Matemaattisen identiteetin tyypit ja niiden rakentuminen : Tapaustutkimus tansanialaisen luokan oppilaista

Students’ mathematical identity, referring to students’ context-based narratives about their mathematical self-perceptions, has recently received researchers’ increased attention in mathematics education because, as a construct, it offers a broader socially engaging perspective for analysing the role of these perceptions and socio-cultural factors that shape them. While previous studies have mostly examined students in ‘Western’ schools who do not vary greatly in their mathematical and socio-economic backgrounds compared to students in Tanzanian schools, this study focused on a Tanzanian mathematics classroom whose students varied greatly in these backgrounds. The study applied socio-cultural and socio-psychological perspectives to examine the features and development of these students’ mathematical identity. An ethnographic approach was used to collect and analyse data on the students’ mathematical identity and conditions affecting its development at home, in school, and in the classroom. Students’ narratives provided insights into context-specific features of mathematical identity and patterns of identity development. Also, observations of the school and mathematics classroom, review of official documents, and open-ended questionnaires generated data for contextualising students’ identity narratives.Data analysis resulted in multiple mathematical identities. While positive identities of Innate ability, Persistent effort, and Image-maintenance characterised students’ engagement in mathematical activities, the negative mathematical identity of Oppositional identity was accompanied by the students’ tendency to refrain from these activities. The study further showed that each type of mathematical identity had a distinct pattern of mathematical experiences. Overall, positive mathematical identities were associated with more supportive previous mathematical experiences compared to the negative identity. Contextual factors such as teachers and parents positively or negatively shaped these experiences. The study suggests that teaching strategies that enable students to exercise their agency may not be enough to promote students’ mathematical identities. It is also important to understand how students have experienced mathematics and how they perceive their future relationship with mathematics, and support them accordingly. ________________________________________ Keywords: mathematical identity, positive mathematical identity, negative mathematical identity, mathematical experiencing, contextual factorsTämä tutkimus käsittelee oppilaiden matemaattista identiteettiä, jolla tarkoitetaan oppilaiden kertomuksellisia havaintoja itsestä suhteessa matematiikkaan. Matemaattista identiteettiä käsitellään tutkimuksessa sosiokulttuurisista ja sosiaalipsykologisista näkökulmista käsin. Käsitettä käytetään työssä analyyttisenä välineenä, jonka avulla oppilaiden havaintoja itsestä matematiikan oppijana sekä näiden merkitystä matematiikan oppimisessa tarkastellaan suhteessa sosiokulttuurisiin tekijöihin. Toisin kuin aiemmat matemaattisen identiteetin tutkimukset tämä tutkimus kohdistui tansanialaisen luokan oppilaisiin, joiden matemaattiset ja sosio-ekonomiset taustat vaihtelivat suuresti. Tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin matemaattisen identiteetin tyyppejä sekä niiden kehittymistä kodin, koulun ja luokan konteksteissa käyttäen sosiokulttuurisia ja sosiaalipsykologisia näkökulmia. Tutkimusaineiston hankinnassa ja analysoinnissa käytettiin tulkinnallista etnografista lähestymistapaa. Oppilaiden narratiivien lisäksi tutkimusaineisto pohjautui koulun ja luokan havainnointiin, virallisiin dokumentteihin sekä opettajien haastatteluihin ja kyselyihin. Tutkimustuloksina saatiin useita erilaisia matemaattisia identiteettejä. Kyvykkyyden, Sinnikkään työskentelyn ja Minäkuvan säilyttämisen positiiviset identiteetit kuvastivat oppilaiden sitoutumista matematiikan oppimiseen, kun taas negatiivinen matematiikan identiteetti, Vastustava identiteetti, yhdistyi pyrkimykseen päästä eroon matematiikasta. Tutkimus osoitti, että jokaisella identiteettityypillä oli toisista poikkeava matematiikan kokemustausta. Positiiviset identiteetit yhdistyivät negatiivista identiteettiä useammin aikaisempiin kannustaviin matematiikan kokemuksiin. Opettajat ja vanhemmat osana oppimiskontekstia vaikuttivat näihin kokemuksiin joko positiivisesti tai negatiivisesti. Tämän tutkimuksen tulokset näyttävät, että opetustavat jotka tukevat omaehtoista oppimista eivät välttämättä riitä edistämään matemaattisen identiteetin rakentumista. Matematiikan opiskelun ja matemaattisen identiteetin rakentumisen tukemiseksi on ymmärrettävä myös oppilaiden aiempia matematiikan kokemuksia sekä heidän käsityksiä tarpeista opiskella matematiikkaa jatkossa. ________________________________________ Avainsanat: matemaattinen identiteetti, positiivinen matemaattinen identiteetti, negatiivinen matemaattinen identiteetti, matematiikan kokeminen, kontekstitekijä

Migratory movements of the true armyworm (Mythimna unipuncta) (Haworth): An investigation using naturally occurring stable hydrogen isotopes

A number of lepidopteran agricultural pests cannot overwinter in Canada and the annual populations each summer are the result of immigration. In most years densities are low but sporadically there are major outbreaks resulting in serious economic losses. Currently, the detection of potential epidemics is based on pheromone trap catch data in the spring, which leaves a very short window for farmers to intervene if there are high numbers of immigrants. It is accepted that immigrant moth species originate from the USA but we are unsure of whether they originate from one geographic source area every year or if it varies considerably between years. Recent advancements using stable isotopes as endogenous markers offers a new approach to more effectively address certain questions about insect migration. I used the true armyworm, Mythimna unipuncta (Haworth), a spring immigrant into Canada to determine the validity of using stable hydrogen isotope measurements from wing chitin (δ2Hw) to infer the natal origin of adults captured in London. I first examined the isotope profiles of moths captured from April to October in 2016, and the results provide strong evidence that the moths captured in spring are immigrants, while adults captured in summer and fall are generally locally derived populations. Furthermore, data from moths captured in Texas early in the fall of 2012 were of northern origin, confirming the hypothesis of a return fall migration. I then compared the δ2Hw values of individuals captured in London throughout four years, 2008, 2013, 2015, and 2016. There was considerable intra- and inter-year variability, and while stable isotopes clearly provide insight into patterns of insect migration, significantly more data are required to refine the model and to allow greater precision when assigning the geographic origin of individuals. Furthermore, including information on other stable isotopes, such as carbon or nitrogen, could be used to determine whether immigrants come from natural or agroecosytems

Slumming it? Township tour reviews ‘gloss over poverty’

Is it time to rethink “slum tourism”? Researchers at the University of Bath believe the answer is a resounding yes. They claim that foreign visitors are glossing over the hardships of those living in poor areas with well-meaning attempts to portray their inhabitants in a positive ligh

Development of the PsAQoL: a quality of life instrument specific to psoriatic arthritis

Background: Patient reported outcome measures used in studies of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) have been found to be inadequate for determining the impact of the disease from the patient’s perspective. Objective: To produce the PsAQoL, a PsA-specific quality of life (QoL) instrument, employing the needs based model of QoL that would be relevant and acceptable to respondents, valid, and reliable. Methods: Content was derived from qualitative interviews conducted with patients with PsA. Face and content validity were assessed by field test interviews with a new sample of patients with PsA. A postal survey was conducted to improve the scaling properties of the new measure. Finally, a test-retest postal survey was used to identify the final measure and to test its scaling properties, reliability, internal consistency, and validity. Results: Analysis of the qualitative interview transcripts identified a 51 item questionnaire. Field test interviews confirmed the acceptability and relevance of the measure. Analysis of data from the first postal survey (n = 94) reduced the questionnaire to 35 items. Rasch analysis of data from the test-retest survey (n = 286) identified a 20 item version of the PsAQoL with good item fit. This version had excellent internal consistency (a = 0.91), test-retest reliability (0.89), and validity. Conclusions: The PsAQoL is a valuable tool for assessing the impact of interventions for PsA in clinical studies and trials. It is well accepted by patients, taking about three minutes to complete, is easy to administer, and has excellent scaling and psychometric properties

Assembly and trafficking of nicotinic and 5HT3 receptors.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 receptors (5HT3R.S) are pentameric ligand-gated ion channels which form both heteromeric and homomeric complexes. Aspects of the assembly and pharmacological properties of the a 7 nAChR and 5HT3R were examined through three independent studies. The first study examined the mechanism by which the 5HT3B subunit, when expressed alone, is retained within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The 5HT3R forms both homomeric (composed of 5HT3A subunits) and heteromeric (composed of 5HT3A and 5HT3B subunits) complexes. In contrast to 5HT3A, the 5HT3B subunit cannot form a functional homomeric receptor. An ER retention motif (RAR) was identified in the 5HT3B subunit, which appears to be masked by the 5HT3A subunit. Evidence to support this conclusion was obtained from co-expression of the subunits, which resulted in the presence of 5HT3B on the cell surface. The a 7 nAChR and 5HT3R have similar N-terminal ligand binding domains and cross-reactivity of some ligands is observed. Both mouse 5HT3A and a 7 are potentiated by the aromatic moiety of 5-HT, 5-hydroxyindole (5-HI), whereas human 5HT3A is not. In an attempt to define the 5-HI binding site, human/mouse 5HT3A subunit chimeras were constructed. Studies using the chimeras suggest that the action of 5-HI may be mediated by both the N- and C-terminal domains of 5HT3A. In the final study, the effects of the putative chaperone protein, RIC3, on ct7 receptor expression were examined. The efficient functional expression of the cc7 nAChR has been shown to be critically dependent on host-cell type, unlike the 5HT3R. RIC3 was shown to facilitate the efficient cell-surface expression of al in a mammalian cell line, where functional expression was not previously observed. The RIC3 protein has been identified as an a7-interacting protein which promotes the efficient assembly and folding of the subunit. RIC3 was also shown to promote 5HT3aR assembly

Patient reported outcomes: looking beyond the label claim

The use of patient reported outcome scales in clinical trials conducted by the pharmaceutical industry has become more widespread in recent years. The use of such outcomes is particularly common for products developed to treat chronic, disabling conditions where the intention is not to cure but to ameliorate symptoms, facilitate functioning or, ultimately, to improve quality of life. In such cases, patient reported evidence is increasingly viewed as an essential complement to traditional clinical evidence for establishing a product's competitive advantage in the marketplace. In a commercial setting, the value of patient reported outcomes is viewed largely in terms of their potential for securing a labelling claim in the USA or inclusion in the summary of product characteristics in Europe. Although, the publication of the recent US Food and Drug Administration guidance makes it difficult for companies to make claims in the USA beyond symptom improvements, the value of these outcomes goes beyond satisfying requirements for a label claim. The European regulatory authorities, payers both in the US and Europe, clinicians and patients all play a part in determining both the availability and the pricing of medicinal products and all have an interest in patient-reported data that go beyond just symptoms. The purpose of the current paper is to highlight the potential added value of patient reported outcome data currently collected and held by the industry for these groups

Requirements for Quality of Life Instruments in Clinical Research

AbstractThe ability to produce high quality instruments for the assessment of quality of life has advanced considerably in recent years. As the science progresses it has become clear that certain standards must be met if outcome measures are to be capable of providing useful, reliable, and valid information within the context of clinical studies and trials. This paper specifies what these standards are with particular reference to theoretical basis, practicality, acceptability to respondents, unidimensionality, scaling and psychometric properties, and cultural validity and equivalence. The paper also indicates how failure to achieve such standards results in measures that are inaccurate and insensitive to true changes in outcome

Development of the ASQoL: a quality of life instrument specific to ankylosing spondylitis

Background: Although disease-specific health status measures are available for ankylosing spondylitis (AS), no instrument exists for assessing quality of life (QoL) in the condition. Objective: To produce an AS-specific QoL measure that would be relevant and acceptable to respondents, valid, and reliable. Methods: The ASQoL employs the needs-based model of QoL and was developed in parallel in the UK and the Netherlands (NL). Content was derived from interviews with patients in each country. Face and content validity were assessed through patient field test interviews (UK and NL). A postal survey in the UK produced a more efficient version of the ASQoL, which was tested for scaling properties, reliability, internal consistency, and validity in a further postal survey in each country. Results: A 41 item questionnaire was derived from interview transcripts. Field testing interviews confirmed acceptability. Rasch analysis of data from the first survey (n=121) produced a 26 item questionnaire. Rasch analysis of data from the second survey (UK: n=164; NL: n=154) showed some item misfit, but showed that items formed a hierarchical order and were stable over time. Problematic items were removed giving an 18 item scale. Both language versions had excellent internal consistency (α=0.89–0.91), test-retest reliability (r(s)=0.92 UK and r(s)=0.91 NL), and validity. Conclusions: The ASQoL provides a valuable tool for assessing the impact of interventions for AS and for evaluating models of service delivery. It is well accepted by patients, taking about four minutes to complete, and has excellent scaling and psychometric properties