One response to the disconnect between principle-based university methods courses and practice-oriented elementary school classrooms has been to create co-learning spaces by bringing prospective teachers (PSTs), practicing mentor teachers (MTs), and teacher educators together to explore key ideas related to teaching and learning. The purpose of…

Researchers have found that the electronic methods in use for online team communication today increase communication quality in project-based work situations. Because communication quality is known to influence group cohesion, the present research examined whether online student project teams are more cohesive than traditional teams. We tested…

The four case examples presented in this brief are drawn from the Gardner Center's substantial experience conducting rigorous research in research-practice partnerships. The first case describes a partnership approach that enhances a school district's capacity to use integrated longitudinal data to tackle persistent problems of practice and…

This study investigates learners' perceptions of the benefits and the difficulties of group work (GW) in EFL (English as a foreign language) classes. The purpose of this study is to explore the possible effects of GW, in order to better understand learners' attitudes towards GW, and to inform language teachers of students' views of using GW. A…

The present paper argues for a shift in teacher knowledge and beliefs about the role of group work in the teaching and learning of emergent bilingual students. Using case study data from an eighth grade classroom, the authors analyze the role of collaboration in the interaction with grade-level text of emergent bilingual students. The analysis…

The study investigated how group-dynamics instruction techniques of adaptable nature can be to the benefit of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners so as to develop and improve their willingness-to-communicate and speaking-ability in the long run. After analyzing the data via ANCOVA and EFA, the researcher selected 108 young Iranian male…

The development of group creativity can be challenging for both young students and their teachers. This study examined the processes and learning outcomes of group creativity training from the perspectives of elementary school students and teachers while identifying critical factors that contributed to the success of the training. Data were…

This project sought to understand how psychological hardiness is related to graduate students' ability to perform, with a focus on group differences. The sample participants for this project were PhD students at UCI solicited through electronic communication by the Graduate Student division to participate in an online survey as well as an…

While current educational standards serve to ensure all students have access to quality education that engages them in learning the skills that STEM teaches, there continues to be a gap in female students taking STEM-related classes in high school and subsequently entering STEM related careers. Gaining female learners' interest in STEM during…

Aim/Purpose: The current case study aimed to investigate the engagement of nine English as foreign language (EFL) learners in online peer feedback on writing in a Facebook group. Specifically, the study focused on the issues of writing addressed in peer feedback and the learners' perception of peer feedback in the Facebook group. Background: Peer…

Collaborative online learning has been adopted at all levels of education, in PK-12 public schools and universities, yet studies find student responses to the experience somewhat unpredictable. In this study, the authors draw on the practice of incorporating book study blogs at the University of North Dakota to engage doctoral students in a…

While the last three decades have witnessed a growing body of research on peer feedback in first language (L1) and second language (L2) writing, research about students' motives for participating in group peer feedback has remained underexplored. In order to fill this important gap, this case study, guided by the constructs of activity and motive…

From a framework of this study, modern society may be explained by a paradigm transformation from ascription to achievement and also from particularism to universalism. According to this hypothesis, Japanese university society has not developed successfully for more than the closed society to the opened society. This paper intends to deal with the…

This article seeks to develop the understanding of critical action learning (CAL) and to make a contribution to its theory and practice. The article begins by conceptualising critical action learning and builds on the work of Revans (1982) to stimulate fresh thinking. It provides a different calibration of his coupling of action and learning. An…

In a nation founded with religious freedom as a central tenet, understanding the roots of one's own faith and discussing it in a non-defensive or unoffensive way can be trying for many. Yet, it is the goal of an emerging interfaith cooperation movement around academia, one that draws upon and expands the ideals and energy of past college…