Physical manipulatives enhanced knowledge acquisition by engaging learners in hands-on experiences that supported spatial reasoning. These tools allowed learners to see, touch, and manipulate objects, improving their ability to mentally rotate and visualize structures. This study challenged the assumption that most learners are purely visual by…

This report validates a novel quantitative methodology for analyzing moment-to-moment interactions in classrooms called the Poisson Process Methodology (PPM). PPM differs from moment-to-moment qualitative and quantitative analyzes typically used in education by using time-series data to quantify the degree to which the presence of facilitator…

Considering the increasing severity of environmental disasters and the scarcity of studies centered on children's perspectives, this article explores context-based learning to create spaces of hope. Constructing explanations fosters meaning creation and knowledge integration. Fourth graders' self-explanations about contamination in a degraded…

This study investigated how students reason about the partial derivative and the directional derivative of a multivariable function at a given point, using different graphical representations for the function in the problem statement. Questions were formulated to be as isomorphic as possible in both mathematics and physics contexts and were given…

The concrete-representational-abstract (CRA) approach is an instructional framework for teaching math wherein students move from using concrete materials to solve problems to using visual representations of the materials, and finally abstract concepts. This study provides a literature synthesis and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of the CRA…

In this study, an interactive science learning app on the topic of plate tectonics was developed for tablets to promote argumentative reasoning. The app guided learners through learning stages that required them to propose arguments, identify relevant evidence, acquire background knowledge, and engage in argumentative reasoning in different…

Mathematical abstraction constitutes the foundational cornerstone for the establishment and evolution of mathematical disciplines, serving as the pathway through which mathematical concepts emerge. As one of the information technologies widely applied in mathematics education, the Dynamic Mathematics Systems (DMS) have been found to have a…

Despite the recognized link between scientific reasoning, mental sets, and conceptual change, the cognitive mechanisms underlying successful conceptual change remain unclear. To explore this, we developed computer-based reasoning programs with and without mental set support to examine their effects on conceptual change in tasks of varying…

The research on mathematical argumentation has mainly adopted a dialectic lens which focuses on understanding the abstract and logical development of reasoning in argumentation. However, this approach may have overlooked other key aspects of mathematical argumentation, including the unfolding of the meaning-making experience and process during…

The ability to consider multiple possibilities forms the basis for a wide variety of human-unique cognitive capacities. When does this skill develop? Previous studies have narrowly focused on children's ability to prepare for incompatible future outcomes. Here, we investigate this capacity in a causal learning context. Adults (N = 109) and 18- to…

Cognitive flexibility (CF) is the ability to shift between concepts or rules. Difficulty with CF is associated with autism (i.e., ASD) as it contributes to repetitive behaviours. However, little is known about CF skills of autistic adolescents with low intelligence. This study uses the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST) to assess the CF of 36…

Background: The use of analogies as reasoning tools that play a key role in human cognition at all ages has been of interest to educators, scientists, and philosophers ever since Aristotle. Indeed, research has consistently found that analogies provided by teachers can, and do, play an important role in facilitating student understanding of…

Uncertainty is an important and fundamental concept in physics education. Students are often first exposed to uncertainty in introductory labs, expand their knowledge across lab courses, and then are introduced to quantum mechanical uncertainty in upper-division courses. This study is part of a larger project evaluating student thinking about…

This paper reports on a case study of undergraduate biology students' drawing-based modeling and how this process plays out in naturalistic dialogues. Recent research has revealed the importance of drawings, talk, and gestures in students' model-based reasoning. This study provides further insight into the complementary role of these multimodal…

Although elected representatives play an imperative role for the functioning of a formal democracy, educational research has so far not given much attention to the education and training offered to this group of people. A democratic dilemma may arise in the design and organisation of this education that relate to local governance and policy…