Developing and validating a scriptwriting task in the context of student difficulties with fraction multiplication and division

ABSTRACT

Teaching simulations such as scriptwriting tasks offer a novel way to support pre-service teachers in gaining diagnostic competencies and in guiding students to work through difficulties. We first report on the theory-driven development of a scriptwriting task, specifically the theoretically-founded language- and accompanying content-related challenges concerning fraction multiplication and division that were embedded in the task. In a validation study, nine experts in mathematics education and/or academic language development participated in an expert rating of the scriptwriting task, assessing the intended embedded student difficulties. As a further means of examining content validity, a second study was conducted in which 32 completed dialogues from the scriptwriting tasks from pre-service primary mathematics teachers were compared to the results of the expert rating. Findings of the validation study highlighted that the experts recognised the intended embedded content. Correspondingly, the results of the second study revealed that the pre-service teachers also identified the intended content.

KEYWORDS:

• Scriptwriting task
• fraction multiplication
• fraction division
• content validation

Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Malte Lehmann for invaluable insights with the development of this project and Ms. Miriam Maneh for her assistance with data analysis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Victoria Shure

Victoria Shure is a Ph.D. student and researcher at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany in the department of Primary Mathematics Education. Her main research interests include mathematical learning and instruction and teacher education, particularly examining the development and support of mathematical reasoning and academic literacy in mathematics.

Bettina Rösken-Winter

Dr. Bettina Rösken-Winter is professor for mathematics education at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. In her research she mainly focusses on teacher professional development and the qualification of facilitators.