The emergent academic self-image of first graders: its response to social structure

One aim of this investigation was to determine the kinds of information a large and racially diverse sample of urban first-grade children take into account in forging their image of an academic self, especially the extent to which evaluations of significant others versus self-evaluations are influential. Another aim was to determine whether the nascent academic self-image affects the school achievement of these first-grade children. There was no difference in children's academic self-image according to race or parent background, but children of the 2 sexes defined their images differently. Girls' images strongly reflected stereotypic sex-role notions; boys' images reflected instrumental role concerns. Math performance was relevant only for boys. Boys depended more on self-evaluations than girls did, while girls depended more on parents' evaluations. Black girls were the only group for whom the academic self-image was a significant influence on achievement gains over first grade. The discussion points up the correspondence between these findings and what has been found for adolescents.     

Word-to-text integration in English as a second language reading comprehension

Reading and Writing - We assessed the relationship between word-to-text-integration (WTI) and reading comprehension in 7th grade students (n?=?441) learning English as a second language...     

Contradictions in mathematical modeling with digital technologies

Education and Information Technologies - This article presents an analysis of contradictions expressed by pre-service mathematics teachers when performing two modeling tasks using their own...     

Teachers’ Perceptions of Appraiser–Appraisee Relationships

Teacher appraisal procedures may lead to formative (teacher development and improvement of teaching) and summative (managerial decision) outcomes. Elementary school teachers in Hong Kong (N=527) responded to survey items on formative outcomes, summative outcomes, perceived purposes of appraisal, overall effectiveness of appraisal, and summative purposes such as promotion and dismissal of staff. Principal components analysis and confirmatory factor analysis yielded the two a priori outcome factors, each of which was significantly correlated with perceived overall effectiveness of appraisal. Analysis of variance found that senior teachers appraised by the school principal (SP) perceived that appraisal had formative purposes and this perception was stronger than for those teachers appraised by senior staff (TS). Teachers in the TS group did not perceive the importance of the promotion purpose as did the other groups. Teachers appraised by the principal (TP) perceived that appraisal had dismissal purposes whereas teachers in the TS group did not. Although the three groups did not differ in their perceptions of formative outcomes, summative outcomes, or overall effectiveness of teacher appraisal, the appraiser-appraisee combination did make a significant difference in teacher perceptions of the purposes and appropriateness of the appraisal.     

Effects of teacher training on children's analogical reasoning performance

Two studies were conducted to assess the effects of teacher training in analogical reasoning on students' performance of analogy tasks. Study One focused on elementary school teachers and students, while Study Two involved early childhood teachers. In Study One, 25 fourth-grade teachers were assigned either to Control, or to Level I or Level II treatment conditions. The Level I condition involved the receipt of detailed analogy lessons. The Level II condition encompassed both the receipt of instructional materials and explicit training for teachers in their underlying theory and use. Further, 19 of the 25 treatment and control teachers were observed during the course of the study to determine the influence of observation of teachers on students' analogical reasoning. Students' performance of an analogy task was compared prior to and following teacher-delivered instruction by means of an analysis of covariance procedure. Results indicated that students in Level II classrooms significantly outperformed Level I students, who significantly outperformed students in Control classrooms. Teacher observation was found to be a significant factor in the performance of Level I, but not Level II or Control, students. In Study Two, teachers participating in two summer programs for gifted preschoolers were taught how to deliver instruction in analogical reasoning to young children, ages three to six. Results demonstrated that children receiving explicit instruction in analogical reasoning scored significantly better on an analogy task than the children assigned to control. No effect for age, race, gender, or Socioeconomic studies were found. Implications of the results of these two studies for educational practice are discussed.     

Quantum Yang-Baxter equation and constant R -matrix over Grassmann algebra

Constant solutions to Yang-Baxter equation are investigated over Grassmann algebra for the case of 6-vertexR-matrix. The general classification of all possible solutions over Grassmann algebra and particular cases with 2,3,4 generators are studied. As distinct from the standard case, whenR-matrix over number field can have a maximum 5 nonvanishing elements, we obtain over Grassmann algebra a set of new full 6-vertex solutions. The solutions leading to regularR-matrices which appear in weak Hopf algebras are considered.     

Analyzing and attempting to overcome prospective teachers’ difficulties during problem-solving instruction

This article analyzes the experiences of prospective secondary mathematics teachers during a teaching methods course, offered prior to their student teaching, but involving actual teaching and reflexive analysis of this teaching. The study focuses on the pedagogical difficulties that arose during their teaching, in which prospective teachers lacked pedagogical content knowledge and skills. It also analyzes the experience of the course itself, which was aimed at scaffolding the work of prospective teachers on developing their pedagogical content knowledge and skills.