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University of Nevada, Las Vegas

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Mathematics

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German Mathematics Teachers' Subject Content And Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Teresa A Leavitt Jan 2007

German Mathematics Teachers' Subject Content And Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Teresa A Leavitt

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

How required teacher knowledge is obtained is debated in today's educational context. This dichotomy in acquisition of teacher knowledge between university training including content and pedagogy versus classroom experiences combined with strong subject background has become particularly important as the U.S. seeks to find key components to increase student achievement and to improve education. International comparisons indicating the U.S. consistently lags behind top-performing countries have spurred such efforts; Review of existing literature exposed differences in what is considered necessary knowledge for effective teaching, and where such knowledge can be developed. Types of knowledge and where such knowledge is acquired are …


Exploring The Relationship Between Teachers' Beliefs In Mathematics And Their Instructional Practice, Michelle Vander Veldt Jan 2006

Exploring The Relationship Between Teachers' Beliefs In Mathematics And Their Instructional Practice, Michelle Vander Veldt

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the relationship between teachers' beliefs about mathematics and their instructional practices. The personal epistemology of the case study elementary mathematics teachers was documented and analyzed to provide evidence of the connection between teachers' beliefs and practice in an elementary school setting; This study was grounded in a theoretical framework of epistemological world views, particularly the comparison of belief across three epistemological world views: (1) the realist, (2) the contextualist, and (3) the relativist. Three areas of beliefs are addressed in this study: (1) beliefs about curriculum, (2) beliefs about pedagogy, and (3) beliefs about assessment. Through analysis …


Pre-Service Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Attitudes About The History Of Mathematics, Kelly Marie Sullivan Jan 2000

Pre-Service Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Attitudes About The History Of Mathematics, Kelly Marie Sullivan

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study was conducted to show that using historical material to teach mathematical content to pre-service secondary mathematics teachers could improve their attitudes about incorporating the history of mathematics into the mathematics classroom. A historical module from the Mathematical Association of America was taught to an undergraduate class of pre-service secondary mathematics teachers. Their attitudes regarding the use of the history of mathematics in the mathematics classroom were then compared to the attitudes of students in another undergraduate class, taught by the same researcher, whose instruction did not incorporate history. Results from t-tests indicate that there was a positive change …


Vertical Equating Of Curriculum-Based Tests In Reading, Mathematics, And Language Arts, Judith Susan Gage Costa Jan 1997

Vertical Equating Of Curriculum-Based Tests In Reading, Mathematics, And Language Arts, Judith Susan Gage Costa

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Vertical equating of a large urban school district's curriculum-based achievement tests for students in grades one through five was performed by using the BILOG-MG software package produced by Zimowski, Muraki, Mislevy, and Bock. This software extends the application of the item response theory (IRT) approach to test analysis to testing situations involving multiple groups BILOG-MG, item parameter estimates were derived using a marginal maximum a posteriori approach in combination with an expectation-maximization algorithm (EM). Estimates of examinee ability were produced using the Bayesian, or expected a posteriori, estimate with a normal prior distribution; Linkage of successive test forms was accomplished …


Attitudes And Beliefs Of Preservice Elementary School Teachers Towards Mathematics, Deborah Beam Ingalls Jan 1992

Attitudes And Beliefs Of Preservice Elementary School Teachers Towards Mathematics, Deborah Beam Ingalls

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study purposed to see if measurable changes could be detected in prospective teachers' attitudes or beliefs about mathematics as teachers progressed through their required courses of study in mathematics and mathematics education. The study included 164 prospective elementary school teachers who were enrolled in one of three mathematics or mathematics education courses. The subjects responded to a survey based on common "mathematics myths." The mathematics myths correspond to mathematical beliefs shown in other research to be held by severely math anxious or math avoidant people. The study found that students disagreed more with the mathematics myths as they progressed …


The Effects Of Mathematics Methods Courses On The Mathematical Attitudes, Content Knowledge, And Pedagogical Beliefs Of Preservice Teachers, Robert John Quinn Jan 1991

The Effects Of Mathematics Methods Courses On The Mathematical Attitudes, Content Knowledge, And Pedagogical Beliefs Of Preservice Teachers, Robert John Quinn

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of mathematics methods courses on the mathematical attitudes, content knowledge, and pedagogical beliefs of preservice elementary teachers and preservice secondary mathematics teachers. The study was conducted during the fall semester of 1992 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Forty-seven preservice teachers participated voluntarily. Twenty-eight were enrolled in an elementary mathematics methods course; nineteen were enrolled in a secondary mathematics methods course; Attitudes toward mathematics were studied quantitatively by administering Aiken's Revised Attitude Scale on a pretest-posttest basis. The results indicated that the attitude toward mathematics of preservice elementary teachers improved significantly. The attitude toward …


The Effects Of A Role Model Intervention Program On The Attitudes Of Junior High School Students Towards Mathematics And Sex-Role Orientation, Linda Fritz Havins Jan 1981

The Effects Of A Role Model Intervention Program On The Attitudes Of Junior High School Students Towards Mathematics And Sex-Role Orientation, Linda Fritz Havins

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Bureau of Labor Statistics information indicated 55 percent of all women in the labor force in 1980 were employed in traditional clerical and service occupations. The limited participation of women in certain sectors of the labor force represented a great loss of human potential, particularly in the case of academically talented women. This exploratory study focused on two potential barriers that may keep capable women from realizing their full potential: sex-role orientation and attitudes toward mathematics course-taKing Another area of focus determined what effect stability factors had on the population under study and how stability might affect future studies. A …


A Study To Examine The Effect Of Curriculum Materials On The Ability Of General Mathematics Students To Solve Verbal Problems, Paul Raymond Goodwin Jan 1977

A Study To Examine The Effect Of Curriculum Materials On The Ability Of General Mathematics Students To Solve Verbal Problems, Paul Raymond Goodwin

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The Statement of the Problem. What is the effect of the type of instructional materials on the acquisition of verbal problem-solving skills of general mathematics students?;The Assumptions of the Study. The necessary assumptions for the study were: (1) Verbal problem-solving skills can be learned by the general mathematics students; (2) all students need to learn to solve verbal problems; (3) students in general mathematics classes have not been provided with adequate instruction and thus, have not been acquiring verbal problem-solving skills; (4) the experimental mathematics curriculum materials used to teach verbal problem-solving skills for this study will improve the students' …