Login

1997 Conference Proceedings

Home
>
Publications
>
Annual Conference Proceedings
>
1997 Conference Proceedings

1997 Conference Proceedings

KEYNOTE ADDRESSES

… I do and I understand, and then I forget. The role of memory in Mathematics Education – Gordon Knight

Do disadvantaged students fail mathematics or does mathematics fail disadvantaged students? – Robyn Zevenbergen

Missed opportunities in research on the teaching and learning of data and chance – J. Michael Shaughnessy

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS AWARD

Seventh-grade students problem posing from open-ended situations – Lyn D. English

RESEARCH PAPERS

Teachers’ Reported Use of Problem-Solving Teaching Strategies in Primary Mathematics Classrooms – Judy Anderson

Students’ and Lecturers’ Perceptions of Factors Influencing Students’ Success in First-Year Undergraduate Mathematics Courses – Glenda Anthony

The Construction of Personal Theory on Gender and Mathematics: Nine Case Studies of Women Primary Teacher Trainees – Bill Atweh and Lynn Burnett

Student Error Patterns in Fraction and Decimal Concepts – Jack Bana, Brian Farrell, Alistair Mclntosh

A Different System: Notions of Education and Ways of Mathematising in Fijian Society – Sala Bakalevu

The implication of multiplicative structure for students’ understanding of decimal-number numeration – Annette R Baturo

Researching cultural issues with NESB secondary mathematics students: “In my country it is more difficult” – Alan Bishop, Gilah Leder, Chris Brew, & Cath Pearn

Monitoring Change in Attitude of Preservice Teachers Towards Mathematics and Technology: A Longitudinal Study – Janette Bobis & Robyn Cusworth

Do Algebraic Skills Improve with Higher Learning? – T .M. Boustead

The resolution of uncertainty in mathematics classrooms – David Clarke and Sue Helme

Is an Equilateral Triangle Isosceles? Student Perspectives – Penelope Currie and John Pegg

What is the Object of the Encapsulation of a Process? – Gary Davis, David Tall, & Michael Thomas

The Effect of Instruction on Students’ Generation of Diagrams – Carmel M Diezmann

Year 8, 9 and 10 students’ understanding and access of percent knowledge – Shelley Dole, Tom J. Cooper, Annette R. Baturo, and Zoyrese Conoplia

Pencil-and-paper Mathematics Tests Under the Microscope – Nerida F. Ellerton and M. A. (Ken) Clements

Mathematics in the Vocational Education and Training Sector: A Case Study – Gail E. FitzSimons

The University of Melbourne’s mathematics students: Who are they? Why are they here? Will they stay? – Helen J. Forgasz and Philip Swedosh

Relational word problems: A cross-cultural comparison – Linda Galligan

The effectiveness of a professional development program based on action research – Florenda L. Gallos and Tony Herrington

Students’ Orientations to Learning Statistics – Profiles of Experience – Sue Gordon

Constructing Initial Algebraic Understanding: The Proposed Research – D. Evan Harris

Do they understand what we mean? Assessment and communication – Doreen Hartnall

Improving Understanding in Integration with the Computer – Ye Yoon Hong

Professionalisation and Change in Secondary Mathematics – John Horwood

Secondary Mathematics Teacher Beliefs About the Learning and Teaching of Mathematics – Peter Howard, Bob Perry, & Margaret Lindsay

The Role of Whole Number Knowledge in Rational Number Learning – Robert P. Hunting, Gary E. Davis, & Catherine A. Pearn

What Conflicts Help Students Learn About Decimals? – Kathryn Irwin

Students’ Thinking and Writing in the Context of Probability – Todd M. Johnson, Graham A. Jones, Carol A. Thornton, Cynthia W. Langrall, Amy Rous

Towards an understanding of numerical workplace knowledge – Clive Kanes

Area integration rules – Gillian Kidman

Problem Solving in Algebra: Ability Grouping, Affective Factors and Gender Differences – Saraswathi Kota

Access to level of mathematics study in high school: Social area and school differences – Stephen Lamb

An Evaluation of Two Coding Systems in Determining van Hiele Levels – Christine Lawrie

Looking Back Towards the Future: A Case Study in Mathematics – Gilah C. Leder and Helen J. Forgasz

Young Children’s Knowledge of Three-Dimensional Shapes: Four Case Studies – Neville Leeson, Rita Stewart and Robert, J. Wright

Effect of the Different Syntactic Structures of English and Chinese in Simple Algebraic Problems – Francis Lopez-Real

Choosing or avoiding mathematics at the upper-secondary school level: some significant factors – John Malone, Robert Cavanagh, Beverley Webster, John Dekkers, Ron Toomey, Richard O’Donovan & Robert Elliott

Adult Learning in an Industrial Setting – Peter Martin

Assessing Number Sense: Collaborative Initiatives in Australia, United States, Sweden and Taiwan – Alistair McIntosh, Jack Bana & Brian Farrell

Graphs: Communication lines to students? – J. Moritz & J. Watson

Using Videotapes in Classroom Research to See Anew – Judith A Mousley

Second graders’ representations and conceptual understanding of number: a longitudinal study – Joanne Mulligan, Michael Mitchelmore, Lynne Outhred & Susan Russell

Cooperative professional development for mathematics teachers: A case study – S. Nisbet, S. Dole, & D. Warren

Problem solving in kindergarten: The development of children’s representations of numerical situations – L. Outhred & S. Sardelich

Attitude and attribution in mathematics: Gender factors with low achievers – R. Peard & D. Wiley

Broadening the Descriptors of van Hieles’ Levels 2 and 3 – John Pegg

The relationship between the place value understanding of seven-year-old children and the strategies that they use to solve written addition problems – Sally Peters

Statistical Thinking: One Statistician’s Perspective – Maxine Pfannkuch

The Potential of Computer Manipulatives for Overcoming Place Value Misconceptions – Peter S. Price

Teacher Presence as a Variable in Research into Students’ Mathematical Decision-making – Peter S. Price

The Effects of a Computer Algebra System on the Learning of, and Attitudes towards Mathematics amongst Engineering Students in Papua New Guinea – Leonard L. Raj and John Malone

A Report of Research into Student Attitude and Teacher-Student Interpersonal Behaviour in a large Sample of Australian Secondary Mathematics Classrooms – Tony Rickards & Darrell Fisher

The three selves of the prospective primary school teacher of mathematics: An Australian case study – Sandra Schuck

In symmetry is the left the same as the right or is the right left out? – Pamela F. Shaw

A Further Development of a Theoretical Framework for Research into Values in Mathematics Education – Beth Southwell

Should all children use calculators? A Western Australian Survey – Len Sparrow and Paul Swan

Developing tasks to assess mathematical performance – Max Stephens & Peter Sullivan

Links Between Early Arithmetical Knowledge and Early Space and Measurement Knowledge: An Exploratory Study – Rita Stewart, Neville Leeson and Robert, J. Wright

Cooperative learning in secondary mathematics: A quantitative review – Harsh Suri

Mathematical Misconceptions – Can We Eliminate Them? – Philip Swedosh & John Clark

Story weaving a process for critical collaborative professional development – Merilyn Taylor & Bronwen Cowie

The Politics of Mathematics Education 1997 – Jan Thomas

Secondary school mathematics teachers’ views of assessment: Some insights from the Caribbean – Sandra Trotman

The Introduction of Probability into Australian Schools Interpreted Within a Broad-Spectrum Ecological Framework – John Truran

Understanding of Association and Regression by First Year Economics Students from Two Different Countries as Revealed in Responses to the Same Examination Questions – John Truran

Beliefs About Teaching Stochastics Held by Primary Pre-service Teaching Students – Kathleen Truran

Geeks and Nerds: Computers, gender and the mathematics classroom – Colleen Vale

The problem of the real in curriculum implementation – Margaret Walshaw

Generalising from and transferring between algebraic representation systems: Characteristics that support these processes – Elizabeth Warren

Which jar gives the better chance? Children’s decision-making strategies – Jenni Way

Recognition of abstract angles in familiar physical situations – Paul White & Michael Mitchelmore

Students’ understanding of hypothesis testing: the case of the significance concept – Anne M. Williams

Mathematics at two schools, one Australian, the other Japanese, both located in Australia: Their Philosophies and Practices – Susan Wotley

Goal Orientation Beliefs and Mathematics Achievement: A Longitudinal Study – Shirley M. Yates

From Research Tool to Classroom Assessment Device: The development of Checkout Rapua, a shopping game to assess numeracy at school entry – Jenny Young-Loveridge

Research Papers

The following four documents are essential to read and complete when considering to submit a research paper to the MERGA conference.

Research paper guidelines
Research paper template (to be used to write the paper which is then submitted to the MERGA conference website)
Author checklist
Publication Agreement (to be submitting on the MERGA conference website)

Research papers can take two major forms:

i. reports of empirical investigations; or

ii. reports that are not based on empirical research including:

– a theoretical discussion;

– a position paper;

– a report of scholarly enquiry in progress;

– a literature review, a meta-study;

– an account of a new initiative;

– a reflective critique of practice; or

– any mixture of these or other recognised scholarly forms.

All papers for publication in the conference proceedings should contain the following:

– a statement of the problem/issue and a discussion of its significance;
– a critical analysis of the research literature as it relates to the topic of the paper; and
– conclusions and implications for mathematics education derived from the study.

All papers must respect MERGA’s ethical guidelines relating to research work. Papers should be not more than the set length. (Formatting details and WORD template are available from the submissions). In addition, papers must be: readable; free of grammatical, spelling and typographical errors; and adhere strictly to style requirements advertised by the conference proceedings Editorial Team.

i. Empirical investigations

When empirical investigations are reported (such as in an experimental intervention, confirmatory study, or action research, etc.), the paper should also include

– a statement of rationale for methodologies used in collecting and analysing data;
– a critical discussion of data findings in the light of the research literature; and
– in the literature review, prior work in the area should be acknowledged and an explanation of how the work reported in the paper builds on that earlier work should be included.

ii. Theoretical or position papers

When the work is a theoretical discussion, a position paper, a report of scholarly inquiry in progress, a review of literature, a theoretical study, a meta-study, an account of a new initiative, a reflective critique of practice or any mixture of these or other recognised scholarly forms, the material presented must be discussed critically, and alternative points of view relating to themes presented should be appropriately argued.
It is expected that presenting authors will have 40 minutes to present their work at the conference. At least 10 minutes must be allowed to field questions and comments from the audience.

Originality

Only research papers that are substantially different from work that has been published previously will be considered for publication in the conference proceedings and/or presentation at the conference.

Reviewing of research papers

Research papers will be blind reviewed by a panel of peers approved by the conference committee. The main purpose of the refereeing process is to contribute to the growth and development of quality practice in mathematics education research. Thus reviewers are asked to assist authors by providing helpful feedback and to comment on the suitability of papers for presentation at the conference. Accordingly, it will not be assumed that published papers presented at the conference will be as polished as articles in scholarly journals. Referees will be asked to assess papers being reviewed against the accepted norms for scholarly works presented at MERGA conferences, as set out above.

Each conference proceedings’ Editorial Team will exercise discretion over the reviewing process.

Reviewers’ comments will be returned to the authors. Authors whose papers are not accepted for publication may be invited by the editorial panel to present their paper at the conference, with an abstract (only) being published in the proceedings. Papers may be rejected outright, with no opportunity for presentation at the conference in an alternative form.

The MERGA website has detailed advice about criteria for reviewing of MERGA papers, review forms, and examples of strong and poor reviews of different types.

Presentation of research papers

Research papers are presented by author(s) only. A maximum of 30 minutes may be used for presenting the paper, and at least 10 minutes is then used for audience questions and open discussion.

Research Symposia

There are four essential documents to read and complete when considering to submit a research paper to the MERGA conference.

Symposia paper guidelines
Symposia paper template (to be used to write the paper which is then submitted to the MERGA conference website)
Author checklist
Publication Agreement (to be submitting on the MERGA conference website)

Presentation of groups of published papers related by theme in the form a research symposium is encouraged. The symposium forum will be particularly suitable for presentations relating to a single large project or presentations that explore topical themes from different and/or related perspectives. Special Interest Groups [SIGs] are encouraged to consider the symposium option as a means for sharing and discussing current research.

A symposium should consist of no more than four presentations of about 15 minutes duration each. The written papers should be half the length of research papers as described for research papers. Both research report types – empirical or non-empirical – are acceptable as published symposium papers.

A brief overview of the symposium (limit one page), including a title, the names of presenters, an introduction to the theme/project, and a short introduction to each of the 3-4 contributions, must be submitted with the set of short papers.

The symposium proposer will also nominate a person to chair the symposium, and a discussant can also be named if desired. This information should accompany the collection of papers submitted for review.

The set of symposium papers (and the overview) will be blind reviewed by a review panel. The main purpose of the reviews is the same as for published papers, and the same criteria are used. The reviewers will be asked to consider the cohesiveness of the set of symposium papers. They will indicate whether the symposium as a whole, and each paper within it, should be “accepted”, “rejected” or if it “requires revision”. If it is deemed that one, some or all of the papers are in need of revision, the reviewers will outline which papers need to be revised and provide suggestions for the required changes. When the revisions are made, the symposium papers will be re-submitted and the set of papers will be sent to the same review panel for further consideration. As with research papers, the final decision about which symposium papers will be published is at the discretion of the Editorial Team.

The date for submission of the collection of symposium papers is the same as for Early Bird papers. This date has been set for the benefit of the group of authors of symposia papers. Should the symposium papers require revision, the authors will have the time to make the corrections and resubmit the set of symposium papers to be re-reviewed by the original reviewers.

Presentation of symposia

Symposia are presented by author(s) only. At least 10 minutes must be allocated for audience questions and open discussion.