Epistemic beliefs are individuals' beliefs about the nature of knowledge, how knowledge is constructed, and how knowledge can be justified. This study employed a mixed-methods approach to examine: (a) middle and high school students' self-reported epistemic beliefs (quantitative) and epistemic beliefs revealed from practice (qualitative) during a…

We live on a finite ecological system, yet consume as though resources are unlimited. Current environmental data suggests many in the developed world are living beyond what the earth is able to sustain. The paradigms in which we operate continue to support a path of constant consumption that continues to exacerbate this problem. Technology…

This paper applies a quasi-experimental research method to compare the difference in students' approaches to learning and their learning achievements between the group that follows the problem based learning (PBL) teaching method with computer support and the group that follows the non-PBL teaching methods. The study sample consisted of 68 junior…

Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) often handle chaotic life-and-death situations that require higher-order thinking skills. Improving the pass rate of EMT students depends on many factors, including the use of proven and effective teaching methods. Results from recent research about effective teaching have suggested that the instructional…

In order to improve STEM education, as well as incorporate 21st century skills, teacher education programs are in the process of finding better ways to address these areas (Trilling & Fadel, 2009). New teachers entering the workforce are prepared mostly to teach content the way they were taught (Alger, 2009; Eick & Reed, 2002; Goodnough…

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the Problem Based Learning (PBL) units developed by a large suburban school district in the mid-Atlantic for the middle school gifted science curriculum on: a) students' performance on standardized tests in middle school Science, as measured by a sample of relevant test questions from a…

The purpose of this dissertation was to evaluate learning transfer achieved by physician assistant students comparing two instructional methods, human patient simulation and electronic clinical case studies. This prospective, randomized, mixed-methods study utilized first and second-year physician assistant student volunteers taking a pretest and…

Current versions of electronic textbooks mimic the format and structure of printed textbooks; however, the electronic capabilities of these new versions of textbooks offer the potential of embedding interactive features of web-based learning within the context of a textbook. This dissertation research study was conducted to determine if student…

Teaching computer programming to freshmen students in Computer Sciences and other Information Technology areas has been identified as a complex activity. Different approaches have been studied looking for the best one that could help to improve this teaching process. A proposed approach was implemented which is based in the language immersion…

The purpose of this dissertation study was to determine if a relationship existed between problem-based learning (PBL) content acquisition and academic achievement on teacher-made tests in Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses at the middle school level. The study sample consisted of 20 seventh-grade students enrolled in a CTE keyboarding…

Students benefit from collaborative learning activities, but they do not automatically reach desired learning outcomes when working together (Fischer, Kollar, Mandl, & Haake, 2007; King, 2007). Learners need instructional support to increase the quality of collaborative processes and individual learning outcomes. The core challenge is to find…