scholarly journals Student teachers’ knowledge of students’ difficulties with the concept of function

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikael Borke
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Mathematical Knowledge For Teaching ◽  
Continuous Functions ◽  
School Level ◽  
Algebraic Expression ◽  
School Students ◽  
Concept Of Function ◽  
Mathematics Student

An important part of the mathematics syllabuses at the secondary school level in most countries is the concept of function. However, secondary school students often experience difficulties with this concept. These difficulties are well-known in the research literature. The study applies the mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) framework, including the category knowledge of content and students (KCS). Teachers’ ability to anticipate students’ difficulties is one aspect of KCS. The aim of this study is to investigate secondary mathematics student teachers’ KCS regarding the concept of function. Ten mathematics student teachers participating in a Supplementary Teacher Education Program answered a questionnaire about fictive secondary school students’ various difficulties with the concept of function. Follow-up interviews were conducted with four of the respondents. Compared to the findings of previous research on students’ difficulties with the concept of function, the respondents in the study sometimes provide reasonable suggestions about the sources of students’ difficulties. Some of the respondents demonstrate an aspect of KCS when they suggest that students can reason that a function must be defined by one algebraic expression only, and that students only know about continuous functions. However, no respondent suggests that one source of students’ difficulties with a constant function with an implicit domain is the missing domain. In addition, some respondents take for granted that students can interpret the algebraic representation of a piecewise-defined function and translate it into a graph.

Does School Matter?

2008 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katariina Salmela-Aro ◽  
Noona Kiuru ◽  
Minna Pietikäinen ◽  
Jukka Jokela
Keyword(s):  
School Climate ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
School Level ◽  
School Students ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
School Burnout ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Positive Motivation

School burnout can be defined as consisting of exhaustion due to school demands, cynical, and detached attitude toward one’s school, and feelings of inadequacy as a student ( Kiuru, Aunola, Nurmi, Leskinen, & Salmela-Aro, 2008 ; Salmela-Aro & Näätänen, 2005 ; Schaufeli, Martínez, Pinto, Salanova, & Bakker, 2002 ). The first aim of the present study was to examine the extent to which schools differ in school-related burnout. Moreover, the aim was to examine the extent to which school-related and background factors are associated with school burnout at the school level and at the individual level. The participants were 58,657 students from 431 comprehensive schools and 29,515 students from 228 upper secondary schools who filled in a questionnaire measuring their school burnout, school-related variables (i.e., negative school climate, positive motivation received from teachers, support from the school), and background variables (i.e., gender, grade-point average, socio-economic status, and family structure). The results revealed only small differences between schools in school burnout. Among the comprehensive school students the results at the school-level showed that negative school climate typical of the school was positively related, while support from school shared among school members was negatively related to school-related burnout. Among upper secondary school students, in turn, positive motivation received from teachers typical of the school was negatively related to school-related burnout. At the individual level, negative school climate was positively related, and support from school and positive motivation received from teachers were negatively related to burnout among both the comprehensive and upper secondary school students. In addition, girls and those with lower GPA experienced higher levels of school burnout compared to boys and those with higher GPA.

scholarly journals A STUDY OF FACTOR INFLUENCING ATTITUDE TOWARDS LEARNING OF PHYSICS AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 359-365
Author(s):  
Monica a ◽  
◽  
A. Abuh ◽  
Nwaba A. Attah ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Attitude Scale ◽  
School Level ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
School Students ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Senior Secondary School ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Senior Secondary

Physics is among the significant science subjects taught at the secondary school level in Nigerias education system. There has been a growing concern about the poor performance in physics in Nigeria. The present study was aimed to determine teachers likability as a factor that could influence students attitudes towards physics. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey. The population of the survey includes secondary school students in the Kogi State of Nigeria. Participants comprised males and females senior secondary school students. They were mainly pooled from the science class. One hundred and thirty-nine students participated in the study. Data was collected using a Teachers Likability Scale and the Physics Attitude Scale (PAS). The result revealed that most of the respondents indicated a negative attitude toward the subject (M = 0.87, SD = 0.35), while few (M = 0.18, SD = 0.39) showed a positive attitude towards the subject. A linear regression model was conducted to test the study hypothesis.The result showed that teachers likability statistically significantly predicted attitude towards physics F(1,137), 124.617 P< .05. The study concluded that a teachers likability is a significant predictor of attitude towards physics. Thus, it is recommended that teachers should be more facilitators than strict instructors.

scholarly journals Impact of Instructional Scaffolding Approach on Secondary School Students Achievement in Mathematics

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
Nwoke Bright Ihechukwu
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
School Level ◽  
Control Group ◽  
School Students ◽  
Instructional Scaffolding ◽  
Achievement In Mathematics ◽  
The Impact

The study investigated the impact of instructional scaffolding approach on secondary school students’ achievement in Mathematics. The study was carried out in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State. The study was a quasi-experimental research type adopting the pre-test post test non equivalent control design in carrying out the study. A sample of 237 senior secondary school II (SS II) students consisting of 81 males and 156 females was used for the study. The instrument for data collection was a researcher made 30 items objective test questions titled “Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT)”. The instrument had reliability coefficient of 0.85 determined using Kuder Richardson 20 formula  (KR20). The experiment group was taught mathematics using instructional scaffolding approach while the control group was taught using traditional approach. The data generated was analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer research questions while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The result of the study revealed that instructional scaffolding is effective in enhancing secondary school students’ achievement in mathematics and minimized gender bias. Based on the result it was recommended that mathematics teachers at secondary school level should apply instructional scaffolding approach in teaching to enhance students’ achievement.

Vocabulary Size of Malaysian Secondary School Students

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
Alice Su Chu Wong ◽  
Jocelyn Yee Vun Lee ◽  
Marianne Fung ◽  
Octavia Willibrord
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
School Level ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
School Students

Vocabulary plays a vital role in second language acquisition and is crucial in comprehension of various texts. Without a threshold level of vocabulary proficiency, English Language Learners (ELLs) will have difficulties in processing texts. Indeed, it is well conceded that vocabulary is a good predictor of second language proficiency. While sizable studies have examined ELLs reading skills, little is known about the vocabulary size of Malaysian secondary school students. The current work is part of a larger study that examines the relationship between vocabulary size and critical reading ability. It aims to investigate ELL secondary school students’ vocabulary level and determine whether they are equipped with sufficient vocabulary proficiency for tertiary level education. Eighty-five (85) participants from a public school in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah were involved in the study. A set of receptive vocabulary test was administered during a two-period lesson. Results showed that most of the participants have not mastered vocabulary proficiency beyond the 2000-word level. The findings have pedagogical implications for the teaching of vocabulary at the secondary school level.

Computer Anxiety of Rural Middle and Secondary School Students

1989 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Jo Campbell
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Computer Anxiety ◽  
School Level ◽  
Rural School Districts ◽  
School Students ◽  
Secondary Grades ◽  
Home Availability

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of sex and school level on the computer anxiety of rural middle school and secondary students when home availability and school use of computers are controlled. A total of 1,067 students in middle and secondary grades in six rural school districts participated in the study. The instrument used was the Computer Anxiety Scale with Cronbach's reliability coefficients ranging from .83 to .91, depending on the school level of the students. Sex and school level differences were found in home availability, but not in school use of computers. The findings suggest computer anxiety is not affected by sex or school level when home availability and school use of a computer is statistically controlled.

scholarly journals Molecular School – a pre-university chemistry school

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernardo A. Nogueira ◽  
Alexandre D. Silva ◽  
Maria Inês P. Mendes ◽  
Ana Dora R. Pontinha ◽  
Carlos Serpa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Project Success ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
School Level ◽  
School Students ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Secondary School Level ◽  
And Training

Abstract The planning, implementation and results of the first edition of the Molecular School are presented, as the first pre-university school project held in Portugal. This is not, however, a strictly Portuguese project, since it can be replicated in other countries at the secondary school level, with minor adjustments. Herein, the pilot edition of Molecular School is detailed and discussed, where 36 secondary school students have participated. The plan for the second edition, to be held in the first semester of 2021, with the confirmed participation of around 100 students, is further presented. Briefly, the project is divided in two modules: theoretical and laboratory work. These were prepared in a complementary way and performed to achieve the same purpose: deliver a wider vision of what chemistry really is. Hence, the classes were designed having in mind the applications that chemistry has in our everyday life, in the different academic research fields and in industry. A better preparation and training at the laboratory level was also a goal of this project. The enthusiasm, happiness and the motivation shown by the students, and their eagerness to participate in the future editions of the Molecular School, were clear signs of this project success.

scholarly journals On concept of function at Middle Years Programme school in Espoo

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-103
Author(s):  
Jessica Salminen
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Core Curriculum ◽  
Similar Data ◽  
School Students ◽  
Middle Years ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Concept Of Function ◽  
Middle Years Programme

School in Espoo, Finland, follows the Finnish national core curriculum but approaches teaching according to Middle Years Programme. The language of instruction is English. Material for teaching functions that would fulfill these criteria is not readily available. Therefore, such material was tailored especially for the needs of the school. The development of the material led the researcher to ponder, how students eventually grasp the idea of function and how the concept of function should be approached in teaching in the future. The data was gathered in spring 2012. Out of 63 ninth graders in the school, 49 participated in the study. A research on the concept of function by Vinner and Dreyfus (1989) was used as the source of inspiration for this study. The definitions of function among lower secondary school students were compared to similar data gathered among upper secondary school students during the same spring. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in the analysis of the data.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document