Natural category learning is important in science education. One strategy that has been empirically supported for enhancing category learning is testing, which facilitates not only the learning of previously studied information (backward testing effect) but also the learning of newly studied information (forward testing effect). However, in…

Background: The importance of attitudes in learning is gaining relevance among researchers and teachers and yet little research has examined students' attitudes specifically in relation to geology. Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine students' attitudes towards geology and with respect to other sciences, as well as to determine the key…

The mineral identification lab is typically the entry level college student's initial hands-on introduction to minerals. Our research focused on identifying alternative mineralogy conceptions that students bring to an introductory geology course and investigating the origins and nature of these conceptions. We identified a number of alternative…

The Big Bend region of Trans-Pecos Texas preserves a rich record of Rio Grande rifting and Laramide-age contraction that provide intrigue to national and state park visitors and field trips for undergraduate geology students. Despite its well-exposed geologic record, the Big Bend region remains an underutilized natural laboratory for studying…

Calls have been made to determine optimal learning progressions for geology students so that best practices for teaching content knowledge and skills during an undergraduate degree can be determined. To address these calls, there first needs to be understanding of what courses are required. This study was conducted to provide a systematic…

Background: Science education should encompass enculturation in science which implies performing scientific practices such as use of data and modelling, in authentic contexts like the field. Purpose: This work aims to determine how preservice elementary teachers (PETs) use data obtained in the field, and how these data contribute to the process of…

Scaled analog modeling ("sandbox modeling") allows deformational processes, such as the development of a mountain belt, to be observed in real time in a classroom setting. However, the actual learning gains from exposure to sandbox modeling in geology courses in higher education settings have not been explicitly studied. We begin to…

Recent studies have identified an incomplete student understanding of how elastic rebound causes earthquakes. We hypothesized that realistic imaging of spatial patterns in ground motions over the course of the earthquake cycle would improve student understanding. Incorporating spatial change information in the form of both motion vectors and…

This study contributes to the literature by shedding light on students' learning by examining and comparing students' gestures in two educational contexts: geological field trips and classroom-based modeling activities. This study engaged 10 middle-school students in two different geological field trips and two classroom-based modeling activities…

Triggered situational interest in introductory courses can encourage student engagement, motivation, and value for the geosciences. In-person labs have traditionally played a unique role in triggering situational interest compared to lectures, but the COVID transition online disrupted these dynamics. We examine students' self-reported situational…

Across the landscape of higher education, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused fundamental changes at a variety of scales. To understand which aspects of higher education instruction at the departmental (meso-scale) level were most and least impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, chairs of geoscience departments at public higher education institutions in…

The introduction of Green Chemistry (GC) into school science curriculum is considered an important step that encourages students to build connections between chemistry, other school subjects, and different aspects of their daily lives. The concepts associated with GC can be applied throughout the various levels of education with different degrees…

Conventional letter- or number-based grading systems, though ubiquitous at all levels of education, do not optimize the learning experience. The philosophy of "ungrading" includes a variety of approaches that decenter or even remove numeric or letter scoring of student work in favor of descriptive feedback, opportunities for revision,…

Self-regulated learning (SRL) models provide a framework for understanding the observed variance of student performance in geoscience learning contexts. Instructors can potentially use a SRL framework to support students in self-identifying the specific approaches to learning they use when engaging in geoscience learning situations (coursework,…

Concept maps make connections between ideas apparent, and thus would seem ideally suited to demonstrate learning. Yet, they are not widely used by instructors, particularly in large university classes. In this paper we review the strengths and rationale behind concept maps and provide examples we have used to structure content for one of our…