The Skills of Mathematics Teachers with Different Professional Experiences to Notice the Evidence of Student Thinking

There are different types of evidence that reflect students' thinking in classroom interactions. Student discourse, gestures, actions can be shown among these. The aim of the current study is to reveal the skills of secondary mathematics teachers with different professional experiences to notice different types of evidence of student thinking. For this aim, the study was designed within the context of a case study, one of the qualitative research methods. The data of the study were obtained through video-based interviews with five secondary mathematics teachers. Six video episodes containing different types of evidence for video-based interviews were shown to teachers. In the interviews, targeted questions were asked to reveal what types of evidence the participating teachers took into account in the videos they watched, how they interpret these types of evidence, and what kind of instructional decisions they suggested. The types of evidence that teachers noticed in the videos and how they made sense of the evidence were analyzed qualitatively. Various findings have been revealed depending on the different professional experiences of the teachers. First, experienced (5 years and above) teachers paid more attention to the types of verbal evidence of student thinking. Student statements and questions were more visible to experienced teachers, especially among oral evidence. Second, the evidence-based comments described by the experienced teachers were aimed at drawing more conclusions. However, it is noteworthy that teachers who make inferences based on student's cognitive thinking also attend postgraduate education or professional experience courses. Third, the instructional decisions of experienced teachers who attended postgraduate education and professional experience courses, based on student thinking, were mostly related to specific mathematical subjects.

Promoting Mathematical Knowledge and Skills in a Mathematical Classroom Using a Gallery Walk

The aim of this paper is to share part of an ongoing study in which we are interested in introducing a Gallery Walk (GW) as an instructional strategy to contemplate in the classroom, in the context of preservice teacher training for elementary education (6-12 years old), to promote students' mathematical knowledge and skills, through problem solving abilities. In this study we intend, in particular, to identify the strategies used by students when solving challenging tasks with multiple approaches, using a GW, as well as characterize their reaction during their engagement in the GW as a teaching and learning strategy. A qualitative and interpretive study, with an exploratory approach, was adopted and the collected data included classroom observations and written productions. The results allowed to identify the strategies used by the participants and to verify the potential of the GW in the quality of the written productions and discussions, which proved to be more effective than in more traditional discussions, allowing to increase the repertoire of solving strategies of each student and communication and collaborative skills; it had a positive effect on the participants’ achievements and it was an enjoyable and rewarding experience for all of them.

Examining the Relations between Emotions, Motivation, Classroom Engagement and Achievement in Mathematics

The purpose of this correlational research was to examine the relationship between achievement emotions, motivation, and classroom engagement in mathematics among Turkish middle school students, and to determine how these three variables predicted academic achievement in mathematics. 549 seventh grade students in a province located in the south-west region of Turkey participated in the study. Relations among variables were examined by utilizing structural equation modeling. Results of this study provided evidence for the theoretical model that explained the relations between achievement emotions, motivation and classroom engagement and their contributions to a significant amount of mathematic achievement in Turkish contexts. In addition, it was found that the contributions of achievement emotions to engagement depend on whether they were activity- and outcome-focused or deactivating and activating emotions.

Does Education Matter for the Relationship between Healthcare Use for Serious Health Problems and Well-being? A Study in 24 Countries

Previous research has shown that the well-being of people in Western societies varies consistently. To understand these differences, we focus on the relationship between healthcare use and well-being, since previous research has shown that poor health and lack of social support reduce well-being. Based on the findings of the previous research, we hypothesize that there is a positive relationship between healthcare use and well-being, and that the strength of this relationship increases with the years of schooling. We tested these hypotheses in 24 countries using data (N = 40,249) from the European Social Survey. The data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression models. Our results indicate cross-national differences in the relationship between healthcare use for serious health problems and well-being. Moreover, they suggest that the extent of education matters for this relationship, however its influence differs across countries. Further research is needed to explain these cross-national differences.

Preservice Mathematics Teachers’ Knowledge about the Potential of Tasks to Promote Students’ Mathematical Reasoning

The use of tasks to promote mathematical reasoning (MR) in teaching practice is essential to meet curricular goals. However, that practice is often a huge challenge for teachers, and particularly for prospective teachers and thus it is essential to highlight it as a goal for initial teacher education. This study focuses on preservice mathematics teachers’ (PTs) knowledge about the potential of mathematical tasks to promote students’ MR, in a teacher education course. Results show that PTs were able to justify their option for a mathematical task with potential to promote students’ MR, and through its implementation in one 8th grade classroom they have deepen their knowledge and gave greater meaning to task design principles and acknowledging their students’ knowledge. Thus, the activity of selecting and adapting a task, although less demanding than the design of a new task, can still provide PT with important reflection and knowledge about its potential to promote students’ MR. The study stresses the relevance for initial teacher education of considering four domains associated with the recognition of the potential of tasks to promote MR.

Pre-Service Science Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Pedagogical Knowledge and Pedagogical Content Knowledge

The purpose of the present study was to investigate pre-service science teachers’ perceptions of science teaching. To this end the participants’ perceptions of their pedagogical knowledge (PK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) were examined. Furthermore, it was aimed to investigate how pre-service science teachers’ perceptions were differed according to their level of achievement regarding PK and PCK. 176 fourth year pre-service science teachers participated in the study. The design of the study was planned as a survey and three scales were given to the participants to collect data. The data obtained from the scales were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The results of the study revealed that pre-service science teachers perceived themselves as competent in terms of both PK and PCK. When components of PK were examined, participants’ perceptions were high regarding classroom management, learners and learning, lesson planning and assessment. With respect to components of PCK, participants perceived that they had high level knowledge of science instructional strategies, knowledge of science learners, knowledge of science misconceptions, knowledge of science curriculum and knowledge of science assessment. Moreover, it was observed that level of achievement did not show any differences on pre-service science teachers’ perceptions of PK and PCK.

Promoting Girls in Science - A Longitudinal Study of Self-Concept in Profile Classes

Previous studies show that girls have a lower scientific self-concept than boys. Since interest starts declining over the course of lower secondary school, this exacerbates the issue that fewer girls aspire to choose a scientific profession. In this article, we present the concept of scientific profile classes. Profile classes pursue the goal of promoting girls by way of supporting their scientific self-concept. A longitudinal study was conducted to examine the self-concept of students in profile classes (Sample I N=53; Sample II N=54). The development of girls in profile classes was compared to both boys in profile classes and girls in the regular classes. Our results show that there is no gender difference in self-concept between girls and boys in the profile class. This study provides initial indications of how girls in profile classes develop in terms of their self-concept.

The Impact of Self-assessment on Academic Performance: A Meta-analysis Study

This meta-analysis study synthesizing the results of experimental and quasi experimental studies examined the effects of self-assessment interventions on student academic performance from primary education to higher education. A total of 16 studies with 46 effect sizes involving more than 7,650 participants were included in the analysis. Research synthesis showed that an overall small influence of self-assessment interventions on academic performance (g=.37, p .05). Additionally, moderator analysis was used to examine moderating effects of some variables. The analysis indicated that traditional self-assessment interventions without external feedback have significantly a larger effect (g =.47, p.05) than self-assessment with external feedback (g=.28, p.05) on academic performance. However, effectiveness of other moderating variables (e.g. education level, assessment criteria type, self-assessment training) on academic performance were not statistically significant. The results suggest that further empirical studies are needed to reveal the moderating effects of self-assessment.

The Effects of Leveled Reading on Second Language Learners

This study examines the significance of using leveled texts in the improvement of second language learners’ word recognition skills, accuracy and fluency. For this purpose, the research explores students’ readings levels, word identification and decoding skills, reading accuracy and reading fluency before and after the leveled reading program. In addition, the study investigates the English teachers’ perspectives about leveled reading and their outlook on parental. Lastly, the article explores parents’ views towards the impact of parental involvement towards child’s development. The research followed a mixed method research design, combining quantitative and qualitative data. The study was conducted in four elementary private schools in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The findings showed steady growth in word recognition abilities and improved automaticity. Results from running records exhibited a substantial increase in accuracy. Fluency assessments displayed a rise in fluency rate and fluency scores. Implications from this study indicate the positive effects of readings at the frustration level. Therefore, it is encouraged to explore further the impact of providing challenging reading materials.

Digital Videos in Accounting Education: A Study on Perceived Use and Satisfaction in the Light of Connectivism

In the light of the connectivism theory, the objective was to analyze the perception of use and satisfaction of accounting students about Edpuzzle, a digital video application. This tool was employed in four accounting courses using the cell phones of 92 students. A questionnaire was administered on-site and was structured in two parts. The first contained questions about the respondent's profile, and the second about the use and satisfaction with Edpuzzle. The results indicated that students liked to use Edpuzzle and felt satisfied, especially those under 21 years old. We also noticed significant correlations among the questions. For example, the positive association between interactivity and appropriateness of use of the Edpuzzle stands out. It is concluded, therefore, that the results corroborate the connectivism theory, which sustains that knowledge must suffer updates as the environment changes and that sharing is crucial for the creation of networks that feed each other. Edpuzzle helps in this regard.