The study investigated the effect of an instructor's positive (vs. neutral) emotions in video lectures on student learning using either easy or difficult geography topics (i.e. easy: the Earth within the universe; difficult: understanding time and date calculations of Earth). The results showed that, first, students responded more positively…

Research on praise, in support of a growth mindset, has overwhelmingly focused on children. We explored how praise influences performance in college students. Colleges are often challenged to respond to students' established mindsets in the face of increasingly demanding coursework. Specifically, we examined how fear of failure may alter the…

The many challenges faced by instructors in distance education have been extensively documented in current literature. Nevertheless, the relative importance of such challenges has not been researched to the same extent. As instructors and institutions face limitations in terms of time and budget, the ability to effectively prioritise challenges…

In this eye-tracking experiment, we compared instructional videos with static signals, dynamic signals and no signaling in a within-subject design. We tracked eye movements from 28 undergraduate chemistry students while they were watching instructional videos about reaction mechanisms in the different signaling conditions. Further, we assessed…

The transition from arithmetic to algebra is a well-known difficulty in school mathematics. In order to succeed, learners require inter alia a better understanding of algebraic symbols, equality, equations and working with negatives/subtraction. This article reports on a response pattern analysis (RPA) of learners' responses to six test items…

Recent research has supported the use of student-centered teaching practices, such as active learning, because of its effectiveness in improving student learning and retention when compared with traditional, lecture-based teaching practices. Despite evidence supporting the effectiveness of active learning in improving STEM undergraduate education,…

In this study, it is aimed to evaluate the positive or negative effects of the communication model applied in primary school classrooms on the academic success of Syrian immigrant students from the perspective of teachers and students. Therefore, the case study method, which is a qualitative research method, was preferred. The study group of the…

Despite many articles written about assessment in higher education, surprisingly few have examined students' emotional responses to assessment and their perceptions of this impact on their learning experiences and well-being. This article reports on a study using in-depth interviews with 40 undergraduate students who were frequently graded. A…

Time has become a standard feature used in EDM models, and is used in models of meta-cognitive strategies to models of disengagement. Most of these models consider whether a student action is "too fast" or "too slow". However, an open question remains on how we define and select these cut-offs. Moreover, it is not clear that…

Do students engage in offsetting behavior, adapting their study effort to the difficulty of learning? The authors present the results of survey research intended to test for the presence of offsetting behavior at a regional university. Instead of trying to determine whether students study less when learning is easier, we check to see whether…

Technology-rich learning environments (TREs) provide opportunities for learners to engage in complex interactions involving a multitude of cognitive, metacognitive, and affective states. Understanding learners' distinct learning progressions in TREs demand inquiry approaches that employ well-conceived theoretical accounts of these multiple facets.…