The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal-Form S was a reliable and valid instrument to measure critical thinking for students pursuing a teacher career. The participants were 137 students enrolled in Educational Psychology. The data showed that the alpha for the total WGTA-FS was 0.76 and…

This paper contains a consideration of the nature and role of warrants for research conclusions in educational research. The paper argues the need for an explicit warrant in the form of a logical and persuasive link between the evidence produced and the conclusions drawn (with appropriate qualifications and caveats). It describes social scientific…

Teachers often encounter difficulty in teaching estimation of measurement to young children. The intention when teaching the typical "jelly bean jar" classroom activity is to help children develop estimation skills, but most children cannot conceptualise the difference between guessing and estimating. The fact is that many students view…

Previous research has noted a corresponding relationship between young children's play and divergent thinking ability. This study examined how far fluency and flexibility in movement patterns' production, as indicatory elements of divergent thinking and critical thinking, are related to a variety of psychological elements (physical spontaneity,…

Molecular biology concepts can be quite abstract and difficult to grasp for even the most talented student. Reducing potential frustration in the learning process, allowing students to take ownership of the course material, and training students to think critically and analytically are common objectives for educators. In this article, pedagogical…

This article discusses an approach designed for mathematics educators. Maria Montessori intended this knowledge to be shared with other teachers, increasing the Montessori community's understanding of children's thinking. A group of Montessorians has even tried to formalize this process with a program called Teachers' Research Network. Similarly,…

In this article, the author compares the legacies of two remarkable educators--John Dewey and Maria Montessori. These include changes in education now so commonplace that is accepted as traditional. Both Montessori and Dewey lived long enough to see their ideas receive worldwide recognition and acceptance, along with a share of misunderstanding…

This research focuses on eliciting bilingual students' problem-solving reasoning by providing mathematical tasks designed to involve the students in the action described in the problem by making connections to contexts familiar to them. Results showed these tasks allowed children to articulate their mathematical reasoning through gestures and…

Many researchers have described cognitive differences between gifted and average-performing children. Regarding strategy use, the gifted advantage is often associated with differences such as greater knowledge of strategies, quicker problem solving, and the ability to use strategies more appropriately. The current study used microgenetic methods…

North Carolina PE teacher Marty Mentzer's Basketball Poets club has helped her elementary school students shoot for a new level of achievement. Combining two seemingly diametric opposites--the love of literature and the love of sharp-elbowed lunges toward a suspended hoop--her four-year-old Basketball Poets club has managed to raise kids'…

This article presents a constructivist approach for teaching mathematics to prospective elementary school teachers in USA. This approach employs a model of a "mathematical situation," a set of physical operations and a physical language to reason about students' mathematical doings. One of the primary goals of this approach is to promote a…

This paper focuses on the benefits and utilisation of humour in digital game-based learning. Through the activity theory framework, we emphasise the role of humour as a mediating tool which helps resolve contradictions within the activity system from conjoining educational objectives within the computer game. We then discuss the role of humour…

In this paper, the authors evaluate map overlay, a concept central to geospatial thinking, to determine how it is naively and technically understood, as well as to identify when it is leaner innately. The evaluation is supported by results from studies at three grade levels to show the progression of incidentally learned geospatial knowledge as…

Early learning teachers do a great deal to support school transitions for young children and for their parents. There are also systematic changes that might yield benefits in promoting a smooth entry into primary education. The transition to school is usually an exciting and memorable time for children and their families. This article discusses…

This study investigates how teachers and students assess the textbooks they use in history courses at the high school level in Turkey. Through a survey questionnaire, teachers and students were asked their perceptions of the textbooks. Then a sub-sample of the teachers and students were interviewed to collect more in-depth data on their assessment…