Scaffolding numeracy in the middle years research questions

In summary, the Scaffolding numeracy in the middle years (SNMY) aimed to:

identify key points in the development of multiplicative thinking and rational number
investigate the efficacy of using authentic assessment tasks to identify student learning needs more specifically
describe the teaching strategies and learning environments most conducive to scaffolding numeracy in the middle years.

Key questions

The project was designed to address six key research questions.

To what extent can we accurately identify key points in the development of multiplicative thinking and rational number beyond the early years?
To what extent can we gather evidence about each student’s achievements with respect to these key points to inform the development of a coherent learning and assessment framework?
To what extent can authentic assessment tasks be developed and used to assess student performance against the framework?
To what extent does working with the tasks and the knowledge they provide about student understanding assist teachers to improve student numeracy performance at this level?
What strategies and/or teaching approaches are effective in scaffolding multiplicative thinking and rational number understanding in the middle years?
What are the key features of classroom culture and discourse needed to scaffold students’ numeracy-related learning at this level?

The SNMY research project has shown that:

a significant number of students in Years 5 to 9 appear to experience difficulty in relation to some key aspects of numeracy
multiplicative thinking, particularly in relation to fractions, decimals and per cent, and the capacity to interpret, apply and communicate what was known in context , were among the most common sources of student difficulty.

The SNMY research project and Middle Years research more generally has shown that:

the needs of many students, and ‘at risk’ students in particular, are not being met
there is a significant ‘dip’ in Year 7 and 8 performance relative to Years 6 and 9
there is as much difference within Year levels as between Year levels (spread) and
there is considerable within school variation.

The SNMY research project has shown that:

these measures of numeracy performance are valid and reliable
they support the identification of an underlying framework distinguished by strategy usage, conceptual understanding and a capacity to monitor one’s thinking and actions
teaching informed by the results of these tasks leads to improvements in student numeracy.

Please visit the resource library for a more detailed description of the development and design of the research.

In particular, the Research Approach and Rationale document describes how the methodology was developed to address research questions.