This paper presents a study of group cohesion as it arises in online small group different time and place collaboration. Cohesion is modeled in terms of the extent to which a group makes progress together through contentful and meaningful collaborative interactions. This paper makes the case that cohesion in a small group working collaboratively…

This paper describes the use of a large-scale, multi-semester design project as a means of integrating six courses in the mechanical engineering curriculum. The project, a bench-scale hybrid powertrain, is built up -- component by component -- as students advance through the curriculum. The authors used the project to test two research hypotheses:…

Proponents of building a "creative society" through educational innovation are calling for engaging learners in new modes of collaboration, problem solving, and original thinking. How might the enterprise of Jewish education contribute to this evolution in creative thinking and action? This article explores how "the Jewish…

In a design-research project on problem-solving, theory-based and practice-oriented materials were developed with the goal of fostering systematical development of students' problem-solving competence in a targeted manner by learning heuristics. Special attention was given to working backward strategy, which has been shown difficult for students…

Opportunities for students to develop problems for scientific investigation have rarely been provided in South Korean science classrooms. The purpose of this study was to examine the nature of elementary students' participation in problem finding in science learning. Specifically, we examined the characteristics of student participation in…

Students' ability to reason for themselves is a crucial step in developing conceptual understandings of mathematics, especially if those students are preservice teachers. Even if classroom environments are structured to promote students' reasoning and sense-making, students may rely on prior procedural knowledge to justify their mathematical…

This study aims to evaluate the effects of a non-routine problem solving instruction on the brain hemisphericity of the 7th graders (aged 13-14 years). One sample experimental design was used and twenty-one seventh graders participated in the study. Validated by Kök (2005), Brain Hemisphericity Inventory (BHI) was conducted to the experimental…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between students' patterns of reflective thinking and their performance in solving design problems. Reflective thinking is a critical element in the process of solving ill-defined design problems. Many educators are dedicated to finding ways to promote students' reflection. Yet few…

Both the Common Core State Standards (CCSSI 2010) and the NCTM Process and Content Standards distinguish between Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMP) and standards for mathematical content. We believe this distinction is important and note that students often acquire knowledge of mathematical content without necessarily developing the related…

Ever try to captivate students with real-world applications only to discover that they live in a very different world? Assigning an Extreme Word Problem activity to students alleviates this dilemma by placing the authorship of a problem squarely into the hands of learners. Rather than trying to be hip and finding word problems that resonate with…

The present study aims to investigate the effectiveness of Research Based Learning (RBL) in improving students' learning achievement in solving two dimensional arithmetic sequence problems. The study applied triangulation method including qualitative and quantitative methods. The research subjects were 4th-semester students of higher education.…

This study aimed to examine the structural relationships among factors that affect learner satisfaction and achievement in project-based learning for capstone design courses in engineering education. Specifically, problem-solving efficacy, task value, teamwork competency, and task authenticity are suggested as critical factors that affect learner…

The statistical concept of sampling is often given little direct attention, typically reduced to the mantra "take a random sample". This low resource and adaptable activity demonstrates sampling and explores issues that arise due to biased sampling.

Reform-based discourses in mathematics education have fabricated different subjectivities for teachers such as the "traditional" and the "new" teacher. Professional development programs are proposed as effective mechanisms to fabricate the "new" teacher. However, this teacher has proved hard to produce. Thus, the…

Empirical studies of creativity emphasize the importance of ambiguity advantage in idea generation and creative problem-solving. This study examined whether ambiguous figures could directly induce a mind-set that would transfer to the creative problem-solving. In Experiment 1, we examined whether presentation of ambiguous figures would influence…