Analogies are ubiquitous during instruction in science classrooms, yet research about the effectiveness of using analogies has produced mixed results. An aspect seldom studied is a model of instruction when using analogies. The few existing models for instruction with analogies have not often been examined quantitatively. The Teaching With…

Diverse types of intimate committed relationships, namely cohabiting same-sex and opposite-sex partnerships, are increasingly prevalent in the United States (Bumpass & Lu, 2000; Garber, 2005; U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). Given the rise in the number of individuals participating in intimate committed relationships outside of the marital context,…

There are many perceptions of what should be taught in the social studies classroom. With the expansive amount of information that must be transferred to students, the job of the social studies teacher is becoming more challenging. To assist with this issue, there are numerous instructional strategies that can be employed such as anticipation…

Purpose: Elder self-neglect (ESN) represents half or more of all cases reported to adult protective services. ESN directly affects older adults and also their families, neighbors, and the larger communities around them. ESN has public health implications and is associated with higher than expected mortality rates, hospitalizations, long-term care…

This paper explores conceptual variation in the depiction of gene function in upper secondary school textbooks. Historically, concepts in genetics have developed in various scientific frameworks, which has led to a level of incommensurability as concepts have changed over time within their respective frameworks. Since students may have…

Understanding of Earth's systems, including the crucial role of human beings within them, is an important part of citizens' ability to think intelligently and critically about the environment, pollution, sustainability and other socio-economic and scientific issues central to life in the modern world. Part of this understanding involves seeing the…

Language difficulties persist in a proportion of young people first identified in their early school years (Bishop and Adams, 1990; Stothard et al., 1998), and speech and language therapy (SLT) within secondary education is a developing area of expertise. This article briefly describes the rationale for collaboration between teachers and SLT…

Using the theory of mental models to account for the process of human mental information processing and representation has become an important approach in the field of knowledge engineering. Most methods of knowledge assessment are based on graphical concept mapping techniques. Tools like MITOCAR complement the graphical approaches by…

A concept map is a schematic device for representing a set of concept meanings embedded in a framework of propositions. It can be used to evaluate students' knowledge structure. This article introduces the comparative study of Chinese and American secondary school students' knowledge structure. They are compared quantitatively and qualitatively in…

Previous experimental studies have indicated that young people's text comprehension and summarisation skills can be improved by techniques based on text concept mapping (TCM). However, these studies have done little to elucidate a practical pedagogy that can make the techniques adoptable within the context of typical secondary school classrooms.…

This study explored (a) pre-service teachers' perceptions of using concept mapping (CM) in one of their pedagogical courses, (b) the predictive power of such implementation in course achievement, and (c) the role of prior experience with CM, type of mapping, and gender on their perceptions and performances in CM and achievement. The subjects were…

This book addresses the need to diversify mainstream forms of assessment currently used in Higher Education in order to re-establish the focus on the learning process. Making assessment central to student learning is about returning to what current research emphasises: the primary beneficiary of assessment should be the student. To achieve this in…

Abundant research and literature suggest the unreflective use of PowerPoint (PPT)-type presentations to deliver core content in higher education classes may have a negative effect on student learning (Driessnack, 2005; Kinchin et al. 2008; Maxwell, 2007). Many students rely heavily on downloadable notes from electronic delivery to the exclusion of…

Employers, accreditation and governmental agencies increasingly call for Information Systems (IS) programs to ensure, document, and demonstrate that their curricula embody coherent courses of study that systematically integrate statements of intended learning outcomes. This paper presents a comprehensive and structured curriculum mapping framework…

Concept mapping is a technique to represent relationships between concepts that can help students to improve their meaningful learning. Using the cognitive theories proposed by Ausubel (1968), concept maps can help instructors and students to enhance their logical thinking and study skills by revealing connections among concepts that can simplify…