To investigate student difficulties in solving word problems in algebra, we carried out a teaching experiment involving 51 Indonesian students (12/13 year-old) who used a digital mathematics environment. The findings were backed up by an interview study, in which eighteen students (13/14 year-old) were involved. The perspective of mathematization,…

This study investigated the effects of applying mathematical modeling on revising students' preconception of the process of optimizing area enclosed by a string of a fixed length. A group of 28 high school pre-calculus students were immersed in modeling activity that included direct measurements, data collecting, and formulating algebraic…

Critical to many science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career paths is mathematical modeling--specifically, the creation and adaptation of mathematical models to solve problems in complex settings. Conventional standardized measures of mathematics achievement are not structured to directly assess this type of mathematical…

We report on a project currently in progress that aims to identify through research the range of factors (individual, school and out-of-school, including home) and their interactions that influence post-16 (i.e. post-compulsory) participation in mathematics and physics in the UK and to assess their relative importance among different student…

The purpose of this study was to examine the variables which influence a high school student to enroll in an engineering discipline versus a physical science discipline. Data was collected utilizing the High School Activities, Characteristics, and Influences Survey, which was administered to students who were freshmen in an engineering or physical…

This project was designed to: (1) examine the use of the computer as a tool for simulation; (2) let students gather data, analyze hypotheses, and explore algorithms; and (3) explore the potential of high resolution graphics and large memory that will characterize the microcomputers of the 1980s. Prototypes for three different computer-based…

Presents an activity in which students collect and organize data from a real-world simulation of the scientific concept of half life. Students collect data using a marble sifter, analyze the data using a graphing calculator, and determine an appropriate mathematical model. Includes reproducible worksheets. (MDH)

Solves the problem of the reproduction of rabbit pairs utilizing the Fibonacci sequence. Examines modified versions of the problem, and presents a vignette of one modification based on the author's experience in using the approach with preservice middle school teachers. Extends the approach to other related problems. (MDH)

The "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics" (1989) provides a vision and a framework for revising and strengthening the K-12 mathematics curriculum in North American schools and for evaluating both the mathematics curriculum and students' progress. The document not only addresses what mathematics students should…

The "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics" (1989) provides a vision and a framework for revising and strengthening the K-12 mathematics curriculum in North American schools and for evaluating both the mathematics curriculum and students' progress. The document not only addresses what mathematics students should…

The 1989 document, "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics," provides a vision and a framework for revising and strengthening the K-12 mathematics curriculum in North American schools and for evaluating both the mathematics curriculum and students' progress. This book, one in a series designed to interpret and…