| Description |
xv, 215 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm |
| Contents |
1. Introduction: background, issues and overview of the book -- 2. The research: origins, methods, issues -- 3. Children and 'realistic' test items: previous studies and National Curriculum test items -- 4. Key Stage 2 'realistic' items: two children, two cultural competences? -- 5. Social class, sex, contextualization and performance: a quantitative analysis at Key Stage 2 -- 6. 'Realistic' items, social class and sex: two examples from Key Stage 2 -- 7. Social class, sex, selection for tiers and performance: a quantitative analysis at Key Stage 3 -- 8. Children's answers to items and explicitness: examples from Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 -- 9. Constructing the right goal: a comparative analysis of two Key Stage 3 items -- 10. Conclusions and reflections |
| Summary |
"In many countries, the lives of teachers and children are increasingly dominated by programmes of national testing of mathematics and other subjects. In England, the majority of the items in such tests have set mathematical tasks in every day situations such as 'shopping'. Assessing Children's Mathematical Knowledge draws on the analysis of National Curriculum test data from more than 600 children of 10-11 and 13-14 years of age, as well as in-depth interviews with 250 of these as they attempt to solve test problems, in order to explore the nature of the difficulties children experience with 'realistic' items. The book shows, by comparing test and interview data, that many children, as a consequence of their confusion over the requirements of 'realistic' test items, fail in tests to demonstrate mathematical knowledge and understanding that they actually possess. The book also explores whether this problem of invalid measurement is equally spread across children from different social backgrounds, and across the sexes." "The book will be of interest to academics and teachers studying for advanced degrees in mathematics education, sociology of education and educational assessment."--BOOK JACKET |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages [206]-212) and index |
| Subject |
Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Primary) -- Social aspects -- England.
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Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Primary) -- England -- Evaluation.
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Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Primary) -- Social aspects -- Great Britain.
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Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Primary) -- Great Britain -- Evaluation.
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Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- Social aspects -- England.
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Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- England -- Evaluation.
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Mathematical ability -- Sex differences.
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| Author |
Dunne, Máiréad.
|
| LC no. |
99021687 |
| ISBN |
0335203175 HB |
|
0335203167 PB |
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