Bayesian statistics has gained great momentum since the computational developments of the 1990s. Gradually, advances in Bayesian methodology and software have made Bayesian techniques much more accessible to applied statisticians and, in turn, have potentially transformed Bayesian education at the undergraduate level. This article provides an…

The Thunkable online platform is an easy-to-use resource for creating apps for mobile devices. Computational thinking is at the heart of problem solving in computer science, and research suggests students' computational thinking improves when they use simple block coding systems similar to the format used for Thunkable.

An educational team founded by Seymour Papert at MIT has developed an evolving series of computing environments designed to facilitate computational thinking. Papert outlined the goal of developing educational environments to facilitate the use of computer as a computational object in a seminal publication, "Teaching Children Thinking"…

This study aims to investigate problem-solving with dataset (PSWD) as a computational thinking learning implementation as reflected in academic publications. Specifically, the purpose is to specify the scope of PSWD, which overlaps with the data literacy, thinking with data, big data literacy, and data-based thinking concepts in the literature.…

In a paper (posthumously) co-authored by Isaac Newton himself, the primacy of geometric notions in pedagogical expositions of centripetal acceleration has been clearly asserted. In the present paper we demonstrate how this pedagogical prerogative can inform the design of an experiment involving an accelerometer-equipped smartphone rotating…

This article describes an activity appropriate for middle or high school physics or physical science students. Rather than giving the answer to the question "How does a milliliter compare to a cubic centimeter?" the students develop a procedure for measuring volume by calculation and by displacement of water. Students share the data and…

Researchers are often inclined to test agreement or discrepancy hypotheses using difference scores. This commentary explains 2 mathematical-statistical principles underlying associations with difference scores and 2 conceptual-interpretation problems that make difference scores inappropriate for testing such hypotheses. The commentary provides…

The residual gain score has been of historical interest, and its percentile rank has been of interest more recently given its close correspondence to the popular Student Growth Percentile. However, these estimators suffer from low accuracy and systematic bias (bias conditional on prior latent achievement). This article explores three…

We examined the effect of estimation methods, maximum likelihood (ML), unweighted least squares (ULS), and diagonally weighted least squares (DWLS), on three population SEM (structural equation modeling) fit indices: the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), the comparative fit index (CFI), and the standardized root mean square residual…

This study investigated the role of using unplugged computing activities on developing computational thinking (CT) skills of 6th-grade students. The unplugged computing classroom activities were based on the Bebras challenge, an international contest that aims to promote CT and informatics among school students of all ages. Participants of the…

Computer science concepts have an important part in other subjects and thinking computationally is being recognized as an important skill for everyone, which leads to the increasing interest in developing computational thinking (CT) as early as at the comprehensive school level. Therefore, research is needed to have a common understanding of CT…

Computational thinking" (CT) is still a relatively new term in the lexicon of learning objectives and science standards. The term was popularized in an essay by Wing, who said, "To reading, writing and arithmetic, we should add computational thinking to every child's analytical ability." Agreeing with this premise, in 2013 the…

Many large-scale educational surveys have moved from linear form design to multistage testing (MST) design. One advantage of MST is that it can provide more accurate latent trait [theta] estimates using fewer items than required by linear tests. However, MST generates incomplete response data by design; hence, questions remain as to how to…

Unitizing, a cognitive support for number sense, describes how students conceptualize quantities in terms of units. Given the importance of this skill, a formative assessment tool was developed for array multiplication problems, including arrays that model the distributive property found in typical classroom curricula. Video of 77 fourth grade…

The goal of this project is to examine the development and current state of U.S. education research through the lens of computational social science. The dissertation comprises three studies which use distinct data--dissertations, library logs, patents--and methods-- topic models, navigational networks, semantic networks--to approach the field. In…