This article seeks to provide researchers and practitioners in laboratory education, particularly those involved in the curriculum design and implementation of teaching laboratories at university level, with a conceptual framework and a working model for an integrated assessment of learning domains, by attending to a more holistic approach to…

Task-Based Instruction (TBI) is a dynamic approach in tertiary language education that emphasizes the integration of authentic and meaningful tasks to enhance language learning outcomes. This study aims to explore the implementation of TBI in the Philippines, investigate its cognitive benefits and transformative nature, identify pedagogical…

Bias is part of the human condition and becoming aware of how to avoid bias will help to ensure greater accuracy in the work of assessment. In this paper the authors discuss three different theoretical frameworks that can be applied when assessing student work for cognitive skills such as critical thinking and problem solving. Each of the…

This study sought to find student perceptions of how the engineering design process is learned and applied by pre-service teachers at the University of Georgia. The course description read "demonstration and hands-on learning, including problem solving, designing, construction and testing of prototypes, and activities that increase aesthetic,…

The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between disciplinary difference (exact and natural sciences versus humanities) and the dialogic behavior that occurred in Open University course forums. Dialogic behavior was measured in terms of students' and instructors' active participation in the forum (posting a message) as well as…

In this article, we frame "productive learning" in a sociocultural perspective to show how it ties into a cluster of concepts on activity and transformation and illuminates the relation between learning processes and learning products. Based on two case studies, we argue that understanding learning as action entails developing the students'…

In an effort to increase the quality and quantity of service-learning assessment, this article provides a brief rationale for engaging in service-learning assessment and reviews a selection of available tools for doing so. The paper includes a matrix that lists cognitive outcomes, including critical thinking and problem solving, and the…

Various aspects of the cognitive model of physics problem solving are discussed in detail including relevant cues, encoding, memory, and input stimuli. The learning process involved in the recognition of familiar and non-familiar sensory stimuli is highlighted. Its four components include selection, acquisition, construction, and integration. The…

This study suggests a fifth Piagetian stage and offers empirical evidence in its support. Piaget's traditional fourth stage (formal operations) is operationally defined as the problem-solving stage and the suggested fifth stage as the problem-finding stage. The commonly accepted criteria for a stage model are applied. (JMB)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between a student's stated preference for solving a problem and his/her actual problem solving methodology. Approximately 116 science students between the ages of 15 and 22 were given an 18 item abstract preference survey. Each student was interviewed and given the opportunity to solve…

A set of covariation problems was structured so that the solution pattern across problems would indicate the judgment rule used by each subject. A developmental trend across subjects in fourth, seventh, and tenth grades and in college demonstrated rule shifts toward use of increasingly accurate rules. (Author/RH)

Examined precursors of knowledge change in college students' developing understanding of gear movement. Found that only some participants changed their problem-solving approach after instruction. Results suggest that having multiple approaches available and using instructional information to build on not-well-developed conceptions may contribute…

It has been shown previously that many students solve chemistry problems using only algorithmic strategies and do not understand the chemical concepts on which the problems are based. It is plausible to suggest that if the information is presented in differing formats the cognitive demand of a problem changes. The main objective of this study…

Recurring pressures for fiscal restraint threaten the existence of educational programs, such as competitive debate, which are not publicly perceived to produce worthwhile outcomes. Since debate is misunderstood and expensive, its advocates must be prepared to provide solid evidence of its benefits. Unfortunately, methodological weaknesses in…

Investigates the possible relationships between the ability of introductory college genetics students to perform Piagetian formal operational tasks and their ability to solve problems requiring genetic analysis. (Author/GA)