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The article shows how task-based inclusive EFL learning environments can be structured by integrating explicit elements of instruction so that learner-oriented support enables the best possible development of learners' potential. Findings on explicit elements in learning paths, attention control, and independent strategy selection are presented. These are measures that can lower the learners' cognitive load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inquiry-based instruction is a prominent teaching strategy in science education that is assumed to be an effective means to foster not only students' understanding of science content but also their procedural and epistemic knowledge concerning inquiry processes. Empirical studies have repeatedly shown that inquiry-related activities should be combined with instruction that explicitly addresses procedural and epistemic knowledge to support students' learning effectively. Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore to what extent explicit instruction on procedural and epistemic knowledge is occurring in inquiry-based biology and chemistry lessons. Sample: The sample analysed in this study consist of 16 inquiry-based biology and chemistry lessons recorded in German classrooms. Design and Methods: The video recordings of the lessons were analysed in three steps. First, event-based codes were used to identify all phases of a lesson in which students were engaged in an inquiry-related activity (e.g. developing questions, planning investigations). Second, each phase was analysed with respect to features of explicit instruction (e.g. explications of inquiry strategies). Third, event-based codes were used to capture individual features of explicit instruction in a phase. Results: In our sample explicit instruction on procedural knowledge occurred rarely and mostly in the form of brief sidenotes rather than as a comprehensive and deliberately planned action. Furthermore, explicit instruction on epistemic knowledge was virtually non-existent. However, we observed that many tasks and questions that are given by the teachers during their lessons have a high potential for making procedural (and epistemic) aspects explicit. Conclusion: While this explorative study does not allow for causal explanations for the lack of explicit instruction, its findings provide important insights into classroom practice. Implications for teacher education and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Serial Reaction Time Task, participants respond to several stimuli usually being unaware that the stimuli follow a predefined sequence while still learning the sequence. In the present study, we aimed to clearly separate explicit intentional learning from implicit incidental learning by either informing participants about all details of the sequence or not informing participants about the existence of the sequence. Further, we explored the influence of anticipatory cues during practice while anticipatory cues were either presented (extrinsically triggered anticipation) or not presented (self-reliant intrinsic anticipation). Participants were tested before and after practice in the Practice Sequence and a Control Sequence. To test automatization, tests were performed in Single-Task and Dual-Task Blocks. Results showed that after learning with explicit instructions, participants memorized the sequence more deeply and executed the sequence faster than after learning without explicit instructions. Further, by learning with anticipatory cues, participants memorized the sequence less deeply and executed the sequence slower than by learning without anticipatory cues. Unexpectedly, automatization was sequence-unspecific and independent of the practice conditions. In conclusion, detailed explicit prior information about the sequence facilitates sequence learning while anticipatory online cues during practice hamper sequence learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preparing pre-service teachers is a crucial element to consider when looking to improve student success. Many teachers are not given sufficient resources and feel unprepared when entering the profession particularly around the topic of reading instruction. This study examined the effectiveness of an undergraduate course, with an embedded community partnership, designed to train pre-service teachers in the areas of literacy assessment and intervention. In addition to this, upon completion of the course, pre-service teachers are required to take a state proctored exam, measuring the knowledge and ability to apply content that is taught throughout the course. Pre-service teachers must pass the exam in order to go on to the next phase of the education program. We measured the efficacy of the course by administering (a) a teacher knowledge survey focusing on knowledge and practice growth, and (b) the state-based literacy exam pre-service teachers are required to pass as part of their teacher training program. We found that the course, paired with the community-based individualized tutoring program, provided pre-service teachers the opportunity to gain significant knowledge about teaching literacy. They were able to immediately embed evidence-based instruction into their tutoring sessions, and they felt confident about their ability to do this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined the effectiveness of a reading curriculum of explicit instruction on the letter-sound knowledge of a sample of elementary-aged students with Down syndrome. The procedures were adapted from prior research (King et al., 2020; Lemons et al., 2018; Lemons et al., 2015). Three participants between 9 and 11 years old participated in the study. Participants were provided with five lessons or 5 tiers of data points on letter-sound knowledge, wherein they practiced identifying initial letter-sounds from highly imageable and decodable words. Unique to this study was the addition of explicit instruction procedures in spelling and measurement of improved spelling skills for both taught and untaught words. We used a multiple probe design across intervention lessons. Letter-sound accuracy increased for all three participants. Results for the spelling outcomes were mixed, with most students making minimal progress. Improvements in letter-sound knowledge did not naturally transfer to the spelling outcome, supporting the idea that explicit instruction may be necessary to support the transfer of skills for children with Down syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals frequently update their beliefs and behaviours based on observation of others’ experience. While often adaptive, social learning can contribute to the development of negative health expectations, leading to worsened health outcomes, a phenomenon known as the nocebo effect. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined: whether social learning is sufficient to induce the nocebo effect, how it compares to other forms of induction (classical conditioning and explicit instruction), and factors that influence these effects. The meta-analysis included twenty studies (n = 1388). Social learning showed a medium-large effect size (Hedges’ g = .74) relative to no treatment and a to small-medium effect (g = .42) when compared to neutral modelling. The effect of social learning was similar in magnitude to classical conditioning but greater than explicit instruction with a small-medium effect (g = .46). Face-to-face social modelling, longer exposure, higher proportions of female participants and models, and greater observer empathy led to stronger socially-induced nocebo effects. However, further research is essential as only a minority of studies measured important constructs like negative expectancies and state anxiety. Nonetheless, the study highlights social learning as a key pathway for nocebo effects, suggesting it as a target for interventions to reduce the substantial personal and societal burden caused by nocebo effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engaging the retrieval state (Tulving, 1983) impacts processing and behavior (Long and Kuhl, 2019, 2021; Smith et al., 2022), but the extent to which top-down factors--explicit instructions and goals--versus bottom-up factors--stimulus properties such as repetition and similarity--jointly or independently induce the retrieval state is unclear. Identifying the impact of bottom-up and top-down factors on retrieval state engagement is critical for understanding how control of task-relevant versus task-irrelevant brain states influence cognition. We conducted between-subjects recognition memory tasks on male and female human participants in which we varied test phase goals. We recorded scalp electroencephalography and used an independently validated mnemonic state classifier (Long, 2023) to measure retrieval state engagement as a function of top-down task goals (recognize old vs detect new items) and bottom-up stimulus repetition (hits vs correct rejections (CRs)). We find that whereas the retrieval state is engaged for hits regardless of top-down goals, the retrieval state is only engaged during CRs when the top-down goal is to recognize old items. Furthermore, retrieval state engagement is greater for low compared to high confidence hits when the task goal is to recognize old items. Together, these results suggest that top-down demands to recognize old items induce the retrieval state independent from bottom-up factors, potentially reflecting the recruitment of internal attention to enable access of a stored representation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Category variability or diversity is an important factor influencing generalisation. However, expectations of category variability may not only depend on the variability of encountered category members, but may also be shaped by prior experiences with similar categories. In this study, we investigated whether we could influence category generalisation by inducing different category representations in an A/Non-A categorisation task: Participants either learned about a homogeneous category Non-A or a diverse category Non-A during a priming phase. To better understand the transfer process, we varied the nature of the learning phase from implicit transfer to explicit instructions that actively requested participants to use their prior experiences. We found that while with a homogeneous Non-A representation, generalisation of the A and Non-A categories was equal, the generalisation of category Non-A widened after a priming phase with a diverse representation. In a second experiment, we found that the widening of generalisation of category Non-A occurred when the exemplars in this category were themselves diverse (feature-diverse condition) but not when the category contained distinct exemplars (exemplar-diverse condition). These results suggests that categorisation is influenced by previous categorisation experiences possibly altering the representation of a category. Furthermore, the study gives a hint what kind of heterogeneity is needed to observe the commonly reported broader generalisation of diverse categories. The finding has implications not only to understand the influence of prior experiences on category learning, but any cognitive process that hinges on generalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explicit language learning strategy-based instruction has emerged as an advantage in teaching languages. Several studies have addressed this topic in Chile, focusing on the type of strategies used in university contexts. Thus, it is necessary to guide such inquiries to school levels. For this reason, the present investigation aims to study the impact that explicit instruction of cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies has on a group of Chilean high school students' reading skills in L2. To achieve this, the study comprised two experimental groups and one control group. In the view of the results, it follows that cognitive strategies were more effective, and the explicit instruction of learning strategies constitutes a tool that favors the process of reading in L2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reporting verbs (RVs) are commonly used features in academic texts. While college textbook authors are less likely to be transparent about their views, they frequently employ RVs to signal their attitudes about the claims and findings of others. University students, particularly those placed in transitional reading courses, however, may have limited experience with reading texts that use diverse RVs to add depth and nuance in presenting different arguments and perspectives. To promote students' academic literacy skills, this paper highlights the importance of RVs and emphasizes their functions in conveying various attitudinal positions in authentic university textbooks. It then offers an instructional approach in which RVs are identified in text discussion to promote reading comprehension. The approach provides explicit instructions on how students could use authentic texts including examples from corpora as guidance for brief writing exercises that stimulate the use of a wide range of appropriate RVs. The paper has implications for helping students develop their authorial voice about reporting the views of others and evaluating the merit of their claims in academic contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The relationship between task constraints and player behaviors is of interest to coaches tasked with designing practice to optimize learning. This study aims to compare the skill involvements and cooperative team behavior of teams of youth soccer players engaged in a goal exaggeration and/or a prescriptive coach instruction condition compared to a free-play control condition. Methods: Twenty male soccer players aged 12–15 participated in small-sided games under four conditions: free-play, goal exaggeration, prescriptive coach instruction, and combination over four weeks. Using video footage, teams’ collective skill involvements (shot, pass, dribble) and passing network characteristics (closeness, density, and betweenness) were measured for each game. Results: A Friedmans rank test identified that playing conditions resulted in significant differences in attempted dribbles (p < .001), goals scored (p < .001), network density (p = .001), closeness (p < .001) and betweenness (p = .002). Teams attempted to dribble the most in the free-play and goal-exaggeration conditions, and the most goals were scored in the goal-exaggeration and combination conditions. Additionally, teams exhibited more well-connected passing networks (i.e. higher density, higher closeness, and lower betweenness values) in the combination condition and higher network density in the explicit instruction condition. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that coach instruction may be more associated with cooperative team behavior, whereas free-play or manipulating task constraints in the absence of instruction may be associated with players attempting more individual actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis study focused on explicit instruction and evaluated the differences in task performance between participants who were instructed to employ the change and those who were not. Ninety-three healthy young adults were assigned to the accurate information group (AG; n = 31), misinformation group (MG; n = 31), and non-information group (NG; n = 31). All participants manipulated a mouse to track a moving target on a screen with a cursor. The cursor was rotated to 60° in the clockwise direction from the actual mouse position during the 1st to 5th blocks (i.e., motor adaptation task). Subsequently, in the 6th block (i.e., transfer task), we gradually changed the angle of rotation from 60° to 80° to prevent from noticing the change. Participants in the AG were instructed accurate experimental information. Participants in the MG were instructed that the angle of rotation was 60° during the 1st to 6th blocks. Participants in the NG were instructed to manipulate the cursor movement only. The results indicated that an average error distance in the AG was significantly lower than that in the NG in the 6th block. This study suggested that explicit instruction may impair the transfer of motor adaptation in this setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A primary goal of educational settings in the United States is to produce competent writers. However, most students do not receive adequate instruction and practice beyond grade three. Furthermore, only 29% of high school graduates without disabilities, and 5% with disabilities exit with proficient writing skills (U.S. Department of Education, 2011). There is growing body of evidence for the use of explicit instruction and timed practice interventions to teach writing skills to struggling writers. However, to date there is no review of these combined strategies (i.e., explicit instruction and timed practice) to teach writing skills. The current review analyzed 10 studies that met the What Works Clearinghouse Single Case Design Standards 5.0 and included 53 students who received explicit instruction and timed practice interventions for sentence-level writing skills. Results from the independent analysis show that explicit instruction and timed practice have a significant impact on decreasing the frequency of incorrect writing performance and establish the need for additional research on frequency building strategies for writing skills. Results of the review, recommendations for educators, and future directions for researchers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public speaking is considered the most anxiety-provoking speaking activity for English as a foreign language (EFL) learner. While traditional lecture-based classrooms hinder EFL learners' constant practice and frequent interaction due to large class sizes and limited time, recent developments in technology, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Automatic Speech Analysis, and Virtual Reality (VR), may enhance language learning by offering accessible and personalized learning experiences. This study aimed to investigate the effects of technology-enhanced learning on reducing EFL learners' PSA. Thirty-three university students were divided into three groups and received either lecture-based, mobile-assisted, or VR-facilitated instruction for four weeks. The students' perceived PSA levels were reduced in all three groups after their respective instruction, but only the VR-facilitated group reached statistical significance, and there were no differences in the three groups' final oral performances. However, the two technology-enhanced language learning (TELL) groups achieved more convergent performances on the Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety scale compared with the non-TELL group, which indicated that the impact of individual differences may have been compensated by technology assistance. The findings suggested that the instructional feedback generated by AI decreased the participants' PSA, although the irreplaceable role of teachers as facilitators was also emphasized, while the potential of using VR in teaching public speaking was evident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowing how science teachers develop their professional knowledge has been a challenge. One potential way to determine the professional knowledge of teachers is through videos. In the study described here, the authors recruited 60 elementary and secondary science teachers, showed them one of two 10‐min videos, and recorded and analyzed their comments when watching the videos. The coding focused on their noticing of student learning, teacher's teaching, types of teaching practices, and the use of interpretative frames. The noticing data were collected and analyzed to determine the differences between groups of teachers. The findings from the analysis indicated that most science teachers noticed the instruction of teachers rather than the learning of students, and these noticing events were often focused on general instructional practices as opposed to the science practices emphasized in the Next Generation Science Standards (National Research Council, 2013). The only difference between the teachers was in the area of evaluating the videos. Secondary science teachers and experienced elementary teachers were more likely to evaluate the videos than were novice elementary teachers. This may be a result of the knowledge base of the teachers. These results suggest a need for explicit reform‐based instruction and a revision of this research process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to evaluate whether students with intellectual disabilities (ID) can improve their arithmetic skills by participating in an arithmetic intervention programme, theoretically founded on explicit instruction (EI) and administered via an application developed for tablet computers. The intervention study used a randomised controlled trial design (RCT) (n = 30, aged 10-16, 13 females) and lasted for up to 12 weeks. The results show that the intervention group significantly improved in arithmetic fact fluency compared to the controls and the effects remained six months after the intervention. The effects were larger for subtraction than for addition, and this difference remained six months later. These results suggest that mathematics applications based on explicit instruction can be an effective way of teaching arithmetic facts to youth with mild ID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present HoloSLAM which is a novel solution to landmark detection issues in the simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) problem in autonomous robot navigation. The approach integrates real and virtual worlds to create a novel mapping robotic environment employing a mixed-reality technique and a sensor, namely Microsoft HoloLens. The proposed methodology allows the robot to interact and communicate with its new environment in real-time and overcome the limitations of conventional landmark-based SLAMs by creating and placing some virtual landmarks in situations where real landmarks are scarce, non-existent, or hard to be detected. The proposed approach enhances the robot's perception and navigation capabilities in various robot environments. The overall process contributes to the robot's more accurate understanding of its environment; thus, enabling it to navigate with greater efficiency and effectiveness. In addition, the newly implemented HoloSLAM offers the option to guide the robot to a specific location eliminating the need for explicit navigation instructions. The open-source framework proposed in this paper can benefit the robotics community by providing a more reliable, realistic, and robust mapping solution. The experiments show that the Ellipsoidal-HoloSLAM system is accurate and effectively overcomes the limitations of conventional Ellipsoidal-SLAMs, providing a more precise and detailed mapping of the robot's environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effects of a synchronous online intervention that explicitly taught equivalent fractions using virtual manipulatives to fifth-grade students with learning disabilities. Employing a multiple probe across participants single-case design, this study provided 15 fraction lessons via video conferencing programs to three fifth-grade students with learning disabilities. During these online interventions, participants received one-on-one explicit instruction, practiced key concepts using virtual manipulatives, and solved fraction problems using interactive boards. Researcher-developed probes measured the participants' percentages of correct answers across baseline, intervention, and maintenance phases via an online assessment tool. In overall, students' performance improved as the intervention was introduced; however, the extent and maintenance of improvement varied according to the students' participation and perspectives regarding online instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper has investigated the importance of explicit instruction and collaborative writing on (a) argumentative writing performance and (b) self-efficacy for writing of secondary school students. This intervention study additionally aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of alternating between individual and collaborative writing throughout the writing process (planning collaboratively, writing individually, revising collaboratively, and rewriting individually). A cluster randomized control trial (CRT) design was opted for. To investigate the effect of the intervention on secondary school students' writing performance and self-efficacy for writing, multilevel analyses were performed. It was found that the presence of explicit instruction in combination with collaborative writing is positively related to argumentative writing performance and self-efficacy for writing. Alternating between individual and collaborative writing was not significantly different from collaborating throughout all phases of the writing process. More in-depth research into the quality of collaboration is, however, needed to gain insight into the interaction processes and writing processes that take place during collaborative writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People tend to employ suboptimal attention control strategies during visual search. Here we question why people are suboptimal, specifically investigating how knowledge of the optimal strategies and the time available to apply such strategies affect strategy use. We used the Adaptive Choice Visual Search (ACVS), a task designed to assess attentional control optimality. We used explicit strategy instructions to manipulate explicit strategy knowledge, and we used display previews to manipulate time to apply the strategies. In the first two experiments, the strategy instructions increased optimality. However, the preview manipulation did not significantly boost optimality for participants who did not receive strategy instruction. Finally, in Experiments 3A and 3B, we jointly manipulated preview and instruction with a larger sample size. Preview and instruction both produced significant main effects; furthermore, they interacted significantly, such that the beneficial effect of instructions emerged with greater preview time. Taken together, these results have important implications for understanding the strategic use of attentional control. Individuals with explicit knowledge of the optimal strategy are more likely to exploit relevant information in their visual environment, but only to the extent that they have the time to do so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creating Compassion is an empathy-focused creative arts curriculum designed to provide short-term, low-cost, high-quality social–emotional learning (SEL) to communities and settings with limited resources. The present study sought to determine whether Creating Compassion was effective for increasing displays of prosocial behaviors and broad SEL skills for early elementary school students (n = 9) through a multiple baseline single-case design, as empathy has previously been posited as a core factor in global social–emotional skill development. Results from this study confirmed the hypothesis that Creating Compassion would increase observed prosocial behaviors with moderate effectiveness for children in first, second, and third grades, including those with identified social–emotional skill deficits. Participant scores on a pre/post assessment of global SEL competence also increased after intervention. Ultimately, findings from this study suggest the Creating Compassion intervention might be used by school psychologists and other group interventionists to expose their school communities to arts programming and engage them in a fun and creative approach to accessible early SEL intervention. Impact Statement This paper presents results from a combined arts and empathy training intervention, Creating Compassion. As an empathy-focused intervention, implementation of Creating Compassion led to increases in displays of prosocial behavior with moderate effectiveness. Increases in participants' levels of overall SEL skill competence were also observed. Results from this study support the provision of a high-quality, low-cost, arts-based SEL program to benefit Low-Income and Economically Marginalized (LIEM) communities within educational settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurement concepts are an essential foundation for more advanced mathematical concepts. To address the challenges of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in learning measurement concepts, this study investigated the effects of using a combination of explicit instruction and virtual manipulatives (VMs) to teach measurement concepts to students with ASD in China. Using a single-case multiple-probe across skills design, researchers examined whether the intervention could support the acquisition and maintenance of measurement concepts in students with ASD. Based on visual analysis, a functional relation was found between the independent variable (i.e., explicit instruction with VMs) and student performance on solving measurement concepts problems. Implications for practice and research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many students with learning disabilities struggle with sentence writing fluency, the skill of quickly and accurately generating words that follow rules of semantics, spelling, syntax, and usage within sentence structures understandable to readers. Students who struggle with sentence writing fluency may face difficulty fully expressing their ideas while engaging in academic writing. In the present article, we describe how a combination of explicit instruction and fluency practice can improve the simple sentence writing fluency of students with learning disabilities. We detail how five design and delivery steps can help to create a supplemental writing intervention that addresses simple sentence structure, syntax, and usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Writing is a complex activity requiring a wide range of skills. Sentence construction, a foundational writing skill, is necessary for paragraph and composition writing. Unfortunately, many current approaches to teaching writing place a priority on the product—focusing on teaching the process of writing lengthy pieces rather than providing explicit instruction in the development of singular, well-constructed sentences. Many students with learning disabilities struggle with proficient sentence construction and acquiring content-area knowledge. Teaching sentence-level writing through content can aid in remediating sentence-level writing deficits while helping students build content-area knowledge. A framework for embedding writing across the curriculum and six sentence-level instructional activities are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Language development is both remarkable and unremarkable. It is remarkable because children learn the language(s) around them, signed or spoken, without explicit instruction or correction. It is unremarkable because children have done this for thousands of years without worldwide incident or catastrophe. Yet, much research on this organic developmental phenomenon relies on an empirical falsehood: "quality" linguistic input is necessary to facilitate language development. "Quality" is a value judgment, not a structural feature of any human language. I argue selectively legitimizing some linguistic input as "quality" is possible only through mischaracterizing what language is. This falsehood is also linguistic racism because it is based on a deficit perspective of the early linguistic experiences of a subset of children, specifically racialized children. I explore how linguistic racism stalls our collective understanding of language development and promotes an environment of bad science. This article is categorized under:Linguistics > Language AcquisitionPsychology > LanguageNeuroscience > Development [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autonomous learning in EFL refers to learner involvement, reflection and target language use. Teachers play a vital role of mediators and facilitators in self-regulated method. Thus, their perception of self-regulated practices dictates their implementation of this approach. While research has predominantly focused on inadequate management of autonomous learning in school mostly due to lack of appropriate teacher training, this study examined whether novice teachers who were exposed to extensive autonomous practices were likely to implement this method in their teaching. Twelve novice teachers were interviewed to examine their perception of learner autonomy and their management of this method. It was found that three-thirds of the respondents experienced a gap between familiarity with autonomous learning and a favorable attitude to this approach and their deficient integration of self-regulated learning. Although learner-related and institution-oriented factors played a role in this gap, it was mostly caused by the respondents' not being genuinely autonomous. This may be due to indirect exposure rather than explicit introduction of the learner autonomy approach. The insights of this research may assist curriculum designers and heads of teacher training programs to rethink course composition to guarantee the transfer of methodologies into EFL classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Íkala: Revista de Lenguaje y Cultura is the property of Universidad de Antioquia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Íkala: Revista de Lenguaje y Cultura is the property of Universidad de Antioquia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

People correct for movement errors when acquiring new motor skills (de novo learning) or adapting well-known movements (motor adaptation). While de novo learning establishes new control policies, adaptation modifies existing ones, and previous work have distinguished behavioral and underlying brain mechanisms for each motor learning type. However, it is still unclear whether learning in each type interferes with the other. In study 1, we use a within-subjects design where participants train with both 30° visuomotor rotation and mirror reversal perturbations, to compare adaptation and de novo learning respectively. We find no perturbation order effects, and find no evidence for differences in learning rates and asymptotes for both perturbations. Explicit instructions also provide an advantage during early learning in both perturbations. However, mirror reversal learning shows larger inter-participant variability and slower movement initiation. Furthermore, we only observe reach aftereffects following rotation training. In study 2, we incorporate the mirror reversal in a browser-based task, to investigate under-studied de novo learning mechanisms like retention and generalization. Learning persists across three or more days, substantially transfers to the untrained hand, and to targets on both sides of the mirror axis. Our results extend insights for distinguishing motor skill acquisition from adapting well-known movements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effectiveness of Tier 2 interventions may depend on the variability of student skills within an intervention group. We investigated the effect of pretest variability within intervention groups using data from a large-scale study of ROOTS, a Tier 2 kindergarten mathematics intervention. Our research questions were as follows: Does mathematics pretest variability within ROOTS groups predict student gains from the intervention, and is this relationship moderated by (a) intervention group size (two- vs. five-student groups), (b) quality of explicit instruction, or (c) group-level initial skill? We found that ROOTS groups with greater pretest variability on a closely aligned mathematics measure experienced smaller gains from the intervention. This association was more impactful in larger intervention groups (i.e., five-student groups compared with two-student groups) and in groups with higher quality of explicit instruction. We unpack these findings and conclude with recommendations for practice and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the extent to which the notion of knowledge about alternative conceptions is featured in the curriculum for pedagogy courses of a pre-service science teacher programme and explored pre-service students' understanding of the notion having completed the pedagogy courses. This was achieved by analysing three curricula, one each for physics, biology and chemistry pedagogy courses and by interviewing 29 pre-service teachers from one university in Tanzania. The study was guided by a framework of five aspects of the notion of knowledge about alternative conceptions, which were adapted from Gomez-Zwiep. These are the definition of alternative conceptions, their nature and origins, examples of alternative conceptions in science, their impacts, and instructional strategies to address alternative conceptions. The results indicated that the notion of knowledge about alternative conceptions is generally not featured in pedagogy courses. Further, although most of the pre-service teachers could identify the impacts of alternative conceptions on students' learning, they had a limited understanding of the notion. Thus, the study recommends that pedagogy courses should emphasise explicit instruction of the notion of knowledge about alternative conceptions. Further, pre-service teachers should be exposed to the debate about how to approach good instruction in relation to alternative conceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a multimodal approach in which an additional camera was used to deliver online explicit reading strategy instruction. Targeting 20 Japanese beginner-level EFL college students taking online Zoom lessons during one academic semester, two research questions were investigated: (a) To what extent does online reading strategy training using a camera to show the teacher's pointing gestures enhance beginner-level students' comprehension of written texts?; and (b) How do beginner-level students perceive the teacher's online reading strategy training? The results showed that the multimodal explicit strategy instruction increased students' attentional focus, encouraged them to use target reading strategies, and facilitated their understanding of the reading texts. The students' responses to a self-reflection questionnaire and interviews showed that their perceptions of this online reading strategy instruction were positive. Further, they reported that their ability to comprehend English texts improved over the length of the course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a language teacher, teacher educator and researcher, to me the name Rebecca Oxford has always been synonymous with language learning strategies across the world and specifically the theme of its teachability. Rebecca has always stated that the language teacher’s role includes strategy instruction even if it achieves only partial success. Research has focused almost exclusively on how reading comprehension strategies, the focus of this study, can be taught to learners, but the preparedness of pre-service teachers to teach reading strategies has seldom been the focus within initial teacher education programs. The purpose of this study was to determine participants’ perceptions of teaching within a mixed reality simulation environment with a specific focus on the explicit instruction of reading comprehension strategies. A case study approach was utilized, and ten second-year pre-service teachers enrolled for the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) degree as well as one mentor teacher and one teacher educator were purposefully selected to participate in the study. The results indicated that the themes corresponded with the activities during the different stages of a mixed reality simulation action review cycle and included show and tell, collaborative brainstorming, deconstruction of the core teaching practice, anxiety and disbelief, pause and redo, coaching and feedback and focused reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reported on part of a larger study to explore how Vietnamese non-English major students perceived the impacts of explicit strategy instruction (ESI) on reading comprehension. Instruction on reading strategies was conducted for 6 weeks in which students were taught explicitly previewing and predicting, skimming, scanning, guessing the meaning of the unknown words from the context and summarizing strategies. Data were collected from forty-five non-English major students at a university in Vietnam through group interviews and learning reflections. Three semi-structured interviews were conducted in groups of three to four students, and thirty-nine learning reflections were collected to obtain in-depth information about the impact of the ESI. The findings revealed that, after the instruction, the students reported using various reading strategies in four strategy categories, namely problem-solving, global, support and local strategies. In addition, the ESI was perceived to be cognitively beneficial, as students reported heightened awareness of using reading strategies in reading comprehension, expanded reading strategy repertoire, greater reading fluency, and higher reading scores. From a non-cognitive affective perspective, students reported that the ESI motivated them to read with a higher level of confidence and become more autonomous in reading in English. The study offers implications for teachers, students and materials writers in teaching and learning English reading skills in non-English major learning contexts and perhaps in other settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When students are left to choose their own approaches to studying, they frequently engage in ineffective learning strategies, such as rereading textbooks or cramming. Given this natural tendency amongst students, there has been significant interest in how to increase the use of more effective methods of studying. Efforts to-date have typically entailed either explicit instruction (e.g., teaching students which study habits are more/less effective) or direct experience (e.g., having students attempt to utilize an effective technique), yielding somewhat mixed results. The aim of the present study was to examine whether a combination of explicit instruction and direct experience with effective learning strategies positively impacts how students study. After an in-classroom intervention, 316 participants (177 women, M age = 19.03) were asked to indicate how frequently they used various studying strategies and how effective they perceived them to be. Participants demonstrated both a change in knowledge regarding the (low) utility of more ineffective strategies and indicated that they were using those strategies less frequently. However, there was not a global change in their perceptions/use of more effective strategies. Instead, there were increases only for a subset of the more effective strategies. These results support metacognitive theories of desirable difficulties, wherein individuals prefer less effortful strategies and less effortful shifts in behavior, as well as suggest possible directions for furthering effective learning practices amongst students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-regulated learning (SRL) is crucial to students' learning. SRL is characterized by students taking initiative, showing perseverance and adaptively regulating their learning. Teachers play an essential role in promoting and fostering this process. However, several studies have shown that in primary education explicit instruction of SRL strategies barely takes place. Given the relevance of SRL for learning and preparing students for the knowledge society of the 21st century, it is of crucial importance that teachers in primary education learn how they can improve their students' SRL. In the present study, we implemented a professional development program (iSELF) in which primary teachers were trained and coached in promoting and fostering their students' SRL. The extent to which iSELF contributed to teachers' explicit instruction of SRL strategies was evaluated in a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test design using video-based classroom observations. Thirty teachers from fourteen different primary schools participated in this study and were assigned to either a control (twelve teachers) or an experimental group (eighteen teachers). Results indicate that in both conditions explicit SRL strategy instruction is rare. However, explicit instruction of SRL strategies is significantly higher in the experimental group on the post-test compared to the control group showing that teachers do benefit from learning about explicit SRL instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the difference between L1 and L2 lexical diversity of argumentative and narrative writings of L2 learners, and the contribution of syntactic complexity and lexical diversity to the writing quality in the L2 argumentative and narrative writings of EFL learners. To this end, 46 pre-intermediate and intermediate Iranian EFL learners from four intact classes wrote one argumentative and one narrative essay in L2, and one argumentative and one narrative essay in L1 on different topics. Paired-samples t-tests revealed that lexical diversity surfaced more in the L1 writing of the learners. Multiple linear regressions indicated that among five measures of syntactic complexity, mean length of T-unit and clauses per T-unit better predict the quality of argumentative writing. In addition, complex nominals per clause are better predictors of narrative writing quality. Simple linear regressions showed that lexical diversity is a significant predictor of L2 writing in both genres. Based on the findings, writing instructors are advised to provide L2 learners with explicit instruction on the use of diverse vocabulary and different syntactic structures in order to help them improve the quality of their writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Teaching motor skills to novices has been the main task of physical educators, and studies in motor learning have always sought to discover better ways to optimize the skill acquisition process. Movement information is presented transparently through the performer's demonstration, illustration, feedback, and verbal guidance in motor skills instructing. This study seeks to determine the type of learning, i.e., analogy learning or explicit learning, suitable for promoting the children's acquisition of skills that are biomechanically and kinematically different from the same skill learned by explicit instructions, and to determine how the physical form of the skill evolves over practice. Material and Methods: Forty-five right-handed healthy beginner male students (mean age 9.93 ±0.55 years; height 1.39 ±4.16 m; body mass 31.65±3.23 kg; novice in basketball) participated in the study. Subjects were randomly allocated to an explicit learning condition (n = 15), an analogy learning condition (n = 15), or an uninstructed control condition (n = 15). Ten free throws (FT) in the standing position were performed with the right hand by each student using modified equipment i.e., a small ball, customized rim with 45-cm circumference and adapted net height of 2 m. Attempts were recorded from 3 m away in a biomechanical laboratory with two-dimensional (2D) video data collection (i.e., using 240 Hz camera resolution). Results: The independent ANOVA yielded a statistically significant effect across the three groups in post-tests: F (8,16) = 283.233, P = 0.001, χ2 = 0.793. A statistically significant difference was observed across the three groups: F (8, 16) = 332.057, P = 0.001, χ2 = 0.818. Discussion: The analogy group's performance was significantly better in the skill taught. The explicit learners achieved lower scores compared to the analogy learners. Conclusions: The analogy learning training method is recommended for children aged 10-12 willing to learn FT in basketball. The conclusions may be important for coaches concerning the use of different training methods in skill learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student engagement is a complex measurement that can be viewed through behavioral, emotional, and cognitive constructs. Authentic intellectual engagement requires more than task compliance and requires teachers to make decisions and moves to promote engagement. Pre-service teachers need to have these teacher decisions deconstructed and explicitly reconstructed to “notice” and make sense of it. This study conducted a qualitative document analysis of 31 pre-service teachers’ observational reflections on a pre-selected video-recorded lesson. A pre- and post-assessment was used. When pre-service teachers were given explicit instruction on “noticing” teacher moves to enhance student engagement through multiple constructs, their understanding of student engagement within a lesson shifted from literal and compliance-focused to a multi-dimensional construct involving behavior, emotion, and cognition. The assessments also shifted focus from what the teachers did to the impact the teacher’s decisions had on student engagement and learning. Future research should look at how noticing skills in video observations can transfer to the pre-service teachers developing their teaching skills in the classroom.

Objective: This study examined the interaction of gait-synchronized vibrotactile cues with an active ankle exoskeleton that provides plantarflexion assistance. Background: An exoskeleton that augments gait may support collaboration through feedback to the user about the state of the exoskeleton or characteristics of the task. Methods: Participants (N = 16) were provided combinations of torque assistance and vibrotactile cues at pre-specified time points in late swing and early stance while walking on a self-paced treadmill. Participants were either given explicit instructions (N = 8) or were allowed to freely interpret (N=8) how to coordinate with cues. Results: For the free interpretation group, the data support an 8% increase in stride length and 14% increase in speed with exoskeleton torque across cue timing, as well as a 5% increase in stride length and 7% increase in speed with only vibrotactile cues. When given explicit instructions, participants modulated speed according to cue timing—increasing speed by 17% at cues in late swing and decreasing speed 11% at cues in early stance compared to no cue when exoskeleton torque was off. When torque was on, participants with explicit instructions had reduced changes in speed. Conclusion: These findings support that the presence of torque mitigates how cues were used and highlights the importance of explicit instructions for haptic cuing. Interpreting cues while walking with an exoskeleton may increase cognitive load, influencing overall human-exoskeleton performance for novice users. Application: Interactions between haptic feedback and exoskeleton use during gait can inform future feedback designs to support coordination between users and exoskeletons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Executive functions, which begin developing in early childhood, are necessary for the tasks of daily life, such as decision making and planning. Despite their early development, often without teaching, many teens with disabilities need explicit instruction to acquire and apply executive functions each day. Gaps in executive functions directly impact a teens ability to achieve post-secondary success, as executive functions support planning, goal setting, and organization. This article provides instruction on how to support teens with disabilities on three executive functions: (a) building habits that form routines, (b) utilizing sensory reminders to manage time, and (c) applying a planning tool. This article also instructs teachers on embedding executive function instruction within transition planning for individualized education programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate how the interplay between the declarative and procedural memory systems and learning conditions influences second language acquisition, we conducted a cross-sectional study involving 102 primary, secondary, and university English learners in a real-world English-medium educational context. Linguistic and non-linguistic measures of declarative and procedural memory were used. The untimed grammaticality judgement test was used to measure the learners' grammatical knowledge of nine features considered to have been taught explicitly (Explicitly Taught) and four others that were likely not taught explicitly (Not Explicitly Taught). To control for random variability at item and participant level, we constructed a series of linear mixed-effects models to examine the effects of memory. Overall, declarative memory was associated with both structural types across the educational levels while procedural memory was associated with learners' performance at lower levels of L2 acquisition, contrary to Ullman's declarative and procedural memory model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the effects of explicit instruction (EI) and potential moderators in second/foreign language (L2) teaching, this study meta‐analyzed 28 primary reports (a total of 67 unique samples, N = 3754). The main results show that EI was significantly effective in facilitating L2 development, with effect sizes ranging from moderate to large magnitudes (d = 1.07 and 0.81 for within‐and between‐group contrasts, respectively). Moderator analyses show that EI type, practice type, delivery mode, length and intensity of treatment, the type of outcome measures, as well as the reporting practices of the validity and reliability of outcome measures moderated differentially the effects of EI. The findings offer important pedagogical implications for teacher‐practitioners to enhance the efficacy and efficiency of EI. The Challenge: EI has been revealed by research as more effective than implicit instruction in facilitating L2 development. But to what extent would the concrete implementational forms affect its efficacy? With limited instructional time and language input in L2 settings, how can instructors implement appropriate types of EI to enhance teaching effectiveness and efficiency? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meta-analyses indicate that explicit writing instruction (EWI) is an effective method for improving student writing self-efficacy and writing performance. EWI relies on explicit instruction of writing strategies through modeling, scaffolding and self-regulation. Most EWI-based interventions have been conducted by researchers, generally with subgroups of students or on a one-on-one basis, and very few have been conducted in other languages than English. Our quasi-experimental study aims to address these limits by testing EWI's effects when teachers themselves intervene using peer feedback during the writing of opinion letters. We used practice-based professional development to teach teachers how to use EWI, and compared two experimental conditions (EWI with and without peer feedback) to a control group (Business as Usual). A total of 483 French-speaking 5th grade students participated in the study. Results from repeated measure analyses showed that, with or without peer feedback, the EWI intervention produced better writing performance and higher self-efficacy compared to the control group. We discuss the role of EWI for writing performance and self-efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this synthesis, we analyzed 10 prealgebraic reasoning interventions for students with mathematics difficulty (MD) in Grades 6 through 8. All interventions focused on one or more prealgebraic concepts including integer operations, algebraic expressions and equations, and functions. Of the 10 intervention studies, six employed single-case design methodology and four employed group design. We synthesized intervention effects and identified instructional practices utilized within interventions. Results indicated positive proximal student performance across studies, generally positive maintenance effects, and mixed transfer effects. Manipulative-based instruction and explicit instruction were the two most used instructional practices within interventions, supporting their use in improving targeted prealgebraic reasoning skills among students with MD. Additional implications for research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pop songs have been claimed to provide a noteworthy source of second language (L2) input. While listening to songs in English is one of the most commonly reported out-of-class activities among EFL learners, little research exists as to how different teaching approaches to the use of songs in the EFL class can enhance students' vocabulary learning. The present study aims to investigate two different instructional approaches to the use of songs in the L2 class in order to learn how to maximise vocabulary learning through this input source. Two groups of grade 8 Italian EFL learners followed a short treatment that used English pop songs in different conditions, which differed in instructional focus (explicit vs. implicit). The results of the study suggest that although vocabulary significantly improved in both conditions, the explicit approach led to more durable gains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students with disabilities experience differential levels of achievement in mathematics when compared with their nondisabled peers. Identifying and implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs) is essential to increase their mathematics achievement. However, an argument is re-emerging that calls into question the effectiveness of well-known EBPs, such as explicit/direct instruction. This argument is based on opinion and conjecture, rather than student outcome measures. In this commentary, we use research on explicit and direct instruction with mathematics to (a) highlight the confusion over theoretical implications, (b) call for researchers to reduce personal bias within research, and (c) emphasize the need for improving outcomes of students with disabilities that affect mathematics learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]