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Augmented reality (AR) has the potential to enhance visual cognition through virtual object experimentation and practice, while also fostering spatial skills relevant to mathematics. This experimental study was conducted with 86 sixth graders in Eastern China, involving a 3-month AR integrated Mathematics Curriculum (ARiMC), with pre- and post-tests administered. The analysis of spatial skills encompassed four dimensions: graphics recognition, movement, orientation, and measurement. The results revealed that there was no significant improvement in spatial skills with the experience of ARiMC. However, it's noteworthy that ARiMC had a significant impact on the graphics movement dimension, particularly among female students. This finding suggests that AR-enabled learning is a convenient and effective teaching strategy compared to traditional methods, although it didn't yield a broad enhancement in overall spatial skills. It demonstrates the capacity to improve certain abilities, particularly benefiting female students. This underscores the value of AR-enabled learning in mathematics education.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a design thinking teaching and learning model on students' design thinking skills in science class. The study utilised two projects, 'Making a Simple Solar Water Heater' and 'Drawing a 3D Topographic Map of Zhejiang Province,' based on the 5th-grade science curriculum in China, and involved 45 Grade-5 students from a primary school. The quasi-experimental repeated measure method was used to evaluate the students' improvement in design thinking skills, with task-based pre-, mid-, and post-tests. Employing quantitative data analysis, the results showed significant improvement in students' overall performance, with more pronounced improvement between the pre-test and post-test than between the pre-test and mid-test. The analysis of the seven design indexes of students' design work demonstrated significant improvement in five indicators, except for 'material' and 'shape.' The study highlights the importance of incorporating design thinking into elementary school curricula to equip students with the necessary competencies for success in the twenty-first-century workforce.

This study utilized the SEC (Survey of Enacted Curriculum) method to examine the alignment between Chinese high school chemistry curriculum standards (HSCCS) and the assessment of 'Chemical Reaction Principles' in the National College Entrance Examinations (NCEEs). The HSCCS and NCEEs were coded into two-dimensional matrices separately using SPSS, MATLAB, and EXCEL. The alignment coefficients were analyzed both macroscopically and specifically based on two dimensions: themes and cognitive levels. The findings indicated a generally low alignment between NCEEs and HSCCS in the 'Chemical Reaction Principles' domain, and no statistically significant alignment was observed. Comparing Porter alignment coefficients revealed a gradual increase in the overall alignment level between 2018-2022 NCEEs and HSCCS due to curricular reforms. Further specific analyses and comparisons highlighted significant discrepancies between NCEEs and HSCCS concerning themes and cognitive levels. Regarding themes, 'Ionic Reactions and Equilibrium in Aqueous Solutions' showed substantial alignment between NCEEs and HSCCS. However, for 'Application of Ionic Reactions and Equilibrium' and 'Systems and Energy,' NCEEs diverged significantly from or exceeded HSCCS requirements. Concerning cognitive levels, NCEEs demanded higher levels of student cognition compared to HSCCS.

This study extends the community of inquiry (CoI) framework and empowerment theory by exploring the relationships between motivational variables, CoI variables, learning presence, and empowerment. We added motivational beliefs (growth mindset, self-efficacy, and task value) as associated variables and learning presence (online self-regulation) as a mediator and examined their contribution to students' cognitive presence and empowerment. The participants were 539 junior middle-school students in rural China who had acquired significant online learning experience as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results showed that motivational variables were associated with students' social presence and online self-regulation, which in turn related to their cognitive presence and empowerment in the online learning environment. Growth mindset and self-efficacy also exhibited a significant correlation with students' cognitive presence. There was a positive correlation between cognitive presence and empowerment. We also found teaching presence has a positive association with social presence but a negative association with online self-regulation. Our research provides a more comprehensive explanatory model of online instruction and student empowerment by introducing the elements of motivational beliefs and learning presence to the CoI framework.

There is a global trend in the increased adoption of e-assessment in school classrooms to enhance learning. Teachers, as classroom-based assessment designers and implementers, play a vital role in such assessment change. However, little is known about school teachers' classroom-based e-assessment practices and the underlying reasons. To address this research gap, this study identified the factors influencing Hong Kong primary school teachers' e-assessment practices underpinned by the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). A large-scale survey was issued to 878 teachers via Qualtrics. Structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis shows that primary school teachers' intentions of using e-assessment and perceived behavioural control of it were the two strongest factors predicting their e-assessment practices in a general way. Specifically, teachers' intentions outweighed perceived behavioural control in determining their use of alternative e-assessment tasks and e-feedback, but this reversed for e-tests/exercises. The impact of perceived behavioural control was consistent across the three types of e-assessment practices. Furthermore, teachers' attitudes significantly influenced their intentions to use alternative e-assessment tasks, while subject norms primarily predicted their intentions to use e-feedback. The findings have implications for primary schools to take countermeasures to facilitate the successful implementation of e-assessment at the classroom level.

Limited research has been conducted on the influence of computational thinking (CT) dispositions on students' mathematics performance and engagement at the secondary or junior high school level. This study aims to bridge this research gap by developing CT-integrated mathematics lessons that incorporate CT-focused problem-solving and modeling in mathematics education. The study was conducted in a secondary school in Singapore, where students engaged in a mathematics modeling task while learning the four pillars of CT. To investigate the impact of integrating CT dispositions on student engagement and mathematics performance, a one-group posttest design together with a survey was administered. Mixed research methods were employed. Structural Equation Modeling analysis revealed that CT dispositions could enhance students' mathematics performance by fostering greater engagement in math, although a direct effect of CT disposition on mathematics performance was not observed. Additionally, interviews with students highlighted their positive dispositions towards CT, including a sense of capability, inclination, and sensitivity in utilizing CT for the modeling task and other contexts.

This interventional case study adopted a data-supported reflective assessment (DSRA) design to help pre-service teachers (PTs) engage in effective Knowledge Building (KB) and examined the mechanisms of this design to support PTs' productive KB discourse. The participants were 80 PTs from two classes taking the same course. Statistical analysis of indices from social network theory and content analysis of the participants' Knowledge Forum discourse revealed DSRA's positive influence on PTs' KB discourse. Thematic analysis of the PTs' prompt sheets, supplemented by analysis of classroom videos and classroom observations, revealed four mechanisms by which the DSRA fostered PTs' KB: (1) identifying promising directions for further inquiry; (2) navigating data for extending collective focal ideas; (3) integrating separated keywords and identifying problems for further inquiry; (4) and improving "storylines" in the collective inquiry process and making numerical values meaningful. These findings extend the literature by revealing the mechanisms by which learners engage in productive shared regulation which are crucial for successful inquiry and KB. The findings also have significant implications for teacher educators and researchers seeking to design technology-enhanced learning to develop PTs' higher-level KB competencies.

This study explores the relationship between parental attitudes toward outdoor activities and children's health-related quality of life, focusing on the mediation of outdoor activity time and nature connections. Data from 399 kindergarten children, supplemented by parental insights, were analyzed using structural equation modelling (SEM). Positive parental attitudes toward outdoor activities were found to predict enhanced physical functioning and kindergarten performance. Additionally, a positive correlation was observed for social functioning, while emotional functioning remained unaffected. Parental attitudes directly influenced physical functioning, with indirect effects on kindergarten performance mediated by outdoor time and nature connections. These findings highlight the importance of parental attitudes in promoting children's well-being and suggest potential strategies to enhance their health-related quality of life.

In upper-secondary chemistry education, the concept of 'Amount of Substance' occupies a central position within the computation framework. However, comprehending this concept often poses a challenge for students. To address this issue, our study aimed to design and implement a computation skills test to assess the varying levels of students' computation skills in understanding Amount of Substance. The test was administered to a total of 214 first-year students at the secondary schools. To analyse the test scores and unveil students' comprehensive and mastery levels of computation skills, the SOLO Taxonomy was employed for scoring the levels. Additionally, interviews were conducted to identify the underlying reasons for their learning difficulties. Findings revealed that the majority of students demonstrated proficiency in solving relatively straightforward problems and applying basic formulas. Only a small fraction of students reached the advanced relational level, showcasing their ability to apply chemical concepts and methodologies to solve complex problems. Moreover, students exhibited varying degrees of proficiency when dealing with different types of knowledge and problems associated with computations involving solutions and the quantification of microscopic particles. Interviews uncovered students' major learning difficulties. These findings inform the teachers' teaching of Amount of Substance in chemistry education.

Formative assessment has been long emphasised as a powerful means for enhancing science learning. However, there is still a lack of research to investigate the impacts of formative assessment on both students' motivational beliefs and behaviours in science learning. This study examined such impacts using data from six Western and six East Asian countries/economies in PISA 2015. 96,491 15-year-old students were included. The SEM analysis of overall data showed that (i) formative assessment had both direct effects on students' science learning behaviours and indirect impacts mediated by students' motivational beliefs and (ii) the total effect of teacher feedback on science learning behaviours was greater than adaptive instruction. The comparison between Western and East Asian datasets indicated that (i) the impact of teacher feedback on East Asian students' motivational beliefs was greater than that on their Western counterparts; (ii) the impact of adaptive instruction on Western students' motivational beliefs was greater than that on East Asian counterparts; and (iii) the direct impacts of teacher feedback and adaptive instruction on science learning behaviours were similar for both groups of students. Suggestions were made on how to effectively implement formative assessment to enhance science learning in different cultural contexts.