Chinese higher education (HE) has been through a process of profound restructuring, decentralisation, introduction of market incentives, university mergers, internationalisation, and enlarging student enrolment in the past two decades. Along with the expansion of Chinese HE, the issue of quality has become a concern and has attracted a lot of attention in the Chinese HE sector. Developing quality assurance (QA) systems has been given priority in the agenda of most Chinese higher education institutions (HEIs). The nationwide implementation of quality evaluation since 2002 is the main means used by the Chinese government to address the potential quality decline and to realise a macro level control of quality over Chinese HEIs. This study is conducted against the background of the prevailing quality culture, and focuses on student learning rather than the widely adopted top-down scrutiny of teaching as the main component of QA schemes. The purpose of this study is to explore how student learning experiences can be integrated into the QA systems in Chinese HEIs for continuous quality improvement. A qualitative case study approach is adopted in this study. Document analysis, focus groups, and in-depth interviews are used to achieve a comprehensive qualitative inquiry into student learning experiences, HEIs’ QA practice, and the integration of student learning experiences into QA system. Through this study, we find that Chinese universities generally use regulations, teaching inspection/evaluation, and student feedback as the main approaches to manage their QA practice. There is great emphasis on the institutional management and teaching management, but little attention given to what students are actually doing. The analysis of the key issues in student learning experiences, the concept of quality learning, and the analysis of the objectives, control, areas, procedures and uses in the current Chinese QA systems suggest a discrepancy between student quality learning and what the current Chinese QA assures. The findings of this study imply that the current top-down QA has great limitations in addressing key issues in student learning and accordingly plays a limited role in generating educational quality. As the conclusion of this study, a learning-focused QA is proposed to offer insights into integrating student learning generically into the QA process for the purpose of the continuous improvement of HE quality.

The thesis deals with the issues of learning styles of secondary and university students. In the theoretical part, the problems of thinking, individual-specific ways of learning, individual-specific learning methods and learning styles are outlined. The diploma thesis focuses on learning styles, which are defined and divided from different points of view. Thesis also includes the diagnostics of learning styles, the influence of learning styles and, among other things, the motivation that is important in learning. The theoretical part is consists of research of professional literature, scientific articles and current researches from the area. The practical part consists of questionnaire survey, which took place at several secondary schools and universities. The LSI questionnaire and the VARK questionnaire were used to find out the student's learning styles from the research sample, the results obtained from the two questionnaires were compared between each other, from which conclusions were drawn. The survey results are evaluated by descriptive statistics and captured in charts and tables.

Fewer students in the United States are choosing to study and enter careers in the STEM disciplines-Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. This problem is being addressed through current educational reforms focusing on Integrated STEM curriculum and instructional design. This mixed-method quasi-experimental study researched the effects of science-engineering integration on student learning, student attitudes, and student interests in science within an elementary setting through the creation and implementation of an integrated science and engineering unit of instruction focused on the water cycle. Comparisons of student performance on end-of-unit science assessments revealed no significant differences in student learning between students who experienced an integrated unit of instruction and those who received an un-integrated science unit. However, increased student learning and interest in science was evidenced in responses to a student survey. Inasmuch as there is little in the way of frameworks to guide the legitimate integration of science and engineering instruction, this study offers a guide for teachers along with evidence of its efficacy.

Mental models for scientific learning are often defined as, "cognitive tools situated between experiments and theories" (Duschl & Grandy, 2012). In learning, these cognitive tools are used to not only take in new information, but to help problem solve in new contexts. Nancy Nersessian (2008) describes a mental model as being [loosely] characterized as a representation of a system with interactive parts with representations of those interactions. Models can be qualitative, quantitative, and/or simulative (mental, physical, computational)" (p. 63). If conceptual parts used by the students in science education are inaccurate, then the resulting model will not be useful. Students in college general chemistry courses are presented with multiple abstract topics and often struggle to fit these parts into complete models. This is especially true for topics that are founded on quantum concepts, such as atomic structure and molecular bonding taught in college general chemistry. The objectives of this study were focused on how students use visual tools introduced during instruction to reason with atomic and molecular structure, what misconceptions may be associated with these visual tools, and how visual modeling skills may be taught to support students' use of visual tools for reasoning. The research questions for this study follow from Gilbert's (2008) theory that experts use multiple representations when reasoning and modeling a system, and Kozma and Russell's (2005) theory of representational competence levels. This study finds that as students developed greater command of their understanding of abstract quantum concepts, they spontaneously provided additional representations to describe their more sophisticated models of atomic and molecular structure during interviews. This suggests that when visual modeling with multiple representations is taught, along with the limitations of the representations, it can assist students in the development of models for reasoning about abstract topics such as atomic and molecular structure. There is further gain if students’ difficulties with these representations are targeted through the use additional instruction such as a workbook that requires the students to exercise their visual modeling skills.

Detta arbete berör ämnesområdet matematik med inriktning geometri. Syftet med detta arbete har varit att analysera olika digitala läromedel för grundskolans årskurs 1–3 för att synliggöra hur innehållet kan förstås utifrån olika lärteorier. De vetenskapliga lärteorierna som ligger till grund för detta arbete är Variationsteorin och van Hieles teori för geometriskt tänkande. I analysen har geometriuppgifter gällande tvådimensionella figurer analyserats utifrån variationsteorin, kring variationsmönster och kritiska aspekter. Samma uppgifter analyserades även utifrån van Hieles teori kring nivåer och faser för det geometriska tänkandet. En innehållsanalys gav oss möjlighet att undersöka både hur frekvent en viss aspekt av de olika teorierna förekom men även hur uppgifter i de valda digitala läromedlen kunde förstås enligt de två teorierna. Resultatet av denna innehållsanalys visade att innehållsmässig variation i uppgifter kan bidra till förståelse för tvådimensionella figurer och dess egenskaper. Resultatet visade även att det fanns möjlighet till progression av kunskaper om tvådimensionella figurer och dess egenskaper, detta genom uppgifter med varierande svårighetsgrader som avancerade inom och mellan årskurserna. / This study concerns the subject of mathematics with focus on geometry. The aim of this study has been to analyze different digital textbooks suited for compulsory school years 1-3 to visualize how the content can be understood based on different learning theories. This study is based on the Variation Theory and the van Hiele Model of Geometric Thinking. In this analysis, geometry assignments regarding two-dimensional figures have been analyzed based on patterns of variation and critical aspects of the Variation Theory. The same assignments were also analyzed based on van Hiele’s theory of levels and phases of geometric thinking. A content analysis gave us the opportunity to examine both how frequently a certain aspect of the various theories occurred but also how the assignments could be understood according to the two theories. The results of this study showed that content variation in assignments can contribute to an understanding of two-dimensional figures and their properties. The results also showed that there were opportunities for progression of knowledge about two-dimensional figures and their properties, this through assignments with varying degrees of difficulty that advanced within and between grades.

School districts in a southeastern state have faced the challenge of choosing an effective professional development model that assists teachers in improving student achievement. Some school districts have implemented professional learning communities (PLCs) as a means of addressing teachers' professional development. Guided by the social learning theories of Bandura, Vygotsky, and Wenger, the research questions focused on teachers' perceptions of the use of PLC experiences for making classroom decisions and their value for enhancing teacher learning, teacher collaboration, and student learning. Data for this case study were collected from 7 certified elementary teachers in 1 school who had participated in PLCs for 2 years. Interview data were coded and reviewed for common themes and patterns. The results of this study revealed that teachers perceived there was not enough time for teacher collaboration and teacher learning built into the activities and structure of the current PLC at the study site. The findings from this study were used to create a 3-day training session for local teachers on how to structure and function in a PLC environment. The sessions include training for grade-level chairpersons and professional development sessions for grade-level teams of teachers. The project will give the elementary teachers in this school meaningful opportunities to positively affect their own and students' learning and share learned practices and skills with other teachers in the district. Achieving social change at a larger level is possible as this professional development opportunity with a focus on teacher and student learning can serve as a model for other schools in the district.

Engineering Dynamics (ED) courses are known as challenging and demanding for undergraduate students majored in many engineering fields, such as mechanical and aerospace engineering and civil and environmental engineering. The course is built upon the foundation and framework of mathematics and physics and requires students to have strong abstract thinking and reasoning skills. Rigid body dynamics (RBD), the second part of ED, investigates kinematics and kinetics of rigid bodies and is considered as a difficult subject by many undergraduate students because the course requires them to visualize abstract objects in motions. Although there have been many studies reporting the uses of interactive computer simulation and animation (CSA) modules as visual learning tools in RBD instruction, the effectiveness of the CSA modules on student learning of RBD were not rigorously and adequately investigated. This study employs a mixed method (QUAN – qual) approach and nonequivalent comparison group design to investigate the effectiveness of CSA modules on student learning of RBD, and to explore students’ attitudes towards and experiences with these modules. One hundred and sixty-one students in two recent semesters participated in this study: 74 in one semester participated in the comparison group and 87 in another semester participated in the intervention group. While the intervention group students studied RBD with CSA modules along with traditional lectures, the comparison group students studied RBD with traditional lectures only. Students in both groups were assessed with pretests and posttests using 10 bonus homework assignments developed to address core knowledge areas of RBD. The study uses a set of nonparametric statistical tools to analyze the pretest and posttest scores, mean differences, and magnitudes of the differences in learning gains between the two groups. Research findings from this study reveal that the intervention group students showed a significant increase in learning gains of overall knowledge, conceptual understanding, and procedural skills with Cliff’s effect sizes of 0.49, 0.41, and 0.47, respectively. CSA modules increased the intervention group students’ confidence, but they did not increase students’ motivation of learning RBD. This study supports the use of CSA modules as an instructional intervention to improve students’ conceptual understanding and procedural skills in learning engineering dynamics.

Respons från såväl lärare till elev som från elev till elev kan vara en möjlighet att utveckla elevers skrivande men kan även begränsa elevers skrivande om den inte ges på ett konstruktivt sätt. Vi fann det intressant för vår kommande yrkesroll att ta reda på vad det finns för möjligheter och fallgropar vid kamratrespons. Med det valda problemområdet vill vi fördjupa våra kunskaper i hur elevers skrivutveckling kan påverkas av kamratrespons, det vill säga hur den kan stärka eller hämma elevers skrivutveckling i en pågående skrivprocess. I gymnasieskolans kursplan för svenska 1 är ett av målen för skrivutveckling att elever ska utveckla en språkriktighet, där kamratresponsen utgör en viktig del för skrivutvecklingen (Skolverket, 2011). Till denna kunskapsöversikt har artiklar genom databassökning samlats in. Sedan har vi tillsammans granskat och valt ut relevant material. Vi har noggrant diskuterat varje artikels relevans kopplat till vår frågeställning. Resultatet av valda artiklar visar att responsen ska ges på ett konstruktivt sätt, att den som ger respons måste vara medveten om uppgiftens syfte och att det råder delade meningar om lärarrespons eller kamratrespons är mest effektivt för elevers skrivutveckling. Slutligen kan vi konstatera att dialogen utgör en central del av responsen oavsett för den som tar emot eller ger responsen samt att elever tillsammans kan överkomma uppgifters svårigheter.

This dissertation presents an empirical investigation of learning from online courses. The current dissertation examined student participation, using Arbaugh et al.'s Community of Inquiry (CoI) survey instrument and Biggs et al.'s revised version of the Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) to determine CoI influences on learning from the students' perspective. This study is in response to Rourke and Kanuka's call to provide further empirical evidence about CoI conceptual framework connections to deep and meaningful learning. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the elements of CoI, cognitive, social, and teaching presences and students' learning approaches to students' perceived learning. Students enrolled in traditional, online, and, blended courses during the 2016 spring semester at a southwestern university participated in a web-based survey. Structural equation modeling was used to test the indirect effects between the elements of CoI, learning approaches, and perceived learning. Student's deep approach to learning was found to have an indirect effect between cognitive presence and perceived learning. However, this study's findings, when the CoI framework was viewed in its entirety, failed to provide evidence to simulate deep and meaningful learning.

Improved metacognitive thinking can impact student’s success. A novel homework method called Solved Problem Analysis (SPA) was developed with the intent to foster metacognitive thinking. It was hypothesized that supporting metacognition would lead to increased performance on in-class exams and the ACS final exam. Results showed SPA was effective at increasing performance on both. In order to more directly measure student’s metacognitive thinking, a knowledge survey was implemented to measure the difference between student’s perceived understanding of the material and their actual performance. These knowledge surveys showed students were able to predict how much of the material they understood. Monitoring one’s thinking is an important part of metacognition. This cognitive monitoring can be mimicked in study group interactions. The effect of self-assembled study groups on student exam performance was also examined, where it was found that self-assembled study groups did not effectively increase exam performance.