Showing papers in "International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education in 2006"
TL;DR: The authors compared how selected mathematics textbooks from Mainland China and the United States at the lower secondary grade level represent various types of problems for classroom teaching and learning, and explored the possible influences of those textbooks on students' different performances in mathematics, as revealed in cross-national comparisons.
Abstract: This study compared how selected mathematics textbooks from Mainland China and the United States at the lower secondary grade level represent various types of problems for classroom teaching and learning. The examination of problems was carried out based on the classifications of problem types established in the study, including routine problems versus non-routine problems, open-ended problems versus close-ended problems, traditional problems versus non-traditional problems, and application problems versus non-application problems, among others. Both the similarities and differences in the representation of problems in the selected textbooks were analyzed. The results were used to explore the possible influences of those textbooks on students’ different performances in mathematics, as revealed in cross-national comparisons. Discussions about how to improve the representation of problems in mathematics textbooks were provided at the end of the study.
98 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report on research that examines changes in chemistry students' chemistry self-efficacy throughout their first year of chemistry study at a New Zealand University, using the selfefficacy component of the Chemistry Attitudes and Experiences Questionnaire (CAEQ).
Abstract: First-year chemistry classes typically comprise of a mixture of majors and non-majors. Reports in the literature suggest that students have lower self-efficacy for subjects outside their intending major. Here we report on research that examines changes in chemistry students' chemistry self-efficacy throughout their first year of chemistry study at a New Zealand University. Chemistry self-efficacy was measured at three times throughout the year using the self-efficacy component of the Chemistry Attitudes and Experiences Questionnaire (CAEQ). Quantitative data were triangulated with qualitative data obtained from interviews of a cohort of 19 students. The research findings provide insights into the chemistry learning tasks that students feel high and low levels of confidence in.
80 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the Turkish students' understanding level of electric circuits consisting of two bulbs and one battery was investigated by using open-ended questions, and the results showed that Turkish students have many misconceptions about electric circuits.
Abstract: In this study, the Turkish students' understanding level of electric circuits consisting of two bulbs and one battery was investigated by using open-ended questions Two-hundred fifty students, whose ages range from 11 to 22, were chosen from five different groups at primary, secondary and university levels in Trabzon in Turkey In analyzing students' drawings and explanations, both qualitative and quantitative methodologies were exploited The unipolar model (Model A), the clashing currents model (Model B), the current consumed model (Model C) and the scientist model with current conserved (Model D) determined from the related literature were used to categorize the students' answers The results showed that the Turkish students have many misconceptions about electric circuits Also, it is found out that especially Model A was widespread accepted among the students in group 1 (5th grade) and half of the students in group 3 (9th grade) has an understanding of electric circuits as it is in Model C
68 citations
TL;DR: In this article, teacher actions that facilitate successful lessons are defined as those that engage all students, especially those who may sometimes feel alienated from mathematics and schooling, in productive and successful mathematical thinking and learning.
Abstract: The basic unit of school based mathematics teaching is the lesson. This article is a contribution to understanding teacher actions that facilitate successful lessons, defined as those that engage all students, especially those who may sometimes feel alienated from mathematics and schooling, in productive and successful mathematical thinking and learning. An underlying assumption is that lessons can seek to build a sense in the students that their experience has elements in common with the rest of the class and that this can be done through attention to particular aspects of the mathematical and socio-mathematical goals. We examine three teacher actions that address the mathematical goals: using open-ended tasks, preparing prompts to support students experiencing difficulty, and posing extension tasks to students who finish the set tasks quickly; as well as actions that address the socio-mathematical goals by making classroom processes explicit. To illustrate and elaborate these actions, we describe a particular lesson taught to a heterogeneous upper primary (age 11–12) class.
61 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a formative assessment pretest was administered to undergraduate students at the beginning of a science course in order to find out their prior knowledge, misconceptions and learning difficulties on the topic of the human respiratory system and energy issues.
Abstract: A formative assessment pretest was administered to undergraduate students at the beginning of a science course in order to find out their prior knowledge, misconceptions and learning difficulties on the topic of the human respiratory system and energy issues Those findings could provide their instructors with the valuable information required in order to adapt their teaching methods to the students’ needs The test included open-ended questions and was administered on the first day of the course The data obtained were analysed in relation to the students’ gender, age and having attended or not attended advanced courses in biology at the high-school level Students could have prior knowledge on a topic to be learned, which, if identified and accounted for in the teaching, could serve as a receptor for a constructivist mode of study The results indicated that undergraduate students hold misconceptions which could obstruct the acquisition of new knowledge They encounter learning difficulties, which, if are known to the instructors and addressed in their teaching, could facilitate students’ learning The possible use of a formative pre-assessment procedure, which could guide the instruction and learning process from the beginning of a course, is discussed
52 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined U.S. and Chinese teachers' constructing, knowing, and evaluating representations to teach the concept of ratio and found that Chinese teachers are much more likely than US teachers to predict drawing and guess-and-check strategies.
Abstract: This study examines U.S. and Chinese teachers' constructing, knowing, and evaluating representations to teach the concept of ratio. All Chinese lesson plans are very similar with details in teaching contents and procedure. The U.S lesson plans are extremely varied although they all adopted the ‘outline and worksheet’ format. Both the Chinese and the U.S. teachers relied on concrete representations in introducing the concept of ratio, but they have very different thinking in selecting and presenting the concrete representations, as well as in the functions of the representations. The U.S. teachers are much more likely than Chinese teachers to predict drawing and guess-and-check strategies. Chinese teachers are much more likely than U.S. teachers to predict algebraic approaches. For the responses using conventional strategies, both the U.S. and Chinese teachers gave them high and almost identical scores. If a response involved a drawing or an estimate of an answer, the Chinese teachers usually gave a relatively lower score than U.S. teachers. This study contributes to our understanding about U.S. and Chinese teachers' beliefs about mathematics teaching and learning.
49 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the use of concept mapping in introductory biology tutorial classes was investigated and it was found that the students found the concept mapping enjoyable and that it can enhance meaningful learning for topics that require students to link concepts.
Abstract: Introductory tertiary level science classes (i.e., at the university or post-compulsory school level) including those for biology face increasing diversity in intake. Previous research has indicated university level teachers assume a certain level of prior knowledge which may or may not be possessed by such students. This report focuses on the use of concept mapping in introductory biology tutorial classes. The research findings suggest that the students found the use of concept mapping enjoyable and that it can enhance meaningful learning for topics that require students to link concepts.
44 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the cognitive processes related to the intuitive rule more A-more B and discuss issues related to overcoming its interference in the context of probability using a computerized Probability Reasoning - Reaction Time Test.
Abstract: One theoretical framework which addresses students’ conceptions and reasoning processes in mathematics and science education is the intuitive rules theory. According to this theory, students’ reasoning is affected by intuitive rules when they solve a wide variety of conceptually non-related mathematical and scientific tasks that share some common external features. In this paper, we explore the cognitive processes related to the intuitive rule more A–more B and discuss issues related to overcoming its interference. We focused on the context of probability using a computerized “Probability Reasoning – Reaction Time Test.” We compared the accuracy and reaction times of responses that are in line with this intuitive rule to those that are counter-intuitive among high-school students. We also studied the effect of the level of mathematics instruction on participants’ responses. The results indicate that correct responses in line with the intuitive rule are more accurate and shorter than correct, counter-intuitive ones. Regarding the level of mathematics instruction, the only significant difference was in the percentage of correct responses to the counter-intuitive condition. Students with a high level of mathematics instruction had significantly more correct responses. These findings could contribute to designing innovative ways of assisting students in overcoming the interference of the intuitive rules.
43 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the importance of types and qualities of knowledge in relation to problem solving in physics was investigated based on empirical findings and theoretical considerations related to the field of expertise research, and it was found that conceptual declarative knowledge and problem scheme knowledge are excellent predictors of problem solving performance.
Abstract: Based on empirical findings and theoretical considerations related to the field of expertise research, the importance of “types” and “qualities” of knowledge in relation to problem solving in physics was investigated. The students (N =138) in this study had a level of competence that corresponds to an intensive beginner college course in physics. It was found that conceptual declarative knowledge and problem scheme knowledge are excellent predictors of problem solving performance. However, a detailed analysis shows that the first knowledge type is more typical for low achievers (novices) in physics problem solving whereas the second type is predominately used by high achievers (experts). Regarding types and qualities of knowledge and their relations to problem solving, the results of a multidimensional scaling analysis (MDS) indicate that two dimensions of knowledge can be distinguished. On the extreme limits of the first dimension, which could be named “problem solving relevance vs. structure of discipline”, are the types of knowledge and the qualities of knowledge, respectively. The second dimension of knowledge could be named “single knowledge elements vs. organised knowledge units”. There are types of knowledge as well as qualities of knowledge distributed along this dimension. Consequences of these results for improving physics education are discussed.
42 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the use of writing-to-learn strategies within a high-school chemistry classroom and found that the treatment students performed statistically significantly better on a conceptual question compared to the control group.
Abstract: This study researched the use of writing-to-learn strategies within a high-school (Year 11) chemistry classroom. The writing task itself asked the students to write a business letter to a younger audience of middle-school (Year 7) students. A mixed-method design was used for the study, incorporating pre/post- testing with semi-structured interviews. The evidence supports that the treatment students performed statistically significantly better on a conceptual question compared to the control group. Additionally, the treatment students felt that writing to a younger audience prompted them to use different language than they would have if, for example, writing to their teacher. Further, the treatment students described that the writing task promoted their understanding of and their confidence in their knowledge of the stoichiometry concepts addressed in class.
38 citations
TL;DR: The Longitudinal Proof Project as mentioned in this paper investigated patterns in high-attaining students' mathematical reasoning in algebra and in geometry and development in their reasoning, by analyses of students' responses to three annual proof tests.
Abstract: We report some findings of the Longitudinal Proof Project, which investigated patterns in high-attaining students' mathematical reasoning in algebra and in geometry and development in their reasoning, by analyses of students' responses to three annual proof tests. The paper focuses on students' responses to one non-standard geometry item. It reports how the distribution of responses to this item changed over time with some moderate progress that suggests a cognitive shift from perceptual to geometrical reasoning. However, we also note that many students made little or no progress and some regressed. Extracts from student interviews indicate that the source of this variation from the overall trend stems from the shift over the three years of the study to a more formal approach in the school geometry curriculum for high-attaining students, and the effects of this shift on what students interpreted as the didactical demands of the item.
TL;DR: This paper conducted a cross-cultural study on the intuitive rules theory with aboriginal children in Taiwan and in Israel, and found that Taiwanese and Australian Aboriginal students, much like Israeli ones, provided incorrect responses.
Abstract: This paper presents a cross-cultural study on the intuitive rules theory. The study was conducted in Australia (with aboriginal children) in Taiwan and in Israel. Our findings indicate that Taiwanese and Australian Aboriginal students, much like Israeli ones, provided incorrect responses, most of which were in line with the intuitive rules. Also, developmental trends were found to be similar yet differences were found with regard to the rate of developmental change.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate the implications of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) for science education and argue that an education in science ought to enable learners to understand how the natural world works, understand how human systems are interacting with natural systems, assess the status and trends of crucial natural systems and promote and follow a long-term, sustainable relationship with the environment.
Abstract: When the United Nations General Assembly authorized holding the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, it was hardly a secret – or even a point in dispute – that progress in implementing sustainable development had been disappointing since the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. With poverty deepening and environmental degradation worsening, what was necessary, the General Assembly said, was not a new philosophical or political debate, but rather a summit of actions and results (United Nations, 2002). We can question the WSSD accomplishments and whether the subsequent actions and results will contribute in meaningful ways to sustainable development. However, I think it is more important for science educators to ask: What are the implications of WSSD for science education? Why is science education not more intrinsically linked to the goals of human rights, democracy, and social justice? What are the ways in which science education ought to be connected to issues of sustainable development? In essence, where are the footpaths to/from science education? I investigate such questions in this position paper, while arguing that an education in science ought to enable learners to: (a) understand how the natural world works, (b) understand how human systems are interacting with natural systems, (c) assess the status and trends of crucial natural systems, and (d) promote and follow a long-term, sustainable relationship with the natural world. These are the very ways in which an education in science (i.e., science education) ought to be connected to issues of sustainable development.
TL;DR: The authors explored the ways in which students made sense of information in graphical representations (tables and bar graphs) obtained from individual interviews and found that many of the students used strategies based on prior experiences and intuitive strategies.
Abstract: Concerns about students’ difficulties in statistical reasoning led to a study which explored form five (14- to 16-year-olds) students’ ideas in this area. The study focussed on descriptive statistics, graphical representations, and probability. This paper presents and discusses the ways in which students made sense of information in graphical representations (tables and bar graph) obtained from the individual interviews. The findings revealed that many of the students used strategies based on prior experiences (everyday and school) and intuitive strategies. From the analysis, I identified a four-category rubric for classifying students’ responses. While the results of the study confirm a number of findings of other researchers, the findings go beyond those discussed in the literature. While students could read and compare data presented in a bar graph, they were less competent at reading tables. This could be due to instructional neglect of these concepts or linguistic and contextual problems. The paper concludes by suggesting some implications for researchers.
TL;DR: In this article, the effectiveness of small group discussion on students' conceptual understanding of chemical equilibrium concepts was measured using the Misconception Identification Test, which consisted of 30 items and administered as pre-posttests to a total of 81 pre-service elementary students in two intact classes of the same university.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of small group discussion on students' conceptual understanding of chemical equilibrium. Students' understanding of chemical equilibrium concepts was measured using the Misconception Identification Test. The test consisted of 30 items and administered as pre-posttests to a total of 81 pre-service elementary students in two intact classes of the same university. One of the classes was randomly assigned as experimental group (n = 40) which was instructed with discussion propositions related to chemical equilibrium concepts in small group and the other class was assigned as control group (n = 41) which was instructed through traditionally designed chemistry instruction. Analysis of covariate (ANCOVA) was used to determine treatment effects on students' conceptual understanding of chemical equilibrium when pre-test result was used a covariate. The analysis of results showed a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups' posttest mean scores in favor of the experimental group after treatment (F(1,78) = 47,77; P < 0.05). The results indicated that while the average percentage of students in the experimental group holding a scientifically correct concept had risen from 35.0% to 59.1%, a gain of 24.1%, the percentage of correct responses of the students in the control group had increased from 32.5% to 43.82%, a gain of 11.32% after treatment. In addition, the percentages of students' correct responses and keyed misconceptions on posttest results were discussed for six areas related to: (1) the mass vs. concentration, (2) rate vs. extent, (3) constancy of the equilibrium constant, (4) misuse of Le Chatelier's principle, (5) constant concentration, and (6) competing equilibria related to chemical equilibrium concepts in experimental and control groups.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors set up an adaptive Internet learning system based on learning theory and related learning models for the students who took the "life chemistry" course for the asynchronous distance education environment at Providence University in Taiwan.
Abstract: The World Wide Web is increasingly being used as a vehicle for flexible learning, where learning is seen to be free from time, geographical, and participation constraints. In addition to flexibility, the Web facilitates student-centered approaches, creating a motivating and active learning environment. The purpose of this study is to set up an adaptive learning environment on Internet and to experiment with the most suitable methods and applications. Our goal is to provide a better solution with regard to the related distance learning research. All the resources and background are from current relevant documents on the theory of asynchronous distance education. We set up an adaptive Internet learning system based on learning theory and related learning models. Our research targets are those students who took the ‘life chemistry’ course for the asynchronous distance education environment at Providence University in Taiwan. The students were divided randomly into two groups: the experimental group, which was in an adaptive learning environment, and the controlled group, which was in a non-adaptive one. We used the American Chemistry Society test bank as our research tool and used SPSS to analyse the data we obtained. Results show that the experimental group in the adaptive learning environment out-performs the controlled group. In addition, those students who are field independent learning types, have higher pre-knowledge, are male, in science departments and have a longer study time span in an adaptive learning environment show much greater achievement levels than those in the opposite situations.
TL;DR: In this article, a range of initiatives designed to integrate ICT in a compulsory science education unit for students enrolled in a Graduate Diploma in Secondary Education were outlined, and an action research model based on constructivist principles was used to evaluate the effectiveness of modelling, open-ended co-operative group activities and authentic assessment in enabling students to enhance their ICT skills, knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge in a science education context.
Abstract: There is an expectation that new science teachers will be able to effectively use a range of information communication technology (ICT) related resources inthe science classroom in order to enhance student learning. All school systems in Australia are in the process of providing teachers with ICT professional development and infrastructure. This paper outlines a range of initiatives designed to integrate ICT in a compulsory science education unit for students enrolled in a Graduate Diploma in Secondary Education. An action research model based on constructivist principles was used to evaluate the effectiveness of modelling, open-ended co-operative group activities and authentic assessment in enabling students to enhance their ICT skills, knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge in a science education context. Multiple sources of data were generated including a pre and post unit questionnaire that was analysed using Rasch modelling. The questionnaire determined students' perceptions of their preparedness to teach using ICT. The findings of this research suggest that some skills warranted greater attention in the unit, but students' pedagogical knowledge and knowledge and critique of ICT resources were enhanced over the duration of the unit.
TL;DR: The authors discusses the problem of social exclusion, reported to be intrinsically connected to mathematical teaching from the perspective of Hegel's philosophy and Lacan's psychoanalysis, and provides a characterization of mathematics from a language viewpoint.
Abstract: This paper discusses the problem of social exclusion, reported to be intrinsically connected to mathematical teaching from the perspective of Hegel's philosophy and Lacan's psychoanalysis. It provides a characterization of mathematics from a language viewpoint discusses the perennial demand for more mathematical achieving from the perspective of hysterics and obsessive symptoms and shows how desire is linked with the choice of values in assessment.
TL;DR: The authors investigated teachers' and students' preferences for mathematically-based (MB) and practically-based explanations and the relationship between those preferences and sociomathematical norms and found that elementary school students are capable of understanding MB explanations and some might even prefer them.
Abstract: This paper is an initial investigation of teachers’ and students’ preferences for mathematically-based (MB) and practically-based (PB) explanations and the relationship between those preferences and sociomathematical norms. The study focuses on one fifth grade teacher and two of her students and discusses three issues. The first issue concerns students’ abilities to understand and accept MB explanations. The second issue concerns the choices teachers make regarding the types of explanations they introduce to their classes and the basis for these choices. The third issue concerns the place of the individuals’ preferences within the sociomathematical norms of the class. The findings indicate that elementary school students are capable of understanding MB explanations and some might even prefer them. We also found that although a teacher might personally prefer MB explanations, this preference may be set aside for didactical considerations. Finally, we discuss the complex relationship between individual preferences for MB and PB explanations and sociomathematical norms.
TL;DR: In this paper, the learning difficulties for new entrant chemistry students from a multi-national, regional, tertiary education institution in the South Pacific were investigated using a purpose-designed diagnostic instrument.
Abstract: The learning difficulties for new entrant chemistry students from a multi-national, regional, tertiary education institution in the South Pacific were investigated using a purpose-designed diagnostic instrument. The instrument contained 25 items distributed across three themes: scientific reasoning, numeracy and scientific language literacy. The research findings suggest that the main learning difficulty facing these students is in numeracy with students able to interpret numerical data presented in graphical form and to complete rudimentary numerical calculations, but unable to use numerical data or perform calculations involving ratios. Targeted remedial tutoring, based on the results of this diagnostic test instrument, rather than content-driven extra tutorials, are suggested for remediation of learning difficulties.
TL;DR: In this article, a published instrument standardized with a population from the United Kingdom that purports to identify students' preferred motivation orientations as social, consciousness, effort, or curiosity was applied to two instructional contexts (traditional school program and field centre program) in primary schools in Slovakia.
Abstract: Pupils' motivation and interest are identified as important influences on learning. Motivational orientation is a construct that links motivation and epistemology. This study attempted to explore motivational orientation as it relates to science education and two different instructional approaches. A published instrument standardized with a population from the United Kingdom that purports to identify students' preferred motivation orientations as social, consciousness, effort, or curiosity was applied to two instructional contexts (traditional school program and field centre program) in primary schools in Slovakia. Results indicated that a very high percentage of the pupils could not be classified into one of the four categories, that the traditional classroom sample differed significantly from the United Kingdom population, and that the preferred motivational orientations expressed by the pupils in the field centre sample did not differ significantly from those expressed by the pupils in the traditional classroom sample.
TL;DR: In this paper, the effects of an Ancient Chinese Mathematics Enrichment Programme (ACMEP) on the academic achievement of second year students from a secondary school in Singapore was examined.
Abstract: Ancient Chinese mathematics has been the focus of many research studies and scholarly works from a historical perspective. However, no move has been made to investigate its role in the teaching and learning of mathematics. This pilot study examined the effects of an Ancient Chinese Mathematics Enrichment Programme (ACMEP) on the academic achievement of second year students from a secondary school in Singapore—a strand of a principal study which had the intent of investigating possible roles of ancient Chinese mathematics in the Singapore secondary school mathematics curriculum. Analysis of covariance was used to examine the difference in mean scores on a variety of formal assessments in mathematics between students who participated in the ACMEP and those who did not. In addition, scores on formal assessments of other relevant subjects were analyzed to further investigate ACMEP’s scope of influence.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the extent to which different teaching situations lead to different stress levels and identified the easiest and most difficult conditions to be regarded as stressful conditions by science teachers.
Abstract: The complexity of science teaching requires science teachers to encounter a range of tasks. Some tasks are perceived as stressful while others are not. This study aims to investigate the extent to which different teaching situations lead to different stress levels. It also aims to identify the easiest and most difficult conditions to be regarded as stressful conditions by science teachers. An occupational stress inventory of 25 items developed by Okebukola (1988) validation of the occupational stress inventory for science teachers. Science Teacher, was used to measure the science teachers’ stress level in science teaching. A four point Likert scale ranging from 1 – ‘no stress at all’ to 4 – ‘extreme stress’ was used. Fifty-eight Malaysian secondary science teachers participated in the survey in which six volunteered to participate in the interview study. The data was then analyzed using the Rasch model to measure the level of stress caused by different kinds of stressful conditions. Even though ‘overloaded science syllabus’ was identified to be the basis of multiple stressful conditions, it was, however, difficult for the respondents to regard it as a stressful condition. On the other hand, the respondents found that ‘having to teach difficult science topics’ is easiest to be regarded as a stressful condition. It was shown that even though ‘overloaded science syllabus’ is the starting point for stress caused by multiple conditions, due to the availability of coping strategies which can be employed by the respondents, the stressor is minor in causing stress among teachers. On the other hand, when teachers lack the availability of coping strategies dealing with teaching difficult science topics, they easily feel stressful. One of the main recommendations to overcome stressful conditions is to provide the science teachers ‘topic specific pedagogy’ during in-service training.
TL;DR: In this paper, a school-based assessment team consisting of the researcher and four third-grade teachers teaching in the same school was set up as a learning context of supporting teachers in developing assessment tasks integral to instruction.
Abstract: The study was designed to support teachers on conceptualizing their understanding of students' learning by the use of assessment tasks. A school-based assessment team consisting of the researcher and four third-grade teachers teaching in the same school was set up as a learning context of supporting teachers in developing assessment tasks integral to instruction. The assessment tasks along with students' responses to the task, classroom observations, interviews, routine weekly meetings, teachers' weekly reflective journals, and students' responses to the assessment tasks were the data collected in the study. The teachers' views of using assessment tasks and the generation of assessment tasks were developed in the course of the study. In the process of generating assessment tasks, teachers improved their awareness of students' various solutions and learning difficulties to a specific problem, their awareness of the importance of developing students' critical thinking, and their awareness of where students need to make a remedial instruction.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated elementary school pupils' ideas concerning the concept of electricity and the effect of school instruction on the pupil's views and found that the instruction changed the mental models and images of electric and electric current.
Abstract: The study investigated elementary school pupils' ideas concerning the concept of electricity and the effect of school instruction on the pupil's views. Pupils of different cultural backgrounds were assessed to ascertain their knowledge in four areas: Relation of certain natural phenomena to electricity; Mental models (images) of direct current in a circuit; Images possessed regarding electricity and electric current. Pupils' ideas were investigated before and after instruction, thus providing information about the effect of instruction on the views of pupils. In construct to the previous findings, certain phenomena (lightning and thunder among them) were related by the pupils to electricity even before those were taught. Evidently, the instruction changed the mental models and images of electricity and electric current.
TL;DR: In this paper, a study carried out with the participation of 13 mathematics teachers with a range of teaching experiences and from different schools in Bogota, showed that teachers emphasised the purpose of training pupils in the manipulation of symbolic expressions, as the prerequisite knowledge for the next school mathematics level and ultimately for the External Examination.
Abstract: Since 1994 when the General Law of Education was issued, educational authorities have been claiming that Colombia has embarked on an educational revolution [‘La revolucion educativa’ (n.d.). From the Colombian Ministry of Education website: http://www.mineducacion.gov.co. Retrieved 23 Nov 2004] where schools have curricular autonomy, and are to improve the quality of education by attending to the needs of the communities they serve. Teachers are urged to engage in a continuous process of constructing the curriculum which is to be anchored in the fundamental aim of educating critical citizens. The findings of this study carried out with the participation of 13 mathematics teachers with a range of teaching experiences and from different schools in Bogota, show a totally different picture. Instead, for the teaching of school algebra, teachers emphasised the purpose of training pupils in the manipulation of symbolic expressions, as the prerequisite knowledge for the next school mathematics level and ultimately for the External Examination. I offer explanations for the identified gap and argue for the crucial need to create conditions for change at the education systemic level and for the actual empowerment of teachers.
TL;DR: This article explored students' use of language in the process of making sense of genetics concepts and examined the relationship between social practices and discourses, and concluded that science instruction needs to build a learning community where students' discourses will be recognized and border crossings between discourses facilitated in learning science.
Abstract: The study explores students' use of language in the process of making sense of genetics concepts. It aims to analyze primary and secondary discourses, and examine the relationship between social practices and discourses. Sixth-grade students were interviewed before and during four weeks instruction on genetics. General trends were detected regarding border crossing between discourse communities and the difficulties and ease of moving among informal experience, social practices, primary discourse of family, friends and community, and secondary discourse of science and school instruction. Two comprehensive case summaries – Debbie and Sam – are presented in the paper. Debbie took what she experienced in her social life as criteria to discuss how people resembled one another. However, the language practiced in the classroom was different from Debbie's familiar language. Debbie thus experienced a conflict between primary and secondary discourses. Sam's school education and home environment provided an aligned social context with rich scientific ties that nurtured his use of secondary discourse practices in thinking and learning science. We recommend that science instruction needs to build a learning community where students' discourses will be recognized and border crossings between discourses facilitated in the process of learning science.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigate the processes of the development of concepts, videoing a total of 45 students from grades 8 and 11 was carried out while they were working on physics tasks in small groups.
Abstract: Research on conceptual change is still a powerful framework for empirical investigations on students' learning of science. During recent years, an increasing body of research has explored students' concepts prior and subsequent to instruction, leading to an extensive documentation of students' concepts including the difficulties and opportunities of teaching for conceptual change. Though the research on conceptual change can inform practitioners about students' ideas of science and students' learning difficulties, little is known about the processes of conceptual development and students' use of developed concepts. Exploring the nature of the processes may help to understand what kind of concepts appear plausible and fruitful to students and how students apply their knowledge to scientific tasks. In order to investigate processes of the development of concepts, videoing a total of 45 students from grades 8 and 11 was carried out while they were working on physics tasks in small groups. The dimensions of content, level of abstraction, and time were used to describe the quality of students' situated knowledge as well as usage and changes of the knowledge when students were confronted with similar tasks. Assuming the notion “concept” refers to rule-based knowledge, the dimension of abstraction was used to distinguish between concrete (non-conceptual) and rule-based (conceptual) knowledge. Results on the processes indicate that most of the high school students' activities did not refer to conceptual knowledge. Moreover, explanations based on physics concepts which were offered to the students were rarely used. Furthermore, if students came up with conceptual descriptions of occurring phenomena, these descriptions showed a high variability in their content.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the tacit-explicit dimension of the learning of mathematics and found that the lack of correspondence between the students' utterances and their original understandings is directly related to the manner in which the tacit co-operates with the explicit in the process of articulation.
Abstract: This paper reports on study that investigated the tacit-explicit dimension of the learning of mathematics. The study was carried out in a secondary school and consisted of an episode analysis related to a class discussion about the difference between plane figures and spatial figures. The data analysis was based on integration between some aspects of Polanyi’s theory on tacit knowledge and Ernest’s model of mathematical knowledge, with reference to its mainly explicit and mainly tacit components. This integration has involved not only the types of knowledge – mainly explicit or mainly tacit – the students used in a psychological way to perform a mathematical task involving conversation, but also and particularly how much the projection of those types of knowledge on the task were manifest tacitly or formalized by the students. Among the results of the research, a strong finding was that the lack of correspondence between the students’ utterances and their original understandings is directly related to the manner in which the tacit co-operates with the explicit in the process of articulation.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe the use of CAI in the learning of science in India and describe the issues germane to the Indian context and provide guidelines for the use in science instruction in countries for which ICT facilities in schools are somewhat compromised.
Abstract: Research suggests that information and communication technologies (ICT) used in the form of computer assisted instruction (CAI) may benefit student learning. There is, however, limited research about the application of CAI in non-Western educational contexts. Here I describe the use of CAI in the learning of science in India. Evaluation of student learning by quantitative and qualitative means suggests that CAI has led to enhanced learning for a variety of science topics in this educational setting. I also reflect on issues germane to the Indian context and provide guidelines for the use of CAI in science instruction in countries for which ICT facilities in schools are somewhat compromised.