Background: A number of studies report that few questions are asked in classrooms and that many of them are shallow questions. Aims: This study investigates the way in which reading goals determine questioning on scientific texts. Reading goals were manipulated through two different tasks: reading for understanding versus reading to solve a…

This study aimed to explore the effects of synchronous and asynchronous computer mediated communication (CMC) oral discussions on question types and strategies used by English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. The participants were randomly assigned to two treatment conditions/groups; the first group used synchronous CMC, while the second…

With support, young adolescents crave the challenge of learning about serious ideas through serious literature. Middle-level learners also enjoy opportunities to become immersed in activities that foster a deeper understanding of serious ideas. After discussing the value of using serious narrative literature, a rationale is provided for supporting…

Previous research indicates that lesson study can support preservice teachers' abilities to professionally notice. This qualitative case study examined specific lexical and indexical conversational components of lesson study analysis meetings that afford or constrain elementary preservice teachers' incidences of professionally noticing students'…

We analyzed students' patterns of participation, interaction and knowledge construction in asynchronous online case-based discussions in two Educational Psychology classes with different participation and interaction guidelines. We conducted quantitative analyses of the outlines of postings and transcripts of online messages from these group…

Institutions assess teaching effectiveness in various ways, such as classroom observation, peer evaluation and self-assessment. In higher education, student feedback continues to be the main teaching evaluation tool. However, most of such forms include characteristics of good teaching that the institutions deem important and may not adequately…

The authors of "Make Just One Change" argue that formulating one's own questions is "the single most essential skill for learning"--and one that should be taught to all students. They also argue that it should be taught in the simplest way possible. Drawing on twenty years of experience, the authors present the Question Formulation Technique, a…

In this article the author argues that interactional difficulties and questioning practices identified in the methodological literature on qualitative interviewing as "problems" provide topics of analysis. Methodological examinations of interview data drawing on conversation analysis also explicate how interview "problems" may be conceptualized in…

Scientific reasoning and scientific argumentation are highly valued outcomes of K-12 and higher education. In this article, we first review main topics and key findings of three different strands of research, namely research on the development of scientific reasoning, research on scientific argumentation, and research on approaches to support…

The ability to address and solve problems in minimally familiar contexts is the core business of research mathematicians. Recent studies have identified key traits and techniques that individuals exhibit while problem solving, and revealed strategies and behaviours that are frequently invoked in the process. We studied advanced calculus students…

The purpose of this study was to develop a way to measure students' abilities to think critically about concepts covered during academic support sessions. Tutors trained in a College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA)-certified program at the University of Louisville used a rubric based on the Paul-Elder Critical Thinking Model in order to…

The authors have developed "sequence response applications" for classroom response systems (CRSs) that allow instructors to engage and actively involve students in the learning process, probe for common misconceptions regarding lecture material, and increase interaction between instructors and students. "Guided inquiry" and…

In one experiment 97 undergraduate students learned about plate tectonics from a multimedia presentation involving narrated animations and support in one of four forms. Support in the prompting condition included hints inducing participants to self-explain critical information. The signaling condition included overviews recapping critical…

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences between readers with different levels of comprehension skill when engaging in a causal questioning activity during reading, and the varied effects on inference generation. Fourth-grade readers (n = 74) with different levels of comprehension skill read narrative texts aloud and were asked…

This study focuses on elucidating and explaining reasons for the stability of and interrelationships between students' conceptions about "Light Propagation" and "Visibility of Objects" using contextualized questions across 3 years of secondary schooling from Years 7 to 9. In a large-scale quantitative study involving 1,233…