In this research, our objective is to characterize the problem-solving procedures of primary and lower secondary students when they solve problems in real class conditions. To do so, we rely first on the concept of heuristics. As this term is very polysemic, we exploit the definition proposed by Rott (2014) to develop a coding manual and thus…

Virtual reality (VR) technology is playing a crucial role in the changing paradigm of education. In many cases, however, VR technology is not being taught because of the lack of relevant educational content at middle and high school levels. This study investigates the effect of design education using VR-based coding on students' competence and…

This paper extends prior work establishing an operationalized framework of mathematical sense making (MSM) in physics. The framework differentiates between the object being understood (either physical or mathematical) and various tools (physical or mathematical) used to mediate the sense-making process. This results in four modes of MSM that can…

People spontaneously gesture when they speak (co-speech gestures) and when they solve problems silently (co-thought gestures). In this study, we first explored the relationship between these 2 types of gestures and found that individuals who produced co-thought gestures more frequently also produced co-speech gestures more frequently (Experiments…

One aim of school science instruction is to help students become adaptive problem solvers. Though successful at structuring novice problem solving, step-by-step problem-solving frameworks may also constrain students' thinking. This study utilises a paradigm established by Heckler [(2010). Some consequences of prompting novice physics students to…

This paper considers the responses of 115 school students to two problems based on information provided in two-way tables. In each case the question asks if one of the variables involved depends on the other. Contextual knowledge might suggest a dependent relationship in both but in one problem the data show independence while in the other the…

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is well known for enhancing students' problem solving skills and teamwork, while the role of PBL tutors is to facilitate discussion rather than teach. This study used four focus groups to explore PBL tutors' motivation, challenges and support mechanisms, and the relationship between these. The study found that there…

To better understand the role that ways of reasoning play in students' success on integer addition and subtraction problems, we examined the relationship between students' flexible use of ways of reasoning and their performance on integers open number sentences. Within groups of students in 3 participant groups--39 2nd and 4th graders who had…

This study investigated how middle school students leverage information about bound Latin roots (e.g., "voc" in "advocate" and "vociferous") to infer meanings of unfamiliar words, and how instruction may facilitate morphological analysis using roots. A dynamic assessment of morphological analysis was administered to…

This study investigated how middle school students leverage information about bound Latin roots (e.g., voc in "advocate" and "vociferous") to infer meanings of unfamiliar words, and how instruction may facilitate morphological analysis using roots. A dynamic assessment of morphological analysis was administered to 29 sixth…

The following report describes an assessment instrument called the Mathematics Performance and Cognition (MPAC) interview. The MPAC interview was designed to measure two outcomes of interest. It was designed to measure first and second graders' mathematics achievement in number, operations, and equality, and it was also designed to gather…

This report provides an overview of the development, implementation, and psychometric properties of a student mathematics interview designed to assess first- and second-grade student achievement and thinking processes. The student interview was conducted with 622 first- or second-grade students in 22 schools located in two public school districts…

Technology is becoming increasingly popular in higher education in the way students are asked to communicate and collaborate. The student teaching experience is an integral part of developing critical thinking skills in pre-service teachers. During this experience, it is important that student teachers practice the theory they have been taught in…

The purpose of this study was to identify the extent to which multidiscipline early intervention providers identified and demonstrated caregiver-teaching strategies. A total of 78 providers submitted 205 videotaped segments to illustrate 1 of 5 caregiver-teaching strategies (i.e., demonstration; caregiver practice with feedback; guided practice;…

The purpose of this research was to understand the relational communication patterns that characterize school-based prereferral intervention teams (PITs). Fifteen PIT meetings were used as the basis for analyses, with each meeting audiotaped, transcribed, and coded using the Family Relational Communication Control Coding System (Heatherington…