This study describes students' learning obstacles in solving early algebra problems requiring functional thinking ability. To reach this aim, qualitative research was conducted in this study. Participants of this study were 39 ninth graders and a mathematics teacher at one of the lower secondary schools in Bandung, Indonesia. The data were…

Purpose: Case-based classroom teaching-learning process (hereafter, case method) has provided a very productive teaching-learning environment for a long time. In the case method, students are expected to meet some prerequisites, such as reading and analyzing the case in advance, listening to the classroom discussion and actively participating in…

We developed a Quantum Mechanics Conceptual Understanding Survey (QMCUS) in this study. The survey was conducted using a quantitative methodology. A multiple-choice survey of 35 questions was administered to 338 undergraduate students. Three experienced quantum mechanics instructors examined the validity of the survey. The reliability of our…

Background: Although undergraduate psychology curriculum should cultivate performance-based skills to prepare students for helping professions, little work to date has addressed this standard. Objective: This research replicates the methods used in a previous study by examining pre-post changes in empathic communication skills and perceived…

The transition of the educational system in the Philippines vastly affects basic and higher education. A mismatch of pre-requisite Mathematics learning competencies from the basic education level occurred when the student reached higher education. This descriptive-developmental method of the study utilized the developed contextualized learning…

The vast extent to which quantitative prerequisites vary among post-secondary geoscience programs often presents a challenge for educators and students alike in courses for which math and physics are foundational. This study discusses the design of GEOAppS, a suite of educational numerical models, and its application toward lowering the…

This study attempted to answer whether strategically designed and placed metacognitive prompts within an online prerequisite teacher education course can make a difference in the amount and quality of student self-reported use of metacognitive strategies. The study found significant metacognitive results for students in an online introductory…

This paper is written to provide ideas and guide faculty who want to design a mathematical modeling course for undergraduate mathematics majors and minors. We discuss course goals, assignments, and projects that can be used to help students gain experience relevant for careers and mathematical modeling opportunities. The authors designed this…

In this note, I argue for and discuss my experiences with explicitly incorporating principles of critical and creative thinking in a transitions course which serves mathematics, mathematics education, and statistics majors. I describe several specific assignments and classroom tasks designed to enhance critical and creative thinking. I also…

Representational competence is essential for the acquisition of conceptual understanding in physics. It enables the interpretation of diagrams, graphs, and mathematical equations, and relating these to one another as well as to observations and experimental outcomes. In this study, we present the initial validation of a newly developed…

A personalized and media-rich learning framework called "Knowledge and Curriculum Integration Ecosystem" (KACIE) has been developed and implemented in a junior-level fluid mechanics course in Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, and Spring 2018, in a prominent HBCU. This model shares characteristics of blended instruction as well as a…

There is a low enrollment of African American high school students in advanced mathematics. High school advanced mathematics are prerequisites to college calculus, one of the basic courses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. African Americans earned only 7.6% of all bachelor's degrees in science, technology,…

Purpose: Calculus is generally offered as a freshman year course and is a prerequisite for some advanced STEM-related courses in some undergraduate programs. However, some students experience difficulties in Calculus courses, leading to lower levels of achievement. Thus, there is a need to examine the factors which may be related to students'…

Teaching research to social work students continues to be the topic of an ongoing dialog within the profession. The literature suggests that some form of a "real-world" or "hands-on" learning opportunity has many benefits for teaching a subject that students often are reluctant to engage in. Using online survey methods,…

This study examined the effects of non-traditional instructional methods on student learning in an engineering course at the University of Texas at El Paso. The summer 1993 material selection course enrolled 33 students, the majority of whom were Hispanic Americans. Instead of the traditional lecture method, the course employed student project…