Developing models and using mathematics are two key practices in internationally recognized science education standards, such as the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). However, students often struggle with these two intersecting practices, particularly when developing mathematical models about scientific phenomena. Formative…

Over a sixteen-week term, the study dove into how chess could enhance math skills for eleventh graders at three public schools in Cartagena, Colombia. It assumed that chess would sharpen their minds and problem-solving prowess. Seventy-one pupils took part, trying out a chess-centric way of learning. Researchers used multiple statistical…

The conical pendulum provides a rich source of theoretical and computational analysis and the present work presents a seamless continuation of the previous publication. The tension force F[subscript T] and centripetal force F[subscript C] are explored further in linearization analyses and the appropriate slopes are explained. A similar analysis is…

The purpose of this teaching case is to develop a hands-on exercise on graph processing using a hybrid system. The paper provides a background on graph databases and how graph processing is supported in a hybrid system, SAP HANA. It also details step-by-step instructions on how to create, modify, and process a graph database using SAP HANA. The…

In March 2020, near the onset of the COVID-19 related lockdowns, quarantine, and isolation measures being taken worldwide, we noticed an increasing number of graphs, diagrams, images and mathematical models relating to the pandemic posted on our Facebook walls. For the purposes of this paper, we selected a number of these Facebook posts to discuss…

Statistical data is used in the media and on online platforms, often with an interpretation that serves some commercial or political purpose. Primary preservice teachers must be able to understand statistical data and analyze it critically. Only in this way will they be able to contribute as future teachers to the development of a critical spirit…

We used a sequential synthesis problem to investigate novice teachers' conceptual difficulties in hydrodynamics. Twenty-one new secondary level physics teachers from various regions of China, who had been in service for no more than 2 years, participated in the study. Each participant completed a written hydrodynamics problem consisting of four…

The purpose of this study was to examine how an early literacy intervention, Kindergarten Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (K-PALS; Mathes et al. Kindergarten peer-assisted literacy strategies (K-PALS): Sopris West, 2001), can be intensified to extend the positive outcomes to students who do not initially demonstrate an adequate response to…

In this article we present the results of an investigation into semiotic aspects of an introductory differential equations class from two countries. In order to perform a comparative analysis, students in the USA and Tunisia were given common questions on their midterm exams that examined analytical and graphical competencies. Our results indicate…

This paper presents preparations, execution and reflection on results for the physics part of a CSI task for the European Union Science Olympiad 2010, taking place at the University of Gothenburg. The participants were required to make a graph of the cooling of a swede ("Brassica napus"), as a proxy for the cooling of a murder victim,…

There has been a growing awareness that graphing is an essential part of the science curriculum. While much research has focused on student conceptions and abilities regarding graphical representations, only few studies have investigated what teachers think about them and how they use graphs in science class. The purpose of this study is to…

How accurately can final-year students majoring in statistics, physics, and finance label the vertical axis of a normal distribution, explain their label, identify units, and answer a question about the impact of horizontal-axis rescaling? Our survey finds that only 27 out of 148 students surveyed (i.e., 18.2%) could label the vertical axis of the…

In educational research, interesting but irrelevant materials are often considered seductive details, which are suspected to have detrimental effects on learning. Although seductive details have been mostly examined in the context of text comprehension, such elements are also used in graphs (e.g., depicting data points). In the present experiment,…

Manfred Hauben proposes an approach to teaching non-transitive relationships between 'paradoxical' dice using simple statistical graphics. This method usefully supplements traditional approaches of conditional probability calculations and trees, and students are thereby better able to see what is going on and the mechanism of these relationships.

The ability to correctly interpret data is an important skill in modern knowledge societies. The present study investigates adults' ability to interpret covariation data presented in bar graphs. Drawing on previous findings that show that the problem context influences the interpretation of contingency tables (grounded and concrete problems are…