The main purpose of this study was to explore learners' beliefs about science reading and scientific epistemic beliefs, and how these beliefs were associating with their understanding of science texts. About 400 10th graders were involved in the development and validation of the Beliefs about Science Reading Inventory (BSRI). To find the effects…

Potentially all university graduates, regardless of the discipline they have studied, are expected to have obtained generic learning outcomes, which we refer to as "graduateness." This study investigates the extent to which learning programmes' emphasis on graduateness affects students' perceived abilities in the domains of graduateness.…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between bureaucratic school structures and teachers' self-efficacy. Participants included 252 teachers from 15 primary schools in Ankara, Turkey. Mean, standard deviation, correlation, and regression analyses were conducted. Results indicated that bureaucratic school structures and teacher…

With the emergence of web technologies, students can conduct their group projects via virtual platforms, which enable online collaboration. However, students' lack of intention to use web technologies for conducting group work has recently been highlighted. Based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), this paper developed and examined an…

The aim of the present study was twofold. First, we aimed to replicate the findings of previous studies which had showed a substantial improvement on procedural and epistemological knowledge after direct instruction and their maintenance in time. Second, we aimed to examine the dynamic relationships of the procedural (control of variables…

Alternative certification programs are now commonplace in the credentialing of new teachers. We complement the growing evidence base for these teachers by exploring their turnover patterns in four waves of the nationally representative Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). We report on descriptive evidence of growing differences in the…

As they inhabit complex social worlds, adolescents often learn competing values, resulting in value-differentiation, within-individual variability in value importance across contexts. But what are the implications of value-differentiation across age groups and cultures? A study of 4007 adolescents aged 11 to 18 (M = 14.41, SD = 2.16), of three…

Professional development of educators, especially in preschool years has been neglected in Iran. The purpose of this study was to investigate the viewpoints of experts and teachers about the purposes and content of the professional development plan for preschool teachers. This research is a descriptive-analytic study conducted through both…

The study aimed to explore the teaching competencies teachers in Ghana perceived as important to their teaching in inclusive classrooms. Using a quantitative research approach, 163 regular school teachers from two geographic regions of Ghana completed a 14-item questionnaire titled Perceived Competencies for Inclusive Teaching Scale and an…

The quality of undergraduate teaching is an issue under heated dispute in China. This study examined Chinese undergraduate students' perceptions of teaching quality and the effects on their approaches to studying and course satisfaction. A sample of 2,043 students from two full-time universities in mainland China responded to a questionnaire…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report on the use of the Delphi method to gain expert feedback on the identification of behaviour change techniques (BCTs) and development of a novel intervention to reduce adolescent alcohol misuse, based on the Prototype Willingness Model (PWM) of health risk behaviour. Design/methodology/approach: Four…

Student plagiarism is a growing problem within Australian universities and abroad. Potentially exacerbating this situation, research indicates that students' attitudes toward plagiarism are typically more permissive and lenient than the policies of their tertiary institutions. There has been suggestion that this is especially so in Asian countries…

Educational leaders have widely implemented mentoring and induction programs to support beginning teachers as they enter the profession. A variety of contextual factors within the mentoring dyad and program may impact the mentoring relationship and subsequent support received by the beginning teacher. The purpose of this study was to describe the…

This article is an attempt to explore why the efforts of universities fall short of accomplishing their objectives, and fail to improve the caliber of their graduates, as large numbers of them are unable to encounter real-life problems. It also probes the relations between four independent demographic variables (gender, age, experience, and…

This study compares two modes of visually presenting information about wind energy--one using photographs and the other using cartoons--on audience's knowledge, attitudes and behavioural intentions. In an online experiment, participants were randomly assigned to the two treatments. Results indicate no significant difference between the two groups…