Examining the influence of van Hiele theory-based instructional activities on elementary preservice teachers’ geometry knowledge for teaching 2-D shapes

Teaching geometry at the elementary level is challenging. This study examines the impact of van Hiele theory-based instructional activities embedded into an elementary mathematics methods course on preservice teachers’ geometry knowledge for teaching. Pre- and post-assessment data from 111 elementary preservice teachers revealed that van Hiele theory-based instruction can be effective in improving three strands of participants’ geometry knowledge for teaching: geometry content knowledge, knowledge of students’ van Hiele levels, and knowledge of geometry instructional activities. As a result, this paper offers implications for teacher educators and policy makers to better prepare elementary preservice teachers with geometry knowledge for teaching.     

Students’ problem behaviors and teachers’ warmth and demand as predictors of students’ classroom instructional experiences in first grade

The present study utilized both classroom- and student-level observation methods to investigate the relations among first grade students’ (N = 533) problem behaviors and their classroom instructional experiences. Additionally, the role of teachers’ (N = 57) warm demander characteristic, a combination of warmth and responsiveness and classroom control and demand, was considered. Multilevel modeling revealed a positive association between problem behaviors and student time in both teacher-facilitated small-group instruction and off-task, and to less time in types of instruction where students were expected to manage themselves. Interaction effects further indicated that the positive association between problem behaviors and time in teacher-facilitated, small-group instruction only existed when students with more problem behaviors were in classrooms with teachers who were high or average in warm demander characteristic, whereas the opposite pattern existed for students of teachers low in warm demander characteristic. In addition, students of teachers who were high in warm demander characteristic spent less time in disruption/waiting (a main effect), and for these students a positive association between problem behaviors and students’ time in disruption/waiting existed (an interaction effect). Implications for policy, practice, and future research are discussed.     

A multiplicative reasoning assessment for fourth and fifth grade students

Multiplicative reasoning is critical for the development of more advanced mathematical concepts such as fractions and algebra, and therefore is a critical process for teachers and researchers to assess in an effective and efficient manner. Unfortunately, the vast majority of available assessments examine students’ skill with algorithms or memorized facts, with no necessary connection to students’ conceptual understanding of the content. This study reports on the continued development and validation of the Multiplicative Reasoning Assessment (MRA) for elementary grades. Data from 196 fourth and fifth grade students was examined using a Rasch modeling approach. Supplemental data from follow-up clinical interviews was also collected and analyzed. Results provide evidence for the reliability and validity of the MRA. Specifically, findings suggest the assessment adequately assesses students’ multiplicative reasoning, as an alternative to assessments of fact memorization or procedural fluency.     

An abstractive Arabic text summarizer with user controlled granularity

Automated summaries help tackle the ever growing volume of information floating around. There are two broad categories: extract and abstract. In the former we retain the more important sentences more or less in their original structure, while the latter requires a fusion of multiple sentences and/or paraphrasing. This is a more challenging task than extract summaries. In this paper, we present a novel generic abstract summarizer for a single document in Arabic language. The system starts by segmenting the input text topic wise. Then, each textual segment is extractively summarized. Finally, we apply rule-based sentence reduction technique. The RST-based extractive summarizer is an enhanced version of the system in Azmi and Al-Thanyyan (2012). By controlling the size of the extract summary of each segment we can cap the size of the final abstractive summary. Both summarizers, the enhanced extractive and the abstractive, were evaluated. We tested our enhanced extractive summarizer on the same dataset in the aforementioned paper, using the measures recall, precision and Rouge. The results show noticeable improvement in the performance, specially the precision in shorter summaries. The abstractive summarizer was tested on a set of 150 documents, generating summaries of sizes 50%, 40%, 30% and 20% (of the original’s word count). The results were assessed by two human experts who graded them out of a maximum score of 5. The average score ranged between 4.53 and 1.92 for summaries at different granularities, with shorter summaries receiving the lower score. The experimental results are encouraging and demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.     

A psychometric evaluation of the english version of the dimensions of attitudes toward science instrument with a U.S. population of elementary educators

The purpose of this study was to review the development and evolution of the Dimensions of Attitudes toward Science Instrument (DAS), translate the DAS into English, and examine its psychometric properties with a U.S. sample of pre-service and in-service elementary educators. After translation and expert review, the DAS was administered to a sample of 300 U.S. in-service and pre-service teachers. Confirmatory factor analysis and fit indices values supported a seven-factor theoretical model. The entire DAS was found to have good internal consistency. This study confirmed the DAS is a valid instrument for a U.S., English-speaking elementary education teacher population.     

Learners’ motivational response to the Science,PE, & Me! curriculum: A situational interest perspective

BackgroundThe Science, PE, & Me! (SPEM) curriculum is a concept-based physical education curriculum that offers students coherent educational experiences for constructing health-related fitness knowledge through movement experiences. The purpose of this study was to evaluate students’ motivational response to the SPEM curriculum from the situational interest perspective.MethodsThe study used a cluster randomized controlled design in which 30 elementary schools in one of the largest metropolitan areas in the eastern United States were randomly assigned to an experimental or comparison condition. Although all students in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades in the targeted schools were eligible to participate in the study, a random sample of students from the experimental (n = 1749; 15 schools) and comparison groups (n = 1985; 15 schools) provided data. Students’ motivational response to the SPEM curriculum or comparison curriculum was measured using the previously validated Situational Interest Scale–Elementary. Data were analyzed using structural mean modeling.ResultsThe results demonstrated that the experimental group (as reference group) showed significantly higher enjoyment (z = –2.01), challenge (z = –6.54), exploration (z = –12.195), novelty (z = –8.80), and attention demand (z = –7.90) than the comparison group.ConclusionThe findings indicate that the SPEM curriculum created a more situationally interesting context for learning than the comparison physical education curriculum.     

发展与变迁:贵州社会结构六十年

变动过快的民族结构、发展失衡的区域结构、差距拉大的城乡结构、改善有限的就业结构、发展滞后的职业结构,是"两欠"贵州社会结构变迁的本土化特征,表明当前我省社会结构发展尚处在传统型向现代型转变的过渡期,要实现现代社会结构的发展目标,还需走相当漫长的路。     

贵州产业结构与就业结构的协调性分析

从结构相似数看,贵州与上海的产业结构相似数低于全国平均水平,贵州与上海的就业结构相似程度极低;从就业弹性系数看,贵州第一产业对劳动力的依赖性很强,第二和第三产业增长对就业拉动作用较大;从比较劳动生产率看,贵州第二产业的比较劳动生产率大于第三产业,第三产业大于第一产业。     

汉语VO三字格熟语结构语义特点及修辞功能分析

熟语是语言中能独立运用的词汇单位,由习用的词固定组合而成。熟语与现代生活密切相关,既有一定的固定格式,使用时结构简单灵活,又有丰富的修辞信息。现代汉语中有一种通常以"动词+宾语"(VO)格式出现的三字格熟语,掌握其特殊结构语义特点以及修辞信息是提高言语交际效果的重要途径。     

修辞学视野下的现代汉语“V+将+C”结构

在修辞学的理论框架内考察已经淡出语法研究视野的现代汉语语境中的"V+将+C"结构,重点对"将"的意义、结构内部的关系及整体功能进行探讨,可以发现它具有"V着"、"V+了+C"或"V+C"所无法取代的语用和修辞价值。