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The aim of the International Society for Technology, Education, and Science (iHSES) conference is to offer opportunities to share ideas, discuss theoretical and practical issues, and connect with the leaders in the fields of "humanities," "education" and "social sciences." It is organized for: (1) faculty members in all disciplines of humanities, education and social sciences; (2) graduate students; (3) K-12 administrators; (4) teachers; (5) principals; and (6) all interested in education and social sciences. [Individual papers are indexed in ERIC.]

For the thirty-first year, the Research and Theory Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) sponsored the publication of these Proceedings. Papers were presented at the annual AECT Convention in Orlando, Florida. This year's Proceedings has two sections--Section 1 includes research and development papers and Section 2 includes papers on the practice of educational communications and technology. (Individual papers contain references, figures, and tables.) [For Volume 1 of the 30th (2007) Proceedings, see ED499889. For Volume 2, see ED499896.]

This document contains the following papers: "Cognitive Abilities of Oak Harbor High School Agricultural Education Students" (Mark F. Starkey, Jamie Cano); "Development and Evaluation of Hands-on Learning Activities in Indiana High School Animal Science Classes" (Kendra Koster, Mark A. Balschweid); "Teaching Biology Using Agriculture as the Context: Perceptions of High School Students" (Mark A. Balschweid); "Assessing and Comparing the Scheduling Systems Utilized by Agricultural Education Programs in Illinois" (Andrew J. Baker); "Characteristics of Elementary Teachers Explaining Integration of Agricultural Awareness Activities in the Curriculum" (Neil A. Knoblock, Robert A. Martin); "Stakeholder Perceptions of Their Transition to an Agricultural Magnet School in the Midwest: A Case Study" (Linda Moody, Lloyd C. Bell); "Expert Perceptions of the Future of Agricultural Education in Illinois" (Joe G. Harper, Bret Hitchings); "Leading Like a Woman in a Man's World: Women's Conceptualizations of Leadership in the Agricultural Industry" (Amanda E. Corn); "Structuring Agricultural Education Research Using Conceptual and Theoretical Frameworks" (James E. Dyer, Penny S. Haase Wittler, Shannon G. Washburn); "Attitude of Vocational Teachers Towards Teacher Evaluation" (Jamie Cano, Barrett Zimmerman); "The Impact of Participating in Freshmen Interest Groups and Agricultural Youth Organizations on Agriculture Students' Academic Performance and Retention" (Anna L. Ball, Bryan L. Garton, James E. Dyer); "Relationship between Learning Style and Personality Type of Students Majoring and Minoring in Agricultural Education at The Ohio State University" (Tracy Kitchel, Jamie Cano); "Agricultural Extension Educators' Perceptions regarding Teaching Methods and Tools for Educating Farmers about Sustainable Agricultural Practices" (K.S.U. Jayaratne, Robert A. Martin); "Assessing and Prioritizing Present Inservice Needs and Evaluating Past Inservicing Programming Designed for Illinois Agricultural Education Instructors" (Andrew J. Baker); "Job Satisfaction among Agricultural Teacher Educators: New Directions in Measurement" (Jamie X. Castillo, Jamie Cano); "An Assessment of Desktop Videoconferencing's Potential to Enhance Communication and Student Teacher Supervision in Agricultural Education" (John Kessell, Greg Miller); "Characteristics of Learners Explaining the Benefit of Student Interaction in a Distance- and Technology-Situated Environment" (Neil A. Knobloch); and "The Professional Development Needs of Kansas Teachers of Agriculture" (Shannon G. Washburn, Brad O. King, Bryan L. Garton, Steven R. Harbstreit). Each paper is followed by a one-page critique by either Rosemary Gleim, Mark Zidon, R. Kirby Barrick, or Lloyd C. Bell. Most papers include substantial bibliographies. (MN)

This conference proceedings publication addresses issues in developmental education at the postsecondary level. Papers included are: "Developmental Studies Teachers to Retention Specialists: Assets, Not Liabilities" (Carol H. Bader); "Primary and Secondary Orientation Support for One Underrepresented Group" (Allen R. Barlow and Kerri Heavens); "Magazines in Developmental Writing: An Innovative Reading-Writing Connection" (Sandra Karnei Chumchal); "Summary of the Final Report of the American Mathematical Association of Two Year Colleges: Standards for Developmental and Introductory College Mathematics" (Betsy Darken); "Effects of Testing Methods on Outcomes in Developmental Algebra" (Jeanette W. Glover); "Breaking Down the Barriers" (Ellen Hendrix et al.); "A Fair Chance for All" (Trevor Hulme and Allen R. Barlow); "Academic Probation: A Road to Academic Success" (Marjorie L. Illingworth); "Arts Internships as Transition Space for Students At Risk" (Linda Adler Kassner and Terence Collins); "Tutor Training Enhanced By Knowledge of Tutee Expectations" (Joan L. Krabbe and Mark A. Krabbe); "Supplemental Instruction in Biology at the College Level" (Ofra N. Peled and Anna C. Kim); "Building Mathematical Understanding: From Counting to Chaos" (Patrick Perdew et al.); "Educating the Postsecondary Student with Learning Disabilities" (Linda Schnapp); "Integration of Basic Composition and Reading" (Caroline Stern); "Activities to Promote Achievement Among Mathematics Students" (Pamela V. Thomas and Jeanne L. Higbee); "Developing Experiential Learning Assignments for Composition Courses" (Edna M. Troiano); "Supplemental Instruction's Impact on Affect: A Follow-Up and Expansion" (Julia N. Visor et al.); "Mathematics Survival: A Linked Course" (Gideon L. Weinstein); and "Student's World: A Writing Assignment" (Annette C. Williams). (Individual papers contain references.) (NAV)

This product of an annual meeting presents abstracts of symposia, contributed papers, paper sets, discussion groups, reports, poster sessions, and panel presentations. Topics include: science teaching, gender differences, science education reform, constructivism, biological concepts, concept mapping, attitude/behavior change, conceptual change/understanding, assessment, problem solving/inquiry learning, science attitudes, instructional technology/communication, teacher perception/knowledge, inservice program evaluation, epistemology, cooperative learning, chemistry education, environmental education, metacognition in science, qualitative research, computer education, textbook/program evaluation, and reasoning. Author and topic indexed are attached, as well as a list of presenters with addresses. (PR)

This document contains the abstracts of most of the papers, symposia, and poster sessions presented at the 63rd Annual Conference of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST). Subject areas addressed include teacher preparation; informal settings; cognitive models; classroom practices; teaching methods; student learning; teacher beliefs; microcomputers; elementary science; cooperative learning; teacher knowledge; visual learning; science instruction; science curriculum; self-efficacy; problem solving; gender; teacher programs; student thinking; research in Norway, Costa Rica, Taiwan, and Africa; science/technology/society; individual differences; electronic learning; cognitive test development; cognitive change; teacher development; and attitudes. (KR)

This document presents the proceedings of the 20th Annual Research Forum held June 25, 2015, at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Included are the following 21 action research papers: (1) History Lives! The Use of Simulations in a High School Social Studies Classroom (Lydia Adkins); (2) Using Francophone Music in the High School French Class (Virginia Browne); (3) Fostering Public Speaking through Pecha Kucha in the High School English Classroom (Robert Ciarrocca); (4) Choosing to Read: Scaffolding Pre-Choice, Choice, and Post-Choice Reading of Student-Selected Texts (Quentin Collie); (5) Supporting Students to Ask Scientific Questions in a Biology Project-Based Learning Unit (Alexandria Packard Dell'Aringa); (6) Using Hispanic Music in the Secondary Spanish Classroom (Sarah DeMatte); (7) American Girl Rising: The Effects of Incorporating Inspirational Video into the Secondary Mathematics Classroom (Thomas Flood); (8) History as a Pathway to Social Justice Engagement (Brandon Hubbard-Heitz); (9) Constructing Explanations: How Teachers Can Support Students in Extracting Scientific Evidence from Documentaries (Rachel Key); (10) The Long and Short of It: The Effects of Sudden Fiction in the Secondary English Classroom (Rachel Koval); (11) Reflecting on Revision: Student Reflection and Metacognitive Awareness in the Writing Process (Stephen Langford); (12) Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in a Public Secondary Social Studies Class (Jacob D. Leonard); (13) Solving with Reflection: The Use of Writing in a Secondary Mathematics Course (Austin J. Love, III); (14) Problem Posing in the High School Mathematics Classroom (Jennifer Mastin); (15) Oral Presentations and the Writing Process: Improving Students' Confidence through Sharing Writing (Julia Means); (16) Exploring the Relationship between Student Filmmaking Projects and Motivation Levels in a History Classroom (Cody Puckett); (17) The Influence of Student Constructed Historical Fiction Narratives on Student Engagement and Understanding of History (John A. Reynolds, II); (18) Use of Pre-Reading Strategies in Facilitating Reading Comprehension of Authentic Texts in the Secondary Spanish Classroom (Dara Rosenkrantz); (19) The Effects of Introversion and Extroversion on Whole-Class Discussion (Lindsay Schneider); (20) Use of Authentic Film in a Secondary Spanish Classroom to Develop Language Ability and Cultural Knowledge (Spencer A. Willis); and (21) Inquiry before Instruction: How the Use of Mathematical Questioning before Presenting Methodology Affects Student Attitude and Performance (Kalyn A. Wyckoff). (Individual papers contain references, tables, and figures.) [For the 2014 Research Digest, see ED545622.]

Five articles on computer use in higher education and three final papers presented at the Association for Educational Data Systems (AEDS) 1976 convention are included in this document. Implementing and evaluating computer technology in higher education is the subject of two articles, and another article describes instructional and administrative computing at a minority community college in a bilingual-bicultural setting. Application of a time sharing computer system to undergraduate business education and to teacher education is assessed in two papers. Computer use in a college-level high school biology course is outlined. Minicomputers for conducting real-time computer controlled experiments are evaluated. The document concludes with a case study of the publication of a course in computer programing. (CH)

This document contains the abstracts of most of the papers, symposia, and poster sessions presented at the 62nd Annual Conference of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST). Subject areas addressed include: teacher preparation; science, technology and society; classroom research, elementary science; process skills; curriculum and instruction; misconceptions; achievement; education policy; problem solving; analytical studies; interpretive research; gender differences; attitudes; teacher characteristics; evaluation and assessment; learning; inservice teacher education; science laboratories; and microcomputers. (CW)

This document contains the abstracts of most of the papers, symposia and poster sessions presented at the 61st Annual Conference of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST). Subject areas addressed include: teacher preparation, science, technology and society; classroom research; elementary science; process skills; curriculum and instruction; misconceptions; achievement; research in Latin America and the Caribbean; microcomputers; educational policy; problem solving; analytical studies; interpretive research; gender differences; and attitudes. (CW)

Abstracts of most of the papers, symposia, and poster sessions presented at the 60th conference of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) are provided. Subject areas addressed include: videodisc technology; problem solving; cognitive learning; attitudes toward science; teaching strategies; science, technology, society; learning in informal settings; science process skills; gender differences; teaching with microcomputers; textbooks and instructional materials; information processing; wait time and questioning techniques; teacher concerns; science curriculum; teacher education; misconceptions in science; philosophy of science; and cross-cultural research. (ML)

These proceedings contain the papers of the 10th International Conference on Mobile Learning 2014, which was organised by the International Association for Development of the Information Society, in Madrid, Spain, February 28-March 2, 2014. The Mobile Learning 2014 International Conference seeks to provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of mobile learning research which illustrate developments in the field. Papers in these proceedings include: (1) Supporting Teachers to Design and Use Mobile Collaborative Learning Games (Iza Marfisi-Schottman and Sébastien George); (2) Ebooks as PDF Files, in Epub Format or as Interactive Ibooks? Digital Books in Physics Lessons of Secondary Education (Manfred Lohr); (3) Mobile Learning and Early Age Mathematics (Shir Peled and Shimon Schocken); (4) M-Learning--On Path to Integration with Organisation Systems (Shilpa Srivastava and Ved Prakash Gulati); (5) Improving History Learning through Cultural Heritage, Local History and Technology (Graça Magro, Joaquim Ramos de Carvalho and Maria José Marcelino); (6) Intrigue at the Museum: Facilitating Engagement and Learning through a Location-Based Mobile Game (Jetmir Xhembulla, Irene Rubino, Claudia Barberis and Giovanni Malnati); (7) Mobile-Based Chatting for Meeting Negotiation in Foreign Language Learning (María Dolores Castrillo, Elena Martín-Monje and Elena Bárcena); (8) Student Preferences for M-Learning Application Characteristics (Ömer Delialioglu & Yasaman Alioon); (9) Learning and Teaching with Mobile Devices An Approach in Secondary Education in Ghana (Margarete Grimus and Martin Ebner); (10) Cross-Cultural Design of Mobile Mathematics Learning Service for South African Schools (Tanja Walsh, Teija Vainio and Jari Varsaluoma); (11) Mobile Learning and Achievement Goal Orientation Profiles (Minna Asplund); (12) A Review of Integrating Mobile Phones for Language Learning (Ramiza Darmi and Peter Albion); (13) Overlapping Chat's Accessibility Requirements between Students with and without Disabilities Due to the Mobile Limitiations (Rocío Calvo, Ana Iglesias and Lourdes Moreno); (14) UML Quiz: Automatic Conversion of Web-Based E-Learning Content in Mobile Applications (Alexander von Franqué and Hilda Tellioglu); (15) Pedagogical Applications of Smartphone Integration in Teaching--Lectures', Students', & Pupils' Perspectives (Tami Seifert); (16) MOOC's to Go (Jan Renz, Thomas Staubitz and Christoph Meinel); (17) Strategies and Challenges in Ipad Initiative (Chientzu Candace Chou, Lanise Block and Renee Jesness); (18) Blending Classroom Teaching and Learning with QR Codes (Jenni Rikala and Marja Kankaanranta); (19) Programming Education with a Blocks-Based Visual Language for Mobile Application Development (Can Mihci and Nesrin Ozdener); (20) Shifting Contexts: Investigating the Role of Context in the Use of Obiquitious Computing for Design-Based Learning (Katharine S. Willis and Gianni Corino); (21) Evaluation Framework for Dependable Mobile Learning Scenarios (Manel Bensassi and Mona Laroussi); (22) Initial Evaluation of a Mobile Scaffolding Application that Seeks to Support Novice Learners of Programming (Chao Mbogo, Edwin Blake and Hussein Suleman); (23) Defining a Set of Architectural Requirements for Service-Oriented Mobile Learning Environments (Nemésio Freitas Duarte Filho and Ellen Francine Barbosa); (24) Portability and Usability of Open Educational Resources on Mobile Devices: A Study in the Context of Brazilian Educational Portals and Android-Based Devices (André Constantino da Silva, Fernanda Maria Pereira Freire, Vitor Hugo Miranda Mourão, Márcio Diógenes de Oliveira da Cruz and Heloísa Vieira da Rocha); (25) Evaluating QR Code Case Studies Using a Mobile Learning Framework (Jenni Rikala); (26) Developing a Mobile Social Media Framework for Creative Pedagogies (Thomas Cochrane, Laurent Antonczak, Matthew Guinibert and Danni Mulrennan); (27) Factors Affecting M-Learners' Course Satisfaction and Learning Persistence (Young Ju Joo, Sunyoung Joung, Eugene Lim and Hae Jin Kim); (28) A Framework to Support Mobile Learning in Multilingual Environments (Mmaki E. Jantjies and Mike Joy); (29) Mobile Technology Integrated Pedagogical Model (Arshia Khan); (30) Representation of an Incidental Learning Framework to Support Mobile Learning (Eileen Scanlon, Mark Gaved, Ann Jones, Agnes Kukulska-Hulme, Lucas Paletta and Ian Dunwell); (31) Using Mobile Apps and Social Media for Online Learner-Generated Content (Paul David Henry); (32) Tweeting as a Tool for Learning Science: The Credibility of Student-Produced Knowledge Content in Educational Contexts (Kaja Vembe Swensen, Kenneth Silseth and Ingeborg Krange); (33) What Mobile Learning and Working Remotely Can Learn from Each Other (Koen Depryck); (34) In-Time On-Place Learning (Merja Bauters, Jukka Purma and Teemu Leinonen); (35) M-Learning and Technological Literacy: Analyzing Benefits for Apprenticeship (Carlos Manuel Pacheco Cortés and Adriana Margarita Pacheco Cortés); (36) Designing a Site to Embed and to Interact with Wolfram Alpha Widgets in Math and Science Courses (Francisco Javier Delgado Cepeda and Ruben Dario Santiago Acosta); (37) An Environment for Mobile Experiential Learning (Otto Petrovic, Philipp Babcicky and Thomas Puchleitner); (38) Supporting Situated Learning Based on QR Codes with Etiquetar App: A Pilot Study (Miguel Olmedo Camacho, Mar Pérez-Sanagustín, Carlos Alario-Hoyos, Xavier Soldani, Carlos Delgado Kloos and Sergio Sayago); (39) Raising Awareness of Cybercrime--The Use of Education as a Means of Prevention and Protection (Julija Lapuh Bele, Maja Dimc, David Rozman and Andreja Sladoje Jemec); (40) Mobile Game for Learning Bacteriology (Ryo Sugimura, Sotaro Kawazu, Hiroki Tamari, Kodai Watanabe, Yohei Nishimura, Toshiki Oguma, Katsushiro Watanabe, Kosuke Kaneko, Yoshihiro Okada, Motofumi Yoshida, Shigeru Takano and Hitoshi Inoue); (41) The Theory Paper: What is the Future of Mobile Learning? (John Traxler and Marguerite Koole); (42) Rapid Prototyping of Mobile Learning Games (Maija Federley, Timo Sorsa, Janne Paavilainen, Kimo Boissonnier and Anu Seisto); (43) Preparing Lessons, Exercises and Tests for M-Learning of IT Fundamentals (S. Djenic, V. Vasiljevic, J. Mitic, V. Petkovic and A. Miletic); (44) The Motivating Power of Social Obligation: An Investigation into the Pedagogical Affordances of Mobile Learning Integrated with Facebook (Nurhasmiza Sazalli, Rupert Wegerif and Judith Kleine-Staarman); (45) When Everyone is a Probe, Everyone is a Learner (Boris Berenfeld, Tatiana Krupa, Arseny Lebedev and Sergey Stafeev); (46) Mobile Learning and Art Museums: A Case Study of New Art Interpretation Approach for Visitor Engagement through Mobile Media (Victoria López Benito); (47) Learner Centric in M-Learning: Integration of Security, Dependability and Trust (Sheila Mahalingam, Faizal Mohd Abdollah and Shahrin Sahib); (48) M-Learning Pilot at Sofia University (Elissaveta Gourova, Pavlin Dulev, Dessislava Petrova-Antonova and Boyan Bontchev); (49) A Mobile Service Oriented Multiple Object Tracking Augmented Reality Architecture for Education and Learning Experiences (Sasithorn Rattanarungrot, Martin White and Paul Newbury); (50) Learners' Ensemble Based Security Conceptual Model for M-Learning System in Malaysian Higher Learning Institution (Sheila Mahalingam, Faizal Mohd Abdollah and Shahrin Sahib); (51) Supporting the M-Learning Based Knowledge Transfer in University Education and Corporate Sector (András Benedek and György Molnár); and (52) The future of Ubiquitous Elearning (Timothy Arndt). Individual papers contain references. An author index is included. Luís Rodrigues is an associate editor of these proceedings.

Evolution is a central concept that unifies all areas of life sciences. Despite longstanding scientific efforts in science education, the public's scientific awareness of evolution still needs to improve. Furthermore, teaching evolution is subject to recurring controversy. This study aimed to investigate the gap between public understanding of evolution seen through online spaces and contents in a school curriculum and explore its reasons. A content analysis was conducted using data mining on a major online portal in Korea. It examined the characteristics of creating and consuming content on evolution through the online portal service based on analyzing the number of posts related to biological evolution and active participants. It also discussed the feasibility of automatic document classification to distinguish between scientific understanding and nonscientific beliefs on the evolution and related online circulating contents. The results show that there are tactics for public exposure and dissemination of creationism through online discussions. [For the full proceedings, see ED629086.]

Emoji are commonly used in social media to convey attitudes and emotions. While popular, their use in educational contexts has been sparsely studied. This paper reports on the students' use of emoji in an online course forum in which students annotate and discuss course material in the margins of the online textbook. For this study, instructors created 11 custom emoji-hashtag pairs that enabled students to quickly communicate affects and reactions in the forum that they experienced while interacting with the course material. Example reporting includes, inviting discussion about a topic, declaring a topic as interesting, or requesting assistance about a topic. We analyze emoji usage by over 1,800 students enrolled in multiple offerings of the same course across multiple academic terms. The data show that some emoji frequently appear together in posts associated with the same paragraphs, suggesting that students use the emoji in this way to communicating complex affective states. We explore the use of computational models for predicting emoji at the post level, even when posts are lacking emoji. This capability can allow instructors to infer information about students' affective states during their "at home" interactions with course readings. Finally, we show that partitioning the emoji into distinct groups, rather than trying to predict individual emoji, can be both of pedagogical value to instructors and improve the predictive performance of our approach using the BERT language model. Our procedure can be generalized to other courses and for the benefit of other instructors. [For the full proceedings, see ED623995.]

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) demonstrate success in facilitating pathways for STEM graduates into the STEM workforce, and this phenomenon has been widely documented (Gasman & Nguyen, 2014; Upton & Tanenbaum, 2014; Clewell et al., 2016). Although thematic analysis of the mission statements of HBCUs at the institutional level have been conducted (Albritton, 2012; Bryan & Stewart, 2016), similar analysis has not been conducted at the departmental or program level of many discipline- specific STEM areas at HBCUs. In the present thematic analysis, departmental and programmatic mission statements in biology at 28 HBCUs were evaluated to determine the emergent themes that characterize and potentially contribute to student retention and success in biology at HBCUs. Among all Carnegie classes, the 2 most frequent themes included: STEM/ Healthcare Workforce Preparation and Skill Development. The 2 least frequent themes were Diversity & Inclusion and non- STEM Student Science Education. This emphasis on workforce preparation and skill development at the level of the academic unit may provide additional insight into the success of HBCUs in facilitating pathways for URM graduates into advanced training programs and promoting retention of URM professionals in the STEM workforce. [For the full proceedings, see ED652228.]

Students in high school tend to find genetics difficult to learn because it requires some crosslinked knowledge about subjects like genes, proteins, cells, tissues as well as organs and systems. It also becomes more difficult to connect and explain concepts such as the gene expression at the level of the cell to conceptualize the effect of the gene at the level of the organism. On the other hand, despite the fact that molecular genetics has progressed rapidly, its reflection in textbooks or even the qualifications of teachers in relation to the latest findings in genetics, have not responded to this pace. Here we present a survey study of Albanian high school students (grades 10-12, ages 15-19) on their attitude study genetics and their beliefs towards genetic determinisms. A number of 274 students participated in the survey, from 8 different public and private schools in the country. The response rate was higher than 90% for each group, 58.4% of the respondents were females, 32.6 0% were males and 4.1% did not answer. The mean age of the respondents was 16.8 (± 1.8) years. Students found genetics interesting, and relevant but also a difficult topic in biology (respectively: 36.5%; 33.2%: 39.2%). Their responses showed positive attitudes towards gene technology and acceptance of the use of gene editing (51.4%). Students' perception of the utility of genetics did not differ among them; female and male students had significantly different responses along attitude factors, however liking genetics was the only factor without gender difference. Our study suggests that in general students liked to study genetics and they had mostly favorable attitude towards gene technology. They are not completely convinced of genetic determinism; this is also made possible by updated books. A complete study combining the textbooks, the knowledge of the teachers, and their approaches are needed. [For the full proceedings, see ED654100.]

Biology, a living science, is known as a balance and complement among other branches of science. Just like the science of biology, biology as a course also plays a very important role among other courses at all school types and grades. It is thought that the adults of the future should not be deprived of knowledge in the field of biology and should use every correct information they have acquired in their daily life to overcome related problems they may encounter. For the change that occurs in the individual's life to be permanent, the way to effective education is through a curriculum developed with socio-cultural, scientific and technological developments, taking into account the conditions of t he country. For example, comparing other countries' educational practices and curricula based on the results from international assessments such as PISA TIMSS. According to the PISA science scores (2018), Germany has performed above the average determined by the OECD. Therefore, current education programs in Munich are discussed as an example in this research. This study adopted document analysis, one of the qualitative research methods, as the methodology. The "2018 Secondary Education Biology (9, 10, 11 and 12th Grades) Curriculum" published by the Ministry of National Education in Türkiye and the "Biology Curriculum of Germany" published by Kultusministerkonferenz were examined. While examining the documents in the study, they were subjected to content analysis. According to the findings, as in Bavaria, instead of encouraging rote learning regarding these topics for the sole purpose of university entrance purposes, Türkiye should include in curricula or teach in seminars the social and ethical aspects of HIV/AIDS, sexual/reproductive health, adolescent development, transmission and prevention of diseases, reproductive drug diagnostics, biomedical processes, opportunities, and risks. As a result, there are some differences in terms of content in the curriculum of both countries. [For the full proceedings, see ED654100.]

This study sought to ascertain how job satisfaction affected learners' biology achievement in the New Juaben North District. The study's methodology was a survey design. The participants in the study are head teachers of senior high schools and teachers of biology in the district. To choose the participants for this particular research, purposive and random samplings were used. 84 individuals composed of the sample size, including 4 school heads and 80 biology teachers were used for this particular study. The main tool for data collection was a structured questionnaire, and the data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). According to the data analysis, 72.62% (61) of respondents were of the believed that changing teachers' working circumstances will have a favorable impact on students' academic achievement. Again, half of the biology teachers 32% (40) were of the view that their pay is insufficient and some must be done about it. [For the full proceedings, see ED654100.]

As a result of the worldwide dissemination of COVID-19, educational institutions across the globe, particularly those that serve students in the field of science, have been mandated to close their doors. Consequently, educators and students have increasingly relied on educational technology to obtain a diverse array of resources. This research aims to construct a science laboratory in virtual reality by employing the ADDIE Methodology, a well-established structure for designing instructional programs. Additionally, the study aims to evaluate the impact of the virtual reality laboratory on the level of immersion that 37 science students experienced during the learning process. This evaluation will compare the students' sense of presence before and after utilizing the facility. The concept of presence within the context of virtual reality (VR) pertains to the experience of being fully immersed in a digital environment, such that the user's cognitive processes interpret it as being authentic. The degree of immersion users perceive substantially impacts their engagement, conduct, and affective responses while engaging with virtual reality. For this experimental investigation, the participants were segregated into two distinct cohorts. Group 1 consisted of twenty participants who viewed scientific films in two dimensions, whereas Group 2 comprised seventeen participants who engaged in science education through a virtual reality laboratory. The findings suggest a significant presence in both cohorts, with the virtual reality (VR) cohort exhibiting superior performance compared to the other group. The present study offers significant findings for educators and software developers engaged in creating virtual reality (VR) resources for science instruction. In forthcoming studies of instructional technology that utilize virtual reality, it is suggested that cognitive load be scrutinized as a variable. In general, this research adds to the increasing corpus of evidence that showcases the favorable and comprehensive impacts of immersive learning in education. [For the full proceedings, see ED654100.]

The study tried to ascertain the impact of instructors' credentials and professional expertise on students' biology achievement in Birim Central Municipality, Eastern Region, Ghana. The study used survey design. The respondents were chosen using simple and selective probability sampling. 80 biology teachers and four head teachers gave us the 84-sample size. A questionnaire served as the main research tool, and the data analysis was accomplished with the help of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Many respondents (60.7%) firmly agreed that teachers who possess superior knowledge and skills are better able to instruct students. Majority of those surveyed strongly agreed that experienced teachers are more understanding whenever it involves dealing with behavioral issues of children. This study was intended to considerably add to knowledge in order to enhance students' biology performance and comprehension. [For the full proceedings, see ED654100.]

Earlier at the ICRES 2022 we discussed readiness of teachers of the Chemistry Faculty of the Karaganda Buketov University for the student-centered learning approach lately implemented at the Kazakhstani universities. In particular, we studied the progress made by academic staff in mastering interactive lecturing, case-study, problem-based learning etc. In this study we focus on project-based learning (PBL) and reveal teachers' perceptions regarding the method benefits and challenges as well as preparedness for learning by doing from students' perspective. Academic staff of four Departments as well as students and Master students admitted in such educational programs as "Chemistry", "Chemistry-Biology" and "Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Engineering" were involved in our study. These educational programs train both future teachers and technologists. It was crucial to analyze how both undergraduates and postgraduates of different training programs evaluate the project method efficiency in mastering knowledge in chemical disciplines. Surveys of educators and learners were conducted. The collected data was processed and analyzed. The research results show that the academic staff and learners of the Faculty of Chemistry understand PBL from both positive and negative perspectives. The findings can be beneficial for teachers and students, as they will help them to reflect on their own practice in this educational strategy. There has been demonstrated the need for further research in this direction to better understand teachers' and learners' demands in order to improve the method application at the universities in Kazakhstan. [For the full proceedings, see ED654100.]

Lack of diversity in the science community is a serious concern for social justice, scientific productivity, equity and efficacy. The first year of undergraduate education is of critical importance in increasing diversity in these fields. Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) has previously been shown to be associated with higher student achievement in gateway courses, particularly among students from populations that have been underserved and excluded within STEM fields (often referred to as underrepresented minorities, or URMs). We sought to determine whether participation in PLTL in an undergraduate introductory biology course is associated long-term retention rates among URM students in STEM majors. We used institutional data related to student recruitment and retention rates as well as pertinent demographic information over three and a half years subsequent to the introductory biology course experience. These data were combined with data on PLTL participation from the introductory biology course. Among students who did not engage in PLTL, URM students were significantly less likely to remain in STEM fields than non-URM students. However, no significant difference in STEM retention rates between URM and non-URM students was observed among those students who engaged in PLTL. Additionally, we found that retention rates were significantly higher for URM students who engaged in PLTL versus those who did not. These findings identify PLTL as a potential strategy to improve URM student recruitment and retention in STEM majors and indicate a need for further studies to determine the important aspects of PLTL that may lead to improved outcomes for URM students. [This paper was published in: "Proceedings of the 13th Annual Research Symposium," National Association of Biology Teachers, 2021.]

Sex and relationships education has been a controversial area of the curriculum in England for many years. Despite changes to the content and the approach to this material, many teachers and parents remained unhappy about issues such as: the right of schools to teach material that some think should be done in a family situation only; the problem of training teachers how to approach subjects that can be controversial; the right of parents to refuse to allow their children to take part in such lessons. Added to these is the subject division between the biological aspects, which were compulsory and the relationships area, which is so much needed to help young people consider their behaviour and attitudes to sex, sexual orientation and relationships of all kinds. Compounding these difficulties, is the need to teach within the parameter of ensuring that students learn about British values of equality, respect and the acceptance of different family configurations. This paper discusses the changes put into law in 2020, which have produced several further areas of contention, such as the inclusion of teaching about different sexualities and family structures, for example LGBT and same sex marriage, resulting in further controversy over withdrawal. [For the complete Volume 19 proceedings, see ED613922.]

In this study, we examined whether generalised mathematics anxiety, application of mathematics in science anxiety, and positive attitudes towards mathematics influenced adolescents' intentions to study biology, chemistry, and physics in Grades 11 and 12. Participants were 477 students in Grades 8-10 from two schools in Western Sydney. Girls reported higher levels of generalised mathematics anxiety and application of mathematics in science anxiety. Positive attitudes towards mathematics were a significant and positive predictor of students' intentions to study all science subjects, while application of mathematics in science anxiety was a negative predictor of students' intentions to study chemistry and physics.

This paper discusses our experiences teaching a doctoral-level course in emerging information technologies. The concept of emerging technologies is put into context by describing the technology life cycle. The emerging information technologies of current interest -- Artificial Intelligence and related areas, Collective Human-Computer Intelligence, Blockchain, Quantum Computing, Cybersecurity, Biometrics, and Internet Platform Businesses -- are described and the distinctions among them explained. We conclude that teaching emerging information technologies is an area rich with opportunity for growth. [For the full proceedings, see ED596991.]

In Latvia, a new curriculum is introduced to provide the opportunity to acquire skills in multidisciplinary context. To achieve that, schools need to implement projects. In this paper, one example of a multidisciplinary project where fieldwork is involved is described. The aim of the research was to create support materials for teachers and students based on practice to experience multidisciplinary fieldwork to develop competencies. In the end, thirteen different support materials for teachers and students were piloted. [For the full proceedings, see ED619611.]

Online "Peer Instruction" has become prevalent in many "flipped classroom" settings, yet little work has been done to examine the content students generate in such a learning environment. This study characterizes a dataset generated by an open-source, web-based homework system that prompts students to first answer questions, and then provide explanations of their reasoning. Of particular interest in this dataset, is that students are also prompted to evaluate a subset of peer explanations based on how convincing they are, as part of the Peer Instruction learning script. Since these student "votes" are then used in the selection of what is shown to future learners, we cast this as an instance of "learnersourcing," a paradigm that presents new research opportunities for the Learning Analytics community. This study characterizes a dataset from one "Peer Instruction" tool, that includes not only the student generated answers and explanations, but this novel "vote" attribute, which aims to capture how convincing each explanation is to other learners. The dataset includes longitudinal observations of student responses over the course of a semester, following groups from three STEM disciplines. The data is made available to interested researchers. [For the full proceedings, see ED607784.]

The increase in the use of educational technologies in Australian high schools has sparked this investigation into how Year 9 (13 to 14 years of age) students experience and negotiate a new technology enhanced learning environment in a bilingual classroom setting. The paper is about examining the students' language practices in German and English while using a Managed Learning Environment (MLE). The study aims to unearth how such translanguaging practices (using both German and English to communicate in bilingual education settings) contribute to and shape self-regulated learning in a scientific open inquiry process. This is corroborated by insights into student reflections on using the MLE in two languages, with data gained from a student survey. The study further analyses the relationship between bilingual language practices and adaptive tool use. The effectiveness of online learning environments depends on the students' adaptive tool-use (Barzilai & Zohar, 2006; Lust, Vandewaetere, Elen, & Clarebout, 2014) and the ability to engage in self-regulatory learning practices (Zimmerman, Bembenutty, & Schunk, 2013). Data were collected via voice recordings, a student-designed questionnaire and focus group interviews with 22 Year 9 students covering 18 Biology lessons during 6 weeks, over two consecutive years. The study revealed that students' self-regulatory practices during open inquiry processes developed in specific ways through the exposure to a bilingual classroom setting, e.g. by being exposed to unknown terms in German which led them to search for translations and then on to further self-initiated and self-regulated research to find explanations online However, when biology content knowledge was pre-prepared (in the second language of German) by the teacher in guided customized simulations on a computer software tool, students seem to favor such guided practices over self-initiated and self-regulated research as shown during the open inquiry task. However, independent of the specifics of bilingual language use in open or guided inquiry, the tool-use also appeared to be reliant on students' prior disposition. Consequently, results of this study might have interesting implications for the future customization of online learning spaces for high school students and educators in bilingual settings as well as other fields. [For full proceedings, see ED571332.]

These proceedings contain the abstracts of papers of EDUSREF 2019, which was held in Ankara, Turkey on 28-29 June 2019. Establishing in 2018 as a scientific initiative; Education, Society & Reform Research (EDUSREF) is an International Conference that aims to bridge the knowledge gap, promote social research esteem, and produce democratic information for potential education reforms. The 2019 conference included five keynote presentations from (1) Mehmet Demirezen, Professor from Ufuk University, on "Pausing as Sustained Juncture in spoken English: Clues for Turkish English Teachers"; (2) Suleyman Sadi Seferoglu, Professor from Hacettepe University, on "Industry 4.0 and Digital Transformation: Education of the Future? or The Future of Education?"; (3) Fatma Mizikaci, Associate Professor from Ankara University, on "Education of the Generation Z: Dilemmas, Challenges, and Opportunities"; (4) Davud William Samuel Peachy, Assistant Professor from Duzce University, on "Learning Versus Teaching: A Real Student Seizes Opportunities and Overcomes Difficulties"; and (5) Saniye Vatansever, Assistant Professor from Bilkent University, on "Gender Equality and Inclusion". The papers presented at the conference include: (1) Visual Interactive Text Books for Millennial in University Education (Arshad Taseen); (2) Another Ethical Dilemma? To Teach or not to Teach Ethics at Tertiary Level (Pinar Ayyildiz and Hasan Serif Baltaci); (3) Opinions of the Students Who Prefer the Department of Arabic Translation and Interpreting Studies at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of Yildirim Beyazit University in Ankara (Haci Yilmaz); (4) Examining Teacher Candidates' Learning Strategies With Regard To Various Variables (Senol Orakci and Yalcin Dilekli); (5) Investigation of the Individual Innovativeness Levels of Teacher Candidates (Senol Orakci); (6) The Integrating of ICTs in the teaching of the Physical sciences in Morocco: Challenges and Obstacles (Zineb Azar, Oussama Dardary, Malika Tridane, Said Benmokhtar, and Said Belaaouad); (7) The feasibility of applying the Finnish approach in Morocco (Oussama Dardary, Zineb Azar, Malika Tridane, and Said Belaaouad); (8) Impact of New Technologies on the Academic Performance of Students: the Case of Smartphones (Imane Echchafi, M. Talbi, and A. Bahloul); (9) Biology Teacher Candidates' Awareness About Biomimicry (Alev Cakir); (10) Teaching Academic Writing through the Use of Reflections (Mira M Alameddine and Ghada Chihimi); (11) Teaching Academic Writing to English 100 Learners at a Local Lebanese University (Mira M. Alameddine and Ghada Chihimi); (12) Cultural Policy of ELT in Turkey (Omer Gokhan Ulum); (13) Graduate Orphans of ELT Departments: A Critical Inquiry (Omer Gokhan Ulum); (14) Spelling Pronunciation versus Relaxed Pronunciation in Teacher Education (Mehmet Demirezen); (15) Performance-based funding in higher education: A global trend, national forms, complex politics. A four-system analysis (Edmund Adam); (16) New Approaches for Teacher Training and Usage of Information Technology in This Context (Haydar Ates); (17) Questioning of Changes in Education: Looking for Priorities (Mustafa Ozmusul); (18) Animation Based Teaching for Gifted (Efe Biyikli, Ali Berkay Harmanci, Ilkiz Ipek Ayten, and Ahmet Berat Ozturk); Intervention for Intermediate Students to Increase Psychological Engagement (Fatima Z. Allahverdi); (20) The influence of guidance counselor practices on the orientation of high school student (Nawal Chiboub, Malika Tridane, and Said Belaaouad); (21) Towards Re-imagining Anganwadi with and for Adolescent Girls (Sam Jacob); (22) The Social Control in the Government-Run Dormitories in Ankara (Melahat Demirbilek); and (23) Comparing Instructional Differences and Teacher Preparedness and its Effect on Psychological Engagement (Fatima Z. Allahverdi). [Individual abstracts contain references.]

The main aim of the research was to identify the attitude of pre-service and in-service Biology teachers towards the use of the Internet. In this research, the Internet Attitude Scale has been applied, a validated and standardized instrument. The scale was applied to 210 Biology teachers, of whom 155 are pre-service teachers and 55 are in-service teachers in secondary and high schools from Romanian education. The research results indicated the existence of positive attitudes of preservice and in-service Biology teachers to the educational use of the Internet. [For the full proceedings, see ED619611.]

Student tutoring in innovative teaching and learning practices promotes personal and professional learning. Experiential learning theory underpins this research. An interpretive, qualitative approach and narrative strategy with purposive sampling was used. The tutor narrative accounts of tutoring the Research and Service-Learning module in Biological Science Education were compiled from a reflective diary, coordinator - tutor discussions and tutor notes. The qualitative data were analysed using descriptive content analysis. The tutor's self-confidence, language competence, understanding and application of research and Service-Learning and engagements with students were greatly improved. [For the full proceedings, see ED619611.]

The research aimed to explore characteristics of individual behaviors as motivation, task commitment, and leadership exhibited by science gifted students at enrichment program in science gifted education center. Results showed that motivation was highest at introduction stage, but decreased as lessons progressed. Task commitment and leadership tended to increase from planning and conducting stages. Leadership was highest at discussion stage. Each student exhibited different sequences of behavioral characteristics along lesson stages. It was called for planning individually differentiated instructional strategies. [For the full proceedings, see ED619611.]

In this work we use prior to tutor-session data to generate an individualized student knowledge model. Intelligent learning environments use student models to individualize curriculum sequencing and help messages. Researchers decompose the learning tasks into sets of Knowledge Components (KCs) that represent individual units of knowledge; the student model estimates a parameters for each KC, but not for each student. Using existing performance data to adjust parameters for each individual student improves model fit, and leads to different practice recommendations. However, in order to be implemented in a live system we need to have a method to estimate the student parameters using only the student's prior activities. In this work, we use data collected from student reading, prior tutor lessons, to predict individualized difference weights for parameters of a Bayesian Knowledge Tracing (BKT) variant. We find that best-fitting student parameters trained on previous lessons do not directly transfer to new lessons; however, we can effectively predict the student parameters for the new lesson by using features derived from prior lessons, and prior to tutor text-reading transaction data. [For the full proceedings, see ED593090.]

When engaging with a textbook, students are inclined to highlight key content. Although students believe that highlighting and subsequent review of the highlights will further their educational goals, the psychological literature provides no evidence of benefits. Nonetheless, a student's choice of text for highlighting may serve as a window into their mental state--their level of comprehension, grasp of the key ideas, reading goals, etc. We explore this hypothesis via an experiment in which 198 participants read sections from a college-level biology text, briefly reviewed the text, and then took a quiz on the material. During initial reading, participants were able to highlight words, phrases, and sentences, and these highlights were displayed along with the complete text during the subsequent review. Consistent with past research, the amount of highlighted material is unrelated to quiz performance. However, our main goal is to examine highlighting as a data source for inferring student understanding. We explored multiple representations of the highlighting patterns and tested Bayesian linear regression and neural network models, but we found little or no relationship between a student's highlights and quiz performance. Our long-term goal is to design digital textbooks that serve not only as conduits of information into the mind of the reader, but also allow us to draw inferences about the reader at a point where interventions may increase the effectiveness of the material. [For the full proceedings, see ED593090.]

The "doer effect" is the assertion that the amount of interactive practice activity a student engages in is much more predictive of learning than the amount of passive reading or watching video the same student engages in. Although the evidence for a doer effect is now substantial, the evidence for a causal doer effect is not as well developed. To address this, we mined data for evidence of a causal doer effect across multiple domains. We examined data from two online courses in Psychology, one in Biology, one in Statistics, and two in Information Science, applying causal discovery algorithms in Tetrad to each. Assuming that factors driving a student's choices regarding how to spend their time in an online course are temporally prior to their performance on quizzes and exams, we found evidence of a causal relationship in every domain we studied. We did not find evidence that a unique causal model held in every domain we studied, but when we estimated the size of the causal relationships in the models we found in each domain, we did find evidence in every case that doing has a much stronger quantitative effect on learning than either reading or watching video. This work may be the first EDM effort to explore the generalizability of a causal claim about learning across multiple datasets from a variety of courses and contexts of use. It makes vivid the role of causal data mining algorithms in educational research. The evidence presented furthers the case for doer effect causality, but also recommends a need for richer data with more student background and learning process variables to better isolate causal directionality without assumptions about temporal order and unmeasured confounds. [For the full proceedings, see ED593090.]

The role of various neurological structures and their functions play a key role in determining risk versus reward and pleasure versus pain. This neurobiological evolutionary development ultimately drives our motivation or avoidance based exclusively on our desire to survive. Following 16 years of prolonged combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, the military veteran is an exceptional example into how being emotionally distant (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder) can produce unintended barriers to learning. According to Pessoa (2017), the key to adult learning is unlocking the emotional pathways that are interwoven between perception, cognition, motivation, and action. [For the complete proceedings, see ED590245.]

In most of the pedagogical development experiences, the contents that students generate as a result of the course activities are not considered as a primary source of knowledge. Thus, students see their learning disadvantaged, when their intellectual outputs are not considered in the design of the learning activities. Today, the Web offers a wide range of resources and opportunities for the development of activities in a collaborative environment both to produce or spread the contents or to make them available. This article describes the experience of three groups of students from different programs, who based in applying a model of interaction among peers indistinctively assume consumer and producer knowledge roles, by incorporating authoring tools during their teaching process in a particular subject. Four levels can be distinguished for modeling the development of learning activities. Results show that 100% of the students assess positively the participation in their role as knowledge producers or consumers, accordingly to the four levels defined when using Web tools during their activities. Similarly, they recognize the potential of the instruction among peers associated with the use of Web tools as a contribution to their learning development. [For the complete proceedings, see ED579282.]

Adopting an experiential learning explanation for varying student interest in the three sciences, out-of-school experience questionnaire, scale of interest in science and Kolb's learning style inventory were administered on 775 higher secondary students in Kerala. Despite their similar achievement levels, boys had higher interest in physics, and girls had higher interest in biology and chemistry. Higher interest of girls in biology relate to their more out-of-school experiences (OSE) like observation of animal, insects and birds as well as with domestic medicine, and gardening related experiences. Girls' higher interest in chemistry associated with their OSEs in domestic cleaning using chemicals and experiences from cooking. Likewise, higher interest of boys in physics is related with their higher experiences with electronic gadgets, electricity, batteries, magnets, mobile phones and domestic tools. The advantage of girls in biology through OSEs is more for convergers and assimilators. In chemistry backing from OSEs is more for converger girls. Girls with divergent or accommodating styles are able to some extent compensate their disadvantage in physics through their OSEs. The findings further highlight the significance of relating science topics with life experiences, in consideration of student learning styles. The findings indicate the ways for curricula to avoid gender stereotyping of the topics by pointing to examples, illustrations, assignments and the like that apply equally for boys and girls.

These proceedings contain the papers and posters of the International Conferences on Internet Technologies & Society (ITS 2016), Educational Technologies (ICEduTech 2016) and Sustainability, Technology and Education (STE 2016), which have been organised by the International Association for Development of the Information Society and co-organised by the RMIT University, in Melbourne, Australia, December 6-8, 2016. The Internet Technologies & Society conference aims to address the main issues of concern within WWW/Internet as well as to assess the influence of Internet in the Information Society. The International Conference on Educational Technologies (ICEduTech) is the scientific conference addressing the real topics as seen by teachers, students, parents and school leaders. The International Conference on Sustainability, Technology and Education (STE) aims to address the main issues which occur by assessing the relationship between Sustainability, Education and Technology. Full papers in these proceedings include: (1) ECG Identification System Using Neural Network with Global and Local Features (Kuo Kun Tseng, Dachao Lee and Charles Chen); (2) Smartening Up: Ongoing Challenges for Australia's Outback (Lucy Cradduck); (3) Extraction of Graph Information Based on Image Contents and the Use of Ontology (Sarunya Kanjanawattana and Masaomi Kimura); (4) Applicability of Domain-Specific Application Framework for End-User Development (Takeshi Chusho); (5) Application of Business Intelligence System in Company Restructuring Process: The Case of Croatia (Iva Bakula, Katarina Curko, Mirjana Pejic Bach and Vesna Bosilj Vukšic); (6) Method to Identify Deep Cases Based on Relationships between Nouns, Verbs, and Particles (Daisuke Ide and Madaomi Kimura); (7) Leveraging Data Analysis for Domain Experts: An Embeddable Framework for Basic Data Science Tasks (Johannes-Y. Lohrer, Daniel Kaltenthaler and Peer Kröger); (8) Investigating the Identity Theft Prevention Strategies in M-Commerce (Mahmood Hussain Shah, Javed Ahmed and Zahoor Ahmed Soomro); (9) Electronic Invoice in Costa Rica: Challenges for Its Implementation (Juan José Ramírez-Jiménez, Mario De La O-Selva and Roberto Cortés-Morales); (10) Car App's Persuasive Design Principles and Behavior Change (Chao Zhang, Lili Wan and Daihwan Min); (11) Evaluating the Quality of Experience of a System for Accessing Educational Objects in Health (Miguel Wanderley, Júlio Menezes Jr., Cristine Gusmão and Rodrigo Lins); (12) An Evaluation of iPad As a Learning Tool in Higher Education within a Rural Catchment: A Case Study at a South African University (Ruth Diko Wario, Bonface Ngari Ireri and Lizette De Wet); (13) Towards a Framework to Improve the Quality of Teaching and Learning: Consciousness and Validation in Computer Engineering Science, UCT (Marcos Lévano and Andrea Albornoz); (14) MOOCs--Theoretical and Practical Aspects: Comparison of Selected Research Results: Poland, Russia, Ukraine, and Australia (Eugenia Smyrnova-Trybulska, Ewa Ogrodzka-Mazur, Anna Szafranska-Gajdzica, Nataliia Morze, Rusudan Makhachashvili, Tatiana Noskova, Tatiana Pavlova, Olga Yakovleva, Tomayess Issa and Theodora Issa); (15) Evaluating the Design and Development of an Adaptive E-Tutorial Module: A Rasch-Measurement Approach (Allaa Barefah and Elspeth McKay); (16) Analysing Students' Interactions through Social Presence and Social Network Metrics (Vanessa Cristina Martins da Silva and Sean Wolfgand Matsui Siqueira); (17) Differences between Perceived Usefulness of Social Media and Institutional Channels by Undergraduate Students (Leandro Sumida Garcia and Camila Mariane Costa Silva); (18) Integrate WeChat with Moodle to Provide a Mobile Learning Environment for Students (Zhigao Li, Yibo Fan and Jianli Jiao); (19) Scaling a Model of Teacher Professional Learning--to MOOC or Not to MOOC (Deirdre Butler, Margaret Leahy, Michael Hallissy and Mark Brown); (20) A Preliminary Study on Building an E-Education Platform for Indian School-Level Curricula (Rajeev Kumar Kanth and Mikko-Jussi Laakso); (21) Automated Assessment in Massive Open Online Courses (Dmitrii A. Ivaniushin, Dmitrii G. Shtennikov, Eugene A. Efimchick and Andrey V. Lyamin); (22) Application of Digital Cybersecurity Approaches to University Management--VFU Smart Student (Anna Nedyalkova, Teodora Bakardjieva and Krasimir Nedyalkov); (23) Developing a Technology Enhanced CSO Course for Engineering Students (Erno Lokkila, Erkki Kaila, Rolf Lindén, Mikko-Jussi Laakso and Erkki Sutinen); (24) Teaching Data Science to Post Graduate Students: A Preliminary Study Using a "F-L-I-P" Class Room Approach (Sunet Eybers and Mariè Hattingh); (25) Educational Robots in Primary School Teachers' and Students' Opinion about STEM Education for Young Learners (Eugenia Smyrnova-Trybulska, Nataliia Morze, Piet Kommers, Wojciech Zuziak and Mariia Gladun); (26) Towards the Successful Integration of Design Thinking in Industrial Design Education (Omar Mubin, Mauricio Novoa and Abdullah Al Mahmud); (27) International Study Tours: A Key to 21st Century Academic and Industry Exchanges (Ana Hol, Danielle Simiana, Gilbert Lieu, Ivan Ong, Josh Feder, Nimat Dawre and Wakil Almazi); (28) A Rethink for Computing Education for Sustainability (Samuel Mann); (29) Technical Education as a Tool for Ensuring Sustainable Development: A Case of India (Gagan Deep Sharma, Raminder Singh Uppal and Mandeep Mahendru); (30) Evaluating Eco-Innovation of OECD Countries with Data Development Analysis (Reza Kiani Mavi and Craig Standing); (31) Revealing Greenwashing: A Consumers' Perspective (Anne Brouwer); and (32) Benchmarking Anthropogenic Heavy Metals Emissions: Australian and Global Urban Environmental Health Risk Based Indicators of Sustainability (Nick Dejkovski). Short papers in these proceedings include: (1) Racing to the Future: Security in the Gigabit Race? (Mark A Gregory and Lucy Cradduck); (2) An E-Learning System with MR for Experiments Involving Circuit Construction to Control a Robot (Atsushi Takemura); (3) Simulations for Crisis Communication: The Use of Social Media (Siyoung Chung); (4) Social Networking Framework for Universities in Saudi Arabia (Sulaiman Alqahtani); (5) Rethinking E-Learning Media: What Happens When Student "Like" Meets Professor "Me"? (Stephen Arnold); (6) Telling the Story of Mindrising: Minecraft, Mindfulness and Meaningful Learning (Deirdre Butler, Mark Brown and Gar Mac Críosta); (7) Green IT Model for IT Departments in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Organisations (Abdulaziz Albahlal); (8) How Does the Use of Mobile Devices Affect Teachers' Perceptions on Mobile Learning (Dong-Joong Kim, Daesang Kim and Sang-Ho Choiv); (9) Categorizing "Others": The Segmentation of Other Actors for "Faith in Others" Efficacy (FIO) (Chi Kwan Ng and Clare D'Souza); (10) Design Thinking: A Methodology towards Sustainable Problem Solving in Higher Education in South Africa (Keneilwe Munyai); and (11) New Ecological Paradigm and Sustainability Attitudes with Respect to a Multi-Cultural Educational Milieu in China (Mona Wells and Lynda Petherick). Reflection papers in these proceedings include: (1) Synthetic Biology: Knowledge Accessed by Everyone (Open Sources) (Patricia Margarita Sánchez Reyes); (2) Envisioning the City of the Future: Knowlege Societies vs. Entertainment Societies (Yolanda Alicia Villegas González); (3) Blue Ocean Strategy for Higher Education (Ricardo Bragança); (4) Exploring How Digital Media Technology Can Foster Saudi EFL Students' English Language Learning (Abdulmohsin Altawil); (5) Cloud Computing in Higher Education Sector for Sustainable Development (Yuchao Duan); and (6) Exploring Connectivism in the Context of Online Social Trading (Endrit Kromidha). Posters in these proceedings include: (1) A Preliminary Investigation into the Information Sharing Behavior of Social Media Users after a Natural Disaster (Yukiko Maruyama); (2) Effects of a Technology-Friendly Education Program on Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions and Learning Styles (Dong-Joong Kim and Sang-Ho Choi); (3) Use of Cognitive and Metacognitive Strategies in Online Search: An Eye-Tracking Study (Mingming Zhou and Jing Ren); (4) Development of a Diagnostic System for Information Ethics Education (Shingo Shiota, Kyohei Sakai and Keita Kobayashi); (5) A Practical Study of Mathematics Education Using Gamification (Kyohei Sakai and Shingo Shiota); (6) Demonstrating the CollaTrEx Framework for Collaborative Context-Aware Mobile Training and Exploration (Jean Botev); (7) Development of Training/Self-Recognizing Tools for Disability Students Using a Face Expression Recognition Sensor and a Smart-Watch (Taku Kawada, Akinobu Ando, Hirotaka Saito, Jun Uekida, Nobuyuki Nagai, Hisashi Takeshima and Darold Davis); and (8) Analysis of Usage Trends of Social Media and Self-Esteem by the Rosenberg Scale (Hiroko Kanoh). Finally, one doctoral consortium is included: A Model for an Information Security Risk Management (ISRM) Framework for Saudi Arabian Organisations (Naser Alshareef). An author index is provided. Individual papers contain references.

The model of the six mirrors of the classroom and its use in teaching biology in a cooperative learning mode were implemented in high school classrooms. In this study we present: a) The model of the six mirrors of the classroom (MSMC). b) Cooperative learning settings: 1. The Group Investigation; 2. The Jigsaw Method; and 3. Peer Tutoring in Small Investigative Groups (PTSIG). c) Two biology topics: 1. Microorganism; 2. Evolution. The MSMC examines the processes of a) organization, b) learning tasks, c) teacher instructional behaviors, d) teachers' communicative behaviors, e) students' academic performance, and (f) students' social behaviors. Each mirror is described in terms of five levels of complexity from simple to complex. Both subjects were taught in Cooperative Leaning Methods: The Jigsaw Method, Group Investigation (GI) rooted in Dewey's (1927) philosophy, and Peer Tutoring in small Investigative Groups which is a combination of the Jigsaw method and Group Investigation. Two biology subjects were instructed through the MSCM and PTSIG: 1) Microorganisms, learning unit written in Arabic and Hebrew for 9th grade students in the STS approach structured around two biological principles: a) the unity of the life, b) the relationship between structure and function. 2) Evolution, learning unit for 12th grade students, included topics on Lamarck's, Darwin's and neutral theories, punctuated equilibrium, genetics diversity, natural selection, specialization and phylogenesis. The paper will include the subjects, research procedure and results. [For complete volume, see ED567118.]

A study was undertaken to derive, demonstrate, and appraise a form for pragmatic studies of schoolteaching--a form defined as eclectic deliberation on a practical problem in schoolteaching. The exploration of the pragmatic form addressed the problem of beginning the year in the introductory biology courses of a high school. The analysis framed the schoolteacher's task as a fourfold problem involving: (1) the teacher's responsibility; (2) the subject matter regarded as a set of valuables to be placed in reach of students; (3) the students regarded as experienced actors in the class; and (4) the class regarded as an organization with properties of its own. Within that framework, eight arguments from educational theory and research were employed to interpret the teaching problem. The analysis was completed with a deliberation, conducted in terms of the assembled arguments, on the relative merits of two procedures for starting the year. This paper, which describes the study, draws on precedents for considering educational design as a form of educational inquiry, outlines the analysis of the problem of beginning the year in introductory biology, and concludes with an appraisal of the form of inquiry. A list of 68 references is included. (Author/JD)

Mind wandering (MW) is a ubiquitous phenomenon characterized by an unintentional shift in attention from task-related to task-unrelated thoughts. MW is frequent during learning and negatively correlates with learning outcomes. Therefore, the next generation of intelligent learning technologies should benefit from mechanisms that detect and combat MW. As an initial step in this direction, we used eye-gaze and contextual information (e.g., time into session) to build an automated MW detector as students interact with GuruTutor -- an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) for biology. Students self-reported MW by responding to pseudorandom thought-probes during the tutoring session while a consumer-grade eye tracker monitored their eye movements. We used supervised machine learning techniques to discriminate between positive and negative responses to the probes in a student-independent fashion. Our best results for detecting MW (F[subscript 1] of 0.49) were obtained with an evolutionary approach to develop topologies for neural network classifiers. These outperformed standard classifiers (F[subscript 1] of 0.43 with a Bayes net) and a chance baseline (F[subscript 1] of 0.19). We discuss our results in the context of integrating MW detection into an attention-aware version of GuruTutor. [For the full proceedings, see ED592609.]

This collection of conference papers and abstracts includes: "Integrating Two Languages, Theories of Minds, and Executive Functions" (Agnes Melinda Kovacs and Erno Teglas); "Unconventional Thinking for Speaking: The Blends of George W. Bush" (Alan Cienki); "Blends of Alternations in the Grammar of Brazilian Vernacular Portuguese" (Alice Lana); "Blending as a Resource for the Study of Conversations in Complex Settings" (Annalisa Sannino); "Blending and Perspective: Jonathan Raban's Travels through Mental Spaces" (Barbara Dancygier); "How Do We Interpret Proverbs? A Conceptual Blending Approach" (Christine Michaux); "Conceptual Integration Networks and Philosophical Theories of Meaning: An Exploratory Discussion" (Cynthia M. Grund); "The Way Logicians Think?" (Erling Wande);"Conceptual Blending and Viewpoint" (Eve Sweetser); "Piercing Dolls and Burning Hair: Conceptual Blending in Magical Rituals" (Jesper Sorensen); "Generalized Conceptual Spaces, their Morphisms, and their Blends, With Applications to User Interface Design" (Joseph Goguen); "Metaphors as Inputs to Conceptual Integration" (Joseph Grady); "The Acquisition of the Ditransitive Construction" (Kai Kiekhoefer); "Conceptual Blending and Music" (Lawrence Zbikowski); "The Way We Begin to Think: Generation of Abstract Concepts in Chinese Characters" (Masako K. Hiraga); "Outline of a Typology of Compound Noun Blendings" (Peer Bundgaard, Frederik Stjernfelt, and Svend Oestergaard); "The Role of Schemata in Compound Noun Blending" (Peer Bundgaard, Frederik Stjernfelt, and Svend Oestergaard); "Creating Mathematical Infinities: The Beauty of Transfinite Cardinals" (Rafael Nunez); "On the Construction of the Concept `Language': Entrenched Conceptual Integration Networks Encountered in Evolutionary Biology and Language Evolution" (Roslyn M. Frank); "Blending of a Single Event: Integration of Viewpoints" (Soichi Kozai); "Can Conceptual Integration Explain Why a Road Can Creep, Go, or Race" (Teenie Matlock); "It's Not Just the Way We Think! Mimesis, Artistic Inspiration and the Blends We Live By" (Tom Rohrer); "Why Does Time Flow and Where Does it Flow To? The Temporal Matrix and Conceptual Integration" (Vyvyan Evans); "Modeling the Semantics of Geographic Categories through Blendings" (Werner Kuhn); "Collaborative Blending: The Multi-Voiced Creation of Concepts in Professional Work Groups" (Yrjo Engestrom); and "Cognition Under Pressure: Integration, Disintegration, Polarization and Meltdown: A Contribution to Social Science" (Peter Harder). (Papers contain references.) (SM)

We are delighted to welcome you to the International Conference on Education and New Developments 2015-END 2015, taking place in Porto, Portugal, from 27 to 29 of June. Education, in our contemporary world, is a right since we are born. Every experience has a formative effect on the constitution of the human being, in the way one thinks, feels and acts. One of the most important contributions resides in what and how we learn through the improvement of educational processes, both in formal and informal settings. Our International Conference seeks to provide some answers and explore the processes, actions, challenges and outcomes of learning, teaching and human development. Our goal is to offer a worldwide connection between teachers, students, researchers and lecturers, from a wide range of academic fields, interested in exploring and giving their contribution in educational issues. We take pride in having been able to connect and bring together academics, scholars, practitioners and others interested in a field that is fertile in new perspectives, ideas and knowledge. We counted on an extensive variety of contributors and presenters, which can supplement our view of the human essence and behavior, showing the impact of their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. This is, certainly, one of the reasons we have many nationalities and cultures represented, inspiring multi-disciplinary collaborative links, fomenting intellectual encounter and development. END 2015 received 528 submissions, from 63 different countries, reviewed by a double-blind process. Submissions were prepared to take form as Oral Presentations, Posters, Virtual Presentations and Workshops. It was accepted for presentation in the conference, 176 submissions (33% acceptance rate). The conference also includes a keynote presentation from an internationally distinguished researcher, Professor Dr. Martin Braund, Adjunct Professor at Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Cape Town, South Africa and Honorary Fellow in the Department of Education at the University of York, UK, to whom we express our most gratitude. This volume is composed by the proceedings of the International Conference on Education and New Developments (END 2015), organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (W.I.A.R.S.) and had the help of our respected media partners that we reference in the dedicated page. This conference addressed different categories inside the Education area and papers are expected to fit broadly into one of the named themes and sub-themes. To develop the conference program we have chosen four main broad-ranging categories, which also cover different interest areas: (1) In TEACHERS AND STUDENTS: Teachers and Staff training and education; Educational quality and standards; Curriculum and Pedagogy; Vocational education and Counseling; Ubiquitous and lifelong learning; Training programs and professional guidance; Teaching and learning relationship; Student affairs (learning, experiences and diversity); Extra-curricular activities; Assessment and measurements in Education. (2) In PROJECTS AND TRENDS: Pedagogic innovations; Challenges and transformations in Education; Technology in teaching and learning; Distance Education and eLearning; Global and sustainable developments for Education; New learning and teaching models; Multicultural and (inter)cultural communications; Inclusive and Special Education; Rural and indigenous Education; Educational projects. (3) In TEACHING AND LEARNING: Educational foundations; Research and development methodologies; Early childhood and Primary Education; Secondary Education; Higher Education; Science and technology Education; Literacy, languages and Linguistics (TESL/TEFL); Health Education; Religious Education; Sports Education. (4) In ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES: Educational policy and leadership; Human Resources development; Educational environment; Business, Administration, and Management in Education; Economics in Education; Institutional accreditations and rankings; International Education and Exchange programs; Equity, social justice and social change; Ethics and values; Organizational learning and change. The proceedings contain the results of the research and developments conducted by authors who focused on what they are passionate about: to promote growth in research methods intimately related to teaching, learning and applications in Education nowadays. It includes an extensive variety of contributors and presenters, who will extend our view in exploring and giving their contribution in educational issues, by sharing with us their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. (Individual papers contain references.)

Using the principles of biology, along with engineering and with the help of computer, scientists manage to copy. DNA sequences from nature and use them to create new organisms. DNA is created through engineering and computer science managing to create life inside a laboratory. We cannot dismiss the role that synthetic biology could lead in solving the most pressing problems of humanity. We are using technology to control live organisms and use them as we wish. But how should that knowledge be accessed? And which way is the best way so everyone can benefit from this technology and its developments? Open sources software could be the answer. [For full proceedings, see ED571459.]

An ethnographic study was conducted with the goal of comparing the botanical knowledge of nine sixth grade students with the botanical concepts developed in the elementary textbook series, Science, by Silver Burdett, 1985. The extent to which the child's conceptual framework resembles that of the scientist and the extent to which the textbook reflects the knowledge base and abilities of the child were determined. Each child's language, meanings, classifications, and interpretations of botanical phenomena were examined. The children participated in a series of six interviews and tasks. The children's names for plants and plant classification schemes were examined using domain analysis, componential analysis, and taxonomic analysis. Concept maps were made from both the children's botanical concepts and those found in the textbook. The concept maps were used to examine the development of each concept. The data revealed that the children have a large body of knowledge about plants and that children's botanical language and meanings appeared to be learned from the lay culture rather than from the textbooks. (28 references) (KR)

Ten preservice biology teachers were followed through the final year of their preservice education to assess the content and stability of their knowledge structures of biology. A questionnaire asking the subjects to list the topics which make up biology and to diagram these topics in relation to one another was completed three times during the Fall Term. The questionnaire was completed again in the Spring Term during student teaching and was followed by an interview. Qualitative analysis of the data attempted to derive any evident patterns among and within the preservice teachers' stated subject matter structures. The data suggest that preservice teachers' knowledge structures of biology are extremely fragile and are influenced by the opportunity to think about teaching subject matter. Teaching, and courses specifically related to science teaching, provided integrating themes for the perception of isolated biology topics created by college science coursework. These results suggest that courses in science education may be the natural and most effective location for initial reflection on the integrating themes of science, but that the translation of such understandings may not be realistic for the novice teacher who gives priority to planning and classroom management. Since many of the new reforms in science education depend on the incorporation of integrating themes, inservice programs may be critical to foster teachers' reflections on subject matter structure and its translation to science instruction. (Author)

Despite the teaching of biological evolution in the classroom for decades, the learning of concepts related to evolution continue to pose difficulties for students, due to their inability to see the relevance of evolution their everyday experiences. In this study, we report the results from questionnaires composed of twelve multiple-choice items derived and modified from the literature in order to determine the prevalence and severity of alternative conceptions related to soft inheritance and use-and-disuse. In the open-ended section after each item, students were also allowed to describe their reasoning behind the answers they chose. The results showed that while both types of alternative conceptions are present in our respondents as reported in other studies, the rate of application of alternative conceptions dipped tremendously when human-based scenarios were adopted as compared to scenarios involving other organisms. This is especially true for the concepts related to soft inheritance. We attribute the differences to familiarity with elements in the items, and a lack of consistency in applying their biological knowledge. The results suggest that learners tend to apply the correct principles of inheritance only for phenomena that constitute part of their everyday experiences, and have implications for how evolution should be taught.

The 6th Annual Conference of the National Academy for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (NAIRTL) and the 4th Biennial Threshold Concepts Conference was held at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, on June 27-29, 2012. The NAIRTL is a collaborative initiative between University College Cork, Cork Institute of Technology, National University of Ireland Galway, Trinity College Dublin, and Waterford Institute of Technology. It is supported by the Higher Education Authority under the Strategic Innovation Fund. The proceedings from the 2012 NAIRTL conference bring together "key insights" on the topic of Threshold Concepts. This publication includes a selection of papers from the conference. The papers provide insights into how to apply the Threshold Concepts idea to gain a deeper understanding of how students learn, and also how to gain new ways of looking at disciplines that involve education. Following a foreword by Bettie Higgs, the proceedings are divided into seven parts. Part I, Keynote Speakers, contains the following papers: (1) A Closer Look at Liminality: Incorrigibles and Threshold Capital (Ray Land, Julie Rattray, and Peter Vivian); (2) Threshold Concepts: Navigating the Route (Bettie Higgs); (3) Threshold Concepts as an Analytical Tool for Researching Higher Education Pedagogy (Glynis Cousin); and (4) From This Curriculum to That Which Is to Come: Threshold Concepts, Complexity and Change (Patrick Carmichael). Part II, Engaging Students with Threshold Concepts, contains the following papers: (5) Creativity as Threshold--Learning and Teaching in a Liminal Space (Belinda Allen); (6) "Doing" History: What May Liminal Space and Transition Time Expose During the Process (James Cronin); (7) Novel Threshold Concepts in the Mathematical Sciences (David Easdown and Leigh Wood); (8) Engineering Problem Solving: Uncovering a Threshold Experience and Triggering a Meta-Learning Response (Brian Foley); (9) The Hero's Journey: Uncovering Threshold Barriers, Dispositions and Practices among Occupational Therapy Students (Tracy Fortune, Priscilla Ennals, and Mary Kennedy-Jones); (10) Students' Perceptions of Travel Through the Liminal Space: Lessons for Teaching (Ann Harlow, Mira Peter, Jonathan Scott, and Bronwen Cowie); (11) The Role of Design Projects in Assisting Engineering Students from Liminality to Understanding (Donal Holland, Garet J. Bennett, and Conor Walsh); (12) Now I Know Why I Have Been Knocking My Head against a Brick Wall: Doctoral Candidates and Stuck Places (Margaret Kiley); (13) Towards a Role-Reversal Model of Threshold Concept Pedagogy (Marina Orsini-Jones ); and (14) Using a Mixed Methods Approach to Explore Student Understanding of Hypotheses in Biology (Charlotte Taylor, Vicky Tzioumis, J. H. F. Meyer, Pauline Ross). Part III, Interdisciplinary Threshold Concepts, contains the following papers: (15) Interdisciplinarity and Information Literacy Instruction: A Threshold Concepts Approach (Korey Brunetti, Amy Hofer, and Lori Townsend); (16) "How Do You Know?" The Threshold Concept, Multi-Disciplinary Approaches and the Age of Uncertainty (Brendan Hall); and (17) Seeing Deeply in Space and through Time: Interdisciplinarity Meets Threshold Concepts in Earth and Environmental Science (Anne Marie Ryan). Part IV, New Developments in Threshold Concepts, contains the following papers: (18) The "Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities", A US National Initiative Linking Sciences, Public Issues and Threshold Concepts (Monica Devanas); (19) Towards a TCT-Inspired Electronics Concept Inventory (Jonathan Scott, Ann Harlow, and Mira Peter); (20) Threshold Concepts and Decoding the Humanities: A Case Study of a Threshold Concept in Art History (Brad Wuetherick, and Elizabeth Loeffler); and (21) Student Understanding of the Critical Features of an Hypothesis: Variation across Epistemic and Heuristic Dimensions (Kirsten Zimbardi, J. H. F. Meyer, P. Chunduri, L. J. Lluka, C. E. Taylor, P. M. Ross, and V. Tziournis). Part V, Threshold Concepts in Professional Development, contains the following papers: (22) Threshold Concepts and Practices in Teacher Education: Professional, Educator and Student Perspectives (Ann Devitt, Marita Kerin, and Helen O'Sullivan); (23) A Comparative Academic/Industrial Professional Development Study of Threshold Concepts in Project Management (Mick Flanagan, Gerhard Ackermann, Matthias Zimmermann, Leif Martin Hokstad, Bjorn Andersen, and Manuel Fradinho); (24) Shifting Identity in Teacher Development (Colleen P. Gilrane); (25) Up Close and Personal: Engaging Learners with Service User Knowledge (Gloria Kirwan); (26) There's a Right Answer but Only Some Students Can Get It: Threshold Concepts in the Professional Development of Physics Laboratory Demonstrators (Ruth Mills and Anna Wilson); (27) A Broader Threshold: Including Skills as Well as Concepts in Computing Education (Lynda Thomas, Jonas Boustedt, Anna Eckerdal, Robert McCartney, Jan Erik Mostrom, Kate Sanders, and Carol Zander); and (28) Voice, Vision and Articulation: Conceptual Threshold Crossing in Academic Writing (Gina Wisker). Part VI contains posters. Part VII, E-Publication Papers, contains summaries with links to the following papers: (29) Troublesome Thresholds and Limiting Liminality: Issues in Teaching in Vocational Education (James Atherton, Peter Hadfield, and Peter Wolstencroft); (30) Addressing Diversity as Asset: Using Social Justice Vignettes for Transformational Change in Teacher Preparation (Joan Barnatt and Mary Knight-McKenna); (31) "Threshold Concept Literacy": Helping Learners Develop Writing Skills and Acquire Threshold Concept Understanding Through Examining Associated Transformations in Discourse (Graham Barton); (32) Embedding Threshold Concepts into Hierarchical Concept Structures (Michael A. Bedek and Albert Dietrich); (33) Serious Play: Threshold Concepts, Information Engagement and Game Design (Margaret Blackmore and Pam Freeland); (34) Designing Tasks to Aid Understanding of Functions (Sinead Breen and Ann O'Shea); (35) Interdisciplinary Threshold Concepts: An Ontological and Epistemological Analysis (Monica R. Cowart); (36) Locked Doors: Threshold Concepts as Guardians (Jason Davies); (37) What Concepts Underpin Skills Training in Community Services in Vocational Education and Training (Rhonda Fuzzard and Margaret Kiley); (38) "Playing" So Hard We Fall Out of Our Heads: Threshold Concepts and Troublesome Knowledge in Experiences of Experiential Knowledge Acquisition in Higher Education Actor Training (Sam Grogan); (39) Integrating Threshold Concepts Pedagogy into a Market-Value Education System to Reduce the "Plagiarism Epidemic" (Corrine Hersey); (40) Embedding Threshold Concepts in a Student Learning Community (Jody Horn); (41) Using Language to Transform Judgemental Attitudes (Charity Johansson); (42) Don't Fear the Engineer: Social Science Students Exploring a Liminal Space with Engineering Students (Jens Kabo and Caroline Baillie); (43) The Experience of Interdisciplinarity in Doctoral Research: Threshold Journey (Jeffrey Keefer and Gale Parchoma); (44) Crossing a Threshold Concept in Biology: Variation in Student Learning (Eileen Kennedy); (45) Threshold Concepts in Liberal Education (Bruce MacKay); (46) The Integrative Nature of Threshold Concepts in Financial Accounting--An Exploration of the Interdisciplinarity of One Threshold Concept (Sonia Magdziarz, Paul Myers, and Sheila Bellamy); (47) Threshold Theory, Action Research, and Teacher Learning: An Exploration (Sarah Noonan); (48) I Hate Maths and Maths Hate Me! Analysing the Development of Threshold Concepts and Attitudes in Preservice Mathematics Teacher Education (Maria Northcote); (49) Academic Numeracy: Challenging Thinking Dispositions to Enable Students to Enter and Cross the Liminal Space (Rebecca LeBard, Rachel Thompson, and Rosanne Quinnell); (50) Creating Optimal Distance Education Environments for the Emergence of Threshold Concepts (Kristi Archulta-Frush and Candy Sebert); and (51) Helping Students to "Think Historically" by Engaging with Threshold Concepts (Paul Sendziuk). Individual papers contain references.

As part of a larger examination of teaching and learning within the social context of high school biology classrooms, a case study examined the enactment of literacy events as social processes in two high school biology classrooms. Two veteran high school biology teachers in an urban high school used identical first-year biology textbooks and basic curricula. The teachers differed drastically in their beliefs and behaviors concerning science instruction. Students of the first teacher were 10th to 12th graders taking their first science course, while students of the other teacher were all 9th graders and likely to continue with other science classes in high school. Data collection occurred over a 7-week period and included field notes of observations of teacher behavior, audiotapes of classroom talk, students' verbal and nonverbal behaviors, and formal and informal interviews with students. Results indicated that: (1) teachers' beliefs about teaching and learning science were the driving force in the classrooms, not the textbook; (2) reading was enacted differently in the classrooms; (3) teachers' beliefs about the relationship between learning and writing affected the types of writing tasks students engaged in; (4) the nature of the interactions as well as the types of tasks in each classroom defined the nature of learning; and (5) the culture of each classroom demonstrated the influence and beliefs of the participants. Findings suggest that students in the two classroom contexts were gaining access to very different types of literacies. (Sixteen references are attached.) (RS)