The goal of this paper is twofold. First, the paper clarifies and elaborates on an important theoretical construct called orientation with respect to understanding in mathematics, which denotes the degree to which students exhibit an inclination towards and demonstrate an earnest concern for understanding in mathematical learning. Second, the…

In this digital ITEMS module, Dr. Jacqueline Leighton and Dr. Blair Lehman review differences between think-aloud interviews to measure problem-solving processes and cognitive labs to measure comprehension processes. Learners are introduced to historical, theoretical, and procedural differences between these methods and how to use and analyze…

Purpose: To evaluate the validity, reliability, and sensitivity of the novel Means-End Problem-Solving Assessment Tool (MEPSAT). Methods: Children with typical development and those with motor delay were assessed throughout the first 2 years of life using the MEPSAT. MEPSAT scores were validated against the cognitive and motor subscales of the…

The ability to think critically and creatively is essential for students to help them thrive in the 21st century. Creative and critical thinking can be measured through problem solving because the assessment contains tasks that require students to find problems, analyze and evaluate problems, and work out the solutions. Therefore, this study was…

The aim of this study is to develop and apply a rubric to evaluate the solutions proposed for questions about electromagnetic induction belonging to university second year pre-service teachers. In this study which has pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design with control group, teaching of the topic of electromagnetic induction was applied to…

This study aims to explore the validity of measuring joint attention through gaze coordination in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) research. Gaze coordination, aligning visual attention in social contexts, aids comprehension and communication. Many CSCL researchers use gaze coordination to gauge joint attention quantitatively.…

Procedures for identifying the gifted often make use of tests of general intelligence, among other assessments. Robert J. Sternberg recently suggested that identification of the gifted should further involve assessment of what he refers to as adaptive intelligence--the ability to adapt to real-world environments. Such a conception of intelligence…

The aim of this study is to develop a descriptive phase model for problem-posing activities based on structured situations. For this purpose, 36 task-based interviews with pre-service primary and secondary mathematics teachers working in pairs who were given two structured problem-posing situations were conducted. Through an inductive-deductive…

The aim of this study is to develop a scoring rubric to assess primary school students' problem posing skills. The rubric including five dimensions namely solvability, reasonability, mathematical structure, context and language was used. The raters scored the students' problem posing skills both with and without the scoring rubric to test the…

Purpose: To assess students' problem-solving skills, this study aims to investigate the consistency between self- and peer-ratings in consideration of the teachers' ratings in the process. Method: This study was a descriptive study which examines the mathematical problem-solving skills with the MFRM model concerning self-, peer- and teachers'…

We designed a rubric to assess free-response exam problems in order to compare thinking skills evidenced in exams in classes taught by different pedagogies. The rubric was designed based on Bloom's taxonomy and then used to code exam problems. We have analyzed historical and recent exam problems in both algebra-based and calculus-based exams. In…

Many classroom-observation instruments have been developed (e.g., Gleason et al., 2017; Nava et al., 2019; Sawada et al., 2002), but a very small number of studies published in refereed journals have rigorously examined the quality of the ratings and the instrument using measurement models. For example, Gleason et al. developed a mathematics…

National reform documents and shifts in educational standards have continued to highlight the importance of engineering and engineering practices within science literacy. High-quality engineering opportunities must be present in formal education due to their association with problem-solving and critical thinking. Given this directive to reach…

This study evaluated the differential effects of three different science teaching methods, namely engineering teaching kit (ETK), explicit instruction (EI), and a combination of the two methods (ETK+EI), in two sixth-grade science classrooms. Twelve students with learning disabilities (LD) and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)…

English learners (ELs) experience difficulty with mathematical problem solving because word problems require complex processes beyond basic math skills, such as the use of linguistic information, identifying relevant information, and constructing the appropriate problem statement. This study used a combined multiple baseline design and criterion…