Probing children's understanding of science concepts has been a focus of research in science education since the 1980s. In the process of learning, learners often produce many conceptions that differ from established scientific knowledge, which are commonly labelled as alternative conceptions (ACs). Knowing these ACs, their prevalence, nature,…

To achieve adaptive learning, a dynamic assessment system equipped with a cognitive diagnosis was developed for this study, which adopts a three-stage model of diagnosis-intervention-assessment. To examine how this system influenced spatial geometry learning, the study used a quasi-experimental method to investigate student learning outcomes…

This dissertation addresses a critical gap in the literature by examining how the organizational environment shapes the understanding of instruction and practice for multilingual learners (ML) among general education (GE) elementary classroom teachers. Building on inhabited institutionalism theory, the study investigates the interrelationship of…

This study investigates the effectiveness of using a REACT strategy instruction enriched with guided inquiry-based experiments to improve 7th-grade students' understanding of mixtures compared to conventional teacher-centered instruction. A convergent parallel mixed-method design was used, and 39 middle school students were divided into…

This study examines teacher perceptions of the media and public's portrayal of teachers and teaching during COVID-19 from the initial school closures in March 2020 through the reopening process of the 2020-2021 school year. Drawing upon data from 122 full-time, public-school teachers in Massachusetts, findings include teacher perceptions of such…

At a time when "difference" is being actively diluted in the service of standardisation and conservative views of nationhood, stories about difference, and their semiotic and multimodal elements, provide rich grounds for critical engagement. This is especially the case with stories about highly visible cultural symbols, such as the…

In the summer of 2020, while the United States was immersed in the COVID-19 pandemic, the murder of George Floyd became the catalyst for a national reckoning with persisting systemic racial injustice despite decades of civil rights efforts. While many Americans from all backgrounds became mobilized for justice, others perceived this movement as a…

Nature of Science (NOS) has been enumerated as one of the important elements in education because robust conceptions of NOS is essential for individuals to be considered as scientific literate. As teachers are vital in imparting sound NOS conceptions to their students, they must possess sound NOS conceptions. However, studies have shown that…

This is one of the first studies of the mismatch between students' test scores and teachers' estimations of those scores in low- and middle-income countries. Prior studies in high-income countries have found strong correlations between these metrics. We leverage data on actual and estimated scores in math and language from India and Bangladesh and…

Background: Providing students with worked out problem solutions is a beneficial instructional technique in STEM disciplines, and studying examples that have been worked out incorrectly may be especially helpful for reducing misconceptions in students with low prior content knowledge. However, past results are inconclusive and the effects of…

Bilingualism is associated with a number of false beliefs, myths and misconceptions, which carry implications for bilingual education and policymaking. While the language used, often in the media, to express such misconceptions may have become more subtle, a negative bias remains and is arguably more difficult to detect and defend against. The…

Literature suggests that "current characterizations of the terms procedural knowledge and conceptual knowledge are limiting and are, in fact, impediments to careful investigation of these constructs" (Star, 2005, p. 405). We examined secondary mathematics teachers' understanding of procedural and conceptual knowledge at superficial and…

This study aimed to comprehensively examine the articles in which multi-tier concept diagnostic tests, which are among the alternative assessment methods frequently used in recent years to identify misconceptions, were used in biology education between 2000 and 2022. For this purpose, systematic review steps were followed and summarized in the…

People who hold multiplicistic (multiplist) epistemic beliefs about science tend to believe that scientific knowledge is always subjective and that varying opinions on a scientific matter are equally valid. Research suggests that multiplist epistemic beliefs may be maladaptive and lead to a radically subjective view of science. Little is known…

This dissertation argues for an expansive understanding of academic fiction in the postwar period--specifically as associated with the rise and fall of the "Golden Age of the American University"--beyond the conventional forms of the campus and academic novel. Rather than restricting academic fiction solely to types of novels that are…