Digital Commons Network^™

Measuring What Students Know: Ensuring Math Word Problems On School Written Assessments Accurately Display English Language Learners’ Understanding Of Math Skills, Lori Magstadt

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This study seeks to determine how often math word problems used by teachers to assess student learning contain unnecessary linguistic challenges for English Language Learners. It examines a question bank of math word problems used by a group of schools to develop internal assessments based on the six principals of Universal Design (UD), a set of linguistic modifications adopted on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment. Key influences included peers, EL teachers seeking to support their students in math, formal and current students, and authors such as Bambrick-Sontoyo, Abedi, Sato, etc. The research method was text analysis using both qualitative and quantitative …

Effectiveness Of Cognitively Guided Instruction Practices In Below Grade-Level Elementary Students, Katherine S. Munday

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This study asked the question, What is the effect of Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) practices on the math beliefs and abilities of below grade-level second grade students? A mixed methods approach was used to measure the impact of a four-week CGI-based intervention on below grade-level second graders’ math proficiency, as well as their math affect, self-concept, and anxiety. Data was also collected on participants’ strategy sophistication, conceptual understanding, and ability to explain their thinking. Findings suggest that CGI practices led to improvement in specific math abilities in below grade-level students, including fluency and automaticity, Base 10 understanding, strategy sophistication, and …

Jiji Can Talk! An Oral Language Strategy Guide For Blended Learning Math Classrooms Using St Math, William Menz

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this project was, how can an oral language strategy guide be created to support ELs language development in the elementary math classroom that uses ST Math. The capstone outlines strategies that can be paired with online content from ST Math to help ELs and native speakers develop oral language around the math puzzles presented in the standards based curriculum. By simultaneously addressing conceptual understanding of math content and English language development, the strategy guide works to meet the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and the Principles of Math Instruction for ELs using ST Math, …

Motivation In Mathematics, Andre J. Richmond

Honors Capstones

I conducted a review of existing mathematics education research on students’ motivation related to mathematics learning. My initial research questions were: “What are the constructs of student motivation as related to mathematics learning?” and “How do they these constructs inform mathematical teaching practice?” The research method that I decided to used was secondary research. I found that motivation can be understood in terms of self-efficacy, cognitive engagement, skill development, achievement motivation, self-regulation, and mindset about mathematics. Students’ unproductive beliefs can undermine their progress in mathematics learning. Motivation is what drives a person to do something. As a future teacher, I …

Examining The Influence Of Number Line Fraction Task Characteristics On Student Work, Sharlee Hatch

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Research supports the claim that classrooms with teachers who respond to student thinking in the mathematics classroom will see greater student gains and student success (Lamon, 1996; Sleep & Boerst, 2012). The topic of fractions is both difficult to teach and learn, but has important implications on future success in mathematics and in life. This study set out to explore the ways in which student work is influenced by characteristics of number line fraction tasks. By examining task type, number line structure, and number choice this study shares the way these task characteristics influenced student strategies. The relationship between task …

Effects Of Mismatched Math Self-Efficacy And Performance On Behaviors And Attitudes Of Engineering Students With Poor Math Preparation, Gustavo Moran

All Dissertations

This research is a sequential explanatory mixed methods study seeking to understand the influences of mathematics self-efficacy (math SE) on the behavior and attitudes of engineering students with poor math preparation behavior and attitudes in their first college math courses.

The quantitative phase of this research assessed the math SE of engineering students placed in non-college-level math courses at Clemson University. A total of 408 students completed a survey to classify their math SE level; based on the results of the quantitative data analysis, 11 engineering students were selected from different semesters between the Spring 2014 and Spring 2016 to …

Teaching Academic Vocabulary In Mathematics To English Language Learners, Emily M. Sasse

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this research was to explore the effects of explicit academic vocabulary instruction in mathematics on English language learners’ understanding of mathematics concepts. The study took place in a third-grade classroom, where 50% of the students were English language learners. Data collection methods included pre- and post assessments, student self-assessment ratings, teacher reflections, and student discussion questions. Results of the study indicated positive increases in assessment scores for students at all levels of English language proficiency. Going forward, the teacher researcher will continue to use vocabulary journals, discussions, activities, and games in her classroom to provide multiple opportunities …

An International Comparison Study Of The Alignment Between Standards And Assessment Of Pre-Service Elementary Mathematics Teacher Preparation Courses, Vilma Guadalupe Duke Escobar

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This study addresses the extent to which components of pre-service elementary teachers’ mathematics programs are aligned. Specifically, it includes an analysis of national standards and assessments for elementary mathematics education courses at universities in two countries, the United States and El Salvador. Understanding that the quality of school education is closely linked to pre-service teacher education, the purpose of the study is to contribute much-needed information to assess and improve pre-service elementary mathematics curriculum in both countries. Using Webb’s framework for standards-assessment alignment, data include the Mathematical Education of Teachers II (MET II) standards from the United States and Study …

On Rational Subgroups Of Exceptional Groups., Neha Hooda Dr.

Doctoral Theses

The main theme of this thesis is the study of exceptional algebraic groups via their subgroups. This theme has been widely explored by various authors (Martin Leibeck, Gary Seitz, Adam Thomas, Donna Testerman to mention a few), mainly for split groups ([26], [27], [28], [60] ). When the field of definition k of the concerned algebraic groups is not algebraically closed, the classification of k-subgroups is largely an open problem. In the thesis, we mainly handle the cases of simple groups of type F4 and G2 defined over an arbitrary field. These may not be split over k. We first …

Efficacy Of Math Video Tutorials On Student Perception And Achievement, Carol R. Kahrmann

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

Abstract

The purpose of this mixed methods research study is to explore how teacher-made video tutorials in one middle school mathematics classroom are being used and what enables/impedes their effectiveness. A quantitative, quasi-experimental design investigates how video tutorial usage relates to students’ self-efficacy and achievement in mathematics. The sample consisted of 55 students in the experimental group and 65 students in the control group. Results found parents wanted the tutorials even if they did not view them. Students did actually use the video tutorials for remediation and learning. Videos longer than ten minutes impeded the effectiveness of the videos. The …

The Influence Of Instructional Time On Student Achievement In Grades 3, 4, And 5 In Language Arts And Mathematics On The 2011 New Jersey Assessment Of Skills And Knowledge (Njask), Michelle A. Telischak

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The purpose of this cross-sectional, non-experimental, explanatory quantitative research study was to determine the strength and direction of the relationship between instructional time and student achievement in Grades 3, 4, and 5 on the 2011 New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge in Language Arts Literacy (LAL) and Mathematics. The unit of analysis was school. The sample included all public elementary schools in the state of New Jersey with students who participated in the NJASK 3-5 LAL and Mathematics assessments for the 2010-2011 school year.

The independent or predictor variable of interest was instructional time, which is defined as the …

An Examination Of How One University Is Preparing Elementary And Middle Level Education Majors For Common Core Mathematics, Michelle Elizabeth Schwartze

Theses and Dissertations

In 2010 the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for mathematics and English Language Arts were introduced into K – 12 classrooms (Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2015b). The standards for mathematics focus on having students demonstrate and explain understanding more than the standards have in the past (Burns, 2013). McCallum (2011) divides the eight Standards for Mathematical Practice into four main themes: reasoning and explaining, modeling and using tools, seeing structure and generalizing, and overarching habits of mind of a productive mathematical thinker. These four themes encompass what a mathematics classroom should look like when utilizing the CCSS for mathematics. …

Indicators Of Future Mathematics Proficiency: Literature Review & Synthesis, Claudia Preciado

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The beauty of mathematics can arguably be found in the way in which all concepts are interrelated and interwoven to create a massive web of knowledge and in the ways this can be applied to all aspects of life and technology. Given this inextricable interrelationship amongst several mathematical topics, many students encounter issues in learning mathematics due to gaps in their understanding of previously taught material. As a result, mathematics education in the K-12 setting has emphasized the need for interventions in order to help students grasp the progressively complex concepts that are required by our current society and education …

How Does A Targeted Services Intervention Program Focused On Base-Ten Place Value Development Impacts Growth Of Second Graders In Mathematics, Katherine J. Shelley

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this project was: How does a Targeted Services intervention program focused on base-ten place value development impact the growth of second graders in meeting district achievement expectations in mathematics? This research was inspired by the importance of helping underachieving students reach grade level expectations in the area of place value and applying this understanding in solving addition and subtraction problems. The research took place during twenty after-school class sessions. Data was collected through assessments, student journal questions, and teacher observations. The data was used to plan instruction throughout the course and to monitor growth and …

Teaching Problem Solving In Mathematics: Cognitively Guided Instruction In Kindergarten, Christy Faith Wilson Eckenrode

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The study explores the effects of mathematical conversations, using Cognitively Guided Instruction practices (CGI), on the problem solving ability and academic language usage of kindergarten students. Four treatment groups of students were followed over a ten week period. Students were grouped by the number of minutes that they participated in mathematical conversations per week. Students in the group that had the most minutes per week of mathematical conversations grew by the greatest amount in both problem solving and academic language capacity. Students in the control group regressed in both problem solving and academic language. Students in the group the met …

Assessing The Impact Of Picture Books In Primary Grades Mathematics Instruction, Jessica Stone

Doctoral Dissertations

This study documents an educational field experiment evaluating the effects of picture books on primary students’ mathematical achievement and their dispositions towards mathematics. The study involved 136 primary grade students from one elementary school in the southeastern region of the United States. The student population had an overrepresentation of students from minority backgrounds (91%), low socioeconomic status (93%) and English Language Learners (47%). During the 18-week treatment period, teacher participants from the treatment group received bi-weekly collaborative professional development regarding the use of picture books in mathematics instruction. The teachers in the control group followed their district’s mathematics curriculum.

To …

Math Emporium Model: Preparing Developmental Students For College Algebra, Stephanie Patton Williams

Dissertations

This study examined the effectiveness of the Emporium Model in reducing math anxiety and in preparing developmental math students at a community college to be successful in College Algebra. The study involved 59 students enrolled in Intermediate Algebra at a community college and compared those in the Emporium class format to those in the Traditional class format. Participants completed a pre-post math anxiety rating scale questionnaire and a pre-post algebra readiness test to address the research questions of the study. Two mixed model ANOVAs were done and the findings showed that there was a significant difference in math anxiety level …

Mathematics Learning Support Models And Student Success At A Tennessee Community College, Bobby Allen Dixon Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Every year thousands of students make preparations to pursue a college degree. Many are high school seniors, but a large percentage of the population are nontraditional age students who are years removed from a formal classroom setting. Included in the list of preparations is an examination whose results will be used to determine each individual’s readiness to be academically successful at the collegiate level. These examinations assess student’s abilities in the areas of reading, English composition, and mathematics. The results of these examinations show that at the community college level more than half of these students will need remediation in …

Math Via Movement: Using Emotional Intelligence In The Math Classroom, Renee Gestalt

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

The purpose of this curriculum development project was the conception of lesson plans incorporating dance/movement therapy principles in order to augment the instruction of mathematics at a third grade level in a public school while addressing emotional intelligence through social emotional learning. This endeavor was guided by the questions: How does movement affect third grade math students’ abilities to take in and retain information at a public school setting? How can social-emotional interventions change the experience of a third grade student learning mathematics? How can academic counseling informed by body movement and awareness benefit the facilitation of learning mathematics? In …

First Graders’ Use Of The Bar Model To Communicate Their Understanding Of The Equal Sign, Amber L. Van Vooren

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Students’ misunderstandings of the equal sign have been well documented in children as young as kindergarten. Misconceptions of the symbol (=) hinder students’ relational thinking and impede access to algebraic contexts. Symbolic equations (e.g., 4+2=__+3) have been widely used to test students’ understanding and communication of equivalence. The purpose of this study was to explore how first grade students communicate their understanding of equivalence when instruction involved using a bar model versus symbolic equations. It used a two-case study approach to compare an atypical instruction design (the bar model) to a traditional design (symbolic equations). Distinct patterns in communication and …

Using Manipulatives To Investigate Esol Students' Achievement And Dispositions In Algebra, Donna L. Marsh

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

The purpose of this embedded quasi-experimental mixed methods research was to investigate the effectiveness of concrete and virtual manipulatives on the achievement of English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) as they employ them to explore linear and exponential functions in high school Sheltered Common Core Coordinate Algebra. Also of interest were the effects concrete and virtual manipulatives have on their disposition towards mathematics and math class. Another goal was to investigate the benefits and disadvantages of using concrete and virtual manipulatives versus traditional instructional practices.

This was a 5-week study. The control group (N=20) was instructed through the use of …

The Impact Of Response To Intervention In A High School Mathematics Setting, Lauren Dominick

EDL Sixth Year Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the impact of response to intervention (RTI) in a high school mathematics setting. A major concern in the literature related to the fact that majority of RTI research focused on students at the elementary level and in reading. Therefore in this study RTI was implemented in a high school mathematics classroom and the effects were analyzed. This study is focused on a sample of ninth and tenth grade students from two classes and taught by one teacher in the same high school in an action research setting. Quantitative and qualitative methods of …

The Influence Of An Extended School Day On Middle School English Language Arts And Mathematics Achievement In A New Jersey Suburban School District, Davida Lindsay-Harewood

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study examined the influence of an extended school day, reported in instruction minutes, on academic achievement of general and special education middle school students in one public suburban New Jersey school district using English Language Arts and Mathematics data from the 2014 New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJ ASK). The sample was selected using Propensity Score Matching, a statistical technique employed to reduce the influence of selection bias. The final sample consisted of 238 students in Grade 6, 238 in Grade 7, and 238 in Grade 8 in the New Jersey suburban, upper middle-income school district during …

Utilizing Assessment Resources To Support Classroom Instruction In Mathematics, Jennifer A. Judkins

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Mathematics teachers in the state of Washington have the responsibility of helping students develop the knowledge and skills included in the Mathematics K-12 Learning Standards (also known as the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics) and measured by the Smarter Balanced summative assessments in mathematics. A great need existed for teachers to have additional support to help students learn the standards and be prepared to demonstrate their knowledge on the Smarter Balanced assessments as well as more working knowledge of how to utilize the supports provided within the system of Smarter Balanced. Mathematics educators in the state of Washington were …

An Examination Of Black Male Success In High School Mathematics, David Walters Jr.

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

For a national sample of Black male students, what is the relative impact of instructional technology on 10th and 12th grade math scores? This dissertation employs two waves of the Education Longitudinal Study (2002 & 2004) and multivariate statistical techniques to explore the relative importance of instructional technology (implementation by teachers and training for teachers), student perception of math ability, teacher and school effects, as well as socioeconomic status on high school math scores for this unique population.

Bourdieu’s cultural and social capital, Coleman’s cultural capital and social action, Martin’s equity-based math education, and Gutierrez’s socio-political mathematics will serve as …

The Effects Of Cognitive Strategies Paired With Hands-On Or Virtual Manipulatives On Math Instruction For Students With Mathematical Learning Disabilities To Learn Word Problem Solving Skills, Kimberly Plute

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of using cognitive strategies with hands-on manipulatives, and cognitive strategies with virtual manipulatives to enhance problem solving skills of students with Mathematical Learning Disabilities (MLD), as well as their satisfaction with those strategies. Five, 5th graders with MLD participated in the study to learn word problem solving skills in a math class for 80 minutes, 5 days a week for 10 weeks. A single subject research design with ABC phases was used in the study. Results showed each student gained from 3.6 to 5.2 mean points of the weekly quizzes …

Partitions Of Finite Frames, James Michael Rosado

Theses and Dissertations

An open question stated by Marcus, Spielman, and Srivastava [10] asks "whether one can design an efficient algorithm to find the partitions guaranteed by Corollary 1.5." This corollary states that given a set of vectors in C whose outer products sum to the identity there exists a partition of these vectors such that norms of the outer-product sums of each subset satisfy an inequality bound. Here particular types of vector sets called finite frames are analyzed and constructed to satisfy the inequality described in Corollary 1.5. In this thesis, rigorous proofs and formulations of outer-product norms are utilized to find …

The Effects Of Using The Gomath Program On Teaching Computation Skills For Students With Learning Disabilities, Patricia Virginia Giordano

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects on teaching math computation skills to students with learning disabilities (LD) using the GoMath program and to examine the teachers’ and students’ satisfaction with this program in their teaching and learning. Four, 3rd and 4th graders with LD were taught by one special education teacher in a resource room and participated in learning computation skills for 60 minutes, 5 days per week for 12 weeks, using the Go Math program. A multiple baseline research design with A B phases across students was used to evaluate their performance. The findings indicated …

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 …

Strategies For Teaching Developmental Mathematics Students At The College Level, Natalie Lynn Kautz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to identify strategies used by effective instructors of developmental mathematics, and to discover the perceptions developmental mathematics students have about these strategies. While there are research projects focusing solely on developmental mathematics achievement, this study fills a need by incorporating views of teaching effectiveness from multiple viewpoints.

In this research project, college-level instructors of developmental mathematics students were recorded on video before, during, and after the teaching of an algebraic concept. Students were given a pre-lesson survey and post-lesson survey to see if there were gains in their learning. Students completed a survey about …