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School Leaders’ Transformational Strategies For Successfully Preparing For Algebra I In Eighth Grade, Brooke Humphrey

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

Algebra I is considered a gateway course that provides students with additional opportunities for accelerated mathematics at the secondary level. Algebra I in eighth grade is a strategy that has been previously implemented to provide these additional opportunities and yielded mixed results. Drawing from Burn’s (1978) transformational leadership theory, this study explores the strategies of educational leaders that have led to success for a broad scale implementation of Algebra I for all eighth graders. Qualitative data was collected from schools that meet three criteria: increased enrollment of students in Math 6 Enhanced from the 2020-2021 school year to the 2021-2022 …

Let’S Talk About Math: Exploring How Elementary Teachers Plan And Implement Mathematical Discourse In The Classroom, Anne Robertson Green

Early Childhood and Elementary Education Dissertations

Mathematical discourse is a critical component of effective mathematics instruction, but it remains one of the least implemented strategies in mathematics classrooms. This exploratory case study examined how elementary teachers understand, plan, and implement mathematical discourse practices, with a particular focus on connections to the curriculum. Participants included three kindergarten teachers in an urban-situated elementary school. Data were collected through: two sets of documents, including the provided curriculum and teacher-created lesson plans; two individual, semi-structured interviews with each participant; and two classroom observations of each participant’s mathematics instructional practices. The data were analyzed through the constant comparative method. Interview data …

Investigating College Algebra Help-Seeking Behaviors Of African American Community College Students: A Hierarchical Linear Modeling Approach, Ervin China

Middle and Secondary Education Dissertations

When students experience difficulty with their coursework, they often utilize strategies such as rereading a text more slowly, organizing class notes, reviewing previous examples, or searching for information available on the Internet. If these efforts are ineffective, students may also consult their teachers, classmates, friends, or parents for assistance. Until recently, such reliance on others was considered of limited value and even stigmatized: the criticism being that learners who are truly independent are not supposed to need others to succeed (Karabenick & Newman, 2011). Recent theoretical developments and research, however, indicate that academic help seeking can be an important self-regulated …

Mathematics Self-Efficacy In High School Students And The Effects Of Interim Goal Setting: How Goals And Efficacy Are Linked In The Self-Efficacy Goal Spectrum, Hannah H. Oldham

Middle and Secondary Education Dissertations

Research has found that self-efficacy affects how a student behaves in class, how they choose to approach academic work, how long they persevere on a topic, and the type of goals they set for themselves. When students enter high school, opinions of self-efficacy (negative or positive) are strong and it becomes increasingly difficult for teachers to help students change their efficacious beliefs. This is apparent in secondary mathematics classrooms where students have years of previous experiences that have shaped opinions about their self-efficacy. A possibility in altering self-efficacy is by combining goal achievement theory and social learning theory. If more …

Examining Elementary Mathematics Teachers' Knowledge And Implementation Of High Leverage Teaching Practices, Cliff Chestnutt

Early Childhood and Elementary Education Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Over the last two decades, significant attention has been given to mathematics teaching and learning as demonstrated by national reform models (e.g. NCTM standards), and national standards changes (e.g. Common Core Standards). This attention generated increased pressure to improve mathematics teaching and learning. As a result, mathematics teacher educators came to identify a set of practices referred to as High Leverage Teaching Practices (HLTP), teaching behaviors that researchers believe improve the teaching and indirectly the learning of mathematics. While there are indications that there is a link between the use of these teaching strategies in mathematics and student achievement, …

The Common Core To Common Folks: An Exploration Of The Perceptions Of High School Mathematics Teachers Of The Common Core State Standards In Mathematics, Alfred J. Taylor

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

The authors of the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics (CCSSM) contend that the implementation of this framework is a much needed step towards the ability of the United States to remain globally competitive. This study examined the perceptions of mathematics teachers regarding the CCSSM, as well as the implementation of those standards and the implications for school leaders. Thirteen high school mathematics teachers in three different high schools in a large suburban school district in Georgia were involved in the study. An embedded single case study design was utilized to explore this issue. Data were collected from focus group …

Mathematically Talented Black Women Of Spelman College, 1980s-2000s, Morgin Jones Williams

Middle and Secondary Education Dissertations

Women of color in general and Black women in particular who pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in mathematics are nearly invisible in the mathematics education research literature (Borum & Walker, 2012). The majority of research published in the mid-to-late twentieth century that explored the mathematics education of women was limited not only by failing to explore the unique mathematical experiences of women of color but also by employing quantitative methodologies in positivist frames (see, e.g., Benbow & Stanley, 1980; Fennema & Sherman, 1977; Hyde, Fennema, Ryan, Frost, & Hopp, 1990). Therefore, the purpose of this narrative inquiry project was to …

Black Women Pursuing Doctorates In Mathematics Education: An Examination Of Stories Of Their Mathematical Experiences, Nathalie Dames

Middle and Secondary Education Dissertations

The research shows a lack of representation of Black women in mathematics education. The purpose of this study was to explore Black women’s perspectives on how their mathematical experiences influenced their decisions to pursue a doctoral degree in mathematics education. To address this issue the following research questions were explored: What perspectives do Black women who are in pursuit of a doctorate of philosophy degree in mathematics education have about their mathematical experiences? How have those perspectives of their experiences influenced their pursuit of a doctorate of philosophy in mathematics education? For this study purposeful sampling was used to select …

Investigating Student Learning And Perceptions Through Concept Journaling: An Exploratory Case Study In Coordinate Algebra, Amber Steele

Middle and Secondary Education Dissertations

In order for students to comprehend mathematics, they must be able to think and apply learned knowledge to inform skill acquisition (Schoenfeld, 2013). Written communication is a skill that enables students to prepare to learn mathematics and express thoughts. Using qualitative case study methodology within symbolic interactionism framework, this study examined the effect of concept journaling on the learning of seven students in one high school Coordinate Algebra classroom. The study further explored how these students perceived concept journaling as a tool for learning mathematics. Concept journaling is defined as a type of writing activity using prompts that incorporate graphs, …

An Ethnographic Study Of Socio-Emotional Factors In Interpersonal Peer Relationships And Their Impact On The Academic Success Of African American High School Students In Mathematics, Alanna Johnson

Middle and Secondary Education Dissertations

Nationally, the outlook for African Americans in K-12 education is dismal. While gains are being made, African Americans still lag behind their White peers. The latest reports by the National Center for Education Statistics (2009) show a 31 point gap between 8^th grade African Americans and Whites in mathematics. While statistics such as these are in abundance, there are few accounts of stories of success (Berry, 2005; Jett, 2009; Stinson, 2004). Studies directly related to the role of socio-emotional interpersonal relationships and the means by which African American high school students negotiated that space in terms of successful math …

Meta-Didactical Slippages: A Qualitative Case Study Of Didactical Situations In A Ninth Grade Mathematics Classroom, Nathan J. Wisdom

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Research on the mathematical behavior of children over the past forty decades has considerably renewed and augmented the body of evaluative tests of the results of learning (Lester, 2007). Research however, has provided very little knowledge about the means of improving students’ performance on these tests. Nevertheless teachers, students, and others are being pressured to improve students’ performance, but in order to concentrate on basic skills, the learning itself is made more difficult and slower. The combination of requirements has led to a variety of uncontrolled phenomena such as meta-didactical slippage (Brousseau, 2008).

The purpose of …

A High School Mathematics Teacher Tacking Through The Middle Way: Toward A Critical Postmodern Autoethnography In Mathematics Education, John O. Wamsted

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

The “urban” mathematics classroom has become an increasingly polarized site, one where many middle-class White teachers attempt to bridge the divide between themselves and their relatively economically disadvantaged, non-White students. With its mania for high-stakes testing, current education policy has intensified the importance of mathematics in the school curriculum—both drawing attention to and reifying an “achievement gap” between White (and Asian) and non-White students (Martin, 2009c, 2010). Keeping in mind the Mathematics for all rhetoric as it affects the academic and life success of students (Martin, 2003), this cultural polarization in the mathematics classroom provides a rich site for exploring …

The Effect Of Aleks On Students' Mathematics Achievement In An Online Learning Environment And The Cognitive Complexity Of The Initial And Final Assessments, Eze Nwaogu

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

For many courses, mathematics included, there is an associated interactive e-learning system that provides assessment and tutoring. Some of these systems are classified as Intelligent Tutoring Systems. MyMathLab, Mathzone, and Assessment of LEarning in Knowledge Space (ALEKS) are just a few of the interactive e-learning systems in mathematics. In ALEKS, assessment and tutoring are based on the Knowledge Space Theory. Previous studies in a traditional learning environment have shown ALEKS users to perform equally or better in mathematics achievement than the group who did not use ALEKS.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of ALEKS on …

Effective Technology Strategies Teachers Use In The Urban Middle Grades Mathematics Classroom, Tammie R. Cravens

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

The 21^st century mathematics classroom looks and operates differently than it did half a century ago. Not only are teachers expected to facilitate activities rather than lecture, they are also expected to utilize technology. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics established the technology principle to guide teachers into this practice in 2000. Today there are middle school mathematics teachers who use technology effectively in the classroom. However, there is a dearth of literature in this area on how they select and use technology. The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand the process by which these teachers …

Mapping The Road To Instructional Coach Effectiveness: Exploring The Relationship Between Instructional Coaching Efficacy, Practices, And Outcomes, Marsha Mccrary

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Despite the presence and potential impact of instructional coaches, many schools are not experiencing significant improvements in teachers’ practices or student achievement. In gaining more insight into forces that impact instructional coach effectiveness, this study (a) explored the relationship between sources of instructional coaching efficacy and dimensions of instructional coaching efficacy [Mathematics Content & Mathematics-Specific Pedagogy (ME), Student Centered & General Pedagogy (SE), Interpersonal & Communication Coaching (IE), and Personal Coach Characteristics]; and (b) explored the relationship between dimensions of instructional coaching efficacy and instructional coach outcomes. Participants included teachers (n=144) and their instructional coaches (n=19), from elementary …

An Exploratory Study Of Mathematics Engagement Of Secondary Students, Tracy Thomas Brown

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

An Exploratory Study of Mathematics Engagement of Secondary Students by Tracy Thomas Brown A large proportion of American students are not psychologically connected or engaged to what is occurring in their classes; in addition, they fail to take school seriously, have lost interest in school, and do not value or seek out success (Steinberg, Brown, & Dornbusch, 1996). In addition, the relationship in a mathematics classroom between schooling and engagement from the student’s perspective is not well known (Cothran & Ennis, 2000). The purpose of this study was to investigate engagement in order to describe students’ constructs of student engagement, …

An Autoethnography:A Mathematics Teacher's Journey Of Identity Construction And Change, Anthony B. Stinson

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Despite some gains, improving secondary mathematics instruction remains an area of concern of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Recitation, also known as lecturing, prevails as the practice of choice of mathematics teachers in the United States. However, the report of the NCTM Research Advisory Committee 2000 indicates that the mathematical proficiency of students increases when the practice of choice includes more than recitation. Therefore, changes in instruction in the mathematics classroom should occur to improve student learning. The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a personalized account of one mathematics teacher’s use of reflective teaching as …

African American Men And College Mathematics: Gaining Access And Attaining Success, Christopher Charlie Jett

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

The research literature regarding African American male college students reports that they often experience difficulties with mathematics (Stage & Kloosterman, 1995; Treisman, 1992). It is also reported that many African American students enter college seeking to complete their degrees in mathematics and science, but few of these students successfully complete the core requirements (Hrabowski, Maton, & Greif, 1998; Treisman, 1992). In spite of these reported trends, there are some African American male students who, indeed, achieve in college mathematics. The purpose of this study was to analyze how being African American and male might play out in the college mathematics …

Jamaican Girls' Ethnic Identity And The Mathematics Classroom: An Ethnographic Case Study, Sandra Vernon-Jackson

Middle and Secondary Education Dissertations

ABSTRACT

JAMAICAN GIRLS’ ETHNIC IDENTITY AND THE MATHEMATICS CLASSROOM: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC CASE STUDY

by

Sandra Vernon-Jackson

Changing demographics in the U.S. student population have led educators to focus increased attention on issues of equity in the mathematics classroom. This focus has sparked many discussions on the experiences of ethnically diverse students, particularly those of African descent. It has been suggested that improving equity in the mathematics classroom will require further investigation on how the linguistic, ethnic identity, racial, gender, and socioeconomic backgrounds influence the learning of mathematics. In light of this, there is a scarcity of scholarly literature that examines …

Attitudinal Study: The Interaction Of Students Taking Calculus And Prerequisite Courses While Participating In Peer Tutorials, Deborah Coleman Hannah

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Bridging the achievement gap while improving overall performance in high school mathematics is a primary concern in the educational arena. A peer tutoring strategy was implemented to examine its effects on the achievement and attitude of African American students in mathematics courses. Vygotsky’s theory of social interaction and the Zone of Proximal Development served as the guide for this investigation involving 138 high school students. Dyads were formed by pairing 46 Algebra and Geometry students with 46 Advanced Placement Calculus students for after- school tutorial sessions. Forty-six members of a control group received no tutoring intervention. Participants completed a 25-item …

A Cognitive Model Of Algebra Achievement Among Undergraduate College Students, Tammy Daun Tolar

Communication Sciences and Disorders Dissertations

Algebra has been called a gatekeeper because proficiency in algebra allows access to educational and economic opportunities. Many students struggle with algebra because it is cognitively demanding. There is little empirical evidence concerning which cognitive factors influence algebra achievement. The purpose of this study was to test a cognitive model of algebra achievement among undergraduate college students. Algebra achievement was defined as the ability to manipulate algebraic expressions which is a substantial part of many algebra curriculums. The model included cognitive factors that past research has shown relate to overall math achievement. Other goals were to compare a cognitive model …

Teacher Video Clubs: A Method For Creating A Mathematical Discourse Community Through Collective Reflection, Nancy Jo Schafer

Communication Sciences and Disorders Dissertations

Although the reform movement in mathematics education has been very influential within colleges of education and among researchers, it has had less of an effect on mathematics education at the K-12 level (National Center for Educational Statistics, 1999). As a part of the reform movement, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (1991) recommends that teachers engage students in mathematical discourse. Given that situated learning theory suggests that reflection, particularly collective reflection, is necessary for professional development (Borko & Putnam, 1998; Lave & Wenger, 1991), this study examined the use of teacher video clubs as a space in which novice …

Student Achievement In Science And Mathematics In Urban Professional Develpment Schools During First Year Of Implementation, Susan L. Ogletree

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

Using a quasi-experimental design, the author examined the effects of the Professional Development School Partnerships Deliver Success educational model on student academic achievement in science and mathematics in 12 high-needs, urban elementary, middle, and high schools in the southeastern United States. Student achievement was measured for first to eighth grade students by the State Criterion-Referenced Competency Test and for 11th-grade students by the State High School Graduation Test. 6 ANOVAs were used to compare baseline and year 1 performance data. Student ethnicity was used to disaggregate the data to investigate the extent, if any, to which achievement gaps narrowed. For …

Spectrally Arbitrary Tree Sign Pattern Matrices, Krishna Kaphle

Mathematics Theses

A sign pattern (matrix) is a matrix whose entries are from the set {+,–, 0}. A sign pattern matrix A is a spectrally arbitrary pattern if for every monic real polynomial p(x) of degree n there exists a real matrix B whose entries agree in sign with A such that the characteristic polynomial of B is p(x). All 3 × 3 SAP's, as well as tree sign patterns with star graphs that are SAP's, have already been characterized. We investigate tridiagonal sign patterns of order 4. All irreducible tridiagonal SAP's are identified. Necessary and sufficient conditions for an irreducible tridiagonal …

A Comparison Of Learning Subjective And Traditional Probability In Middle Grades, Jeanne D. Rast

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

The emphasis given to probability and statistics in the K-12 mathematics curriculum has brought attention to the various approaches to probability and statistics concepts, as well as how to teach these concepts. Teachers from fourth, fifth, and sixth grades from a small suburban Catholic school engaged their students (n=87) in a study to compare learning traditional probability concepts to learning traditional and subjective probability concepts. The control group (n=44) received instruction in traditional probability, while the experimental group (n=43) received instruction in traditional and subjective probability. A Multivariate Analysis of Variance and a Bayesian t-test were used to analyze pretest …