Preparing data-literate citizens and supporting future generations to effectively work with data is challenging. Engaging students in Knowledge Building (KB) may be a promising way to respond to this challenge because it requires students to reflect on and direct their inquiry with the support of data. Informed by previous studies, this research…

This study investigated the effects of multimedia learning and visual design in a 6th grade science textbook on students' studying processes. This was accomplished by using eye tracking technology and by applying multimedia learning design and visual design principles to science textbooks. Eye tracking based testing was employed to evaluate the…

Recent education reforms highlight the importance of engineering design as a tool to improve student science learning in this new view of K-12 science education. However, little research has investigated the thought processes students use while engaging in the highly complex activity of design. Therefore, building on theories of productive…

This case study examined how students with learning (dyslexia) and attention deficit process science texts under different instructional design conditions using eye-tracking technology. The aim was to examine the impact of seductive details and visual enhancement elements on reading behaviour and cognitive load. A qualitative case study was…

More research is needed on how to best use analytics to support educational decisions and design effective learning environments. This study was to explore and mine the data captured by a digital educational game designed for middle school science to understand learners' behavioral patterns in using the game, and to use evidence-based findings to…

Purpose: Using Johansson-Sköldberg "et al."'s (2013) descriptions of design discourses, this study aims to analyze teacher interviews, research notes and teacher and student artifacts to determine if engagement in design practices led to changes in the teacher's thinking. Design/methodology/approach: This article presents results from a…

Environmental education is implemented in formal curricula in multiple ways, including K-12 science. In the United States, the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) has provided a lens for considering how the goals of environmental education and formal science education may overlap and complement one another. Potential synergies…

Recent calls for reform in K-12 science education and the National Academy of Engineering's Grand Challenges for Engineering in the 21st Century emphasize improving science teaching, students' engagement, and learning. In this study, we designed and implemented a curriculum unit for sixth-grade students (i = 1305). The curriculum unit integrated…

Web-based applications in education seem to be increasing day by day. As in all fields of education, web-based teaching practices are being developed to make the subjects learn better in science. The web-based instruction on science education for 6th-grade students, light and sound unit, a reflection of light was designed according to Dick and…

In this article, we report on sixth-grade students' responses to a set of problem activities that required the application of mathematics, science, and engineering knowledge in designing and constructing a paper bridge that could withstand an optimal load. Increasing students' application and awareness of their disciplinary learning and how they…

Makerspaces provide a viable option for constructing and sharing knowledge in schools. Inherent in the designing, tinkering, and playing that learners engage in through making are competencies, such as the ability to create, problem solve, and innovate, decreed as critical by education policymakers. This paper summarizes results from a study in a…

The new science education reform documents call for integration of engineering into K-12 science classes. Engineering design and practices are new to most science teachers, meaning that implementing effective engineering instruction is likely to be challenging. This quasi-experimental study explored the influence of teacher-developed, engineering…

In 2010 1.1 million pupils took private lessons in Germany, with 25% of all German children by the age of 17 having attended paid private lessons at some point in their school career (Klemm & Klemm, 2010). The high demand for support for learning curricular content led us to consider an integrated solution that speeds up both the design of…

Current reform efforts in science education around the world call on teachers to use integrated approaches to teach science. As a part of such reform efforts in the United States, engineering practices and engineering design have been identified in K-12 science education standards. However, there is relatively little is known about effective ways…

Through a collaborative effort between a sixth-grade teacher and two university faculty, we designed an integrated unit to learn about motion and we learned that an integrated teaching and learning experience about motion is MESSY (i.e., it includes movement, engagement, social interactions, spontaneity, yikes, and yippees!). We engaged in a…