The reading ability of learners in the Foundation Phase through the development of reading proficiency at an early age could determine learning. With the study reported on here I intended to explore the challenges faced by Foundation Phase teachers in teaching reading. I used a qualitative approach and employed an explanatory case study design.…

This study explores the relationships between peer-to-peer interactions and (1) group formation among students, (2) choice of research, and (3) course performance in an online asynchronous ecology course at a research-intensive university. Peer-to-peer interactions have been known to enhance learning experience for students in a wide array of…

Adopting an "act-in-context" approach is helpful to researchers investigating situational variability in children's active engagement in preschool classrooms. Aligned with this approach, we propose an empirical pathway and a conceptual model to support examinations of contextual factors hypothesized to impact active engagement as well as…

As the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic spread throughout the world, universities were faced with extraordinary challenges. Shelter-in-place orders were given, in-person classes were canceled, and at the University of California Irvine, instructors had less than 2 weeks to convert spring quarter classes from a face-to-face to an online format. A team-based…

This article describes how clickers (student response systems) may be used to assess and support the development of productive process skills and discourse patterns within student teams during class periods. Clicker questions may poll the class about specific features of the internal workings of teams, such as role rotation, helpful or distracting…

Every year, children enter PreK and kindergarten with varied early education experiences, and the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the problem. The need to respond to students' changing situations gives school districts and states an opportunity to reconsider how they are helping children and their families make the transition into kindergarten.…

Opportunities to deploy digital technologies to research agendas and active learning in tertiary education are becoming more widespread. Despite this, many research techniques are still taught using traditional "pen-and-paper" methodologies. In this article, we report on a strategy for integrating mobile technology into our large (275+)…

Two important characteristics of contemporary teamwork are working with colleagues from diverse cultural backgrounds and working in virtual teams. Hence, preparing students to successfully navigate through the business world must include developing these two skills. To investigate learning for both cross-cultural and virtual collaboration, we…

We found that actively engaging students in our introductory microbiology course was a challenge given our large class sizes and many non-majors taking the course as a program requirement. Therefore, we introduced a novel active learning strategy to our course. Students grouped into teams of three had to create PowerPoint virtual posters on one of…

Team-Based Learning (TBL) uses a flipped classroom model and involves students working collaboratively in small groups, with peer assessments to promote group accountability. We implemented TBL in Calculus I in both large (N [tilde] 150) and small (N [tilde] 35) class settings. We investigated the impact of this form of instruction over two…

Passive learning environments to teach programming concepts, especially in large lecture classes, hinder students' motivation, performance and may adversely affect their achievement goals. The study presents the use of two instructional strategies, teamwork, and reflective thinking, using educational technologies introduced in a class of 120…

The process of change and its effect is documented in this dissertation research project through the eyes of classroom teachers and the effect that the changes had on them personally, practically, and professionally. The three areas of simultaneous systemic change were: reduction of class size, technology integration, and collaborative leadership…

DSGN110 was a multidisciplinary course teaching first year students enrolled in in a variety of majors about design thinking. The course is offered for the majors of architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, community and regional planning, along with computer science and business students. By blending face-to-face and online…

The purpose of this dissertation research was to capture the lived experiences of teachers in an independent private school during a four-year period of multiple systemic changes. This was done in a retrospective manner to gain firsthand insights from within the systemic change. The perceptions on change from teachers with varying academic…

This nationwide study of 169 business communication instructors examines the following issues: (a) ideal and actual class sizes in business communication courses, (b) delivery modes of business communication courses, (c) types of written and oral assignments, and (d) topics covered and depth of coverage. Findings suggest that business…