The purpose of this study was to explore the different sub-skills of students’ written arguments (i.e., writing an argument, choosing a convincing argument) that might exist, and the content dependency of arguments. This paper presents two written argumentation tools that were designed for 11-14 year-old students, and the main outcomes from applying the tools to evaluate the written arguments of 246 students. The analysis of the data implies that choosing a convincing argument is a different kind of skill than any of the other three aspects of argumentation that were evaluated in these tests; that argumentation is content specific, and that argument construction is easier when the students’ have knowledge of the topic, regardless of whether this is a scientific or an everyday life topic. A main contribution in this study is that we have identified the degree of complexity for all four sub-skills that were included in the test. By identifying that writing an argument is a more difficult skill to acquire, or that students are not acquainted with it, it can help educators to design better scaffolding structures to support students when writing counterarguments. Research implications arising from the findings include exploring in detail how students choose to agree or disagree with given claims in different situations – for example exploring the difference in agreeing with media claims on socioscientific issues as opposed to scientific claims in the science classroom. Implications for teaching include using different teaching approaches for scientific and everyday argumentation.
{"title":"What do we really know about students’ written arguments? Evaluating written argumentation skills","authors":"M. Evagorou, E. Papanastasiou, M. Vrikki","doi":"10.30935/scimath/13284","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/13284","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this study was to explore the different sub-skills of students’ written arguments (i.e., writing an argument, choosing a convincing argument) that might exist, and the content dependency of arguments. This paper presents two written argumentation tools that were designed for 11-14 year-old students, and the main outcomes from applying the tools to evaluate the written arguments of 246 students. The analysis of the data implies that choosing a convincing argument is a different kind of skill than any of the other three aspects of argumentation that were evaluated in these tests; that argumentation is content specific, and that argument construction is easier when the students’ have knowledge of the topic, regardless of whether this is a scientific or an everyday life topic. A main contribution in this study is that we have identified the degree of complexity for all four sub-skills that were included in the test. By identifying that writing an argument is a more difficult skill to acquire, or that students are not acquainted with it, it can help educators to design better scaffolding structures to support students when writing counterarguments. Research implications arising from the findings include exploring in detail how students choose to agree or disagree with given claims in different situations – for example exploring the difference in agreeing with media claims on socioscientific issues as opposed to scientific claims in the science classroom. Implications for teaching include using different teaching approaches for scientific and everyday argumentation.","PeriodicalId":36049,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69240528","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In this study, we aim to explore the conditions and constraints of implementing a lesson study-based professional development (LSPD) program for Japanese pre-service primary teachers. Based on the anthropological theory of the didactic–a well-established theoretical framework in mathematics education research–it offers three dimensions (institutional, educational, and personal) to frame and analyze the various conditions to implement the LSPD program and the constraints that impede them. We used a case study of an LSPD program for Japanese pre-service primary teachers, which offered pre-service teachers an opportunity to engage in mathematics lesson planning and participate in a lesson study conference. The results illustrated the conditions of the institutional context in which the LSPD program appeared, and the constraints in the difficulty of making the lesson study and PD coexist. We also found that the personal constraints on pre-service teachers’ lesson preparation work were affected by the conditions and constraints in other dimensions (institutional or educational). Thus, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the constraints that may shape or hinder teachers’ practice and knowledge in the LSPD program at diverse but interrelated levels.
{"title":"Conditions and constraints of implementing a mathematics lesson study-based PD program for Japanese pre-service teachers","authors":"Yusuke Shinno, T. Yanagimoto","doi":"10.30935/scimath/12643","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/12643","url":null,"abstract":"In this study, we aim to explore the conditions and constraints of implementing a lesson study-based professional development (LSPD) program for Japanese pre-service primary teachers. Based on the anthropological theory of the didactic–a well-established theoretical framework in mathematics education research–it offers three dimensions (institutional, educational, and personal) to frame and analyze the various conditions to implement the LSPD program and the constraints that impede them. We used a case study of an LSPD program for Japanese pre-service primary teachers, which offered pre-service teachers an opportunity to engage in mathematics lesson planning and participate in a lesson study conference. The results illustrated the conditions of the institutional context in which the LSPD program appeared, and the constraints in the difficulty of making the lesson study and PD coexist. We also found that the personal constraints on pre-service teachers’ lesson preparation work were affected by the conditions and constraints in other dimensions (institutional or educational). Thus, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the constraints that may shape or hinder teachers’ practice and knowledge in the LSPD program at diverse but interrelated levels.","PeriodicalId":36049,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69240613","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This research is a bibliometric study that focuses on publications containing both terms “technological pedagogical content knowledge” (TPACK or TPCK) and “science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics” (STEAM). The former addresses knowledge that teachers are expected to gain, whereas the latter addresses a new integrating subject field. Both terms dominate contemporary education research, especially in relation to technology and its impact on education. These two terms have been researched individually by bibliometricians. The aim of this research is to examine articles that combine these terms, as there seems to be a lack of such studies. With the help of the Scopus platform, 2,608 articles published since 2007 were collected and analyzed.
{"title":"Examining the relationship between TPACK and STEAM through a bibliometric study","authors":"K. Karampelas","doi":"10.30935/scimath/12981","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/12981","url":null,"abstract":"This research is a bibliometric study that focuses on publications containing both terms “technological pedagogical content knowledge” (TPACK or TPCK) and “science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics” (STEAM). The former addresses knowledge that teachers are expected to gain, whereas the latter addresses a new integrating subject field. Both terms dominate contemporary education research, especially in relation to technology and its impact on education. These two terms have been researched individually by bibliometricians. The aim of this research is to examine articles that combine these terms, as there seems to be a lack of such studies. With the help of the Scopus platform, 2,608 articles published since 2007 were collected and analyzed.","PeriodicalId":36049,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69240362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The current study examined self-organized learning environments (SOLEs) pedagogy as a conduit to learners’ metacognitive skills and conceptual understanding in physical sciences and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as a whole in Capricorn District of Limpopo Province of South Africa. The aim was based on ongoing debates related to integrating technology and metacognitive skills in STEM education to improve educational outcomes. Anchored upon the aim and through experimental (one urban and one rural) groups and control (one urban and one rural) groups, the study employed a non-equivalent quasi-experimental (control group) design to glean and analyze data from 155 selected participants through a stratified sampling method. Data were collected using physical sciences pre- and post-tests and metacognition self-assessment scale questionnaire. Data analysis employed descriptive (mean [M], standard deviation, and effect size) and inferential (parametric t-test) analysis. The findings indicate that the mean gain score (M=6.37) of the experimental groups (that were taught through SOLEs pedagogy) was higher than that of their counterparts (M=2.60) in the control groups with a p-value (p=0.037) that is less than 0.005. Similarly, in terms of conceptual understanding, the findings indicate that the experimental groups improved significantly more than the control groups at a significant p-value of 0.00. Finally, the study concludes that SOLEs pedagogy improves learners’ metacognitive skills that, in turn, enhance conceptual understanding of physical sciences content. Furthermore, the current study recommends further longitudinal studies with larger sample sizes to explore SOLEs pedagogy in STEM.
{"title":"Self-organized learning environments (SOLEs) pedagogy as a conduit to learners’ metacognitive skills and conceptual understanding of “S” in STEM: The South African study","authors":"Hodi Tsamago, A. Bayaga","doi":"10.30935/scimath/13038","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/13038","url":null,"abstract":"The current study examined self-organized learning environments (SOLEs) pedagogy as a conduit to learners’ metacognitive skills and conceptual understanding in physical sciences and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as a whole in Capricorn District of Limpopo Province of South Africa. The aim was based on ongoing debates related to integrating technology and metacognitive skills in STEM education to improve educational outcomes. Anchored upon the aim and through experimental (one urban and one rural) groups and control (one urban and one rural) groups, the study employed a non-equivalent quasi-experimental (control group) design to glean and analyze data from 155 selected participants through a stratified sampling method. Data were collected using physical sciences pre- and post-tests and metacognition self-assessment scale questionnaire. Data analysis employed descriptive (mean [M], standard deviation, and effect size) and inferential (parametric t-test) analysis. The findings indicate that the mean gain score (M=6.37) of the experimental groups (that were taught through SOLEs pedagogy) was higher than that of their counterparts (M=2.60) in the control groups with a p-value (p=0.037) that is less than 0.005. Similarly, in terms of conceptual understanding, the findings indicate that the experimental groups improved significantly more than the control groups at a significant p-value of 0.00. Finally, the study concludes that SOLEs pedagogy improves learners’ metacognitive skills that, in turn, enhance conceptual understanding of physical sciences content. Furthermore, the current study recommends further longitudinal studies with larger sample sizes to explore SOLEs pedagogy in STEM.","PeriodicalId":36049,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69240409","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Proof, as a central and integral part of mathematics, is an essential component of mathematical education and is considered as the basic procedure for revealing the truth of mathematical propositions and for teaching productive reasoning as part of human civilization. Is there therefore room for conjectures in mathematics? In this paper after discussing at a theoretical level the concepts of proof and conjecture, both in a paper-and-pencil environment and in a dynamic geometry environment (DGE) as well as how school practice affects them, we fully explain a task involving various mathematical disciplines, which we tackle using elementary mathematics, in a mathematics education context. On the occasion of the Greek educational system we refer to some parameters of the teaching of geometry in school and we propose an activity, within a DGE, that could enable students to be guided in the formulation and exploration of conjectures. Finally, we discuss the teaching implications of this activity and make some suggestions.
{"title":"Is there room for conjectures in mathematics? The role of dynamic geometry environments","authors":"I. Rizos, Nikolaos Gkrekas","doi":"10.30935/scimath/13204","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/13204","url":null,"abstract":"Proof, as a central and integral part of mathematics, is an essential component of mathematical education and is considered as the basic procedure for revealing the truth of mathematical propositions and for teaching productive reasoning as part of human civilization. Is there therefore room for conjectures in mathematics? In this paper after discussing at a theoretical level the concepts of proof and conjecture, both in a paper-and-pencil environment and in a dynamic geometry environment (DGE) as well as how school practice affects them, we fully explain a task involving various mathematical disciplines, which we tackle using elementary mathematics, in a mathematics education context. On the occasion of the Greek educational system we refer to some parameters of the teaching of geometry in school and we propose an activity, within a DGE, that could enable students to be guided in the formulation and exploration of conjectures. Finally, we discuss the teaching implications of this activity and make some suggestions.","PeriodicalId":36049,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69240452","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Despite statistics learning becoming more important during this information explosion era, many students still deem the subject complex and challenging. Measures of dispersion, a critical component of statistical knowledge that students often struggle with, have received little attention in research on statistics education. The goal of this study was to uncover students' errors in solving problems involving measures of dispersion by examining students’ response in the diagnostic test through the lens of APOS theory. The participants consisted of 85 grade 11 high school students and were then divided into three groups according to their performance to better understand the difficulties and errors made by students from different cognitive levels. The findings revealed that majority of low achievers operate at the action level, as indicated by the numerous conceptual errors discovered during the test. These students have limited conceptual understanding on the topic which required proper remedial from the educators. The study's results are discussed, as well as potential implications for education.
{"title":"Uncovering student errors in measures of dispersion: An APOS theory analysis in high school statistics education","authors":"Chiew Leng Ng, C. Chew","doi":"10.30935/scimath/13260","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/13260","url":null,"abstract":"Despite statistics learning becoming more important during this information explosion era, many students still deem the subject complex and challenging. Measures of dispersion, a critical component of statistical knowledge that students often struggle with, have received little attention in research on statistics education. The goal of this study was to uncover students' errors in solving problems involving measures of dispersion by examining students’ response in the diagnostic test through the lens of APOS theory. The participants consisted of 85 grade 11 high school students and were then divided into three groups according to their performance to better understand the difficulties and errors made by students from different cognitive levels. The findings revealed that majority of low achievers operate at the action level, as indicated by the numerous conceptual errors discovered during the test. These students have limited conceptual understanding on the topic which required proper remedial from the educators. The study's results are discussed, as well as potential implications for education.","PeriodicalId":36049,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education","volume":"45 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69240512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Preparing, leading, and reflecting on whole-class discussions: How prospective mathematics teachers develop their knowledge during lesson study","authors":"Micaela Martins, J. Ponte, Joana Mata-Pereira","doi":"10.30935/scimath/12432","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/12432","url":null,"abstract":":","PeriodicalId":36049,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46854827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Teaching practice is a critical component in teacher education, and better understanding of how pre-service teachers experience and interpret the feedback received in this setting is needed to understand teacher development in initial teacher education. Arguably, the mindset theory can help explain pre-service teachers’ responses to and reception of feedback. This narrative study examines one pre-service mathematics and science teacher’s experiences of received feedback from her supervisors during teaching practice and discusses the impact of her mindset on her reception of feedback. Esteri displayed a so-called fixed mindset regarding her qualities as a teacher and towards the feedback received, which greatly hindered her reception of the feedback. Interestingly, we observed characteristics of fixed mindset also in the feedback given by her supervisors. We discuss the challenges that fixed mindset poses for feedback practices, and what narrated experiences of feedback can teach us about supporting teacher development of future teachers in teaching practice.
{"title":"Fixed mindset as a challenge in teaching practice: A pre-service teacher’s experiences of received feedback","authors":"Sonja Lutovac, Matti Hasari, Raimo Kaasila","doi":"10.30935/scimath/12563","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/12563","url":null,"abstract":"Teaching practice is a critical component in teacher education, and better understanding of how pre-service teachers experience and interpret the feedback received in this setting is needed to understand teacher development in initial teacher education. Arguably, the mindset theory can help explain pre-service teachers’ responses to and reception of feedback. This narrative study examines one pre-service mathematics and science teacher’s experiences of received feedback from her supervisors during teaching practice and discusses the impact of her mindset on her reception of feedback. Esteri displayed a so-called fixed mindset regarding her qualities as a teacher and towards the feedback received, which greatly hindered her reception of the feedback. Interestingly, we observed characteristics of fixed mindset also in the feedback given by her supervisors. We discuss the challenges that fixed mindset poses for feedback practices, and what narrated experiences of feedback can teach us about supporting teacher development of future teachers in teaching practice.","PeriodicalId":36049,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45822033","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Due to the lack of success of German students in recent program for international student assessment (PISA) studies since 2001, the question arises whether German teacher training has an impact on this performance. This publication is based on a systematic review which deals with German-language publications of various PISA-relevant areas within the preparatory service in Germany. The results show that there is a clear need for action in the areas of scientific literacy, nature of science as well as media and information literacy. In addition, the structure of the preparatory service as well as the psychological stress of prospective (science) teachers in Germany are explained in more detail. Despite being limited to German publications and individual competencies of PISA surveys, the study identifies a need for action for the German preparatory service. The aim of this publication is to provide a basic description of the German preparatory service in relation to science teacher education to compare German teacher education with better performing teacher training according to PISA.
{"title":"Shine a spotlight on the preparatory service within science teacher education in Germany: A systematic review","authors":"Melina Doil, V. Pietzner","doi":"10.30935/scimath/12980","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/12980","url":null,"abstract":"Due to the lack of success of German students in recent program for international student assessment (PISA) studies since 2001, the question arises whether German teacher training has an impact on this performance. This publication is based on a systematic review which deals with German-language publications of various PISA-relevant areas within the preparatory service in Germany. The results show that there is a clear need for action in the areas of scientific literacy, nature of science as well as media and information literacy. In addition, the structure of the preparatory service as well as the psychological stress of prospective (science) teachers in Germany are explained in more detail. Despite being limited to German publications and individual competencies of PISA surveys, the study identifies a need for action for the German preparatory service. The aim of this publication is to provide a basic description of the German preparatory service in relation to science teacher education to compare German teacher education with better performing teacher training according to PISA.","PeriodicalId":36049,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69240351","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In our investigation of university students’ knowledge about real numbers in relation to computer algebra systems (CAS) and how it could be developed in view of their future activity as teachers, we used a computer algorithm as a case to explore the relationship between CAS and the knowledge of real numbers as decimal representations. Our work was carried out in the context of a course for university students who aim to become mathematics teachers in high schools. The main data consists of students’ written responses to an assignment of the course and interviews to clarify students’ perspectives in relation to the responses. The analysis of students’ work is based on the anthropological theory of the didactic (ATD). Our results indicate that simple CAS-routines have a potential to help university students (future teachers) to apply their university knowledge on certain problems related to the decimal representation of real number which are typically encountered but not well explained in high school.
{"title":"Drawing on a computer algorithm to advance future teachers’ knowledge of real numbers: A case study of task design","authors":"Rongrong Huo","doi":"10.30935/scimath/12640","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/12640","url":null,"abstract":"In our investigation of university students’ knowledge about real numbers in relation to computer algebra systems (CAS) and how it could be developed in view of their future activity as teachers, we used a computer algorithm as a case to explore the relationship between CAS and the knowledge of real numbers as decimal representations. Our work was carried out in the context of a course for university students who aim to become mathematics teachers in high schools. The main data consists of students’ written responses to an assignment of the course and interviews to clarify students’ perspectives in relation to the responses. The analysis of students’ work is based on the anthropological theory of the didactic (ATD). Our results indicate that simple CAS-routines have a potential to help university students (future teachers) to apply their university knowledge on certain problems related to the decimal representation of real number which are typically encountered but not well explained in high school.","PeriodicalId":36049,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69240546","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}