The article uses dynamic visualizations in Excel to examine a variety of ways in which students can attain a much greater depth of understanding of optimization problems in introductory calculus. The topics discussed include a variety of common optimization problems that appear in virtually every calculus textbook that can all be enhanced…

In recent years, general relativity (GR) and gravitational-wave astronomy have emerged both as active fields of research and as popular topics in physics classrooms. Teachers can choose from an increasing number of modern instructional models to introduce students to relativistic ideas. However, the true potential of an instructional model can…

In the United States, Christianity is the religion of the majority, about 70% of people. Almost 23% are unaffiliated, and slightly less than 7% practice other religions (Sandstrom, 2016). While 7% may not sound like a lot, it means that a growing number of Americans have neighbors, schoolmates, and colleagues who practice diverse, often…

In the mixed methods research (MMR) literature, the term paradigm is used in a number of ways to support very different accounts. This article aims to contribute to the ongoing dialogue about the relationship between MMR and paradigms by analyzing two main claims discussed in the literature: (a) MMR is a new paradigm and (b) MMR mixes different…

Conceptual stances provide guidance to the mixed methods researcher as he or she makes decisions throughout the research process, including determining the dimensions of integration or levels at which mixing occurs. Only the dialectic conceptual stance specifically encourages mixing at the abstract paradigmatic level. This article outlines four…

Children's ability to write letters automatically has been linked to academic achievement. Despite the importance of handwriting, handwriting instruction is often neglected and teachers use inconsistent practices to teach handwriting. Specifically, the frequency that children are presented opportunities to write individual block letters in…

Purpose: Professional learning communities that merge under the same goal in schools where social relationship networks are strong can contribute to creating an atmosphere which provides a basis for innovativeness. In this study the relationships between social capital, innovativeness climate and professional learning communities were examined…

Developing computational thinking (CT) skills at a young age is critical for preparing preschool children to engage with the technologies that have become central to nearly every occupation and for improving achievements in STEM, literacy, and other disciplines. This paper builds on foundational research in early childhood math and CT by reporting…

When I was invited to edit a special issue of "Education Sciences" on the theme of "Moral education and identity", I saw an opportunity both to gain a better understanding of how scholars across a range of disciplines construed the task of moral education in terms of identity and--I can now confess--to defend the claim that…

This methodological guidance article discusses the elements of a high-quality meta-analysis that is conducted within the context of a systematic review. Meta-analysis, a set of statistical techniques for synthesizing the results of multiple studies, is used when the guiding research question focuses on a quantitative summary of study results. In…

The detailed analysis and scoring of concept maps may not be necessary in order for students to gain from their use in the classroom. A simplified recognition of different types ('species') of map may increase the likelihood of teachers employing maps in their classrooms so that more teachers and students might benefit from concept mapping on a…

Males (n = 29) and females (n = 34) performed vertical jumps. Jump height was estimated from force platform data using five numerical methods and compared using intraclass correlation ([rho]), and linear and rank regression standard error of estimate ("SEE"). Take-off velocity plus center of mass height at take-off and mechanical work…

The purpose of this study was to develop triangulation coding methods for a large-scale action research and evaluation project and to examine how practitioners and policy makers interpreted both convergent and divergent data. We created a color-coded system that evaluated the extent of triangulation across methodologies (qualitative and…

This article examines factors that could have influenced whether evaluations of U.S. government--funded foreign assistance programs completed in 2015 had considered unintended consequences. Logit regression models indicate that the odds of considering unintended consequences were increased when all or most of seven standard data collection methods…

This essay provides advice for effectively reviewing conference proposals, including how to write comments that are helpful to proposal authors, how to use the "Comments to Program Chair" box, and issues to consider when assigning proposal ratings and recommending acceptance or rejection. Several benefits of reviewing proposals are…