Instructional Science

Retrieval practice benefits long-term memory performance in a variety of contexts, but its usefulness for retention of more advanced material is less clear. Additionally, evidence of the role of individual differences in retrieval strategy use is mixed. Such evidence is important to determine the usefulness of particular retrieval strategies as a function of cognitive processes, affective characteristics, and aspects of to-be-learned material. With a sample of undergraduate participants (n = 213), we examined how combining testing strategies (free recall, practice quizzing, and test question generation) could impact learning of a published research article compared to rereading, and how cognitive load, self-efficacy, and working memory capacity influenced these relationships. Although retrieval practice activities did not improve final test performance over rereading, the role of some individual differences varied as a function of assigned strategy. Compared to rereading, using retrieval practice increased cognitive load. Cognitive load then mediated the relationship between assigned strategy and retrieval performance, with higher cognitive load associated with lower final test scores. These results suggest that the memorial benefits of retrieval practice might be limited by cognitive load requirements.

This study aims to deepen the theoretical foundations of debriefing in simulation-based pedagogy. By applying distributed cognition (DCog), we analyse a case of a simulation debriefing with nursing students. Using transcribed excerpts from video recordings, our cognitive ethnography shows how debriefing conversations function as a coordination device for two key processes: joint conversational remembering and distributed metacognition. According to our model, debriefing conversations coordinate a cascade of representations of simulated events. This cascade enables participants to engage reflexively with past actions, transforming these into shared learning opportunities. Reframing the trajectory of public representation in debriefing conversations in terms of DCog reveals new insights into the cognitive consequences of debriefing practices and how they can be developed. We highlight the importance of enabling multiple viewpoints and shared cognitive resources for epistemic outcomes, while also challenging students’ assumptions and foster critical thinking skills.

Achievement goal theory (AGT) has become increasingly prominent for exploring the interplay between teachers’ goals and their instructional practices. Prior research has suggested that relational goals significantly impact mastery-oriented instruction, surpassing the influence of mastery goals. Nonetheless, much of this evidence is derived from studies conducted in Western contexts. The current work investigates the relationships between teachers’ goals and their instructional practices in the Lao context, aiming at providing a more nuanced understanding of these relationships and examining their applicability in collectivist cultural settings. A total of 207 teachers participated in this study by completing an online questionnaire that assessed their teaching goals, instructional approaches, and specific practices. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze two models. Model 1 revealed positive correlations between relational and mastery goals with mastery-oriented instructional approaches and between ability-approach and ability-avoidance goals with performance-oriented strategies. Additionally, Model 2 demonstrated that relational goals were associated with recognition, grouping, and mutual respect, whereas mastery goals were linked to task and recognition. The findings underscore the central role of relational goals in fostering effective instructional practices, even in a collectivist cultural setting. This study also offers a more detailed understanding of the interconnection between the goals of teachers and their instructional practices, contributing to the cross-cultural AGT literature and providing insights for enhancing teaching practices globally.

The aim of the research was to investigate the effect of guidance methods on students’ performance, and it was hypothesized that this effect is manifested through students’ learning and perception. The aim was to investigate the effect of three guiding methods (open-ended questions; objective questions; and behavioral objectives) on students’ learning and perceptions of an educational technology course. In an experimental setting, three randomly selected groups of students (n = 41) responded to depth of knowledge test questions as a measure of learning and a measure of perceptions. Students in the intervention condition were given guiding methods to guide them in interacting with digital learning resources (DLR) using a social annotation tool (Diigo). In this way, all groups were motivated to learn independently, and students’ thinking processes were guided according to the three guiding methods. It was found that students in the open-ended questions intervention condition performed significantly better on depth of knowledge test questions, followed by the behavioral objectives intervention. Whereas, objective questions intervention students’ performance worse on the post-test. The results indicated the powerful nature of guiding methods and their positive impact on students’ perceptions and future intentions. The results suggest that Diigo’s collaborative guiding methods can be useful in web-based learning, and that considering guiding methods can improve student activity and motivation.

Retrieval practice is a well-established learning strategy. However, the cognitive load involved in retrieving all the steps required for problem solving may hinder its effect in mathematics learning. This study aims to optimize retrieval practice by focusing on key procedural steps to enhance students' learning outcomes in mathematical problem solving. Targeting junior middle school students, the experiment utilized one-variable quadratic equations as learning material. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a key-step retrieval group, who were instructed to recall only the essential steps in problem solving; a general retrieval group, who retrieved full solution steps; and a relearning group, who restudied the worked examples without retrieval. Results showed that while there was no significant difference in final test scores between the general retrieval practice group and the relearning group, the key-step retrieval practice group significantly outperformed both the general retrieval and relearning groups. Moreover, the key-step retrieval practice group achieved a higher initial retrieval success rate than the general retrieval practice group. These findings indicate that emphasizing key steps during retrieval practice can improve students' transfer performance and lead to more effective learning of mathematical problem solving.

This study investigates the integration of dispositions - defined as the attitude, beliefs, and values influencing the application of knowledge and skills - into the work of professional instructional designers in higher education. Instructional design in higher education is primarily focused on knowledge and skills, often overlooking the equally critical role of attitudes, beliefs, and values - collectively known as dispositions. This exploratory study aims to understand whether and how instructional designers in higher education incorporate dispositions into their course design, and what teaching and learning activities and feedback and assessment procedures they employ. It is guided by Fink’s (2013) Integrated Course Design framework, which includes situational factors, learning goals, teaching activities, feedback and assessment procedures, and more importantly, the alignment between these components. Semi-structured interviews with six instructional designers revealed that dispositions are recognized as essential learning goals. While some identified effective teaching strategies, many lacked clear or appropriate methods to assess dispositions, raising concerns about the alignment between the components of Integrated Course Design. This misalignment suggests that learners may be inadequately prepared to activate dispositions which drive them to appropriately apply their knowledge and skills in real-world contexts. The findings highlight the need for more structured approaches to integrating and assessing dispositions in instructional design, ensuring that learners develop not only domain-specific knowledge and skills, but also the right dispositions to apply them in different contexts.

Team-Based Learning (TBL) is an active learning and small group instructional strategy that provides students with opportunities to apply conceptual knowledge through a sequence of activities that includes individual work, teamwork, and immediate feedback. The aim of this study is to investigate an interactive approach to teaching medical terminology based on the use of team-based learning. The participants for this study were randomly selected from first year paramedical students. Sixty anesthesiology students were randomly assigned into two groups; namely, the experimental group (Team-Based Learning) and the control group (Lecture-Based Learning) (N = 30). The experimental group were tested by individual and team readiness assurance tests after sixteen TBL sessions were held. To compare, the other 30 students were evaluated by individual readiness assurance test after sixteen lecture-based learning (LBL) sessions. The results of the study showed a significant increase in the students’ scores on medical terms through team readiness assurance test (TRAT) as compared to individual readiness assurance test (IRAT) (P < 0.01). TBL group members outperformed those in the LBL group demonstrating that the paramedical students learned how to be collaborative and productive in the team process (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that the TBL intervention had a beneficial effect and was a successful strategy when learning medical terminology in the classroom for paramedical students. Thus, it can be concluded that TBL can complement a lecture-based learning approach.

In any US school, even in schools with strong commitments to equity, colleagues and administrators may make deficit-oriented, prejudiced, and/or problematic comments about students and families. These harmful comments are often fueled by white supremacy, cisheteropatriarchy, ableism, capitalism, etc., and we refer to them as politically charged scenarios or dilemmas. When politically charged situations arise, teachers and teacher candidates, or TCs, need to take action and advocate for students, especially for students of marginalized and minoritized backgrounds. Attention to politically charged dilemmas is especially timely with current events such as recent executive orders eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, attempts to dismantle the United States Department of Education, and prior anti-Critical Race Theory attacks that push equity-minded teachers out of schools. This qualitative case study investigates white female elementary TCs’ understandings about the role of emotions when presented with politically charged dilemmas in their elementary mathematics methods course. The authors theorize emotional tools of creative insubordination, which emerged from the data as TCs described how they would respond to the various politically charged scenarios. Emotional tools of creative insubordination refer to actions that leverage emotions in order to advocate for students, especially those of marginalized backgrounds, such as regulating or de-escalating emotions, leveraging empathy, revealing emotions, and being comfortable being “called out” (or called in). The emotional tools of creative insubordination offer strategies for teachers and TCs to advocate for students’ learning and well-being to ultimately promote equity and justice in schools and society.

The gender achievement gap in higher STEM education is well documented as STEM course grades often show a bias favoring men, even when controlling for overall student achievements. The current work, which was preregistered prior to data collection, replicates and extends prior work to evaluate several possible contributors to the gender gap in advanced STEM courses. The contributing factors include students’ STEM-preparedness, learning assessment design, and students’ activity level in the course. We analyzed the data of a cohort of 315 undergraduate engineering students in a leading technological university in Israel. A mixed-effect model analysis revealed a gender gap in both high-stakes and low-stakes assessments of learning. We found that the gap first appears in lower-division undergraduate mathematics courses and remains steady through advanced STEM courses, with relatively little variance between different courses. We further found that students’ activity in the course’s learning management system is not associated with a gap reduction. The analysis suggests that the gender gap can be traced back, at least in part, to students’ STEM-preparedness when entering college. Notably, although the gap is traced prior to college, high-school grades likely show a ceiling effect and are thus not representative of the gap shown later in college. Therefore, it may be that other preparatory factors contribute to this gap, outside of or in addition to high-school performance.

Although students often acknowledge the importance of feedback, they generally struggle to engage with it and act upon it. Specific pedagogical factors, such as poorly structured feedback, unsuitable tone, and weak educator-student relationships, can impede effective utilisation of feedback. Students also exhibit varying degrees of comprehension, engagement, and action in response to feedback. Despite these observations, there is a lack of empirical studies systematically investigating diverse feedback experiences, practices, and action-taking behaviours of students. This paper addresses this gap by reporting on a study that aimed to explore students’ current feedback practices, self-reported action-taking behaviours, and perceived challenges related to students’ sensemaking and action-taking processes. A sample of 641 students from higher education was surveyed to investigate: (a) their feedback experiences, including practices, attitudes and beliefs; (b) variations in their motivations and emotional responses to feedback; and (c) variations in students’ perceived challenges in understanding and acting on feedback. The study employed 29 Likert scale items and latent class analysis (LCA) to identify four distinct classes of students based on their feedback experiences, aiming to uncover heterogeneity in their inclination to act upon feedback and challenges experienced in the feedback process. Additionally, thematic analysis of four open-ended questions captured a comprehensive understanding of their challenges, motivations, and emotional responses to feedback. The analysis revealed that students showed various levels of feedback experiences, engagement, and challenges in the feedback process across different classes. The paper concludes by highlighting the importance of self regulation skills and the social-affective component of a dialogic feedback process. This process can potentially be facilitated by technology-enhanced feedback tools, such as learning analytics (LA) tools.

This study examines the impact of incorporating cloze tests during pauses in classroom instruction as retrieval practice activities, using Audience Response Systems (ARS) for delivery. While ARSs traditionally rely on multiple-choice questions, cloze tests offer a potentially efficient alternative that aligns with retrieval practice principles. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of inserting computer-administered cloze tests during pauses in classroom slideshow lessons using an application called i-cloze. Experiment 1 involved 82 fifth-grade students learning history, and Experiment 2 involved 95 tenth-grade students in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) lessons. Results from Experiment 1 showed no significant benefits of the i-cloze method, likely due to cognitive overload imposed by the content design, the i-cloze tasks, and limited familiarity with the technology. Experiment 2 demonstrated significant improvements in memory and partial improvements in comprehension for students in the i-cloze condition. These findings suggest that cloze-based retrieval practice, when appropriately aligned with lesson content and student readiness, holds promise as an innovative ARS format. EFL contexts may be especially well suited for this approach. Future research should explore how task complexity, content type, and technological familiarity influence the effectiveness of the i-cloze method in diverse educational settings.

In the pursuit of inclusive classrooms, educators have identified the importance of teachers’ responsiveness to the particular students they teach. To date, research on responsive teaching has emphasized students’ subjectivities. In this study, we use a situative perspective on teacher learning to examine teachers’ subjectivities as they learn and sustain responsive instructional practice. Using fieldnotes, video, and interviews from two critical events, we analyze what happened when teachers encountered students who challenged something core to their visions of teaching, asking, how do contextual resources shape teachers’ responsiveness to students in challenging teaching situations? Through the case analysis, we show that contextual resources shape teachers’ agentic responses in challenging teaching situations, offering different possibilities for their epistemic and relational agency, which, in turn, shapes their interpretations of student behavior. We highlight the emotional labor involved in maintaining responsive teaching, particularly in challenging situations. This paper underscores how teachers’ capacity for responsive instruction can be amplified or reduced by the complex systems and multiple relationships in their schools.