International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education最新文献

Abstract

The study assessed the relationship between career preparation, beliefs, attitudes, in-service training, and peer communication of primary school mathematics teachers and their knowledge of students’ misconceptions. Seven hundred one Chinese teachers were selected for the test and questionnaire survey. The mathematics teacher test paper had good reliability and content validity. The coefficient omega ( ({varvec{omega}}) ) and the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to test the reliability and validity of the questionnaire items on mathematics teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, in-service training, and peer communication. The structural equation model (SEM) was used to explain the relationship between factors. SEM results showed that career preparation had no significant influence on mathematics teachers’ knowledge of students’ misconceptions. Mathematics teachers’ attitudes towards students’ misconceptions, student-centered beliefs, and peer communication positively influenced their knowledge of students’ misconceptions. Furthermore, peer communication was the mediating variable between mathematics teachers’ attitudes and knowledge of students’ misconceptions, meanwhile between the student-centered beliefs and the knowledge of students’ misconceptions. These results of the study have indicated the direction for education departments and schools to improve teacher education courses and teacher activities in classroom practice.

Previous studies have found positive effects of Game-Based Learning for mathematics. While most studies assume that this effect is explained by the presence of flow/immersion during games, this has not yet been established. The aim of the current study is to verify if immersion indeed is associated with mathematical skills improvement when using a Game-Based Learning intervention. This was tested among 59 Greek high school students, using authentic design. After having received a traditional education module, the students were tested and then engaged for four weeks in a desktop-based 3D Virtual Learning Environment where they could play mathematic minigames. They were subsequently re-tested to verify if they showed a significant increase in mathematical skills. The students showed an improvement in their mathematical skills (Cohen’s d = 1.26), with significant results for functions, geometry, and thinking skills and methods. On the individual level, about half of the students showed a 10% increase in one of the domains (numbers & calculations, functions, geometry, thinking skills and methods, and algorithms and number theory). Immersion was found to be reflected by engagement and presence, but neither one of these aspects was associated with mathematical achievement after the intervention. It is concluded that Game-Based Learning is an effective approach to increasing mathematical skills, yet the underlying mechanisms are not yet understood. The authors discuss several alternative mechanisms based on the literature that can be verified in future studies.

Internationally, there are concerns that more needs to be done to address the inequalities in participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects at the degree level. In response, research focused on better understanding what influences young people’s STEM participation has focused on a range of factors. This paper contributes to the existing research with an analysis of how “science capital” and “STEM identity” relate to STEM participation. We draw on data from 3310 young people aged 21–22 who had undertaken an undergraduate degree, 523 of whom studied a STEM subject. We found that science capital and STEM identity were statistically significantly related to studying a STEM degree (with science capital being weakly and STEM identity strongly associated with STEM study at university). Adopting a Bourdieusian lens, we discuss what our findings mean for higher education and what more could be done to support students, especially those who are currently under-represented in STEM, such as through better recognising and developing their science capital and supporting their sense of belonging in STEM.

The most famous equation in physics, E = mc², is rarely introduced in middle school physics curricula. Recent research has shown that teaching Einsteinian concepts at the middle school level is feasible and beneficial. This paper analyses an Einsteinian energy teaching module for Year 8 students (13-14 years old), which encompasses the two fundamental energy formulas in modern physics, E = mc² and E = hf. In the context of activity-based learning, the Einsteinian energy module relates to all the forms of energy in traditional school curricula. This study uses a design-based research approach within the Model of Educational Reconstruction framework. Modern experiments, historical events, and educational research helped us identify relevant Einsteinian energy concepts, activities, and assessments. The study included 22 students who participated in nine in-class Einsteinian energy lessons. Analysing results in the post-test showed a 31% mean increase from the pre-test, a clear and significant positive change in students' conceptual understanding. The results demonstrated students' ability to deal with very large and small constants of proportionality and physical concepts involved in the module.

Adaptive science dispositions (epistemology, enjoyment, interest, and self-efficacy) have been shown to be related to schools’ science climate and science literacy. School stratification may promote positive linkages among science dispositions, science literacy, and science climate. To examine the association between school stratification and such linkages, we undertook a comparative study of early secondary schools in Ireland (less stratified—modest tracking, modest grade retention) and Flanders (Dutch-speaking Belgian region; more stratified—multiple tracks, extensive grade retention). Using Program for International Student Assessment (PISA 2015) data and multilevel modeling methods, we included 5419 (Ireland) and 5675 (Flanders) students nested within 157 and 171 schools, respectively. Student- and school-level variables with potential associations with our outcome measures (science dispositions for the first research question (RQ1); science literacy for RQ2) were included in baseline models. Subsequent models estimated “over-and-above” associations of science climate with science dispositions (RQ1) and of both science dispositions and climate with science literacy (RQ2). Science dispositions, as outcomes, were associated with disciplinary climate and teaching support in science classroom, particularly in Ireland. All four science dispositions (as independent variables) were associated with science literacy (both separately and in concert) for both Irish and Flemish cases. Epistemology was most strongly associated with science literacy. A less stratified school system may grant teachers more opportunities to craft positive science learning environments. A more stratified school system may amplify existing divergences in science (dispositions and literacy).

Identifying the knowledge resources teachers productively and unproductively draw upon can provide a means by which to create support structures to develop a more robust understanding of the content. To provide more informed grade-level support structures in teacher education programs, this study examined the knowledge resources 20 secondary pre-service teachers (PSTs) and 13 elementary PSTs drew upon when solving a comparison proportional reasoning problem. Data from written work and videos of PSTs’ explanations were analyzed using the robust understanding of proportional reasoning for teaching framework. Both elementary and secondary PSTs ubiquitously drew upon the same four knowledge resources (comparison of quantities, ratios, proportional situation, and ratio as measure). Elementary PSTs were more apt to counterproductively draw upon the knowledge resource ratios ≠ fractions, while secondary PSTs more often counterproductively drew upon equivalence. Mathematics educators can leverage the knowledge resources afforded by this task and strategically highlight productive and counterproductive resources to tailor instruction that develops PSTs’ robust understanding of proportional reasoning.

Researchers in science education lacks valid and reliable instruments to assess students’ disciplinary and epistemic reading of scientific texts. The main purpose of this study was to develop and validate a Reading in Science Holistic Assessment (RISHA) to assess students’ holistic reading of scientific texts. RISHA measures students’ content, procedural, and epistemic domains of reading two texts, one history-of-science text and another socio-scientific text. The initial 24-item RISHA was administered to 161 Grade 9 students from 3 schools. The multidimensional Rasch partial credit model was used to analyze the reliability and validity of RISHA. All items demonstrated good fit and reliability. According to logit scores generated for each domain in Rasch analysis, students in our study performed better in content domain and less well in the epistemic domain. Students also performed significantly better in the epistemic domain of the socio-scientific text than in the history-of-science text. RISHA provides accurate measures in various domains of reading scientific texts and various contexts of scientific texts. We propose that RISHA could potentially be applied to studying the effect of reading-science intervention or predictors of students’ performance in each domain of reading scientific texts.