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A study on the WALK approach to assessing students' constructivist learning in mathematics in a secondary school
Author
Teo, Chen Nee
Supervisor
Chew, Lee Chin
Abstract
This study explored the WALK approach to assessing constructivist learning in mathematics. The study investigated the influence of three factors, namely, elective of study, ability in mathematics and attitude towards mathematics on the performance of Secondary Four Express Course students in the WALK Assessment. The performance of the students in the WALK Assessment was based on their ability to pose, formulate and solve problems. In addition to that, the relationships among the WALK Assessment tasks: problem posing, problem formulating and problem solving were also examined.
A total of 168 male students were involved in this study. The students were drawn from six intact classes in a single-sex government-aided school; and the classes were organized by students' elective of study, namely Science, Technical and Arts. Post-hoc grouping of the students for the ability in mathematics factor was achieved using their overall performance in school tests and examinations, and for the attitude towards mathematics factor, it was achieved using their attitudinal scores obtained with Richard Sandman's Mathematics Attitude Inventory (MAI).
The students were required to complete the WALK Assessment tasks in three phases within a restricted time. In Phase 1, they had 15 minutes to pose problems based on a given stimulus material. In Phase 2, they had 20 minutes to formulate three problems selected from problems posed in Phase 1. In Phase 3, they had another 20 minutes to solve the problems formulated in Phase 2.
The findings reveal that elective of study had a significant influence only on students' problem posing ability. Ability in mathematics had a significant influence only on their problem solving ability. But students' ability to pose, formulate and solve problems were not influence by their attitude towards mathematics.
The findings also indicate that problem formulating ability had a positive significant relationship with problem solving ability. Neither problem formulating ability nor problem solving ability had significant relationship with problem posing ability.
A total of 168 male students were involved in this study. The students were drawn from six intact classes in a single-sex government-aided school; and the classes were organized by students' elective of study, namely Science, Technical and Arts. Post-hoc grouping of the students for the ability in mathematics factor was achieved using their overall performance in school tests and examinations, and for the attitude towards mathematics factor, it was achieved using their attitudinal scores obtained with Richard Sandman's Mathematics Attitude Inventory (MAI).
The students were required to complete the WALK Assessment tasks in three phases within a restricted time. In Phase 1, they had 15 minutes to pose problems based on a given stimulus material. In Phase 2, they had 20 minutes to formulate three problems selected from problems posed in Phase 1. In Phase 3, they had another 20 minutes to solve the problems formulated in Phase 2.
The findings reveal that elective of study had a significant influence only on students' problem posing ability. Ability in mathematics had a significant influence only on their problem solving ability. But students' ability to pose, formulate and solve problems were not influence by their attitude towards mathematics.
The findings also indicate that problem formulating ability had a positive significant relationship with problem solving ability. Neither problem formulating ability nor problem solving ability had significant relationship with problem posing ability.
Date Issued
2003
Call Number
QA14.S55 Teo
Date Submitted
2003