Twenty-seven first-year nursing students, divided across six focus groups formed on the basis of their past chemistry experience, were interviewed about their chemistry experience as a component of a Health Science unit. Information related to learning and academic performance was able to be established from student conversations resulting in…

This paper describes teacher educators' understanding of language for classroom communication in higher education. We argue that teacher educators who are aware of their personal practical knowledge of language have a better understanding of their students' language use and provide better support for knowledge construction. Personal practical…

Rural entrepreneurship education programs may be a great tool for enhancing rural livelihoods and reducing rural outmigration. Entrepreneurship has received attention in school based agricultural education, primarily through implementation of Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) programs. Very little research has looked at the teaching of…

The study on reflective journal writing (RJW) and its benefits as assessed by the teachers has long been an inclination in mathematics education. However, little research has been done to explore the feelings of students towards RJW and how such has an effect on their mathematics learning. This study aimed to describe the feelings of the students…

A comprehensive inquiry about the experiences of Pacific-Islander students in higher education is sorely wanting. This study uncovered cultural predilections of Pacific-Islander students from the American-affiliated Pacific region related to their experiences in a Western setting. The University of Hawaii at Hilo (UH Hilo) serves as the backdrop…

Inquiry learning provides the opportunity to develop an improved understanding of concepts being taught to students. It is a useful way of learning which enhances interest and motivation by providing the opportunity to access and manipulate information in a tactical and strategic ways. Web 2.0 technology platforms serve as medium for inquiry…

Launching a problem is critical in a problem-based lesson. We investigated teachers' perspectives on the use of a problem that was analogous to the one provided during a launch. Our goal was to identify teachers' underlying assumptions regarding what should constitute a launch as elements of the "practical rationality of mathematics…

The history of Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) can be traced back to World War II when the American Council on Education (ACE) began conducting credit evaluations of military training. However, it wasn't until the 1970s with the inception of adult-serving colleges such as Charter Oak State College (COSC) and others, the altering of ACE to expand…

This article examines the mindset and process of undergraduate music majors conducting research in their discipline. While working with students in a writing-intensive music history class, the authors conducted several surveys, focus groups, and task-based assessments. Results indicated that most were overconfident in their research abilities,…

This paper is focused on an innovation which involved students being assessed on short written responses to an issue to be addressed in the following classroom session. The innovation was evaluated through a student survey, individual and focus-group interviews with participants, and the analysis of a critical friend. Positive findings included…

This article presents a critical reflection on how we, instructors of a graduate-level course in higher education administration, sought to integrate theoretical and subject-matter content and research methodology. Our reflection, guided by autoethnography and teacher reflection, challenged both our assumptions about curriculum design and our…

Purpose: This paper's purpose is to describe students' learning processes in a project-based and self-organized seminar on sustainability. A detailed knowledge of typical learning processes is part of a pedagogical content knowledge of sustainability and can therefore contribute to the professional development of university educators.…

This qualitative case study sought understanding of unique mentoring relationships of six faculty ambassadors and nine Hispanic first-generation students (HFGS) as part of a first-year initiative program. The single site was a career college in Texas, Taylor College. There were three research questions to guide inquiry comprised of six faculty…

Changes in the cultural and linguistic environments of learners are often associated with identity shifts. The aim of this study was to explore what identity shifts occur when science students from Bahraini national schools transition to an international university. The role of two aspects of learner identity--that is, English proficiency and…

The aim of this article is to analyse whether having experience of formative assessment during their initial teacher education courses (ITE) influences graduates' subsequent practice as teachers. That is, if the assessment methods that university students are subject to during their learning process are then actually employed by them during their…