Effects of metacognitive instruction on low achievers in mathematics problems

This study investigates the effects of metacognitive instruction in mathematics on low-achieving third to eighth grade students. The study was conducted in 18 classes in two elementary schools from the same district with a majority of Hispanic population. Students were randomly assigned to the 18 classes. Twelve of these classes were randomly assigned to the experimental group. One class per grade level was assigned to the control group. Results on learning outcomes showed significant effects favoring the experimental group independent of grade level. These results indicate that metacognitive instruction could be tailored to regular classrooms where the majority are low-achievers. Recommendations on how regular classroom teachers might implement the methods are discussed.     

Immediate and delayed effects of meta-cognitive instruction on regulation of cognition and mathematics achievement

The present study addressed two research questions: (a) the extent to which students who were exposed to meta-cognitive instruction are able to implement meta-cognitive processes in a delayed, stressful situation, in our case—being examined on the matriculation exam; and (b) whether students preparing themselves for the matriculation exam in mathematics, attain a higher level of mathematics achievement and meta-cognitive awareness (knowledge about cognition and regulation of cognition) as a result of being exposed to meta-cognitive instruction. Participants were 61 Israeli high school students who studied mathematics for four-point credit on the matriculation exam (middle level). About half of the students (N = 31) were assigned to meta-cognitive instruction, called IMPROVE, and the others (N = 30) studied with no explicit meta-cognitive guidance (control group). Analyses included both quantitative and qualitative methods. The later was based on students’ interviews, conducted about a couple of months after the end of the intervention, immediately after students completed the matriculation exam in mathematics. Results indicated that IMPROVE students outperformed their counterparts on mathematics achievement and regulation of cognition, but not on knowledge about cognition. Furthermore, during the matriculation exam, IMPROVE students executed different kinds of cognitive regulation processes than the control students. The theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.     

Influence of instruction in mathematics for low performing students on strategy use

Effects of two subtraction instruction types for low achieving children were compared. The first was based on constructivist ideas. The second was more or less traditional but did include interaction opportunities comparable to those in constructivist classrooms. Sixteen students (eight in each condition) with an average age of 10.5 years were trained during 34 lessons. Results showed no performance differences between the two groups on the subtraction problems instructed. There was a performance advantage for the traditional group on transfer problems without regrouping. The constructivist group used more different strategies but was not able to use this bigger repertory in a flexible way; instead, they used their strategies rather randomly. These findings pose questions on the usefulness of constructivist teaching in mathematics for low performers.     

Modelling of factors influencing gender difference in mathematics achievement using TIMSS 2011 data for Singaporean eighth grade students

Numerous studies have attributed gender difference in mathematics achievement to various sociocultural influences. Singapore is a country of higher gender equality as represented in the Global Gender Gap Index and Singaporean girls perform as well or higher than boys in international mathematics assessments. This study develops a conceptual model to examine the relationship and effects of parental involvement in education, teacher efficacy, and students’ attitudes towards mathematics on mathematics achievement for Singaporean eighth grade students using Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 data. The study finds that there is no significant gender difference in parental involvement in education and teacher efficacy and there is no gender difference in the attitude of like learning mathematics among Singaporean eighth grade students. The attitude of confidence in mathematics has positive and significant effect on mathematics achievement and the effect is greater for girls than boys. Parental involvement in education and teacher efficacy were found to have greater effect on girls’ confidence in mathematics than on boys’. As such, increasing involvement in mathematics education and providing positive reinforcement to raise girls’ self-confidence in mathematics by parents and teachers should be an integral part of any initiative to reduce gender gap in mathematics achievement.     

The relation between intellectual and metacognitive skills in early adolescence.

The first objective of this study was establishing to what extent metacognitive skill is associated with intelligence. As a second objective, the impact of hints on the execution of metacognitive skills was investigated. Both issues have major implications for the training and transferability of metacognitive skills during performance on a representative school task. First, a standardized intelligence-test was administered to a group of first-year secondary-school students. Next, these students solved six math word problems, three without metacognitive hints and three including these hints. Metacognitive skilfullness was assessed through systematical observation, while learning performance consisted of performance on a math task and grade point average (GPA). Results show that without hints metacognitive skilfulness is the main predictor of initial learning, while intelligence additionally enters the regression equation after the presentation of metacognitive hints. GPA also appears to be predicted by a combination of intellectual and metacognitive skills. Consequences for the early acquisition of metacognitive skills are discussed.     

元认知听力理解策略培训研究

元认知策略是学习者的自我意识和自我调控,是计划、监控和评价,是适用于各种学习任务的一种学习策略。本研究提出将元认知策略培训与高职高专英语听力教学听力策略培训相结合的设想。该研究表明:基于元认知策略培训的高职高专英语听力教学有助于增强学生的元认知意识,有助于提高学生的听力成绩。     

Teaching practices in Grade 5 mathematics classrooms with high-achieving English learner students

Teachers need more clarity about effective teaching practices as they strive to help their low-achieving students understand mathematics. Our study describes the instructional practices used by two teachers who, by value-added metrics, would be considered “highly effective teachers” in classrooms with a majority of students who were English learners. We used quantitative data to select two fifth-grade classrooms where students, on average, made large gains on a mathematics achievement test, and then examined teaching practices and contextual factors present in each classroom. Participants included two teachers from a mid-Atlantic district and their students who were 67% English learners and 68% economically disadvantaged. We found that the use of multiple representations of mathematics concepts, attention to vocabulary building, individual and group checks for understanding and error analysis were prevalent practices in both high gains classrooms. Also, class sizes ranged from 12–19 students. Discussion focuses on whether observed practices are aligned with recommended teaching practices for English learner students.     

Effect of pupil factor on mathematics achievement in cambodian urban primary school

It is generally observed in the literature of school effectiveness research that there are two broadly categorized factors influencing pupil achievement. However, the results of the studies based on empirically collected data vary from country to country and from time to time. Premised on this inconsistency of results and gaps in knowledge of this field in Cambodian education, this study was conducted in order to examine the effect of pupil factor on their mathematics achievement. The data were collected from pupils by means of questionnaires and a mathematics test. After controlling such factors as pupils’ poverty during the research design, the results of the step wise regression analysis showed that pupils’ interest in mathematics was a significantly positive contributor to their performance. Pupils’ absence frequency, gender, grade repetition and preschool attendance had significantly negative effects on their mathematics outcome.     

在数学课上率先实行双语教学的可行性研究

本文分析了在数学课上实行双语教学的必要性和所具有的各种优势条件，提出率先在数学课上实行双语教学不仅是必要的，而且是可行的。     

The structural relationship between writing attitude and writing achievement in first and third grade students

This study tested three models of the structural relationship between the writing achievement of primary grade students and their attitude towards writing (defined here as an affective disposition involving how the act of writing makes the author feel, ranging from happy to unhappy). The three models tested were: (a) writing attitude influences writing achievement in a unidirectional manner, (b) writing achievement influences writing attitude in a unidirectional manner, and (c) the effects of writing attitude and achievement are bidirectional and reciprocal. The model that best fit the data was based on the assumption that writing attitude influences writing achievement. In addition, the direct path between attitude and achievement in this model was statistically significant. Although third grade students were better writers than first grade students, there was no statistical difference in younger and older students’ attitude towards writing. In addition, girls were more positive about writing than boys, but there was no statistical difference in their writing achievement related to gender. This research extends models based on the cognitive and language processes of writing to include the role of attitude, which is an affective component of motivation.     

成人学习研究--成人元认知能力的研究及成人元认知能力相关因素的研究报告

成人学习的研究是一项涉及到心理学、社会学、成人教育学等多学科、多领域的研究范畴。而在成人学习领域中对成人元认知能力的研究,则是研究成人学习能力与其相关影响因素的一个突破点。     

Linking university mathematics classroom environments to student achievement: The mediation of mathematics beliefs

This study examined the relationships between university mathematics classroom environments, mathematics beliefs, and achievement in the context of mainland China. As a type of affect in mathematics learning, mathematics beliefs including mathematics conceptions and efficacy were examined as mediators. Based on analysis of a sample of 1443 undergraduate students from a university in northern China, the study not only found that the mathematics classroom environment was associated with both affective and cognitive mathematics outcomes, but also confirmed the mediating role of mathematics beliefs. Specifically, a desirable classroom environment was related to students’ cohesive conceptions, enhanced self-efficacy, and higher mathematics achievement. In contrast, students’ perceived difficulty of learning mathematics was connected to their fragmented conceptions, reduced self-efficacy and lower mathematics achievement. Implications of the study are discussed.     

元认知与数学元认知能力综述

元认知是对于认知的认知．数学元认知能力，就是在数学学习中，对数学认知过程的自我意识和自我监控的能力．它以元认知知识和元认知体验为基础，并在对数学认知过程的评价、控制和调节中显示出来．就其功能而言，它对数学认知过程起指导、支配、决策、监控的作用，在学生的数学学习过程中具有重要的意义．     

元认知能力对数学学习的影响

本文主要探讨元认知能力对数学学习的影响 ,并对如何培养学生的元认知能力以促进数学学习提出一些建议。     

The effectiveness of the use of learning support assistants in improving the mathematics achievement of low achieving pupils in primary school

The use of learning support assistants in schools has become increasingly common in England, partly as a result of government support for this strategy. One suggested advantage of the deployment of learning support assistants is to provide additional support to low achieving pupils. However, so far research on the effects of this strategy is very limited. In this study the effect of using trained learning support assistants to help pupils underachieving in mathematics is examined using a quasi-experimental design whereby pupils receiving support were matched to those not receiving support on prior achievement and pupil background factors.     

The effect of manipulatives on mathematics achievement across different learning styles

The current study investigates the influence of manipulatives used in combination with traditional approaches to mathematics education and how varying amounts of time spent on manipulative use influence student achievement across different learning styles. Three learning environments were created that incorporated varying proportions of traditional teaching approaches and manipulative methods. In one of the learning environments, the teacher used strictly lecture- and exercise-based teaching activities, which are more conducive to abstract learning. Abstract learners showed higher academic performance compared with concrete learners in the environment where only traditional methods were used. For the other two environments, which utilised varying combinations of manipulative tools and traditional methods, the differences in the mathematics achievement levels among students of varying learning styles were not statistically significant. The study also showed that concrete learners demonstrated higher performance in mathematics when manipulatives were used than did their counterparts in the environment where only abstract activities were used; however, in the third learning environment, increasing the amount of manipulative use did not provide an extra benefit to concrete learners.     

Student engagement and mathematics achievement: Unraveling main and interactive effects

The present study explored the relationships between student engagement and mathematics achievement for 295,416 15‐year‐old students from 11,767 secondary schools in 34 countries who participated in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012. Affective engagement was measured by students’ mathematics interest (InterestMath) and perceived usefulness of schooling (PerceptionSch), behavioral engagement by behaviors facilitating mathematics learning (BehaviorMath) and participation in mathematics learning activities (ActivitiesMath), and cognitive engagement by openness (Openness) and perseverance (Perseverance) in problem‐solving. Results showed that students who were more engaged had higher levels of academic achievement, with cognitive engagement having the strongest association with achievement. Results also showed that students who were highly engaged in two domains had higher achievement levels than peers who were engaged in only one domain in six pairwise comparisons (InterestMath‐BehaviorMath, InterestMath‐Openness, InterestMath‐Perseverance, PerceptionSch‐BehaviorMath, PerceptionSch‐Openness, PerceptionSch‐Perseverance). These results highlighted the importance of a whole‐school based approach in enhancing student achievement.     

Information technology,mathematics achievement and educational equity in developed economies

The present study examined how access to home and school IT resources impacted student mathematics achievement. Data comprised 144,395 secondary school students from 7,308 schools in 22 developed economies who participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012. Results of hierarchical linear modelling showed that after controlling for student and school covariates, student achievement benefited from their access to home IT resources (main effect), and from the access to both home IT resources and highly educated mothers (interactive effect). Furthermore, IT resource shortages in school had a detrimental impact on student achievement (main effect), and the shortage accentuated the negative effects of school shortage in qualified teachers on achievement (interactive effect). Lastly, the results showed that students with less home academic and cultural resources were more impacted by IT resource access when compared to peers from advantaged families.     

Characteristics of students who benefit from high-quality mathematics instruction

The present study examined characteristics of students who took advantage of the opportunity to learn Algebra II from a highly skilled teacher. In particular, student information was gathered concerning: (a) the amount of mathematics students knew prior to the class, (b) their motivation for learning mathematics, (c) the number and types of interactions they had with the teacher during class, (d) degree of self-regulation, and (e) general aptitude. A model for achievement was used that suggests both opportunity and propensity are important (i.e., students must be willing and able to take advantage of opportunity). Support for the model was found. Propensity to take advantage of a highly favorable opportunity accounted for almost sixty percent of the variance in achievement. In particular, students who were self-regulated, had strong mathematics backgrounds, and had low levels of frustration benefited more from high-quality instruction.     

Understanding mathematics achievement: an analysis of the effects of student and family factors

Educators are increasingly recognising the importance of improving students’ mathematics achievement. Much of the current research focuses on the impact of instructional variables on mathematics achievement. The goal of this study was to examine the influence of less researched variables – family and student factors. Participants were 747 economically disadvantaged elementary students grades K-8 in Ohio. Predictor variables included: (a) 13 factors from a parent survey on both child and family circumstances and (b) reading achievement, measured by a norm-referenced achievement test. Outcome variables included three mathematics scales from the same achievement test. Regression analyses examined the impact of the predictors on the outcomes. Reading achievement significantly predicted mathematics achievement for all three outcomes. Parent pessimism and parent-perceived school/cognitive competence of children also emerged as significant predictors for two of the three mathematics outcomes. Implications for research, policy and practice will be shared.