The evolution-related attitudes and actions of Minnesota high school biology teachers were studied to estimate the prevalence of creationism among biology teachers. Minnesota's high school biology teachers were questioned about the evolution education in public schools regarding the percentage of biology teachers who teach evolution, class-time…

Student engagement is considered an important predictor of student achievement, but few researchers have attempted to derive a valid and reliable measure of college student engagement in particular courses. In 2 studies, we developed and explored the validity of a measure of student engagement, the Student Course Engagement Questionnaire (SCEQ).…

This study focused on how the design of a national student survey instrument was informed and improved through the combined use of student focus groups, cognitive interviews, and expert survey design advice. We were specifically interested in determining (a) how students interpret the items and response options, (b) the frequency of behaviors or…

The current work draws upon the theoretical framework of deliberate practice in order to clarify why the amount of study by college students is a poor predictor of academic performance. A model was proposed where performance in college, both cumulatively and for a current semester, was jointly determined by previous knowledge and skills as well as…

This study investigated the effects of Total Class Peer Tutoring (TCPT) and an interdependent group oriented contingency (GOC) on the social studies performances and off-task behaviors of eight general education fourth-grade students in an urban elementary school. An A-B-BC-B-BC design was implemented to evaluate the differential effects of TCPT…

As universities transform into enterprises, academics are facing new challenges, especially in their teaching. This is because of the demands for student-centred programmes that offer more flexibility, the use of Course Management Systems such as "Blackboard," and the expectation that instructors will perform (more) efficiently and effectively. In…

A study released last fall by the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, showed that, contrary to what many observers suspected, the amount of time spent on homework has not increased for children in the upper-middle grades. But it has jumped significantly for 6-to 8-years-olds, which would include…

Background: A paradigm shift in educational policy to create problem solvers and critical thinkers produced the games concept approach (GCA) in Singapore's Revised Syllabus for Physical Education (1999). A pilot study (2001) conducted on 11 primary school student teachers (STs) using this approach identified time management and questioning as two…

Teaching self-management strategies to students with emotional behavior disorders is important in improving on-task behavior in the classroom. The problem in teaching students with emotional behavior disorders is that they often have trouble staying on task or staying focused, which causes disruption of the class. The purpose of the study is to…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

Students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) often present behavioral issues during academic activities. Reading is one academically challenging activity during which students with EBD often act out to avoid teacher demands. Students with EBD have variable results in reading achievement stemming from many different behavioral and learning…

Pharmacology is taught on a dedicated module for nurse prescribers who have a limited physical science background. To facilitate learning a problem-based approach was adopted. However, to enhance students' knowledge of drug action a PharmaCALogy software package from the British Pharmacological Society was used. Students were alternately given a…

The current exploratory study investigated the effects of a Direct Instruction program implemented with middle school students identified as at-risk for failure in mathematics. Direct Instruction has typically been implemented with students with disabilities in separate special education settings. However, this study examined the extent to which…

This research brief highlights findings from a qualitative study of the contextual factors that shape engagement in adult literacy education. Engagement is mental effort focused on learning and is a precondition to learning progress. Some researchers focus on engagement as a cognitive, or mental, process closely related to such things as…

This study is concerned with online learners' "low" experiences. On the basis of Csikszentmihalyi's theory of flow, flow was conceptualised as a complex, multimentional, reflective construct composing of "enjoyment", "telepresence", "focused attention", "engagement" and "time distortion" on the part of learners. A flow model was put forward with…