<p>This thesis investigates grade seven learners perceived experiences in learning algebra.Things that learners do and say during algebra lessons and about algebra were investigated. The study was done at one of the previously disadvantaged schools in Cape Town, South Africa.The data were collected through observations, a questionnaire and interviews. Observations were made from the day the topic was started in two grade seven classes. Two different teachers taught the two classes. Focus group interviews were conducted, two group of learners, ten learners from each of the two classes were interviewed. Learners devised a number of strategies for solving problems related to sums and differences. The principal learning difficulties experienced by learners in algebra related to the transition from arithmetic conventions to those of algebra, the meaning of literal symbols and the recoginition of structures. It became obvious then that developing algebraic thinking is not necessarily dependent upon algebraic notation and that the presence of algebraic notation says little about the level of problem solving.</p>

This quantitative study aims to contribute to the understanding of how increasing educational costs on the Swedish market for upper secondary schools can be explained. With insights from previous research, a multiple regression analysis is performed to answer if competition implicates economic efficiency, why are upper secondary school costs for municipalities increasing along with increasing competition on the Swedish school market? Data on municipality-level was collected for the period of 2000-2011 and the results show that increasing educational costs are explained by increasing competition. In addition, increasing pupils’ change of school and/or program, and increasing overcapacity are statistically significant predictors of increasing educational costs. Furthermore, this study contributes to previous research as it takes an extended view of competition and demonstrates that is well founded when evaluating the effect of competition on educational costs. In addition, the results indicates that there are additional aspects to address namely, that competition affects costs indirectly by creating more complex competitive conditions with regards to education providers’ possibility to plan and set dimensions of their operations.

This study aimed to develop a teaching and learning model, based on principles derived from the fields of constructivist theory, schema theory, critical literacy theory, and design theory, to inform the development of hypermedia-mediated learning environments that facilitate the construction of mathematical knowledge by secondary school students in Thailand. In this study, the participants were a group of three secondary school students from the Demonstration school attached to the Faculty of Education at Khon Kaen University (Thailand). In order to ascertain how mathematical learning could be facilitated by the process of designing a web page that could be used to introduce other students to analytic geometry, all three participants were asked to work collaboratively to design an analytic geometry web page. The process of designing the web page was informed by a theoretical model derived from an analysis and synthesis from the research literature on constructivist theory, schema theory, critical literacy theory, and design theory. Findings from the study indicated that the creation of a web page facilitated and enhanced the Thai students' learning about analytic geometry. The major outcomes from the study are a revised theoretical framework to inform the integration of the design of mathematical web pages into Thai mathematics classrooms and a conceptual map framework to assess qualitative and quantitative changes to students' repertoires of knowledge about analytic geometry that emerge during the process of designing a webpage.

Euclidean geometry and geometric proof have occupied a central place in mathematics education from classical Greek society through to twentieth century Western culture. It is proof which sets mathematics apart from the empirical sciences, and forms the foundation of our mathematical knowledge, yet students often fail to understand the purpose of proof, they are unable to construct proofs, and instead readily accept empirical evidence or the authority of textbooks or teachers. (For complete abstract open document)

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Thesis (M.Ed.Leadership)--University of Waikato, 2008. / Title from PDF cover (viewed February 24, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (leaves 136-148)

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 50-54).

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 119-126).

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 167-173).

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 135-141).