Volume 98 (2), February 1998

Table of Contents

Abstracts

Table of Contents

Abstracts

 
• A Telecommunications Project to Empower Kansas Elementary/Middle Level Teachers as Change Agents for Integrated Science and Mathematics Education

Timothy F. slater, Nontana State University
Hazel Coltharp and Steven A. Scott, Pittsburg State University


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        Nineteen elementary and 5 middle school in-service teachers served as regional lead teachers to provide 13 two- and four-day  workshops for 235 in-service teachers. The lead teachers attended 100 hours of in-service training on national science/math reform curricula, cognitive theory, pedagogical strategies for enhancing problem solving, and authentic assessment procedures. The lead teachers then selected $30,000 worth of instructional materials for use in their classrooms. Subsequently, they developed four hands-on-manipulative-based workshops through extensive use of video-teleconferencing technology. The lead teachers strongly believe that this extensive project has made a permanent positive impact on the quality and quantity of integrated science and math instruction in Kansas.

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• Childrenís Perspectives on the Engagement Potential of Mathematical Problem Tasks

Lyn D. English
Queensland University of Technology


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        This article examines elementary studentsí perspectives on the engagement potential of particular mathematical problems and studentsí views on their general classroom problem activities. Third-, fifth-, and seventh ? grade children from different reform ? oriented classrooms were individually interviewed about (a) how they would improve their classroom problem ? solving activities and (b) the problems they find the most and least potentially engaging when presented with a range of routine and nonroutine problems. The children requested more relevant, meaningful, and interesting problem experiences in their classrooms, and the fifth and seventh graders requested more representational materials. The childrenís criteria for determining potentially engaging problems primarily pertained to problem structure and perceived cognitive demands. The nonroutine examples that focused on important reasoning processes and did not involve computation and the greatest engagement potential, while the computational problem had the least appeal.

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• Studentsí Attitudes Toward School and Classroom Science: Are They Independent Phenomena?

Patricia D. Morrell, The University of Portland
Norman G. Lederman, Oregon State University


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        The purpose of this study was to examine 5th, 7th, and 10th gradersí attitudes toward school and classroom science by means of questionnaires. IN particular, the study hoped to determine (a) what studentsí attitudes are, (b) whether a relationship exists between these school and classroom science attitudes, and (c) what relationships grade level, gender, ethnicity, school/community type, expected GPA and science grade, and personally satisfying GPA and science grade have with studentsí attitudes toward school and classroom science. The results indicated that, although a statistically significant relationship did exist between studentsí attitudes toward school and toward classroom science, the relationship had no practical meaning. Females were slightly more positive about school than males. No gender differences were found with respect to classroom attitudes. Fifth graders held significantly more positive attitudes toward science than upper ? grade students. None of the the variable was found to have nay practical relationship to either of the attitudes.

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• Examining the Conceptual Organization of Students in an Integrated Algebra and Physical Science Class

Susan L. Westbrook, North Carolina State University


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        The cross ? disciplinary context of density and slope was used to compare the conceptual organization of students in an integrated algebra and physical science class (SAM 9) with that of students in a discipline ? specific physical science class (PSO). Analyses of studentsí concept maps indicated that the SAM 9 students used a greater number of procedural linkages to connect mathematics and science concepts on the SAM 9 studentsí maps than did the PSO students. The maps produced by SAM 9 students also tended to show a more compartmentalized approach to thinking about the content of the tow disciplines, a finding contrary to the researcherís original assertion. Traditional teaching territories and conceptual complexity were examined as possible explanations for the discrepancy between the predicted and actual outcomes.

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• Exploring Studentsí Conceptual Understanding of the Averaging Algorithm

Jinfa Cai, University of Delaware


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        Conceptual understanding of arithmetic average includes both an understanding of the computational algorithm and the statistical aspects of the concept. This study focused on the examination of 250 sixth ? grade studentsí understanding of the arithmetic average by assessing their understanding of the computational algorithm. The results of the study showed that the majority of the students knew that "add-them-all-up-and-divide" averaging algorithm, but only about half of the students were able to correctly apply the algorithm to solve a contextualized average problem. Students were able to use various solution strategies and representations to solve the average problem. Those who used algebraic and arithmetic representations were better problem solvers than those who use pictorial and verbal representations. This study not only suggests that the average concept in more complex that the simplicity suggested by the computational algorithm, but also indicated the need for teaching the concept of average, both as a statistical idea for describing and making sense of data sets and as a computational algorithm for solving problems.
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