This paper reports on a survey of 358 respondents across 25 African countries into their usage of learning management systems. It concludes that while there are some enthusiastic advocates of such systems, the reality is that most African educators as yet have little knowledge about, or interest in, their usage. There remain very considerable…

How doctoral programs train future researchers in quantitative methods has important implications for the quality of scientifically based research in education. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to examine how quantitative methods are used in the literature and taught in doctoral programs. Evidence points to deficiencies in quantitative…

This study focused on the development and application of a three-tier multiple-choice diagnostic test (or three-tier test) on the nature and propagation of waves. A question in a three-tier test comprises the "content tier", which measures content knowledge; the "reason tier", which measures explanatory knowledge; and the…

Though the term dyslexia is familiar to the American public and is frequently seen in the media, it often is misunderstood, even in the educational setting. The International Dyslexia Association established the following definition of dyslexia: Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by…

This study aimed at identifying specifically prospective chemistry teachers' difficulties in determining the differences between the concepts of chemical thermodynamics and kinetics. Data were collected from 67 prospective chemistry teachers at Kazim Karabekir Education Faculty of Ataturk University in Turkey during 2005-2006 academic year. Data…

Introduction: This article explores the scientific ideas and alternative conceptions that pre-service teachers have regarding animal classification and spiders in particular. Method: The study involved 40 pre-service teachers of elementary education in Spain and the data was collected by means of questionnaires, descriptions and drawings. The…

This paper empirically investigates elder care nurses' negative knowledge. This form of experiential knowledge is defined as the outcome of error-related learning processes, focused on how something is not, on what not to do in certain situations or on deficits in one's knowledge or skills. Besides this definition, we presume the existence of…

Despite the existence of a clear scientific consensus about global warming, opinion surveys find confusion among the American public, regarding both scientific issues and the strength of the scientific consensus. Evidence increasingly points to misinformation as a contributing factor. This situation is both a challenge and an opportunity for…

How do mathematics teachers introduce the concepts of slope, rate of change, and steepness in their classrooms? Do students understand these concepts as interchangeable or regard them as three different ideas? In this article, the authors report the results of a study of high school Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus students who displayed…

Although college and university counseling centers often struggle with misperceptions of their work and their role in the campus community, limited research has addressed this issue. In this article, common campus misperceptions are explored. Among the issues that often increase the misperception of counselors and counseling services include…

The common resources of the misunderstandings on nature on science (NOS) are textbooks, teachers and media. However, students with their affective characteristics such as value given to any task related to NOS might also be a resource for misunderstandings. With this idea in mind, the perceptions of teachers and their students in Anatolian Teacher…

Introducing a mystery object is an easy strategy to implement and allows teachers to pre-assess students' knowledge about local natural resources. Misconceptions can be noted as teachers record initial inquiries and wonderings on charts. Using the constructivist approach, students can explore and construct their learning as they continue to use…

The authors aimed to propose a valid and reliable diagnostic instrument by developing a three-tier test on simple electric circuits. Based on findings from the interviews, open-ended questions, and the related literature, the test was developed and administered to 124 high school students. In addition to some qualitative techniques for…

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is an essential nutrient, whose metabolic roles depend on its function as a reducing agent. Textbooks routinely assign its oxidized form, dehydroascorbic acid, a tricarbonyl structure that is highly improbable in aqueous solution and inconsistent with its colorless appearance. The actual structures of the various forms of…

The developmental course in the distance-speed-time domain is still a matter of debate. Traditional stage models are contested by theories of continuous development and adaptive thinking. In the present work, we introduce a formal framework for modelling the developmental course in this domain, grounding on Competence-based Knowledge Space Theory.…