In this quasi-experimental study, we examined the effect of a self-reflection activity on the utility value of pre-service teachers in teaching game design. A pretest-posttest design was used to determine any differences associated with the intervention. 129 pre-service teachers from different majors participated in the study. The participants…

In this paper we explore the impact of a series of workshops on higher education teachers' understanding and awareness of a dialogic teaching approach to support critical thinking development in an online environment. Critical thinking is a key aim of higher education learning and a dialogic teaching approach can optimise opportunities for…

Background: Utility-value (UV) classroom interventions typically involve students completing assignments that involve writing about the usefulness of the course material. They are widely recommended and have received some empirical support. Objective: This study tested the effectiveness of a UV intervention in an online research methods course. It…

Resilience is a critical personality trait that allows one to deal with difficulties, learn from failures, and maintain a positive attitude during task performance. However, it has not been understudied in a complex and challenging educational domain. The current research intends to address this gap by analyzing the specific characteristics of…

Background: The motivation and emotions of students are context dependent. There are specific moments when students may find their coursework more or less motivating, resulting in stronger or milder emotional responses. Identifying factors directly controllable by teachers empowers them to effectively address challenging situations characterized…

Given the myriad mandates and policies related to math and language arts education, U.S. public elementary teachers must "care about" teaching science for it to actually happen. Consequently, this study sought to explore the impacts of assignments in a science methods course supporting teacher candidates (TCs) in "caring about"…

Universities have been at the center of educational debates since their inception. Their functions, aims and products have been questioned in the context of social, cultural, economic and technological changes. In this context, the aim of this study is to critically examine university education from the perspectives of undergraduate students. The…

This study explores the student perception of traditional discussion boards in online courses and their effectiveness in building connections and enhancing learning. The results indicate that, while online students recognize the importance of connecting with others, traditional discussion boards are ineffective in helping students connect.…

Expectancy-value theory of motivation (EVT) suggests that student values influence their likelihood of putting in the effort required to learn, and these values can be shaped by student characteristics, such as their experiences, sociodemographics, and disciplinary norms. To understand the extent to which these characteristics relate to students'…

Online learners are increasingly diverse (NCES, 2022), which underlines the need for instructors to be inclusive and equitable in online teaching. Inclusion refers to providing opportunities for all learners in the online course, so they can actively participate and feel welcomed and belong in the course, and equity ensures that all learners have…

During the past few decades, creating autonomy in language learners has been considered as a milestone in the success of language learning programs. Most of EFL/ESL teachers apparently do not belittle the significance of autonomous learning because adding to one's knowledge is the learners' duty. However, knowing how many teachers value this…

Multi-level classes, classrooms that incorporate multiple levels of learners simultaneously, have existed for decades, yet have received little scholarly attention with respect to world language programs. This article presents a review of relevant literature on the topic and reports an analysis of the data from a national survey of U.S. K-16 world…

Block-based programming languages (BBLs) have been proposed as a way to prepare students for learning to program in more sophisticated, text-based languages, such as Java. Hybrid BBLs add the ability to view and edit the block commands in auto-generated, text-based code. We compared the use of a non-hybrid BBL (Scratch), a hybrid BBL (Pencil…

Digital educational games (DEGs) constitute an effective teaching approach, particularly when they are used in combination with collaborative learning scenarios. However, when changes are made in the teaching and learning process, teachers are responsible to apply and realize them in practice. Therefore, it is vital to understand their views and…

To improve student motivation, the authors propose a five-step process that entails learning about a motivation framework, identifying students' motivational challenges based on that framework, adopting interventions to address those challenges, and assessing the effectiveness of the interventions. In particular, they recommend adopting the…