In this study, middle school students' (8th grade, n = 24) problem-solving processes were investigated while implementing a design-based science learning (DBSL) approach. DBSL tries to incorporate science learning with the processes of engineering design. A DBSL module was developed by the research team within which students were expected to…

Protein structure-function is a key concept in biochemistry. We used the perspective of domain-specific problem-solving to investigate students' solutions to a well-defined protein structure-function problem. We conducted think-aloud interviews with 13 undergraduate students and performed qualitative content analysis to examine the differences in…

Making connections among multiple visual representations is key to students' learning. This article considers two learning processes involved in connection making: explicit sense making of connections and implicit perceptual induction of connections. Instructional interventions support these processes via different problem types: sense-making…

Strategy flexibility, adaptivity, and the use of clever shortcut strategies are of major importance in current primary school mathematics education worldwide. However, empirical results show that primary school students use such shortcut strategies rather infrequently. The aims of the present study were to analyze the extent to which Dutch sixth…

By adapting the job demands-resources model of Demerouti et al. "Journal of Applied Psychology," 86(3), 499-512, (2001) to vocational problem-solving situations, we aimed to investigate how, and to what extent, problem-solving demands and personal resources affect stress responses and task interest. Therefore, we used a problem-solving…

Mathematics teacher education aims to improve teachers' use of mathematical knowledge to support teaching and learning, an aspect of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). In this study, we interviewed teachers to understand how they used mathematics to make sense of student solutions to proportional reasoning problems. The larger purpose was to…

We are experiencing powerful and exponential shifts in our economy (Schwab, 2015), marked by rapid advancements in automation, information technology, and robotics (Ford, 2016) and the displacement of millions of Americans in the middle class (Goldin & Katz, 2008; Keeley, 2015; Pew Research Center, 2015). Our current education paradigm is…

Ratio and proportional relationships, along with the interrelated topics of fractions, decimals, and percent provide a critical foundation for algebra (National Mathematics Advisory Panel, 2008). Solving even simple proportion problems is challenging for many children and adolescents. A small number of studies have examined the efficacy of…

Role-playing simulations have been effective techniques to encourage global skills in the engineering and design classrooms. May, Wold and Moore (2014), defined global skills as student display of respect, recognition, adjustment and integration. Gray, Debs, Exter, and Krause (2016), took this one step further and looked-for empathy in the design…

This study investigated the cognitive factors that impact the completion of mathematics problems, specifically algebraic-reasoning, by individuals who use tactile materials (i.e., braille) compared to those who use print materials. The inquiry investigated working memory, task time, cognitive load, efficiency, and the predictive quality of…

This latest installment in a series on teacher leadership describes how a learning cycle framework can provide a useful structure to support teacher leaders as they plan and facilitate powerful teacher-led professional learning. Teacher leaders have the potential to use learning cycles to strengthen teacher professional learning, making it more…

Adults use a variety of strategies to reason about fraction magnitudes, and this variability is adaptive. In two studies, we examined the relationships between mathematics anxiety, working memory, strategy variability and performance on two fraction tasks: fraction magnitude "comparison" and "estimation." Adults with higher…

New competence-oriented learning goals can only be sustainably implemented if they are aligned with teaching and assessment goals. Within the fields of science, technology and mathematics education, one approach of competence-oriented teaching is based on the concept of inquiry-based education. Scientific inquiry in science, problem solving in…

Mathematics can be viewed as complex structures comprising intricate and profoundly useful webs of relationships. Students can experience mathematics in this way when working on mathematical tasks such as problem-solving, modelling, investigations or problem posing. Yet these kinds of tasks are seldom implemented in many upper-secondary and…

As students are more likely to be under employed post-graduation, and employers find it increasingly more challenging to fill positions with effective candidates, educational stakeholders are being challenged to develop the humanistic traits of students within an infrastructure that that has traditionally excelled in subject matter mastery. In…