An examination of the effectiveness of problem‐based learning method supported by augmented reality in science education

This study aimed at examining the effect of using flipped learning strategy in developing reflective thinking skills. The study used a quasi-experimental design. The experimental group studied using the flipped learning strategy, while the control group studied using the conventional learning strategy. A sample of (49) students was selected and randomly divided into experimental (24 students) and control (25 students) groups. The University of Jordan School was intentionally selected for its willingness to offer aid and apply the experiment of the study. To achieve the objectives of the study, a reflective thinking skills scale was developed by the researchers to measure the effect of using flipped learning strategy on the reflective thinking skills of the study sample. The results of the study showed statistically significant differences between the two groups' performance on the reflective thinking skills scale due to the teaching strategy in favor of the experimental group, which was taught using the flipped learning strategy. In light of the findings of the study, the researchers offered a number of recommendations.

Teacher training process must stimulate reflective thinking skill because this skill is crucial to improve teaching and learning capability. Indonesian version of standardized instrument to assess the development of reflective thinking skill in teacher training program is still limited. This research aimed to adapt Reflective Thinking Questionnaire (RTQ) to Indonesian version, investigate its quality, probe pre-service chemistry teachers’ level of reflective thinking, investigate relationship between reflective thinking and GPA, and compare between 1st year and 4th year pre-service chemistry teachers’ reflective thinking skill. RTQ is a 16 items 5 point Likert scale questionnaire purposed to measure reflective thinking in 4 subscale levels: Habitual Actions (HA), Understanding (U), Reflection (R), and Critical Reflection (CR). Each subscale was assessed by 4 questionnaire items. With the help of four science education experts who are fluent in both languages, RTQ was first translated into Indonesian and then its empirical result was substantiated. The translated RTQ was given to 147 pre-service chemistry teachers from Department of Chemistry Education, Raja Ali Haji Maritime University, Indonesia. Data were analyzed using Rasch model method. Result indicated that the instrument and all 16 items nicely fit the Rasch model. The data also showed good reliability (Cronbach alpha .84). Result of this research also indicated that Understanding received the highest mean (17.70), followed by Critical Reflection (16.50), Reflection (16.48), and the lowest mean was Habitual Action (14.60). Non-parametric analysis was used because normal data distribution is not observed. Based on Wilcoxon Test result, significant difference between all subscales levels were detected, except for CR-R. Spearman Correlation result indicated that correlation between reflective thinking and GPA was not significant. Based on Mann-Whitney Test result, significant difference between 1st year and 4th year college students’ reflective thinking was only detected in CR. The implications relate to reflective thinking skill were discussed to improve the quality of learning process and its’ evaluation.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of LEGO-based educational applications on students’ academic motivation, reflective thinking skill towards problem solving, spatial visualisation, and mental rotation comparatively. This study adopts a quasi-experimental research design with a control group. We recruited a total of twenty-six sixth graders from a private school. The data collection instruments were Reflective Thinking Skill Scale towards Problem Solving, Academic Motivation Scale, Spatial Visualisation Scale, and Mental Rotation Scale. The experimental process lasted for four weeks. LEGO-based teaching aids were employed in the experimental group, whereas Scratch-based educational applications were used in the control group. Based on the findings, there was an increase in the reflective thinking skill towards problem solving as well as mental rotation and spatial visualisation skills of the students in both groups. However, it has been found that the mean scores of reflective thinking skill towards problem solving and spatial visualisation skills of the experimental group students are higher than those of the control group. We conclude that LEGO-based educational applications have a more positive impact on the development of reflective thinking skill towards problem solving and spatial visualisation skill compared with Scratch-based educational applications. According to our findings, we discuss limitations and provide recommendations for researchers and practitioners.

A new way of teaching programming skills to K-12 students: Code.org

The Turkish education program has a great importance in terms of increasing the quality of education and training process and determining and developing the cognitive skills of students. The explanation of the relationship between the high-level thinking skills of Turkish teachers responsible for teaching the program and the Turkish education program reveals the necessity of the study. Accordingly, this research was created in order to determine the relationship between reflective thinking skills perceptions and problem solving skills perceptions that should be present in Turkish teaching. The sample of the study consists of 106 Turkish teachers who are working in eight districts of Kars Province. In this study, the Reflective Thinking Tendency Scale (YANDE) and Problem Solving Inventory (PSI) were used. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods. According to the findings, the relationships between total and sub-dimensions of Turkish teachers’ reflective thinking skills perceptions and their problem-solving skills perceptions were moderate. According to the findings; continuous and purposeful thinking, open-mindedness, questioner and effective teaching, teaching responsibility and scientificity, predictive and sincerity and professional perspective sub-dimensions of reflective thinking scale do not significantly predict any sub-dimension of problem solving. However, it is observed that the ‘researcher sub-dimension of the reflective thinking’ scale significantly predicts problem solving total scores, hasty approach scores, thinking approach scores and avoidant approach scores. The relationship between total and sub-dimensions of reflective thinking skills perceptions of Turkish teachers and total and sub-dimensions of problem solving skills perceptions was found to be at a moderate level. These thinking skills should be considered when planning activities in undergraduate and professional education to develop reflective thinking skills perceptions and problem solving skills perceptions of Turkish teachers.

The purpose of the present paper is to elicit the effects of reflective thinking-based teaching activities on pre-service teachers’ reflective thinking skills, critical thinking skills, democratic attitudes, and academic achievement. The paper employed experimental design. The study group consisted of second year students from the Education Faculty of Gazi University in the 2010-2011 academic year. In total, 42 students (21 experimental; 21 control) were selected. Data were collected from:1) California Critical Thinking Scale, 2) Democratic Attitudes Scale, 3) Academic Achievement Test, 4) Reflective Thinking Tendency Scale for Teachers and Pre-service Teachers, 5) Reflective Journal, and 6) Rubric for portfolio.Though the experimental group obtained higher post-test, achievement, reflective thinking, critical thinking, democratic attitude, and academic achievement mean scores than the control group, these differences were found to be statistically not significant. The students were able to perform the behaviors required by reflection-on-action and reflection-in-action processes to a great extent.

This study aims to describe how students' reflective thinking skills in solving problems similar to PISA by looking at their mathematical dispositions. This research uses a qualitative approach with a qualitative descriptive research type. The subjects in this study were 34 students of class VIII A at an MTsN in Banjarnegara for the 2021/2022 academic year. Data collection techniques used are tests and non-tests. The instruments in this study were reflective thinking ability test sheets, mathematical disposition questionnaires, and interview guidelines. The data analysis technique of this research uses the data analysis technique of Miles and Huberman. The results of the data analysis show that most students with high mathematical dispositions have high and moderate reflective thinking skills. Students with a high mathematical disposition have been able to fulfill the indicators of the reacting, elaborating, and contemplating phases well, although some are still constrained in the reacting phase. Students with a moderate mathematical disposition have moderate reflective thinking skills because they are still constrained in the reacting phase, but are able to fulfill the indicators in other phases well even though they are not systematic. Some students with low mathematical dispositions have not been able to meet the indicators in the reacting, elaborating, and contemplating phases, so their reflective thinking skills are also low. It was also found that subjects with low mathematical disposition were able to meet the indicators in the reacting, elaborating, and contemplating phases so that they had good reflective thinking skills.

This research aims to develop weblog media about environmental contamination material to determine the reflective thinking skills of junior high school students. The development of a weblog as a learning medium used the ADDIE model. In this research up to the development phase. The weblog design has gone through the validation phase. The validation was performed by 4 validators using a validation sheet. Student responses were collected using a questionnaire and reflective thinking skills using a multiple-choice test. The developed weblog has been tested on 20 students of 8<sup>th</sup> grade. The results showed that the use of blogging media positively impacted students' reflective thinking skills, given the increase in mean pre-test and post-test scores from a score of 69.5 to 82. The increase in reflective thinking skills was seen in of the three indicators of reflective thinking, namely <em>reacting</em> from 79% to 81,5% in the high category, <em>elaborating</em> from 50% in the low category to 75% in the high category, and <em>contemplating</em> from 67% in normal category to 78,4% in the high category. The use of blogging media to reinforce thinking skills is also supported by the results of student responses with an average result of 92,8% for aspects of reflective thinking

Nature education: Outdoor learning of map literacy skills and reflective thinking skill towards problem-solving

Mathematical reflective thinking ability is one of the higher-level abilities that can support other mathematical thinking skills. Therefore, ensuring students have good mathematical reflective thinking skills is essential. This study aimed to analyze students' mathematical reflective thinking skills (KBRMS) on the material of a two-variable linear equation system (SPLDV). This research approach is qualitative with a phenomenological type. Data collection techniques were carried out through reflective thinking skills tests and interviews. The study subjects were grade VIII junior high school students who had studied SPLDV material using purposive sampling techniques. Data analysis techniques in this study are data reduction, data display, conclusions, and verification. This mathematical reflective thinking ability analysis is based on indicators of mathematical reflective thinking ability, namely reacting, elaborating, and contemplating. The results of this study show that students can master reacting and elaborating indicators when faced with problems they usually encounter. In contrast, for contemplating indicators, students still experience difficulties when faced with problems different from those traditionally exemplified, such as difficulties in understanding problems and determining the concept of the material used. Based on this, it is shown that students' mathematical reflective thinking skills have not been fulfilled optimally.

The purpose of the study was to develop a scale to determine inquiry learning skills perception towards math of middle school students, to test the developed scale, and to evaluate their inquiry learning skills towards math in terms of inquiring, evaluating, reasoning, and reflective thinking skills for problem-solving. For this purpose, the study was carried out within two stages. In the first stage, the availability of the scale was presented by analysing the reliability and validity of the scale. In the second stage, the relationships between inquiry learning skills towards math and inquiring, evaluating, reasoning, and reflective thinking skills for problem-solving were analysed by considering various variables. The second stage which was prepared according to relational scanning model was carried out with the participation of 217 middle school students. The following scales were used as data collection instruments; “Inquiry Learning Skills Scale towards Math” and “A Reflective Thinking Skill Scale towards Problem-Solving”. While middle school students had advance level of inquiry learning skills towards math, evaluating, reasoning, and reflecting thinking skills for problem-solving, and their inquiry skills were at intermediate level. There was a significant relationship between inquiry learning skills towards math and inquiring, evaluating, reasoning, and reflective thinking skills for problem-solving. Inquiry learning skills towards math differred significantly by students’ gender, grade-levels, math achievement scores, and watching a science program for kids, but they did not differ by following a scientific magazine.

The present study aimed to explore the differences among EFL/ESL (English as a Foreign Language/English as a Second Language) instructors while applying reflective thinking skills in terms of graduation degree and nationality. It employed a descriptive design through survey questionnaire. To this end, upon cluster sampling, 200 Iranian and American instructors first responded to Akbari, Behzadpoor, and Dadvand’s inventory followed by an open-ended questionnaire (RTOQ) based on Dymoke and Harrisons’ remarks. Results revealed a significant difference in applying reflective thinking skills concerning academic degree and nationality among participants and indicated a crucial role for nationality and culture in ELT (English Language Teaching) contexts. Graduation degree left a significant effect on instructors’ competencies and attitudes while applying thinking skills. The study highlighted the importance of incorporating reflective skills as a core component of pedagogical systems. Furthermore, the results laid further proof to the role that integrating thinking skills into pedagogy would play in determining the learning direction.

Abstract: Korthagen’s Onion model is one of the influential novelties of the Core Reflection approach, including exterior layers of reflection expanding from the surface to the interior ones. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a proposed training program based on the Onion model in developing reflective thinking skills and attitudes towards the profession among EFL student-educators. This experimental study was conducted with 59 EFL student-educators involved in the program of teaching practice at Port Said Faculty of education. The data were collected using two scales designed to measure participants reflective thinking skills and attitudes towards the profession. The proposed training program based on the Onion model included (20) sessions and lasted for (10) weeks. Data of the pre-, post- and follow-up applications of the scales were collected and statistically analyzed. The results of the analyses revealed that the proposed training program based on the Onion Model helped to develop reflective thinking skills and positive attitudes towards the EFL profession among EFL Student-Educators. Implications, suggestions for further research, and recommendations for curricula and policy makers of teacher education programs are included.

Until now, there have been many studies conducted on mathematical reflective thinking skills presented using problem-based learning models. This study aims to analyze published research on the effectiveness of problem-based learning models on mathematical reflective thinking skills. The method used is meta-analysis. The data analyzed were 8 journal articles that were used to determine the effect size. Data collection was carried out using a variable coding sheet as a coding instrument. The collected data were then analyzed using meta-analytic statistical techniques. The results of the analysis showed that the average effect size of the 8 articles was 2.63, which was included in the high effect size category. Of the 8 articles analyzed, 6 articles (75%) showed a high effect size category, while 2 articles (25%) showed a medium effect size category. The article with the highest effect size, which reached 5.29, shows that the problem-based learning model can provide a very significant increase in students' mathematical reflective thinking skills in learning mathematics.

The research addresses the introduction to the effect of Risk training program on the development of reflective thinking skills, the sample of the study consists of(42) second intermediate female students in the center of Kirkuk province which were distributed into two groups, the experimental group which is (21) students and the control group also(21) students. The test consisted of (30) articles distributed into five skills (Meditation and Observation, Paralogism revealing , conclusions ,Provide convincing explanations, Proposed Solutions), The truth, stability and the recognition abilities of the test were elicited .Concerning the program, (9) lessons were prepared and the statistical means were used to process the data statistically (the T-test of two independent samples, and Chi Square and Pearson's correlation operator). The results show that experimental group was better than the control group in thinking in general and the five reflective thinking skills . In the light of the results, some recommendations and suggestion for further studies were represented.