Stratification is an important design feature of many studies using complex sampling designs and it is often used in large-scale assessment (LSA) studies, such as the "Programme for International Student Assessment" (PISA), for two main reasons. First, stratification variables that achieve a high between and low within strata variance…

Simulations were conducted to establish best practice in hyperparameter optimization and accounting for clustering in Generalized Linear Mixed-Effects Model Trees (GLMM trees). Using data-driven best practices, the relationship between a 9th Grade On-Track to Graduate (9G-OTG) indicator and observed high school graduation within four years was…

The purpose of the study is to examine the ethical dilemmas among mid-level school leaders in the social-ecological context through role-play simulations. We examined simulations involving role-played ethical scenarios and group debriefings among 30 mid-level school leaders from different Israeli high schools and districts during the MA course in…

The introduction of large language models (LLMs) may change future pedagogical practices. Current research mainly focuses on the use of LLMs to tutor students, while the exploration of LLMs' potential to assist teachers is limited. Taking high school mathematics as an example, we propose a method that utilizes LLMs to enhance the quality of…

The construct of static and emergent shape thinking (Moore & Thompson, 2015) characterizes differences in students' reasoning about graphs. In our previous work with middle school students, we found that this construct may also be useful in characterizing students' reasoning about other representations such as simulations and tables. In this…

Virtual reality (VR) has evolved to include non-immersive to fully-immersive experiences for the classroom. This study seeks to understand the potential effects VR may offer, specifically characteristics associated with how a student experiences a VR intervention and the effects of using a VR device for learning. A group experimental design was…

Digital technology is profoundly transforming various aspects of life, thus highlighting the need to enhance digital literacy on a national scale. In primary and secondary schools, artificial intelligence (AI) education plays a pivotal role in fostering digital literacy. To comprehensively investigate the variables influencing AI education in…

Background: In the context of large-scale educational assessments, the effort required to code open-ended text responses is considerably more expensive and time-consuming than the evaluation of multiple-choice responses because it requires trained personnel and long manual coding sessions. Aim: Our semi-supervised coding method eco (exploring…

Computational modeling and thinking skill sets were previously relegated to computer scientists and programmers. As a result, computational tools are largely unfamiliar to K-12 science teachers and students. Using Mathematical and Computational Thinking and Developing and Using Models were included in the "Next Generation Science…

The issue of model uncertainty has been gaining interest in education and the social sciences community over the years, and the dominant methods for handling model uncertainty are based on Bayesian inference, particularly, Bayesian model averaging. However, Bayesian model averaging assumes that the true data-generating model is within the…

This study employs the Experiential Learning Theory framework to investigate students' use of a wildfire simulation. We analyzed log files automatically generated by middle and high school students (n = 1515) as they used a wildfire simulation and answered associated prompts in three simulation-based tasks. We first analyzed students' log files to…

This research studied the effectiveness of the simulation-based learning assisted with scaffolding approach to address students' misconceptions (MCs) about projectile motion. The five MCs were related to the direction of the force acting on an object (MC1), the acceleration of an object at the top of the trajectory (MC2), the directions of…

Past research repeatedly revealed students' struggles to understand chemical equilibria, especially concerning their dynamic nature. Black-box simulations have proven to be helpful here. However, the effect is strongly dependent on the quality of teaching, the design principles of which are not yet fully known. One aspect of debate concerns the…

Research on practice-based teacher education [PBTE], such as rehearsals or teaching simulations, assumes that preservice teachers [PSTs] prefer such practical approaches in comparison to more theoretical work. Few studies test this assumption or incorporate PSTs voices and perspectives on PBTE approaches. This study draws on survey data and…

In this article, we investigated how a class engaged in whole-class discussions of modeling solutions, across two different types of modeling tasks: a Model Eliciting Activity (MEA) and a Three-Act Task. We analyzed whole-class discourse as small groups presented and responded to each other's solutions to a MEA and a Three-Act Task. We have also…