Collaborative Research: Cognitive Mechanisms of Early Math Learning - Improving Outcomes by Harnessing Multiple Memory Representations

合作研究：早期数学学习的认知机制 - 通过利用多个记忆表征来改善结果

• 批准号: 1561122
• 负责人: Kimberly Fenn
• 金额: $ 25.4万
• 依托单位: Michigan State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-09-01 至 2022-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1561122&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Cognitive; Mechanisms; Early

This proposal was submitted in response to EHR Core Research (ECR) program announcement NSF 15-509. The ECR program of fundamental research in STEM education provides funding in critical research areas that are essential, broad and enduring. EHR seeks proposals that will help synthesize, build and/or expand research foundations in the following focal areas: STEM learning, STEM learning environments, STEM workforce development, and broadening participation in STEM. The ECR program is distinguished by its emphasis on the accumulation of robust evidence to inform efforts to (a) understand, (b) build theory to explain, and (c) suggest interventions (and innovations) to address persistent challenges in STEM interest, education, learning, and participation.The study will investigate the processes that connect gestures and mathematics learning. Gestures are an important yet under-investigated aspect of mathematics teaching. They can influence students' memory and understanding of mathematical representations. The series of studies will examine students' learning of the concept of mathematical equivalence by testing instruction that incorporates commonly used verbal explanations and gestures. Mathematical equivalence includes understanding the meaning of the equal sign and determining if two expressions are equal. Second and third grade children will be participants. Of particular interest in the studies is the influence of gestures on preexisting knowledge of procedures, how gestures support learning beyond emphasizing information and direct learners' attention, and the creation of procedural knowledge. The series of experimental studies will examine the mechanisms that connect gestures and procedural understanding of mathematical equivalence. The studies begin in the first phase with examining how gesture is connected to procedural knowledge of mathematical equivalence. Subsequent studies investigate how gesture functions as a mechanism for learning beyond emphasizing or directing attention to relevant information. Data collected will students' responses to equivalence problems and eye tracking data to follow whether students are looking from one side of the equal sign to the other. In the second phase of the work, the studies will examine how gesture has beneficial effects on learning more generally in mathematics. Working memory will be assessed in order to examine the role of gesture across different individuals. Fraction tasks will be used to examine the generalization of the previous results regarding gestures to other mathematics concepts.

该提案是为了响应EHR核心研究（ECR）计划公告NSF 15-509而提交的。在STEM教育的基础研究ECR计划提供资金在关键的研究领域是必不可少的，广泛的和持久的。EHR寻求有助于综合，建立和/或扩大以下重点领域研究基础的建议：STEM学习，STEM学习环境，STEM劳动力发展和扩大STEM参与。ECR计划的特点是强调积累强有力的证据，以（a）理解，（B）建立理论解释，（c）提出干预措施（和创新），以解决STEM兴趣，教育，学习和参与方面的持续挑战。手势是数学教学中的一个重要方面，但研究较少。它们会影响学生对数学表示的记忆和理解。这一系列的研究将通过测试结合常用的口头解释和手势的教学来考察学生对数学等值概念的学习。数学等价包括理解等号的含义和确定两个表达式是否相等。二年级和三年级的孩子将参加。 这些研究特别感兴趣的是手势对先前程序知识的影响、手势如何支持学习而不仅仅是强调信息和引导学习者的注意力，以及程序知识的创建。这一系列的实验研究将探讨连接手势和数学等价的程序理解的机制。研究开始在第一阶段，检查手势是如何连接到数学等价的程序性知识。随后的研究调查了手势如何作为一种学习机制，而不仅仅是强调或引导注意力到相关信息。收集的数据将学生对等价问题的反应和眼动跟踪数据，以跟踪学生是否从等号的一边看向另一边。在第二阶段的工作中，研究将研究手势如何对数学学习产生更广泛的有益影响。工作记忆将被评估，以检查手势在不同个体中的作用。分数任务将被用来检查以前的结果的推广有关手势到其他数学概念。