Digital Commons Network^™

Accelerating Computational Algorithms, Michael Risley

Theses and Dissertations

Mathematicians and computational scientists are often limited in their ability to model complex phenomena by the time it takes to run simulations. This thesis will inform interested researchers on how the development of highly parallel computer graphics hardware and the compiler frameworks to exploit it are expanding the range of algorithms that can be explored on affordable commodity hardware. We will discuss the complexities that have prevented researchers from exploiting advanced hardware as well as the obstacles that remain for the non-computer scientist.

Analysis Of Mathematical Models Of The Human Lung, Cooper Racheal

Theses and Dissertations

The processes of lung ventilation and perfusion, diffusion, and gas transport make up the system of breathing and tissue oxygenation. Here, we present several mathematical formulations of the essential processes that contribute to breathing. These models aid in our understanding and analysis of this complex system and can be used to form treatments for patients on ventilators. With the right analysis and treatment options, patients can be helped and money can be saved. We conclude with the formulation of a mathematical model for the exchange of gasses in the body based on basic reaction kinetics.

Comparing Two Different Student Teaching Structures By Analyzing Conversations Between Student Teachers And Their Cooperating Teachers, Niccole Suzette Franc

Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that preservice teachers participating in traditional student teaching programs tend to focus on classroom management, with very little focus on student mathematical thinking. The student teaching program at BYU has been redesigned in the hopes of shifting the focus of student teachers away from classroom management toward student mathematical thinking. This study compared conversations between student teachers and cooperating teachers before and after the redesign of the program to work towards determining the effectiveness of the refocusing of the new student teaching program. The study found that STs and CTs in the different student teaching structures were …

Effects Of School Choice On Math Performance, Rachel Ricioli Wittenberg

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a significant skill level difference between freshmen geometry students who attended charter schools and those who attended noncharter schools during middle school. The study addresses the controversy over charter schools providing better educational outcomes. The literature reviewed focuses on achievement in charter schools, and also discusses the indirect effects charter schools may have on surrounding public schools. The sample includes two cohorts of freshmen geometry students from the 2011- 2012 and 2012-2013 school years, which resulted in a sample size of 115 students. The results show that the difference …

Continuities On Subspaces, Timothy James Glatzer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

We define a generalized continuity by declaring that for any family S of subsets of a topological space X, a function f : X → Y is S -continuous if for each S∈ S , the function f ↾ S : S → Y is continuous. This is easily seen to generalize such well known concepts as separate continuity and linear continuity. Using this definition as a way to unify several disparate results, we attempt to create a theory of S -continuity. As a part of this program, we give constructions for S -continuous functions for several natural classes S …

On Closed Subsets Of Non-Commutative Association Schemes Of Rank 6, Jose Vera

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The notion of an association scheme is a generalization of the concept of a group. In fact, the so-called thin association schemes correspond in a well-understood way to groups. In this thesis, we look at the structure of non-commutative association schemes of rank 6. We will show that a non-normal closed subset of a noncommutative association scheme of rank 6, must have rank 2. The so-called Coxeter schemes of rank 6 which we present in Section 4 provide examples of association schemes of rank 6 with non-normal closed subsets of rank 2. It is shown that normal closed subsets of …

Textbooks, Teachers, And Middle School Mathematics Student Achievement, Susan R. Monaghan

Dissertations (1934 -)

The purpose of this study was to extend the research on textbook effectiveness to a situated investigation of a single large urban school district in which middle schools were given a choice in selecting from three textbooks for mathematics instruction: a reform textbook, a commercially produced textbook developed in response to mathematics standards, and a traditional textbook. Its genesis is rooted in the efforts in the mathematics education community to investigate the interaction of teachers and mathematics curriculum materials, but in light of the shift to an accountability policy climate in public education. In particular, this study sought to determine …

Exploring Community Colleges In The Stem Education Landscape : Development Of Stem College Major Choice Model, Colleen Evans

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Community colleges are becoming increasingly relevant as an entrance point into postsecondary education for potential science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. These institutions are also an important education pathway for women and racial/ethnic minorities who are currently underrepresented in the STEM workforce. The purpose of this study is to understand how student demographics, high school, and college experiences influence the entrance of community college students to the STEM college majors. Data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS: 2002) were used for the study. Students included in the study began their postsecondary education at community colleges. Descriptive and …

The Effect Of Manipulatives On Achievement Scores In The Middle School Mathematics Class, Elaine D. Doias

Dissertations

When applied to mathematics education, manipulatives help students to visualize mathematical concepts and apply them to everyday situations. Interest in mathematics instruction has increased dramatically over the past two decades with the introduction of virtual manipulatives, as opposed to the concrete manipulatives that have been employed for centuries. This quasi-experimental study proposed to explain the relationship between concrete and virtual manipulatives when used in a seventh-grade mathematics classroom. Using students’ mathematics composite scores on standardized and teacher-created assessments, it compared the effectiveness of using concrete manipulatives alone versus using a combination of concrete and virtual manipulatives. The foundational theory of …

Fully Coupled Fluid And Electrodynamic Modeling Of Plasmas: A Two-Fluid Isomorphism And A Strong Conservative Flux-Coupled Finite Volume Framework, Richard Joel Thompson

Doctoral Dissertations

Ideal and resistive magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) have long served as the incumbent framework for modeling plasmas of engineering interest. However, new applications, such as hypersonic flight and propulsion, plasma propulsion, plasma instability in engineering devices, charge separation effects and electromagnetic wave interaction effects may demand a higher-fidelity physical model. For these cases, the two-fluid plasma model or its limiting case of a single bulk fluid, which results in a single-fluid coupled system of the Navier-Stokes and Maxwell equations, is necessary and permits a deeper physical study than the MHD framework. At present, major challenges are imposed on solving these physical models …

Using Brief Experimental Analyses To Identify Effective Math Interventions For Early Elementary Students, Chelsi Ronatta Clark

Dissertations

athematics difficulties, this study aimed to use a brief experimental analysis (BEA) to identify effective interventions within a response to intervention (RTI) framework. Participants included four lower elementary school students who exhibited marked problems in mathematics. The effects of mathematics interventions to increase mathematic computational fluency and accuracy were assessed during the BEA. The intervention that produced the greatest gains during the BEA was compared to the intervention that produced the least gains during an extended analysis phase. It was hypothesized that: (a) during a BEA of math interventions, students will demonstrate differential responding across interventions; (b) during a BEA …

Math Expression Retrieval Using Symbol Pairs In Layout Trees, David Stalnaker

Theses

We have developed a layout-based math retrieval system by indexing on pairs of symbols in mathematical expressions. Existing approaches to layout-based retrieval include tree edit distance-based matching on MathML trees (Kamali and Tompa, 2013) and longest common subsequence matching in LATEX strings (Kumar et al., 2012). In our work, we compare our new layout-based retrieval method with a math retrieval system built using the conventional text-based retrieval system Lucene (Zanibbi and Yuan, 2011), as such systems are commonly used for math search. We show that the search results returned by our system are scored by participants in a study as …

An Sir Approach To Modeling Business Interactions In A Marketplace, Jessica R. Beiter

Theses

As interest in online coupons from distributors like Groupon and Living Social have grown, eBay has proposed and built a marketplace. This marketplace is called eBay Local. It is a place where local merchants can post coupons that distributors can bid on the right to publish. Based on some initial data, we have built a model to t and predict the growth of this marketplace. The influence of salesmen and organic growth convert potential merchants into active members of the marketplace posting their goods and services. We have modeled the recruitment and retention of businesses within the marketplace, based on …

The Impact Of Selected Academic And Demographic Variables On Mathematics College Readiness Predicted By Act, Marcia Sue Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine the degree to which academic and demographic variables affected the ACT results used in determining college readiness. This quantitative research study followed a non-experimental correlational design. A multiple regression was used to analyze archival data to determine the impact the combined Arkansas Comprehensive Testing, Assessment and Accountability Program (ACTAAP) mathematics end-of-course (EOC) score, high school GPA, and highest mathematics class completed had on the ACT mathematics exam. In addition, a hierarchical multiple regression model was used to determine how English language learner (ELL) status and socio-economic status (SES) impacted students' ACT performance …

Implications For Ability Grouping In Mathematics For Fifth Grade Students, Anne M. Stinnett

Masters Theses

This study examines the effects of ability grouping on fifth grade students at 47 elementary schools in a large urban school district. Using disaggregated standardized test data that statistically measures achievement growth, this study analyzes gains among students assigned to prior achievement quintiles as compared to three grouping strategies: homogeneous, heterogeneous with special classes for advanced and special education, and heterogeneous ability groups.

The findings suggest that the grouping strategies used in these schools are effective for the students at these schools. Most significant is that, on average, low achieving schools are grouping students in ways that are exhibiting positive …

Breaking Tradition In The Mathematics Classroom: Making Mathematics Real, Relevant, And Personal (Project), Karri Lynn Sanders

Award Winners

Traditional mathematics education is failing students as many are unable to comprehend and master advanced and abstract concepts (Rakes, Valentine, McGatha, & Ronau, 2010). Struggling students, including those at Knapp Charter Academy, face a disadvantage in subsequent mathematics classes and limited opportunities in higher education and beyond. The importance of mathematics, as a gatekeeper to opportunity, makes increasing students’ success in mathematics a necessity. The mathematics failure rates coupled with the proven ineffectiveness of traditional mathematics teaching and learning additionally establish the need for meaningful reform. This project analyzes educational theory and research to determine the effect of certain reform …

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 …

Promoting Stem Literacy In 21st Century Education, Emily V. Martin

Honors College Theses

This research paper focuses on the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Literacy in American Education. Specifically, the research paper focuses on different strategies that can be used to incorporate literacy into the science and math classrooms. There are five different strategies presented for each content area and they were all suggested by a variety of Educational Journals. Along with literacy strategies, there is another part of the research paper that focuses on the importance of innovative experiences in the science and math classrooms that incorporate principles of engineering and technology. The importance of this is not only to …

The Impact Of Analyzing Correct Versus Incorrect Student Work Samples On Students’ Learning Mathematics, Lauren Jeneva Moseley

Doctoral Dissertations

The purposes of this study are to determine if learning differs when calculus learners analyze correct or incorrect work samples and to investigate students’ perceptions of the effect of analyzing work samples on their learning of mathematics. Calculus students were randomly assigned to two groups: one group analyzing correct work samples and one group analyzing incorrect work samples. Data from enrollees in 10 sections of Basic Calculus at a large university was analyzed using ANCOVA, independent-samples t-test, and inductive analysis (Hatch, 2002). Results suggest that when students analyze incorrect work samples of moderate difficulty, they are less likely to …

The Development Of Introductory Statistics Students' Informal Inferential Reasoning And Its Relationship To Formal Inferential Reasoning, Bridgette Lynn Jacob

Teaching and Leadership - Dissertations

The difficulties introductory statistics students have with formal statistical inference are well known in the field of statistics education. "Informal" statistical inference has been studied as a means to introduce inferential reasoning well before and without the formalities of formal statistical inference. This mixed methods study investigated the development of introductory statistics students' informal inferential reasoning and its relationship to their formal inferential reasoning. A pre/posttest was administered to 136 students enrolled in introductory statistics classes taught in their secondary schools. Four task-based interviews were also conducted with seven pairs of those students.

With probabilistic reasoning essential for formal statistical …

Performance Assessment For Quality Teaching: Three Critical Variables For Measuring And Improving Teaching And Learning, Kathleen L. Gallagher Phd

Dissertations

While outstanding teachers are any school system's most important investment, assessing the quality of instructional practice has proven to be an ongoing challenge for the profession. Despite assertions that effective teachers are the single most important school-related factor responsible for increased learning, no teacher's employment is dependent on their performance in the classroom or the quality of instruction that they provide. This problem has fueled a growing mistrust in school districts nationwide, specifically in the area of teacher evaluation. One possible explanation is that the profession lacks the scaled level of expertise needed to evaluate instruction consistently and in a …

Compressed Sensing For Multiple Input-Multiple Output Radar Imaging, Juan F. Lopez Jr.

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Multiple input - multiple output (MIMO) radar utilizes the transmission of spatially diverse waveforms from a static antenna array to gather information about the desired scene. We will demonstrate how techniques from compressed sensing can be applied to image formation in MIMO radar when in the presence of undersampling. We analyze the problem under the general theoretical framework of inverse scattering.

Perceptions By High School Teachers Of Mathematical Readiness Of Students With Disabilities Transitioning To College, Adam Dwight King

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

More and more students with mild disabilities enroll in and attend college. However, test scores and other achievement measures show that they are well behind
their regular education peers in math achievement, and thus unprepared for the rigors of college. While much has been done to revise laws and policy involving students with disabilities and academic core standards to increase preparedness, it is still what happens in the classroom that has the greatest effect on student preparation. Due to
the nature of pullout/resource classes where pacing is typically slower and less content is covered, special education teachers make a myriad …

Circuits, Perfect Matchings And Paths In Graphs, Wenliang Tang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

We primarily consider the problem of finding a family of circuits to cover a bidgeless graph (mainly on cubic graph) with respect to a given weight function defined on the edge set. The first chapter of this thesis is going to cover all basic concepts and notations will be used and a survey of this topic.;In Chapter two, we shall pay our attention to the Strong Circuit Double Cover Conjecture (SCDC Conjecture). This conjecture was verified for some graphs with special structure. As the complement of two factor in cubic graph, the Berge-Fulkersen Conjecture was introduced right after SCDC Conjecture. …

The Relationship Between Attitudes And Achievement In Mathematics Among Fifth Grade Students, Madeleine P. Michelli

Honors Theses

There have been a number of studies investigating how attitudes such as confidence and motivation affect students and their academic achievement. This study was conducted to identify specifically how fifth grade students’ attitudes affect their achievement in mathematics. Gender was studied to determine its effect on attitude and achievement. Furthermore, various types of personality traits were studied including extroversion, conscientiousness, self-control, and intellectual efficiency to determine their effects on achievement. To gather the data a questionnaire including a Likert scale survey and a math test was administered. The results indicated that there is a significant relationship between attitudes toward and …

Examining Alignment : National And Local Assessments And The Common Core State Standards In Mathematics., Ryan M. Higgins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In support of the national movement to improve mathematics instruction and assessment, states and districts are looking for the best tools to measure student progress toward proficiency. There is a national dialogue about how to use 8th-grade measurements like ACT EXPLORE and NAEP as predictors of student success and school accountability. This dissertation shares research that examined alignment of district and national assessments to the 8th-grade Common Core State Standards in Mathematics (CCSSM). Three research questions were examined in this study to determine the extent of content validity and mathematical practice representation in three 8th-grade assessments compared to the CCSSM. …

Customer Age As A Predictor Of Contact Volume, Tollan Renner

Honors Theses and Capstones

A two stage modeling approach for modeling customer age as a predictor of contact volume was conducted using a real-world data set of approximately 2,000,000 contacts from a company call center. Two models were constructed in the first stage, one a straightforward regression and the other a series of regressions. One was selected as better performing and scaled up to predict calls received from calls answered. The second stage of the modeling included a day of the week covariate and performed the best of the models created. This model uses age bins as model effects, of which the youngest age …

Standards Based Education In Egypt And Singapore, Dara Akeal El Masri

Theses and Dissertations

Mathematics education is important for all members of modern societies. In Egypt, the importance of mathematics education needs greater emphasis because of its role in providing job opportunities and helping to understand and build new economies, as well as, reducing the gap between Egypt and other developing countries. In order to know the aspects that need improvement in the Egyptian mathematics educational system, this study analyzed both the national Egyptian and the national Singaporean eighth grade mathematics educational system; mainly the standards, curricula, and textbooks. The analysis of the standards was done by comparing them to the characteristics of high …

A Case Study Exploring The Relationship Between Culturally Responsive Teaching And A Mathematical Practice Of The Common Core State Standards, Tashana Howse

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This collective case study explores the nature of the relationship between teachers’ use of culturally responsive teaching (CRT) practices and students’ engagement in constructing viable arguments and critiquing the reasoning of others (SMP3). This study was informed by the Common Core State Standards Initiative related to developing mathematically proficient students through the use of student engagement practices consistent with the standards for mathematical practice. As a means to support teachers’ facilitating specific student engagement practices, professional development was provided. This study is situated in the growing body of research associated with student engagement and cultural identity. The case of two …

What Do Students Do In Self-Formed Mathematics Study Groups?, Gillian E. Galle

Doctoral Dissertations

An implicit assumption of many university classes is that students will spend a large amount of time outside the classroom refining their understanding of the material to develop mastery of the concepts. This is especially true in first year mathematics courses at the undergraduate level. However, little is known about what students do to fulfill this didactical contract with their instructors. The currently available research relies primarily on self-reported data from the students collected through questionnaires or interviews. This study sought to start describing what students do while studying mathematics in a self-created group outside of the classroom setting through …