Student Thinking

This study scrutinises approaches and thinking processes displayed by the elementary school students when
solving real-world problems. It employed a qualitative inquiry to produce rich and realistic data about the case
at hand. The research sample included 116 students. The data were obtained from written exam and semistructured
interviews, and they were analysed using content and discourse analysis methods. The results indicated
that most of the students disregarded the real-life situations that the problems are related to. They
displayed non-realistic approaches that included application of rules, procedures, and factual knowledge in a
straightforward and uncritical way. Most of the students lacked the ability to use alternative approaches and
appropriate strategies. Some constructed models of the problem situations, yet most of these students were
not able to utilise these instruments as a conceptual tool to gain insight into the situations. Rather, models were
used as part of the routine – rules, procedures and factual knowledge – that the students applied uncritically.

Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice - 13(3) • 1920-1927
©2013 Educational Consultancy and Research Center

Artistic domains of knowledge, such as music performance, have not raised the interest of researchers focused on conceptual change. By adopting the frame of implicit theories, this article addresses the conceptions of learning and instruction held by students at professional music conservatories. More specifically, our aims were to study the conceptions of learning, teaching, and assessment/evaluation held by piano students at three developmental/instructional levels, and analyze whether their conceptions constitute theoretically consistent profiles. The participants, 215 students of Intermediate and Tertiary levels, were selected according to three levels of the combined variable “Age / Level of Instruction.” Data were collected through a multiple-choice questionnaire, and analyzed with descriptive and non-parametric methods. The findings suggested that: a) students’ conceptions tend to be more sophisticated as their age and education level increase; b) each developmental/instructional group is typically associated to different conceptions; c) three increasingly sophisticated profiles of conceptions can be identified among these students. Implications for conceptual change research and limitations of the study are discussed, and further lines of research are suggested.

This study is qualitative research. It is to restructure the STEM-based students thinking in constructing the concept of formal definition of a function based on the assimilation and accommodation process through the provision of scaffolding. The research subjects are two students chosen from 18 students by a consideration that the students meet the determined criteria. The results show both the first and the second subjects experience errors in relation, the general definition of a function, and algebraic representation. Errors in Cartesian product and numerical representation are also experienced by the second subject. Scaffolding by using questions and instructions in the process of assimilation and accommodation are used to reconstruct the concept of formal definition of a function. It is essential for the teachers to create assimilation and accommodation in their thinking process in order to help the students to understand formal definition of a function in appropriate ways

In this paper, we analyze efforts to encourage teachers' attention to student thinking through a professional development (PD) program. We describe three groups of teachers within the same program who completed different types of assignments, either conducting interviews, planning classroom activities, or both. In both types of assignments, teachers were prompted to explicitly address student thinking. Teachers attended to specifics of student thinking when conducting and analyzing interviews, but struggled to do so when planning activities. While acknowledging the value of sustained attention to revision of lessons, reviewing classroom videos, and utilizing different forms of classroom discourse, we argue that conducting and analyzing interviews is an underused activity that can and should be an important part of teachers' professional development if we seek to encourage attention to student thinking.

This study scrutinises approaches and thinking processes displayed by the elementary school students when
solving real-world problems. It employed a qualitative inquiry to produce rich and realistic data about the case
at hand. The research sample included 116 students. The data were obtained from written exam and semistructured
interviews, and they were analysed using content and discourse analysis methods. The results indicated
that most of the students disregarded the real-life situations that the problems are related to. They
displayed non-realistic approaches that included application of rules, procedures, and factual knowledge in a
straightforward and uncritical way. Most of the students lacked the ability to use alternative approaches and
appropriate strategies. Some constructed models of the problem situations, yet most of these students were
not able to utilise these instruments as a conceptual tool to gain insight into the situations. Rather, models were
used as part of the routine – rules, procedures and factual knowledge – that the students applied uncritically.

Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice - 13(3) • 1920-1927
©2013 Educational Consultancy and Research Center

This study scrutinises approaches and thinking processes displayed by the elementary school students when
solving real-world problems. It employed a qualitative inquiry to produce rich and realistic data about the case
at hand. The research sample included 116 students. The data were obtained from written exam and semistructured
interviews, and they were analysed using content and discourse analysis methods. The results indicated
that most of the students disregarded the real-life situations that the problems are related to. They
displayed non-realistic approaches that included application of rules, procedures, and factual knowledge in a
straightforward and uncritical way. Most of the students lacked the ability to use alternative approaches and
appropriate strategies. Some constructed models of the problem situations, yet most of these students were
not able to utilise these instruments as a conceptual tool to gain insight into the situations. Rather, models were
used as part of the routine – rules, procedures and factual knowledge – that the students applied uncritically.

Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice - 13(3) • 1920-1927
©2013 Educational Consultancy and Research Center