Long Overdue: Translating Learning Research into Educational Practice

Dear Colleagues,

Nearly 10 decades of research in cognitive psychology, neuroscience, education, anthropology, and related fields have provided us with a wealth of knowledge about how people learn. This richly multidisciplinary area of scholarship describes, among other things, how social and emotional dynamics shape learning, how metacognitive skills develop, the factors that influence learner motivation, the cultural construction of educational norms, how experts and novices organize knowledge differently, and the need to account for cognitive load in our instruction. Moreover, the research is no longer confined to the technical language of its original disciplines but has been distilled into clear, practical strategies for course design and teaching.  

Yet, to a confounding degree, research-based learning principles have not been translated systematically into teaching practices, particularly in higher education. Misconceptions abound about the practices that do and do not promote learning; ineffective teaching methods continue to be widely used; and new technologies and techniques, when adopted, are often deployed in ways that are inconsistent with what we know about learning. Indeed, in this respect, education is encountering the same translational problems found in medicine and other fields, where valuable research often fails to inform practice or policy to the extent that it should. 

This Special Issue aims to contribute to the literature of educational translation by exploring four questions:

1. What are the economic, institutional, social, and emotional barriers to implementing learning research and evidence-based practices?
2. What are the myths and misconceptions (e.g., learning styles, false growth mindset) that hinder progress, and what makes them so challenging to dislodge?
3. What existing and emerging areas of research (e.g., belonging, psychological safety, multimedia learning, cognitive load theory, expert blind spot) are particularly important for educators to be aware of and draw upon?
4. How can we use new technologies and modalities (e.g., Generative AI, AR, VR, online, hybrid, self-paced) in ways that foster deep, meaningful, connected learning, and fully utilize the skill and humanity of teachers?

We welcome manuscripts that explore these questions with nuance and insight. All manuscripts must be solidly grounded in the scholarship of teaching and learning. Preference will be given to those that offer intriguing perspectives, rigorous analysis, and creative problem solving. While empirical studies are preferred, systematic reviews and thoughtful commentaries are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Marie K. Norman
Dr. Michael W. Bridges
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• learning sciences
• learning research
• evidence-based teaching
• myths about learning
• technology-enhanced learning
• educational technology
• barriers and facilitators to implementation
• emerging learning research