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Eric.ed.gov – Acceleration and Compression in Developmental Mathematics: Faculty Viewpoints

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Community colleges are facing increased pressure to accelerate students through their developmental mathematics sequence. However, many individuals feel that some state legislatures and college leaders are frequently bypassing developmental math faculty expertise when implementing acceleration and compression initiatives. This qualitative study focuses on faculty viewpoints with regard to acceleration and compression in developmental math. Guiding this study was the research question: Based on faculty experience, what is the best fit for the practices of acceleration and compression in developmental mathematics? Data has been gathered using a structured interview format for six developmental math instructors, two at each of three community colleges. Findings from this study suggested that the practices of acceleration and compression are a proper fit for students who are comfortable with computer software. Incoming skill… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Does Adding Mathematics to English Language Learners’ Timetables Improve Their Acquisition of English?

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This enquiry based project set out to find out if adult English language learners, known as ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) learners in the UK, might benefit, in terms of their acquisition of English, from studying maths. This research has been conducted at a medium sized FE college in the East Midlands where I teach. I evaluate this in two ways, firstly by analysing learners’ results, and secondly by asking experienced ESOL teachers to observe and reflect on an ESOL Maths session. This project found a correlation between attending a maths class and improved English language exam results over 5 cohorts of students. In addition, ESOL teachers noted many and varied opportunities for English language learning in an ESOL Maths class, with higher levels of… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Encouraging Girls in Math and Science. IES Practice Guide. NCER 2007-2003

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This National Center for Education Research (NCER) Practice Guide is the second in a series of IES guides in education. The goal of this practice guide is to formulate specific and coherent evidence-based recommendations that educators can use to encourage girls in the fields of math and science. The target audience is teachers and other school personnel with direct contact with students, such as coaches, counselors, and principals. The practice guide includes specific recommendations for educators and the quality of evidence that supports these recommendations. This practice guide provides five recommendations for encouraging girls in math and science. These recommendations together form a coherent statement: To encourage girls in math and science, we need to begin first with their beliefs about their abilities in these areas, second… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The Impact of Overcoming Fixation and Gender on Divergent Thinking in Solving Maths Problems

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The impact of fixation in solving math problems and that of gender on divergent thinking has been studied in this paper. The study was made in the academic year of 2006-2007, Fall Semester, at Necatibey Faculty of Education, Balikesir University. 229 first and second-year students at the Dept of Primary Math Teaching have been participated in the study. 70% of the prospective mathematics teachers have been found to be fixed in problem solving. There is no meaningful difference between the scores of those with fixation and those without fixation but the scores of those who have fixation in solving problems are slightly higher than the others. The impact of gender has been studied as a factor on divergent thinking but it has not been found to have… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – A Rural Community’s Perceptions of the Importance of Math and Math Education in Appalachia. Summary Report. The Padua Project

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In an effort to discern the perceptions of the importance or value of mathematics education held by ordinary people in Appalachia, a qualitative research study was performed in accordance with an agreement with the ACCLAIM Research Initiative. The study engaged the qualitative research method known as “folknography” and targeted the community of Padua (a pseudonym), in a state in the Appalachian south. The study was conducted in late March, 2004, by undergraduate students previously enrolled in a related course taught by the principal investigator. This report was developed from data analyzed after the completion of the field work. The student researchers collected nearly 650 surveys and conducted nearly 250 interviews with informants in three age groups (youth, adults, seniors). Overall, Padua residents were quick to respond and… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Important, but Not for Me: Parents and Students in Kansas and Missouri Talk about Math, Science and Technology Education

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This study details parents’ and students’ current thinking about math, science and technology (MST) education and their satisfaction with the existing curriculum which most experts see as vastly below world-class standards. The study finds just 25% of Kansas/Missouri parents think their children should be studying more math and science; 70% think things “are fine as they are now.” The report also explains why parents and students are so complacent in this area and what kinds of changes might be helpful in building more interest in and support for more rigorous MST courses. The findings are based on a random survey of 1,472 parents and 1,295 middle and high school students in Kansas and Missouri, probing their attitudes on math, science, and to a lesser extent, technology education.… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Mixed Methods Evaluation of Statewide Implementation of Mathematics Education Technology for K-12 Students

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: An extensive body of research has demonstrated that the use in a K-12 classroom of technology, such as the Internet, computers, and software programs, enhances the learning of mathematics (Cheung & Slavin, 2013; Cohen & Hollebrands, 2011). In particular, growing empirical evidence supports that certain types of technology, such as intelligent tutoring systems and adaptive learning systems, have a positive impact on students’ academic achievement in math and their attitudes toward math (Arroyo, Burleson, Tai, Muldner, & Woolf, 2013; Ma, Adesope, Nesbit, & Liu, 2014; Pane, Griffin, McCaffrey, & Karam, 2013; Steenbergen-Hu & Cooper, 2013). These kinds of learning systems yield positive effects by providing students with personalized instruction tailored to “the pace, order, location, and content of a lesson uniquely for each student” (Enyedy, 2014, p.… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The Three-Factor Model: A Study of Common Features in Students’ Attitudes towards Studying and Learning Science and Mathematics in the Three Countries of the North Calotte Region

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This study investigated common features of students’ attitudes towards studying science and mathematics in comprehensive and secondary schools in three countries. Data were obtained by conducting a survey (N = 581) in Norway, Finland and Russia. A Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) provided a model with a three-factor solution consisting of factors: the perception of the teacher, anxiety towards science and mathematics, and motivation. The results suggest that most students are motivated to study sciences and mathematics. Data analysis indicate gender differences in attitudes to students’ future studies and career plans. Most girls recognized the importance of these subjects for their future studies and careers, while boys showed more interest than girls in local career opportunities in industry. Teachers have a significant role in directing students’ attitudes toward… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Higher Goals in Mathematics Education

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This monograph offers an overview of the current research work carried out in Croatia and the surrounding countries, and specifically an interesting insight in teaching and learning issues in these countries. The authors discuss the need of the general population for becoming good problem-solvers in society of today, which is characterised by rapid technological changes and economic development. They argue that modern teaching methods are therefore needed. From the contributions in this monograph, it appears that awareness of future teachers’ beliefs and knowledge is present in the tertiary education. The studies investigate various aspects of pre-service and in-service teachers’ characteristics, like beliefs, knowledge, digital competencies or using ICT in teaching. But the contributions also portray another picture: mathematics education is becoming accepted as a field of scientific… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Performance and Preparation: Alignment between Student Achievement, Teacher Ratings, and Parent Perceptions in Urban Middle-Grades Mathematics Classrooms

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The middle grades are a critical transition period in students’ mathematics trajectories, as students move from arithmetic to the more complex and abstract concepts of algebra. Teachers’ and parents’ judgments of students’ math abilities in these years are important to instructional planning and decision making for teachers, and can advise parents and students on future course placement. This study specifically examined teacher and parent judgments of students’ performance and preparedness for the next grade level in 5th and 6th grades mathematics. Results demonstrate that teacher and parent perceptions of students’ abilities are not calibrated to national norms, but to local contexts. Our findings are similar to other work suggesting that high poverty school contexts may provide teachers and parents a false comparative context for judging how well… Continue Reading