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Access to body-based resources has been shown to augment cognitive processes, but not all movements equally aid reasoning. Interactive technologies, like dynamic geometry systems (DGS), potentially amplify the link between movement and geometric representation, thereby deepening students' understanding of geometric properties. This study investigated the influence of access to a DGS on students' geometric reasoning and gesture production compared to the impact of only spontaneous gestures. Access to simulations did not significantly increase the likelihood of students producing correct mathematical insights compared to spontaneous gestures. However, when controlling gesture production, DGS access became a significant predictor for transformational proof production. We also found that access to DGS influenced the type of gestures students produced during geometric reasoning tasks. This study underlines the vital role of gestures in geometric reasoning and suggests that while DGS offers benefits, spontaneous gestures remain a crucial embodied resource for exploring geometric concepts. [This paper was published in: "Proceedings of the 18th International Conference of the Learning Sciences - ICLS 2024," edited by R. Lindgren et al., International Society of the Learning Sciences, 2024, pp. 131-38.]

This study utilizes an analysis of diminishing returns to examine the relationship between sample size and item parameter estimation precision when utilizing the Masters' Partial Credit Model for polytomous items. Item data from the standardization of the Batelle Developmental Inventory, 3rd Edition were used. Each item was scored with a "0" for no credit, a "1" for partial credit and a "2" for full credit. Two conditions were studied; the first used 40 items and the second 20 items. Item parameter estimates were examined relative to their "true" values by evaluating the decline in root mean squared error (RMSE) and the number of outliers as the level of sample size increased. The generalizability of these results may be limited due to this study's range of item score points, the number of items, and the range of the underlying scale. However, under both conditions, the majority of RMSE and outlier-reduction improvement was achieved once a sample size of 900 examinees had been reached. Diminishing returns were most notable with incremental increases to sample size beyond 1,000 examinees. Practitioners often encounter great variability in the number of items, item types, the number of item score points, the range of an assessment's underlying scale and the stakes associated with calibration objectives. Given this variability, practitioners might be encouraged to first simulate item data and vary the level of sample size to evaluate estimation precision across the scale through a similar review of RMSE and "outliers" as the level of sample size increases. Besides the consideration of sample acquisition costs, an evaluation of "diminishing returns" could aid practitioners in their selection of an appropriate sample size.

Students with learning disabilities/difficulties in mathematics often apply ineffective procedures to solve word problems. Given that current mathematics curriculum standards emphasize conceptual understanding in problem solving as well as higher-order thinking and reasoning, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a model-based problem-solving (MBPS) intervention program on elementary students' word problem-solving performance through analyzing the error patterns. Results indicate that after the MBPS intervention, participants significantly improved their problem-solving performance and made less errors on solving problems across a range of problem situations. Implications of the study will be discussed in the context of National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' calling for teaching big ideas to help students develop a deep understanding of mathematics knowledge. [For the complete proceedings, see ED658295.]

Equitable and accessible classrooms should engage all learners with mathematics content in meaningful ways. However, practicing teachers need support from professional development (PD) to learn to teach with this ambitious vision. Informed by sociocultural theory, we employed an evaluative case study methodology to describe, explain, and assess the experiences of one middle school mathematics teacher's longitudinal participation in a continuous PD model focused on the Teaching for Robust Understanding (TRU) framework. Based on classroom observations and interview data, our findings show evidence of TRU-aligned changes in teaching practice as a result of years of participation in the PD model. These findings strengthen the call for PD programs focused on equity and access and suggest design elements of such PD to support effectiveness. [For the complete proceedings, see ED657822.]

Dynamic Item Response Models extend the standard Item Response Theory (IRT) to capture temporal dynamics in learner ability. While these models have the potential to allow instructional systems to actively monitor the evolution of learner proficiency in real time, existing dynamic item response models rely on expensive inference algorithms that scale poorly to massive datasets. In this work, we propose Variational Temporal IRT (VTIRT) for fast and accurate inference of dynamic learner proficiency. VTIRT offers orders of magnitude speedup in inference runtime while still providing accurate inference. Moreover, the proposed algorithm is intrinsically interpretable by virtue of its modular design. When applied to 9 real student datasets, VTIRT consistently yields improvements in predicting future learner performance over other learner proficiency models. [For the complete proceedings, see ED630829.]

Validity is one of the essential criteria for an instrument to be used in counselling and educational learning instruction. Several components of validity requirements need to be validated before using the instrument. One of those components is content validity. As mentioned in the literature, content validity is a qualitative assessment. However, using qualitative assessment to analyse collective agreement among panel experts would create some issues. A few suggestions were made to find a seamless solution to overcome the problems. Among the suggestions is to use quantitative analysis rather than qualitative. Thus, this study aimed to explore an alternative approach to testing the content validity of an instrument. For this reason, a newly developed counselling needs assessment instrument was used to quantify the 16-panel experts' agreement. The instrument has 126 items, and the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) was used to verify the panel experts' consensus on the instrument's content validity. The results have shown that out of 126 items, two items, item 62 and item 115, were discarded from the list as the items scored less than 0.5 of the defuzzification threshold value. [For the full proceedings, see ED636095.]

This study investigated student perceived shared-metacognition--self-regulation and co-regulation--as explained by three teaching presence sub-elements--"Instructional Design, Direct Instruction, and Facilitation"--in an online case-based course. 113 online graduate students enrolled in an advanced instructional design course participated in the study. Data were collected through the Community of Inquiry survey and a shared metacognition questionnaire survey. The findings revealed that students perceived "Direct Instruction" as a significant predictor of their shared-metacognition (self-regulation and co-regulation) in online case-based courses. The findings highlight the importance of teaching presence for "Direct Instruction" to increase self and co-regulation for maximizing the quality of online case-based instruction. The findings of this study will be helpful for researchers and practitioners who design and teach online courses to promote metacognition. [For the full proceedings, see ED636095.]

Professional development (PD) plays a crucial role in promoting teachers' linguistic competence and teaching quality, contributing to enhancing and maintaining sources of effective teachers, especially novice teachers with little teaching experience. Mentoring has emerged as a PD activity in which a novice teacher is mentored and directly supported in various aspects by an experienced professional. It has been popularly adopted in several countries in the world, including Vietnam. This study was conducted to investigate the extent of various types of support that the mentoring program provided. Additionally, it aimed at exploring the level of satisfaction of EFL novice teachers regarding the types of support in the program. The study was designed as a mixed-method study, using a questionnaire and interviews as data collection instruments. The study involved the participation of twenty-two EFL novice teachers who have less than three-year experience in teaching and took part in a mentoring program held by a private English center in the Mekong Delta. The finding showed that all types of support in the program, including instructional support, emotional support, physical support, and institutional support were provided to a high extent. The participants hold a high level of satisfaction with these types of support. Based on the findings, some recommendations were suggested to promote the quality of the program and meet participants' needs and expectations. [For the full proceedings, see ED654100.]

Let's Discover STEM is designed to provide enriching foundational Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics experiences for Latino children who likely would not have such experiences; teach parents how to nurture children's curiosity by encouraging and supporting their children's STEM learning at home, in school and throughout the community; and build a connection between homes and schools to support children's STEM success as they enter and progress through school. Since 2017, Let's Discover STEM program in Nevada (Clark and Washoe) have been provided in-person 7-week classes (32 hands-on STEM activities, 7 mini-lessons, and 7 STEM books) to Spanish-speaking families with young children to support their early STEM learning. After the program, parents were significantly more confident about using STEM skills to teach their children; believed their children could learn from them; were significantly more confident about helping their children succeed in school; and felt that they were significantly better prepared to help their children learn. Parents also reported that their children's STEM readiness skills were significantly improved (e.g., recognizing shapes and numbers, building with blocks, recognizing patterns, etc.). [For the full proceedings, see ED656038.]

This research aimed to explore the effectiveness of using augmented reality (AR) technology to enhance construction management students' understanding of construction plans. Specifically, the study employed a controlled experimental approach, utilizing pre-assessment and post-assessment measures to evaluate the impact that the AR tool had on students' comprehension of construction plans. The methodology for this study was developed following an analysis of previous similar studies and by recognizing that the construction industry is in the early stages of utilizing AR technologies to scaffold comprehension of construction details with constituents that are often not adept at this process. The controlled experiment demonstrated a positive impact on the students' spatial skills, with improved accuracy and proficiency at interpreting construction plans. Additionally, student feedback revealed a high level of satisfaction with the use of AR technology as a learning tool in construction management education. Lastly, this research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by highlighting the potential of AR technology to improve the comprehension of construction details which is a necessary skill for the construction industry. [For the full proceedings, see ED656038.]

We sought to identify the extent to which an innovative educational technology called ELCII (Early Language Comprehension Individualized Instruction) improved inference making for various populations of kindergarten students. Analyses examined student performance based on individual-level demographic characteristics (i.e., gender, race/ethnicity, home language, English Language Learner status, and Free or Reduced Lunch eligibility) to shed light on whether ELCII addresses the needs of learners from marginalized communities. Results showed that all students, on average, improved in their inference making performance over time and that growth in inference making performance did not differ across subgroups. However, the results also highlighted persistent gaps that were present at the onset of the program, and unfortunately continued to persist. To bridge such gaps, the standard of 'working for all' is a necessary first step, but not sufficient. Future research should identify ways to accelerate growth of core skill development among students who need additional support.