Search

We propose a novel model, Wide & Deep Item Response Theory (Wide & Deep IRT), to predict the correctness of students' responses to questions using historical clickstream data. This model combines the strengths of conventional Item Response Theory (IRT) models and Wide & Deep Learning for Recommender Systems. By leveraging clickstream data, Wide & Deep IRT provides precise predictions of answer correctness while enabling the exploration of behavioral patterns among different ability groups. Our experimental results based on a real-world dataset (EDM Cup 2023) demonstrate that Wide & Deep IRT outperforms conventional IRT models and state-of-the-art knowledge tracing models while maintaining the ease of interpretation associated with IRT models. Our model performed very well in the EDM Cup 2023 competition, placing second on the public leaderboard and third on the private leaderboard. Additionally, Wide & Deep IRT identifies distinct behavioral patterns across ability groups. In the EDMCup2023dataset, low-ability students were more likely to directly request an answer to a question before attempting to respond, which can negatively impact their learning outcomes and potentially indicates attempts to game the system. Lastly, the Wide & Deep IRT model consists of significantly fewer parameters compared to traditional IRT models and deep knowledge tracing models, making it easier to deploy in practice. The source code is available via Open Science Framework.

The use of online homework systems that require the purchase of an access code has become widespread. The purpose of this study is to examine student experiences with and perceptions of online homework systems with access codes. Postsecondary students (N = 966) completed a survey about the financial costs, perceptions of quality, engagement with, and learning with online homework systems. Most students (79.5%) indicated that they had been required to purchase an access code for an online homework system. Of those who had been required to purchase an access code, 29.4% reported their grade was hurt because they could not afford an access code. Students reported online homework systems were moderately helpful for learning. When considering students who have been historically underserved by higher education, Black students reported more courses with required access codes for homework and reported that online homework systems were more helpful than other students. Latino/a/x students were more likely to report their grades were hurt by not affording access codes (47.9%) than other students. First-generation students reported they avoided courses with online homework systems (36.9%) more than continuing-generation students (23.9%). Overall, the findings indicate that the cost of online homework systems is a barrier to education, and alternatives should be further developed and promoted.

The aim of this research is to adapt the scales "Homework Management, Homework Effort, Teacher Homework Involvement, Teacher Feedback and Parental Homework Support" into Turkish. The research data were collected from 1,698 secondary school students in grades 5 to 8. The sample was divided into four subgroups and explanatory factor analysis was conducted on two groups and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on two groups. Concurrent validity analyses were carried out on all students. Data were collected from students studying in 24 classes of six different secondary schools in the Maltepe, Kartal and Pendik regions of Istanbul. 49.12% of this group of students are girls and 50.88% are boys, and the mean age of the participants is 11.84 years. In addition to the scales adapted to the Turkish language, homework behavior (homework completion, time spent on homework, going to school without homework) and academic achievement were measured for concurrent validity. The results of the EFA and CFA analyses were similar to the original scales for all scales. These findings regarding the number of sub-dimensions, the placement of scale items within these sub-dimensions, and the concurrent validity scores indicate that the Turkish versions of the five scales are valid and reliable for assessing mathematics homework at the secondary school level.

This paper argues that engaging students in informal statistical reasoning from early school years is essential for the development of statistical understanding. We investigated if and how children aged six-seven years old identified variation in a table of data and made predictions through the design of a teaching experiment. The classroom teaching experiment was comprised of four 45 minutes lessons addressing the understanding and interpretation of data sets. In order to describe students' informal predictive reasoning, we used the framework of "data lenses". More specifically, we analyzed the different types of answers the students produced as they engaged in predictive reasoning during an interview given before and after the teaching experiment. The participation of students in (classroom) and out-of-school (family) communities of practice was also taken into consideration. Our results demonstrate that the students benefited from their learning experience and developed data understanding.

Nowadays, it is not common to come across sectors that can work and succeed without using information technology (IT). IT has now become a part of organizations' management and strategic decision-making mechanisms. Therefore, organizations make serious investments to develop software and system infrastructures and transfer business processes to digital environments such as cloud technologies. So, they gain opportunities of spreading their business activities to wide stakeholders and customers and being business resilient. Here it is essential to provide assurance that an organization evaluates, develops, implements, maintains, disposes of its IT systems and manages life cycle of all information and information technology systems properly on all physical and logical environments. However, the most important matter is that an organization's objectives are met by the management practices of its information systems. While organizations carry out their digital transformation at a dizzying speed, organizations should be protected from material and moral damages such as loss of money, loss of commercial confidential information, loss of reputation by protecting the confidentiality, integrity and accessibility of the information assets they own and also comply with legal legislations such as the protection of personal data and intellectual property rights. In order to achieve this, organizations benefit from one or more frameworks, standards or directives that are suitable for their own structures and needs, separately or by integrating them. However, the most important point in this transformation process is the transition of organizations from IT management understanding to IT governance. In other words, IT has now become a part of the strategic decision-making mechanism by rising from the level of support tool to carry out business processes in organizations. When we search the academic literature, frameworks and standards, it is seen that the key elements of IT governance are structures, processes and relational mechanisms. If these three components are set up correctly and fit the organization, it can be assured that IT aligns with and supports the objectives of the organizations and that effective IT governance is achieved in every kind of organizations. In this research, databases such as Web of Science, IEEE, and SCOPUS are scanned and found articles are reviewed in order to make a literature review on IT Governance Mechanisms and Frameworks. Results are evaluated and discussed. By the way, suggestions for further studies were made and advanced researches were shed light on.

A common diagnosis in the literature is that the writing of Spanish speakers is generally a structural problem. The writing of 81 university students was analysed by classifying the teacher's comments based on 11 variables that were recorded once during a continuous evaluation that supported the assessment. The techniques used were Content Analysis, Cluster Analysis and Self-Study. Four Clusters were identified in which the dominant conception of communication is broken down, while one Cluster was identified with the alternative conception of communication. This expresses compliance with the task instructions, while the remaining Clusters show progressive non-compliance in various measures. The five Clusters form a typology and, with the theoretical assumption of the identification of the respective conceptions, correspond to a situated communication model. It could be applied in the planning of teaching workloads, as well as in the semi-automatic checking of written productions through the implementation of AI solutions.

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine prior research that compared the differences between the academic performance of students who undertook online homework as against those that undertook traditional pen and pencil homework. Eighteen experimental and quasi-experimental studies met inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. Eleven found online homework to produce better academic performance and seven found traditional pen and pencil homework to produce better academic performance. The Random-Effects model was used for this meta-analysis and the overall effect size was found to be 0.06 [-0.19, 0.32]. The comparison between academic performance from online homework as against traditional pen and pencil homework was not statistically significant from the published studies examined. [Note: The page range (1-20) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct page range is 8-20.]

Most students and practitioners commonly see grammar teaching and learning as both tedious and unattractive experiences. In this sense, more innovative ways of presenting foreign language grammar are needed. One such novel approach is Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT), which has proven to be beneficial in a wide array of disciplines, including language learning. The present exploratory study aims to examine how JiTT contributes to success rates in English grammar learning at two proficiency levels, and to analyse how participants perceive this methodological approach. Sixty-four English as a foreign language students, divided into beginners and intermediate learners, were exposed to five JiTT grammar lessons throughout an academic semester. Participants' answers on JiTT quizzes and satisfaction questionnaires were recorded and compared to their performance on a final exam based on the same five grammar points presented through JiTT. Statistical analyses revealed that JiTT had little impact on learners' success rates in grammar learning, although a higher impact was observed in intermediate learners, in comparison to beginners. However, both groups of participants showed positive attitudes towards the intervention. Results are discussed in the light of how teaching English grammar through JiTT contributes to success rates. The potential of JiTT as a good methodology to be used in foreign language teaching is also addressed.

This study looked at how practically ASR-based interactive video assignments can be integrated into EFL classrooms for additional out-of-class speaking practice, and what effects it will have on students. We created an ASR-based interactive video assignment using Google Scripts and gave it to students as a homework assignment between lessons in which students were learning to give opinions and respond to interrogatives. We used pre- and post-treatment surveys to examine shifts in students' attitudes and gather their responses pertaining to the interactive video assignment. In general, students thought the assignment was good practice, and the majority of students showed positive shifts in confidence and feelings of liking English (p < 0.001 for both, rs = 0.28 and rs = 0.48, respectively). However, we found that students overfocused on pronunciation, especially when they were more proficient learners (p = 0.035, r = 0.015). Therefore, we believe that while the activity was somewhat successful, the feedback likely needs to be changed for ASR-based systems when the focus should not be pronunciation. Future possibilities are also discussed.

Homework is a common activity among K-12 students, and numerous observational meta-analyses have confirmed the positive relationship between homework and academic performance. However, considering children's limited energy and attention, several researchers have proposed an optimum time to spend on homework. This Campbell review examines the effects of homework on academic performance among K-12 students with experimental studies and estimates the optimum time that should be spent on it.

This study aims to analyze the relationships between online homework and students' prior success, self-efficacy beliefs, perceived responsibility, motivation and academic success. In School of Foreign Languages at the University of Gaziantep, which is a Turkish public university, an online homework application has been used as a part of the program, in this study online homework has been studied in terms of its relationship with students' prior success, self-efficacy beliefs, perceived responsibility, motivation and academic success. In this study it was concluded that students' prior success is effective on their online homework performances, self-efficacy beliefs and perceived responsibility, in general students' online homework performances are effective on their self-efficacy beliefs, perceived responsibility, motivation and academic success in a positive way. Moreover, it was concluded that highly motivated students and the students with higher sense of responsibility are academically successful. As a result, it was suggested that analyzing online homework in different levels of education can enable researchers to learn more about the effects of online learning systems.

L2 extensive reading (ER) research primarily studies intermediate and upper-intermediate learners, but few studies investigate beginners. This study addresses this gap by reporting on beginner Japanese as Foreign Language (JFL) learners' attempts to do ER according to Waring and McLean's (2015) ER principles. In this study, 13 second-semester undergraduate JFL learners were tasked with doing ER as homework for 18 weeks, self-reporting their comprehension and reading time for a total of 190 texts. Their data indicated a preference for graded readers (k = 187) over children's literature (k = 3) and that a 45-text reading target over 18 weeks was unattainable with these materials. On average, learners reported understanding about 78% of what they read and spending seven minutes to complete a reading, with variations influenced by material, text genre, and student. The results demonstrate how materials, text genre, student reading speed, and reading habits impact the effectiveness of beginner ER and the attainability of reading targets.

Through this research work, the researcher studied the causes of dropouts in Government Secondary Schools of Punjab (Pakistan). Specifically, the researcher employed a descriptive design to examine and discuss the problems facing the educational institutions and to make recommendations that can be employed to increase the opportunity for student's success within the Province of Punjab. The objectives of this study were to investigate the trend of dropouts at Secondary Schools in Punjab. Several attempts were made by the Government of the Punjab to reverse this trend. The reason of dropouts was studied through the opinion of 32 boys Secondary School Teachers of Public sector along with 160 Parents and 160 Dropout Students from District Kasur, Punjab (Pakistan). Data collected were analyzed by using the SPSS. The class repetition, mismanagement, lack of basic facilities like drinking water, toilets, electricity, desks etc, cleanliness, communication gap between teachers and parents, harsh behavior of teachers and too much homework from school came out as major causes of dropout. The secondary school teachers fixed the responsibility of dropping out on parents and the children. The authorities should take vital steps to minimize the dropout rate by improving schools and by starting Parents awareness campaign about the importance of students' education.

This study extends the work of Park and Ellis (2020) with its use of randomized data in Excel® assignments by incorporating a feedback feature that allows students to check their work before submitting it for grading. Three groups of intermediate accounting students complete identical assignments that vary only in the mode of data delivery. One group receives a set of static data so that each student has the same information to complete the assignment. A second group receives data through a randomized number generating function facilitated by an Excel® macro. The third group's data is randomized but the Excel® file also includes a self-check answer function that they can use prior to submitting the assignment for grading. The results indicate that the third group scores the highest and has the greatest satisfaction with the assignment. The study provides evidence that accounting instructors will serve their students better when their Excel® assignments provide randomized data and a self-check answer feedback feature. It also re-enforces the practice of enabling the check answer feature often found in online homework management systems.

Homework is a core pedagogical tool used by schools around the world. Yet concern for heavy homework load has been raised regarding stress on students and families and how it may overshadow opportunities for non-academic development. Drawing support from Self-Determination Theory and Hope Theory, an innovative intervention project was designed to create homework-free opportunities for school children to take part in freely chosen self-directed leisure activities. The project was implemented in four primary schools in Hong Kong during the Easter holiday in 2017 and 2018. A mixed-method evaluation was conducted to appraise the experiences of student participants as well as the project's impact on holiday satisfaction, homework attitudes and self-directed outcomes. This study's sample was comprised of 1,425 students enrolled in Primary levels 1 to 6. Participants reported in interviews that engagement in self-chosen, self-directed leisure activities were exciting and appealing. Pre- and post-holiday survey results with control-group comparisons confirmed that students who undertook self-directed leisure activities over a homework-free holiday gained enhanced agency thinking and academic competence while also becoming less inclined to see homework as meeting their immediate learning needs. Implications are also discussed regarding the benefits of self-directed leisure activities as well as school-based homework policies regarding assignment load.

Parental involvement in learning, entertainment, emotion, and daily care is crucial to the growth and development of children. Due to the increasing significance of educational attainment in China, parental involvement in child learning is receiving ever-increasing weight and is now the most prevalent of the four aspects. In the wake of the implementation of the Double Reduction Policy, family education has encountered new obstacles, resulting in a shift in parental involvement in education. In the framework of policy execution, the learning involvement of parents of senior students merits special consideration, as they are burdened with the upcoming enrollment in secondary school. The objective of this essay is to describe the current state of parental involvement in learning under the new policy and investigate the causes of existing problems. Also presented are suggestions for enhancing the effectiveness of parental involvement in child study.

Physics homework often boils down to solving end-of-chapter quantitative problems. For targeting different learning goals of physics education, different types of homework are needed. The aim of this research was to compare the effectiveness of simulation-based, video-based, and paper-and-pencil homework in developing an understanding about Newton's laws and forming positive attitudes towards physics homework. 150 first-year students from the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology at the University of Zagreb (Croatia) were randomly assigned to one of the three above-mentioned homework approaches. After students had lectures and seminars on Newton's laws, they were administered a pre-test. In the next three weeks, the students completed three homework assignments on Newton's laws, after which they completed a post-test. For students from all three homework approaches a substantial improvement in conceptual understanding has been observed. Although the three approaches proved to be equally effective when it comes to developing understanding, the simulation-based approach was found to be superior when it comes to developing positive attitudes towards physics homework. If one controls for target knowledge, the modality of the homework assignment does not affect cognitive outcomes, but it does affect students' attitudes towards homework.

The current analysis aims to research the impact of ICT usage on students' achievement in the 2018 PISA assessment, specifically achievement in mathematics, science and reading scales. In this assessment, a total of 5,058 randomly selected students from 224 schools across Kosovo took part in the study. In addition, to the subscales assessing reading, mathematics and science achievement, participants also completed a variety of questionnaires developed by OECD to assess perceptions, socioeconomic factors and classroom/school contexts, among others. Current study analysis reveals the link between achievement and ICT usage among students, such as using computers for research, reading news, learning something new, and reading emails, among others. In a developing country where the achievement gap between students is increasing rapidly it is crucial to understand how access to resources hinders equity. Results indicate that access to the internet and computers at home links to higher achievement. However, Kosovar students tend to use technology and the internet mainly to chat with friends, and significantly less for learning something new or for doing homework. Gender differences are evident, with female students reporting a lower online presence. In conclusion, Kosovar students use computers and the internet mainly for entertainment and not for learning, which suggests that achievement cannot be attributed to ICT access and/or use.

This is a longitudinal study to investigate whether there is a correlation between the methods for completion of homework and the incentive levels with academic achievement. The method adopted in this study is the t-test statistical analysis to assess the relationship between the use of compulsory homework on achievement and the influence of intervening and moderating variables. The findings are as follows -- Cohort 1 which completed homework in the traditional pen and paper style (with a mean of 13.278) performed better than the Cohort 2 which completed homework online They also performed better than Cohort 2 which completed homework online (with a mean of 11.851). Cohort 3 that had no incentive and subsequently no compulsion to do the homework (with a mean of 11.851) performed better than Cohort 2 which completed homework online (with a mean of 9.658).

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are increasingly required within K-12 educational settings, yet the impact of youth's access to and use of digital resources outside of the classroom on academic achievement is only beginning to be explored in the literature. This study used data from the Fragile Families & Child Wellbeing Study to assess the relationship between grades in high school science and digital equity across the learner's ecological environment. Digital inequities experienced by school-aged youth are referred to as the homework gap. The COVID-19 pandemic placed new urgency on resolving the homework gap as millions of students shifted to full-time online or learning at home during the pandemic. Study findings show that ICT access and use across ecological domains is a significant predictor of urban youths' academic achievement in science.

This paper explains sustained effects and what worked for students in the Advancing Learning Outcomes and Transformational (ALOT Change III) program. Data comes from qualitative narratives from the baseline survey of the program collected by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) between December 4, 2019, and January 31, 2020, using focus group discussions (FGDs) and dialogues. The analysis followed the Miles and Huberman (1994) framework to make comparisons and contrasts. Results showed that students transferred skills such as self-confidence from primary to secondary schools, enabling the adolescents to speak up and engage. This showed an effective implementation uptake. The implication of the study points to the efficacy of community-based programs in impacting behavior of adolescents beyond primary school.

During the pandemic, there were many discussions concerning how the pandemic was affecting students' learning and their ability to function in a remote classroom. However, the day-to-day routines and instructional strategies of teachers were being overlooked. The purpose of this research is twofold. The first is to provide examples and information on how teachers had to adapt their instructional practices, assessments, and day-to-day routines to address the needs of students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The second purpose is to use that information to provide school districts and parents with the teachers' perspectives. This information helps all stakeholders see what teachers have done, and how they can support educators in a way that will lead to success for students going forward while the education community recovers from any pandemic loss.

For students to advance beyond arithmetic, they must learn how to attend to the structure of math notation. This process can be challenging due to students' left-to-right computing tendencies. Brackets are used in mathematics to indicate precedence but can also be used as superfluous cues and perceptual grouping mechanisms in instructional materials to direct students' attention and facilitate accurate and efficient problem solving. This online study examines the impact of operator position and superfluous brackets on students' performance solving arithmetic problems. A total of 528 students completed a baseline assessment of math knowledge, then were randomly assigned to one of six conditions that varied in the placement of higher-order operator and the presence or absence of superfluous brackets: [a] brackets-left (e.g., (5 * 4) + 2 + 3), [b] no brackets-left (e.g., 5 * 4 + 2 + 3), [c] brackets-center (e.g., 2 + (5 * 4) + 3), [d] no brackets-center (e.g., 2 + 5 * 4 + 3), [e] brackets-right (e.g., 2 + 3 + (5 * 4)), and [f] no brackets-right (e.g., 2 + 3 + 5 * 4). Participants simplified expressions in an online learning platform with the goal to "master" the content by answering three questions correctly in a row. Results showed that, on average, students were more accurate in problem solving when the higher-order operator was on the left side and less accurate when it was on the right compared to in the center. There was also a main effect of the presence of brackets on mastery speed. However, interaction effects showed that these main effects were driven by the center position: superfluous brackets only improved accuracy when students solved expressions with brackets with the operator in the center. This study advances research on perceptual learning in math by revealing how operator position and presence of superfluous brackets impact students' performance. Additionally, this research provides implications for instructors who can use perceptual cues to support students during problem solving.

School to home communication has often been seen as a one-way path, with homework and other materials serving children and families while teachers were the facilitators. When schools were forced to rapidly switch instruction from face-to-face classrooms to entering kitchens, living rooms, and other spaces to deliver virtual instruction, teachers were suddenly "in" the homes of their students. Findings from this qualitative study of 11 practicing teachers showed a new appreciation for family literacy efforts. Virtual doors were opened so that teachers had increased opportunities to develop a deeper understanding of cultural and academic practices in the home. Teachers now had access to families' funds of knowledge to enhance classroom curriculum and practices in the virtual space. As schools reopened and teacher, parent, and caregiver relationships returned to a more distant space, these participants described small but significant changes in the way they planned to engage parents and caregivers in the future.

This study aims to investigate homework involvement of the higher secondary students. The main objectives are to find out the level and significant differences based on gender, age, group of study, medium of instruction of higher secondary students. The hypothesis was that there may be significant of difference in homework involvement of the higher secondary students based on their gender, age, group of study, medium of instruction. Samples of 300 higher secondary students were selected for this study in Kalavai taluk region in India. The data was collected by the scale Opinionnaire on Homework - prepared by Bijay Kumar Yadav (2017). The major findings showed that there is no significant difference regarding age and group of study. It was also found that gender and, medium of instruction have influence on their participants' homework involvement.

St. Patrick's Catholic School is a coeducational Catholic preparatory school located in a large northeastern city. The school serves an exclusively non-white, working-class student population who demonstrates the motivation and potential to attend and graduate from college. The school's mission calls for its staff to be guided by "cura personalis," meaning they will care for the whole person; yet, data show that the school's students were extremely stressed out and that much of their stress was attributable to homework. This study sought to determine if reducing the amount of homework could improve students' mental health while not negatively impacting academic performance. Across ten classrooms, teachers reduced the amount of homework they were assigning by 50% for a period of at least three months with an aim of reducing students' self-reported levels of stress by 30% while maintaining their same academic performance. At the conclusion of the project, the number of students reporting high to moderate levels of stress decreased by nearly 30%. The next step is to expand this pilot from ten classrooms to 20, thus having every teacher reduce the homework they are assigning to more effectively measure the impact it has on both students' mental health and their academic performance. The project this year indicated that reducing homework school-wide would relieve a significant amount of stress for St. Patrick's students while ensuring their academic performance remains steady.

The burden of homework correction is a major stress factor for junior high school teachers and has received significant academic attention. This study aimed to understand the perspectives of junior high school English teachers on homework correction, the challenges they face, and strategies to address these challenges. Thirteen junior high school English teachers from Guangxi, China, were interviewed. Thematic analysis revealed that homework correction benefits teachers by enhancing their understanding of student learning, promoting student engagement, and facilitating classroom management. It also discovered drawbacks such as inefficient or hurried homework correction, and students' dependence on teachers as well. Time constraints and limited energy emerge as primary difficulties junior high school English teachers face. Participants recommended utilization of intelligent assignment management platforms and zero correction practices to alleviate the burden. Additionally, school supports in professional and personal life contribute to teachers' well-being. These findings provide valuable insights and practical strategies for educational management departments to mitigate the homework correction burden experienced by junior high school English teachers.

At the end of a two-year discussion about the value of homework in elementary school, the Seaview district decided to move away from the traditional model of homework, and introduced Wonder, Reading, and Play (WRaP) intended to be more equitable and authentic. A case study was conducted to assess the district's goals for and implementation of more equitable learning through WRaP. The experiences of stakeholders with regard to equity issues revealed success in reading due to an already established culture of reading. Lack of structure, consistency, and accountability in wonder, play, and content areas other than language arts resulted in limited success.

Homework has been a part of a traditional lesson plan for a long time. It has been a means to reinforce knowledge transferred in the classroom. This study, using the quantitative method, analyzed school teachers' perceptions of homework in primary grades. A purposive sampling technique was used to select 88 primary school teachers, teaching different subjects and having different teaching experiences, to participate in the survey. Results derived from data showed that the majority of teachers, teaching different subjects favored giving homework to primary students. Teachers with most teachers in this group had a neutral opinion of homework. Though parents in this study supported homework, they were not in favor of utilizing most of their time in assisting their children to complete their homework. The findings of this study are important to teachers, school administrators, and education policymakers, who need to instill not only the importance of homework but also ensure that homework works as a bridge to foster the parent-child relationship and develop skills to adjust in society. This study recommends that future researchers interview teachers and parents to collect rich data that can be triangulated with the survey to draw more effective conclusions.

The study aimed to analyse online English teaching and learning experience in higher education institutions in Ukraine through pandemics and wartime. To answer our research questions, we employed a mixed-method research design, which considered social, methodological and emotional aspects of education. We conducted quantitative research to collect data on the experience of Ukrainian university teachers of English (N=100) and students (N=277) related to the emergency caused by pandemics and wartime. The qualitative data sources included online interviews and written comments of the participants. The main findings were as follows: teachers experienced challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic such as lack of interaction with students, and unawareness of effective teaching methods in the digital environment. The wartime challenges included: air raids and power outages and, consequently, disrupted communication and isolation, stress and sense of insecurity, excessive workload, with students experiencing technical issues, air raids and communication problems as well as large amount of homework, no access to the software, inconvenient schedule, and their own unwillingness. To solve the problems, teachers introduced an online synchronous mode during the COVID-19 pandemic, supported by blended and asynchronous modes which was a transformational period to teaching and learning English during wartime. The most common among the learning platforms and applications were Zoom and Google Classroom, as well as Moodle, MS Teams, YouTube, and Classtime, listed by both university teachers and students. Social networks such as Telegram, Viber, Facebook etc. were widely used too. To conclude, the COVID-19 pandemic caused Ukrainian teachers and students master new tools to use at online lessons of English, during wartime the demand on already familiar tools, as well as the range of them, increased as they provided more interaction. Considering emotional aspects, the study revealed disturbing data on teachers' well-being: nearly 50% confessed that they were burned out and emotionally devastated, close to 40% were tired and pushed themselves to continue teaching. Despite these challenges, the majority were able to find solutions in conflict situations with students and colleagues, two-thirds were sure that their work was even more important during the wartime and they found ways to provide emotional support to their students needed in the times of war.

Student success in college courses is important to students and faculty, though what variables predict student success are myriad and can be difficult to collect by faculty. Given the complex interaction of these variables, many of which are external to the classroom, a faculty member could be excused for thinking that the work of the faculty may not be impactful at all as to student success. However, this study considers several teaching techniques, including chunking course materials and assessments into smaller units, expanding practice homework assignments, and automating some course feedback to students through software, and identifies that increasing the number of exams that cover smaller portions of material appears to increase the average student pass rate of exams, but expanding homework and automating course/assignment feedback to students does not significantly impact student average exam grades. However, the use of intelligent agents did appear to negatively impact the rate at which students completed all exams in the course.

This study was aimed at eliminating the difficulties in teaching the concepts and the students' conceptual understanding in the "Force and Energy" unit through semantic mapping. The study was conducted using the action research method. This study was conducted in the control group using the existing learning method in the science curriculum, while in the experimental group, homework practices with semantic maps were added. The study sample comprised 49 students studying in the seventh grade of a public middle school affiliated with the Republic of Turkey Ministry of National Education [MoNE] in the 2021-2022 academic year. Data collection tools in this study were administered: the "New Force and Energy Unit Conceptual Understanding Test," the "Semantic Mapping Evaluation Rubric," and the "Implementation Interview Form." The study findings determined that the semantic mapping practice, applied to improve the conceptual understanding of the seventh grade middle school students focused on the concepts within the scope of the "Force and Energy" unit, had positive effects on the students. The results of the structured interview form to obtain the views of the seventh grade students participating in this study on the semantic mapping practice indicate that the students reinforced the subject, demonstrating more effective learning. Another result revealed that students had more fun and were more enthusiastic as they actively participated in the process. Our study results reveal that semantic mapping positively affects student performance and attitudes. From this perspective, the use of semantic mapping in the science education process can be expanded.

The present study tested the learning avoidance model by examining the degree to which learning avoidance in various afterschool settings mediated the negative association between math anxiety and math achievement. Participants consisted of 207 third to sixth graders. Using a path model, findings showed that students' math anxiety was negatively associated with both standardized math achievement test scores and parent-reported math school grades. Additionally, higher math anxiety was associated with more negative homework behaviors and less frequent participation in math-related extracurricular activities. Finally, the association between math anxiety and math achievement was partially mediated by negative math homework behaviors and participation in math extracurricular activities. Effort in math exam preparation did not contribute to explaining the association between math anxiety and math achievement. Overall, these findings support the learning avoidance model and suggest that avoidance behaviors in everyday learning in the afterschool setting may contribute to explaining the undesired math achievement among highly math anxious students.

Researchers have expressed concern about the state of STEM education. To improve this situation, new pedagogies, such as blended learning, have been proposed and tested. The last decade has seen an increase in the use of blended learning to support learning; however, the effect of blended learning on learning remains unclear and often mixed. The two studies in this paper draw on data from pre-university science students in the following courses: (1) Electricity and Magnetism (E&M) and (2) Waves, Optics & Modern Physics (Waves). In study 1, the treatment group (blended learning coupled with two-stage quizzes & peer formative feedback) performed significantly higher than the control group (lecture format with online homework & instant feedback) in the standardized final exam. In contrast, in study 2, there was a non-significant main effect of groups, indicating that the treatment group (blended learning with online homework & instant feedback) and the control group (lecture format with online homework & instant feedback) performed similarly in the standardized final exam. The finding of study 1 suggests that the effect of an instructional pedagogical framework embedded in a blended learning context improves performance in STEM education. Whereas the finding of study 2 suggests that a blended learning context without incorporating any instructional framework or support for cognition other than the lecture is comparable to a traditional face-to-face course.

How do teachers account for homework-related inequalities? Our longitudinal ethnographic study reveals that, despite awareness of structural inequalities in their students' lives, elementary- and middle-school teachers' practices centered the myth of meritocracy. They treat struggles with math homework as products of students' and (particularly in elementary grades) parents' insufficient responsibility, effort, and motivation. These interpretations then justify homework practices that reinforce inequalities, including assigning homework that exceeds what students can complete independently and rewarding/punishing students based on homework. We discuss implications for debates about homework and the dangers of meritocracy myths and offer recommendations for more equitable alternatives.

Historically, race and poverty have been contributing factors when considering gaps among students in their academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine how employability and homework scores within traditional points and percentages weighted grading models impact grades from an equity lens. This study analyzed 779 students' semester math grades at an urban high school to see if students' grades were inflated or deflated due to including homework and employability scores in the grade. Final grades which included homework and employability points were compared to each student's overall summative assessment scores to determine grade inflation or deflation. The study then analyzed if including homework and employability points in the grade helped or hurt student's grades based on race and socio-economic factors. In comparing grading results based on students' socio-economic statuses, there were statistically significant differences.

Gateway science courses are an ongoing obstacle to recruitment into STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Students come into courses that have a high cognitive load, which makes success in the course challenging. Instructional design can be used to reduce cognitive load. The findings demonstrate that leveraging pre- and post-lecture quizzes has the capacity to reduce cognitive load. Over three semesters, assessed 164 students were assessed while taking SCB201 (General Biology I). Students in the participant and control groups were given surveys to gauge the experiment's effectiveness. These surveys were given at the beginning, midterm, and end of the semester. The surveys collected student feedback concerning attendance habits, reading for knowledge, and course difficulty each semester. The participant group findings showed favorable increases in attendance and reading for knowledge. Additionally, students in the participant group found the quizzes helped them to better understand core concepts as the semester progressed. It was determined that these quizzes helped focus learning by causing a decrease in cognitive load for students. This methodology has universal application to any type of course needing to reduce cognitive load.

Homework as an essential component of the academic process supports teaching and learning by consolidating what the students learn in class and promoting their study skills and self-paced work capacities. While homework characteristics and its efficacy are reported to be interrelated, there is a lacuna in the research on the effectiveness of homework policy in learning outcomes in online classes, particularly under adverse conditions. As a result, the current study investigated the effects of homework policy (leniency vs. strictness) on EFL learners literacy (reading and writing) development, focusing on their academic self-regulation (ASR) level in a distance learning course amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were gathered from 36 K-10 students organized into homework packet and homework leniency groups. Their literacy skills and ASR were assessed before and after the study. Due to schools closure during the COVID-19 pandemic, both groups participated in distance learning courses delivered via the national mobile-based LMS. The results of the two-way Analysis of Variance primarily revealed a significant development in the reading and writing skills of the homework-packet group. Despite the marginal difference between the reading performance of high and low self-regulated participants of both homework conditions at the end of the study, a significant difference in the development of the writing skills of high self-regulated participants of the homework-packet condition was observed. The critical role of homework strictness in online courses and promoting learners' self-regulation skills to benefit from the assigned homework, particularly in teaching writing, is underscored.

This ethnographic case study, situated in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, examined the effects of full-scale provincial testing on families, its influences on homework, and familial accountability for teaching and learning. Data were drawn from family interviews, as well as letters and documents regarding homework. Teachers sensed a significant degree of pressure on student performance on province-wide tests. This sometimes resulted in narrowing of curricula in favour of more test-taking practice. Additionally, teachers sent home sample test items for students to practice with their families to increase test scores.

In this article, we discuss Micro Assignment Guided Inquiry and Collaboration (MAGIC), an active learning method that draws on the merits of inquiry-based learning in STEM courses. We describe the use of Micro Assignments (MAs) consisting of a series of short, instructive guiding questions that scaffold the course material. Students work through these questions and present solutions to the class. The instructor facilitates learning as well as collaboration among the students during face-to-face interactions, providing the Guided Inquiry and Collaboration (GIC). We present a qualitative discussion about this active learning approach that achieves some of the documented benefits, such as deep student engagement with the material and familiarity with communicating arguments. This method also helps students develop the skills they need as they move from lower- to upper-level courses, such as collaborating, active reading, and breaking down involved assignments and problems into manageable steps. Through GIC and use of the MAs, the instructor guides students to become more abstract thinkers who desire evidence, evaluate arguments, and no longer follow step-by-step formulas but rather produce logical thought processes.

Machine learning models were constructed to predict student performance in an introductory mechanics class at a large land-grant university in the United States using data from 2061 students. Students were classified as either being at risk of failing the course (earning a D or F) or not at risk (earning an A, B, or C). The models focused on variables available in the first few weeks of the class which could potentially allow for early interventions to help at-risk students. Multiple types of variables were used in the model: in-class variables (average homework and clicker quiz scores), institutional variables [college grade point average (GPA)], and noncognitive variables (self-efficacy). The substantial imbalance between the pass and fail rates of the course, with only about 10% of students failing, required modification to the machine learning algorithms. Decision threshold tuning and upsampling were successful in improving performance for at-risk students. Logistic regression combined with a decision threshold tuned to maximize balanced accuracy yielded the strongest classifier, with a DF accuracy of 83% and an ABC accuracy of 81%. Measures of variable importance involving changes in balanced accuracy identified homework grades, clicker grades, college GPA, and the fraction of college classes successfully completed as the most important variables in predicting success in introductory physics. Noncognitive variables added little predictive power to the models. Classification models with performance near the best-performing models using the full set of variables could be constructed with very few variables (homework average, clicker scores, and college GPA) using straightforward to implement algorithms, suggesting the application of these technologies may be fairly easy to include in many physics classes.

Economics has become increasingly empirical and, alongside this shift, has come more demand for improved transparency and reproducibility in empirical economic research. In this article, we distribute a survey to almost 1500 economics faculty from the top 161 liberal arts colleges with an economics major (according to U.S. News & World Report) in the United States to determine the prevalence of teaching reproducible methods in undergraduate economics, summarize the most-common methods of instruction, and determine the intended student learning objectives. We find that of the economics faculty at liberal arts colleges who teach these reproducible methods, most do so in advanced upper-level (42%) and basic econometrics (31%) courses. Those faculty report teaching reproducibility using the following methods: transparent coding (85%), organizational skills (78%), and producing replication documentation (47%) through individual research projects (82%), homework assignments (55%), and/or workshops (33%). We conclude with some qualitative text analysis to shed light on the intended learning objectives and find that research skills (59%) and the importance of reproducibility (37%) are the most common reasons cited for teaching these methods.

Researchers strive to create learning environments where they can apply technology and different teaching methods together. Flipped learning has been a popular approach in recent years because it offers opportunities for both online and offline learning. The present study aims to conduct a thematic analysis of articles on the use of the flipped learning model in mathematics courses. Meta-thematic analysis was adopted as the research method. In this context, for the study, 69 articles were selected from among those published between 2015 and June 2020. As a result, it was found that these studies on flipped learning in mathematics education were conducted primarily with undergraduate students, whereas insufficient numbers of studies have been conducted with primary school, middle school, and high school students and pre-service teachers. Researchers have often preferred the subject of analysis while implementing the model. Studies on the flipped learning model in mathematics have mainly aimed to examine academic performance and students' perceptions regarding the model. Although it can be argued that the flipped learning model positively affects the mathematical performance of students, studies have also reported that it had no effect on performance compared to traditional teaching methods. In addition, the present study provides comprehensive data on the positive and negative aspects of the use of the flipped learning model in mathematics courses. However, comprehensive, extensive, and long-term studies are needed to provide more clear results on the implementation of flipped learning in mathematics courses.

The emergent COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019 has affected the whole world in a short time. Therefore, schools have been closed worldwide, and online learning opportunities have been exploited. Although lessons are taught online, problems have been experienced about measuring and evaluating lessons. This quasi-experimental study with a quantitative method was conducted to offer suggestions for the measurement problems. The present study examined the relationship between the measures of academic achievement obtained through different approaches from the students studying at a university. According to the results, the achievement points earned by the students through weekly blogs had a high level of correlation with the traditional final scores. However, the scores of the practices such as online exams and term papers were not an acceptable fit with the final exams. Therefore, the scores of online missions extended over time can be claimed to be the approach that best substitutes the final exams.