Search Results (8)

This study examined the neural characteristics of belief-bias reasoning in order to reveal the neurocognitive basis of critical thinking. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy was utilized to capture the real-time brain hemodynamic activity of 74 college students while they performed a belief-bias syllogistic reasoning task. Values of oxy-hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) and deoxy-hemoglobin (deoxy-Hb) in regions of interest were analyzed in relation to critical thinking skills assessed by established tests. The results reveal significant activation in both the opercular part of the right IFC and the left DLPFC when participants encountered situations where their prior beliefs contradicted logical validity during the completion of the belief-bias syllogistic reasoning task. Crucially, individuals with lower levels of critical thinking skills demonstrated heightened activation in the opercular part of the right IFC compared to those with higher levels of critical thinking skills. Furthermore, variations in hemodynamics, quantified by oxy-Hb and deoxy-Hb concentration values (area under the activity curve as absolute value), during the execution of belief-bias reasoning tasks accounted for a substantial proportion of the variability in critical thinking skills. Additionally, the hemodynamic data to a large extent explained the connection between belief-bias reasoning and critical thinking. These results provide a neural explanation for the relationship between belief-bias reasoning and critical thinking, and advance theoretical models of critical thinking by illuminating the brain’s mechanisms engaged in unbiased reasoning and metacognition. Full article

Selecting the most appropriate components for a blended learning course is a multifaceted challenge influenced by various criteria. The impact of these influential criteria on the design process is not always obvious. The aim of this study is to assist academics in designing sustainable and engaging blended courses by investigating the impact of these criteria on the selection of blended learning components. By selecting the right mix of components, academics can foster a sustainable and meaningful involvement of students in their learning process over time, ensuring that students’ engagement is both enduring and beneficial in achieving academic success. A modified Delphi survey was utilized in this study, involving the participation of eighteen experts experienced in instructional design and online teaching. The analysis primarily relied on quantitative methods, utilizing the mean (to indicate central tendency) and standard deviation (to measure dispersion) for presenting the experts’ responses. Additionally, qualitative analysis of experts’ comments provided deeper insights into their quantitative ratings. Findings indicate that face-to-face collaborative activities should be the preferred method of delivery for academics aiming to enhance students’ engagement and foster their higher-order thinking skills, which students often find challenging. However, this approach is most effective when the group size is manageable. For larger student groups, online collaborative work can be a suitable alternative, provided there is ample online resource support. The results also indicate that online self-paced learning can be advantageous for lower-order thinking learning outcomes, particularly in situations where teaching staff is limited. Full article

This study integrated the augmented reality (AR) technology into the “Coding Ocean” board game to provide players with real-time simulation of ship paths and learning scaffolds. Combined with Scratch block-based programming, an interactive learning environment is developed to assist elementary school students in learning coding skills from the unplugged board game to enhance their computational thinking concepts. The AR board game is focused on the programming concepts of sequential, and/or and loop. Through the process of treasure hunting, the basic concepts of computational thinking can be developed, i.e., abstraction, problem decomposition, pattern recognition and algorithmic thinking. In order to investigate the learning effectiveness of the AR board game on computational thinking and programming skills, a number of 51 third graders from an elementary school were recruited as research samples. The experimental group (n = 26) used the AR board game and the control group (n = 25) used the traditional board game for game-based learning. The experimental results indicate: (1) the learning effectiveness of computational thinking for the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group; (2) the learning achievement of the block-based programming skills for the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group; (3) the cognitive load of the experimental group was significantly lower than that of the control group. The AR technology can combine the unplugged board games with plugged learning modules to assist students in game-based learning, which is useful for enhancing computational thinking abilities while reducing the cognitive load. Full article

Pedagogical innovation involving information and communications technology (ICT) may offer teachers the opportunity to create engaging learning environments in engineering courses. In this paper, we present a gamification teaching experience whose primary objective is to improve motivation, and we obtained results for students of a mathematics course during their first year at university. For this case study, we used Classcraft^®, which is a role-playing game supported by a digital platform and a mobile application that has been developed to answer teachers’ classroom management needs. We hypothesized that using this application as ICT could enhance learning and promote the development of the four “super skills” (or the Four C’s): critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. In order to explore the educational effectiveness of the methodology, a comparison between a gamification group of students and a control group was carried out. Our results showed that the mean mark obtained by the control group students was lower than that obtained by the gamification group students. In addition, the Nemenyi test showed that the Four C’s were improved thanks to the Classcraft^® activities and group project. Overall, course participants positively evaluated the use of the gamification platform. Full article

This study aimed to determine why university students performed relatively low on a writing assignment. In phase 1, questionnaire and performance data were collected and analyzed. This evidence-informed approach revealed that students’ relatively low performance was caused by their relatively underdeveloped higher order thinking skills. A six-step research-informed procedure was designed to assist students’ development of these skills. In turn, questionnaire data, performance data and observational data were collected in phase 2 to determine the effectiveness of the design and the quality of the implementation. The results indicated that students improved their higher order thinking skills. Alternative explanations did not play a role; the designed procedure was implemented with high fidelity and positively rated by the students. This study can aid university teachers in designing course materials for the development of students’ higher order thinking skills. Full article

Lower urinary tract symptoms are common complaints in ageing people. For a urological evaluation of such complaints in men, the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) is used worldwide. Previous quantitative studies have revealed serious problems in completing this questionnaire. In order to gain insight into the nature and causes of these problems, we conducted a qualitative study. Not only the purely verbal IPSS was studied but also two alternatives, including pictograms: the Visual Prostate Symptom Score (VPSS) and the Score Visuel Prostatique en Image (SVPI). Men aged 40 years and over with an inadequate level of health literacy (IHL; n = 18) or an adequate level of health literacy (AHL; n = 47) participated. Each participant filled out one of the three questionnaires while thinking aloud. The analysis of their utterances revealed problems in both health literacy groups with form-filling tasks and subtasks for all three questionnaires. Most noticeable were the problems with the IPSS; the terminology and layout of this form led to difficulties. In the VPSS and SVPI, the pictograms sometimes raised problems. As in previous research on form-filling behavior, an overestimation by form designers of form fillers’ knowledge and skills seems to be an important explanation for the problems observed. Full article

Intelligent tutoring systems have become increasingly common in assisting students but are often aimed at isolated subject-domain tasks without creating a scaffolding system from lower- to higher-level cognitive skills, with low-level skills often neglected. We designed and developed an intelligent tutoring system, CompPrehension, which aims to improve the comprehension level of Bloom’s taxonomy. The system features plug-in-based architecture, easily adding new subject domains and learning strategies. It uses formal models and software reasoners to solve the problems and judge the answers, and generates explanatory feedback about the broken domain rules and follow-up questions to stimulate the students’ thinking. We developed two subject domain models: an Expressions domain for teaching the expression order of evaluation, and a Control Flow Statements domain for code-tracing tasks. The chief novelty of our research is that the developed models are capable of automatic problem classification, determining the knowledge required to solve them and so the pedagogical conditions to use the problem without human participation. More than 100 undergraduate first-year Computer Science students took part in evaluating the system. The results in both subject domains show medium but statistically significant learning gains after using the system for a few days; students with worse previous knowledge gained more. In the Control Flow Statements domain, the number of completed questions correlates positively with the post-test grades and learning gains. The students’ survey showed a slightly positive perception of the system. Full article

Sustainability is conceptualized, approached and acted upon differently by people, sectors, societies, nations and educational systems. Consequently, the “sustainability thinking”-related scientific, technological, environmental, societal, economic and policy/political components are expected to transform differently. The related necessary transformative paradigm shifts in science, technology, environment, society, economy and policy (STESEP)—education from the contemporary disciplinary science, technology and environmental teaching to “know”—to transdisciplinary learning to “think” are to be expected. The overriding purpose: ensuring “sustainability thinking” by responsible, capable “STESEP literate” citizens. Consequently, “sustainability thinking” in the STESEP interfaces contexts, requires (1) the development of students’ higher-order cognitive skills (HOCS) via a transformative/transdisciplinary “STESEP Education”; (2) a research-based shift from the conventional algorithmic lower-order cognitive skills (LOCS)-based teaching to “know”, to “HOCS learning” to “think”; and (3) a special focus on HOCS-promoting teaching, assessment and learning strategies in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, environment, society and education. A pre-post research design of system thinking, evaluative thinking, and decision making capabilities of 10 grade high school, undergraduate and graduate students, in Israel, are presented and discussed in the learning for “sustainability thinking” context. In conclusion: contemporary science education in secondary and tertiary levels is mainly, disciplinary (biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics) in science, technology and engineering courses. The LOCS-to-HOCS paradigm shift still constitutes a major issue of concern, with respect to ensuring a transformative science/STESEP education, targeting “sustainability thinking” in secondary and tertiary education. Full article