Changing the Order of Factors Does Not Change the Product but Does Affect Students’ Answers, Especially Girls’ Answers

Bibliographic Data

ID22041885
AuthorsClelia Cascella (0000-0002-7735-5040, University of Manchester), Chiara Giberti (0000-0001-7446-6709, University of Bergamo, corresponding author), Giorgio Bolondi (0000-0003-4125-7745, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano)
Year2021
Volume11
Issue5
Pages201
Publication date2021-04-25
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEducation Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/educsci11050201
OpenAlexW3159952855
LanguageEN
References cited35

This study is aimed at exploring how different formulations of the same mathematical item may influence students’ answers, and whether or not boys and girls are equally affected by differences in presentation. An experimental design was employed: the same stem-items (i.e., items with the same mathematical content and question intent) were formulated differently and administered to a probability sample of 1647 students (grade 8). All the achievement tests were anchored via a set of common items. Students’ answers, equated and then analysed using the Rasch model, confirmed that different formulations affect students’ performances and thus the psychometric functionality of items, with discernible differences according to gender. In particular, we explored students’ sensitivity to the effect of a typical misconception about multiplication with decimal numbers (often called “multiplication makes bigger”) and tested the hypothesis that girls are more prone than boys to be negatively affected by misconception

Arithmetic · Decimal · Developmental psychology · Mathematics education · Rasch model · Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills · Computer Science · Mathematics · Mathematics Education and Teaching Techniques · Psychology · Social Psychology · Statistics Education and Methodologies

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