A conference proceedings on mathematics education research contained the following keynote addresses: "Doing and Constructing Mathematics in Screen-Space" (Mason); "Students' Understanding of Geometry: Theoretical Perspectives" (Pegg); "The Australian Research Council and its Role in Supporting Education Research"…

This paper reviews the current theory and research on algebra/mathematics word problems. First, the major research findings are identified and summarized along with the theoretical perspectives that produced the research. The findings are then interpreted from the perspectives of traditional and wholetheme approaches. Also, a sample methodology of…

This brief report documents growth in mathematics achievement during the high school years and its relationship to differential course taking in mathematics. Data are taken from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88), which was designed to monitor the transition of the nation's 1988 eighth graders as they progress from junior…

Discusses software for geometric construction, measurement, and calculation, and software for numerical calculation and symbolic analysis that allows for new approaches to the solution of geometric problems. Illustrates these computer-aided graphical, numerical, and algebraic methods of solution and discusses examples using the appropriate choice…

The construct validity of algebra word problems for measuring quantitative reasoning was examined, focusing on an analysis of problem attributes and on the analysis of constructed-response solutions. Constructed-response solutions to 20 problems from the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test were collected from 51 undergraduates.…

A cognitive demands analysis of a learning technology, a term that includes the hardware and the computer software products that form learning environments, attempts to describe the types of cognitive learning expected of the individual by the technology. This paper explores the context of cognitive learning, suggesting five families of cognitive…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as "The Nation's Report Card," is a congressionally mandated survey of educational achievement of American students in a variety of curriculum areas and of changes in that achievement across time. Part 1 of this report consists of the results of NAEP's 1990 national…

This book contains a classroom-tested approach to the teaching of problem solving to all students in Grades 4-6, regardless of ability. Information on problem solving in general is provided, then mathematical problems on logic, whole numbers, number theory, fractions, decimals, geometry, ratio, proportion, percent, probability, sets, and…

Analyzed the role of explanations students provide themselves (self-explanation) in solving word problems. Results from six female ninth graders show how students' categorical self-explanations mediate their transfer from the sequential representation of the problem to the tabular one. (SLD)

This study investigated how different components of teacher/teaching assistant interventions improved or reduced student motivation. The study was part of a larger project in which ethnically diverse students were videotaped during their 5 algebra classes for 6 weeks in their urban public high school. A total of 40 students (10 groups of 4) from 5…

In this conference proceedings the overarching theme of research on teaching and learning mathematics in diverse settings and the subthemes of diversity, constructivism and algebra are achieved in the plenary papers. The plenary papers and authors include "Constructivist, Emergent, and Sociocultural Perspectives in the Context of Developmental…

Over the past 10 years, national conferences and committees investigating the state of American mathematics education have advocated an increased emphasis on problem solving and mathematical modeling situations in the secondary school curriculum. However, little effort has been made to prepare secondary school teachers to use mathematical modeling…

There is evidence that structured cooperative logic is an effective way to introduce or reinforce mathematics concepts, explore thinking processes basic to both math and science, and develop the important social skills of cooperative problem-solving. This book contains a number of cooperative logic activities for grades K-4 in order to improve…

An approach to teaching problem-solving based on using the computer software Mathematica is applied to the study of electrostatics and is compared with the normal approach to the module. Learning outcomes for both approaches were not significantly different. The experimental course successfully addressed a number of misconceptions. Students in the…

Small-group cooperative learning provides an alternative to both traditional whole-class expository instruction and individual instruction systems. The procedures described in this volume are realistic, practical strategies for using small groups in mathematics teaching and learning with methods applicable to all age levels, curriculum levels, and…