Wajeeh daher | Al-qasemi - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Wajeeh daher

Research paper thumbnail of The Role of Project-Based Language Learning in Developing Students’ Life Skills

Sustainability, 2021

Project-based learning is suggested for independent and collaborative learning that could positiv... more Project-based learning is suggested for independent and collaborative learning that could positively impact students’ learning. This study aimed to identify the role of project-based language learning in developing life skills of students through studying a case of a language class that included 80 students in two grade 6 classes in a private school. The study attempted to answer the following question: What is the role of project-based learning in developing students’ life skills in an Arabic language class? To answer this question, we adopted a theoretical framework that included the following categories of life skills: personal and collaborative skills, self-orientation skills, and collective responsibility. The following three data collecting tools were used during the study: observation, semi-structured interviews, and the teacher and students’ documents. Data collection lasted for two months from late September 2019 to December 2019. Data analysis followed the thematic analyse...

Research paper thumbnail of Social semiotics analysis of Palestinian mathematics textbooks for eighth grade

JRAMathEdu (Journal of Research and Advances in Mathematics Education), 2020

Mathematics textbook analysis can serve to understand the teaching and learning processes in the ... more Mathematics textbook analysis can serve to understand the teaching and learning processes in the mathematics classroom. The present study utilizes a social semiotics framework to analyze the triangle unit of the Palestinian mathematics book for grade 8. The results of the study indicate that the authors utilized the representational aspect of the mathematical object to introduce those objects to the reader. Moreover, the nature of mathematics resulting from this unit is that of a subject that learners do not need material processes to discover, so it is enough to reason about it mentally to arrive at the mathematical objects and relations. The authors used a plural first-person pronoun to describe the need to engage with theorems and inverse theorems. They used the singular second-person pronoun to attract the attention of the reader to specific features of the mathematical objects. The authors did not use any pronoun when stating the theorem. Some of the connectors were verbs, noun...

Research paper thumbnail of Values in the mathematics classroom

Educational Philosophy and Theory, 2019

Values, moral values and democratic values are attracting the attention of education researchers ... more Values, moral values and democratic values are attracting the attention of education researchers in general and mathematics education researchers in particular. Little research has studied pre-service teachers' perceptions of values in the classroom, their perceptions of the relationship between the different variables of values in the classroom, as well as their relationship with the democratic society. The present research attempts to do so. Twenty-two graduate pre-service teachers who participated in 'New trends in mathematics education' course discussed how to cultivated values in the mathematics classroom. Moreover, they answered survey questions related to the cultivation of values in this classroom. We used a combination of deductive and inductive content analysis to characterize the pre-service teachers' texts. The research results indicate that the pre-service teachers perceived values as encouraging students' activity in the mathematics classroom. In addition, the pre-service teachers perceived values as encouraging specific categories of values needed as skills for the citizen in a democratic society, as creativity, critical thinking and metacognition.

Research paper thumbnail of Metacognition, Positioning and Emotions in Mathematical Activities

International Journal of Research in Education and Science, 2018

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or s... more This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden.

Research paper thumbnail of Moodle quizzes as a teaching tool in English for academic purposes course

International Journal of Innovation and Learning, 2019

Moodle is a learning management system (LMS) whose popularity, as adjunct to traditional courses ... more Moodle is a learning management system (LMS) whose popularity, as adjunct to traditional courses ('blended' or 'hybrid') or as a tool for distance education programs in various disciplines, is rapidly increasing. The research goal was to examine college students' acceptance of this LMS for learning 'English for academic purposes' course (EAP), when Moodle is rich in quizzes. One hundred twenty-nine BEd college students from the two specialisations (special-education and early-childhood) participated in the research. The technology acceptance model was used to examine college students' acceptance of this version of Moodle. The research results demonstrate that the participants rated the experience above average. In addition, the results show that the three components PU, CSE, and PEU are proved key determinants, not only of EAP students' attitudes towards Moodle platform that is rich in quizzes, but also their future use of this platform as academic learners, and thus as teachers. The participants' intrinsic and extrinsic motivations had significant correlations with the five components of Moodle acceptance for EAP.

Research paper thumbnail of Objectifying the adjacent and opposite angles: a cultural historical analysis

International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 2017

The angle topic is central to the development of geometric knowledge. Two of the basic concepts a... more The angle topic is central to the development of geometric knowledge. Two of the basic concepts associated with this topic are the adjacent and opposite angles. It is the goal of the present study to analyze, based on the cultural historical semiotics framework, how high-achieving seventh grade students objectify the adjacent and opposite angles' concepts. We videoed the learning of a group of three high-achieving students who used technology, specifically GeoGebra, to explore geometric relations related to the adjacent and opposite angles' concepts. To analyze students' objectification of these concepts, we used the categories of objectification of knowledge (attention and awareness) and the categories of generalization (factual, contextual and symbolic), developed by Radford. The research results indicate that teacher's and students' verbal and visual signs, together with the software dynamic tools, mediated the students' objectification of the adjacent and opposite angles' concepts. Specifically, eye and gestures perceiving were part of the semiosis cycles in which the participating students were engaged and which related to the mathematical signs that signified the adjacent and the opposite angles. Moreover, the teacher's suggestions/requests/questions included/suggested semiotic signs/tools, including verbal signs that helped the students pay attention, be aware of and objectify the adjacent and opposite angles' concepts.

Research paper thumbnail of School Violence among Arab Adolescents in Israel and its Relation to Self-Control Skills and Social Support

Psychological Reports, 2015

In this paper, the author used a cross-sectional design to assess the association between the ten... more In this paper, the author used a cross-sectional design to assess the association between the tendency toward school violence, on the one hand, and self-control, social support, and sex, on the other, among 148 Arab-Israeli adolescents in schools in northern Israel. Standard questionnaires on violence, self-control, and social support were administered. In line with expectations, self-reported violence was significantly associated with males, as well as low scores on self-control and social support.

Research paper thumbnail of Using dynamic and interactive technological tools to support conceptual learning of equations among low-achieving students

HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Feb 1, 2017

Mathematics education researchers have been interested in students' understanding of the equality... more Mathematics education researchers have been interested in students' understanding of the equality as equivalence relations. Doing so, they pointed out that the notion of equality is difficult for students to perceive. We provided one pair of 16-year-old low-achieving students with a productive environment (technological tool, supportive teacher and an authentic activity) to support their learning of equality sentences as equivalence relations. We examined the pair of students' routines in this environment. The research results indicated that the students followed a sequence of routines where the teacher and the technology had an effective role. Moreover, students' substantiation routines relied on empirical argument that utilized concrete realizations afforded by the applet.

Research paper thumbnail of The Effect of STEAM Activities Based on Experiential Learning on Ninth Graders’ Mental Motivation

European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, Jul 10, 2023

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

Research paper thumbnail of Elementary Teachers’ Development in Using Technological Tools to Engage Students in Online Learning

DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Apr 1, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Technology-Based Collaborative Learning for Developing the Dynamic Concept of the Angle

Emerging science journal, Feb 1, 2022

This research intends to investigate the effect of collaborative computerized learning using GeoG... more This research intends to investigate the effect of collaborative computerized learning using GeoGebra on the development of the concept images of angle among seventh graders who were engaged in computerized collaborative activities that encouraged the development of five types of angle concept images: verbal, authentic-life, graphical, numeric, and dynamic. The research sample consisted of eight seventh grade students who worked collaboratively in groups of two. Two tests (a pre-test and a post-test) were administered to examine the development of students' conceptual images of the angle. In addition, interviews were held with the participants to study this development. The Constant Comparison Method was used to analyze the data. The results showed positive effects of the visual and dynamic use of GeoGebra, as well as of the collaborative learning, on the development of participants' concept images of the angle, especially the dynamic one. The research results point to the importance of integrating dynamic tools into the teaching and learning of mathematics.

Research paper thumbnail of The Impact of Mobile Learning on Students’ Attitudes towards Learning in an Educational Technology Course

Multimodal technologies and interaction, Jul 20, 2023

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

Research paper thumbnail of In-service teachers' conceptions of parallelogram definitions

HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Feb 6, 2019

The present research examines middle school mathematics teachers' conceptions of geometric defini... more The present research examines middle school mathematics teachers' conceptions of geometric definitions, and specifically whether they possess geometric conceptions at the van Hiele fourth level. Sixty two teachers participated in the research. We used an open-ended questionnaire for data collection. The questionnaire included three questions concerned with the equivalence between definitions, sufficient and necessary conditions, and deductive geometric reasoning related to definitions. We used deductive and inductive content analysis to analyse the data. We found that generally, the participating teachers did not possess the geometric conceptions at the van Hiele fourth level and had difficulties in understanding what the imperative and optional features of mathematical definitions are. In addition, the participants' conceptions of definitions have specific features that explain why they have not attained the van Hiele fourth level.

Research paper thumbnail of Policy of selecting school headmasters in Palestine

International journal of management in education, 2019

This study investigates the Palestinian Ministry of Education's policy for selecting headmasters,... more This study investigates the Palestinian Ministry of Education's policy for selecting headmasters, through the ministry's official document, based on the leader's responsibilities framework. Few researches studied policy documents that involve selecting headmasters in the developing countries, so this study contributes to research on selecting headmasters in the developing countries in general and in the Palestinian context in particular. The analysis was based on the 'responsibilities of the school leader' framework developed by Marzano et al. The collected data, after transcription, was analysed by using lens of the constant comparison theory. To do so, the transcribed data was compared and contrasted with the 21 responsibilities of the headmasters identified by Marzano et al. The findings of the study showed that the studied document is consistent to some extent with school leadership responsibilities. However, the document needs to be more detailed and publicly available. The study raises concerns concerning preparing headmasters that are more qualified.

Research paper thumbnail of Interactive Boards in Schools

Advances in early childhood and K-12 education, 2014

This chapter examines middle school and high school teachers' use of interactive boards in the cl... more This chapter examines middle school and high school teachers' use of interactive boards in the classroom, as well as the goals behind this use and the difficulties encountered throughout it. Ten middle school and high school science and mathematics teachers who use the interactive board for teaching science and mathematics were interviewed to elicit their practices, goals, and difficulties when using interactive boards in the classroom. The first two stages of the constant comparison method were utilized to analyze the collected data. The research findings show that science and mathematics teachers made different uses of the interactive board, which could be related to treating scientific relations, phenomena, and experiments, as well as practicing learned materials and engaging students in building activities in games and in discussions. Utilizing the different options of the interactive board, the participating teachers had various goals: giving students the ability to investigate, motivating them to learn, attracting them to the lesson, making them enjoy their learning, encouraging their collaboration, shortening the teaching time, and loading previously taught lessons. Using the interactive board in the classrooms, the teachers encountered some difficulties, such a: technical difficulties, owning the appropriate skills for using effectively the interactive board's different options, preparing appropriate activities, fulfilling students' expectations, and keeping class order.

Research paper thumbnail of Integrating PhET Simulations into Elementary Science Education: A Qualitative Analysis

Education Sciences

This research delved into the integration of PhET simulations in elementary science education, sp... more This research delved into the integration of PhET simulations in elementary science education, specifically aimed at Grade 3 students. The primary objective was to evaluate how the use of these digital simulations influenced students’ conceiving of scientific concepts, focusing on “States of M1atter and Phase Changes” and “Solubility and Saturation”. Employing a qualitative research approach, the study observed 19 students who worked in pairs and trios as they engaged with PhET simulations to explore assigned science topics and address related questions. The observations centered on tracking students’ interactions with simulations and their progression through different knowledge phases. We used deductive and inductive content analysis to analyze the transcripts of the observation. The findings reveal that in the “Remembering” phase, students demonstrated a tendency to relate personal experiences to simulations, underscoring real-life context’s role in learning. The “Understanding” ...

Research paper thumbnail of Artificial Intelligence Generative Tools and Conceptual Knowledge in Problem Solving in Chemistry

Information

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a valuable resource for teaching and... more In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a valuable resource for teaching and learning, and it has also shown promise as a tool to help solve problems. A tool that has gained attention in education is ChatGPT, which supports teaching and learning through AI. This research investigates the difficulties faced by ChatGPT in comprehending and responding to chemistry problems pertaining to the topic of Introduction to Material Science. By employing the theoretical framework proposed by Holme et al., encompassing categories such as transfer, depth, predict/explain, problem solving, and translate, we evaluate ChatGPT’s conceptual understanding difficulties. We presented ChatGPT with a set of thirty chemistry problems within the Introduction to Material Science domain and tasked it with generating solutions. Our findings indicated that ChatGPT encountered significant conceptual knowledge difficulties across various categories, with a notable emphasis on representations a...

Research paper thumbnail of The Role of ICT Centers in the Management of Distance Education in Palestinian Universities during Emergency Education

Education Sciences

The present research intended to verify the role of ICT centers in Palestinian universities in ma... more The present research intended to verify the role of ICT centers in Palestinian universities in managing the academic process in emergency education due to the pandemic. The research investigated this issue using a descriptive qualitative approach. The data collection was carried out using individual interviews during the first semester of the academic year 2020/2021. The data analysis was carried out using an inductive thematic analysis. The research participants were ten officials in the ICT centers of five universities. The main study findings show that the universities performed several actions in the context of their management of the distance learning processes. These actions targeted quality education by holding workshops for the professional development of the instructor, which resulted in being a main factor in the success of the distance learning process. In addition, the ICT centers were engaged in addressing the communication between the instructor, the student, and offic...

Research paper thumbnail of The Impact of a Training Program Based on Next-Generation Science Standards on Scientific Inquiry

European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education

The Next-Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are standards concerned with K-12 grades. This study... more The Next-Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are standards concerned with K-12 grades. This study aimed to identify the impact of a training program based on Next-Generation Scientific Inquiry (NGSI) through training 30 science teachers and investigating the training impact on teachers’ use of inquiry in their teaching. The study attempted to answer the following question: What is the impact of a training program based on the NGSS on the inquiry practices of primary school science teachers? The study’s data collection tools included two focus groups and nine semi-structured interviews. Data analysis utilized the thematic analysis framework. The research results showed an impact of the training program on the inquiry practices of teachers via changes in the teachers’ roles: the teacher became a facilitator and motivator through planning her/his activities efficiently. Students in the training program’s science classroom developed into researchers and scientists who autonomously acqui...

Research paper thumbnail of Students’ motivation to study science: The case of Arab students in Israel

Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education

The current study investigates the level of students’ motivation in Arab schools in Israel to stu... more The current study investigates the level of students’ motivation in Arab schools in Israel to study science subjects. In addition, we examined whether there was a difference in motivation: (1) between students in different types of schools (elementary, middle, and secondary schools), (2) between boys and girls, (3) between students according to the educational achievement, and (4) between students studying with male or female teachers. The study included 838 students from the different schools. The convenience sample method was used in which 25 items assessed five motivational categories: intrinsic, career, self-determination, self-efficacy, and achievement. The findings of the study showed that the motivation level among students to study science subjects was significantly high in all Arab schools (p≤0.05), but there were significant differences between the three types of schools (p≤0.05). In addition, the study revealed that the motivation level to study science was significantly ...

Research paper thumbnail of The Role of Project-Based Language Learning in Developing Students’ Life Skills

Sustainability, 2021

Project-based learning is suggested for independent and collaborative learning that could positiv... more Project-based learning is suggested for independent and collaborative learning that could positively impact students’ learning. This study aimed to identify the role of project-based language learning in developing life skills of students through studying a case of a language class that included 80 students in two grade 6 classes in a private school. The study attempted to answer the following question: What is the role of project-based learning in developing students’ life skills in an Arabic language class? To answer this question, we adopted a theoretical framework that included the following categories of life skills: personal and collaborative skills, self-orientation skills, and collective responsibility. The following three data collecting tools were used during the study: observation, semi-structured interviews, and the teacher and students’ documents. Data collection lasted for two months from late September 2019 to December 2019. Data analysis followed the thematic analyse...

Research paper thumbnail of Social semiotics analysis of Palestinian mathematics textbooks for eighth grade

JRAMathEdu (Journal of Research and Advances in Mathematics Education), 2020

Mathematics textbook analysis can serve to understand the teaching and learning processes in the ... more Mathematics textbook analysis can serve to understand the teaching and learning processes in the mathematics classroom. The present study utilizes a social semiotics framework to analyze the triangle unit of the Palestinian mathematics book for grade 8. The results of the study indicate that the authors utilized the representational aspect of the mathematical object to introduce those objects to the reader. Moreover, the nature of mathematics resulting from this unit is that of a subject that learners do not need material processes to discover, so it is enough to reason about it mentally to arrive at the mathematical objects and relations. The authors used a plural first-person pronoun to describe the need to engage with theorems and inverse theorems. They used the singular second-person pronoun to attract the attention of the reader to specific features of the mathematical objects. The authors did not use any pronoun when stating the theorem. Some of the connectors were verbs, noun...

Research paper thumbnail of Values in the mathematics classroom

Educational Philosophy and Theory, 2019

Values, moral values and democratic values are attracting the attention of education researchers ... more Values, moral values and democratic values are attracting the attention of education researchers in general and mathematics education researchers in particular. Little research has studied pre-service teachers' perceptions of values in the classroom, their perceptions of the relationship between the different variables of values in the classroom, as well as their relationship with the democratic society. The present research attempts to do so. Twenty-two graduate pre-service teachers who participated in 'New trends in mathematics education' course discussed how to cultivated values in the mathematics classroom. Moreover, they answered survey questions related to the cultivation of values in this classroom. We used a combination of deductive and inductive content analysis to characterize the pre-service teachers' texts. The research results indicate that the pre-service teachers perceived values as encouraging students' activity in the mathematics classroom. In addition, the pre-service teachers perceived values as encouraging specific categories of values needed as skills for the citizen in a democratic society, as creativity, critical thinking and metacognition.

Research paper thumbnail of Metacognition, Positioning and Emotions in Mathematical Activities

International Journal of Research in Education and Science, 2018

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or s... more This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden.

Research paper thumbnail of Moodle quizzes as a teaching tool in English for academic purposes course

International Journal of Innovation and Learning, 2019

Moodle is a learning management system (LMS) whose popularity, as adjunct to traditional courses ... more Moodle is a learning management system (LMS) whose popularity, as adjunct to traditional courses ('blended' or 'hybrid') or as a tool for distance education programs in various disciplines, is rapidly increasing. The research goal was to examine college students' acceptance of this LMS for learning 'English for academic purposes' course (EAP), when Moodle is rich in quizzes. One hundred twenty-nine BEd college students from the two specialisations (special-education and early-childhood) participated in the research. The technology acceptance model was used to examine college students' acceptance of this version of Moodle. The research results demonstrate that the participants rated the experience above average. In addition, the results show that the three components PU, CSE, and PEU are proved key determinants, not only of EAP students' attitudes towards Moodle platform that is rich in quizzes, but also their future use of this platform as academic learners, and thus as teachers. The participants' intrinsic and extrinsic motivations had significant correlations with the five components of Moodle acceptance for EAP.

Research paper thumbnail of Objectifying the adjacent and opposite angles: a cultural historical analysis

International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 2017

The angle topic is central to the development of geometric knowledge. Two of the basic concepts a... more The angle topic is central to the development of geometric knowledge. Two of the basic concepts associated with this topic are the adjacent and opposite angles. It is the goal of the present study to analyze, based on the cultural historical semiotics framework, how high-achieving seventh grade students objectify the adjacent and opposite angles' concepts. We videoed the learning of a group of three high-achieving students who used technology, specifically GeoGebra, to explore geometric relations related to the adjacent and opposite angles' concepts. To analyze students' objectification of these concepts, we used the categories of objectification of knowledge (attention and awareness) and the categories of generalization (factual, contextual and symbolic), developed by Radford. The research results indicate that teacher's and students' verbal and visual signs, together with the software dynamic tools, mediated the students' objectification of the adjacent and opposite angles' concepts. Specifically, eye and gestures perceiving were part of the semiosis cycles in which the participating students were engaged and which related to the mathematical signs that signified the adjacent and the opposite angles. Moreover, the teacher's suggestions/requests/questions included/suggested semiotic signs/tools, including verbal signs that helped the students pay attention, be aware of and objectify the adjacent and opposite angles' concepts.

Research paper thumbnail of School Violence among Arab Adolescents in Israel and its Relation to Self-Control Skills and Social Support

Psychological Reports, 2015

In this paper, the author used a cross-sectional design to assess the association between the ten... more In this paper, the author used a cross-sectional design to assess the association between the tendency toward school violence, on the one hand, and self-control, social support, and sex, on the other, among 148 Arab-Israeli adolescents in schools in northern Israel. Standard questionnaires on violence, self-control, and social support were administered. In line with expectations, self-reported violence was significantly associated with males, as well as low scores on self-control and social support.

Research paper thumbnail of Using dynamic and interactive technological tools to support conceptual learning of equations among low-achieving students

HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Feb 1, 2017

Mathematics education researchers have been interested in students' understanding of the equality... more Mathematics education researchers have been interested in students' understanding of the equality as equivalence relations. Doing so, they pointed out that the notion of equality is difficult for students to perceive. We provided one pair of 16-year-old low-achieving students with a productive environment (technological tool, supportive teacher and an authentic activity) to support their learning of equality sentences as equivalence relations. We examined the pair of students' routines in this environment. The research results indicated that the students followed a sequence of routines where the teacher and the technology had an effective role. Moreover, students' substantiation routines relied on empirical argument that utilized concrete realizations afforded by the applet.

Research paper thumbnail of The Effect of STEAM Activities Based on Experiential Learning on Ninth Graders’ Mental Motivation

European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, Jul 10, 2023

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

Research paper thumbnail of Elementary Teachers’ Development in Using Technological Tools to Engage Students in Online Learning

DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Apr 1, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Technology-Based Collaborative Learning for Developing the Dynamic Concept of the Angle

Emerging science journal, Feb 1, 2022

This research intends to investigate the effect of collaborative computerized learning using GeoG... more This research intends to investigate the effect of collaborative computerized learning using GeoGebra on the development of the concept images of angle among seventh graders who were engaged in computerized collaborative activities that encouraged the development of five types of angle concept images: verbal, authentic-life, graphical, numeric, and dynamic. The research sample consisted of eight seventh grade students who worked collaboratively in groups of two. Two tests (a pre-test and a post-test) were administered to examine the development of students' conceptual images of the angle. In addition, interviews were held with the participants to study this development. The Constant Comparison Method was used to analyze the data. The results showed positive effects of the visual and dynamic use of GeoGebra, as well as of the collaborative learning, on the development of participants' concept images of the angle, especially the dynamic one. The research results point to the importance of integrating dynamic tools into the teaching and learning of mathematics.

Research paper thumbnail of The Impact of Mobile Learning on Students’ Attitudes towards Learning in an Educational Technology Course

Multimodal technologies and interaction, Jul 20, 2023

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

Research paper thumbnail of In-service teachers' conceptions of parallelogram definitions

HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Feb 6, 2019

The present research examines middle school mathematics teachers' conceptions of geometric defini... more The present research examines middle school mathematics teachers' conceptions of geometric definitions, and specifically whether they possess geometric conceptions at the van Hiele fourth level. Sixty two teachers participated in the research. We used an open-ended questionnaire for data collection. The questionnaire included three questions concerned with the equivalence between definitions, sufficient and necessary conditions, and deductive geometric reasoning related to definitions. We used deductive and inductive content analysis to analyse the data. We found that generally, the participating teachers did not possess the geometric conceptions at the van Hiele fourth level and had difficulties in understanding what the imperative and optional features of mathematical definitions are. In addition, the participants' conceptions of definitions have specific features that explain why they have not attained the van Hiele fourth level.

Research paper thumbnail of Policy of selecting school headmasters in Palestine

International journal of management in education, 2019

This study investigates the Palestinian Ministry of Education's policy for selecting headmasters,... more This study investigates the Palestinian Ministry of Education's policy for selecting headmasters, through the ministry's official document, based on the leader's responsibilities framework. Few researches studied policy documents that involve selecting headmasters in the developing countries, so this study contributes to research on selecting headmasters in the developing countries in general and in the Palestinian context in particular. The analysis was based on the 'responsibilities of the school leader' framework developed by Marzano et al. The collected data, after transcription, was analysed by using lens of the constant comparison theory. To do so, the transcribed data was compared and contrasted with the 21 responsibilities of the headmasters identified by Marzano et al. The findings of the study showed that the studied document is consistent to some extent with school leadership responsibilities. However, the document needs to be more detailed and publicly available. The study raises concerns concerning preparing headmasters that are more qualified.

Research paper thumbnail of Interactive Boards in Schools

Advances in early childhood and K-12 education, 2014

This chapter examines middle school and high school teachers' use of interactive boards in the cl... more This chapter examines middle school and high school teachers' use of interactive boards in the classroom, as well as the goals behind this use and the difficulties encountered throughout it. Ten middle school and high school science and mathematics teachers who use the interactive board for teaching science and mathematics were interviewed to elicit their practices, goals, and difficulties when using interactive boards in the classroom. The first two stages of the constant comparison method were utilized to analyze the collected data. The research findings show that science and mathematics teachers made different uses of the interactive board, which could be related to treating scientific relations, phenomena, and experiments, as well as practicing learned materials and engaging students in building activities in games and in discussions. Utilizing the different options of the interactive board, the participating teachers had various goals: giving students the ability to investigate, motivating them to learn, attracting them to the lesson, making them enjoy their learning, encouraging their collaboration, shortening the teaching time, and loading previously taught lessons. Using the interactive board in the classrooms, the teachers encountered some difficulties, such a: technical difficulties, owning the appropriate skills for using effectively the interactive board's different options, preparing appropriate activities, fulfilling students' expectations, and keeping class order.

Research paper thumbnail of Integrating PhET Simulations into Elementary Science Education: A Qualitative Analysis

Education Sciences

This research delved into the integration of PhET simulations in elementary science education, sp... more This research delved into the integration of PhET simulations in elementary science education, specifically aimed at Grade 3 students. The primary objective was to evaluate how the use of these digital simulations influenced students’ conceiving of scientific concepts, focusing on “States of M1atter and Phase Changes” and “Solubility and Saturation”. Employing a qualitative research approach, the study observed 19 students who worked in pairs and trios as they engaged with PhET simulations to explore assigned science topics and address related questions. The observations centered on tracking students’ interactions with simulations and their progression through different knowledge phases. We used deductive and inductive content analysis to analyze the transcripts of the observation. The findings reveal that in the “Remembering” phase, students demonstrated a tendency to relate personal experiences to simulations, underscoring real-life context’s role in learning. The “Understanding” ...

Research paper thumbnail of Artificial Intelligence Generative Tools and Conceptual Knowledge in Problem Solving in Chemistry

Information

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a valuable resource for teaching and... more In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a valuable resource for teaching and learning, and it has also shown promise as a tool to help solve problems. A tool that has gained attention in education is ChatGPT, which supports teaching and learning through AI. This research investigates the difficulties faced by ChatGPT in comprehending and responding to chemistry problems pertaining to the topic of Introduction to Material Science. By employing the theoretical framework proposed by Holme et al., encompassing categories such as transfer, depth, predict/explain, problem solving, and translate, we evaluate ChatGPT’s conceptual understanding difficulties. We presented ChatGPT with a set of thirty chemistry problems within the Introduction to Material Science domain and tasked it with generating solutions. Our findings indicated that ChatGPT encountered significant conceptual knowledge difficulties across various categories, with a notable emphasis on representations a...

Research paper thumbnail of The Role of ICT Centers in the Management of Distance Education in Palestinian Universities during Emergency Education

Education Sciences

The present research intended to verify the role of ICT centers in Palestinian universities in ma... more The present research intended to verify the role of ICT centers in Palestinian universities in managing the academic process in emergency education due to the pandemic. The research investigated this issue using a descriptive qualitative approach. The data collection was carried out using individual interviews during the first semester of the academic year 2020/2021. The data analysis was carried out using an inductive thematic analysis. The research participants were ten officials in the ICT centers of five universities. The main study findings show that the universities performed several actions in the context of their management of the distance learning processes. These actions targeted quality education by holding workshops for the professional development of the instructor, which resulted in being a main factor in the success of the distance learning process. In addition, the ICT centers were engaged in addressing the communication between the instructor, the student, and offic...

Research paper thumbnail of The Impact of a Training Program Based on Next-Generation Science Standards on Scientific Inquiry

European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education

The Next-Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are standards concerned with K-12 grades. This study... more The Next-Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are standards concerned with K-12 grades. This study aimed to identify the impact of a training program based on Next-Generation Scientific Inquiry (NGSI) through training 30 science teachers and investigating the training impact on teachers’ use of inquiry in their teaching. The study attempted to answer the following question: What is the impact of a training program based on the NGSS on the inquiry practices of primary school science teachers? The study’s data collection tools included two focus groups and nine semi-structured interviews. Data analysis utilized the thematic analysis framework. The research results showed an impact of the training program on the inquiry practices of teachers via changes in the teachers’ roles: the teacher became a facilitator and motivator through planning her/his activities efficiently. Students in the training program’s science classroom developed into researchers and scientists who autonomously acqui...

Research paper thumbnail of Students’ motivation to study science: The case of Arab students in Israel

Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education

The current study investigates the level of students’ motivation in Arab schools in Israel to stu... more The current study investigates the level of students’ motivation in Arab schools in Israel to study science subjects. In addition, we examined whether there was a difference in motivation: (1) between students in different types of schools (elementary, middle, and secondary schools), (2) between boys and girls, (3) between students according to the educational achievement, and (4) between students studying with male or female teachers. The study included 838 students from the different schools. The convenience sample method was used in which 25 items assessed five motivational categories: intrinsic, career, self-determination, self-efficacy, and achievement. The findings of the study showed that the motivation level among students to study science subjects was significantly high in all Arab schools (p≤0.05), but there were significant differences between the three types of schools (p≤0.05). In addition, the study revealed that the motivation level to study science was significantly ...