Mathematics learning support and engagement in first year engineering

This paper considers the effects of both free optional mathematics learning support and engagement on the mathematics performance in a foundation mathematics subject of a cohort of engineering students entering university with poor mathematical skills. New engineering students were directed to either a foundation or standard mathematics subject based on the results of a placement test. For students in the foundation subject, it was found that high levels of learning support were associated with greater improvement over the semester. Some form of learning support was used by 57.9% of the students, a reasonably high proportion of the cohort. Some factors for this high level of use of learning support are considered. One possible factor, the placement test, appears to have had a positive effect. Engagement in the subject activities as measured by tutorial attendance and learning management system use was found to have a positive association with final mark. Students who utilized a high level of learning support were more likely to be more engaged with the subject, making it impossible to draw conclusions about improvements being solely due to the use of learning support.     

Enhancing Formative Assessment Practice and Encouraging Middle School Mathematics Engagement and Persistence

In the transition to middle school, and during the middle school years, students' motivation for mathematics tends to decline from what it was during elementary school. Formative assessment strategies in mathematics can help support motivation by building confidence for challenging tasks. In this study, the authors developed and piloted a professional development program, Learning to Use Formative Assessment in Mathematics with the Assessment Work Sample Method (AWSM) to build middle school math teachers' understanding of the characteristics of high‐quality formative assessment processes and increases their ability to use them in their classrooms. AWSM proved to be feasible to implement in the middle school setting. It improved teachers' practice of formative assessment, especially in their feedback practices, regardless of their pedagogical content knowledge at entry. Results from focus groups suggested that teachers were better able to implement ungraded practice and student self‐ and peer‐assessment after AWSM, and that students were more willing to engage in complex problem solving.     

The interplay of various Scandinavian mathematical journals (1859–1953) and the road towards internationalization

The merger of various Nordic mathematical journals in 1953 into Mathematica Scandinavica (for research) and into Nordisk Matematisk Tidsskrift (for the more elementary topics, from 1979 NORMAT) confirmed increasing cooperation between matured Scandinavian mathematical communities. The merger originated from practical considerations including the wish to have a critical mass for economically viable publications.The present paper presents the basic steps in the development of several Scandinavian mathematical journals from 1859, the year of the foundation of the first general mathematical journal in a Scandinavian language, the Danish Mathematisk Tidsskrift, through various converging and diverging tendencies, towards the events of the year 1953.     

Modification and validation of the mixed-format Engineering Concept Assessment for middle school students using many-facet Rasch measurement

Integrating engineering into the K-12 science curriculum continues to be a focus in national reform efforts in science education. Although there is an increasing interest in research in and practice of integrating engineering in K-12 science education, to date only a few studies have focused on the development of an assessment tool to measure students’ understanding of engineering design. Most of the existing measures focus only on knowledge and understanding of engineering design concepts using multiple-choice items with the exception of the mixed-format Engineering Concept Assessment (ECA). Also, advanced measurement models are lacking application in the testing of such mixed-format assessments in science education. This study applied many-faceted Rasch measurement to the modified ECA for eighth-grade (ECA/M8) and a newly constructed rubric applied by five judges across 497 eighth-grade students’ responses after experiencing an integrated learning unit on the engineering design process. The results supported the fit of the items and rubric rating scales to the Rasch specifications. Recommendations are made for item wording, and further reliability and validity testing of the ECA/M8, and use of the ECA/M8 in science education and research.     

The notion of variable quantities ω in Bolzano's early works

Amid the debate over infinitesimals, Bolzano introduced the alternative notion of variable quantities ω in his 1816 work on the binomial theorem. It has often been assumed that his 1817 definition of continuity using them is practically the modern one. This paper explores Bolzano's early mathematical works and diaries to gain insight into the subtleties in his definition of ω and some of his mathematical procedures. We show that those quantities are not clearly ‘proto-Weierstrassian’ and argue that Bolzano was in the process of refinement and increasing abstraction of the idea of quantity that eventually led to the development of a theory of real numbers.     

Investigating young students’ multiplicative thinking: The 12 little ducks problem

Children’s multiplicative thinking as the visualization of equal group structures and the enumeration the composite units was the subject of this study. The results were obtained from a small sample of Australian children (n = 18) in their first year of school (mean age 5 years 6 months) who participated in a lesson taught by their classroom teacher. The 12 Little Ducks problem stimulated children to visualize and to draw different ways of making equal groups. Fifteen children (83 %) could identify and create equal groups; eight of these children (44 %) could also quantify the number of groups they formed. These findings show that some young children understand early multiplicative ideas and can visualize equal group situations and communicate about these through their drawings and talk. The study emphasises the value of encouraging mathematical visualization from an early age; using open thought-provoking problems to reveal children’s thinking; and promoting drawing as a form of mathematical communication.     

基于小波神经网络与ARIMA组合模型在股票预测中的应用

为了实现对股票价格变化的短期预测,提出了一种基于小波神经网络(WNN)与自回归积分滑动平均模型(ARIMA)的组合预测模型.将股票的收盘价序列数据划分为线性以及非线性(误差项)两个部分,分别利用统计学中ARIMA模型和小波神经网络分别对两部分数据进行预测并得到结果,将两部分结果组合相加合成为整个股票价格的预测结果.实验结果表明该组合模型在预测精度方面有提高,是一种比较有效的预测模型.     

Exploring the relationship between metacognitive and collaborative talk during group mathematical problem-solving – what do we mean by collaborative metacognition?

The purpose of this study was to enhance our understanding of the relationship between collaborative talk and metacognitive talk during group mathematical problem-solving. Research suggests that collaborative talk may mediate the use of metacognitive talk, which in turn is associated with improved learning outcomes. However, our understanding of the role of group work on the individual use of metacognition during problem-solving has been limited because research has focused on either the individual or the group as a collective. Here, primary students (aged nine to 10) were video-recorded in a naturalistic classroom setting during group mathematical problem-solving sessions. Student talk was coded for metacognitive, cognitive and social content, and also for collaborative content. Compared with cognitive talk, we found that metacognitive talk was more likely to meet the criteria to be considered collaborative, with a higher probability of being both preceded by and followed by collaborative talk. Our results suggest that collaborative metacognition arises from combined individual and group processes.     

Defining as a mathematical activity: A framework for characterizing progress from informal to more formal ways of reasoning

The purpose of this paper is to further the notion of defining as a mathematical activity by elaborating a framework that structures the role of defining in student progress from informal to more formal ways of reasoning. The framework is the result of a retrospective account of a significant learning experience that occurred in an undergraduate geometry course. The framework integrates the instructional design theory of Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) and distinctions between concept image and concept definition and offers other researchers and instructional designers a structured way to analyze or plan for the role of defining in students’ mathematical progress.