Theoretical and Practical Integration of Literacy and Numeracy in a University Academic Programme

Abstract

This paper reports on research into the enhancement of generic skills in academic numeracy in the context of an Australian university teacher education programme. The project addressed issues of what constitutes academic numeracy, the design and implementation of appropriate numeracy strategies, and how best to integrate tertiary literacy and numeracy in university courses. This paper presents an overview of the key stages of the project, and the development of its outcomes. The major outcome is a framework for academic numeracy, which is a means for identifying and describing the numeracy demands of academic texts and tasks.     

Pre-service and in-service teachers’ perceptions on the integration of children’s literature in mathematics teaching and learning in Ireland

The beneficial role that children’s literature plays in facilitating the meaningful integration and advancement of literacy and numeracy in the primary mathematics classroom has been well validated by research findings internationally. In Ireland, supporting the development of literacy and numeracy is a key educational priority. Consequently, a myriad of policy initiatives such as the Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life strategy have been introduced. All aim to address concerns about young people’s lack of basic literacy and numeracy skills and to consider new teaching and learning modalities to enhance same. Despite this, no official emphasis is given to incorporating literature in the Irish primary school mathematics curriculum. Therefore, it is pertinent and timely that this study seeks to ascertain pre-service and in-service teachers’ views on the use of literature to support mathematics teaching and learning and to investigate perceived barriers to and enablers for the integration of children’s literature in the mathematics classroom in Ireland. The analysis of the findings will be framed using Ajzen’s (Ajzen, Icek. 1991. “The Theory of Planned Behavior.” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 50 (2): 179–211) Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model. This research is part of a large international research collaboration (see www.mathsthroughstories.org), in which the beliefs of teachers with respect to children’s literature are investigated.     

Expectancy-value and cognitive process outcomes in mathematics learning: a structural equation analysis

Existing research has yielded evidence to indicate that the expectancy-value theoretical model predicts students' learning in various achievement contexts. Achievement values and self-efficacy expectations, for example, have been found to exert positive effects on cognitive process and academic achievement outcomes. We tested a conceptual model that depicted the interrelations between the non-cognitive (task value, self-efficacy) and cognitive (deep-learning approach, reflective-thinking) processes of learning, and academic achievement outcomes in mathematics. University students (n = 289) were administered a number of Likert-scale inventories and LISREL 8.80 was used to test various a priori and a posteriori models. Structural equation modeling yielded some important findings: (1) the positive temporally displaced effects of prior academic achievement, self-efficacy expectations and task value on achievement in mathematics, (2) the positive relations between self-efficacy expectations and task values and cognitive process outcomes and (3) the possible mediating role of self-efficacy expectations and task value between prior academic achievement and deep learning, reflective-thinking practice and academic achievement. Overall, our research investigation has provided empirical groundings for further advancement into this area of students' learning.     

‘To be numerate is to be someone…’: Tracing the doings of students labelled ‘at risk’

Scores from the Australian National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) identify students ‘at risk’ of not meeting minimum standards deemed necessary for future success in school and employment. The NAPLAN tests include items related to numeracy but also mathematics content and skills. Research in the area of mathematics education examining the effectiveness of pedagogical interventions in improving student scores on NAPLAN and other international measures is not only shaped by the standardised testing regime, it also effectively corrals the problem within the school context. As such, it is unable to answer questions related to other factors implicated in the lives of those who continue to ‘fail’ in relation to numeracy outcomes. This paper critically examines the type of funded research being done in relation to numeracy and mathematics education, the ‘social’ turn and the disconnect between this research and the widening ‘gap’ in NAPLAN numeracy outcomes. It argues for a research approach informed by institutional ethnography that begins with the ‘doings’ of individual students labelled ‘at risk’.     

The effects of educational computer game on low-performing children’s early numeracy skills – an intervention study in a preschool setting

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of an educational computer game, Lola’s World, on low-performing children’s early numeracy skills. Four preschools with 33 children from families of low socio-economic status (M _age = 5.5 years) took part in this study. Of the 33 children, 23 were split randomly into two groups: an intervention group playing a numeracy game (Lola’s World) and an active control group playing an early reading skills game (Lola’s ABC party). The remaining 10 children served as a passive control group. The intervention phase lasted three weeks, during which time the children played the games daily for about 15 min. The children’s numeracy skills were measured using the Early Numeracy Test. Those children (n = 22) who exhibited low numeracy (i.e. at risk for learning difficulties in mathematics) were included in the analyses. The three groups did not differ in terms of parental educational levels or home languages. They were comparable in terms of nonverbal reasoning and the amount of time spent playing. The Lola’s World group improved its early numeracy performance from pretest to post-test. No between-group differences were found. The results are discussed in relation to providing game-based support for low-performing preschoolers.     

Achieving sustainability in learning and teaching initiatives

Universities have a long history of change in learning and teaching to suit various government initiatives and institutional priorities. Academic developers now are frequently required to address strategic learning and teaching priorities. This paper asks how, in such a context, academic developers can ensure that work they do in relation to one specific institutional priority can support future learning and teaching strategies. Two examples of efforts to integrate research and teaching are discussed to demonstrate the length of time needed to develop institutional understanding and how to create sustainable resources to meet the needs of changing initiatives. The paper highlights the importance of a sustainable approach to ever-changing learning and teaching priorities, suggesting that resources and other work developed to meet institutional initiatives should be structured so that they can be readily reused or adapted when policies change. The paper concludes by drawing out some implications for academic development.     

Learner self-efficacy,goal orientation,and academic achievement: exploring mediating and moderating relationships

ABSTRACT

Within the context of Pintrich’s self-regulated learning model, recent reviews of the literature show that motivational factors are the strongest predictors of academic performance. Even so, gaps remain in terms of which goal orientation constructs area most strongly related to performance, and whether academic self-efficacy is involved in such relationships, either as mediator or moderator. This study addresses these gaps using a sample of 478 university students; 409 females aged 17–62 (M?=?23.28, SD?=?7.22) and 69 males, aged 18–47 (M?=?22.5, SD?=?6.31). Analyses revealed that academic self-efficacy (ASE) mediated relationships between both mastery and performance-approach goal orientation with achievement, though the mediation effect was larger for the relationship involving mastery approach goal orientation. ASE did not moderate the relationship between performance-approach goal orientation and achievement. Findings suggest teaching programmes should foster learning environments that encourage persistence and effort when learning, and consider how course delivery and feedback can enhance academic self-efficacy, regardless of the goal orientation adopted by students.     

Up,close and personal: teachers' responses to an individualised professional learning opportunity

This paper provides an account of professional learning in action through documenting the experiences of three upper primary teachers as they engaged in reflection-on-action with the assistance of an academic mentor. Video-stimulated recall was used as a mechanism to encourage productive reflective practice, using video footage of each teacher's numeracy lessons. The results indicated that although it was a powerful medium for stimulating reflection, and the teachers indicated that it was a beneficial process, there was limited evidence to suggest that it resulted in substantial changes to their practices. Reasons for this are hypothesised and recommendations made for personalising professional learning to cater for the needs and context of individual teachers.     

Adaptation and evaluation of a learning analytics dashboard to improve academic support at three Latin American universities

Despite the success of academic advising dashboards in several higher educational institutions (HEI), these dashboards are still under-explored in Latin American HEI's. To close this gap, three different Latin American universities adapted an existing advising dashboard, originally deployed at the KU Leuven to their own context. In all three cases, the context was the main ruling factor to these adaptations. In this paper, we describe these adaptions using a framework that focuses on four different elements of the context: Objectives, Stakeholders, Key moment and Interactions. Evaluation of the adapted dashboards in the three different Latin American universities is conducted through pilots. This evaluation shows the value of the dashboard approach in different contexts in terms of satisfaction, usefulness and impact in academic decision-making and advising tasks. The main contribution of this paper is the systematic reporting of the adaptations to an academic advising dashboard and showing the value of an academic advising dashboard on academic decision-making and advising tasks.     

运动的观点在高等数学教学中的运用

高等数学是关于变量的数学,它研究的对象是变量和图形的变化,并且由于引进了极限运算,它的研究方法是动态的、联系的,因而是辨证的.因此,在教学中要引导学生改变以往的思维模式,一是启发他们用运动变化的观点思考问题,理解概念、定理.二是想象让图形“活动”起来,使抽象理论变得具体生动,增强直观形象性.在动态意义下培养数学审美意识,激发创造精神.     

民族地区初中生数学学习信念的现状调查与策略研究

民族地区初中生数学学习信念与学习成绩成正相关;不同数学学习信念组与学习成绩存在显著性差异,不同民族、不同性别学生的数学学习信念没有显著性差异.根据研究结果,对初中数学教学提出了具体建议.     

The effects of resilience in learning variables on mathematical literacy performance: a study of learning characteristics of the academic resilient and advantaged low achievers in Shanghai,Singapore, Hong Kong,Taiwan and Korea

Abstract

Many students from disadvantaged homes participating in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 were classified as academic resilient (called disadvantaged high achiever, the DHA in this study). In comparison with peers of comparable home background status, there were also students from advantaged homes performing far behind standard in mathematical literacy performance (called advantaged low achiever, the ALA). Drawing data from the PISA 2012, this study sought to examine the similarities and differences in learning mathematics characteristics (ie gender, family and academic background, and resilience in learning variables) amongst students of the top five high-performing Asian economies, ie Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea. The results of the logistic regression analyses showed that variables like family and academic background, as well as resilience in learning mathematics variables (eg familiarity with mathematical concept, mathematics self-efficacy, mathematics self-concept and mathematics anxiety) are able to predict whether a student of comparable disadvantaged (or advantaged) home background is more likely to be classified as DHA (or ALA) or not. The findings are important to shed light on the principles and methods of mathematics education so as to help the low achievers, whether advantaged or disadvantaged, to advance to higher level of mathematical literacy attainment.     

Reading: three to thirteen

Askew and his colleagues (1997), put forward a range of important notions as to what might constitute effective approaches to the teaching of numeracy. In particular, they place great emphasis on the way in which teachers who make links between different areas of mathematics are seen to be effective teachers of numeracy. (Askew et al term this approach ‘connectionist’)

The work reported here suggests that the notion of classifying a teacher as, say, connectionist is too simplistic. We report observations which suggest that effective teachers of numeracy incorporate a range of approaches into their teaching.     

Limits and potentials of social networking in academia: case study of the evolution of a mathematics Facebook community

The use of social networking services has rapidly increased in recent years, especially by university students. Some authors assert that they have educational potential in terms of promoting collaborative learning practices among undergraduate students which enhance engagement and understanding. This possibility is particularly relevant to mathematics learning, because university communities are frequently experienced as isolating and performance-oriented. This case study reports on the use of Facebook to support mathematical communication and more participative learning identities within a UK university mathematics department. It describes how the reactive formation of a student-led Facebook community became a source of conflict within the wider academic social community and how this conflict was eventually resolved. While it raises questions about the extent to which Facebook can encourage open collaborative learning within the wider context of student aspirations in a competitive climate, it notes its potential for fostering cross-cohort student support in a subject which frequently induces anxiety in its students.     

Examining interactive whiteboard-based instruction on the academic self-efficacy,academic press and achievement of college students*

Abstract

The study reported here examined college students’ academic self-efficacy, ‘academic press’ and learning achievement, as well as the association between these three variables within learning contexts using interactive whiteboard-based instruction. A quasi-experimental study was conducted using a sample (n = 103) of first-year college students in China. Participants were taught English by either an interactive whiteboard-based or traditional lecture-based instructional approach for three months. The results showed that the interactive whiteboard-based instructional intervention cultivated higher levels of academic press and academic self-efficacy among students and a significant, positive correlation was identified between these two variables. Students’ learning achievement was not affected by the instructional intervention. These results indicate that interactive whiteboard-based instruction offers some distinct benefits. In future work, additional research is needed to clarify how the instructional model relates to understanding learning achievement.     

Between the Academic Mathematics and the Mathematics Education Worlds

Change is always difficult, and there is no great doubt that teachers need time to come to terms with it. This fact is, however, too often forgotten. In the spirit of my earlier work, this paper is shaped by an action research perspective. It provides some insights into the learning experiences of a group of eleven experienced secondary mathematics teacher, who were enrolled in a Perspectives on Mathematics Education two semesters course, within the context of a Masters on Mathematics Teaching programme, held at a Department of Mathematics, in a Portuguese University. The first part of the paper highlights the conflicting pressures and stresses suffered, during the first semester course, by the participating teachers. Confrontation with new ideas about both mathematics and mathematics education, as well as work overload, had a damaging impact on the teachers’ self‐confidence and morale. The second part of the paper covers the second semester course by addressing three fundamental questions for teachers, which aimed at helping the students bridge the academic mathematics and the mathematics education worlds. Finally, brief scenarios of three participating teachers’ professional development throughout the course are discussed in order to illustrate the challenges they had to face and the possibilities the course (and the Masters programme) offered to promote individual change.     

Research and the academic developer: A new agenda

This paper argues that there is a need for academic developers to reassess their relationship to research, and suggests that research has to come centre stage in the practice of staff, educational and∧or academic development. The paper discusses the reasons for this and considers the implications for academic development practice. It begins with a discussion of some trends that signal the growing importance of inquiry for higher education. It highlights the important role that research and scholarship are coming to have in preparing students for a society characterized by uncertainty, complexity and plurality. It is argued that developers must become involved in this and that, if they are to be taken seriously in the future, they must become credible as researchers. Different models of the relationship between research and teaching highlight the role of developers in moving teaching and learning forward in a higher education context where teaching and research are more closely allied. Finally, the paper considers what developers need to do to prepare for the challenges lying ahead. In the argument, examples from the author's own practice are used to illustrate developers' changing agendas.     

The literature landscape of blended learning in higher education: the need for better understanding of academic blended practice

If we are to realise the potential of blended learning in higher education, then further research into academic practice and relevant academic development is essential. Our review of literature on blended learning in higher education reveals an interesting scholarship landscape which, when described in detail, pointedly directs attention to the lack of literature seeking to understand academics’ current blended practices. We argue that this is problematic in terms of formulating the required professional development and support. In essence, this paper uncovers the need for further research into understanding not only why academics may choose to engage in blended learning, but also, once engaged, why some choose to integrate technology to create transformative blends while others choose minimally impacting blends. This paper may interest those supporting academics in developing blended learning. It provides a guiding resource both for researchers investigating blended practices and those embarking on blended learning implementations.     

Employability and work-related learning activities in higher education: how strategies differ across academic environments

The focus of this paper is on how academic staff perceive their roles and responsibilities regarding work-related learning, and how they approach and implement work-related learning activities in curricula across academic environments in higher education. The study is based on case studies, including semi-structured interviews and analyses of course syllabuses in two higher education institutions. The results reveal divergent approaches between environments with limited and extensive work-related learning, and we present four different strategies for including work-related learning in curricula: add-on by someone else, add-on about the profession, integration of teaching and learning activities and integration with additional value. These four strategies represent a very diverse understanding of the role of education, ranging from education for academia to education for work outside academia, and contain various perceptions of the roles, types of work-related learning activities and integration in the ordinary curriculum.     

高等数学课教学探究

为了提高“高等数学”课的教学质量，全面贯彻素质教育的方针，我们在教学实践的基础上，摸索、总结了近几年在“高等数字”教学中的得与失。对如何改革、提高“高等数学”教学质量进行了有益的探究。