Sampling is a fundamental practice of many scientific disciplines. However, K-12 students are rarely asked to think critically about sampling decisions. Because of this, open questions remain about how best to support students in this practice. This study explores the emergent sampling practice of two classes of sixth-grade students as they…

In recent studies, there has been focus on understanding learner performance and behaviour using Web-Based Instruction (WBI) systems which accommodate individual differences. Studies have investigated the performance of these differences individually such as gender, cognitive style and prior knowledge. In this article, the authors describe a…

In science education, learner-centred classroom practices are widely accepted as desirable and are associated with responsive and reformed kinds of teacher beliefs. They are further associated with high-quality Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). Topic-Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TSPCK), a version of PCK defined at topic level, is…

The paper presents a case study of the use of conceptual tutoring software to promote deep learning of the scientific concept of density among 50 final year pre-service student teachers in a natural sciences course in a South African university. Individually-paced electronic tutoring is potentially an effective way of meeting the students' varied…

Open courses have received a lot of attention in the last two years; however, the question of whether they serve learners has yet to be determined. This paper explores the challenges and potential in assessing the impact of open educational initiatives, particularly those that produce and share Open Educational Resources (OER). We use a…

The return on investment (ROI) obtained by enterprises that invest in training was examined through case studies of seven Australian work organizations. The case study organizations included a government-owned transportation company, a privately owned company, a major nongovernmental charitable organization, a publicly listed corporation, and two…