Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
ABSTRACT The main purpose of this study was to examine possible gender differences in how
junior high school students integrate printed texts and diagrams while solving science problems. We
proposed the response style hypothesis and the spatial working memory hypothesis to explain
possible gender differences in the integration process. Eye-tracking technique was used to explore
these hypotheses. The results of eye-movement indices support the response style hypothesis.
Compared to male students, female students spent more time and displayed more fixations in
solving science problems. The female students took more time to read the print texts and compare
the information between print-based texts and visual-based diagrams more frequently during the
problem-solving process than the male students. However, no gender differences were found in the
accuracy of their responses to the science problems or their performances in the spatial working
memory task. Implications for psychological theory and educational practice are discussed.
6 - Progression Towards Functions: Students Performance on Three Tasks About Variables from
Grades 7 to 12
ABSTRACT Identifying and expressing relations between quantities is a key aspect of
understanding and using functions. We are aiming to understand the development of functions
understanding throughout school years in Israel. A survey instrument was developed with teachers
and given to 20 high and average achieving students from each of years 7-11 and to 10 high
achieving students from year 12, a total of 110 students. Our analytical approach is to identify
qualitatively what students appeared to do and whether their approaches led to complete solutions.
We look for progress in understanding variables and relations between them, and we found that
there does not appear to be a strong link between curriculum and informal understandings of
variables and covariation, but there are other strengths.
8 - Relationship Between Language and Concept Science Notebook Scores of English Language
Learners and/or Economically Disadvantaged Students
ABSTRACT Despite research interest in testing the effects of literacy-infused science interventions
in different contexts, research exploring the relationship, if any, between academic language and
conceptual understanding is scant. What little research exists does not include English language
learners (ELLs) and/or economically disadvantaged (ED) student samplesstudents most at risk
academically. This study quantitatively determined if there exists a relationship, and if so, how
strong of a relationship, between ELL and ED students academic language and conceptual
understanding based on science notebook scores used in a larger science and literacy-infused
intervention with a sample of culturally diverse students. The study also considered strengths of
relationships between language and concept science notebook scores within student language status
groups (ELL, former ELL, and English speaking). Correlational analyses noted positive, large, and
significant correlations between students language and concept scores overall, with the largest
correlations for science notebook entries using more academic language. Large correlations also
existed for ELL student entries at the end of the school year. Implications of the findings for future
research and practice in science classrooms including literacy interventions, such as science
notebooks, with populations of culturally diverse students are discussed.
9 - Gender Difference in Teachers Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching in the Context of SingleSex Classrooms
ABSTRACT This study examines gender differences of teachers on their mathematical knowledge
for teaching in the context of single-sex classrooms in Saudi Arabia. A translated version of the
Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) instrument (Learning Mathematics for Teaching
[LMT], 2008) in Number and Operation Content Knowledge (CK) and Knowledge of Content and
Student (KCS) scales were administered to 197 teachers (146 male and 51 female). Two-sample t
test and multiple regression were conducted to compare the two groups and test the effect of teacher
background variables. Female teachers significantly scored better than their male counterpart.
Gender, years of teaching experience, and specialization significantly predicted teachers content
knowledge, F(3, 187) = 13.180, explaining 41.8 % of the variance. Only gender and specialization
significantly predicted teachers knowledge of content and student, F(2, 191) = 6.335, explaining
24.9 % of the variance. Further comparing items in the MKT instrument where female teachers
outperformed male teachers confirmed that female teachers were better in attending to the content
knowledge in the context of students learning.
demand.