Kaur, Berinderjeet

This study compares the performance of Singapore boys and girls in Ordinary ('O’) level Mathematics (Syllabus D). A sample of 88 boys and 88 girls was used to identify some areas of concern as regards gender and Mathematics attainment. The findings of the study were as follows: (i) Boys performed better than girls on Paper I questions. (ii) For the compulsory questions on both papers boys did significantly better than the girls on the following topics - mensuration, statistics, arithmetic, geometry and probability while the girls out-performed the boys on algebra and graphs. (iii) Boys also surpassed girls on the compulsory questions which tested spatial ability. (iv) In Paper II, section B, girls showed a marked preference for questions on algebra and graphs, and vectors in two dimensions while the boys' only marked preference was the question on mensuration. The pupils' grades in Mathematics were also compared with those of the other subjects they took in the English medium examination and it was found that grades in Physics, Science (Chemistry, Physics) and Metalwork - the so called Mathematics-related subjects - did not correlate to the same degree for the two sexes. The Mathematics results of the Singapore candidature in 'O' level Mathematics examination revealed that on the whole boys performed better than girls.

In 1999, the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)was replicated at the eighth grade level. This study, known as TIMSS-R, was designed to highlight trends in eighth grade mathematics and science achievement in an international context. This paper reviews the mathematics achievement of eighth graders from Singapore who participated in TIMSS-R. The achievement data show that the overall performance of eighth graders from Singapore was commendable and they were ranked first amongst the thirty-eight countries that participated. Almost half of the students were amongst the top 10% of the participants in the study. Their performance on each of the 82 mathematics items that are released by IEA, highlights some of their strengths and weaknesses that are of particular interest to mathematics educators in Singapore.

As has been widely reported, Singapore came top in Mathematics for the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The paper will provide an overview of the performance of the primary three and four students, both in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. Three general conclusions are: (1) Primary four students outperform primary three students on all but one item; (2) On most items Singapore students outperform their corresponding International cohort; and (3) Girls outperform boys though marginally. An analysis of individual items indicates that Singapore students appear to have difficulties in situations where the content is not an integral part of the curriculum, where the language may not be familiar or the items require comprehension of the underlying concept.

As part of a multidisciplinary research entitled Primary Pupil Profiling Project, a team of Mathematics educators had developed a set of test instruments which could provide profiles of pupils in their performance of basic skills and processes across the primary mathematics curriculum. These profiles also provide semi-diagnostic information for teachers to assess the weakness and strength of individual pupils in three areas, viz. Number, Measurement and Geometry. The tests were of paper-and-pencil multiple choice format for Grades 3 and 5. In each topic a sequence of attainment levels was identified based on the actual difficulty of learning tasks and ability of the learners. The lower levels consist of elementary knowledge and skills while the higher levels reflect conceptual understanding and use of problem solving processes. Item response theory was applied to analyse data and to present results in the form of kidmaps that are meaningful to pupils, their parents, teachers and the school as a whole.

It has been reported widely that Singapore came top in Mathematics for the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). In this paper the authors examine the performance of Singapore's lower secondary pupils on some of the mathematics items used in the study. The data shed light on the strengths and weaknesses of these pupils. The implications of the findings for secondary mathematics teachers will also be discussed.

This paper focuses on one aspect of an investigation into children's mathematical problem posing. All the children in Primary 3 and Primary 5 in three primary schools were asked to attempt a problem-solving test as well as to write mathematics word problems. The children's responses to the problem-posing test were initially classified as solvable and unsolvable problems. Subsequently, the solvable problems were further analyzed to obtain an index of problem complexity. The framework of analysis is modified from a previously suggested one (Silver & Cai, 1996) based on possible situations in arithmetic word problems (Marshall, 1995). This paper aims to investigate the complexity of problems posed by children of different ages and problem-solving ability when given different problem-posing tasks.

Information technology has become pervasive in our society and it is playing an increasingly important role in education. There is a growing expectation that teachers need to make effective use of IT in all facets of their work in schools. It is therefore important that teachers learn about information technology in order to achieve potential effective use of IT in enhancing students’ learning. In line with this, the National Institute of Education (NIE) is committed to exposing preservice trainee teachers to a wide variety of learning experiences via the computer. In such pre-service training programmes involving IT competencies, it is important that the trainee teachers learn and practise the use of IT in an educational context, in particular within their own teaching subjects. There is a growing recognition that IT applications in mathematics throw up a wide variety of challenging problems for teachers. The discussion on how IT can be integrated into the teaching of Mathematics can become increasingly prescriptive. This study seeks to understand just how much of the use of IT and the accompanying skills demonstrated by Mathematics teachers are a direct translation of the skills and pedagogies learnt as part of their pre- service teacher training at NIE. The implications of this study serve to assist educators in understanding the transferability and practical issues involved in the teaching of IT skills and pedagogies for Mathematics in classrooms within teacher training programmes.

Based on two studies conducted in Singapore schools on qualities of good mathematics teachers, the attributes of a good mathematics teacher are derived from the perspectives of pupils in primary and secondary schools. Drawing on the Standards for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics in Australian schools and with inputs from a group of Mathematics heads of departments the attributes of good mathematics teachers from the perspectives of teachers are formulated. Finally characteristics of teachers that pave the way for excellence in the mathematics classroom are outlined.