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This paper reconceptualised the interrelated learning constructs in higher education based on the Dynamic Systems Theory (DST). The university students' learning experience before, during and post the Emergency Online Learning (EOL) was investigated to explore the dynamic changes among the learning constructs in higher education. A case study of a Chinese university was conducted, and one hundred and ninety‐three university students participated in the questionnaire. The data collected from this empirical research identify different hierarchical constructs of the conceptualised learning environment and reconceptualise the period of system reformation influenced by the EOL. The key findings include the identifications of the attractors and repellors framed by the DST and the impact on the changes in the learning constructs. The results of this paper contribute to further understanding of the university constructs' changes to better plan and support students' active learning in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Important factors in learning science include motivational variables (relevance of science learning for personal goals, self‐efficacy for learning science, and interest in a scientific career), emotional variables (boredom and enjoyment in science classes), and engagement variables (vigor, dedication, and absorption towards science studies). Data from 3034 Chilean and Spanish compulsory secondary education students was used to study the relationships between these variables, by means of a self‐report questionnaire analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The model, tested for goodness of fit, showed that motivational variables predict emotions in science classes and explained 43% of boredom variance and 67% of enjoyment variance. Motivational and emotional variables explained the 73% variance in engagement toward science studies. Also seen is the essential role played by emotions that mediate between motivational variables in science learning and engagement towards science studies. When promoting engagement towards science studies, these results can be used to increase relevance of science learning to personal goals, self‐efficacy for learning science, and interest in a scientific career, besides reducing boredom, increasing enjoyment in science classes, and enhancing engagement towards science studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On completing middle‐school (ninth grade), Israeli students must choose which discipline(s) to major in upon entering high school. This study, grounded in Expectancy‐Value Theory (EVT), identified and modeled the factors that contributed to students' academic choices from their own subjective perspectives. We collected qualitative and quantitative data from ninth graders in two urban middle‐schools (n=295) at the school year's end. We found that (a) most students cited interest and utility value as their main motivations for choosing a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) major, expectancies were mentioned less; (b) students who chose a STEM major had statistically significant higher scores for EVT's key predictor variables (personal attributes, "subjective task value," "expectation of success," perceived effects of environmental factors) than their counterparts who majored in non‐STEM disciplines; (c) the positive perceptions of their peers' interest and ability in science contributed significantly to students' choice to major in STEM disciplines; and (d) no significant gender differences re academic choice were found. One highly unexpected finding emerged: Participation in advanced science programs for highly qualified students ("ability grouping with curriculum differentiation") was by far the most significant factor in the choice to major in STEM disciplines. This finding has major implications for science education policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several previous studies have emphasized the importance of situating students in authentic learning or problem‐solving contexts to enhance their learning performances. However, some challenges of situated learning have been stated, such as the lack of effective learning support or concrete objective design to improve students' learning engagement, problem‐solving competences and their active thinking. In this study, a mobile technology‐supported experiential learning system was developed to improve students' problem‐solving competences as well as their learning performances, attitudes and collective efficacy. Moreover, an experiment was conducted on an environmental science course in an elementary school to compare the effects of this method with those of the conventional situated mobile learning approach on students' learning effectiveness. The experimental results display that the implemented approach can significantly enhance students' learning achievements, environmental attitudes and collective efficacy; furthermore, the students who learned with the implemented approach showed higher problem‐solving competence than those who learned with the conventional situated mobile learning approach, implying a noticeable reference for conducting experiential learning activities in environmental science education. Furthermore, the promotion of students' active thinking in the mobile technology‐supported experiential learning is discussed. Practitioner NotesWhat is already known about this topic The importance of situating students in authentic learning or problem‐solving contexts to enhance their learning performances has been emphasized.Some challenges of situated learning have been stated, such as the lack of effective learning support or concrete objective design to improve students' learning engagement, problem‐solving competences and active thinking.Properly integrating technology into instruction is most effective in an authentic learning context.What this paper adds A mobile technology‐supported experiential learning system was designed to conduct an authentic learning activity.The proposed approach can significantly enhance students' learning achievements, environmental attitudes and collective efficacy.The students who learned with the proposed approach showed higher problem‐solving competence than those who learned with the conventional situated mobile learning approach.The promotion of students' active thinking while learning with the mobile technology‐supported experiential learning system is discussed.Implications for practice and/or policy The mobile technology‐supported experiential learning system is beneficial to students in an authentic learning environment as it triggers their active thinking.Such an approach can be designed with authentic learning activities in other courses by replacing the authentic objects and learning materials.It would be interesting to probe students' social interactions and learning patterns in an experiential collective learning activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most studies of Augmented Reality (AR) in education have considered students' learning outcomes and motivation. Previous studies have revealed that AR has the potential to help students learn abstract conceptions in mathematics. In this paper, a series of statistics and probability lessons using AR installed on tablets was designed and developed to examine the effect of the AR technology by comparing the conceptions and learning approaches of junior high school students with different levels of self‐efficacy. A total of 101 students were divided into two groups based on their mathematics learning self‐efficacy. The analysis of the results shows that AR applications in mathematics courses can help students with higher self‐efficacy to pay closer attention to higher level conceptions. It can also help higher self‐efficacy students to apply more advanced strategies when learning mathematics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How is a child's successful participation in science learning shaped by their family's support? We focus on the critical time period of early adolescents, testing (i) whether the child's perception of family support is important for both choice preferences to participate in optional learning experiences and engagement during science learning, and (ii) whether the effects on choice preferences and engagement are mediated through effects on child interest and self-efficacy in science. Structural equation modeling is applied to data from two different contexts, one examining engagement during a science and technology center visit and the other examining engagement and learning during classroom instruction. Models from both datasets suggest that early adolescents' perceived family support for learning is associated with their choices for and engagement in science learning, and that these effects are mediated by effects on child interest and self-efficacy in science. Further, children's family physical resources (e.g., available learning spaces and materials) predicts their perceived family support, but is not separately connected to either interest or self-efficacy. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 53: 450-472, 2016 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a mix methods follow-up study in which we reconfirm the findings from an earlier study [Vedder-Weiss & Fortus [2011] Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 48(2), 199-216]. The findings indicate that adolescents' declining motivation to learn science, which was found in many previous studies [Galton [2009] Moving to secondary school: Initial encounters and their effects. Perspectives on Education, 2(Primary-secondary Transfer in Science), 5-21. Retrieved from www.wellcome.ac.uk/perspectives; Osborne, Simon, & Collins, [2003] International Journal of Science Education 25(9), 1049-1079], is not an inevitable phenomenon since it appears not to occur in Israeli democratic schools. In addition to reinforcing previous results in a different sample, new results show that the differences between the two school types are also apparent in terms of students' self-efficacy in science learning, students' perceptions of their teachers' goals emphases, and students' perception of their peers' goals orientation. Quantitative results are accompanied by rich verbal examples of ways in which students view and articulate their own and their teachers' goal emphases. Content analysis of students' interviews showed that students in traditional schools are directed more towards goals that are external and related to the outcome of learning in comparison to democratic school students who are motivated more by goals that are internal and related to the process of learning. Structure analysis of these interviews suggests that democratic school students experience a greater sense of autonomy in their science learning than traditional school students do. Implications for research on students' motivation are discussed, such as considering not only the teacher and the classroom but also the school culture. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 49: 1057-1095, 2012 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in mobile and wireless communication technologies have enabled various new learning approaches which situate students in environments that combine real-world and digital-world learning resources; moreover, students are allowed to share knowledge or experiences with others during the learning process. Although such an approach seems to be promising and innovative, researchers have indicated several problems when applying it to practical applications, in particular, the lack of proper strategies or tools to assist the students to learn collaboratively in such a learning scenario with abundant content. Students might feel interested when using the mobile devices to learn; however, without proper assistance or guidance, their learning achievements are usually disappointing. To cope with this problem, this study proposes a concept map-oriented Mindtool for collaborative ubiquitous learning. Experimental results from a natural science course in an elementary school show that this approach not only enhances learning motivation but also improves the learning achievements of the students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]