Research Type: Research Projects

Description Mathematical and natural sciences have long and honorable traditions of participation by highly creative women contributors.

A Global Approach to the Gender Gap in Mathematical, Computing, and Natural Sciences

Abstract: Description Mathematical and natural sciences have long and honorable traditions of participation by highly creative women contributors. However, the percentages of women scientists remain shockingly low and there is a significant gender gap at all levels between women and men. Barriers to achievement by women persist, especially in developing countries.The project consists of three tasks. Tasks 1 and 2 provide data on which to base conclusions, to direct actions to attract and retain women in science, and to develop and evaluate practical recommendations. Task 3 collects information on effective practices. More information is available (https://gender-gap-in-science.org/project/)

Investigators/ Researchers: Prof Merrilyn Goos; Dr Regina Kelly
Commencement Date: January 2017
End Date: January 2020

At present, internationally and in Ireland, there is a conscious effort being made to improve and raise the profile of the teaching and learning of numeracy (DES 2011; Goos et al 2014; Bennison 2015; Askew 2015).

Pre-service teachers’ understanding of the concept of numeracy

Abstract: At present, internationally and in Ireland, there is a conscious effort being made to improve and raise the profile of the teaching and learning of numeracy (DES 2011; Goos et al 2014; Bennison 2015; Askew 2015). Teachers’ perceptions and interpretations of the concept of numeracy relies greatly on their understanding of numeracy. If teachers have a deep understanding of the concept of numeracy, and an awareness of the essential role it plays in allowing an individual to fully engage in society, then the inclusion of the teaching and learning of numeracy will play a more significant role within their subject(s).
The purpose of this study is to assess current pre-service teachers understanding of the concept of numeracy as a cross curricular subject and to identify and quantify the package of knowledge required by pre-service teachers to integrate numeracy into their lessons. This study will be carried out in three universities in Ireland with second year Professional Masters in Education students.

Investigators/ Researchers: Dr Niamh O’ Meara (Principal Investigator), Professor Merrilyn Goos, Professor Paul Conway, Ms Kathy O’ Sullivan
Commencement Date: September 2016
End Date: June 2020

This project came about after a number of EPISTEM staff along with a colleague from the School of Education (UL) were invited by an academic from the University of Linz, Austria to develop a book for English speaking secondary teachers

Mathematical Modelling for Teachers

Abstract: This project came about after a number of EPISTEM staff along with a colleague from the School of Education (UL) were invited by an academic from the University of Linz, Austria to develop a book for English speaking secondary teachers detailing pedagogical considerations and examples that could be used when teaching mathematical modelling. This book is currently in press with Springer.

Investigators/ Researchers: Dr Niamh O’Meara; Prof Juergen Maasz; Dr Patrick Johnson; Prof John O’Donoghue
Commencement Date: September 2016
End Date: November 2018

This cross border study investigates the issues surrounding the transition from primary to secondary mathematics education from the perspective of teachers.

Mind the Gap

Abstract: This cross border study investigates the issues surrounding the transition from primary to secondary mathematics education from the perspective of teachers. It involved the distribution of questionnaires to primary (sixth class) teachers and post primary mathematics teachers (first year) to ascertain their views on the key factors that impact on smooth educational transitions. In total questionnaires were sent to 1150 primary schools and 700 post-primary schools in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. 428 primary teachers responded and 248 post-primary teachers responded and the data is currently being used to write journal articles which focus on the main barriers to smooth transition; the role of teacher knowledge in effective transition and the differences in the transition experience between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland

Investigators/ Researchers: Dr Niamh O’Meara; Dr Mark Prendergast; Dr Ian Cantley; Dr Lorraine Harbison; Clare O’Hara
Commencement Date: September 2015
End Date: March 2019

Professor Sibel Erduran will collaborate with Professor Zoubeida Dagher, University of Delaware, USA, Professor Saouma BouJaoude, American University of Beirut, Lebanon, and Dr Ebru Kaya, Bogazici University, Turkey on a project funded by NARST for a year in 2015.

The project’s objectives are (a) to promote the use of scientific practices in science lessons in Lebanon, (b) to support in-service and pre-service teachers in developing lesson resources that enable scientific practices to take place in science lessons, (c) to build Lebanese researchers and teacher educators’ repertoire for enhancing scientific practices in science education; (d) to generate research and development outputs based on data collected in Lebanon; (e) to form links between researchers and teacher educators in Lebanon, Turkey, Ireland and the USA with the aim of longer-term collaborations.

A central component of scientific literacy is having an adequate understanding of the ‘Nature of Science’ [NOS] (AAAS 1990, 1993, Klopfer 1969). Developing NOS understanding is one of the most commonly stated objectives for science education (Abd-El-Khalick and Lederman 2000). The importance of this objective has recently been addressed in the proposed reform of the Irish Junior Cycle (middle school) Science curriculum, where the ‘Nature of Science’ (NOS) theme is an overarching feature of all teaching and learning in the draft curriculum document for consultation.
Researcher: Alison Cullinane

Nature of Science

Abstract: A central component of scientific literacy is having an adequate understanding of the ‘Nature of Science’ [NOS] (AAAS 1990, 1993, Klopfer 1969). Developing NOS understanding is one of the most commonly stated objectives for science education (Abd-El-Khalick and Lederman 2000).  The importance of this objective has recently been addressed in the proposed reform of the Irish Junior Cycle (middle school) Science curriculum, where the ‘Nature of Science’ (NOS) theme is an overarching feature of all teaching and learning in the draft curriculum document for consultation. Addressing NOS is now a key concern for initial teacher education programmes in Ireland, as it will be pivotal to its successful incorporation in the science classroom. To address NOS in Initial Teacher Science education programmes, a purpose built programme is being designed in this PhD research that will begin pre-service teachers thinking of NOS. The strategy will involve the development of assessment questions that teachers can use to promote learning of NOS in their own science classrooms. The programme will be theoretically based on an NOS model of the Family Resemblance Approach which highlights science as a cognitive-epistemic and a social-institutional system.

Researcher: Alison Cullinane
Commencement Date: November 2014
End Date: November 2018

There is a strong emphasis on problem-solving in the new Project Maths syllabus. In each of the five strands, it is stated that students should be able to ‘explore patterns and formulate conjectures, explain findings and justify conclusions and to apply knowledge and skills to solve problems in familiar and unfamiliar contexts’.

Initial reviews by the pilot schools who engaged with Project Maths revealed a potential problem with both the confidence levels in problem solving among teachers and students and also, the time available for problem solving.

This project is aimed at investigating and improving how pre-service teachers approach solving problems which are unfamiliar to them.
Researcher: Aoife Guerin

Problem Solving in Mathematics

Abstract: There is a strong emphasis on problem-solving in the new Project Maths syllabus. In each of the five strands, it is stated that students should be able to ‘explore patterns and formulate conjectures, explain findings and justify conclusions and to apply knowledge and skills to solve problems in familiar and unfamiliar contexts’.

Initial reviews by the pilot schools who engaged with Project Maths revealed a potential problem with both the confidence levels in problem solving among teachers and students and also, the time available for problem solving.

This project is aimed at investigating and improving how pre-service teachers approach solving problems which are unfamiliar to them.

Research on the factors affecting students’ ability to engage in problem solving and to gain the required synthesis and problem solving skills has been conducted, as well as research on instructional practices in Mathematics education. This informed the formulation of a model for teaching problem solving.

The objectives are:

1. To promote mathematics as a science of patterns, order and connections, which relies on logic, while also employing observation and experimentation.
2. To promote mathematics knowledge for teaching.
3. To develop a model for teaching and assessing problem solving in mathematics (based on current literature and re-iterated to account for any significant findings from the assessment)
4. To design an intervention, using the model developed for teaching and assessing problem solving to improve pre-service teachers’ ability in approaching problem solving tasks in mathematics.
5. To evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention and the model at improving pre-service teachers’ performance in problem solving.

Researcher: Aoife Guerin
Commencement Date: Aug 2013
End Date: Aug 2017

My research is focused on the problem of students’ decline in motivation in junior cycle science in Ireland. For decades schools have been repeatedly faulted by would-be reformers for their failure to motivate and interest students (Lepper et al. 1997). School remains “detached from the real world [and] distant from the rest of students’ lives” (Slade and Trent, 2000). More specifically, it has been found in many countries throughout the world that there are problems in creating a climate where young people feel enthusiastic about their experiences in school science lessons (Bennett 2010). In fact, one of the greatest challenges for teachers, Theobald (2006) asserts, remains stimulating students’ motivation to learn.
Researcher: Beulah McManus

Students’ Motivation

Abstract: My research is focused on the problem of students’ decline in motivation in junior cycle science in Ireland. For decades schools have been repeatedly faulted by would-be reformers for their failure to motivate and interest students (Lepper et al. 1997). School remains “detached from the real world [and] distant from the rest of students’ lives” (Slade and Trent, 2000). More specifically, it has been found in many countries throughout the world that there are problems in creating a climate where young people feel enthusiastic about their experiences in school science lessons (Bennett 2010). In fact, one of the greatest challenges for teachers, Theobald (2006) asserts, remains stimulating students’ motivation to learn.

Evidence shows that students’ interest in and motivation to study science declines dramatically in the early years of secondary school (Osborne et al. 2003). This problem exists internationally (Royal Society of Chemistry, 2008) and in Ireland (Smyth et al., 2006). This loss of motivation in science has inspired my research study with the aim of it being to investigate where and why students experience this lack of motivation in science in school.

To date, a large scale quantitative study has been carried out as part of this Masters project, using Teacher and Student Questionnaires. In order to delve further into the factors that affect students’ motivation in science however, it is necessary to conduct a qualitative study, through the use of Teacher Interviews and small Student Focus Groups. This part of the project is now ongoing.

References:

Bennett, J. (2010) ‘Making a difference: factors that affect young people’s interest and participation in science’, paper presented at the 10th European Conference on Research In Chemistry Education, Krakow, 4-8 July 2010.

Lepper, M. R., Sethi, S., Dialdin, D and Drake, M. (1997) ‘Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation: A developmental perspective’, Developmental Psychopathology: Perspectives on Adjustment, Risk and Disorder, 23-50.

Osborne, J. Simon, S. and Collins, S. (2003) ‘Attitudes towards science: A review of the literature and its implications’, International Journal of Science Education, 25, 1049-1079.

Slade, M and Trent, F. H. (2000) ‘What are boys saying: An examination of the views of boys about declining rates of achievement and retention’, International Educational Journal, 1, 201-229.

Theobald, M. A. (2006) Increasing Student Motivation: Strategies for Middle and High School Teachers, Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Researcher: Beulah McManus
Commencement date: September 2013
End date: September 2015

There is widespread acknowledgement that students in second and third-level education have difficulty with trigonometry. This is not only the case domestically in Ireland, but also internationally. Evidence exists that trigonometry is not being taught well at second-level. The fact that many teachers have not studied mathematics to degree level is contributing to this issue. Therefore, students are unprepared in trigonometry upon entering third-level education and fall further behind in their undergraduate mathematical studies. In addition, the teaching and learning of trigonometry is an under-researched issue worldwide.
Researcher: Richard Walsh

Effective Teaching of Trigonometry

Abstract: There is widespread acknowledgement that students in second and third-level education have difficulty with trigonometry. This is not only the case domestically in Ireland, but also internationally. Evidence exists that trigonometry is not being taught well at second-level. The fact that many teachers have not studied mathematics to degree level is contributing to this issue. Therefore, students are unprepared in trigonometry upon entering third-level education and fall further behind in their undergraduate mathematical studies. In addition, the teaching and learning of trigonometry is an under-researched issue worldwide.

The purpose of this research was to examine ways of improving the teaching of trigonometry, and to develop a purpose-built model of how to teach it effectively. The author developed a purpose-built model for the effective teaching of trigonometry in two stages. He first extended the van Hiele model of geometric thought to the specific branch of trigonometry, leading to a learning model for trigonometry. The second stage was to elaborate on this learning model to make it applicable to teaching trigonometry. A systematic teaching structure for trigonometry was developed with the use of APOS theory and genetic decomposition. Essentially, the author adapted a model of how people learn geometry, to a model of how to teach trigonometry.

This purpose-built teaching model was applied in the form of a teaching intervention with a group of 19 pre-service secondary mathematics teachers in order to investigate whether or not the model could aid in the development of trigonometric understanding. The research was guided by an Educational Design Research methodology which incorporated a proof-of-concept approach.

The teaching model and its incorporated teaching strategies were shown to have a positive effect on teaching trigonometric concepts for understanding. Pre and post-test findings indicate that the teaching intervention led to significant increases in understanding with reference to the teaching model. Through the proof-of-concept approach, the findings indicate that the teaching model could contribute towards better teaching of trigonometry at second-level.

Researcher: Richard Walsh
Commencement Date: October 2011
End Date: March 2015

Economics of science is a relatively new addition to the broad range of interdisciplinary literature that has implications for science education research (Irzik, 2013). Economics of science have aimed to understand the behaviour of scientists, the distribution of resources and the financial operation of scientific institutions. Entrepreneurship has a key role for this aim. I focus on creating entrepreneurial scientists and investigating implications of entrepreneurship for science education in the context of argumentation.
Researcher: Sila Kaya

Students’ Entrepreneurial Attitudes

Abstract: Economics of science is a relatively new addition to the broad range of interdisciplinary literature that has implications for science education research (Irzik, 2013). Economics of science have aimed to understand the behaviour of scientists, the distribution of resources and the financial operation of scientific institutions. Entrepreneurship has a key role for this aim. I focus on creating entrepreneurial scientists and investigating implications of entrepreneurship for science education in the context of argumentation. Due to intersections of science and business in the global scene, educational institutions have become challenged in preparing industry ready graduates. Ultimately I seek to establish skills sets such as the ability for critical thinking that are needed to equip students in developing entrepreneurial attributes in science related careers.

Researcher: Sila Kaya
Commencement Date: 2014
End Date: 2016