<p dir="ltr">Learning involves complex cognitive processes such as perception, attention, and memory, with reading being a common method to acquire knowledge. Textbooks are often supplemented with additional materials such as self-test questions and demonstration tasks to enhance learning. However, the impact of these supplemental materials, especially when they interrupt reading, is not well understood. This study examined how interruptions by supplemental materials affect reading comprehension and learning outcomes.</p>

<p>Situated Expectancy-Value Theory (SEVT) calls for motivation researchers to treat learning and motivation as inseparable from context. Previous research has examined students’ expectancies and values in specific disciplines, showing dynamic changes over time. Limited research has examined students’ processes of change, considered the influence of students’ disciplinary identities, or solicited characteristics of the disciplinary environment that influence change. Additionally, current frontiers of the field aim to race-reimage motivational constructs. By situating motivation research in the race and gender experiences of historically marginalized students (i.e., Black, Latinx, Hispanic, Indigenous, women), the field can expand motivation theories to support a diversifying population, instead of relying on theories primarily based on the experiences of White individuals. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to examine the processes of motivational and identity change and situate students' identity and motivation negotiations in their disciplines, race, and gender. Using a qualitative, single case study design, eight undergraduate students of color majoring in science or engineering and who were on academic probation were interviewed. Results identified three processes of negotiating their identity and motivation that students employed in response to being on probation. Students reported challenges to their identity and motivation negotiations situated in their race and gender experiences. However, they also shared cultural assets that supported their continued identification with, expectancies for success in, and valuing of their science and engineering disciplines. Findings propose theoretical and methodological implications considering communal values in the SEVT model. Practical implications are discussed for instructors and student success personnel to integrate students’ social identities and communal motivations into their</p> <p>disciplinary engagement.</p>

<p>Professional engineers think and act in distinctive ways when addressing engineering problems. Students need to develop this reasoning or engineering thinking during their education. Unfolding the undergraduate students’ thinking is a necessary step in designing experiences and teaching materials that foster not only their understanding of engineering concepts but also their learning to think as professional engineers. While there are previous studies about the students' thinking in other disciplines, more research is needed in engineering. This three-study dissertation aims to further our comprehension of undergraduate students’ engineering thinking using an adapted version of the Engineering Habits of Mind (EHoM) model. Specifically, the dissertation’s studies work together to continue the research that addresses the question:<em> What are the characteristics of undergraduate students</em>’ <em>engineering thinking?</em></p> <p><br></p> <p>The first study used naturalistic inquiry to holistically explore the cognition associated with the EHoM of senior chemical engineering students when improving a chemical plant. The analysis of students’ interactions showed that their redesign process followed an iterative co-evolution of the problem and solution spaces. Furthermore, they treated the task as a socio-technical problem considering engineering and non-engineering factors. In addition, while exploring problem and solution entities, they used multiple representations to communicate ideas but had difficulties translating symbolic representations into more physical, concrete representations. Regardless the technical issues and time constraints, the students completed the conceptual redesign and communicated their proposal to the client.</p> <p><br></p> <p>The second study used qualitative content analysis to examine first-year engineering students’ ideation as a cognitive skill associated with the EHoM of problem finding and creative problem solving. Particularly, it focused on students’ ideation of questions and recommendations when doing data analytics to help improve a client’s enterprise. The analysis of students’ reports showed that they expanded the problem space of the task by bringing additional information that was not provided. They asked questions focused on performing statistical analysis of the dataset and requesting information about the company’s business model. At the end of their data analytics, students made high- and low-quality recommendations considering their alignment with a specific problem, robust evidence, and the client’s needs. </p> <p><br></p> <p>The third study used qualitative descriptive research to investigate undergraduate participants' cognitive competencies within engineering systems thinking at the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition. These competencies are associated with the EHoM of problem finding, creative problem solving, systems thinking, and visualization. Mainly, the study focused on analyzing the evidence of cognitive competencies documented in the publicly available participants’ wikis where they registered their design process. Results showed that iGEM teams developed solutions with biological systems interacting with other systems and used concepts and tools from multiple disciplines. They also cooperated with stakeholders, which helped them analyze their system from multiple lenses. Moreover, depending on their upfront task, they fluidly represented their systems from structural, behavioral, and functional perspectives. </p> <p><br></p> <p>The final chapter of this dissertation presents an overarching discussion across the studies. The findings and implications will support curriculum designers, instructors, and other interested readers to prepare learning environments that promote undergraduate students’ engineering thinking. Furthermore, they may guide future efforts to continue exploring the students' thinking process when addressing engineering problems. </p>

<p dir="ltr">Today's leaders must manage sophisticated global value chains, navigate rapid technology shifts, strategize to stay ahead of competitors, and thwart attacks from cyber criminals while keeping their diverse, aging workforce engaged and innovating. Creativity and innovation result from people's work and are now business assets paramount in the change process. Understanding how to foster these skills in working professionals has implications for education, business, and governments around the world. The problem addressed by this study supported both practical challenges and research limitations to fills gaps in existing research while expanding the understanding of growth mindset, interest in AI, and innovative thinking to support addressing the shortage of working professionals with innovative thinking skills. These are often called durable skills, required to compete in the rapidly changing global marketplace and to ensure long-term employability. Thinking skills such as flexibility, creativity, and innovation are attracting global attention as leaders face international competition and rapid technological change.</p><p dir="ltr">The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to explore if growth mindset is related to innovative thinking in working professionals, and (b) to explore whether a growth interest in artificial intelligence impacts innovative thinking in working professionals. An exploratory research field study of working professionals participated in the research. Participants were recruited via LinkedIn. A total of 298 responses were included in the analysis. A weak positive correlation, though not significant (p=.05) was found for growth mindset and innovative thinking. The strongest, significant relationship found a moderate positive correlation between interest in AI and innovative thinking. Another significant finding was that individuals with a high interest in AI generally ranked higher in innovative thinking than those with a solely a high growth mindset or low in both. Individuals high in both had the highest overall innovative thinking.</p><p dir="ltr">This study provides researchers and practitioners with a new understanding of innovative thinking, growth mindset, and interest in AI in working professionals while contributing to research literature topics, including leadership, human resource development, business, talent management, psychology, and technology. It has practical implications in teaching and learning and skills development of working professionals in business. Applying a survey tool that could be used in the workplace in 10 minutes, a practical, cost and time-effective tool has been demonstrated to provide valuable individual insights on innovative thinking and mindset. Further, as organizations strive to improve competitiveness and integrate artificial intelligence, this study found that individuals with growth mindset and growth interest specifically in AI demonstrated higher innovative thinking scores than those low in both, suggesting that growth mindsets matter in innovative thinking - a component vital for long-term employability and global competitiveness - and may offer insights into future hiring. One of the fundamental aspects of using GenAI is the ability to formulate solid questions and be willing to experiment. These are two critical aspects of innovative thinking. This study found that questioning had the strongest significant positive correlation with a growth mindset while experimenting had the strongest significant positive correlation with growth interest in AI.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Infographics are increasingly used as visual communication tools for conveying health information to diverse audiences. However, research is lacking on how specific infographic design factors influence learning outcomes. This study aimed to determine the comparative effectiveness of automatically advanced (Group A) versus manually advanced (Group B) infographics for promoting breast cancer awareness and knowledge. A mixed-methods quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was utilized. The sample comprised 42 participants for analysis. Of these, the majority, 41 persons self-reported as female, with one participant indicating their gender as 'other.' Participant ages ranged from 25 to 55 years (M = 40.5, SD = 7.62). Most participants were well-educated, with graduate degrees or other advanced education beyond a bachelor's degree. Participants were randomly assigned to either the automatically advanced infographic group (Group A) or the manually advanced infographic group (Group B). Results indicated that Group B had significantly higher scores on the knowledge post-test compared to Group A, suggesting improved recall and comprehension of key information. There were no significant differences in cognitive load ratings or viewing duration between the groups. Qualitative feedback from participants suggested that Group B's manually advanced infographic facilitated better self-pacing and absorption of content. While the study's findings provide preliminary evidence supporting the efficacy of manually advanced infographics in learning complex health information, limitations are acknowledged. The research contributes to the design of patient education materials and underscores the necessity for further investigations across varied populations and health topics to understand the impact of infographic design more comprehensively on learning and behavior.</p>