Modeling a Theoretical Construct on Pupils’ Difficulties in Problem Solving

The objective of this work was the theoretical modeling of a construct based on teaching practice about the perception that pupils have of difficulties in problem solving (PS) in experimental sciences, specifically physics, to predict pupil performance in PS. The research was carried out with an incidental sample of second year of secondary education pupils, of 13 to 14 years in age. The pupils and their teachers were involved in a project in which PS, classroom inquiry, and Hooke’s law were considered to be central. The information collection instrument was a Likert type questionnaire to investigate the various difficulties perceived by the pupils (Knowledge, Trust, Path, Interest,…) in the problem-solving processes applying Hooke’s law. A theoretical model was estimated and not rejected that involved only one factor (a PS factor), with all of its variables strongly interrelated and a set of constraints represented by covariances between theoretical hidden variables. This model is a starting point from which to understand how pupils at this level perceive PS in experimental sciences.

Managing A Discursive Journey for Classroom Inquiry: Examination of a Teacher’s Discursive Moves

This study presents an analysis of teacher discursive moves (TDMs) that aid students in altering their thinking and talking systems. The participants were a science who handled the immersion inquiry activities. The primary data source was the video recorded in the classroom. This video-based data was analyzed through systematic observation in two phases comprising coding and counting to reveal the mechanics of the discursive journey. Three assertions were made for the dynamics of the discursive journey. First, the teacher enacted a wide range of TDMs incorporating dialogically/monologically oriented, simplified (observe-compare-predict), and rather sophisticated moves (challenging). The challenging moves were the most featured among all analytical TDMs. Second, once higher-order categories were composed by collapsing subcategories of the displayed TDMs, the communicating-framing moves were the most prominent performed moves. Lastly, the teacher created an argumentative atmosphere in which the students had the right to evaluate and judge their classmates and teacher's utterances that modified the epistemic and social authority of the discursive journey. Finally, educational recommendations are offered in the context of teachers noticing the mechanics and dynamics of the discourse journey.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who is the Most Autonomous of Them All?

Learner Autonomy is a key element in the field of education, and the number of academic studies in the field has considerably increased recently. Educators have also attached importance to classroom implementations to raise their learners’ autonomy over time. In this classroom action research study at a university in Turkey, I aimed to present the findings to this question: What is my learners’ level of awareness regarding their own learning and study habits? This article will present the results of this classroom inquiry based on a portfolio task that asked learners to prepare an oral report about their study habits. Data were collected through student notes, my notes on the whiteboard, and observations throughout the task. The thematic analysis method was used to analyze patterns in the data. The results suggest that learners are good at accessing study materials according to their identified needs. Although they have some effective strategies for how to learn, these strategies are outnumbered by source selection strategies in the students’ suggestions list. This article may be useful to those who are interested in promoting learner autonomy through classroom activities.

A practitioner framework for blended learning classroom inquiry-based virtual reality lessons

This article presents the Blended Learning Virtual Reality Inquiry Framework, an original framework for creating virtual reality inquiry-based lessons for the modern technology-driven classroom. The framework shared in this article invokes research on blended learning , experiential learning, and inquiry-based learning to structure a virtual reality-specific lesson model. The authors present the theory and research behind each aspect of the framework before explaining how the framework is used. The article concludes by providing practitioners with a standard-aligned Blended Learning Virtual Reality Inquiry Framework lesson example.

Transformative Psychometric Research Trioengineering Modeling: Triangulating Digital Instrumentation, Implementation, and Data Analysis for Effective, Efficient, and Engaging Classroom Inquiry

This monograph provides an in–depth discourse on “Research Engineering” in the field of “Educational Science” first detailed in a 2012 Journal on Mathematics article. Research Engineering involves the methodology and the metrics used to conduct in–depth research investigations via the innovative Total Transformative Trichotomy–Squared [Tri–Squared] Test. The triangulation of this test aids in the comprehension of how the Tri–Squared calculation is a mixed methods research design based upon “Trichotomous Psychometrics”. Trichotomous Psychometrics involves the development, deployment, and analysis of “Trifold Assessments” for the holistic transformation of qualitative outcomes into quantitative data. This paper is a continuation of the published article entitled: The Psychometrics of Educational Science: Designing Trichotomous Inventive Investigative Instruments for Qualitative and Quantitative for Inquiry.

Teacher-research: Agency of Practical Knowledge and Professional Development

Educational research has generally attracted negative criticisms for its generalisability, contextual independence and inadequacy in addressing teachers’ practical problems in their own educational settings. Moreover, as classrooms are always complicated, teachers are therefore encouraged to become active researchers of their own classrooms in order to maximize their instructional performance and provide optimal learning opportunities for their students within their particular context. To promote teachers’ self-inquiry into their own practices, this paper will first define what teacher research is, followed by the arguments for its need and significance in the teaching profession. Suggestions to help teachers become engaged into classroom inquiry are provided after difficulties commonly reported to be encountered by teacher-researchers are reviewed. This paper is expected to provide some considerable insights for classroom-teachers as well as school administrators in their search for practical, concrete and contextually-rich knowledge.

Review of Collaborative Lesson Study: ReVisioning Teacher Professional Development

This article offers a review of Vicki S. Collet’s (2019) book Collaborative Lesson Study: ReVisioning Teacher Professional Development. In this text, Collet provides a guide to the implementation of Collaborative Lesson Study, an ongoing, in-classroom, inquiry-based professional development strategy. The text includes scaffolding on how to (a) plan a lesson for lesson study, (b) observe the lesson in ways that will further the teacher’s understanding of their practice and students, and (c) debrief from the lesson to inform future instruction. This text supports educators in implementing this process in schools and higher education contexts to increase teacher agency and efficacy, as well as to promote instruction for students that is responsive to their diverse backgrounds and needs.

Nitrogen Fixation: Fixing the Gap between Concept- & Evidence-Based Learning with Legume Biology

Students often struggle to connect concepts with evidence, sometimes because development of research skills has not been emphasized in their science courses. We developed a strategy and protocol to train high school students in research and experimental investigation of questions related to course material on legume biology. The richness of this subject matter allows for adaptations of our framework to address diverse areas of science, including principles in ecology, environmental science, agriculture, microbiology, and evolution. Our framework includes a hands-on classroom inquiry that investigates the symbiotic relationship between nitrogen-fixing rhizobial bacteria and legumes. This student-led, inquiry-based project employs an intellectually demanding, hands-on method of education to build critical research skills using an adaptable model and inexpensive materials. We also report positive student feedback from a post hoc survey to gauge student attitudes toward the activity and the effectiveness of this framework.