determined individual. The development of this skill should be fostered in the early years through the use of age-appropriate direct and embedded activities. However, many early childhood teachers may not be providing adequate instruction in this area. This column provides a…

Discovery learning continues to be a topic of heated debate. It has been called a zombie, and this special issue raises the question whether it may be a phoenix arising from the ashes to which the topic was burnt. However, in this commentary I propose it is more like an elephant--a huge topic approached by many people who address different…