In 2006, the authors began a project to understand what happens in middle school technology education classrooms in order to document the goals that technology education teachers pursue, the instructional strategies they use to teach children to meet these outcomes, the measures they use to assess achievement of these goals, and the learning…

The use of laboratories as part of cybersecurity education is well evidenced in the existing literature. We are informed about the benefits, different types of laboratories and, in addition, underlying learning theories therein. Existing research also demonstrates that the success of employing cybersecurity laboratory exercises relies upon…

Online environments increasingly are becoming a part of our schools. While online education holds tremendous promise--offering viable and attractive options for advancing student skills, increasing access, and potentially lowering the cost of educational services--there is little research on the efficacy of online instruction for students with…

The present paper gives an overview of research on heterogeneity and diversity in German chemistry classes. The terms "heterogeneity" and "diversity" are first explained before discussing specific studies. The different facets of heterogeneity and diversity are asserted. Finally, the focus will be placed on language and special…

The purpose of this study is to explore the research base of STEM education in Malaysia through an analysis review of articles for a 14-year period, from 1999 to 2013. The research base review focuses on identifying four characteristics of STEM education: a) temporal distribution, b) the research areas involved in each discipline, c) the types of…

Blended learning environments that merge learning strategies, resources, and modes have been implemented in higher education settings for nearly two decades, and research has identified many positive effects. More recently, K-12 traditional and charter schools have begun to experiment with blended learning, but to date, research on the effects of…

The overarching question that guides this review is to identify the key components of effective teacher training in virtual schooling, with a focus on three-dimensional (3D) immersive virtual worlds (IVWs). The process of identifying the essential components of effective teacher training in the use of 3D IVWs will be described step-by-step. First,…

Design-based learning (DBL) is an educational approach grounded in the processes of inquiry and reasoning towards generating innovative artifacts, systems and solutions. The approach is well characterized in the context of learning natural sciences in secondary education. Less is known, however, of its characteristics in the context of higher…

Children's fiction in school libraries have played and still play a role in mediating representations of technology and attitudes towards technology to schoolchildren. In early 20th century Sweden, elementary education, including textbooks and literature that were used in teaching, accounted for the main mediation of technological knowledge…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a typical Chinese high school biology textbook using the textbook standards of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The data were composed of three chapters selected from the textbook. Each chapter was analyzed and rated using the AAAS textbook standards. Pearson correlations…

To help researchers in building a knowledge foundation of their research fields which could be a time-consuming process, the authors have developed a Cross Tabulation Search Engine (CTSE). Its purpose is to assist researchers in 1) conducting research surveys, 2) efficiently and effectively retrieving information (such as important researchers,…

Electronic portfolios are a student-centered outcomes-based assessment regime involving learners in the gathering, selection, and organization of artifacts synthesized into a compilation purposed to demonstrate knowledge, skills, and/or achievements supported by reflections that articulate the relevance, credibility, and meaning of the artifacts…

Methodological reviews have been used successfully to identify research trends and improve research practice in a variety of academic fields. Although there have been three methodological reviews of the emerging field of computer science education research, they lacked reliability or generalizability. Therefore, because of the capacity for a…

Online education is one of the fastest growing trends in the use of technology. This study examined the role of student interaction in an online environment and implications for course development and online instruction. In a review of seminal articles in the area of pre-service teacher education courses, two research questions were addressed: (1)…

This literature review synthesizes the effects of computer-assisted instruction to enhance the reading comprehension of students with disabilities and struggling readers from 1985-2009. First, it addresses research investigates the impact on comprehension when students are presented with computerized versus printed reading material. Second, it…