Browsing by Author "Chapman, Olive"

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    Adult perceptions of the reform mathematics classroom
    (1998) Orsten, Jens Henry; Chapman, Olive
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    Designing A Professional Development Program in English Language Assessments
    (2019-05-01) Abidi, Ali; Koh, Kim; Chapman, Olive
    This interactive session discusses the development of a professional development program in which student teachers collaboratively reflect and design authentic language assessments (ALA). ALAs promote ELLs’ academic language by connecting classroom activities with engaging real-world activities essential for success in English classroom. Participants will engage in reviewing our newly-developed ALAs.
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    Elementary teachers' thinking (beliefs) about number sense and its pedagogy
    (2001) Chow, Valeen Marie; Chapman, Olive
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    Evaluating the Quality of ELA Performance Assessments for Developing Students’ Academic Language Proficiency
    (2024-04-11) Abidi, Ali Ahmad; Koh, Kim; Chapman, Olive; Chu, Man-Wai
    According to Wiggins (1989), authentic assessment can help foster students’ deep understanding, higher-order thinking, and complex problem solving through the performance of exemplary tasks. In academic language, authentic assessment consisting of rich and open-ended tasks is deemed to provide students with the opportunity to apply their language skills in real-world contexts. In the context of English language teaching and learning, it is important to ensure that performance assessments replicate the real-world challenges and performance standards as outlined in the intended curriculum to promote students’ learning and mastery of academic language. The authenticity of performance assessments can be determined by well-established criteria. This quantitative study investigated the quality of English Language Arts (ELA) performance assessments, assembled by an external assessment agency to develop elementary (Grades 1–6) students’ academic language proficiency (ALP) with a particular focus on: the authentic intellectual quality of the performance assessments and the alignment between the performance assessments and the learning outcomes as stipulated in the ELA programs of study (i.e., the ELA curriculum). My quantitative analyses included descriptive statistics of 27 ELA performance assessments assembled by an external assessment agency in the Canadian province. The quality of the performance assessments was analyzed using the Koh Authentic Intellectual Quality (AIQ) criteria (2011a). The criteria provided a basis to determine the authenticity and intellectual demands of the ELA performance assessments for engaging student learning and development of ALP. Results indicated that although there was a close alignment between the performance assessments and the intended curriculum in most grade levels, the AIQ of all performance assessments was low. These findings underscore the importance of designing high quality ELA performance assessments for elementary ELA students. High quality performance assessments should place greater emphasis on the intellectual or cognitive demands of the tasks in addition to the authenticity of the tasks. Recommendations are offered on future lines of research that would pave way for a better understanding of the design and use of ELA performance assessments that promote elementary school students’ ALP.
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    Exploring a Banking Training Program from an Adult Learning Perspective
    (2020-01-31) Zhu, Hui; Chapman, Olive; Koh, Kim H.; Winchester, Ian
    This qualitative case study investigated a bank training program from the perspective of employees who have taken the program. The focus is on how, as adult learners, they experienced the program and viewed the learning process involved and whether the learning process was oriented towards specific aspects of adult learning theory. Three employees who volunteered to be participants were interviewed. A theme-based approach was used to analyze the data. Findings indicated that while the participants found the program to be useful, they also identified limitations regarding the content and pedagogical approaches. They developed new knowledge and had shifts in attitude regarding their confidence in taking on their new roles. The program supported few of the components of the adult learning theory. The findings have implication regarding what could make the program more meaningful and effective for some employees.
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    Exploring Professional Identity Development in Medical Laboratory Professional Students
    (2020-04-28) Hardy, Gregory Scott; Chapman, Olive; Jubas, Kaela; Rankin, Janet M.
    Despite being the fourth largest health profession in Canada, medical laboratory science is perhaps one of the most poorly studied and underrepresented health care fields. While substantial research exists surrounding more well-known health care professions like nursing and medicine, there has been a minimal exploration of the sociological, cultural, and educational aspects of the medical laboratory profession in Canada. Given educational programs and clinical experiences are central to professional socialization processes and professional identity formation in health care professions, this research explores this process in a cohort of medical laboratory science students in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Drawing from a conceptualization of professional identity development as a form of learning shaped through cognitive, emotional, and social dimensions of lived experience, I explored the individual and professional experiences of students in a contemporary medical laboratory training program. Utilizing a case study approach, the study focused on the experiences that occurred during students’ first substantive encounter with a clinical laboratory environment and evaluated how the clinical practicum served to affect their professional identity development, perspectives of the field, and view of the medical laboratory profession in a transformative way. Consistent with research in other health-related fields, findings indicated that clinical practicum serves as a particularly important transitional and transformational period for student medical laboratory professionals and is a time in which they reflect upon their attitudes, behaviours, roles, and experiences. This research concluded that exposure to the clinical realm serves to affect their sense of professional identity in meaningful ways.
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    Exploring the Experience of Women Leaders with Leadership Development in the Contemporary Dynamic Environment
    (2023-10-11) Riley, Avril Marjorie; Scott, Donald E.; Scott, Donald E.; Scott, Shelley Ann; Chua, Catherine S.K.; Chapman, Olive; Arnold, Christine Helen
    The purpose of this research was to understand the extent to which women in leadership are being overtly and purposefully prepared to lead in the contemporary, dynamic environments. The research was conducted from a pragmatic paradigmatic orientation and utilized a mixed methods convergent design. Qualitative and quantitative data collection methods resulted in a combined total of 63 participants/respondents with online questionnaire (n=38) of which 13 different individuals did not participate in the interview portion, and semi-structured interviews (n=25). The sample ranged from junior to senior level women leaders within Ontario services industry who were in a leadership role for at least one year and had participated in leadership development. Six major findings emerged from this research: 1. Leadership development where learning includes social interactions positively influenced the experiences and effectiveness of women leaders. 2. Women leaders are intrinsically motivated to learn. 3. Transformational, authentic, and team leadership are valuable leadership styles/approaches within the contemporary environment. 4. Stereotypical expectations and biases in the contemporary workplace influenced the evaluation of leadership effectiveness and perception of gendered leadership. 5. Conducting needs assessment is necessary for designing development programs. 6. Communication skills is most valuable for the contemporary workplace. The Riley’s Model of Women Leadership Development was developed in response to the findings to create a collaborative approach to leadership development design and execution, among designers, providers, organizations, and women leaders who are at the core of the model.
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    Identity Perception of Chinese Immigrant Youth at a Mandarin Bilingual School
    (2018-07-19) Lai, Xingru; Roy, Sylvie; Chapman, Olive; Dressler, Roswita
    This study explored identity perception of youth from Chinese backgrounds in the context of a Mandarin/English bilingual education program in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The study was based on the theory proposed by Grosjean (2015) on bilingualism and biculturalism, together with bilingual identity negotiation framework by Fielding (2015). Six students from Grades 7 to 9 were individually interviewed about how they used languages and how they perceived their identities as a person from Chinese backgrounds in the Mandarin/English bilingual program. Results indicated that bilingualism is a dynamic process. Some participants in this study started with one language as the dominant language, but after a transition period, the first language became the weaker language and the second language the stronger language. Meanwhile, results revealed their creative uses of languages. Most participants engaged in code-switching in their language use both in the interviews and in their home usage of languages. Through this program, they learned how to value their own languages and cultures as well as feeling proud of being Chinese. Implications of the study suggested the need to emphasize the importance of affirming identities in language learning for immigrant students. In order for students’ bilingual competence to develop, the immigrant students’ heritage background should be seen as a valuable resource and be fully respected.
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    Investigation of differences in students' mathematical performance on timss 2003
    (2008) Wang, Zhaoyun; Chapman, Olive
    The main purpose of this quantitative study is to investigate the nature and quality of the mathematics test items and relationship to the basic mathematics concepts, application and problem-solving knowledge of eighth graders based on TIMSS 2003 in order to gain understanding of the differences in performances of students in countries that ranked high in comparison to those that did not. Data were obtained from published TIMSS reports of test items and scores. Statistical analyses were conducted to answer the research questions. The findings indicate some problems with the students' achievement and imply concerns about the students' mathematics development, their teachers' mathematics knowledge, and their countries' mathematics curriculum standards. A Confucian educational theoretical perspective was used to interpret mathematics content, teaching and learning and the differences in performances between the East Asian countries that performed the best on TIMSS and Western countries that use other theoretical perspectives such as constructivism.
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    Knowledge for proficient teaching of calculus
    (2007) Sabbagh, Bouchra Mikati; Bezdek, Károly; Chapman, Olive
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    Learner conceptions of the limit concept
    (2004) Brown, Allan; Chapman, Olive
    The intuitive idea of a limit involves getting as close as one wishes to some goal. The classical Greek mathematicians knew of this idea over two thousand years ago. Through the centuries scientists and engineers used the idea to solve problems by calculating quantities that were not otherwise accessible. This made the limit concept important in calculus and in learning calculus. However, the limit concept has been, and still remains, a troublesome concept for learners to grasp. Two factors stand out: the limit concept is complex, and it poses particular cognitive challenges. Calculus reform and other efforts to improve the teaching and learning of calculus have met with some success, but controversy still surrounds the causes for the difficulties and the efficacy of the various approaches. Much still needs to be discovered about how learners think about the limit in calculus. This study investigated how postsecondary students who have successfully completed an introductory calculus course conceptualised the limit concept. Conceptions are accessed by inference. From a qualitative, cognitive theoretical perspective, data collection was carried out through a combination of task-based interviews with four volunteers, and through a written questionnaire designed to explore particular aspects of limits that was completed by fourteen volunteers. The analysis considered themes of how each participant made sense of the limit concept, and the implications for teaching. The findings reveal that the participants' conceptualisations of limit varies by mathematical context and in relation to the participants' academic backgrounds. The study clearly established that limit is a difficult concept to learn and suggests follow-up investigation of what it means to learn a difficult mathematical concept in general. The study also raises the question of the necessity to include limit in introductory calculus courses and suggests follow-up studies to investigate the impact on learning calculus with and without limit. Finally, further investigation is suggested of the relationship between instruction and students' conceptions as a basis for improving learning of limit and other difficult mathematics concepts
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    Problem-based learning: Mathematical knowledge, assessment and competencies
    (2018-05) Koh, Kim; Chapman, Olive; Abidi, Ali; Zulay, Diaz
    In this session, the presenters will discuss and demonstrate how problem-based learning, an innovative learner-centered pedagogical approach, can be used to maximize authentic learning opportunities for undergraduate students to develop disciplinary knowledge (e.g., mathematical knowledge) and competencies.
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    The role of authentic assessment tasks in problem-based learning
    (2018-05) Koh, Kim; Delanoy, Nadia; Thomas, Christy; Bene, Rose; Hone, Gabrielle; Chapman, Olive; Abidi, Ali; Diaz, Zulay
    A group of instructors will share their perspectives on using authentic assessment tasks to engage students in assessment for and as learning in a problem-based learning (PBL) oriented course. Discipline-specific dialogues on PBL and authentic assessment will take place at the end.
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    Secondary School Students’ Meaning and Learning of Circle Geometry
    (2014-09-05) Oladosu, Lydia Oyewumi; Chapman, Olive; Winchester, Ian; McLoughlin, John Grant
    The purpose of this study is to understand and gain insight into the types of meanings secondary school students hold in learning circle geometry, the role these meanings play in students’ learning of circle geometry concepts, the role of formal instruction in shaping and reshaping these meanings, and the implications for teaching geometry. Meanings, framed in a constructivist perspective, are interpreted as the students’ ways of making sense of the concepts learned and the formal instruction is interpreted as the instruction that students experience in their regular classrooms on topics of circle geometry based on the curriculum and teaching approaches used by the teacher. A qualitative case study approach is employed, with data sources consisting of pre- and post-intervention interviews to capture students’ meanings, a contextual circle geometry task to capture meanings through problem solving, and classroom observations of the sessions on the circle geometry unit to capture the nature of the instruction and students’ participation in it. The participants are 20 students from a single Grade 9 mathematics classroom. Data analysis involves a thematic approach based on coding the data to identify students’ meanings and the impact of the instruction on them. Findings indicate that the students held several pre-instruction meanings that were influenced mainly by their real-world experiences and prior learning of school geometry. Many of these meanings did not reflect the mathematical meanings of the concepts or support problem solving involving contextual circle geometry problems. While the formal instruction resulted in positive changes in these meanings, for the most part the post-instruction meanings were focused on definitions of the concepts and applications to contextual circle geometry problems in an instrumental way. The findings suggest that students’ pre-instruction meanings provide a basis for their learning of new concepts and could impact this learning both positively and negatively, so it is important for teachers to consider and unpack the students’ initial meanings when introducing new concepts. The study contributes to our understanding of these meanings and how they should be dealt with in teaching and learning of geometry and mathematics teacher education, with implications for further research.
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