1 -Gender Differences in Eye Movements in Solving Text-and-Diagram Science Problems

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.

2 - Perspectives on the Origins of Life in Science Textbooks from a Christian Publisher:

Implications for Teaching Science
ABSTRACT This paper presents the results of research regarding approaches to the origin of life
featured in science textbooks produced by an Evangelical publisher. The research nature was
qualitative with document analysis and an interpretive framework based on Epistemological
Pluralism. Overall, the results indicate that there are four perspectives on the origin of life in
textbooks under study. These perspectives do not distinguish scientific knowledge from religious
knowledge but present a hybrid of scientific and religious knowledge. There are scientific
inaccuracies in the perspectives, which emphasize biblical arguments over scientific arguments.
Data analysis and conclusions take into account the central argument of Epistemological Pluralism
about the importance of demarcation of science in relation to other knowledge systems and its
consequences for learning science.
3 - Early Career Mathematics Teachers General Pedagogical Knowledge and Skills: Do Teacher
Education, Teaching Experience, and Working Conditions Make a Difference?
ABSTRACT We examined several facets of general pedagogical knowledge and skills of early
career mathematics teachers, asking how they are associated with characteristics of teacher
education, teaching experience, and working conditions. Declarative general pedagogical
knowledge (GPK) was assessed via a paper-and-pencil test, while early career teachers skills to
perceive and interpret classroom situations were assessed via video-vignettes. Data from a followup study of TEDS-M Germany in 2012 were used, including a sample of 278 early career middle
school teachers of mathematics. While teachers declarative knowledge can be predicted by teacher
education grades, teachers skill to interpret classroom situations presented by videos can be
predicted by their amount of time spent on teaching relative to their overall working time, which is
interpreted as a form of deliberate practice. Different competence profiles of pedagogical
knowledge and skills are identified via latent-class analysis. Besides teaching experience, profiles
are associated with generic teaching challenges (motivating students, disruptive student behaviour)
perceived by the teachers. Implications of findings for professional development of early career
teachers are discussed.

4 - Preface for the Special Issue on Video-Based Research on Teacher Expertise

ABSTRACT Objective and Significance of This Special IssueObjective
The objective of this special issue is to draw on video-based research to model the nature of
mathematics and science teachers expertise. Expertise is understood as experts masterful
performance (Li & Kaiser, 2011a, b, p. 3), which can be conceptualized either as a cognitive
modeling approach that focuses on classroom instruction process or as knowledge system
perspective that tends to specify knowledge components of teachers expertise (Li & Kaiser,
2011a, b, p. 7). Based on this perspective, studies are included that apply complex and innovative
sets of video-based assessment instruments covering characteristics identified as typical for
(teacher) experts, such as knowledge, perception, accuracy, and speed. Video records render a
teachers recorded classroom practice available for assessment. Alternatively, video-based
assessment that require teachers to perceive typical classroom situations presented in video clips are
...

5 - About the Complexities of Video-Based Assessments: Theoretical and Methodological

Approaches to Overcoming Shortcomings of Research on Teachers Competence
ABSTRACT Research on the evaluation of the professional knowledge of mathematics teachers
(comprising for example mathematical content knowledge, mathematics pedagogical content
knowledge and general pedagogical knowledge) has become prominent in the last decade; however,
the development of video-based assessment approaches is a more recent topic. This paper follows
the call for more situated and performance-related ways to assess teacher competence. We discuss
the theoretical and methodological challenges connected to the development of such instruments
and exemplify these by an instrument developed within the follow-up study of the international
Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics (TEDS-M), called TEDS-FU.
Drawing on the novice-expert framework from cognitive psychology allows analysing the structure
and development of mathematics teachers professional competence. More recent concepts on
teacher noticing of classroom situations and students activities are incorporated into this videobased evaluation instrument, which is described in detail in this paper, by assessing perceptual,
interpretative and decision-making skills. Reliability and validity concerns remain an issue of such
assessments for which solutions are proposed. Overall, the paper shows that a more comprehensive
evaluation of teachers competence comprising cognitive-affective and situated facets is possible
and has been achieved.

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.

7 - Teacher Change During Induction: Development of Beginning Primary Teachers Knowledge,

Beliefs and Performance
ABSTRACT Beginning primary teachers knowledge and beliefs were assessed at the end of
teacher education and 4 years later. In addition, they reported about their school context and job
satisfaction and took a video-based assessment on their perception, interpretation, and decisionmaking skills. Research questions were (1) whether we have to deal with a reality shock in that
beginning teachers beliefs change to more traditional ones or whether their knowledge decreases,
(2) whether the school context in terms of appraisal and a climate of trust influences the knowledge
and belief development, and (3) to what extent the beginning teachers knowledge and beliefs
predict their perception, interpretation, and decision-making skills. Data from 231 German primary
teachers in their third year in the profession neither revealed changes of beliefs towards traditional
ones nor a substantial loss in knowledge. In contrast, general pedagogical knowledge (GPK) grew
significantly and beliefs on the nature of mathematics were more dynamic 3 years after teacher
education. Thus, drawbacks are a rare phenomenon in our sample. Those teachers who had
perceived a stronger climate of trust revealed higher content knowledge, pedagogical content
knowledge and GPK as well as more dynamic beliefs. These teachers also revealed significantly
stronger performance-related skills.

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.

10 - Representational Flexibility and Problem-Solving Ability in Fraction and Decimal Number

Addition: A Structural Model
ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to propose and validate a structural model in fraction and
decimal number addition, which is founded primarily on a synthesis of major theoretical approaches
in the field of representations in Mathematics and also on previous research on the learning of
fractions and decimals. The study was conducted among 1701 primary and secondary school
students. Eight components, which all involve representational transformations, were encompassed
under the construct of representational flexibility in fraction and decimal number addition. This
structure reveals that, for both concepts, the representational transformation competences of
recognition and conversion, and therefore representational flexibility as well, were affected by the
complexity of the concepts involved and the direction of the conversion, respectively. Results also
showed that two first-order factors were needed to explain the problem-solving ability in fraction
and decimal number addition, indicating the differential effect of the modes of representation that is
diagrammatic and verbal form on problem-solving ability irrespective of the concepts involved, as
in the case of the conversions. Representational flexibility and problem-solving ability were found
to be major components of students representational thinking of fraction and decimal number
addition. The proposed framework was invariant across the primary and secondary school students.
Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

11- Investigating Upper Secondary School Teachers Conceptions: Is Mathematical Reasoning

Considered Gendered?
ABSTRACT This study examines Swedish upper secondary school teachers gendered conceptions
about students mathematical reasoning: whether reasoning was considered gendered and, if so,
which type of reasoning was attributed to girls and boys. The sample consisted of 62 teachers from
six different schools from four different locations in Sweden. The results showed that boys were
significantly more often attributed to memorised reasoning and delimiting algorithmic reasoning.
Girls were connected to gamiliar algorithmic reasoning, a reasoning type where you use standard
method when solving a mathematical task. Creative mathematical founded reasoning, which is
novel, plausible and founded in mathematical properties, was not considered gendered.

12 - A Qualitative Research on Example Generation Capabilities of University Students

ABSTRACT Examples which are used in exploring a procedure or comprehending/concretizing a
mathematical concept are powerful teaching tools. Generating examples other than conventional
ones is both a means for research and a pedagogical method. The aim of this study is to determine
the transition process between example generation strategies, and the factors affecting success of
the students in generating examples in a Real Analysis course. The participants of the study
consisted of 27 undergraduate mathematics students. At the end of the study, it was observed that
some of the participants used especially the trial and error strategy as an effective step in the
transition to the transformation strategy. Definitions were used by participants as a trigger for
example generation and to reflect on concepts during this process in order to reduce cognitive

demand.

13 - Effects of Modeling Instruction on Descriptive Writing and Observational Skills in Middle

School
ABSTRACT Before science can be completely understood, one of the fundamental skills that must
be developed is observation. Improving descriptive writing and investigating students
observational skills in the classroom is the purpose of this study. The study was designed to
determine if such skills, practiced through modeling activities, serve as a way to improve students
descriptive directional writing skills. Participating in this study were two groups of seventh (N =
12) and eighth graders (N = 12) at a middle school in the Midwest, USA. The students participating
in the study each received a set of materials to construct an item (a 3D object) in an isolated area
within the room for privacy. After constructing the item, the student was to write a set of directions
on how to construct the item that they had made. A second student was then given the same set of
materials along with the first students instructions on how to construct it. This activity was repeated
four times over a 4-week period. Results indicated that over time students made a significant
improvement in their descriptive writing skills and observational skills. Implications of the findings
are discussed in terms of the characteristics of middle school students skills and knowledge of
descriptive writing and observation.

14 - Students Use of Look Back Strategies in Multiple Solution Methods

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between both 9th-grade
and 1st-year undergraduate students use of look back strategies and problem solving
performance in multiple solution methods, the difference in their use of look back strategies and
problem solving performance in multiple solution methods, and the role of look back strategies in
problem solving in multiple solution methods. Data for this study were comprised of 30 9th-grade
and 30 1st-year undergraduate students problem solving scores in multiple solution methods and
their think-aloud protocols. Based on and expanded from Polyas (1973) ideas, look back in the
present study means examination of what was done or learned previously. The results of this
study indicated that both the 9th-grade and 1st-year undergraduate students who looked back more
frequently tended to perform better in multiple solution methods, the 1st-year undergraduate
students tended to look back more frequently and perform better than the 9th-grade students in
multiple solution methods, and both the 9th-grade and 1st-year undergraduate students tended to
review and to compare multiple solution methods in their use of look back strategies.