Entropy is a central concept in thermodynamics, but has been found to be challenging to students due to its abstract nature and the fact that it is not part of students' everyday language. Interviews with three pairs of engineering students (N = 6) were conducted and video recorded regarding their interpretation and use of the entropy concept, one…

Language is often depicted as the sine qua non of mathematical thinking, a view buttressed by findings of language-of-training effects among bilinguals. These findings, however, have been limited to studies of arithmetic. Nothing is known about the potential influence of language on the ability to learn rules about the relations among variables…

In the last 10 years, gaming has evolved to the point that it is now being used as a learning medium to educate students in many different disciplines. The educational community has begun to explore the effectiveness of gaming as a learning tool and as a result two different ways of utilizing games for education have been created: Gamification and…

This study investigated the frequency of use of information problem-solving (IPS) skills and its relationship with learning outcomes. During the course of the study, 40 teachers carried out a collaborative IPS task in small virtual groups in a 4-week online training course. The status of IPS skills was collected through self-reports handed in over…

This article explores the relative importance of different socio-demographic and practice-oriented factors that are related to proficiency in problem solving in technology-rich environments (PSTREs) and by extension may be related to complex problem solving (CPS). The empirical analysis focuses on the proficiency measurements of PSTRE made…

Cognitive interest is a vital learning motive for the successful learning process. Nowadays students' interest about science and mathematics are decreasing. The aim of the study is to explore the cognitive interest of Grade 9 students in science and mathematics. Students were surveyed and it helped to explore the respondents' cognitive activity…

Mathematical representation is an important skill in mathematics learning that enables students to interpret and solve problems with ease. However, building confidence in such a skill can be difficult for some students, especially for those who lack self-motivation skills. Therefore, this study examines the effects of the think-talk-write strategy…

Background: We tested the effects of an intervention on the learning of introductory thermodynamics principles. This intervention, OEM-Thermo, is designed to prompt the cognitive operations of meaningful learning: organization, elaboration, and monitoring. We also sought evidence to show that execution of these operations was associated with…

The purpose of this study was to use the Joint Action Studies in Didactics (JASD) to understand how teachers' and students' interactions co-construct knowledge during Cooperative Learning (CL). The basis of CL is that students learn with and from each other through a structured interdependent relationship. A case study approach was used to examine…

Effective teacher-student learning relationships can propel students to advanced ways of knowing and acting. In much arts based higher education learning, dynamic and fluid interplay of cognitive, meta-cognitive and aspirational aims and goals are prevalent and passed to students in a learning relationship that can be described as a cognitive…

This study investigated the impact of the problem-solving model on students' concept mastery and motivation in learning heat based on gender. The method which was used in this research was quasi-experiment with pretest-posttest design in girls and boys class. Data are collected from girl class (N=16) and boys class (N=16) of a 7th grade in one of…

Recent studies have demonstrated the integration of visualization technology to support collaboration and stimulate learning performance. The use of visualization tools during the collaborative activities of international students is a worthy topic for further exploration. Based on grounded and activity theories, this research uses observation and…

An action learning process was used at a large Midwestern business college ("LMBC") to promote greater use of active learning approaches in the classroom. At an all-college gathering, faculty received instruction and encouragement in the use of the case method in their respective classes. Faculty were subsequently surveyed about their…

Mathematical problem solving typically involves manipulating visual symbols (e.g., equations), and prior research suggests that those symbols serve as diagrammatic representations (e.g., Landy & Goldstone, 2010). The present work examines the ways that instructional design of student engagement with these diagrammatic representations may…

This unique volume surveys recent research on spatial visualization in mathematics in the fields of cognitive psychology and mathematics education. The general topic of spatial skill and mathematics has a long research tradition, but has been gaining attention in recent years, although much of this research happens in disconnected subfields. This…