The view that vocational education and training is central to economic prosperity and social well-being is one that is widely held by policy-makers in many countries. Delivering this agenda requires skilled and professional teachers. Ensuring that vocational teachers are able to maintain and develop both their "craft" skills and…

Looking for more active and motivating methodological alternatives from the students' perspective, which promote analysis and investigation abilities that make the student a more participative agent and some learning processes are facilitated, a practical study was conducted in the University of La Sabana (Chia, Colombia), in Computing Engineering…

Pre/post concept assessment testing is becoming increasingly common in college courses. Instructors use different approaches to give assessments, but few studies have examined how administration differences affect results. Here, we ask if administering a posttest on the final exam differs from administering it on the last day of class with extra…

This article represents an "overdue encounter" with the ideas of Ian Hunter to reconsider the historical emergence and descent of English teaching in the United States. Influenced by Hunter's account of the "pastoral" and "bureaucratic" genealogy of English teaching in England, my historical study documented…

The authors explore the role of comparison in improving graph fluency. The ability to use graphs fluently is crucial for STEM achievement, but graphs are challenging to interpret and produce because they often involve integration of multiple variables, continuous change in variables over time, and omission of certain details in order to highlight…

This paper explores multilevel modeling approaches for 2-group randomized experiments in which a treatment condition involving clusters of individuals is compared to a control condition involving only ungrouped individuals, otherwise known as partially nested cluster randomized designs (PNCRTs). Strategies for comparing groups from a PNCRT in the…

This paper reports on a study that explored three Thai physics teachers' conceptions about teaching and their relation to the teachers' teaching practice. Naturalistic inquiry served as the research methodology in order to generate qualitative data through interviews with teachers, classroom observations and the collection of instructional…

This pilot study (N=63) used a mixed methods design to compare the impact of peer theater education, traditional peer education, and a comparison group on the in-depth attitudes and knowledge concerning interpersonal violence (IPV) among social work students in an introductory social work course. Six focus groups were conducted with students to…

The one-dimensional finite well is a textbook problem. We propose approximate approaches to obtain the energy levels of the well. The finite well is also encountered in semiconductor heterostructures where the carrier mass inside the well (m[subscript i]) is taken to be distinct from mass outside (m[subscript o]). A relevant parameter is the mass…

This study assessed the impact of science teaching laboratories designed with visual connections to spaces outside the laboratory, either to interior spaces or to the outdoors. Specifically, we assessed (1) student perceptions of interdisciplinarity, (2) the ability to stay focused, and (3) the environment for student learning. Student surveys…

This paper discusses a study of students learning core conceptual perspectives from recent scientific research on complexity using a hypermedia learning environment in which different types of scaffolding were provided. Three comparison groups used a hypermedia system with agent-based models and scaffolds for problem-based learning activities that…

Linear factor analysis (FA) models can be reliably tested using test statistics based on residual covariances. We show that the same statistics can be used to reliably test the fit of item response theory (IRT) models for ordinal data (under some conditions). Hence, the fit of an FA model and of an IRT model to the same data set can now be…

The use of cadavers to teach anatomy is well established, but limitations with this approach have led to the introduction of alternative teaching methods. One such method is the use of three-dimensional virtual reality computer models. An interactive, three-dimensional computer model of human forearm anterior compartment musculoskeletal anatomy…

Recent studies support the validity of both structured risk assessment tools and victim perceptions as predictors of risk for repeat intimate partner violence (IPV). Combining structured risk assessments and victim risk assessments leads to better predictions of repeat violence than either alone, suggesting that the two forms of assessment provide…

Teaching philosophy is much more than just teaching style, or a framework for a course. It can be defined as one's beliefs about life that are carried out in his/her teaching practice, which serve as a foundation for his/her educational philosophies. The majority of literature addressing philosophies in adult education practice focus on how…