Search results for: mathematics problem solving

Authors: Pei Chin Lim

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School of Mathematics and Science of Singapore Polytechnic offers a Basic Mathematics module to students who did not pass GCE O-Level Additional Mathematics. These students are weaker in Mathematics. In particular, they struggle with word problems and tend to leave them blank in tests and examinations. In order to improve students’ problem-solving skills, the school redesigned the Basic Mathematics module to incorporate Polya’s problem-solving methodology. During tutorial lessons, students have to work through learning activities designed to raise their metacognitive awareness by following Polya’s problem-solving process. To assess the effectiveness of the redesign, students’ working for a challenging word problem in the mid-semester test were analyzed. Sixty-five percent of students attempted to understand the problem by making sketches. Twenty-eight percent of students went on to devise a plan and implement it. Only five percent of the students still left the question blank. These preliminary results suggest that with regular exposure to an explicit and systematic problem-solving approach, weak students’ problem-solving skills can potentially be improved.

Keywords: mathematics education, metacognition, problem solving, weak students

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Authors: Temitayo Ogunsanwo

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Problem-solving is an important way of learning way of learning because it propels children to use previous experiences to deal with new situations. The purpose of this study is to find out the attitude of pre-service teachers to problem-solving as a strategy for promoting early mathematics learning in children. This qualitative study employed a descriptive design to investigate the experiences of twenty second-year undergraduate early childhood education Pre-service teachers in a teaching practice and their attitude towards five-year-old children’s problem-solving strategies in mathematics. Pre-service teachers were exposed to different strategies for teaching children how to solve problems in mathematics. They were taken through a micro teaching in class using different strategies to teach problem-solving in different topics in the five-year-old mathematics curriculum. The students were then made to teach five-year-olds in neighbouring schools for three weeks, working in pairs, observing and recording children’s problem-solving activities and strategies. After the three weeks exercise, their experiences and attitude towards children’s problem-solving strategies were collected using open-ended questions and analysed in themes. Findings were discussed.

Keywords: attitude, early mathematics learning, experience, pre-service teachers, problem-solving, strategies

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Authors: Akintunde O. Osibamowo, Abdulrasaq O. Olusanya

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The present study was designed to examine the effect of problem-solving approach as a medium of instruction in teaching and learning of mathematics to improve the achievement of the student. One Hundred (100) students were randomly chosen from five (5) Junior Secondary School in Ijebu-Ode Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria. The data was collected through Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT) on the two groups (experimental and control group). The study confirmed that there is a significant different in the achievement of students exposed to problem-solving approach than those not exposed. The result also indicated that male students, however, had a greater mean-score than the female with no significant difference in their achievement. The result of the study supports the use of problem-solving approach in the teaching and learning of mathematics in secondary schools.

Keywords: problem, achievement, teaching phases, experimental control

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Authors: Kamariah Abu Bakar, Jennifer Way

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This study investigated how young children (six years old) constructed and used representations in mathematics classroom; particularly in problem solving. The purpose of this study is to explore the ways children used representations in solving addition problems and to determine whether their representations can play a supportive role in understanding the problem situation and solving them correctly. Data collection includes observations, children’s artifact, photographs and conversation with children during task completion. The results revealed that children were able to construct and use various representations in solving problems. However, they have certain preferences in generating representations to support their problem solving.

Keywords: young children, representations, addition, problem solving

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Authors: Theresa Marie Miller, Ma. Nympha Joaquin

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The aim of this study was to check the predictive power of social-oriented and individual-oriented achievement motivation on student engagement and collaborative problem-solving skills in mathematics. A sample of 277 fourth year high school students from the Philippines were selected. Surveys and videos of collaborative problem solving activity were used to collect data from respondents. The mathematics teachers of the participants were interviewed to provide qualitative support on the data. Systemaitc correlation and regression analysis were employed. Results of the study showed that achievement motivations−SOAM and IOAM− linearly predicted student engagement but was not significantly associated to the collaborative problem-solving skills in mathematics. Student engagement correlated positively with collaborative problem-solving skills in mathematics. The results contribute to theorizing about the predictive power of achievement motivations, SOAM and IOAM on the realm of academic behaviors and outcomes as well as extend the understanding of collaborative problem-solving skills of 21st century learners.

Keywords: achievement motivation, collaborative problem-solving skills, individual-oriented achievement motivation, social-oriented achievement motivation, student engagement

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Authors: Keng Keh Lim, Zaleha Ismail, Yudariah Mohammad Yusof

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This paper aims to find out how students using convergent and divergent thinking in creative problem solving to solve mathematical problems creatively. Eight engineering undergraduates in a local university took part in this study. They were divided into two groups. They solved the mathematical problems with the use of creative problem solving skills. Their solutions were collected and analyzed to reveal all the processes of problem solving, namely: problem definition, ideas generation, ideas evaluation, ideas judgment, and solution implementation. The result showed that the students were able to solve the mathematical problem with the use of creative problem solving skills.

Keywords: convergent thinking, divergent thinking, creative problem solving, creativity

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Authors: A. Giannakopoulos, S. B. Buckley

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Problem solving in any field is recognised as a prerequisite for any advancement in knowledge. For example in South Africa it is one of the seven critical outcomes of education together with critical thinking. As a systematic way to problem solving was initiated in mathematics by the great mathematician George Polya (the father of problem solving), more detailed and comprehensive ways in problem solving have been developed. This paper is based on the findings by the author and subsequent recommendations for further research in problem solving and critical thinking. Although the study was done in mathematics, there is no doubt by now in almost anyone’s mind that mathematics is involved to a greater or a lesser extent in all fields, from symbols, to variables, to equations, to logic, to critical thinking. Therefore it stands to reason that mathematical principles and learning cannot be divorced from any field. In management of knowledge situations, the types of problems are similar to mathematics problems varying from simple to analogical to complex; from well-structured to ill-structured problems. While simple problems could be solved by employees by adhering to prescribed sequential steps (the process), analogical and complex problems cannot be proceduralised and that diminishes the capacity of the organisation of knowledge creation and innovation. The low efficiency in some organisations and the low pass rates in mathematics prompted the author to view problem solving as a product. The authors argue that using mathematical approaches to knowledge management problem solving and treating problem solving as a product will empower the employee through further training to tackle analogical and complex problems. The question the authors asked was: If it is true that problem solving and critical thinking are indeed basic skills necessary for advancement of knowledge why is there so little literature of knowledge management (KM) about them and how they are connected and advance KM?This paper concludes with a conceptual model which is based on general accepted principles of knowledge acquisition (developing a learning organisation), knowledge creation, sharing, disseminating and storing thereof, the five pillars of knowledge management (KM). This model, also expands on Gray’s framework on KM practices and problem solving and opens the doors to a new approach to training employees in general and domain specific areas problems which can be adapted in any type of organisation.

Keywords: critical thinking, knowledge management, mathematics, problem solving

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Authors: Sharon K. O'Kelley

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At the heart of mathematics education is the concept of communication which many teachers envision as the influential dialogue they conduct with their students. However, communication in the mathematics classroom operates in different forms at different levels, both externally and internally. Specifically, it can be a central component in the building of critical thinking skills that requires students not only to know how to communicate their solutions to others but that they also be able to navigate their own thought processes in search of those solutions. This paper provides a review of research on the role of communication in the building of critical thinking skills in mathematics with a focus on the problem-solving process and the implications this interplay has for the teaching and learning of mathematics.

Keywords: communication in mathematics, critical thinking skills, mathematics education, problem-solving process

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Authors: Asia Majeed

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The learning of mathematics in science, engineering and social science programs can be enhanced through practical problem-solving techniques. The instructors can design their lessons with some strategies to improve students’ educational needs and accomplishments in mathematics classrooms. The use of technology in class problem solving and application sessions can enhance deep understanding of mathematics among students. As mathematician, we believe in subject specific and content-driven teaching methods. Through technology the relationship between the physical problems and the mathematical models can be analyzed. This paper is about selective use of technology in mathematics classrooms and helpful to others mathematics instructors who wishes to improve their traditional teaching techniques to improve students’ attitude in learning mathematics. These techniques corpus can be used in teaching large mathematics classes in science, technology, engineering, and social science.

Keywords: attitude in learning mathematics, mathematics, non-mathematics undergraduate students, technology

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Authors: Carol Okigbo

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Mathematical problem solving has long been accorded an important place in mathematics curricula at every education level in both advanced and emerging economies. Its classroom approaches have varied, such as teaching for problem-solving, teaching about problem-solving, and teaching mathematics through problem-solving. It requires engaging in tasks for which the solution methods are not eminent, making sense of problems and persevering in solving them by exhibiting processes, strategies, appropriate attitude, and adequate exposure. Teachers play important roles in helping students acquire competency in problem-solving; thus, they are expected to be good problem-solvers and have proper conceptions of problem-solving. Studies show that teachers’ conceptions influence their decisions about what to teach and how to teach. Therefore, how teachers view their roles in teaching problem-solving will depend on their pedagogical conceptions of problem-solving. If teaching problem-solving is a major component of secondary school mathematics instruction, as recommended by researchers and mathematics educators, then it is necessary to establish teachers’ conceptions, what they do, and how they approach problem-solving. This study is designed to determine secondary school teachers’ conceptions regarding mathematical problem solving, its current situation, how teachers’ conceptions relate to their demographics, as well as the interaction patterns in the mathematics classroom. There have been many studies of mathematics problem solving, some of which addressed teachers’ conceptions using single-method approaches, thereby presenting only limited views of this important phenomenon. To address the problem more holistically, this study adopted an integrated mixed methods approach which involved a quantitative survey, qualitative analysis of open-ended responses, and ethnographic observations of teachers in class. Data for the analysis came from a random sample of 327 secondary school mathematics teachers in two Nigerian states - Anambra State and Enugu State who completed a 45-item questionnaire. Ten of the items elicited demographic information, 11 items were open-ended questions, and 25 items were Likert-type questions. Of the 327 teachers who responded to the questionnaires, 37 were randomly selected and observed in their classes. Data analysis using ANOVA, t-tests, chi-square tests, and open coding showed that the teachers had different conceptions about problem-solving, which fall into three main themes: practice on exercises and word application problems, a process of solving mathematical problems, and a way of teaching mathematics. Teachers reported that no period is set aside for problem-solving; typically, teachers solve problems on the board, teach problem-solving strategies, and allow students time to struggle with problems on their own. The result shows a significant difference between male and female teachers’ conception of problems solving, a significant relationship among teachers’ conceptions and academic qualifications, and teachers who have spent ten years or more teaching mathematics were significantly different from the group with seven to nine years of experience in terms of their conceptions of problem-solving.

Keywords: conceptions, education, mathematics, problem solving, teacher

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Authors: Verónica Díaz Quezada

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The importance given to the development of the problem solving skill and the requirement to solve problems framed in mathematical or real life contexts, in practice, they are not evidence in relation to the teaching of proportional variations. This qualitative and descriptive study aims to (1) to improve problem solving ability of high school students in Chile, (ii) to elaborate and describe a didactic intervention strategy based on learning situations in proportional variations, focused on solving types of routine problems of various contexts and non-routine problems. For this purpose, participant observation was conducted, test of mathematics problems and an opinion questionnaire to thirty-six high school students. Through the results, the highest academic performance is evidenced in the routine problems of purely mathematical context, realistic, fantasy context, and non-routine problems, except in the routine problems of real context and compound proportionality problems. The results highlight the need to consider in the curriculum different types of problems in the teaching of mathematics that relate the discipline to everyday life situations

Keywords: algebra, high school, proportion variations, nonroutine problem solving, routine problem solving

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Authors: Veronica Diaz Quezada

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A study and its preliminary results are presented. The research is descriptive and exploratory and it is still in process. Its objective is to develop an assessment method in the field of fostering values using competence mathematics problem solving. This is part of a more extensive research that aims at contributing to educational integration in Latin America, particularly to the development of proposals to link education for citizenship and the mathematics lessons. This is being carried out by research teams of University of Barcelona-España; University Nacional of Costa Rica; University Autónoma of Querétaro-México; Pontificia University Católica of Perú, University Nacional of Villa María- Argentina and University of Los Lagos-Chile, in the context of Andrés Bello Chair for the Association of Latin American Universities. This research was developed and implemented in Chile in 2016, using mixed research methods. It included interviews and a problem-solving math test with ethical values that was administered to students of the secondary education of the regions of Los Ríos and of the Lakes of Chile. The results show the lack of integration between the teaching of values and science discipline.

Keywords: citizenchip, ethical values, mathematics, secondary school, solving problem

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Authors: M. Rodionov, Z. Dedovets

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The level and type of student academic motivation are the key factors in their development and determine the effectiveness of their education. Improving motivation is very important with regard to courses on middle school mathematics. This article examines the general position regarding the practice of academic motivation. It also examines the particular features of mathematical problem solving in a school setting.

Keywords: teaching strategy, mathematics, motivation, student

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Authors: Laissa Mae Francisco, John Rolex Ingreso, Anna Krizel Menguito, Criselda Robrigado, Rej Maegan Tuazon

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This study aims to determine and describe the existing relationship between number sense proficiency and problem-solving performance of grade seven students from Victorino Mapa High School, Manila. A paper pencil exam containing of 50-item number sense test and 5-item problem-solving test which measures their number sense proficiency and problem-solving performance adapted from McIntosh, Reys, and Bana were used as the research instruments. The data obtained from this study were interpreted and analyzed using the Pearson – Product Moment Coefficient of Correlation to determine the relationship between the two variables. It was found out that students who were low in number sense proficiency tend to be the students with poor problem-solving performance and students with medium number sense proficiency are most likely to have an average problem-solving performance. Likewise, students with high number sense proficiency are those who do excellently in problem-solving performance.

Keywords: number sense, performance, problem solving, proficiency

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Authors: Veronica Diaz Quezada

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In this article, the performance and errors are featured and analysed in the limit problems solving of a real-valued function, in correspondence to competency-based education in engineering careers, in the south of Chile. The methodological component is contextualised in a qualitative research, with a descriptive and explorative design, with elaboration, content validation and application of quantitative instruments, consisting of two parallel forms of open answer tests, based on limit application problems. The mathematical competences and errors made by students from five engineering careers from a public University are identified and characterized. Results show better performance only to solve routine-context problem-solving competence, thus they are oriented towards a rational solution or they use a suitable problem-solving method, achieving the correct solution. Regarding errors, most of them are related to techniques and the incorrect use of theorems and definitions of real-valued function limits of real variable.

Keywords: engineering education, errors, limits, mathematics competences, problem solving

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Authors: Hashini E. Mohottala

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We report the combine use of Wikispaces (WikiS) and Group Problem Solving (GPS) sessions conducted in the introductory level physics classes. As a part of this new teaching tool, some essay type problems were posted on the WikiS in weekly basis and students were encouraged to participate in problem solving without providing numerical final answers but the steps. Wikispace is used as a platform for students to meet online and create discussions. Each week students were further evaluated on problem solving skills opening up more opportunity for peer interaction through GPS. Each group was given a different problem to solve and the answers were graded. Students developed a set of skills in decision-making, problem solving, communication, negotiation, critical and independent thinking and teamwork through the combination of WikiS and GPS.

Keywords: group problem solving (GPS), wikispace (WikiS), physics education, learning

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Authors: Sarwat Sultan, Shahzad Gul

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This study was carried out to see the mediating role of problem solving styles (sensing, intuitive, feeling, and thinking) in the predictive relationship of gratitude with subjective well-being. A sample of 454 college students aged 20-26 years old participated in this study and provided data on the measures of gratitude, problem solving styles, and subjective well-being. Results indicated the significant relationships of gratitude with subjective well-being and problem solving styles of intuitive and thinking. Results further indicated the positive link of intuitive and thinking styles with subjective well-being. Findings also provided the evidence for the significant mediating role of problem solving styles in the relationship of gratitude with subjective well-being. The implication for this study is likely to enhance the medium to long term effects of gratitude on subjective well-being among students and as well as assessing its value in promoting psychological health and problem solving strategies among students.

Keywords: gratitude, subjective well-being, problem solving styles, college students

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Authors: M. Rodionov, Z. Dedovets

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This article discusses plausible reasoning use for solution to practical problems. Such reasoning is the major driver of motivation and implementation of mathematical, scientific and educational research activity. A general, practical problem solving algorithm is presented which includes an analysis of specific problem content to build, solve and interpret the underlying mathematical model. The author explores the role of practical problems such as the stimulation of students' interest, the development of their world outlook and their orientation in the modern world at the different stages of learning mathematics in secondary school. Particular attention is paid to the characteristics of those problems which were systematized and presented in the conclusions.

Keywords: mathematics, motivation, secondary school, student, practical problem

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Authors: B. Özlük, A. Karaaslan

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This study has been conducted as a supplementary and relationship seeking study with the purpose of measuring the tendency and success of support among peers amid nursing students studying at university in solving interpersonal problems. The population of the study (N:279) is comprised of nursing students who are studying at one state and one private university in the province of Konya, while its sample is comprised of 231 nursing students who agreed to take part in the study voluntarily. As a result of this study, it has been determined that the peer support and interpersonal problem solving characteristics among students were at medium levels and that the interpersonal problem solving skills of students studying in the third year were higher than those of first and second year students. While the interpersonal problem solving characteristics of students who are aged 20 and over were found to be higher, no difference could be determined in terms of the interpersonal problem solving skills and tendencies among students, based on their gender and where they reside. A positive – to a medium degree – and significant relationship was determined between peer support and interpersonal problem solving skills, and it is possible to say that as peer support increases, so do the skills and tendencies to solve problems.

Keywords: nursing students, peer support, interpersonal problem, problem solving

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Authors: Rex C. Apillanes, Ana Rubi L. Sereño, Ellen Joy L. Palangan

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The main objective of this action research is to know the effectiveness of the compendium on Contextualized Story Word Problem in Mathematics used as an intervention material to enhance the comprehension and problem-solving skills of Grade 4 pupils. This also addresses the competencies outlined in the curriculum guide while, at the same time, providing instructional material which the pupils can work on and practice solving word problems. The twelve randomly selected grade four pupils of Mantuyom Elementary School have been chosen as respondents for this action research in consideration of their consent and approval. A Pre-Test and a Post-test have been given to the pupils to determine their baseline proficiency level in four fundamental operations. The data has been statistically treated using a T-test to determine their difference. At a mean score of 13.42 and 16.83 for pre and post-tests, respectively, the p-value of 0.000620816 reflects a highly significant difference for the pre-test and post-test. This is lesser than the 0.05 level of significance (p≤0.05). Therefore, it is found that the compendium of contextualized story word problems is an efficient instructional material for Mathematics 4, yet; it is recommended that a Parents’ User Guide shall be developed to assist the parents in the conduct of the Remediation, Reinforcement and Enhancement (RRE).

Keywords: action research, compendium, contextualized, story, word problem, research, intervention

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Authors: Mahmoud Lot

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In this article, we will discuss the solution of elliptic optimal control problem. First, by using the nite element method, we obtain the discrete form of the problem. The obtained discrete problem is actually a large scale constrained optimization problem. Solving this optimization problem with traditional methods is difficult and requires a lot of CPU time and memory. But split Bergman method converts the constrained problem to an unconstrained, and hence it saves time and memory requirement. Then we use the split Bregman method for solving this problem, and examples show the speed and accuracy of split Bregman methods for solving these types of problems. We also use the SQP method for solving the examples and compare with the split Bregman method.

Keywords: Split Bregman Method, optimal control with elliptic partial differential equation constraint, finite element method

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Authors: Chui Ka Shing

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This case study research attempts to examine the use of the Bar Model Method approach in learning and teaching mathematics in a primary school in Hong Kong. The objectives of the study are to find out to what extent (a) the Bar Model Method approach enhances the construction of students’ mathematics concepts, and (b) the school-based mathematics curriculum development with adopting the Bar Model Method approach. This case study illuminates the effectiveness of using the Bar Model Method to solve mathematics problems from Primary 1 to Primary 6. Some effective pedagogies and assessments were developed to strengthen the use of the Bar Model Method across year levels. Suggestions including school-based curriculum development for using Bar Model Method and further study were discussed.

Keywords: bar model method, curriculum development, mathematics education, problem solving

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Authors: Tajinder Pal Singh

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Teaching of mathematics to engineering students is an open ended problem in education. The main goal of mathematics learning for engineering students is the ability of applying a wide range of mathematical techniques and skills in their engineering classes and later in their professional work. Most of the undergraduate engineering students and faculties feels that no efforts and attempts are made to demonstrate the applicability of various topics of mathematics that are taught thus making mathematics unavoidable for some engineering faculty and their students. The lack of understanding of concepts in engineering mathematics may hinder the understanding of other concepts or even subjects. However, for most undergraduate engineering students, mathematics is one of the most difficult courses in their field of study. Most of the engineering students never understood mathematics or they never liked it because it was too abstract for them and they could never relate to it. A right balance of application and concept based teaching can only fulfill the objectives of teaching mathematics to engineering students. It will surely improve and enhance their problem solving and creative thinking skills. In this paper, some practical (informal) ways of making mathematics-teaching application based for the engineering students is discussed. An attempt is made to understand the present state of teaching mathematics in engineering colleges. The weaknesses and strengths of the current teaching approach are elaborated. Some of the causes of unpopularity of mathematics subject are analyzed and a few pragmatic suggestions have been made. Faculty in mathematics courses should spend more time discussing the applications as well as the conceptual underpinnings rather than focus solely on strategies and techniques to solve problems. They should also introduce more ‘word’ problems as these problems are commonly encountered in engineering courses. Overspecialization in engineering education should not occur at the expense of (or by diluting) mathematics and basic sciences. The role of engineering education is to provide the fundamental (basic) knowledge and to teach the students simple methodology of self-learning and self-development. All these issues would be better addressed if mathematics and engineering faculty join hands together to plan and design the learning experiences for the students who take their classes. When faculties stop competing against each other and start competing against the situation, they will perform better. Without creating any administrative hassles these suggestions can be used by any young inexperienced faculty of mathematics to inspire engineering students to learn engineering mathematics effectively.

Keywords: application based learning, conceptual learning, engineering mathematics, word problem

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Authors: Juanita Morris

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The purpose of this study will examine the mediating relationships between the theories of intelligence, mathematics anxiety, gender stereotype threat, meta-cognition and math performance through the use of eye tracking technology, affecting student perception and problem-solving abilities. The participants will consist of (N=80) female graduate students. Test administered were the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale, Tobii Eye Tracking software, gender stereotype threat through Google images, and they will be asked to describe their problem-solving approach allowed to measure metacognition. Participants will be administered mathematics problems while having gender stereotype threat shown to them through online images while being directed to look at the eye tracking software Tobii. We will explore this by asking ‘Is mathematics anxiety associated with the theories of intelligence and gender stereotype threat and how does metacognition and math performance place a role in mediating those perspectives?’. It is hypothesized that math-anxious students are more likely affected by the gender stereotype threat and that may play a role in their performance? Furthermore, we also want to explore whether math anxious students are more likely to be an entity theorist than incremental theorist and whether those who are math anxious will be more likely to be fixated on variables associated with coefficients? Path analysis and independent samples t-test will be used to generate results for this study. We hope to conclude that both the theories of intelligence and metacognition mediate the relationship between mathematics anxiety and gender stereotype threat.

Keywords: math anxiety, emotions, affective domains fo learning, cognitive underlinings

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Authors: Mihir Halder

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The main aim and objective of the eighteen-month long Diploma in Primary Education (DPED) teacher education training course for in-service primary teachers in Bangladesh is to acquire professional knowledge as well as make them proficient in professional practice. The training, therefore, introduces a variety of theoretical and practical approaches as well as some professional development activities—lesson study being one of them. But, in the field of mathematics teaching, even after implementing the lesson study method, the desired practical teaching skills of the teachers have not been developed. In addition, elementary students also remain quite raw in mathematics. Although there have been various studies to solve the problem, the need for the teachers' views on mathematical ideas has not been taken into consideration. The researcher conducted the research to find out the cause of the discussed problem. In this case, two teams of nine DPED trainee teachers and two instructors conducted two lesson studies in two schools located in the city and town of Khulna Province, Bangladesh. The researcher observed group lesson planning by trainee teachers, followed by a trainee teacher teaching the planned lesson plan to an actual mathematics classroom, and finally, post-teaching reflective discussion in each lesson study. Two DPED instructors acted as mentors in the lesson study. DPED trainee teachers and instructors were asked about mathematical concepts and classroom practices through questionnaires as well as videotaped mathematics classroom teaching. For this study, the DPED mathematics course, curriculum, and assessment activities were analyzed. In addition, the mathematics lesson plans prepared by the trainee teachers for the lesson study and their pre-teaching and post-teaching reflective discussions were analyzed by some analysis categories and rubrics. As a result, it was found that the trainee teachers' views of mathematics are not mature, and therefore, their mathematics teaching practice is not appropriate. Therefore, in order to improve teachers' mathematics teaching, the researcher recommended including some action-oriented aspects in each phase of mathematics lesson study in DPED—for example, emphasizing mathematics concepts of the trainee teachers, preparing appropriate teaching materials, presenting lessons using the problem-solving method, using revised rubrics for assessing mathematics lesson study, etc.

Keywords: mathematics lesson study, knowledge of mathematics, knowledge of teaching mathematics, teachers' views

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Authors: Areej Isam Barham

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The implementation of Japanese lesson study approach in the mathematics classroom has been grown worldwide as a model of professional development for teachers. In Qatar, the implementation of IMPULS-QU lesson study program aimed to establish a robust organizational improvement model of professional development for mathematics teachers in Qatar schools. This study describes the implementation of a lesson study model at Al-Markhyia Independent Primary School through different stages; and discusses how the planning process, the research lesson, and the post discussion participates in providing teachers and researchers with a successful research lesson for teacher professional development. The research followed a case study approach in one mathematics classroom. Two teachers and one professional development specialist participated the planning process. One teacher conducted the research lesson study by introducing a problem solving related to the concept of the ‘Mean’ in a mathematics class, 21 students in grade 6 participated in solving the mathematic problem, 11 teachers, 4 professional development specialists, and 4 mathematics professors observed the research lesson. All previous participants except the students participated in a pre and post-lesson discussion within this research. This study followed a qualitative research approach by analyzing the collected data through different stages in the research lesson study. Observation, field notes, and semi-structured interviews conducted to collect data to achieve the research aims. One feature of this lesson study research is that this research describes the implementation for a lesson study as a new experience for one mathematics teacher and 21 students after 3 years of conducting IMPULS-QU project in Al-Markhyia school. The research describes various stages through the implementation of this lesson study model starting from the planning process and ending by the post discussion process. Findings of the study also address the impact of lesson study approach in teaching mathematics for the development of teachers from their point views. Results of the study show the benefits of using lesson study from the point views of participated teachers, theory perceptions about the essential features of lesson study, and their needs for future development. The discussion of the study addresses different features and issues related to the implementation of IMPULS-QU lesson study model in the mathematics classroom. In the light of the study, the research presents recommendations and suggestions for future professional development.

Keywords: lesson study, mathematics education, mathematics teaching experience, teacher professional development

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Authors: Noppadon Phumeechanya, Panita Wannapiroon

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The purpose of this research is to design the ubiquitous scaffold learning environment using problem-based learning activities that enhance problem-solving skills and context awareness, and to evaluate the suitability of the ubiquitous scaffold learning environment using problem-based learning activities. We divide the research procedures into two phases. The first phase is to design the ubiquitous scaffold learning environment using problem-based learning activities, and the second is to evaluate the ubiquitous scaffold learning environment using problem-based learning activities. The sample group in this study consists of five experts selected using the purposive sampling method. We analyse data by arithmetic mean and standard deviation. The research findings are as follows; the ubiquitous scaffold learning environment using problem-based learning activities consists of three major steps, the first is preparation before learning. This prepares learners to acknowledge details and learn through u-LMS. The second is the learning process, where learning activities happen in the ubiquitous learning environment and learners learn online with scaffold systems for each step of problem solving. The third step is measurement and evaluation. The experts agree that the ubiquitous scaffold learning environment using problem-based learning activities is highly appropriate.

Keywords: ubiquitous learning environment scaffolding, learning activities, problem-based learning, problem-solving skills, context awareness

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Authors: Nurwati Djaman, Suradi Tahmir, Nurdin Arsyad

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The major objective of this study was to implement and evaluate the use of the implementation of social responsibility with the approach of Indonesian Realistic Mathematics Education (PMRI) in teaching and learning mathematics on students’ engagement and learning. The research problems investigated in this research: 1) What were the effects of the implementation of social responsibility with PMRI approach to learning mathematics? 2) What were the effects of the approach to students’ engagement? An action research and grounded theory methodology were adopted for the study. This study used mixed methods to collect, describe, and interpret the data. The data were collected through focus group discussion, classroom observations, questionnaire, interview, and students’ work. The participants in this study consisted of 45 students. The study revealed that the approach has given students the opportunity to develop their understanding of concepts and procedures, problem-solving ability, and communication ability. Also, students’ involvement in the approach improved their engagement in learning mathematics in the three domains of cognitive engagement, effective engagement, and behavioral engagement. In particular, the data collection from the focus group, classroom observations, and interviews suggest that, during this study, the students became more active participants in the mathematics lessons.

Keywords: Indonesian Realistic Mathematics Education, PMRI, learning mathematics, social responsibility, students' engagement

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Authors: Gizem Akcan, Erdinc Ozturk

Abstract:

When it is examined as historically, it has caught attention that homosexual people try to behave as heterosexual or come out to have a place in community. Homosexual people have identity confusion during identity development, they have high levels of need for absolute truth and their psychological well being is affected negatively because of high levels of need for absolute truth and they have problems about self concept clarity. People who have problems about self concept clarity have problems on problem solving and show lots of symptoms of stress. People who have clear self concept use healthier coping strategies to solve problems. The purpose of this study is to show whether need for absolute truth predicts problem solving and symptoms of stress via mediator effect of self concept clarity or not on homosexual men. The participants of this study were 200 homosexual men. The ages of participants were 20-50. In addition, Demographic Information Form, Self Concept Clarity Scale, Need for Absolute Truth Scale, Stres Self-Assessment Checklist and Problem Solving Inventory were applied to the participants. The assessment of the data was made with confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling analysis. According to the results of this study, need for absolute truth predicts problem solving and symptoms of stress via mediator effect of self concept clarity on homosexual men.

Keywords: need for absolute truth, self concept clarity, symptoms of stress, problem solving

Procedia PDF Downloads 197

Authors: Sourabh Joshi, Tarun Sharma, Anurag Sharma

Abstract:

Ant Colony Optimization is heuristic Algorithm which has been proven a successful technique applied on number of combinatorial optimization problems. Two variants of Ant Colony Optimization algorithm named Ant System and Max-Min Ant System are implemented in MATLAB to solve travelling Salesman Problem and the results are compared. In, this paper both systems are analyzed by solving the some Travelling Salesman Problem and depict which system solve the problem better in term of cost and time.

Keywords: Ant Colony Optimization, Travelling Salesman Problem, Ant System, Max-Min Ant System

Procedia PDF Downloads 446