In this study we analyse results of Italian standardized tests in mathematics integrating quantitative analysis based on the Rasch Model and didactical interpretation. We use specific graphs to analyse the trend of each answer as function of the students' math ability. This approach led us to focus on specific items in which a wrong answer results particularly popular among medium/high level students and analyse this particular trend with the lenses of math education theories. The study reveals that these phenomena are particularly related to implicit and explicit rules governing classroom practices exist at all school levels and regard different mathematical content and skills.
This paper focuses on difficulties that primary school students have in facing mathematical word problems. In particular, we are interested in exploring how they develop in the transition from grade 2 to grade 5. The research basis of the hypothesis is that some difficulties detected in grade 5 are already predictable in grade 2. Starting from the data collected in grade 5 by the National Standardized Assessment, we carry out a quantitative analysis looking for word problems in which students experience difficulties. Subsequently, we conduct a backward analysis of the grade 2 test of the same cohort of students in order to identify a set of word problems linked with those selected in grade 5 test. The analysis shows the presence of many common difficulties in the two grades. We design and carry out specific educational activities concerning word problem-solving in grade 2. These activities produce positive changes in the experimental class compared to the control class. This could suggest that a previous intervention in grade 2 could allow overcoming future difficulties in word problem text comprehension in grade 5.
Comparative studies on paper and pencil– and computer-based tests principally focus on statistical analysis of students’ performances. In educational assessment, comparing students’ performance (in terms of right or wrong results) does not imply a comparison of problem-solving processes followed by students. In this paper, we present a theoretical tool for task analysis that allows us to highlight how students’ problem-solving processes could change in switching from paper to computer format and how these changes could be affected by the use of one environment rather than another. In particular, the aim of our study lies in identifying a set of indexes to highlight possible consequences that specific changes in task formulation have, in terms of task comparability. Therefore, we propose an example of the use of the tool for comparing paper-based and computer-based tasks.
There is not a large body of literature about digital resources found and accessed autonomously by high school students while studying mathematics, whereas this topic has become more and more relevant in times of lockdown due to the pandemic. Italy has been one of the first countries facing lockdown for an extended time, making this country a paradigmatic example: in this paper we investigate what kind of digital resources are accessed by the Italians high school students who actually use them and why. According to our results, students' aims and expectations vary according to the school grade, but are not as much devoted to procedural learning as previous literature has shown. Also, we observe that the type of searched media (text, video, image, etc.) is related to the mathematical contents and to students' objectives.
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