Studies about gender difference in mental rotation ability are well documented in the context of developed countries; though not in developing or low-income ones. This paper examined students’ mental rotation ability as a function of gender in a disadvantaged community in Indonesia. The Spatial Reasoning Instrument (SRI) was used to test 334 students (aged 1314 years old) in an untimed test. The characteristics of the SRI items were analysed in relation to the gender difference. The results showed a significant difference in favour of males on both 2D and 3D mental rotation tasks. The effect of the task direction was mediated by gender; girls performed significantly lower than boys for the task with an implicit direction.
To succeed in mathematics middle-years’ students must move from additive to multiplicative thinking and from arithmetic calculations to generalised algebraic strategies. If we ask the right questions this progression can be monitored and prompted through fraction tasks. Students’ solution strategies for fraction tasks vary from a dependence on diagrams, to methods that demonstrate algebraic reasoning. Based on testing and interviews two frameworks have been developed. The first is used to classify strategies students use to find an unknown whole, when given a known fractional part of the whole, and its equivalent quantity. The second framework monitors the extent to which algebraic reasoning is apparent when opportunities for generalised responses are prompted.
This paper reports on an investigation of the student interaction and group development of a four-student group during collaborative mathematics problem solving. Video and written transcript of the group interaction were analysed. The group problem solving has been described by the flow of negotiative events in terms of topics discussed within the group. Positioning theory framed four interaction positions which described student interaction. A mutual relationship between the two has been identified in this case. Implications for collaborative problem solving are discussed.
Our qualitative case study explored the nature of pre-service teacher (PST) reflections when analysing video-based lessons aimed at developing their reflective practice. 14 PSTs participated in the study. Data were collected through lesson observation and individual PSTs’ written reflections. The initial data show that PSTs find lesson reflection challenging. Many PSTs’ initial reflections were below technical description, the first level provided in Muir and Beswick’s (2007) reflection framework. A few reflections revealed some aspects of technical description; however, no PST’s reflection went beyond Level 1. In this paper we share how we adapted their framework to accommodate PSTs’ initial reflections.
Researchers and policymakers agree that all children can learn mathematics, and research has shown that teaching practices have a significant impact on student learning and achievement. Therefore, it is important that teachers are supported in their development as professionals and mathematics educators. This research gives a voice to a small number of primary school mathematics teachers, providing insight into their experience of mathematics education, from their perspective. In-depth interviews form the basis of data collection and these have been analysed through a transcendental phenomenological approach. The insights gained into teachers’ experiences and perspectives provide a deeper understanding of their role and opens the door to a necessary conversation on what success in mathematics looks like and how it can be best supported. The feeling of being time-poor was significant, contributing to a situation where teachers faced a choice between what they think would be best for students and meeting external requirements. The participants described how different schools vary, and how different working environments have impacted their experience of mathematics education. These new understandings have implications for policymakers, school leaders and professional learning providers, as they lead to recommendations regarding the curriculum, supportive working environments, and necessary resources for teachers.
This paper describes a task that was used, in a broader study on mathematical giftedness and mindsets, as part of a process to identify mathematical giftedness in primary school students (see Parish, 2019). A discussion of the task, together with an analysis of student responses, offers insights that could be used by classroom teachers for both recognising and understanding mathematical giftedness. It is important for all classroom teachers to be able to recognise exceptional mathematical aptitudes in young students, as mathematically gifted students require specific consideration for appropriate teaching and learning experiences.
The purpose of this case study was to examine how one teacher supported her students in making contributions to whole-class discussions in an Iranian classroom. Data were analysed using a grounded theory approach and include field notes from all classroom observations and three teacher interviews collected over five weeks in a Year 11 classroom. Findings indicated that in spite of the differences in context, the Iranian teacher’s practice shared substantial elements with the ‘five practices’ of orchestrating productive mathematical conversations outlined by Stein et al. The results suggest that proactive support of students’ mathematical understandings is an achievable goal worth pursuing in Iran.
