Explore the vast range of titles available.

In a meta-analytic review of critical thinking in social work education, findings revealed variability in research designs, methods, and subsequent findings. The 10 studies reviewed assessed different components of critical thinking and highlighted different potential moderator variables. Although there are significant limitations to all the studies analyzed in this review, findings suggest some practical significance and point to the need for future research to include more rigorous experimental research designs that include control groups and a comprehensive analysis of potential moderator variables that may include socioeconomic status, ethnicity, academic rank, and teaching methodology.

Different diagnostic tools have been developed and used by researchers to identify students' conceptions. The present study aimed to provide an overview of the common diagnostic instruments in science to assess students' misconceptions. Also the study provides a brief comparison of these common diagnostic instruments with their strengths and weaknesses. A total of 273 articles published (from the year 1980 to 2014) in main journals were investigated thoroughly through document analysis method. The study reveals interviews (53%), open-ended tests (34%), multiple-choice tests (32%) and multiple tier tests (13%) as the most commonly used diagnostic tools. However, each tool has some advantages as well as disadvantages over the others that should be kept in mind in their usages. A careful user of a diagnostic instrument such as a classroom teacher or a researcher would be aware of the diagnostic instruments and selects the most effective one for his/her purposes.

Higher education institutions in the United States provide placement essay tests to ensure international students’ readiness for college courses. The high-stakes nature of placement tests makes educators and researchers seek significant components of differentiating levels of placement tests. This study investigated the prediction of two levels (i.e., low vs. intermediate) of 411 placement test essays written by Chinese international students and examined the influence of linguistic and demographic features on placement test levels through logistic regression. The results show that the type-token ratio (TTR), tokens, college type, and graduate status were significant indicators to differentiate students’ placement test essays. However, several demographic features were not statistically significant. The results may shed light on improving writing skills of Chinese international students who scored intermediate or low in the placement tests.

With the pressing need for accountability in higher education, standardized outcomes assessments have been widely used to evaluate learning and inform policy. However, the critical question on how scores are influenced by students' motivation has been insufficiently addressed. Using random assignment, we administered a multiple-choice test and an essay across three motivational conditions. Students' self-report motivation was also collected. Motivation significantly predicted test scores. A substantial performance gap emerged between students in different motivational conditions (effect size as large as .68). Depending on the test format and condition, conclusions about college learning gain (i.e., value added) varied dramatically from substantial gain (d = 0.72) to negative gain (d = -0.23). The findings have significant implications for higher education stakeholders at many levels.

This study examined a naturalistic, districtwide implementation of an automated writing evaluation (AWE) software program called MI Write in elementary schools. We specifically examined the degree to which aspects of MI Write were implemented, teacher and student attitudes towards MI Write, and whether MI Write usage along with other predictors like demographics and writing self-efficacy explained variability in students’ performance on a proximal and distal measure of writing performance. The participants included 1935 students in Grades 3–5 and 135 writing teachers from 14 elementary schools in a mid-Atlantic school district. Findings indicated that though MI Write was somewhat under-utilized, teachers and students held positive attitudes towards the AWE system. Usage of MI Write had a mixed and limited predictive effect on outcomes: The number of essays written had a small predictive effect on state test performance for Grades 3 and 5; gain on revision had a moderate predictive effect on posttest writing quality and a small predictive effect for Grade 5 state test performance. Students’ average AWE scores showed consistently moderate to large predictive effects for all outcomes. Interpreted in light of the underlying architecture of MI Write, findings have implications for other school districts considering implementing AWE as well as the design of AWE systems intended to support the teaching and learning of writing.

Evaluating written texts is believed to be a time-consuming process that can lack consistency and objectivity. Automated essay scoring (AES) can provide solutions to some of the limitations of human scoring. This research aimed to evaluate the performance of one AES system, Grammarly, in comparison to human raters. Both approaches’ performances were analyzed quantitatively using Corder’s (1974) error analysis approach to categorize the writing errors in a corpus of 197 essays written by English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. Pearson correlation coefficient and paired sample t-tests were conducted to analyze and compare errors detected by both approaches. According to the study’s results, a moderate correlation between human raters and AES in terms of the total scores and the number of errors detected. Results also indicated that the total number of errors detected by AES is significantly higher than human raters and that the latter tend to give students higher scores. The findings encourage a more open attitude towards AES systems to support EFL writing teachers in assessing students’ work.

Identifying the syntax of student learning experiences in learning models helps lecturers be more selective in determining the relevance of learning models and student learning achievements that lecturers have previously formulated. This research aims to determine the increase in student learning achievement, using the problem-based learning (PBL) learning model and the problem-solving (PS) learning model, testing the differences in the application of the PBL and PS models on student learning achievement, and finding out which learning model is more effective in improving Student learning outcomes in sports sociology courses. This research is a quasi-experimental research with a pre-test-post-test non-equivalent comparison-group design. The research sample consisted of 60 students (30 PBL and 30 PS groups) taking sports sociology courses. The research instrument includes ten learning achievement essay test questions developed from critical thinking indicators. The data was analyzed descriptively, testing differences using the independent sample t-test and N-Gain analysis to see the effectiveness of the PBL and PS models on student learning achievements. The research results prove an increase in learning achievement for both groups using PBL and PS. Meanwhile, from the results of statistical tests, there are significant differences in learning achievement between the PBL and PS groups. Furthermore, from the results of the N-Gain test, it turns out that PBL is more effective in improving student learning achievement than the PS model.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of Storytelling Narrated Videos (SNV) on students’ knowledge retention and transferability. A total of 56 students from a university in Indonesia were randomly assigned to a quasi-experimental research design exposed to SNV and to Lecture Narrated Videos (LNV). Two videos were created to deliver content on Bloom’s Taxonomy, one using a lecture-style format and the other adopting a storytelling approach. Data were collected through tests, questionnaires, and essays. The findings revealed that participants exposed to SNV had higher retention memory scores, indicating a positive impact on knowledge retention compared to those who watched LNV. Moreover, the storytelling videos facilitated cognitive skill progression, enhanced understanding through engaging visuals, and fostered a strong connection with a familiar narrator, resulting in a more dynamic and memorable learning experience. The study also examined knowledge transfer and found that participants who watched the storytelling videos performed better in applying Bloom’s Taxonomy concepts to planning teaching objectives in the essay test. This suggests that the incorporation of storytelling narration and promoting transfer knowledge activities can enhance students’ understanding, retention, and practical application of the learned material. Overall, the findings highlight the potential of incorporating storytelling in narrated videos to improve students’ knowledge retention, transferability, and engagement in educational settings. Plain language summary The impact of digital storytelling on students’ learning and knowledge transfer This research aimed to explore how using Storytelling Narrated Videos (SNV) affects students’ memory and ability to apply what they’ve learned. The study involved 56 students from an Indonesian university who were randomly assigned to either watch SNV or Lecture Narrated Videos (LNV). Two different videos were created to teach about Bloom’s Taxonomy—one presented information in a traditional lecture style, while the other used storytelling. Data were collected through tests, questionnaires, and essays. Results showed that students who watched SNV had better memory scores, suggesting that storytelling videos helped them remember information better compared to those who watched LNV. Additionally, storytelling videos helped students improve their thinking skills, made the content more understandable with engaging visuals, and created a stronger connection with the narrator, resulting in a more interesting and memorable learning experience. The study also looked at whether students could use what they learned in practical situations, and found that those who watched storytelling videos performed better in applying Bloom’s Taxonomy concepts in the essay test. This indicates that using storytelling in videos and encouraging students to apply what they learn can improve their understanding, memory, and ability to use the information in real-life scenarios.

The adoption of active learning instructional practices in college science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses has been shown to result in improvements in student learning, contribute to increased retention rates, and reduce the achievement gap among different student populations. Descriptions of active learning strategies have been reported in other disciplines; however, the research literature that documents the success of these strategies may be unfamiliar to many geoscience instructors. This literature review seeks to serve as a bridge that connects the reflective practitioner, the research literature on instructional strategies, and the network of community resources available to the geoscience educator. We review the characteristics of 11 active learning strategies and weigh the evidence that these strategies improve student learning. Furthermore, we analyze the utility of these strategies in the context of their use in geoscience classrooms. We seek to provide geoscience instructors with a decision-making guide and evidence-based recommendations that they can use to select and implement active learning strategies that have the potential to enhance undergraduate learning experiences in geoscience courses.

Critical thinking and problem-solving are fundamental skills that students need to master. Various learning obstacles that occur during the pandemic of Covid-19 have hindered critical thinking and problem-solving skills training. This study aimed to enhance students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills through Complexity Science-Problem Based Learning (CS-PBL) model. The research applied quasi-experimental with Nonequivalent Pre-test-Post test Control Group Design. The research sample consisted of 27 students in the experimental CS-PBL group, 29 students in the PBL group, and 26 students in the direct learning group. The instrument used in the research was an essay test of critical thinking integrated with problem-solving. Data were analyzed using ANCOVA followed by an LSD test. The results showed that the CS-PBL model enhanced students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills (p<0.05). Therefore, the CS-PBL model is applicable to facilitate the enhancement of critical thinking and problem-solving skills in the post covid-19 pandemic.