Transformations through Science, Mathematics and Technology Education: Towards an Innovative and Sustainable Society

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3 The 7 th International Conference on Science Mathematics and Technology Education Transformations through Science, Mathematics and Technology Education: Towards an Innovative and Sustainable Society 4-7 November 2012 Jointly organised by the College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, and the Science and Mathematics Education Centre, Curtin University, Perth, Australia

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5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page WELCOME 1 CONFERENCE ORGANISERS 2 GENERAL INFORMATION 3 PROGRAM AT A GLANCE 11 PROGRAM IN DETAIL 13 KEYNOTE ABSTRACTS 25 OTHER PRESENTATIONS ABSTRACTS 29

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7 WELCOME It is with great pleasure that we welcome all delegates and their partners to the Sultan Qaboos University and the Seventh international conference on Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education. Sultan Qaboos University is the realization of the promise announced by His. Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said during the 10th anniversary of Oman s National Day in Construction started in 1982 and the first Sultan Qaboos University students were enrolled in In accordance with the Royal Directives of His Majesty, The University commenced with five colleges; namely Medicine, Engineering, Agriculture, Education and Science. Furthermore the College of Arts was established in 1987, following the College of Commerce and Economics which was developed in The College of Law joined the University in 2006 and finally the College of Nursing was established in The Sultanate of Oman provides a unique environment with its diversity of landscape from a largely untouched coastline, some of the oldest mountains in the world, wide pristine deserts to the burgeoning capital Muscat, with its forts, palaces and old city wall. It provides a living example where development and tradition can co-exist hand in hand. In a country renowned for its security, stability and the spirit of tolerance of its people, visitors are guaranteed to hear many AhlanwaSahlan (you are welcomed) from the ever smiling Omanis. It is now 15 years since the first international conference on Science, Mathematics and Technology Education was conducted jointly by the Science and Mathematics Education Centre (SMEC), Curtin University, Australia, and the Hanoi Pedagogy University, Vietnam National University, in Hanoi, Vietnam in Since that time, SMEC has collaborated with universities around the world to organize further conferences. The National Taiwan Normal University hosted the second SMTE in January 2000 in Taipei, Taiwan. The third SMTE was hosted by Rhodes University in East London, South Africa in 2003, the fourth was hosted by Simon Fraser University in 2005 in British Columbia, Canada, and the fifth was organized at the Udon Thani Rajabhat University in Thailand in January In January 2010, we returned to Hualien in Taiwan and the National Taiwan Normal University hosted the sixth conference. The Seventh conference in November, 2012 is now being held in Muscat, Oman and the co-hosts are the Sutan Qaboos University, Oman and Curtin University, Australia. For this event, the conference theme is Transformation through Science, Mathematics and Technology Education: Towards an Innovative and Sustainable Society. The Seventh international conference on Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education contains over 160 paper presentations and workshops covering many research interests. We are honoured to have Professor Theo Wubbels from Utrecht University, the Netherlands, Professor Murad Jurdak from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon and Professor El Yacoubi Nouzha, from University Mohamed V Rabat-Agdal, Morocco, presenting the three keynote addresses. Enjoy the Seventh SMTE and we hope you find it intellectually stimulating and rewarding. We hope you take the time to also enjoy the social program at the conference and discover the many unique features of Muscat and Oman. Thuwayba Ahmed Al-Barwani and Darrell Fisher Conference Convenors 2 November

8 CONFERENCE ORGANISERS Omani Committee Associate Professor Dr. Thuwayba Ahmed Al-Barwani Associate Professor Dr. Ali Huwaishel Al-Shuaili Assistant Professor Dr. Mohamed Al-Tahir Osman Assistant Professor Dr. Maryam Yousuf Al-Wishahi Assistant Professor Dr. Raya Salim Al-Manthari Acting Director Mr. Said Abdullah Al-Jaradi Senior Technician Mr. Nizar Ali Al-Jabri Australian Committee Professor Darrell Fisher Associate Professor Bill Atweh Dr Rekha Koul 2

9 GENERAL INFORMATION Conference Venue The Seventh International Conference on Science, Mathematics and Technology Education 2012 will be held at the Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat Oman. The Opening Ceremony and the first Keynote Address will be held at The Conference Hall. The second and third Keynote Addresses will be held at Lecture Theatre One. Parallel sessions and Workshops will be held Conference hall, Lecture Theatre 1, Lecture Theatre 3, College Hall and B block rooms (as described in details in the program). Coffee breaks are available at first day at the Conference Hall and other days at the Corridor of B-Block. Lunches will be available at the Faculty Club The Conference Reception on Sunday will be held at the Golden Tulip Hotel. Transport from selected hotels will be provided (see section on Transport below). Conference Gala Dinner on Tuesday will be held at the Intercontinental Hotel. Transport from selected hotels will be provided (see section on Transport below). Registration Registration, final Program and Conference Satchel will be available on Saturday 3 November from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm at the lobby of the Intercontinental Hotel. Registration Desk at the Exhibition Hall and the entrance of the Conference Hall SQU will be open from 8:00 am on Sunday Transportation Local taxies are available at the airport to transport delegates from the airport to the Hotels. A free conference bus will pick up delegates from the following five central hotels to the conference venue one hour prior to the first session of each day. Likewise, a free conference bus will transport delegates from these hotels to the Golden Tulip and Intercontinental Hotel for the Reception and Gala Dinner half an hour prior to the events. Free buses will pick up delegates from these hotels at 4:00 pm for the Muscat Highlights tour on Monday. 3

10 The InterContinental Hotel Safeer Hotel Safeer Apartments Crown Plaza Hotel Ibis Hotel Free Hotel Bus is also provided for Delegates staying at the Golden Tulip Hotel) Conference Office and Lost and found During the Conference, delegates assistance can be obtained from Help Desk or SQU Students from organizing committee (line extension 1687 or ). Internet Services Most hotels around Muscat would provide access to a wireless internet service. During the conference sessions SQU internet facilities will be made available to delegates. Guideline for paper presenters Please go to the allocated room at least 10 minute before the session begins. Introduce yourself to the Chair who is the person presenting the third paper in your session. Check your understanding of the projector and any other audiovisual equipment prior to the session. Keep presentation within the designated limit; 15 minutes for presentation and 5 minutes for questions. The Chair will manage the question session. Guidelines for Chair of Paper Presentation Sessions We would like the person presenting the third paper in each session to be the Chair of that session with the following responsibilities: Greet the other presenters and make sure that the session begins and ends on time. Each presentation consists of a 15 minute presentation followed by a 5 minutes for questions.. The Chair introduces the speakers, monitors their time and chairs the question sessions following the presentations. We thank you for your assistance in chairing the paper session. 4

11 PROGRAM AT A GLANCE 8:00 8:30 Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday 8:00 am 5 pm Registration SQU 9:00 Registration Conference Hall Keynote Address Parallel Session 4 Keynote Address Nouzha El Yacoubi Murad Jurdak 9:30 Lobby of Lecture Theatre 1 Lecture Theatre 1 10:00 Opening and Coffee Break Parallel Session 5 Parallel Session 8 The Intercontinental Keynote Address 10:30 Theo Wubbels Hotel Parallel Session 2 11:00 Conference Hall Coffee Break Coffee Break 11:30 Coffee Break Parallel Session 3 Parallel Session 6 Conference Closure Lecture Theatre 1 12:00 12:30 Parallel Session 1 And Workshops A Lunch Parallel Session 7 1:00 1:30 Lunch Faculty Club Poster Session Lunch 2:00 Faculty Club Faculty Club 2:30 Workshops B 3:00 Free time 3:30 4:00 4:30 5:00 Free time 5:30 6:00 6:30 7:00 Reception 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 Golden Tulip Hotel Muscat City Highlight Tour Free Time Gala Dinner Intercontinental Hotel 5

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13 PROGRAM IN DETAIL PARALLEL SESSION 1 and WORKSHOPS A SUNDAY 4 TH NOVEMBER 12:00 PM 1:30 PM 1.1 Room B1 1.2 Room B2 1.3 Room B3 1.4 Lecture Th PAPERS IN ARABIC Room B4 Cherian Thomas Sibawu Witness Siyepu Ali Jafarabadi Graham Gordon Subhash B Nair Vinay R. Gupta Qaisa Rashid Al-Shibli Maryamb, Salim Al- Maskari Said Aldhafri and. Marwa Alrajhi V Munodawafa- Makuku Martin Stein Nawar Alrawahi & Said Aldhafri Vaille Dawson & Katherine Carson Peter Charles Taylor Ken Kawasaki Emilia Z. De Afonso Nhalevilo Alberto Cupane Hisashi Otsuji, Marianne Mclaughlin Khaled S. Ben-Motreb Misfer S. Al-Salouli Muna Al-Afifi Abdulla Ambusaidi Ali H Al-Shuaili & H Al-Shukaili CREATIVITY FOSTERED TEACHING WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON TEACHING OF MATHEMATICS AN EXPLORATION OF ERRORS IN DERIVATIVES OF LOGARITHMIC FUNCTIONS IN A UNIVERSITY MATHEMATICS CLASSROOM THE EFFECTS OF USING CALCULATOR ON REDUCING MATHEMATICS ANXIETY ENRICHMENT AND EXTENSION USING REAL-WORLD PROJECT-BASED LEARNING. EFFECT OF LEARNING THROUGH IPAD APPS ON MOTIVATION AND ACHIEVEMENT ON HIGHER SECONDARY STUDENTS IS OMAN READY FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION: BUSINESS MANAGEMENT STUDENTS PERSPECTIVE THE EFFECT OF COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY ON OMANI TRADITION ARE MATH AND SCIENCE TEACHERS AUTHORITATIVE? PERCEPTIONS ON THE INFLUENCE OF WORKING RELATIONSHIPS ON THE QUALITY OF STUDENT TEACHERS PLACEMENT EXPERIENCE EVA-CBTM - A SURVEY OF INTERNET BASED PLATFORMS FOR LEARNING AND PRACTICING MATHEMATICS PROPOSAL FOR ORAL PRESENTATION OMANI TEACHERS PERCEPTIONS OF SCIENCE TEACHERS CHARACTERISTICS ACCORDING TO OVERALL QUALITY STANDARDS WESTERN AUSTRALIAN SCIENCE TEACHERS PERSPECTIVES OF CLIMATE CHANGE TRANSFORMING CULTURAL LANDSCAPES OF SCIENCE/MATHEMATICS/TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM INVESTIGATING ELEMENTARY TEACHERS MATHEMATICAL KNOWLEDGE FOR TEACHING THE CONCEPTS OF GEOMETRY MEASURING 10 TH GRADE OMANI STUDENTS LEVEL OF INQUIRY SKILLS AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH LOGICAL THINKING ABILITIES OMANI TEACHERS PERCEPTION OF USE OF MOBILE LEARNING IN EDUCATION CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 7

14 A.1 WORKSHOP College Hall A.2 WORKSHOP Room B5 A.3 WORKSHOP ARABIC Conference Hall David Henderson Gregor Lomos Khoula Zahir Alhosni USING STUDENT PERCEPTIONS TO IMPROVE CLASSROOM LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS ACTION / PRACTITIONER RESEARCH PRODUCTIVE PEDAGOGIES AS FRAMEWORK FOR QUALITY TEACHING WORKSHOPS B SUNDAY 4 TH NOVEMBER 2:30 pm -4:00 pm B.1 WORKSHOP Room B1 B.2 WORKSHOP Room B2 B.3 WORKSHOP Room B3 B.4 WORKSHOP Room B4 B.5 WORKSHOP College Hall B.6 WORKSHOP Lecture Theatre 1 EDUARDO M. LACAP, JR & ROLANDO R. ONILONGO Hari Vuthaluru SIBAWU WITNESS SIYEPU Diane Resek Cecile Hoods Lynette McClellan DEMONSTRATION OF MULTICOLLINEARITY IN MULTIPLE LINEAR REGRESSION USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING DEVELOPING CONJECTURES ON HOW TO DERIVE FORMULAE FOR TOTAL SURFACE AREAS OF PLATONIC SOLIDS REVITALIZING ALGEBRA THROUGH CONNECTING REPRESENTATIONS MOTIVATING AND ENGAGING STUDENTS TO MAKE DRAMATIC GAINS IN LEARNING PLANNING FOR LANGUAGE FOCUSED STRATEGIES IN THE MATHEMATICS CLASSROOM CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 8

15 B.7 WORKSHOP IN ARABIC Conference Hall B.8 WORKSHOP Lecture Theatre 3 Nasser Ali Al-Jahwari David Henderson EFFECTIVE TEACHING BY PROBLEM-SOLVING USING STUDENT PERCEPTIONS TO IMPROVE CLASSROOM LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS PARALLEL SESSION 2 MONDAY 5 TH NOVEMBER 10:30 AM 11:30 AM 2.1 Room B1 2.2 Room B2 2.3 Room B4 2.4 Room B5 2.5 Room B6 Mohammed Goma Tanko & Bill Atweh Bature Iliya Joseph& Bill Atweh Khalid Alsharif & Bill Atweh Mohareb Ali Alsmadi Reema Ali Fayez Zawahreh Carlos Lauchande & Alberto Cupane Cecilia Junio-Sabio, & Rizwan Ahmed Shahzada Qaisar Asma Almahrouqi Fatheya Al Ahmadi & Paul Lowe Shamil Makhmutov & Marina Makhmutova MATHEMATICS STUDENT AND/OR SOCIAL ACTIVIST? YOUNG ARAB WOMEN AND SOCIAL JUSTICE PEDAGOGY STUDENTS PERCEPTIONS ON THE EFFECTS OF INTRODUCING PRODUCTIVE PEDAGOGIES FOR IMPROVING MATHEMATICS CLASSROOM PRACTICES IN A NIGERIA INOVATIVE PEDAGOGIES FOR PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS IN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION THE PSYCHOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MATHEMATICS TEST (LEVEL 3) OF THE WIDE RANG ACHIEVEMENT TEST )WRAT) IN A SAMPLE OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS STUDENTS IN AJLUNE COUNTY FACTORS INFLUENCING GRADE 6 PUPIL ACHIEVEMENTS IN MATHEMATICS IN MOZAMBIQUE. IMPORTANCE OF ACADEMIC SUPPORT SERVICES: AN ASSESSMENT FROM STUDENTS IN OMAN FRIEND AND NON-FRIEND GROUPS INTERACTION IN COLLABORATIVE MATHEMATICAL CLASSROOM LEARNING AS A PROCESS AND A PRODUCT: AN EMPIRICAL APPROACH TEAM-BASED INQUIRY LEARNING USING MOODLE IN COORDINATION OF LARGE SIZE COURSES Cecile Hoods TECHNOLOGY AND THE SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL CHANGES THAT LEAD TO TRANSFORMATION OF THE TERTIARY EDUCATION LANDSCAPE IN NEW ZEALAND IN THE 2000S Archana Bhattacharjee GENDER DISCRIMINATION AND EDUCATIONAL GAP (A STUDY BASED ON A TRIBAL VILLAGE IN JORHAT, INDIA Intzar Hussain Butt GENDER DISPARITY IN MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT AMONG RURAL AND URBAN STUDENTS IN PAKISTAN Muhammad Asif Malik SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF FEMALE STUDENTS OF PUBLIC SECTOR SCHOOLS AT SECONDARY LEVEL IN PAKISTAN CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 9

16 2.6 Room B Room B PAPERS IN ARABIC College Hall Sarah Snell Catherine Snell-Siddle Darrell Fisher MOHAMMED ESMAIL DAEL AL- ABSI Yuli Rahmawati, Rekha Koul &Darrell Fisher Ralph A Sabio Elisabeth Taylor Peter C Taylor Ray Williams & Tim Manea; KAWASAKI, Ken Dr Zafer Farraj Alshehri Fatma Al Mashani Nada Khatib THE VALIDATION AND APPLICATION OF THE MOBLEI: THE EFFECTS OF GENDER AND AGE ON ACTUAL AND PREFERRED PERCEPTIONS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEVELS OF EDUCATION AND PERCEPTIONS OF PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF QAT AMONG YEMENI SOCIETY CO-TEACHING AND CO-GENERATIVE FOR TRANSFORMING TEACHER INTERPERSONAL BEHAVIOUR AND TEACHER- STUDENTS INTERACTIONS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS DISTANCE EDUCATION IN THE PHILISTINE: CURRENT TRENDS, CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS A TALE OF TWO TEACHERS: INTEGRATING EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABILITY, ENGLISH AND MATHEMATICS FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE USING ETHICAL DILEMMA STORY PEDAGOGY. IN ORDER TO LAUNCH WORLDVIEW EDUCATION EXPLORING THE LITERATURE ON THE INTEGRATION OF MATHEMATICS AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION THE HARMONIZATION OF THE OUTCOMES OF THE POST- BASIC SCHOOLS WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE SULTANATE OF OMAN 00 FLIP, GOOGLE, GROUP, AND DEPLOY: TRANSFORM YOUR STUDENTS EDUCATION TO A SUSTAINABLE CASH FLOW PARALLEL SESSION 3 MONDAY 5 TH NOVEMBER 11:30 AM 12:30 PM 3.1 Room B1 3.2 Room B2 3.3 Room B4 Lynne Robinson Graham Gordon Ali Salim Rashid Alghafri Ross D Hudson and Stewart Monckton Sulaiman M. Al-Balushi, Abdullah K. Ambusaidi Ali H. Al-Shuaili Susan Patricia Long; David Allison, Andriy Didenko &Gary Miller Michael Mhlolo Robert Ariel, Ibrahim S. Al-Harthy, Christopher A. & John Dunlosky TEACHING CRITICAL THINKING WRITING SKILLS TO PRE-ENGINEERING STUDENTS ENRICHMENT AND EXTENSION USING REAL-WORLD PROJECT-BASED LEARNING. THE SECRET OF COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE IN LEARNING AND THINKING TRIALLING OF TEST ITEMS; HOW RELIABLE IS IT? THE DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF A TWO-TIER DIAGNOSTIC TEST TO ASSESS OMANI TWELFTH GRADE STUDENTS MISCONCEPTIONS IN CHEMISTRY THE STUDENT REPORT CARD AND THE TEACHERS REPORTING; MORE THAN AN ADDENDUM TO THE SEMESTER INVESTIGATING TRANSFORMATIONS IN THE CARTESIAN PLANE USING SPREADSHEETS HOW CAN WE IMPROVE LEARNERS GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURES IN MATHEMATICAL TEXTS? HABITUAL READING BIASES IN THE ALLOCATION OF STUDY TIME CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 10

17 3.4 Room B Room B Room B PAPERS IN ARABIC College Hall Mohammed Alzaghibi Khalid Alrdiyan Fahad Alshaya Ahmed Humaid ALBadri Arpana Dhar Rekha Koul Choon Pooh & Darrell Fisher David Henderson Ernest Afari, Jill Aldridge Barry Fraser Said Aldhafri & Nawar Alrawahi Afaq Ahmad & Dawood Al-Abri Martina Dickson; & Balqees Mohamed Awadh Wajeha Thabit Al-Ani Abdurrahman M. Sadaany & Mohamed A. Selim KHALID ALSHARIF BIOLOGY TEACHERS' RESPONSES WHEN FIRST TIME ENCOUNTER SOCIO-SCIENTIFIC ISSUES IN NEW BIOLOGY TEXTBOOKS THE AVAILABILITY EXTENT OF CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS TO CYCLE TWO SCIENCE TEACHERS IN THE BASIC EDUCATION FROM THEIR PERCEPTIONS INFLUENCE OF TEACHER TEACHING BELIEFS ON STUDENT OUTCOMES: A CASE STUDY DEVELOPING REFLECTIVE PRACTICE THROUGH HARNESSING STUDENT FEEDBACK USING QTI IN A SINGAPORE SECONDARY SCHOOL USING STUDENTS PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR LEARNING ENVIRONMENT TO FACILITATE TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT EXAMINING THE PERCEPTIONS OF THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND ATTITUDES (ACADEMIC EFFICACY AND ENJOYMENT OF MATHEMATICS) AMONG EMIRATI STUDENTS STUDENTS PERCEPTIONS OF BEST MATH AND SCIENCE TEACHERS CHARACTERISTICS DEVELOPMENT OF LOW COST TEACHING TOOLS AN EFFORT TOWARDS BUILDING AN INNOVATIVE AND SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY BEYOND 21 ST CENTURY TRAINING STUDENTS IN SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY SKILLS FINDINGS FROM A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES ALTERNATIVE EDUCATIONAL PATHWAYS ACCESS TO EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS IN THE SULTANATE OF OMAN ENVIRONMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS IN OMANI SCIENCE TEXTBOOKS A CRITICAL STUDY USING PRODUCTIVE PEDAGOGIES FRAMEWORK TO IMPROVE TEACHING PRACTICES FOR MATHEMATICS PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS AT RIYADH TEACHERS COLLEGE 11

18 POSTER SESSION MONDAY 5 TH NOVEMBER 1:30 AM 2:30 PM Room College Lobby Abdeljalil Métioui, Louis Trudel &Fathi Matoussi Hiya Almazroa Curtis C. Bradley, Jan Beks, and Kofi Agyeman Ross D Hudson and Stewart Monckton Fatma Salman Marhoon Andre du Plessis and Paul Webb Juan Manuel Wood and Abdeljalil Métioui REPRESENTATIONS OF QUEBEC PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS AND TUNISIAN IN-SERVICE TEACHERS ON THE ABSOBRTION AND REFLECTION OF LIGHT: CONTINUITY OR RUPTURE? EXPLORING PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT IN SAUDI PRE- SERVICE SCIENCE TEACHERS' EDUCATION PROGRAM COGNITIVE TUTORS FOR STUDIO PHYSICS HOW DOES STUDENT PERFORMANCE ON PROCESS ITEMS COMPARE TO THAT OF KNOWLEDGE ITEMS IN SCIENCE ASSESSMENTS? USE OF ON-LINE FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT THROUGH BLACKBOARD FOR A THERMODYNAMIC CLASS A HEURISTIC FOR HIGHER LEVEL STUDENT COGNITIVE THINKING AND QUESTIONING THROUGH COLLABORATIVE STUDENT DESIGNED WIKI-BASED CYBERHUNTS UTILIZATION OF SCIENCE EDUCATION RESEARCH TO UPDATE TEACHING PRACTICES AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL PARALLEL SESSION 4 TUESDAY 6 TH NOVEMBER 9:00 AM 10:00 AM 4.1 Room B Room B2 4.3 Room B3 4.4 Room B4 Syed Mansoor Jaffar Jaguthsing Dindyal Tika Ram Pokhrel Fatma Salman Marhoon Sabry M. Abd-El-Fattah Sahar El Shourbagi Kusure, L, Muropa, B.C &Basira, K, Antonio M. Asuncion Lynette McClellan; Bill Atweh & John Malone Nuur Raihan binti Shukor Misfer AlSalouli, Khaled Ben Moreb Nasser Mansour Saeed Alshamrani Said Aldhafri Amal Alhadabi STUDENTS MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT LIMITS USE OF GEGOGEBRA IN ADDRESSING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS USE ON-LINE FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT THROUGH BLACKBOARD FOR THERMODYNAMIC CLASS THE TEACHERS' MATHEMATICS VALUE SCALE: INITIAL DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION PRACTICING SCIENCE TEACHERS PERCEPTIONS AND ASSUMPTIONS ON CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT. PATTER OF MICRO DISCOURSE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AS REFLECTED IN THE DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY OF ESL LEARNERS LANGUAGE ENHANCED STRATEGIES IN THE LEARNING OF MATHEMATICS A HISTORIAN S VIEW OF THE LOW ACHIEVEMENT OF MALAY STUDENTS IN MATHEMATICS EXPLORING ELEMENTARY TEACHERS MATHEMATICAL KNOWLEDGE FOR TEACHING NUMBER AND OPERATION PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN SAUDI ARABIA: SCIENCE TEACHERS PERSPECTIVES PREDICTING SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS OMANI TEACHING METHODS USING PERSONALITY TYPES CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 12

19 4.5 Room B5 4.6 Room B6 4.7 SPECIAL PRESENT- ATIONS Lecture Theatre PAPERS IN ARABIC College Hall Alberto Cupane Rebecca Loftus and Peter Taylor Hisashi Otsuji Catherine Snell-Siddle, Sarah Snell &Darrell Fisher Kamani Gunawardena, Darrell Fisher Leong Chuin Fui, Mohd Rafi Abdullah Bayoh & Hunus Riah Fahad Suliman Alshaya Darrell L Fisher Muhammed Ahmed Abboro Khaled S. Ben-Motre Khaled M. Al-Saud AN INQUIRY ABOUT THE USAGE OF POETRY AS PART OF AUTO ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH FOR CULTURE STUDIES TEACHERS AS TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATORS: FINDING A VOICE THROUGH RESEARCH AS TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING RE-EXAMINING JAPANESE SCIENCE EDUCATION FROM A MAHAYANA BUDDHISM POINT OF VIEW DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF THE MOBLEI AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS WITH ATTITUDINAL OUTCOMES AN APPLICATION OF THE TROFLEI IN TERTIARY COMPUTING CLASSES IN TECHNICAL INSTITUTES AND POLYTECHNICS IN NEW ZEALAND CLASSROOM LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH STUDENT S ATTITUDES TOWARDS PHYSICS IN BRUNEIAN DARUSSALAM THE EXCELLENCE RESEARCH CENTER OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION (ECSME) SAUDI ARABIA: VISION AND ACHIEVEMENTS CONTRIBUTION TO SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION BY SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION CENTRE, CURTIN UNIVERSITY FINDING THE SOLUTION: STRATEGIES AND EDUCATIONAL CONTENT THE SPATIAL ABILITY AMONG THE STUDENTS OF MATHEMATICS AND ART EDUCATION AT THE KING FAISAL UNIVERSITY AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH SOME VARIABLES PARALLEL SESSION 5 TUESDAY 6 TH NOVEMBER 10:00 AM 11:00 AM 5.1 Room B Room B2 5.3 Room B3 Hashem A. Kilani, Ph.D. Khoula Zahir Alhosni Bill Atweh Zainab Al Lawati Dr. Ali Kemal Tekin Amal Alhadabi Said Aldhafri Ron Martin Ali Kemal Tekin RUPA VUTHALURU, G. INGRAM & VUTHALURU Don Kannangara Darrell Fisher Brenda Lloyd IS THE SPATIAL ABILITY IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION RELATED TO MATHEMATICS? USING PRODUCTIVE PEDAGOGIES FRAMEWORK BY OMANI MATHEMATICS MIDDLE -SCHOOL TEACHERS USING BLOCKS FOR TEACHING MATHEMATICS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION MOTIVATION TO LEARN SCIENCE & TEACHER-STUDENT RELATIONSHIP AS PERCEIVED BY MIDDLE-SCHOOL OMANI FEMALE STUDENTS ASSESSING SCIENTIFIC LITERACY BY EQUIVALENT TESTS IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CONTEMPORARY AND TRADITIONAL TEST TYPES AND THEIR VALIDITY ISSUES COMPARISON OF PROXIMAL AND REMOTE TEACHING OF AN ENGINEERING DESIGN UNIT EFFECTIVE MENTAL MODELLING AND COGNITIVE FACTORS IN TEACHING PROGRAMMING HOW HAS TECHNOLOGY CHANGED THE WAY WE VIEW OUR CAREERS? CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 13

20 5.4 Room B4 5.5 Room B5 5.6 Room B6 5.7 Room B10 Gary Q. Dacanay DME THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A PROPOSED INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL IN PRECALCULUS FOR THE STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NIZWA, SULTANATE OF OMAN Mark Nelson, A. Porter HEADSTART MATHEMATICS FOR SCIENCE STUDENTS &B. Bukhatwa Nourooz Hashemi INFLUENCES OF GENERALIZATION IN TEACHING Mohd Salleh Bin Abu INTEGRAL CONCEPT Hamidreza Kashefi Abdullah Ambusaidi OMANI 12 TH GRADE STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS ABOUT Fatma Al-Muqeemi & SCIENTISTS AND TH EIR WORKS Maya Al-Salmi W. P. Palmer LEONARD DUNNELL GALE ( ): A BIO- BIBLIOGRAPHY W. P Palmer ELEMENTS OF CHEMISTRY: THE BOOKS AND THEIR AUTHORS. Archana Bhattacharjee EDUCATION AND MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS: ISSUES AND CONCERNS (A CASE STUDY BASED ON A TEA GARDEN COMMUNITY IN JORHAT DISTRICT, ASSAM, INDIA Susan Chard A THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE LEARNING ACTIVITIES TAKING PLACE IN MULTIUSER LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS Gregor Lomas & K. DOES THE CURRICULUM MATCH WORKPLACE Mills REQUIREMENTS Madusise, Sylvia & EXAMINING THE POSSIBILITY OF USING A CULTURAL Mwakapenda, Willy Tomas Bergqvist Muhammad Shabbir Ali VILLAGE AS A SITE FOR MATHEMATISATION WHY ARE STUDENTS USING WEB-BASED LEARNING RESOURCES IN MATHEMATICS OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM? ESTABLISHING THE CONSTRUCT VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF AN URDU TRANSLATION OF THE TEST ANXIETY INVENTORY 14

21 PARALLEL SESSION 6 TUESDAY 6 TH NOVEMBER pm PM 6.1 Room B1 6.2 Room B2 6.3 Room B3 6.4 Room B4 6.5 Room B5 6.6 Room B6 6.7 Room B15 Abdeljalil Métioui Fathi Matoussi Louis Trudel NAKAJO, Mitsuru KAWASAKI, Ken Bob Chui Seng Yong Effandi Zakaria, Norazah Nordin & Mohamed Amin Embi Saif Al-Maamari Humaid Al-Saidi Alison Clark-Wilson Andre du Plessis and Paul Webb Zafer Farraj Alshehri M. Abdul Majid, Z. A. Huneiti, Balachandran Bradley, Beks, Agyeman, Dean & Bielenberg. Karam Singh Khokra Darrell Fisher Peter Charles Taylor Huseyin Kotaman Ali Kemal Tekin Emilia Z. de F. Afonso Nhalevilo Ahmad Alshammari M'hamed Tighezza Rekha Koul Nicoleta Maynard Issa Al balushi Rolando R. Onilongo & Eduardo Lacap Jr. Marianne McLaughlin, Dawson & Carson REPRESENTATION OF PUPILS AND TEACHERS INFORMATION (PRIMARY) WITH REGARDS TO THE INTERIA LAW A DISTINCTION BETWEEN UNIVERSALITY AND PARTICULARITY OF THINGS IN SCIENCE TEACHING ATTTITUDES AND SELF-EFFICACY BELIEFS ABOUT SCIENCE TEACHING OF PRESERVICE AND INSERVICE SCIENCE TEACHERS DEVELOPMENT OF A GRADING RUBRIC FOR ONLINE FORUM USE IN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION COURSES OMANI SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHERS BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING IN THE LIGHTS PRINCIPLES OF CONSTRUCTIVISM. HOW DOES A MULTI-REPRESENTATIONAL MATHEMATICAL ICT TOOL MEDIATE TEACHERS MATHEMATICAL AND PEDAGOGICAL KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING VARIANCE AND INVARIANCE? A HEURISTIC FOR HIGHER LEVEL STUDENT COGNITIVE THINKING AND QUESTIONING THROUGH COLLABORATIVE STUDENT DESIGNED WIKI-BASED CYBERHUNTS EXPLORING THE LITERATURE ON THE INTEGRATION OF MATHEMATICS AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION MATLAB IN FIRST YEAR ENGINEERING MATHEMATICS: A CASE STUDY OF BILINGUAL STUDENTS TRANSITIONING TO STUDIO PHYSICS DATA COMMUNICATION AND NETWORKING CONCEPTS AND LEARNING STYLES PREPARING NEW PARADIGM RESEARCHERS TO TRANSFORM EDUCATIONAL LANDSCAPES AN EPISTEMOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF ACTION RESEARCH RETHINKING THE HISTORY OF INCLUSION OF IKS IN SCHOOL CURRICULA: ENDEAVORING TO LEGITIMATE THE SUBJECT SCIENCE CURRICULUM REFORM IN KUWAITI SCHOOLS MODELING RELATIONSHIPS AMONG LEARNING, ATTITUDES, SELF-PERCEPTIONS AND SCIENCE ACHIEVEMENT IN TIMSS FOR 8 TH GRADE SAUDI STUDENTS ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS ESTABLISHING INDUSTRY SCIENCE LINKS IN HIGHER EDUCATION: TOWARDS ACHIEVING A KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY IN OMAN ON READINESS INDEX IN CALCULUS AT UNIVERSITY OF NIZWA, SULTANATE OF OMAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH FOR EARLY CAREER ACADEMICS CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 15

22 6.8 PAPERS IN ARABIC College Hall Nasser Ali Al-Jahwari Awatif Rashid Al- Qasimiyah Ahmed Humaid ALBadri THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING MIND MAPS STRATEGY OF TEACHING SCIENCE ON THE ACHIEVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF BASIC SCIENCE PROCESSES FOR THIRD- GRADE PUPILS IN SULTANATE OF OMAN THE AVAILABILITY EXTENT OF CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS TO CYCLE TWO SCIENCE TEACHERS IN THE BASIC EDUCATION FROM THEIR PERCEPTIONS PARALLEL SESSION 7 TUESDAY 6 TH NOVEMBER 12:30 AM 1:30 PM 7.1 Room B1 7.2 Room B2 7.3 Room B3 7.4 Room B4 7.5 Room B5 7.6 Room B6 Ahmed Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Kndi M. Alzaghibi, A.Almahrouqi & Alrwais Talal Ben Sa ed Al- Harbi Adel Al-Baz Mohammad Al-Khateeb Ali Kemal Tekin Huseyin Kotaman Maher M. Abu Hilal & Faisal Abdel-Fatth Antonio M. Asuncion Cecille J. Sabio Fathi Matoussi Abdeljalil Métioui M.Mikhaiel Pundary Phuyal Binod Prasad Pant Faisal Said Al-Maamari, Ali Kemal Tekin & Maryam Al Maamari Rabih El Mouhayar & Murad Jurdak V. MUNODAWAFA- MAKUKU. V. MATSWETU & W. MUNAKANDAFA Shariq Ali Khan Salem H. Alhajri APPLIED SCIENCES STUDENTS CONCEPTIONS OF THE NATURE OF SCIENCE : THE CASE OF OMANI STUDENTS MEASURING THE FIDELITY OF IMPLEMENTATION OF NOVEL SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS TEXTBOOKS IN SAUDI ARABIA ELEMENTARY STUDENTS MISTAKES IN LEARNING GEOMETRIC CONCEPTS AND THEIR TEACHERS LEVEL OF AWARENESS OF SUCH CONCEPTS IMPACT OF REGULAR SLEEP CYCLE AND EARLY SELF- STUDY ON MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT VARIABLES THAT DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN HIGH AND LOW ACHIEVING STUDENTS IN MATH AND SCIENCE IN TIMSS UTILIZATION OF MULTI-MEDIA PRESENTATIONS IN IMPROVING IELTS PERFORMANCE OF ESL LEARNERS ICT IN EDUCATION: CHALLENGES STUDENTS FACING THE USE OF A HYPERMEDIA TEACHING ONLINE VS TEACHING IN-CLASS: ARE THEY SIMILAR? TEACHING SCHOOL MATHEMATICS THROUGH STORIES TRANSFORMATION THROUGH THE AMENDMENT OF POSITIVE BELIEFS TOWARDS THE MATHEMATICS AND MATHEMATICS TEACHING ASSESSMENT IN UNIVERSITY ENGLISH SCIENCE-BASED PROGRAMMES: LANGUAGE AND SUBJECT-MATTER INTERPLAY THE ROLE OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY IN ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHING MATH TO YOUNG CHILDREN DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENT STRATEGY USE IN PATTERN GENERALIZATION TASKS ACROSS GRADE LEVEL THE IMPACT OF SELECTED INSTRUCTIONAL FACTORS ON THE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF COMPUTER SKILLS ACQUISITION AND USE BY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DATABASE PROJECTS: AN EMPIRICAL APPROACH TO DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION EFFICIENCY OF TEACHING GEOMETRY USING A GEOMETRIC SKETCHPAD PROGRAMME ON GEOMETRIC THINKING AND GEOMETRIC DRAWING SKILLS WITH GRADE EIGHT BASIC EDUCATION CLASS STUDENTS CONTINUED NEXT PAGE 16

23 7.7 Room B College Hall Madusise, Sylvia & Mwakapenda, Willy Diane Resek Ali Said Sulaiyam ALMATARI Zulmaryan Binti Embong & Nik Suryani Nik Abdul Rahman Alaa Sadik CULTURALLY BASED ACTIVITIES IN GRADE 9 MATHEMATICS: TENSIONS AND POSSIBILITIES FROM PRACTICE REVITALIZING ALGEBRA BY EMPHASIZING DEPTH OVER BREADTH THE IMPACT OF USING THE PROGRAM (SPSS) IN THE TEACHING OF STATISTICS ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN STATISTICS AND STATISTICAL THINKING AMONG STUDENTS IN THE TENTH GRADE DECLINE IN MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS: A LECTURER S PERSPECTIVE THE DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF A NETWORK FOR PRODUCING AND SHARING PRE-RECORDED VIDEO PRESENTATIONS PARALLEL SESSION 8 Wednesday 7 TH NOVEMBER 10 am am 8.1 Room B1 8.2 Room B Room B3 8.4 Room B4 Paul Lowe & Darrell Fisher Nasser Ali Al-Jahwari Awatif Rashid Al- Qasimiyah Mounir Mousa Sadek Abdeljalil Métioui Louis Trudel Fathi Matoussi Taki Al Abduwani Rekha Koul Vaille Dawson Kamani Gunawardena, Darrell Fisher 2 Cecile Hoods Darrell Fisher Shrestha, Nilam Akshay Peshave Anthony N Dowsett Marianne Mclaughlin & Peter C Taylor THE JOY OF LEARNING: PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING IN TEAMS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING MIND MAPS STRATEGY OF TEACHING SCIENCE ON THE ACHIEVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF BASIC SCIENCE PROCESSES FOR THIRD-GRADE PUPILS IN SULTANATE OF OMAN THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PEOE STRATEGY IN RECONSTRUCTING AND TEACHING SCIENCE IN THE ACHIEVEMENT, CREATIVE THINKING AND INTEGRATIVE SCIENCE PROCESSES SKILLS FOR GRADE EIGHT STUDENTS REPRESENTATIONS OF PUPILS AND TEACHERS IN FORMATION (PRIMARY) WITH REGARD TO THE INERTIA LAW DEVELOPING THE EMPLOYABILITY OF OMANI HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS: A PROPOSED OPTIONAL MODULE ON SOFT SKILLS DIVERSE CLASSROOMS: PROMOTING INQUIRY BASED SCIENCE TEACHING METHODS IN INDIA AN APPLICATION OF THE TROFLEI IN TERTIARY COMPUTING CLASSES IN TECHNICAL INSTITUTES AND POLYTECHNICS IN NEW ZEALAND THE INNOVATIVE USE AND INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY TOOLS TO MOTIVATE AND ENGAGE LEARNERS IN TERTIARY EDUCATION THE EFFECTS OF COMPUTER APPLICATION ON MATHEMATICS COMPREHENSION AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTER. IN THE DISINTERESTED PURSUIT OF TRUTH: THE CULTURAL ELEMENTS OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY SYSTEMIC SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING IN EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS CREATING PEDAGOGICAL THOUGHTFULNESS THROUGH AUTOETHNOGRAPHIC INQUIRY A NARRATIVE APPROACH TO TRANSFORMING AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL EDUCATION CONTINUED NEXT PAGE 17

24 8.5 Room B5 8.6 Room B PAPERS IN ARABIC Lecture Theatre PAPERS IN ARABIC College Hall Peter Hatherley-Greene Syed Ziaur Rahman1 Jehad Mahmood Mohamad Bani-Younis Ahmed Juma Al Riaymi Miss Asma Alkalbani Cecilia Junio-Sabio Muhammad Naeem Mohsin & Latif Ahmed Nagi Descoress Michael Naif Mastoor Alsulami & Peter Charles Taylor Ali H Al-Shuali Nassir S Al-Mazeidi Saif Al-Maamari Humaid Al-Saidi Ahmed Hamed Al- Rabaani Salim Saif Almajrfi Khadeja Badr Halima Al-Sadi Abdulla Ambusaidi Mohammed Al- Amri CULTURAL BORDER CROSSINGS IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES INTERNATIONALIZING THE HIGHER EDUCATION AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL TO RESPOND TO THE VARIOUS DEMANDS RISING OUT OF THE GLOBALIZATION INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS FOR SULTANATE OF OMAN BROADENING STUDENT ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION IN OMAN DEVELOPMENT OF A SCALE FOR EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATORS FOR MEASURING ATTITUDE TOWARDS INCLUSIVE EDUCATION PRODUCTIVE HABITS OF MIND: AN APPROACH FOR MATHEMATICS TEACHERS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AWAKENING SAUDI MATHEMATICS TEACHERS TO THEIR TRADITIONAL CONCEPTION OF TEACHING AND LEARNING: THE PROSPECT OF METAPHOR AS A TOOL FOR RECONCEPTUALISING SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS KNOWLEDGE OF NUTRITION OMANI SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHERS BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING IN THE LIGHTS OF THE THEORETICAL PRINCIPLES OF CONSTRUCTIVISM INTRODUCING GLOBAL DIMENSIONS IN SULTANATE OF OMAN SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM FROM THE POINT VIEW OF SOCIAL STUDIES EDUCATORS THE FALLACIES OF MATHEMATICS AS AN INTRODUCTION TO TEACHING MATHEMATICS NUMBER SENSE OF CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES: A DIAGNOSTIC AND REMEDIAL STUDY THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS AMONG 5 TH GRADE OMANI STUDENTS BY INTEGRATING SCIENCE AND ART 18

25 KEYNOTE ABSTRACTS Keynote Presentation 1 Professor Theo Wubbels Utrecht University The Netherlands Sustainable teacher student relationships in science classrooms Productive, healthy and enjoyable learning environments in science classrooms heavily depend on the relationships of the teacher with his or her students. Research has shown that the quality of these relationships is a major predictor of student science achievement and attitudes. During the teaching career the student perceptions of these relationships improve in the first five years and become less positive after 20 years of experience. An analysis of the teacher student interactions from a communicative systems and interpersonal perspective helps us understand how subtle changes in teacher behaviour influence student behaviour and vice versa. Such small changes in teacher student interactions can lead in the long run to considerable improvement or deterioration of the relationships. Recent research shows how teacher student interactions in classrooms with positive teacher student relationships differ from interactions in classroom with less positive relationships. In my keynote I will review such studies and discuss what teachers can do to create and sustain positive relationships in class. 19

26 Keynote Presentation 2 Professor Nouzha El Yacoubi University Mohammed V Rabat-Agdal, Morrocco. Gender patterns in achievement and participation in sciences, technology and mathematics In many developed countries where equity in education has been investigated for several years, and where there are no mean differences between boys and girls achievements upon entry to school, the gender gaps in achievement and participation in sciences, technology and more particularly in mathematics, persist. Since the 1970s, intensive research into the contributing factors to these gender differences and into relevant strategies to reduce the gap has been conducted in many countries. While, these factors are also relevant to developing countries, other factors should be considered such as negative socio- cultural attitudes, household duties of girls; gender biased curriculum, lack of moral and financial parental support, lack of self confidence among the girls, and poor performance in exams. However, in the Middle East, there is no evidence for a gender gap in mathematics performance. More interestingly, girls are now doing better than boys in mathematics and science in the region and many more girls are going on to tertiary education despite some traditional limitations to their participation. This presentation will deal with some of the reasons behind such patterns. TIMSS and PISA results will be used to show that, in the Middle East, gender differences are in favor of girls, and that when girls are provided with equal opportunity to learn, they tend to achieve better in mathematics than their male counterparts. 20

27 Keynote Presentation 3 Professor Murad Jurdak American University of Beirut (AUB), Lebanon The Tension between Mathematical Problem Solving in and outside school: Theoretical, Research, and Pedagogical Perspectives It is generally assumed that mathematical problem solving is a human activity enacted in the school context for academic purposes as well as for real life purposes outside school and that the engagement in mathematical problem solving in school has a significant bearing on how students apply mathematics in everyday life or the workplace. This paper compares and contrasts the activity systems of problem solving in and outside school to demonstrate that the two activity systems have different goals and hence different structures. Data from three research studies by the author and his associates will be used to demonstrate the fundamental differences between the activity of problem solving in the school and in the real life and the workplace. The implications of the tension between the two activity systems will be presented together with recommendations for bridging the gap between the two. 21

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29 OTHER PRESENTATIONS ABSTRACTS PARALLEL SESSION 1 and WORKSHOP A SUNDAY 4 th NOVEMBER PM 1.30 PM Session 1.1 Creativity fostered teaching with special emphasis on the teaching of mathematics Cherian Thomas Higher College of Technology, Alkhuwair, Muscat, Oman The destiny of a nation is being shaped in the class rooms of today, the famous words of Professor Kothari is true for all times and for all nations.the development and progress of any nation directly depends upon their system of education. It provides the best key to success. How effectively and efficiently the younger generations are being trained is counted very much. We need creative and sustainable developments in all spheres. Developing creativity in the minds of the learners is the only way to attain this objective. Thus creativity has to be identified and nurtured properly. Individuals who are directly engaged in the process of education should be equipped to cope with the challenges of today. In this paper I would like to present the concept of creativity in a wider perspective beneficial to all, irrespective of their area of teaching and also share some special tips to foster creativity while teaching mathematics, based on my personal reflections as a person engaged in the teaching of mathematics for the last three decades and more. The effects of using calculators on reducing mathematics anxiety Ali Jafarabadi The relatively recent introduction of new technologies into the mainstream of education is accompanied by hot debates. The terms technological tools and ICT encompass a range of hardware and software with not necessarily the same effects on educational process and this makes the debates so outstanding and complicated. For this reason, we cannot approve a single rule for all the cases and therefore the educators are supposed to investigate the cases separately. I am willing to concentrate here mainly on calculator. As it seems, and my teaching experience also supports, there is a complex relationship between technology-aided mathematics education and mathematics anxiety; accordingly the aim of this paper is to investigate the effects of calculators on mathematics anxiety reduction in teaching and learning of secondary level mathematics. 23

30 Enrichment and extension using Real-World project-based learning Graham Gordon Victoria International School of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates VISS was founded in 2007, the result of an initiative between the governments of Sharjah, (in particular His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah) and the State of Victoria. The learning approach is based on curriculum frameworks from Victoria, characterised by innovative teaching and learning methodologies designed to assist all students to achieve their full potential. VISS promotes and practices environmental sustainability and highly values hands-on learning experiences (enabling real-life application of knowledge) to produce students who are critical thinkers, confident, reflective and responsible global citizens, capable of facing the future with resilience and optimism. VISS is a lighthouse school for improvements in all Sharjah schools. A strategic goal for the school is to enrich the curriculum, particularly creativity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), for all students and to extend those who demonstrate potential. This presentation will explore how real-world enrichment and extension resources can foster innovation and promote sustainability. Enrichment resources include Primary Connections, for science in grades 1 to 5, Planting the Seeds of Science, for the early years and the increased use of community resources, particularly Sharjah s sixteen museums. Extension resources include F1 in Schools (a simulation of a Formula 1 team using CAD software), Lego robotics, Science Across the World (sharing local data on global investigations), Jason Project (linking with scientists), CREST (Creativity in Science and Technology), 60 Second Science Video Competition, GIS (Geographic Information Systems geospatial investigations), Biomimicry and ipad STEM Apps. Session 1.2 Effect of Learning through ipad apps on motivation and achievement of Higher Secondary Students Subhash B. Nair, Indian School Darsait High degree of reflexive abstraction as evident from studies on cognitive development through self learning is the basis of the present study. Reflexive abstraction chances better assimilation and accommodation for cognitive growth. Whether self motivated learning or teacher guided learning results in better reflexive abstraction is a perennial question which is yet to be answered. The researcher developed four ipad applications based on CBSE Class XI (Central Board of Secondary Education) Biology syllabus and NCERT (National Council for Educational Research and Training) India Text Books and standardised the lessons based on user feedback. The lessons were IsdCirculation, IsdDigestion, IsdRespiration and IsdCoordination2. A group of ten students learned these four lessons as ipad applications developed by teachers and their level of motivation and achievement were compared with that of students who learned these lessons in a conventional classroom of the Indian School 24

31 Darsait. Analysis of results shows that the level of motivation and achievement are significantly higher in the experimental group who used the ipad apps. Students of the experimental group and the control group were randomly drawn from among the regular students in the school. Achievement was measured using a pre-test, post-test design and the level of motivation was measured using a readiness checklist for assessment. The study recommends a speedy shift from conventional models of teaching to innovative technology based learning for better student motivation and achievement. Is Oman ready for distance education: Business Management students perspective Vinay R. Gupta and Shraddha Gupta Department of Business Studies, Ibri College of Technology, India The face of business management education is changing with the increased use of distance education technologies. There are more and more education providers shifting to distance education mode during the last decade. There are many advantages offered by learning through distance education such as, no time limitations for classes, study at own pace, no need to leave job (if employed), access to best of teachers, no geographical restrictions, reduced cost of a course program, etc. But, there are many challenges also posed by this mode of management education. Availability of band width, technical and language skills for its usage, lack of interaction with fellow students, reduced motivation level to complete the course and acceptability of distance education certifications are some of the challenges that are faced by students and educators. In this paper, the acceptability of business management education is measured among students of business management in Oman. The advantages and limitations of distance education were presented to students in the form of a questionnaire and their responses were recorded on a five point Likert scale. The responses were then analysed using t -test and Chi-Square tests to discover patterns in responses. The results revealed that there is influence of demographical factors on student acceptance of business management through distance mode besides other external factors. The results will be useful for business education providers and higher education ministry in Oman and for education bodies in other developing countries. The effect of communication technology on Omani tradition Qaisa Rashid Al-Shibli and Maryamb Salim Al-Maskari Department of English, College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. This research investigates to what extent communication technology has affected Omani traditions. It explores if Omani traditions have been affected negatively by the usage of communicational technology, such as using mobile phones, or not. It highlights both globalization and culture and clarifies the relationship between them. Then, globalization is specified to the Arab World. To investigate this issue, 120 questionnaires were distributed among Omanis from different categories such as students, doctors, teachers, soldiers and so forth. The results of the questionnaires show that some Omani traditions; 25

32 such as, social gathering and inviting people for weddings are affected to a certain extent by using technology. They also show that individuals are worried about their traditions but they do not expect these traditions to become extinct if Omanis manage to balance between their usages of technology and practicing their traditions. It is suggested that the Ministry of Culture and Heritage raise civilians' awareness of the importance of preserving traditions in the globalization era by holding seminars and lectures for them. Are math and science teachers authoritative? Dr. Said Aldhafri and Ms. Marwa Alrajhi College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman This study investigates math and science teachers teaching styles (authoritative, authoritarian and permissive) as perceived by their students. In addition, the study examines the effects of these teaching styles on students' motivation and attitudes towards mathematics and science. The three dimensions of teaching styles are defined based on two dimensions: demandingness and responsiveness. The sample will consist of 300 eighth graders who will be selected from the Muscat school district, Sultanate of Oman. To examine students' perceptions about their teachers' teaching styles, the researchers have adapted the Arabic version of the Parenting Authority Questionnaire (PAQ) (Buri, 1991; Aldhafri et al., 2009). The items were reworded to fit with the teaching items and the content of some items was modified. The new Teaching Authority Questionnaire (TAQ) consists of 30 items (with 5 point-likert scale, ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree). The TAQ focuses on students perceptions of three teaching styles: authoritative (high in demandingness and in responsiveness), authoritarian (high in demandingness and low in responsiveness) and permissive (low in demandingness and high in responsiveness). In addition, the second questionnaire will examine students' motivation and attitudes towards mathematics and science. Data will be collected in early September and regression analyses will be applied. The findings will be discussed within the Omani cultural context. Session 1.3 Perceptions on the influence of working relationships on the quality of student teachers placement experience: A conglomeration of supervisors, school heads, mentors and student teachers views V. Munodawafa-Makuku Education Department, Bindura University of Science Education, Zimbabwe The influence of school heads, supervisors and mentors working relationships on the quality of student teachers experiences during teaching practice (TP) cannot be overemphasized. In this case study of Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE) data was collected from a purposive sample of mentors, supervisors, school heads and student teachers in three Bindura Urban High Schools of the Mashonaland Central 26

33 Province of Zimbabwe. A self-administered questionnaire with closed and open-ended items and interviews were employed to gather data on the determinants of existing working relationships among stakeholders and how they impacted on the quality of students TP experiences. Closed items were run on SPSS Version 17 to get descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were coded and grouped into emerging themes that were later on analyzed and interpreted to get their underlying meanings and implications in conjunction with descriptive statistics. The mentor emerged to be a key player such that mentor professionalism is a critical component that determines the make or break phase of a student teacher. A collaborative environment among the above mentioned stakeholders enhances the quality of students TP experiences. School heads and mentors emphasized the need for motivation through incentives and staff development, which could result in better quality TP exercises. Eva-CBTM: A survey of internet based platforms for learning and practicing mathematics Martin Stein Institute for mathematics education and education in computer science, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany During the last years, a multitude of web-based computer assisted systems for learning mathematics have been developed; khanacademy.org, aleks.com and bettermarks.de are some examples. Eva-CBTM (Evaluation of Computer Based Platforms for Training in Mathematics) makes a complete survey of all such platforms (German or English as language). To do so, an evaluation scheme has been developed, which assesses the help system, system structure and other features. In my presentation I present the complex evaluation system. A significant number of learning platforms will be compared using this assessment system. Omani teachers perceptions of science teachers characteristics according to overall quality standards Nawar Alrawahi Aldhakhelia School District, Ministry of Education, Sultanate of Oman Said Aldhafri Psychology Department, College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University The current study aims to investigate teachers perceptions of the characteristics of science teachers according to overall quality standards. Because of the importance of investigating quality for education system of any country, the study will examine quality standards needed for Omani science teachers. Quality standards can be defined as the components and goals that control the quality investigation. These standards have been integrated into industry and commerce in the last decade of the 20 th century and then 27