Search

In recent years, there has been a growing focus on central statistical ideas or ‘big ideas’ in statistical reasoning such as centre, distribution, and variability in research studies. To date, however, there is a paucity of assessments that integrate three statistical reasoning using information technology, i.e. reasoning about centre, spread, and distribution for high school students. Thus, a statistical reasoning assessment instrument concerning these domains is developed in order to enhance tenth-grade students’ statistical reasoning abilities during the instruction. Its content was validated by three experts in related fields. There are five statistical reasoning tasks in the assessment instrument which have been created based on the initial statistical reasoning framework. Each item is associated with the sub-processes of four key constructs, i.e. describing data, organizing and reducing data, representing data, and analyzing and interpreting data. The dynamic spreadsheet of GeoGebra software is used as a technological tool in solving tasks. This statistical reasoning assessment instrument can be utilized by instructors and researchers for further investigation in future studies.

Previous studies demonstrated that students encountered difficulties in understanding the concept of variability. Hence, the purpose of this study is to identify the misconceptions in reasoning about variability among tenth grade students in Malaysia. In this study, a statistical reasoning test consisting of five main questions with 16 items was employed. A total of 412 students from nine secondary schools participated in solving problems. The results showed that 41.5% of students answered a question concerning standard deviation incorrectly. Two new misconceptions about variability have been discovered in this study. Several recommendations are proposed in order to overcome students’ incorrect reasoning. This study helps instructors and researchers to design appropriate assessment and learning activities in a statistics classroom.

Multivariable calculus is one of the most difficult courses for undergraduate students in many fields of studies. This study used blended learning as a teaching and learning environment to support students’ mathematical thinking and to help students in overcoming their obstacles in the learning of multivariable calculus. The main purpose of this study is to determine the impact of blended learning on the students’ learning of multivariable calculus and in overcoming students’ obstacles. The results revealed that blended learning is an adequate environment since it provides sufficient tools that support students’ mathematical thinking powers to overcome their obstacles in learning multivariable calculus.

This study is part of a project concerned with the students’ obstacles in face-to-face Engineering Mathematics classrooms through mathematical thinking approach. The main data collection for this study was carried out through students’ structured questionnaires of three classes at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) in the end of semester. The findings showed that the students’ obstacles from students’ and lecturers’ perspectives are approximately the same and the majority of each group separately believed that two main obstacles in the learning of Engineering Mathematics are imaging and sketching in the 3-dimensions. The analysis showed that for both groups different thinking skills and tools from Creative Problem Solving (CPS) are less important methods that can help students to overcome learning obstacles.

Much research has been conducted on the teaching and learning of mathematics for engineering undergraduates. This paper reports on a preliminary study in an investigation on the mathematics curriculum of engineering students, a study of engineering students and lecturers’ perceptions about the mathematics curriculum, teaching and learning that have been carried out. The research instrument was a set of questionnaire that the respondents consist of lecturers and students from engineering faculties of UTM in Johor, Malaysia. The information highlights issues of concern in the development of the mathematics curriculum for engineering students based on data of implemented curriculum as compared to the desired curriculum.

Mathematics is considered as one of the most important basic skills, however, most employees and those entering the work market fail to successfully deploy mathematical knowledge in their work. There are major difficulties faced by the students in learning mathematics in technical and vocational education both in secondary and post-secondary schools in Iran. Therefore, the authors have decided to review and propose changes to the mathematics curriculum to answer this question: what mathematics content is required in the vocational and technical education? This paper describes an instrument to determine the mathematics requirement for vocational and technical education in Iran. Several questionnaires were created based on Iranian mathematics curriculum standard for Civil, Geotechnical, Ceramic industrial, Wood industrial, Chemical industrial, Electrical, Metallurgy industrial and Mechanics Courses. The result from these questionnaires will help the curriculum planners to develop appropriate mathematics curriculum in secondary school level, post-secondary school level and the university level.

Effective communication and teamwork are two important generic skills requirements for successful engineers. In this study, we used blended learning environment based on mathematical thinking and Creative Problem Solving to support students’ communication and teamwork skills in the learning of multivariable calculus. The main goal of this study is to identify the impact of the blended learning multivariable calculus course on engineering students’ communication and team-working skills. Results indicated that the blended learning multivariable calculus course has positive effects on students’ communication skills. However, the scores of both pre and post-test for students’ teamwork skills remained virtually the same.

Creative Problem Solving as a framework to encourage whole-brain thinking which employs different thinking skills and tools is not sufficiently emphasized in universities. Research findings indicate that for most engineering students, mathematics has always been one of the most difficult courses to study. Previous researches tried to overcome students’ difficulties in the engineering mathematics by using some methods based on supporting mathematical thinking. In this paper, we shall discuss and propose a learning environment for supporting students’ thinking and creative problem solving in engineering mathematics. Blended learning is suggested as an environment to support students’ thinking powers through creative problem solving.

In multivariable calculus, the concept of multivariable function is one of the most difficult for undergraduate students to study. The main objective of this study is to establish a model of teaching and learning to support students' mathematical thinking in the learning of two-variable functions through a blended learning environment. The impact of this environment on students' learning of two-variable functions and in overcoming students' obstacles are put forward. Findings revealed that blended learning supports students' mathematical thinking and helps in overcoming additional obstacles in mathematical learning. Poor mathematical knowledge of single-variable functions and poor algebraic manipulations are still the main reasons behind student obstacles in learning two-variable functions.

Owing to the abstract natures of statistical concepts, students are often misled, paving the way to misconceptions in statist ical reasoning. Previous studies have indicated that integration of technology has a positive impact on addressing misconceptions and improving students' statistical reasoning. In this paper, statistical reasoning has been introduced briefly. Besides, overview of studies on the usage of information technology to develop statistical reasoning is explicated. Possible barriers have also been determined, along with some recommendations to overcome them. It is concluded that incorporating information technology in the statistics classroom is feasible due to its advantages although there could be some obstacles that need to be overcome.

Many efforts on identifying misconceptions among schools and undergraduate students have been done, but for postgraduates, in particular serviced teachers, are yet to be understood. Researches, thesis writing and publications require substantial level of statistical reasoning for postgraduates. The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze postgraduates' misconceptions in descriptive statistics (central tendency and variability). The instrument was a set of questions design to test statistical reasoning in descriptive statistics. The test was administered to 122 postgraduates who are enrolling in a course on application of statistics in educational research which is a requirement for their master program in education. The misconceptions were analyzed based on the work of various researchers (Lee & Meletiou, 2003; Magina & Cazorla, 2008). This paper describes some similar misconceptions that were found by other researchers; however, some misconceptions on the concept of average were not seen among postgraduates. The overall results show that some postgraduates have poor statistical reasoning skills. This study suggests that statistical reasoning should be taught strategically so as to minimize misconceptions among postgraduate students as well as to empower their statistical reasoning ability.

This paper aims at examining the relationship between achievement goals- mastery and performance goals, metacognition, students' beliefs and academic success of the physics students in University Technology Malaysia (UTM). Regression analysis indicates that metacognition is a full mediator between mastery goals and academic success whilst; students' beliefs are not mediate between mastery goals and academic success. Results of this study can be used to modify the present teaching techniques for physics undergraduate students to meet their learning needs.

Calculus as a prerequisite course to other advanced mathematics courses is one of the important and difficult courses for undergraduate students in many fields of study. Mathematical thinking is an important method to support students in the learning of calculus and specifically multivariable calculus. Researchers endeavour to support student's mathematical thinking in calculus with or without computer-based tools. The main goal of this paper is to illustrate the importance of using computer-based tools for fostering student's mathematical thinking to overcome their obstacles in multivariable calculus.

Technology integration and collaborative learning have great impact in education according to the previous studies. This study investigates peer interactions in terms of intervention styles and intervention strategies used by students in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) using dynamic mathematics software. Three pairs of 16 year old students participated in the experiment. The theoretical framework of this study was based on constructivist view of learning. The Sinclair's model was adopted as analytical framework to code the transcripts of students’ interventions. The findings provide evidence for utilizing dynamic mathematics software in collaborative learning to enhance active interactions between the dyads.

Function of several variables is one of the most important concepts in mathematics and its applications. The lack of its understanding will cause certain obstacles in the learning of next concepts or even subjects. The researchers at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) tend to support students to overcome their deficiencies in the learning of two-variable functions by promoting mathematical thinking. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how this method can help students in the learning of two-variable functions when they encounter non-routine problems in face-to-face Engineering Mathematics (Multivariable Calculus) course through this method. The data collection for this study was collected from a Multivariable Calculus class at UTM during semester II 2009-2010. Data collection for the study was carried out through written assessments and structured questionnaires. The data analysis reveals that students still display difficulties in their learning. Specifically, students’ common difficulties are: students’ met-before (previous experience), selecting appropriate representation of the three worlds of mathematical thinking, the transition from one world to another world of mathematical thinking, lack of understanding two different embodiments, and lack of understanding two different symbolic for a concept. The findings reveal that the sketching the graph of two-variable functions in 3-dimensions is the greatest difficulty for majority of students in this method. Additionally, the quite entrenching of students in their learning behaviour and styles is the most important reason for the lack of using prompts and questions as guides by students and then no enough effectively of this method.