National large-scale assessments have demonstrated a decrease in Dutch primary school students' performance on multidigit multiplication and division problems (e.g., 56x23 and 544:34) in the... Show moreNational large-scale assessments have demonstrated a decrease in Dutch primary school students' performance on multidigit multiplication and division problems (e.g., 56x23 and 544:34) in the past two decades. This performance decrease appears to be related to changes in students' use of mathematical strategies: the use of relatively accurate strategies for which calculations are written down has decreased, while the use of inaccurate mental strategies has increased. To gain more insight into these developments and how to possibly turn them around, factors that affect students' mathematical strategy use and performance were investigated. New applications of latent variable models to national large-scale assessment data were used to relate teachers' reports of their mathematics teaching to students' problem solving. Follow-up experiments were conducted at primary schools for a more controlled investigation of students' strategy choices and of how to influence those choices (and thereby, performance) favorably. It was found that teachers mainly influence students' choices between strategies with written work, and that they have less influence on choices for the inaccurate mental strategies (made more frequently by boys and weaker students). Extra instruction targeted at the latter was found to increase weaker students' choices for writing down calculations, and this improved students' performance. Show less
Indigenous peoples' rights have been on the international political agenda for over fifty years. Yet, very limited attention has been given to indigenous women. Among indigenous peoples, women are... Show moreIndigenous peoples' rights have been on the international political agenda for over fifty years. Yet, very limited attention has been given to indigenous women. Among indigenous peoples, women are one of the most vulnerable groups, because they are subject to multiple discrimination: for being a woman, indigenous, and often, because of the stigma of poverty. The absence of attention for women's issues is due to a lack of awareness and knowledge regarding the role women play in society and in the development of communities, and it illustrates the subordinated position women continue to have in society in general. This research wants to contribute to the visibility of indigenous women. Therefore, it provides an overview of some of the challenges indigenous women are still facing, focusing on the case of Mexico. It analyzes the position of indigenous women in Mexican society, to identify some of the fields in which indigenous women's rights are still not guaranteed and therefore require more action. Special attention is given to the position of indigenous women in Mexican health care, political participation, media, and education. Show less
