Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Comparison Of Piaac And Pisa Frameworks For Numeracy And Mathematical Literacy, Iddo Gal, David Tout

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)

This paper describes key aspects of the frameworks for the assessment of adult numeracy and mathematical literacy in PIAAC and PISA, which are OECD two flagship programs for international comparative assessment of competencies. The paper examines commonalities and differences in how the constructs of adult numeracy and mathematical literacy were assessed in PIAAC and PISA, and sketches selected challenges associated with interpretation of results from these surveys.

Learning And Fearing Mathematics : Insights From Psychology And Neuroscience, Sarah Buckley, Kate Reid

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Concurrent Session Block 2

A Teacher's Guide To Pisa Scientific Literacy, Sue Thomson, Kylie Hillman, Lisa De Bortoli

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australia

This report focuses on Australian students' performance on the PISA items that have been released in Scientific Literacy. It includes an overview of the PISA Scientific Literacy Framework, Australian students' results in the 2006 international assessment, examples of responses and marking guides and the context behind achievement, e.g. attitudes, engagement and motivation, and recognition of environmental issues.

A Teacher's Guide To Pisa Mathematical Literacy, Sue Thomson, Kylie Hillman, Lisa De Bortoli

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australia

This report focuses on mathematical literacy and is one of a series of three reports on Australian students' performance in PISA. The report provides an overview of the PISA mathematics framework and Australia's results in the PISA 2003 international assessment. Also included are mathematics items released for public viewing after the PISA 2003 assessment and examples of responses, marking guides and comparisons of results with other countries. The context behind achievement, e.g. attitudes, engagement and learning strategies, is also presented.

Deconstructing Maths Anxiety: Helping Students To Develop A Positive Attitude Towards Learning Maths, Sarah Buckley

Student learning processes

Higher maths ability is often believed to go hand-in-hand with greater levels of general intelligence. At the same time, many students have a negative attitude towards maths. Maths anxiety is defined in the research literature as feelings of concern, tension or nervousness that are experienced in combination with maths. In 2005, researchers in the United States estimated that approximately 20 per cent of the US population were highly maths anxious. Given the cultural similarities between the US and Australia, we can assume that the percentage would be comparable here. Research in education, cognitive psychology and neuroscience shows that anxiety can …

The Processes Of Change On Learning Literacy And Numeracy In South Australian Primary Schools, I Gusti Ngurah Darmawan, Carol Aldous

Shannon Research Press

Success in science and mathematics is predicated on successful literacy and numeracy learning. Yet schools and communities across the country struggle to negotiate factors that both impede and facilitate such learning - particularly factors over which they have some control. Working with data more comprehensive than that used previously and applying statistical methods only recently developed, researchers from the South Australian hub of the centre for Science, Information and Communication Technology and Mathematics Education for Rural and Regional Australia (SiMERR-SA) seek answers to three basic questions. What factors influence performance in Literacy and Numeracy? Does living in a rural and …

Monitoring Australian Year 8 Student Achievement Internationally : Timss 2011, Sue Thomson, Kylie Hillman, Nicole Wernert

TIMSS 2011 and PIRLS 2011

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 2011) is an international study directed by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). In Australia, TIMSS was managed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), and funded by the Australian and state and territory governments.

The goal of TIMSS is to provide comparative information about educational achievement across countries to improve teaching and learning in mathematics and science. It also provides comparative perspectives on trends in achievement in the context of different educational systems, school organisational approaches and instructional practices and to enable this, TIMSS collects …

Teaching Mathematics: Using Research-Informed Strategies, Peter Sullivan

Australian Education Review

AER 59 reviews research into aspects of mathematics teaching, focusing on issues relevant to Australian mathematics teachers, to those who support them, and also to those who make policy decisions about mathematics teaching. It was motivated by and draws on the proceedings of the well-attended and highly successful ACER Research Conference Teaching mathematics? Make it count: What research tells us about effective mathematics teaching and learning, held in Melbourne in August 2010.

Section 2 describes the goals of teaching mathematics and argues that a practical orientation should be the focus of mathematics teaching in the compulsory years, and outlines …

Pisa In Brief : Highlights From The Full Australian Report : Challenges For Australian Education : Results From Pisa 2009 : The Pisa 2009 Assessment Of Students' Reading, Mathematical And Scientific Literacy, Sue Thomson, Lisa De Bortoli, Marina Nicholas, Kylie Hillman, Sarah Buckley

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australia

PISA in Brief summarises the results from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2009 assessment of students’ reading, mathematical and scientific literacy skills. It tells us about how students performed in the assessment and describes some wider findings about what lies behind their results. PISA 2009 assessed students’ capacities to apply knowledge and skills in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy. More assessment time was given to reading literacy, as this was the main focus for this cycle.

Informing Mathematics Pedagogy: Timss 2007 Australia And The World, Sue Thomson, Sarah Buckley

TIMSS 2007

The main goal of TIMSS is to assist countries to monitor and evaluate their mathematics and science teaching across time and across year levels. TIMSS has a curriculum focus. This report aims to provide teachers with more detailed information on Australian students’ capabilities in mathematics in terms of the TIMSS assessment. A detailed assessment of Australian students’ performance can be found in the full report that was written to inform the educational community about Australian students’ performance on national and international scales.

Informing Science Pedagogy: Timss 2007 Australia And The World, Sue Thomson, Sarah Buckley

TIMSS 2007

The main goal of TIMSS is to assist countries to monitor and evaluate their mathematics and science teaching across time and across year levels. TIMSS has a curriculum focus. This report aims to provide teachers with more detailed information on Australian students’ capabilities in science in terms of the TIMSS assessment. A detailed assessment of Australian students’ performance can be found in the full report that was written to inform the educational community about Australian students’ performance on national and international scales.

A Shared Challenge: Improving Literacy, Numeracy And Science Learning In Queensland Primary Schools, Geoff N. Masters

Assessment and Reporting

Following the release of Queensland results in the 2008 National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) and the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) late in 2008, the Premier, Anna Bligh, requested an independent review of literacy, numeracy and science standards in Queensland primary schools. The review was asked to examine available data on the performances of Queensland students and, drawing on international research evidence, to provide advice in the areas of curriculum, assessment and teacher quality. In particular, the review was asked to identify existing effective practices, to propose ways in which these could be …

The Learning Of Numeracy And Literacy In South Australian Primary Schools: An Investigation Into The Performance Of Students And Schools In Numeracy And Literacy In Rural And Regional South Australia., Carol Aldous

Shannon Research Press

Success in science and mathematics is predicted on successful literacy and numeracy learning. Yet schools and communities across the country struggle to negotiate factors that both impede and facilitate such learning - particularly factors over which they have no control. Working with data more comprehensive than that used previously and applying statistical methods only recently developed, researchers from the South Australian hub of the National Centre for Science, Information and Communication Technology and Mathematics Education for Rural and Regional Australia (SiMERR-SA) seek answers to three basic questions. What factors influence performance in literacy and numeracy? Does living in a rural …

Improving Literacy, Numeracy And Science Learning. Preliminary Advice, Geoff Masters

Assessment and Reporting

During January 2009, work was commenced to review available evidence concerning levels of achievement in Queensland primary schools. The focus of the early data analyses has been on students’ performances in the 2008 National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) and state-wide literacy and numeracy tests prior to the introduction of NAPLAN, and on students’ performances in the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and in earlier studies conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). Following the release of NAPLAN and TIMSS results late in 2008, concerns were expressed about the …

Highlights From Timss 2007 From Australia’S Perspective: Highlights From The Full Report, Taking A Closer Look At Mathematics And Science In Australia, Sue Thomson, Nicole Wernert, Catherine Underwood, Marina Nicholas

TIMSS 2007

In 2007, Australia participated in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 2007). TIMSS 2007 is the fourth in a cycle of internationally comparative assessments conducted under the aegis of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) dedicated to improving teaching and learning in mathematics and science for students around the world. Carried out every four years at Year 4 and Year 8, TIMSS provides data about trends in mathematics and science achievement over time. In Australia, TIMSS is part of MCEETYA’s National Assessment Program. To inform educational policy in the participating countries, this world-wide …

Participation In Science, Mathematics And Technology In Australian Education, John Ainley, Julie Kos, Marina Nicholas

ACER Research Monographs

This report was commissioned to update and extend the Background Data and Analysis component of the report, Australia’s Teachers: Australia’s Future – Advancing Innovation, Science, Technology and Mathematics (Committee for the Review of Teaching and Teacher Education, 2003a) that informed the Main Report (Committee for the Review of Teaching and Teacher Education, 2003b). In the five years since the 2003 review, there have been developments in science, technology and mathematics education that have been impacted on by initiatives in policy and practice as well by changes in the context. So that changes in science, technology and mathematics education can be …

Supply, Demand And Approaches To Employment By People With Postgraduate Research Qualifications In Science And Mathematics: Literature Review And Data Analysis, Daniel Edwards, T Fred Smith

Higher education research

This report is the first in a project that investigates the demand for and supply of people with science and mathematics postgraduate qualifications in Australia. This report is divided into two main parts: a literature review and a data analysis. The report uses numerous national data sets to present a picture of the supply, demand and employment dynamics of postgraduates in the natural and physical sciences in Australia. The figures indicate an increasing number of postgraduates are completing studies in these fields. However, compared with other fields of education, supply in the natural and physical sciences is increasing at a …

Re-Imagining Science Education : Engaging Students In Science For Australia's Future, Russell Tytler

Australian Education Review

AER 50 calls for major curriculum reform, arguing that the time has passed for tinkering around the edges of a science curriculum that belongs to the past. Using research presented at ACER's Research Conference 2006, Boosting Science Learning - what will it take? as a base for a broad and intense review of the literature, the review calls for a 're-imagined' science education that is focused not only on preparing future scientists, but also on engaging all young people in science.

Research And Boosting Science Learning: Diagnosis And Potential Solutions, Peter Fensham

2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?

In this paper I want to draw on relevant research to address the theme of this year’s conference in three ways: 1. The nature of the problem 2. Possible solutions 3. Constraints on these possible solutions

Towards A Science Education For All: The Role Of Ideas, Evidence And Argument, Jonathan Osborne

2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?

This presentation offers a critical analysis of contemporary science education and the values on which it rests. Science education wrestles with two competing priorities: the need to educate the future citizen about science; and the need to provide the basic knowledge necessary for future scientists. It is argued that the evidence would suggest that it is the latter goal that predominates – a goal which exists at least, in part, in conflict with the needs of the majority who will not continue with science post compulsory education. The argument is advanced that there are four essential elements to any science …

Numeracy In The Early Years: Project Good Start, Sue Thomson, Ken Rowe, Catherine Underwood, Ray Peck

School and system improvement

Project Good Start investigated the effectiveness of numeracy programmes for Australian children in the year before school and the first year of schooling. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected from pre-schools, early childhood centres and primary schools, tovinvestigate the practice and learning experiences that best support children’s early numeracy development.

In Teachers' Hands: Effective Literacy Teaching Practices In The Early Years Of Schooling, William Louden, Mary Rohl, Caroline Barratt Pugh, Claire Brown, Trevor Cairney, Jess Elderfield, Helen House, Marion Meiers, Judith Rivalland, Ken Rowe

Monitoring Learning

This project investigated the link between children’s growth in English literacy in the early years of schooling and their teachers’ classroom teaching practices. Using the LLANS literacy assessment tasks, 2000 children from every state and territory were assessed at the beginning and end of their first or second year at school. The teaching practices used by teachers whose students made most progress were explored. The effective teachers used a wide repertoire and demonstrated key teaching practices with greater consistency, skill and subtlety.

On Reflection, James Anthony Gibbons

Shannon Research Press

This book commences with a criticism of constructivism as the basis for curriculum design followed by an attempt to argue an alternative. It is possible to proceed to criticise constructivism as the basis for curriculum design by illustrating the issues with references to extracts from curricula used by various countries and Departments of Education. This book takes a different route. The assumption is made that criticism will be clearer if related to a substantial part of a curriculum rather than extracts from a variety of curricula from a variety of countries. The focus is on the recently developed, and currently …

Highlights From Timss From Australia's Perspective: Highlights From The Full Australian Reports From The Trends In International Mathematics And Science Study 2002/03, Sue Thomson, Nicole Fleming

TIMSS Australia Monograph Series

No abstract provided.

Examining The Evidence: Science Achievement In Australian Schools In Timss 2002, Sue Thomson, Nicole Fleming

TIMSS Australia Monograph Series

In Australia, 10030 students in 414 schools participated in the main sample of TIMSS 2002/03. Results are reported as average scores with the standard error, as distributions of scores, and as percentages of students who attain the international benchmarks, for countries and specific groups of students within Australia.

Lessons From The Third International Mathematics And Science Study, Sue Thomson, Jan Lokan, Lamb Stephen, John Ainley

TIMSS Australia Monograph Series

TIMSS – the Third International Mathematics and Science Study – was a massive international project. Internationally, more than half a million students from over 30 000 classes in more than 15 000 schools in 45 countries participated. In Australia, the sample consisted of more than 29 000 students at three grade levels. This report is based on data obtained from the younger two cohorts: those at grade 4/5 (approximately 12 500 students) and those at grade 8/9 level (approximately 14 500 students). Its focus is on understanding the factors that influence achievement in mathematics and science.

A Good Start To Numeracy : Effective Numeracy Strategies From Research And Practice In Early Childhood, Brian Doig, Barry Mcrae, Ken Rowe

Student learning processes

The Commonwealth-funded Project Good Start was a longitudinal study of children during their year before school and the first year of school, involving preschool centres and schools across Australia. It considered the questions: how can effective numeracy programs be identified at both year-before-school and the early years of school; and what constitutes evidence of effectiveness. This report provides a review of the international and Australian research literature on numeracy in early childhood that complements the Department of Education, Science and Training’s major review of the numeracy literature undertaken by Deakin University. It is designed to provide early childhood professionals and …

Changes In Mathematics Achievement Over Time In Australia And Ethiopia, Tilahun Mengesha Afrassa

Shannon Research Press

This study has five major purposes: to develop a general theoretical model which considers the multivariate structure of the available data; to examine the changes of the mathematics achievement level of Australian lower secondary school students over time; to develop a common mathematics scale to enable investigation of mathematics achievement over time and across countries; to develop a theoretical model of student level factors influencing the mathematics achievements of lower secondary students in Australia and Ethiopia and to examine these hypothesised interrelationships between variables; and to investigate the views and attitudes of Australian and Ethiopian students towards mathematics and schooling …

Science, Technology And Society In Science Education, Debra Tedman

Shannon Research Press

This study had four major purposes. First, the study developed and used scales to measure the strength and coherence of students', teachers', and scientists' views, beliefs and attitudes in relation to science, technology and society (STS). Second, the factors which influenced the development of strong and coherent views on STS by students, were examined. Third, the study investigated whether male and female students differed in the strength and coherence of their views on STS. Fourth, structured group interviews with teachers provided information for the consideration of the problems encountered by teachers and students in the introduction of STS courses.

15-Up And Counting, Reading, Writing, Reasoning : How Literate Are Australian Students? : The Pisa 2000 Survey Of Students' Reading, Mathematical And Scientific Literacy Skills, Jan Lokan, Lisa Greenwood, John Cresswell

Indigenous Education Research

This report presents evidence on the performance in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy of 15 year old students, their schools and their countries, interpreted from an Australian perspective. It gives insights into factors that influence the development of these skills at home and at school, and discusses implications of the results for policy development. Chapter 5 focuses on results for the Australian states and territories and for other sub-national groups. Results achieved by Indigenous students and by students with language backgrounds other than English are included in this chapter. The sixth chapter describes the Australian PISA participants in some detail, …