Search

The present study conducted a randomized control trial to assess the efficacy of two spatial intervention programs aimed to improve Grade 4 (N = 287) students’ spatial visualization skills and math performance. The first treatment (N = 98) focused on isolated spatial training that included 40 min of digital spatial training across fourteen weeks. The second treatment (N = 92) embedded spatial visualization skill development into math lessons, along with the digital spatial training that provided practice of the newly acquired skills. A business-as-usual group acted as a control (N = 97). Engagement with the embedded intervention program (i.e., both lessons and digital training) showed large additive effects, highlighting the role of spatial reasoning tools to support the transfer of spatial reasoning to math. The isolated intervention program with the digital spatial training had a transfer effect on math, compared to a business-as-usual control, while spatial reasoning improvements for this group were mixed. The spatial skills targeted in the digital training had a mediation effect on math performance, despite not increasing in the pre–post-test design. The effects of the digital training cohort were moderated by initial spatial skill, with students with lower spatial reasoning making the least gains in math.

Abstract Background Spatial reasoning skill has consistently been found to be malleable. However, there is little research to date on embedding spatial training within learning frameworks. This study evaluated the effects of a classroom-based spatial reasoning intervention on middle school children’s spatial reasoning. Participants included 337 students from 15 classrooms across 6 schools with 8 experimental and 7 control classes. The program was designed for grades 3, 4, 5, and 6. The intervention program was delivered within the Experience-Language-Pictorial-Symbolic-Application (ELPSA) framework and was delivered across 10 weeks by classroom teachers, while the control group received standard mathematics instruction. Results Children in the experimental classes outperformed the control classes on spatial reasoning at the conclusion of the program. The intervention program received high levels of engagement and evidence for development through the stages of the ELPSA framework. Conclusions This paper provides evidence for the effectiveness of a rich spatial training program delivered within a learning framework. This program has applications for spatial thinking in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

The capacity to interrogate data with critical thinking is a strong predictor of statistical literacy (SL). This data interrogation, from the data consumers' perspective, incorporates four complex response skills: "interpreting," "communicating," "evaluating," and "decision-making," and those skills are strongly supported by students' appreciation of three interrelated knowledge components ("text and context," "representation," and "statistical-mathematical knowledge"). Due to the need to be critical data-information readers, students' SL should develop during their formal schooling. The aim of this paper was to investigate differences in SL between Indonesian year 9 and year 12 students and between female and male students. The same test was administered to 48 year 9 students (50% females) and 48 year 12 students (50% females) from 16 different schools in Indonesia. Findings revealed that the highest percentage of year 9 and 12 students demonstrated evidence of "consistent but non-critical thinking" (level 4), suggesting that they exhibited their statistical knowledge but not in critical ways. There were 42% of year 9 students showing limited statistical thinking (levels 1 to 3) compared to 17% of year 12 students. Furthermore, while there were no significant gender differences in students' SL and its all skills, the study shows significant grade level differences in overall SL as well as in its skills except "interpreting." Implications of this study include the development of a framework that provides a coherent assessment of students' SL from a data consumers' perspective, along with suggestions for classroom teaching.

This study aimed to develop a survey instrument to measure student attitudes towards mathematics teaching-learning processes that is appropriate for the Indonesian context. This study consisted of two phases: Phase 1 (n=320) was a pilot study to assess the suitability of the instrument items for Indonesian students. Phase 2 (n=1001) was conducted to examine the construct validity of the instrument. The data collected from Phase 1 were analysed using descriptive statistics (i.e., frequency counts, simple correlation, and one-way ANOVA for item analysis). Factor analysis was utilised to select items and for scale construction. The result of the screening process (44 items) was piloted to assess its reliability and validity. The instrument, consisting of 22 items, is a reliable and valid rating scale that measures three distinct factors: Teacher Presentation, Mathematics Interest, and Mathematics Value. The data from Phase 2 were analysed by employing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the results confirmed that the three factors identified in the previous factor analysis underlie the student attitudes instrument. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22342/jme.9.1.4193.1-14

This paper offers a framework for mathematics lesson design that is consistent with the way we learn about, and discover, most things in life. In addition, the framework provides a structure for identifying how mathematical concepts and understanding are acquired and developed. This framework is called ELPSA and represents five learning components, namely: Experience, Language, Pictorial, Symbolic and Applications. This framework has been used in developing lessons and teacher professional programs in Indonesia since 2012 in cooperation with the World Bank. This paper describes the theory that underlines the framework in general and in relation to each inter-connected component. Two explicit learning sequences for classroom practice are described, associated with Pythagoras theorem and probability. This paper then concludes with recommendations for using ELPSA in various institutional contexts.Keywords: ELPSA, lesson design framework, Pythagoras theorem, probability DOI: dx.doi.org/10.22342/jme.62.77

In writing this paper, we have taken a somewhat different approach to the usual research paper. This is intentional as we recognise the great diversity of what constitutes ‘rural’ mathematics education internationally. Australia has been known as the ‘lucky country’ and this is very true when it is considered in terms of what constitutes rural education in this country in comparison with what is called “rural education” in other countries, and what is called “field education” in Brazil. As such, our first intent is to provide a description of rural education in Australia. Despite this appearance of being lucky in terms of education provision, we also note that students living in rural areas are less likely than their urban peers to do well in mathematics. Drawing on national testing data, which is our empirical data, we illuminate this status quo and this forms the basis for the remainder of the paper. In order to understand the differential success between urban and rural students in mathematics, we draw on the relevant literature as a means to explain the phenomenon. To do this, we offer a theoretical model to frame the differences in mathematics outcomes between urban and rural students. We do this as we want to make a unique contribution to understanding the situation within Australia, ponder the reasons for the inequity in outcomes for rural learners. EDUCAÇÃO MATEMÁTICA NA AUSTRÁLIA RURAL:questões para equidade e sucesso Resumo Ao escrever este artigo, nós desenvolvemos uma abordagem um pouco diferente daquelas mais convencionais para um artigo de pesquisa. Isso foi intencional, pois reconhecemos a grande diversidade do que constitui em termos internacionais a Educação Matemática em contextos 'rurais'. Austrália tem sido conhecida como o "país de sorte" e isso é verdade quando considera-se o que constitui a educação rural no nosso país, em comparação com o que é chamado “educação rural” em outros países e, particularmente, o que é chamado de “Educação do Campo” no Brasil. Assim, a nossa primeira intenção é fornecer uma descrição da educação rural na Austrália. Apesar dessa aparência de ser de sorte em termos de oferta de escolarização, notamos também que os alunos australianos de áreas rurais têm menos probabilidade de terem bom desempenho em Matemática do que aqueles que vivem em áreas urbanas. Baseando-se em dados de testes aplicados nacionalmente, os quais compõem os nossos dados empíricos, nós esclarecemos esse status quo, sendo essa discussão a base para o restante do artigo. Para entender a diferença de sucesso entre alunos de áreas urbanas e rurais em Matemática, abordamos aspectos da literatura relacionada como um meio de explicar o fenômeno. Para fazer isso, oferecemos um modelo teórico para enquadrar as diferenças de resultados em matemática entre os alunos urbanos e rurais. Fazemos isso porque queremos contribuir especificamente para compreender a situação na Austrália: ponderar as razões da desigualdade nos resultados para os aprendizes de áreas rurais.

We assessed the efficacy of two spatial learning programs grounded in early years learning pedagogical theory to improve numeracy performance in preschool. Engagement with a play-based spatial program led to better overall spatial reasoning and transferred to better numeracy compared with a business-as-usual control, underscoring the importance of embedding spatial learning within strong pedagogy and authentic preschool contexts. Engagement with the same spatial program using a spatialized curriculum (e.g., gesture, sketching) showed large additive effects, highlighting the role of spatial reasoning tools to support transfer of spatial reasoning to numeracy. The effects of the two interventions were moderated by spatial reasoning, with children with lower spatial reasoning making the most gains in numeracy.