Recent studies posit that mental toughness is a relevant construct for predicting achievement outcomes in academic settings. It is a multidimensional construct that encapsulates psychological resources that facilitate consistent performance despite stressors and challenges. However, recent evidence has called into question its multidimensional…

Comprehending a mathematical modelling task is a central prerequisite for the following modelling process. In this study, we investigated the roles that the language proficiency of the students and the linguistic wording of the task play for the comprehension and the successful solving of mathematical modelling tasks. Five mathematical tasks with…

Communication in the 21st century is no longer limited to a mastery of literal level comprehension, although it is an essential element of understanding. Now, more than ever, it is paramount that students are able to read and critically analyze texts in various genres. Coiro, Knobel, Lankshear and Leu (2008) outline the notion of New Literacies as…

In this paper, the probability content in senior secondary mathematics Victorian curriculum between 1978 and 2016 was classified and compared, by content, context, procedural complexity, the SOLO thinking frameworks and use of technology. While probability continues to form an important and increasing component of the curriculum, it has moved from…

In 2013, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), working collaboratively with state education agencies, released a set of criteria for states to use to evaluate and procure high-quality assessments. The mathematics section of the document included five content-specific criteria to evaluate alignment of assessments to college- and…

Majority of the students regarded algebra as one of the difficult areas in mathematics. They even find difficulties in algebraic expressions. Thus, this investigation was conducted to identify common errors in algebraic expressions of the preservice teachers. A descriptive method of research was used to address the problems. The data were gathered…

A natural concern in the field of computer-supported collaborative learning is how participants in collaborative learning project attain individual deep understanding through pedagogical or technological support. This study explores such individual outcomes as influenced by designing a collaborative learning project supported with a diagram-based…

Research has shown that adults can engage in cognitive offloading, whereby internal processes are offloaded onto the environment to help task performance. Here, we investigate an application of this approach with children, in particular children with poor working memory. Participants were required to remember and recall sequences of colors by…

This paper examines how refugee youth strategically navigate learning during the first years of resettlement. Interweaving frameworks of youth agency and culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP), we investigate how refugees learn, how they perceive instruction in the U.S., and what they recommend teachers do to support them. Analysis of interview and…

In quantum mechanics, probability amplitudes are complex numbers and the relative phases between the terms in superposition states have measurable effects. This article describes an investigation into sophomore- and junior-level students' reasoning patterns in relating relative phases and real-world quantum phenomena. The investigation involved…

International large-scale assessments like international computer and information literacy study (ICILS) (Fraillon et al. in International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), 2015) provide important empirically-based knowledge through the proficiency scales, of what characterizes tasks at different difficulty levels,…

Practice problems and worked examples are both well-established teaching techniques. Research in math and physics suggests that having students study worked examples during their first contact with new material, instead of solving practice problems, can be beneficial to their subsequent performance, possibly due to the reduced cognitive load…

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) require teachers to think very carefully about the structure of lessons, which content must be taught to allow students to achieve NGSS expectations, and how content is delivered. With the standards' focus on three-dimensional learning and the use of relevant phenomena, most teachers are urged to make…

This paper focuses on the procedure and results for analyzing text-difficulty in lower-secondary chemistry textbooks in the Czech Republic. The authors use established methodology for text-difficulty analysis by Nestler, adapted by Prucha and Pluskal by adding a second independent analyser to improve reliability. Some textbooks do not follow the…

Navigating scientific challenges, persevering through difficulties, and coping with failure are considered hallmarks of a successful scientist. However, relatively few studies investigate how undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students develop these skills and dispositions or how instructors can facilitate this…