Mathematically Rich, Equitable Game Software

1999 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 180-186
Author(s):  
Megan Murray ◽  
Jan Mokros ◽  
Andee Rubin
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Computer Games ◽  
Mathematical Thinking ◽  
Mathematical Achievement ◽  
School Students ◽  
Middle School Children ◽  
Mathematical Skills ◽  
Computational Speed ◽  
Drill And Practice ◽  
Speed And Accuracy

IT IS NO SECRET THAT MIDDLE SCHOOL STUdents spend significant amounts of free time playing software games, many of which fall into the “edutainment” category and many of which engage children in practicing mathematical skills. Middle school children and their parents spend a great deal of money on such software, often in the hopes of raising levels of mathematical achievement. The reasoning is as follows: If mathematical mastery can be accomplished in an entertaining and engaging manner, it is a win-win situation. Drill-and-practice games are especially popular, and in some instances they lead to modest increases in computational speed and accuracy (Becker 1990). But is it possible for children to go beyond drill and practice while using computer games? What are the ingredients of mathematical games that help students deepen their mathematical thinking? And to what extent are effective mathematical games also accessible to a range of children?

Effectiveness of Basic Life Support Training for Middle School Students

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 262-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sami Aloush ◽  
Ahmad Tubaishat ◽  
Mohammed ALBashtawy ◽  
Mohammad Suliman ◽  
Intima Alrimawi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Basic Life Support ◽  
Life Support ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Real Life ◽  
School Students ◽  
Middle School Children ◽  
Bystander Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ◽  
Educational Course ◽  
Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation improves survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a basic life support (BLS) educational course given to 110 middle school children, using a pretest posttest design. In the pretest, students were asked to demonstrate BLS on a manikin to simulate a real-life scenario. After the pretest, a BLS training course of two sessions was provided, followed by posttest on the same manikin. Students were assessed using an observational sheet based on the American Heart Association’s BLS guidelines. In the pretest, students showed significant weakness in the majority of guidelines. In the posttest, they demonstrated significant improvement in their BLS skills. BLS training in the middle school was effective, considering the lack of previous skills. It is recommended that BLS education be compulsory in the school setting.

scholarly journals Measuring Test Anxiety in Primary and Middle School Children

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 839-851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrica Donolato ◽  
Tatiana Marci ◽  
Gianmarco Altoè ◽  
Irene C. Mammarella
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Test Anxiety ◽  
School Children ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Emotional Problem ◽  
Future Research ◽  
School Students ◽  
Middle School Children ◽  
Promising Tool

Abstract. The increasing use of tests to assess academic competences has been associated with higher levels of test anxiety (TA) in children, underlining the importance of identifying this emotional problem and sustain academic achievement. This study aimed to contribute to the extant literature on the assessment of TA by examining the psychometric properties of the Test Anxiety Questionnaire for Children (TAQ-C), in primary and middle school children. In Study 1 ( N = 123), we selected 24 items from a wider initial pool, dividing them into scales measuring Thoughts, Autonomic Reactions, Off-Task Behaviors, and Social Derogation, to develop the TAQ-C. In Study 2 ( N = 899), the psychometric properties of this set of scales were assessed in students attending primary and middle school. Analyses supported the bifactor latent structure of the TAQ-C, invariance across educational levels and gender, concurrent and convergent validity, and test–retest reliability. Overall, the TAQ-C is a promising tool for assessing TA in primary and middle school students. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

In-Game Actions to Promote Game-Based Math Learning Engagement

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 863-885
Author(s):  
Jewoong Moon ◽  
Fengfeng Ke
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Sequential Analysis ◽  
Mathematical Thinking ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Cognitive Engagement ◽  
Game Based Learning ◽  
School Students ◽  
Learning Engagement

Game-based learning (GBL) has increasingly been used to promote students’ learning engagement. Although prior GBL studies have highlighted the significance of learning engagement as a mediator of students’ meaningful learning, the existing accounts failed to capture specific evidence of how exactly students’ in-game actions in GBL enhance learning engagement. Hence, this mixed-method study was designed to examine whether middle school students’ in-game actions are likely to promote certain types of learning engagement (i.e., content and cognitive engagement). This study used and examined the game E-Rebuild, a single-player three-dimensional architecture game that requires learners’ application of math knowledge. Using in-depth gameplay behavior analysis, this study sampled a total of 92 screen-recorded and video-captured gameplay sessions attended by 25 middle school students. We adopted two analytic approaches: sequential analysis and thematic analysis. Whereas sequential analysis explored which in-game actions by students were likely to promote each type of learning engagement, the thematic analysis depicted how certain gameplay contexts contributed to students’ enhanced learning engagement. The study found that refugee allocation and material trading actions promoted students’ content engagement, whereas using in-game building tools and learning support boosted their cognitive engagement. This study also found that students’ learning engagement was associated with their development of mathematical thinking in a GBL context.

Sense Making and the Solution of Division Problems Involving Remainders: An Examination of Middle School Students' Solution Processes and Their Interpretations of Solutions

1993 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward A. Silver ◽  
Lora J. Shapiro ◽  
Adam Deutsch
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Semantic Processing ◽  
Mathematical Thinking ◽  
Sense Making ◽  
School Students ◽  
Solution Processes ◽  
Division Problems ◽  
Division With Remainder

In this study, about 200 middle school students solved an augmented-quotient division-with-remainders problem, and their solution processes and interpretations were examined. Based on earlier research, semantic-processing models were proposed to explain students' success or failure in solving division-with-remainder story problems on the basis of the presence or absence of an adequate interpretation provided by the solver after obtaining a numerical solution. In this study, students' solutions and their attempts and failures to “make sense” of their answers were analyzed for evidence that supported or refuted the hypothesized semantic-processing models. The results confirmed that the models provide a solid explanation of students' failure to solve division-with-remainder problems in school settings. More generally, the results indicated that student performance was adversely affected by their dissociation of sense making from the solution of school mathematics problems and their difficulty in providing written accounts of their mathematical thinking and reasoning.

Control of Fundamental Mathematical Skills and Concepts by High School Students

1946 ◽  
Vol 39 (8) ◽  
pp. 365-371
Author(s):  
Merle M, Ohlsen
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Dual Problem ◽  
Joint Commission ◽  
Mathematical Achievement ◽  
Final Report ◽  
National Council ◽  
School Students ◽  
Mathematical Skills ◽  
Grade Levels

The purpose of this study was to answer the following questions concerning the mathematical achievement of the students in grades ten, eleven, and twelve in forty-three selected Iowa high schools: (1) What degree of mastery of the mathematical skills and concepts described as essential for the ordinary citizen in the Final Report of the Joint Commission of The Mathematics Association of America and The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics1 is attained by high school students? This question involved the dual problem of determining the degree of mastery for each defined concept and skill as well as the degree of mastery of the composite of these concepts and skills. (2) What common errors do students make in applying these concepts and skills? (3) Are there significant differences between grade levels in the degree of mastery of this basic mathematics?

scholarly journals Awareness on harmful effects of smoking in middle school children

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL3) ◽  
pp. 866-869
Author(s):  
Nithyanandham Masilamani ◽  
Dhanraj Ganapathy
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Peer Influence ◽  
School Children ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Parental Influence ◽  
School Students ◽  
Middle School Children ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Harmful Effects

Consumption of cigarettes and similar tobacco items and tobacco smoking are the world's largest common preventable of death. Multiple studies have observed that the overall life expectancy of a person dying from tobacco-related illnesses is 15 years quicker than those dying from natural deaths. Hence this study was done to assess the awareness on harmful effects of smoking in middle school children. This was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional type of study comprising 100 middle schools aged between 10-15 years in Chennai. A self-administered questionnaire containing 10 questions eliciting information on the awareness of the harmful effects of smoking among middle school students were circulated. The collected responses were tabulated and analysed.95% of students are not smokers and 5% smoke to get pleasure. 94% of students are not aware that smoking causes cancer and it is injurious to health. 68% feel the parental influence and 32% feel peer influence to be the reasons for smoking. 86% were not aware of smoking cessation therapy. The results of this study illustrate the need to increase understanding of the health consequences of smoking in middle school students. In order to promote quitting, especially in rural areas, where rates of education and health literacy are lower and where health services are less available, educational programs are an essential way to increase awareness.

Smart Playgrounds? Using Smart and Interactive Technologies to Combat Playground Underutilization

2021 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-263
Author(s):  
Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
School Children ◽  
Computer Games ◽  
Educational Development ◽  
First Century ◽  
Review Of Literature ◽  
Middle School Children ◽  
Interactive Technologies ◽  
The Us

As settings planned and designed with children in mind, playgrounds have a lot to offer to children's physical, social and educational development. However, US playgrounds are often underutilized by middle-school children, as they become upstaged by electronic and computer games. This article explores the reasons for playground underutilization in the US through a historic overview of playground development and a review of literature sources that discuss the causes and consequences of playground utilization. It also draws from an empirical study of the author, who surveyed 897 middle-school children and 348 parents in twelve middle schools in Los Angeles to examine their feelings toward playgrounds and find out why they do not visit playgrounds more often. The survey found that many children found the playgrounds unexciting and wished for a different and more interactive setting. In response to this sentiment, the last part of the article examines the concepts of 'smart park' and 'interactive playground' and discusses opportunities that smart and interactive technologies present for developing twenty-first century playgrounds.

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