MERGA

2008 Conference Proceedings

2008 Conference Proceedings

2008 Full Conference Proceedings

KEYNOTE ADDRESSES

Praxis and Practice Architectures in Mathematics Education – Stephen Kemmis

Stars, Compass, and GPS: Navigating Currents and Charting Directions for Mathematics Education Research on Gender Issues – Helen Forgasz

 

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS AWARD

Facilitating Communities of Mathematical Inquiry – Roberta Hunter

 

SYMPOSIA

The Role of Information Graphics in Mathematical Proficiency – Carmel Diezmann and Tom Lowrie

Graphics and the National Numeracy Tests – Carmel Diezmann

A Longitudinal Study of Student Performance on Items Rich in Graphics – Tom Lowrie

Standardised Assessment in Mathematics: The Tale of Two Items – Tracy Logan and Jane Greenlees

The Construction of Knowledge: Theoretical Approaches – Tommy Dreyfus, Michael O. J. Thomas, Jill P. Brown and Gaye Williams

 

RESEARCH PAPERS

Assessing Primary Preservice Teachers’ Mathematical Competence – Karoline Afamasaga-Fuata’i, Paul Meyer and Naomi Falo

Teachers’ Motivation to Attend Voluntary Professional Development in K-10 Mathematics – Judy Anderson

Using National Numeracy Testing to Benefit Indigenous Students: Case Studies of Teachers Taking Back Control of Outcomes – Annette R. Baturo, Tom J. Cooper, Matthew T. Michaelson and Jessica Stevenson

Recollections of Mathematics Education: Approaching Graduation and 5 Years Later – Kim Beswick and Shelley Dole

Using Paper-Folding in the Primary Years to Promote Student Engagement in Mathematical Learning – Kathy Brady

The Case of Mathematical Proof in Lower Secondary School: Knowledge and Competencies of Pre-service Teachers – Jill Brown, Gloria Stillman, Björn Schwarz and Gabriele Kaiser

Employing Mathematical Modelling to Respond to Indigenous Students’ Needs for Contextualised Mathematics Experiences – Kelli Brown

Reconceptualising Agency Through Teachers Talking About a Sociocultural Approach to Teaching Mathematics in the Classroom – Raymond Brown and Trevor Redmond

Middle School Students’ Interest in Statistical Literacy – Colin Carmichael and Ian Hay

One Secondary Teacher’s Use of Problem-Solving Teaching Approaches – Michael Cavanagh

Does Student Success Motivate Teachers to Sustain Reform-Oriented Pedagogy? – Linda Cheeseman

Year Five Students Solving Mental and Written Problems: What Are They Thinking? – Julie Clark

Mathematics for Engineering Education: What Students Say – Mary Coupland, Anne Gardner and Georgina Carmody

Advancing Research Into Affective Factors in Mathematics Learning: Clarifying Key Factors, Terminology and Measurement – Patricia C. Cretchley

Explorations of Early Childhood – New Entrant Transition in Mathematics – Ngaire M. Davies and Karen Walker

Eliciting Growth in Teachers’ Proportional Reasoning: Measuring the Impact of a Professional Development Program – Shelley Dole, Doug Clarke, Tony Wright, Geoff Hilton and Anne Roche

Links Between Children’s Understanding of Multiplication and Solution Strategies for Division – Ann Downton

Intervention Instruction in Structuring Numbers 1 to 20: The Case of Nate – David Ellemor-Collins and Robert (Bob) Wright

Interdisciplinary Problem Solving: A Focus on Engineering Experiences – Lyn D. English

Addressing Verbal Memory Weaknesses to Assist Students with Mathematical Learning Difficulties – Maureen Finnane

Validation of an Assessment Instrument Developed for Eliciting Student Prior Learning in Graphing and Data Analysis – Noleine Fitzallen

Using Valsiner – Linda Galligan

CAS Enabled Devices as Provocative Agents in the Process of Mathematical Modelling – Vince Geiger, Rhonda Faragher, Trevor Redmond and Jim Lowe

Researcher-Teacher Relationships in Mathematics Education – Merrilyn Goos

Towards a Sociocultural Framework for Understanding the Work of Mathematics Teacher-Educator-Researchers – Merrilyn Goos

Identity as a Lens to Understand Learning Mathematics: Developing a Model – Peter Grootenboer and Robyn Zevenbergen

Capturing Students’ Thinking about Strategies used to Solve Mental Computations by Giving Students Access to a Pedagogical Framework – Judy Hartnett

A Review of Recent Research in Early Mathematics Learning and Technology – Kate Highfield and Kristy Goodwin

The Development of Students’ Use of Justification Strategies – Jodie Hunter and Glenda Anthony

Using Task-Based Interviews to Assess Mathematical Thinking of Primary School Students – Chris Hurst

Who a Student Sits Near to in Maths: Tension between Social and Mathematical Identities – Naomi Ingram

Social Constructivism in the Classroom: From A Community of Learners to A Community of Teachers – Jane Irvin

Primary Teachers’ Beliefs About the Use of Mathematics Textbooks – Romina Jamieson-Proctor and Carmen Byrne

Abstraction in Context, Combining Constructions, Justification and Enlightenment – Ivy Kidron and Tommy Dreyfus

How Humanism Can Foster Mediocrity in Early Years Mathematics Education: A Poststructuralist Comparison – Mary Klein

Preservice Teachers and Numeracy Education: Can Poststructuralism Contribute? – Mary Klein

High Achievers in Mathematics: What Can We Learn From and About Them? – Gilah Leder

The 2007 Common Technology Free Examination for Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) Mathematical Methods and Mathematical Methods Computer Algebra System (CAS) – David Leigh-Lancaster, Pam Norton, Peter Jones, Magdalena Les, Michael Evans and Margaret Wu

Focusing Year 8 Students on Self-Regulating their Learning of Mathematics – Andrea McDonough and Peter Sullivan

Feedback About Professional Growth for Teachers of Mathematics: A Developmental Perspective – Greg McPhan, John Pegg and Stefan Horarik

Fraction Number Line Tasks and the Additivity Concept of Length Measurement – Annie Mitchell and Marj Horne

“Zero is Not a Number”: Teachable Moments and their Role in Effective Teaching of Numeracy – Tracey Muir

Students’ Attitude Towards Using Materials to Learn Algebra: A Year 7 Case Study – Stephen Norton and Will Windsor

Teaching Mathematics and Technology through Design Practice – Stephen Norton and Tom J Cooper

Engaging Mathematics Teachers in Professional Learning by Reflecting on their Pedagogical Practice – Richard O’Donovan

Primary Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Knowledge and Understanding of Measurement – Michelle O’Keefe and Janette Bobis

Use of the Internet for Teacher Professional Development and for Teaching Mathematics: Supports and Inhibitors – Sitti Maesuri Patahuddin

A Situated Perspective on Learning to Teach Secondary Mathematics – Anne Prescott and Michael Cavanagh

The Hospital Problem Revisited. Tertiary Student’s Perceptions of a Problem Involving the Binomial Distribution – Robyn Reaburn

The Identification of Partially Correct Constructs – Gila Ron, Rina Hershkowitz and Tommy Dreyfus

Making Connections: Promoting Connectedness in Early Mathematics Education – Abigail Sawyer

Engagement versus Deep Mathematical Understanding: An Early Career Teacher’s Use of ICT in a Lesson – Anne Scott, Ann Downton, Donna Gronn and Adam Staples

Investigating a Phase Approach to Using Technology as a Teaching Tool – Penelope Serow

The Introduction of Interactive Whiteboard Technology in the Primary Mathematics Classroom: Three Case Studies – Penelope Serow and Rosemary Callingham

School Readiness: What Do Teachers Expect of Children in Mathematics on School Entry? – Brenda Sherley and Megan Clark

Gaining Insight into Alice’s Pedagogy with Respect to Five Dimensions of Numeracy – Jane Skalicky

Modes of Reasoning in Explanations in Year 8 Textbooks – Kaye Stacey and Jill Vincent

What Does Three-quarters Look Like? Students’ Representations of Three-quarters – Vicki Steinle and Beth Price

Some Key Junctures in Relational Thinking – Max Stephens

Chinese Young Children’s Strategies on Basic Addition Facts – Huayu Sun

Self-Efficacy in Mathematics: Affective, Cognitive, and Conative Domains of Functioning – S. L. Tait–McCutcheon

Neuropsychological Evidence for the Role of Graphical and Algebraic Representations in Understanding Function – Michael O. J. Thomas, Anna J. Wilson, Michael C. Corballis and Vanessa K. Lim

Speaking with Different Voices: Knowledge Legitimation Codes of Mathematicians and Mathematics Educators – Steve Thornton

Recognising Different Starting Points in Aboriginal Students’ Learning of Number – Kaye Treacy and Sandra Frid

Deepening the Mathematical Knowledge of Secondary Mathematics Teachers who Lack Tertiary Mathematics Qualifications – Colleen Vale and Alasdair McAndrew

Indigenous Students’ Early Engagement with Numeracy: The Case of Widgy and Caddy – Elizabeth Warren, Janelle Young and Eva De Vries

Building Informal Inference in Grade 7 – Jane Watson and Julie Donne

Proportional Reasoning: Student Knowledge and Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge – Jane Watson, Rosemary Callingham and Julie Donne

Counting On 2007: A Program for Middle Years Students who have Experienced Difficulty with Mathematics – Allan White

How Group Composition Can Influence Opportunities for Spontaneous Learning – Gaye Williams

Success and Consistency in the Use of Heuristics to Solve Mathematics Problems – Khoon Yoong Wong

Fractions as a Measure – Monica Wong and David Evans

Mixing Colours: An ICT Tool Based on a Semiotic Framework for Mathematical Meaning-Making about Ratio and Fractions – Andy Yeh and Rod Nason

Secondary School Students Investigating Mathematics – Joseph Yeo

Teaching Area and Perimeter: Mathematics-Pedagogical-Content Knowledge-in-Action – Kai Kow Joseph Yeo

Problem Solving Activities in a Constructivist Framework: Exploring how Students Approach Difficult Problems – Oleksiy Yevdokimov and Tim Passmore

Creating Equitable Practice in Diverse Classrooms: Developing a Tool to Evaluate Pedagogy – Robyn Zevenbergen, Richard Niesche, Peter Grootenboer and Jo Boaler

 

SHORT COMMUNICATIONS

Achieving Computational Fluency in Multi-Digit Multiplication and Division – Kristen Tripet

Coaching and Mentoring Numeracy Lead Teachers to Improve Student Learning: The Journey of Two Year Seven and Eight Teachers – Judith Mills

Connecting the Points: Students Learning Decimal Place Value – Bruce Moody and Jenny Young-Loveridge

Errors Made by Student Teachers when Writing Test Items – Jaguthsing Dindyal

Financial Modelling with Matlab – Peter Watson and Jiling Cao

Improving Language for Problem Solving – Benedicte Esterman

Insights from Pre-service Secondary Mathematics Teachers on their Practicum Experience – Jaguthsing Dindyal

Motivation and Engagement in Mathematics: The Transition from Primary to Secondary School – Karen Skilling

Reflections on Exponential Functions – Sandra Herbert and Farhang Afshar

Scaffolding Students’ Understanding of Geometric Properties Using Dynamic Geometry Software – Sahar Bokosmaty

The Next Big Teaching Resource: Interactive White Boards But Where is the Research? – Philip C Clarkson

The Role of Mathematics Competitions – Brenda Bicknell

The Role of Pattern and Structure in Early Mathematics Learning: An Evaluation Study in the First Year of Formal Schooling – Joanne Mulligan, Lyn English and Mike Mitchelmore

 

ROUND TABLES

MERGA: Including the X and Y in Mathematics Education Research – Peter Grootenboer and Naomi Ingram

Moving Beyond the Script: Addressing Numeracy Needs of Low Achieving Students through Quality Professional Development – Moira Blair and Anuja Singh

Student Achievement in Mathematics: Learning through Home School Partnership – Honor Ronowicz and Gaynor Terrill

Short Communications & Round Tables

The following documents are essential to read and complete when considering submitting a short communication or round table to the MERGA conference (available in the Submission section of this website).

  • MERGA Paper Template – to be used to write the abstracts which are then submitted to the MERGA conference website
  • MERGA Publication Agreement – to be submitted on the MERGA conference website at the time of the abstract submission

Submissions not exceeding one page are required for short communications and round tables. The submissions must be prepared using the conference template, and can include essential references. They will be reviewed by the Editorial Team and, if accepted, will be published in the conference proceedings as one-page abstracts (not as papers). Presenters are invited to prepare a paper for distribution at the conference, but these papers will not be included in the proceedings.

Short communications are suitable for reports on research in mathematics education that do not fully meet the requirements for published papers. These might include works in preliminary stages, reports of pilot projects, initial reviews of literature, ideas or suggestions for future study, and briefer discussions of particular issues. Short communications allow new researchers to obtain feedback on projects in a constructive and supportive environment, and foster the building of links between researchers with similar interests.

Short communications are presented by author(s) only, allocated half of the time for research reports (in past, this was 20 minutes). At least 5 minutes is to be allocated for audience questions and open discussion.

Round tables are suitable for presenters seeking involved interaction with the audience in relation to their research or topic of interest in mathematics education, and for those sharing their insights and advice with the early career colleagues. These might include discussion of an emerging topic, co-analysis of provided student work, solving a mathematical task, or discussing the demands and benefits of reviewing for high quality journals. Round tables allow finding peers with similar research interests, exploration of new research avenues, and building the capacity of MERGA community.

Round tables are led by author(s) only, allocated the same time as research reports (in past, this was 40 minutes). The abstracts should make clear the interactive element of the proposed activity, with no more than 15 min of the session time in a presentation mode.

Beth Southwell Practical Implications Award

The Beth Southwell Practical Implications Award (BSPIA) recognises high-quality mathematics education that produces insights for the teaching profession and/or student learning.

The award consists of $500 and a plaque to be presented at the Conference.

Nomination process 

There are two ways a paper can be nominated for the BSPIA:

  • Self-nomination: When you submit your conference paper, check the box that asks if you would like to apply for the BSPIA.
  • Nomination via peer-review: Anyone who submits a Conference paper for peer-review will be considered for nomination by the reviewers. 

Single and co-authored papers are eligible for consideration.

When you write your paper, please ensure that you observe all general paper submission requirements including the maximum page length.

Judging process

Submissions must be deemed eligible for publication in the Conference proceedings by the initial reviewing panel. Submissions accepted for presentation only will be excluded from consideration.

The judging panel will consist of two MERGA members and two AAMT nominees and will be chaired by the VP Development.

The judging criteria are:

  • Identification of a persistent and significant research problem
  • Synthesis of recent research literature and relevant policy initiatives
  • Robust methodology producing valid, reliable findings
  • Insightful discussion of practical implications for the teaching profession and/or student learning
  • Clear, succinct style of academic writing

Winners are notified four weeks prior to the Conference and are invited to present a keynote at the annual conference.

The Beth Southwell Practical Implications Award page on this website provides further information, including the history of the award and recent winners.  

Research Papers

The following documents are essential to read and complete when considering submitting a research paper to the MERGA conference (available in the Submission section of this website).

  • MERGA Paper Template – to be used to write the papers which are then submitted to the MERGA conference website
  • MERGA Publication Agreement – to be submitted on the MERGA conference website at the time of the paper submission

Research papers can take two major forms: 

1. Reports of 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.

2. 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.

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.

Structure of research papers – 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 not be more than the set length. 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.

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 as a Short Communication, with a 1-page abstract (which they will be invited to provide) being published in the proceedings. Papers may be rejected outright, with no opportunity for presentation at the conference in an alternative form.

Research Symposia

The following documents are essential to read and complete when considering submitting a research symposium to the MERGA conference (available in the Submission section of this website).

  • MERGA Paper Template (to be used to write the papers which are then submitted to the MERGA conference website)
  • MERGA Publication Agreement (to be submitted on the MERGA conference website at the time of the paper submission)

Presentation of groups of published papers related by theme in the form of 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 symposium title, 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. Please list the symposium convenors as the authors on the first page, and name the paper authors in the text description.

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, usually within a 90 min block. At least 10 minutes must be allocated for audience questions and open discussion.

Early Career Research Award

In order to encourage new researchers in mathematics education, MERGA sponsors an award to an author in the early part of her/his career. The award, for excellence in writing and presenting a piece of mathematics education research, consists of a plaque and a prize of $500 and is presented at the annual conference. 

Applying for the award

Entry for the Early Career Research Award is by submission of a written paper for presentation at the conference through the Early Bird process. Conditions of eligibility, information about the judging process, and the criteria judges will observe are indicated below. If you are applying for the Early Career Research Award, please ensure that when you upload your paper on the conference website, you also send an email to the Conference Secretariat indicating that you are an entrant for the Early Career Research Award. Note that at some MERGA conferences there is also a form to complete or a box to tick on the registration form, so check the conference website carefully. Please note that co-authored papers ARE NOT eligible for entry into the Early Career Research Award, nor are Round Table or Symposium papers.

Rules and eligibility for the Early Career Award

The Early Career Research Award page on this website provides further information about this award, including a list of recent winners.

Early Bird Review Process

The Early Bird review process is a form of mentoring, principally for new researchers. However, anyone is eligible to make use of it. Research papers submitted through the Early Bird process must be received by the Early Bird due date (i.e., the closing date in January). They must meet the requirements as set out for MERGA Research Papers. Early Bird papers should be uploaded following a link on the conference website. Authors will be asked to create a login into Oxford Abstracts (our conference management system) and submit the blinded file (anonymised) in the correct template for review.

Early Bird papers undergo a double-blind MERGA reviewing process. There are three possible outcomes of the review, and actions the authors need to follow.

  1. When the paper is accepted (for presentation at the conference and publication in the proceedings), the authors will be asked to provide their full unblinded manuscript and publication agreement.
  2. When small revisions are required, the revised papers will need to be resubmitted by the main submission deadline in March. The changes are considered by the editors, and the papers are not usually sent out for review again. The editors decide whether the paper is accepted for publication as well as presentation at the conference.
  3. When more major revisions are required, the reviewers will provide the author/s with feedback on how to how to strengthen the paper. The paper will need to be resubmitted by the main submission deadline in March, and it will be sent out for a new double-blind review.

Authors are notified of the outcome as soon as possible (usually within a few weeks, and in time for resubmission). Letters are sent to authors to indicate (a) accepted for publication, (b) small revisions required, (c) or major rewriting required.