Qualitative Article Review - Research Paper Example

Qualitative Article Review al affiliation
Qualitative Article review
Stevens, G. Harris, Z. Aguirre-Munozc and L. Cobbs (2009) conducted a case study approach to increasing teachers’ mathematics knowledge for teaching and strategies for building students’ maths self-efficacy. This literature review reveals that teachers face challenges in designing effective, professional development activities that enhance effective teaching mathematics and enhance mathematics self-efficancy among students from culturally and socially different back ground. Stevens et al (2009) attempted to evaluate activities that look at mathematics knowledge development for teaching and self-efficacy building.
Stevens et al (2009) used the case study approach to investigate the learning activities in its natural setting. The case method can be effective in conducting an in depth analysis of the classroom activities. Case based method of instruction provides teachers with several opportunities to consider the difficulties of teaching and learning process from a different point of view. This method also develops critical thinking and reflection in teachers. Therefore, Stevens et al (2009) used a case study to elicit teachers content knowledge, their ability to identify student misconceptions as well as conducting critical reflection.
Stevens et al (2009) drew nine participants five women and four men, with ages ranging from 31 to over 60 years. These participants participated in the workshop and completed the Q methodology. The participants had an experience of over seven years teaching at public schools and eleven years of higher education teaching. Stevens et al (2009) developed concourse statements relevant to the mathematics development workshop. The team members discussed the teaching strategies and materials that were to be used.
The members developed 12 statements that represented the activities related to the conceptual knowledge. The participants arranged the statement in terms of preference. They arranged the ones they feel helped them in conceptual development (Stevens et al 2009).
Stevens et al (2009) conducted Correlation coefficients to compare the manner in which individual participants sorted the statements for each Q set. He conducted Principal components Analysis to identify the number of components present in the data. He the reviewed the factors as well as factor arrays of difference between factors and distinguishing each factor in statements.
Tables of the results illustrate the participants preferences for teaching strategies employed and participants could be grouped from the responses. Stevens et al (2009) related the responses to the conceptual knowledge of the participants. The participants agreed that the case based approach was the beneficial to teaching learning of mathematics.
The interpretations and concepts may not related in meanings between the participants and the researcher bringing to question the issue of internal validity. The researcher should allow interim data analysis and corroboration to ensure the findings march to participants reality(Gall et al., 2010).
Stevens et al (2009) findings indicate that the case study was able to reveal the prefer strategies by their respondents. The case study faces numerous limitations that require further research. First of all he grouped the participants based on their preferences and what they perceived to be right depending on the strategies. Preference for learning and teaching is two different things. Secondly the study might have omitted learning opportunities in the set statements. It was not possible to develop the concourse by the case study participants because of the limited time for the workshop. The study could have used follow up activities to obtain accurate information of strategies. Lastly, the study participant were few, and motivated by the content; hence more research needs to be conducted by a larger sample representative that could yeild accurate findings.

References
Gall, M. D., Gall, J. P., and Borg, W. R. (2010). Applying educational research (6th ed). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
Stevensa, G. Harrisb, Z. Aguirre-Munoz and L. Cobb (2010). A case study approach to
increasing teachers’ mathematics knowledge for teaching and strategies for building students’ maths self-efficacy. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, Vol. 40, No. 7, Taylor & Francis. Read More