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Predictability In The Indian Stock Market: A Study From An Econometric Perspective., Debabrata Mukhopadhyay Dr.

Doctoral Theses

No abstract provided.

Responsiveness Of Elementary-Aged Students, With And Without Specific Learning Disabilities, To Interventions For Mathematics Calculation, Masanori Ota

Theses and Dissertations

The Response to Intervention (RtI) model is an identification model for Specific Learning Disability (SLD), one of the 13 disability categories identified under the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004. The RtI model has been proposed as an alternative model to the discrepancy model (e.g., intelligence quotient-achievement discrepancy model). In the RtI model, students’ responsiveness (e.g., levels of performance and slopes of progress) yields their eligibility for special education. However, to date, research that examined the validity of the RtI model (e.g., examination of intervention responsiveness with students with academic deficits) has been limited in the area of …

Are The Math Scores Of Students Who Are Taught Mathematics Utilizing The Methods Endorsed By The Alabama Math, Science, And Technology Initiative Affected?, Brenda Elise Jolly

Dissertations

Eighth-grade mathematics scores from 21 schools were compared pre-inception and post-inception of the Alabama Mathematics, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI). Only the scores from schools which had 80% of their mathematics and science teachers trained at one Summer Institute were used, as these were considered to be true AMSTI schools. Results found the effects of AMSTI to be not statistically significant.

The second part of this research was conducted based upon 256 surveys from teachers attending their second Summer Institute of ASMTI training. Results found many school systems may hamper teachers' ability to plan and execute AMSTI lessons due to …

Academic Achievement Of Students In A Charter Homeschool, Mary A. Leeds Edd

Dissertations

A recent development in education is the public charter school as a homeschool model. In several states across the nation, a child may enroll in an independent study program of a public charter school and base his or her studies in the home. This model in the realm of education is called charter homeschool. The state of California has over 120 operating charter homeschools, also known as independent study programs or non-classroom based charter schools. The delivery of instruction from non-classroom based programs has begun to challenge traditional definitions of public schooling. The increased state accountability demands of student academic …

Contributions To Random Energy Models., Nabin Kumar Jana Dr.

Doctoral Theses

In this introductory chapter, we begin with a brief description of spin glasses in section 1. We are not physicists. The purpose of this section is to trace the history of the models. Section 2 gives a brief summary of the thesis and section 3 recalls certain known facts which will be used later in the thesis.Origin of the problem The models considered in this thesis have their origin in spin glass theory. Roughly, spin glass is a glassy state in a spin system or a disordered material exhibiting high magnetic frustration. The origin of this behavior can be either …

Examining Roberts County Mathematics Teachers' Beliefs Regarding The Nature Of Mathematics And Their Classroom Learning Environment, Elizabeth P. Brechin-Harrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of mathematics teachers beliefs regarding the nature of mathematics and their classroom learning environment in Roberts County (fictional). The study investigated 165 kindergarten through twelfth grade mathematics teachers that taught at least one segment of mathematics a day. The researcher administered three surveys: the Teacher Beliefs Survey (developed by Beswick, 2005), the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (developed by Taylor, Fraser, and Fisher, 1997) and a demographics survey to mathematics teachers at 35 schools. Data analysis included calculating the sub-scale means of each survey, a Pearson correlation, and Analysis of Variance …

Algorithms For Some Geometric Facility Location And Path Planning Problems., Sasanka Roy Dr.

Doctoral Theses

The facility location problem is a resource allocation problem that mainly deals with adequate placement of various types of facilities to serve a distributed set of demands satisfying the nature of interactions between the demands and facilities and optimizing the cost of placing/maintaining the facilities and the quality of services.The facility location problem is well-studied in the Operations Research literature and recently has received a lot of attention in the Computer Science community. For a company, the facility location problem provides more strategic decisions than just giving importance to locate the lowest cost space for storing its products. While identifying …

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 Comparison Of Academic Achievement And Retention Of Community College Students In College Algebra After Completion Of Traditional Or Technology-Based Instruction, Jennifer Ferrill Seal

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to compare the success rates in College Algebra between two groups of students attending a Mississippi community college. Eighty students enrolled in a College Algebra course were taught using traditional instructional techniques, and 70 students received technology-enhanced instruction. This study considered the effects of grade scores on a mathematics-achievement pretest and posttest, student attitudes toward mathematics, time-on-task while using technology during mathematics study, mathematics subscores on the American College Test, and withdrawal rates. Data collected for this study were derived from the official transcripts of students enrolled in spring 2007 College Algebra classes of a Mississippi …

The Association Between Socioeconomic Status And High School Mathematics Scores And Enrollment Rates In Virginia Public Schools., Kathy A. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if socioeconomic status for the ethnic groups of white, black, Hispanic, and Asian is a significant indicator of mathematical performance and student participation in higher level courses. The SOL test scores of all high school mathematics students in Virginia for the 2005-2006 school year, their ethnic group membership, and their economically disadvantaged classification were as used to determine if such an association exists. Data provided by the Virginia Department of Education consisted of 113,786 Algebra I scores, 95,898 Geometry scores, and 68,944 Algebra II scores. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and a Two-way …

It's All About The Teachers: Bank Street's Math For Teachers As Professional Development, Robin Hummel

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This work describes a professional development initiative that was based on the graduate course, Mathematics for Teachers in Diverse and Inclusive Educational Settings (K-6), taught by Linda Metnetsky at Bank Street College of Education. The author wrote and implemented this professional development initiative for teachers in her former district: a large, middle class, suburban school district outside of Philadelphia. It consisted of six full day sessions, held from October through April during the 2004-05 school year. Eleven teachers from third, fourth, and fifth grades participated, and the impact of this professional development on two participants is the focus of this …

Pierce-Engel Hybrid Expansions, Andrea Sutyak

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Pierce and Engel expansions are representations of numbers between 0 and 1 as sums of unitary fractions (of alternating signs in the case of Pierce) whose denominators are built multiplicatively, choosing the successive factors greedily. We show some results for Pierce expansions, and investigate the idea of hybrid expansions, which are built similarly but without regard to the signs of the terms.

Cycles In Graph Theory And Matroids, Ju Zhou

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

A circuit is a connected 2-regular graph. A cycle is a graph such that the degree of each vertex is even. A graph G is Hamiltonian if it has a spanning circuit, and Hamiltonian-connected if for every pair of distinct vertices u, v ∈ V( G), G has a spanning (u, v)-path. A graph G is s-Hamiltonian if for any S ⊆ V (G) of order at most s, G -- S has a Hamiltonian-circuit, and s-Hamiltonian connected if for any S ⊆ V( G) of order at most s, G -- S is Hamiltonian-connected. In this dissertation, we investigated …

Preparation For High School Mathematics Reform In The Northeast Georgia Resa District: A Stage Of Concerns Approach To Examining Professional Learning, Kay Smith Haugen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was two-fold. The first purpose was to examine the longitudinal concerns of a cohort of high school mathematics teachers in the Northeast Georgia Regional Educational Services Agency (RESA) district about implementation of the Georgia Performance Standards. The second purpose was to explore relationships among their Stages of Concerns profiles, demographic factors, and professional learning experiences provided by institute instructors. The study examined Implementation of Georgia Performance Standards in High School Mathematics as a change innovation using the Concerns-Based Adoption Model. The study utilized a mixed methods timeseries research design. Quantitative data were collected using the …

Geometric Primitives In Digital Images: Analyses And Applications Using Digital Geometry., Partha Bhowmick Dr.

Doctoral Theses

No abstract provided.

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 …

Comparing Middle School General And Special Educators' Use Of Research-Based Instruction In Mathematics For Students With Learni, Shelby Robertson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences between general and special educators regarding the implementation of research-based strategies that target the needs of students with LD in mathematics, as well as general and special educators' perceptions of their preparedness to use instructional strategies in mathematics. A sample of general and special educators who taught mathematics to students with learning disabilities (LD) at the middle school level responded to an online survey. The survey examined teacher self-reported classroom use of instructional practices specifically aligned with NCTM standards, direct instruction, graduated instruction, grouping practices, and self-monitoring. Additionally, educators responded …

An Investigation Of The Effects Of Using Handhelds To Increasecomputational Speed By Enhancing Working Memory Forsecondary Stude, Marcey Kinney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using a single subject research design, the effects of computer based brain training were examined to determine if computational fluency increased after completing the brain training activities. The study took place in a large public high school. Participants were students with learning disabilities who were also below level in mathematics. During the baseline phase, all participants completed a timed math probe daily for 1 week. Because the timed math probes were timed, the researcher was looking for an average gain for each student. During week two students completed the brain age activities daily, prior to completing the math probe. Average …

Effects Of Discussion And Writing On Student Understanding Of Mathematics Concepts, Joseph Roicki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For this action research project, I wanted to examine my practice of teaching mathematics. Specifically, I encouraged students to improve their communication skills during my math class through daily discussion and writing tasks. After establishing a class set of sociomathematical norms, the students solved problems provided by the Every Day Counts: Calendar Math program and used verbal and written formats to describe their problem solving methods and reasons. My study showed the effects of using discussion and writing to help students develop their conceptual understanding of mathematical ideas. Focus was placed on the quality of daily discussions and written tasks …

Numerical And Adaptive Grid Methods For Ideal Magnetohydrodynamics, Burlen Loring

Master's Theses and Capstones

In this thesis numerical finite difference methods for ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) are investigated. A review of the relevant physics, essential for interpreting the results of numerical solutions and constructing validation cases, is presented. This review includes a discusion of the propagation of small amplitude waves in the MHD system as well as a thorough discussion of MHD shocks, contacts and rarefactions and how they can be pieced together to obtain a solutions to the MHD Riemann problem. Numerical issues relevant to the MHD system such as: the loss of nonlinear numerical stability in the presence of discontinuous solutions, the introduction …

Unitarily Invariant Norms And Tensor Products Of Maximal Injective Von Neumann Subalgebras, Junsheng Fang

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation consists of four contributions to the study of von Neumann algebras. In the first part, we set up a representation theorem for unitarily invariant norms on finite factor von Neumann algebras. In the second part, we set up a representation theorem for unitarily invariant norms related to infinite factor von Neumann algebras. In the third part, we introduce a notion of completely singular von Neumann subalgebras and characterize the class of completely singular von Neumann subalgebras. In the fourth part, we study a longstanding open question on the tensor product of maximal injective von Neumann subalgebras.

The first …

Planar Algebra Of Families Of Subfactors, Paramita Das

Doctoral Dissertations

The standard invariant is an object that classifies a fairly general class of subfactors and was reformulated by Vaughan Jones as 'planar algebras'. We compute the planar algebra of two families of subfactors arising out of actions of finitely generated groups on a II 1 factor in an attempt to see whether this class can be enlarged. This is a joint work with Dietmar Bisch and Shamindra Ghosh.

Free Entropy Dimensions And Approximate Liftings, Weihua Li

Doctoral Dissertations

In the first chapter of the dissertation, we give a very elementary proof of a more detailed version of one of D. Voiculescu's results, which was a key ingredient in Voiculescu's proof that his free entropy is additive when the variables are free.

In the second chapter of the dissertation, based on the notion of upper free orbit-dimension introduced by D. Hadwin and J. Shen, we introduce a new invariant on finite von Neumann algebras that do not necessarily act on separable Hilbert space. We show that this invariant is independent of the generating set, and we obtain a number …

Effects On Student Performance Of Using Hands-On Activities To Teach Seventh Grade Students' Measurement Concepts, Darlene Hoke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Student performance on measurement concepts in mathematics was the basis for this action research study. This study summarizes research conducted in a seventh grade classroom at an urban middle school during fall of 2005. The study investigated the practice of using hands-on activities in addition to the standard mathematics curriculum to improve student performance in measurement tasks. Students were asked to respond to questions posed by both teacher and other students in the classroom. Data were collected using measurement survey, focus group discussions, math journals, and teacher observations. Results of this study showed that student performance on measurement tasks increased …

Using Communication Techniques In The Low-Performing Mathematics Classroom: A Study Of Fractions,Decimals,Performance And Attitu, Pamela Guyton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Within a low-performing seventh grade mathematics classroom, communication techniques including discourse, collaborative groups, listening, reading, and writing were implemented during a six week period. This study shows how the use of these techniques led to the twenty four students' conceptual understanding of fraction and decimal concepts. This research study provides insight to the deep-seeded beliefs of low-performing students. It provides a record of how the teacher used communication techniques in the classroom and had a strong positive impact on the attitudes and performance of these struggling students.

Proof Processes Of Novice Mathematics Proof Writers, Hillary Dee Vanspronsen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Previous studies have shown that a large portion of undergraduate mathematics students have difficulties constructing, understanding, and validating proofs (Martin and Harel, 1989; Coe and Ruthven, 1994; Moore, 1994; Baker, 1996; Mingus and Grassl, 1999; Knuth, 2002; Weber, 2001, 2003). However, proofs are the foundation of mathematics; it is therefore essential that every university mathematics student be able to step through the proof writing process. Research has sought to describe the strategies involved in the process of mathematical problem solving (Baker, 1996; Bell, 1979; Carlson and Bloom, 2005; McGivney and DeFranco, 1995; Pape and Wang, 2003; Polya, 1973; Pugalee, 2001; …

Algebraic And Combinatorial Properties Of Certain Toric Ideals In Theory And Applications, Sonja Petrovic

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This work focuses on commutative algebra, its combinatorial and computational aspects, and its interactions with statistics. The main objects of interest are projective varieties in Pⁿ, algebraic properties of their coordinate rings, and the combinatorial invariants, such as Hilbert series and Gröbner fans, of their defining ideals. Specifically, the ideals in this work are all toric ideals, and they come in three flavors: they are defining ideals of a family of classical varieties called rational normal scrolls, cut ideals that can be associated to a graph, and phylogenetic ideals arising in a new and increasingly popular area of …

Multimedia Mathematics Intervention For Math-Delayed Middle School Students, Lisa L. Stokes

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine if the Sharpening Math Skills Lab technology-mediated mathematics instructional practices for math-delayed middle school students have positive effects on their mathematics achievement and spatial visualization ability and to gauge student engagement in learning, implementation of the principles of instructional design, and attitudes toward mathematics instruction. The results of a recent meta-analysis report a range of significantly positive to significantly negative effect sizes which establish a need for further evaluation of academic achievement utilizing technology-mediated mathematics programs at the middle school level (Slavin, Lake, & Groff, 2007). The literature (Moreno & Mayer, 2000) …

The Effectiveness Of One Week Of Remediation For Geometry, Martha L. Hopkins

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The purpose of this study was to explore how remediation affects SOL retake scores in geometry. The following hypothesis was developed to guide this study: Students who passed high school geometry, but failed the SOL test, will pass the SOL retest after completing the one-week Geometry SOL Remediation Recovery Program.