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Open research questions in Psychological and Educational Research Studies

50 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 731 Psychological and Educational Research Studies papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • Low student engagement. The dominance of conventional teacher-centered instruction. Limited opportunities for students to develop higher order thinking skills.

    Meaningful Ethnoscience Integrated Problem-Based Learning for Analytical Thinking and Curiosity · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of practical clarity and guidance for educators on how to promote active learning. The difficulty in integrating insights from cognitive psychology and neurobiology within educational frameworks.

    Interdisciplinary perspective on the role of active learning in enhancing memory · 2026 · DOI

  • Developing a theoretical and computational foundation for AI-driven educational systems that dynamically sustain curiosity and engagement. Creating learning environments that foster curiosity and promote lifelong learning. Adapting to individual learners' needs and abilities in real-time.

    AI-Based Temporal-Causal Modeling of Educational Curiosity through Novelty and Uncertainty Dynamics · 2026 · DOI

  • The model's behavior depends on specific parameter choices, although sensitivity analysis shows that the qualitative behavior of the system remains stable. The simulation horizon of 800 discrete time steps does not correspond to a fixed real-world temporal unit. Empirical calibration would be required to map simulation steps onto concrete instructional time units.

    AI-Based Temporal-Causal Modeling of Educational Curiosity through Novelty and Uncertainty Dynamics · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should explore the challenges and rewards of fieldwork in more depth. Future research should investigate the role of self-awareness and self-reflection in fieldwork.

    Self-deception and self-discovery in fieldwork · 1983 · DOI

  • There is a need for more research on the personal challenges and emotional demands of fieldwork. There is a lack of literature on the importance of self-awareness and self-reflection in fieldwork.

    Self-deception and self-discovery in fieldwork · 1983 · DOI

  • The paper identifies the challenge of understanding the impact of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. The author notes that there is a need for a more nuanced understanding of this relationship. The paper also identifies the challenge of developing effective motivational strategies that take into account the complexities of human motivation.

    Notes on the theory and metatheory of intrinsic motivation · 1976 · DOI

  • The lack of understanding of how socioeconomic background, mathematics anxiety, curiosity, and perceived lesson quality interact at the student and school level. The need for a two-level model to examine these relationships.

    The formula for success in mathematics: Higher socioeconomic background, lower anxiety, and higher curiosity at the student and school level · 2026 · DOI

  • The challenge of designing human-centred AI systems that support intellectual development. The challenge of measuring virtue development over time in AI-mediated contexts. The challenge of balancing the need for efficient information seeking with the need for productive friction.

    The case for friction in AI-mediated information seeking and learning · 2026 · DOI

  • Empirical validation of the proposed relationships is needed. Future research should investigate how friction tolerance varies across novice and expert users and how virtue development can be measured over time in AI-mediated contexts.

    The case for friction in AI-mediated information seeking and learning · 2026 · DOI

  • The need for an educational innovation to enhance teachers' potential to develop students' curiosity skills. The lack of effective programs to develop curiosity skills in students.

    Development of Teachers’ Potential to Enhance Students’ Curiosity Skills · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of laboratory resources in schools hinders the implementation of effective science learning. Prior studies have not developed a PBL e-Atlas integrated with local wisdom to enhance students' curiosity in biodiversity material.

    Enhancing Students' Curiosity using e-Atlas PBL Integrated with Yogyakarta's Local Wisdom on Biodiversity Topic · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies a gap in the literature regarding the effectiveness of PBL integrated with meaningful learning and ethnoscience. The study addresses the limitations of conventional instruction in science learning.

    Meaningful Ethnoscience Integrated Problem-Based Learning for Analytical Thinking and Curiosity · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research could employ longitudinal and structural models to examine causal mechanisms. Investigating curiosity dimensions separately may provide more nuanced insights for both theory and educational practice.

    Predicting Epistemic Curiosity in Early Childhood: Roles of Family, Child Characteristics, and Temperament · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of understanding of the relationships between family characteristics, child temperament, and epistemic curiosity. The need for research on the predictors of epistemic curiosity in early childhood.

    Predicting Epistemic Curiosity in Early Childhood: Roles of Family, Child Characteristics, and Temperament · 2026 · DOI

  • Relatively little focus has been placed on the learning experiences associated with mathematical modelling. The study aims to explore the relationships between students' motivational constructs and emotional responses during the mathematical modelling process.

    Motivation and epistemic emotions in mathematical modelling · 2026 · DOI

  • The concept of active learning remains broadly defined, making it difficult for teachers to implement effectively. There is a lack of practical clarity and guidance for educators on how to promote active learning.

    Interdisciplinary perspective on the role of active learning in enhancing memory · 2026 · DOI

  • Concerning academic performance six thematic research lines are identified, highlighting a notable gap: curiosity is rarely studied in early childhood despite its foundational influence and only cognitive or epistemic curiosity is in the research focus, while emotional and passive dimensions remain underexplored.

    The Heterogeneity of Curiosity: Implications for Education, Academic Performance, and Lifelong Learning – A Scoping Review · 2026 · DOI

  • To address this gap in the literature, we sought to determine the psychometric properties of the Curiosity and Exploration Inventory- II (CEI-II), a measure for trait curiosity, to provide evidence of validity for its use in research among populations in sub-Saharan Africa.

    Psychometric properties of the Curiosity and Exploration Inventory-II among Kenyan adolescents · 2023 · DOI

  • The authors note that translating the core job dimensions from the individual to the group level would be an entirely straightforward process. The authors note that the model should be of some use in designing tasks that are motivating to group members. The authors suggest that future research should focus on designing group tasks that prompt task-effective rather than dysfunctional patterns of interaction among members.

    Motivation through the design of work: test of a theory · 1976 · DOI

  • Little is known about the reasons why enriched work sometimes leads to positive outcomes for workers and for their employing organizations. Existing theories of work redesign are not fully adequate to meet the problems encountered in their application.

    Motivation through the design of work: test of a theory · 1976 · DOI

  • Research is required examining the relationship between volunteering and actual return behavior for tasks which are not highly intrinsically motivating. Future research should take into account the potent concomitant effects of feedback from the task upon perceived feelings of competence and intrinsic motivation.

    Effects of performance feedback and extrinsic reward upon high intrinsic motivation · 1976 · DOI

  • Little is known regarding the nature or strength of intrinsic motivation which must exist in order for extrinsic rewards to cause a reduction in intrinsic motivation. The validity of dependent measures of intrinsic motivation is uncertain.

    Effects of performance feedback and extrinsic reward upon high intrinsic motivation · 1976 · DOI

  • The paper suggests that future research should examine the effects of complex contingencies on behavior. The paper implies that future research should consider the potential effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation.

    The effects of extrinsic rewards on “intrinsic motivation” · 1976 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. The paper notes that the meaning of intrinsic motivation remains obscure.

    The effects of extrinsic rewards on “intrinsic motivation” · 1976 · DOI

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50 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 731 Psychological and Educational Research Studies papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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