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Full-Text Articles in Education

Communicating Quantitative Literacy: An Examination Of Open-Ended Assessment Items In Timss, Nals, Ials, And Pisa, Karl Kosko, Jesse Wilkins Jul 2012

Communicating Quantitative Literacy: An Examination Of Open-Ended Assessment Items In Timss, Nals, Ials, And Pisa, Karl Kosko, Jesse Wilkins

Karl W Kosko

Quantitative Literacy (QL) has been described as the skill set an individual uses when interacting with the world in a quantitative manner. A necessary component of this interaction is communication. To this end, assessments of QL have included open-ended items as a means of including communicative aspects of QL. The present study sought to examine whether such open-ended items typically measured aspects of quantitative communication, as compared to mathematical communication, or mathematical skills. We focused on public-released items and rubrics from four of the most widely referenced assessments: the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS-95): the National Adult Literacy …


Student Enrollment In Classes With Frequent Mathematical Discussion And Its Longitudinal Effect On Mathematics Achievement., Karl Kosko Dec 2011

Student Enrollment In Classes With Frequent Mathematical Discussion And Its Longitudinal Effect On Mathematics Achievement., Karl Kosko

Karl W Kosko

Mathematical discussion has been identified as being beneficial to students’ understandings of mathematics (Goos, 1995; Lee, 2006). Students in classrooms with more effective math discussion have been observed to engage more frequently in discussion (e.g. Hiebert & Wearne, 1993), but the converse is not necessarily true (e.g. Manouchehri & St. John, 2006). Utilizing hierarchical linear modeling, the present study examined student enrollment in classes with more and less frequent discussion and such enrollment’s effect on mathematics achievement over time. Results indicated that students enrolled in classes that discuss math “almost every day” consistently have higher math achievement than students enrolled …


A Deeper Look At How Teachers Say What They Say: A Quantitative Modality Analysis Of Teacher-To-Teacher Talk., Karl Kosko, Patricio Herbst Dec 2011

A Deeper Look At How Teachers Say What They Say: A Quantitative Modality Analysis Of Teacher-To-Teacher Talk., Karl Kosko, Patricio Herbst

Karl W Kosko

Analysis of teacher-to-teacher talk provides researchers with useful information regarding the teaching profession and teachers’ perspectives. This article provides a description of a method, with accompanying example, examining teacher-to-teacher talk by incorporating semantic modality and examining trends of its usage in a quantitative manner. Analysis of the example presented showed a tendency for teachers to use normative and probability modality, signaling a prevalence of assertions concerned with normative ways of teaching. The example analysis provides a replicable framework for other researchers to apply and adapt the analysis method described. Specifications and discussion of this method are provided in detail.


Mathematical Communication And Its Relation To The Frequency Of Manipulative Use., Karl Kosko, Jesse Wilkins Dec 2009

Mathematical Communication And Its Relation To The Frequency Of Manipulative Use., Karl Kosko, Jesse Wilkins

Karl W Kosko

Many studies on manipulatives describe communication in mathematics as a component for properly implementing manipulatives in the classroom. However, no empirical research is available to support this relationship. Secondary analysis of data collected by the National Center for Educational Statistics from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study was used to examine whether a relationship between students’ manipulative use and communication in mathematics learning exists. Correlational analyses found a significant relationship between students’ verbal and written communication and manipulative use.


General Educators’ Inservice Training And Their Self- Perceived Ability To Adapt Instruction For Special Needs Students., Karl Kosko, Jesse Wilkins Dec 2008

General Educators’ Inservice Training And Their Self- Perceived Ability To Adapt Instruction For Special Needs Students., Karl Kosko, Jesse Wilkins

Karl W Kosko

Recent research has suggested that the professional development general educators receive is not adequately preparing them to properly implement inclusion-based practices. In this study, data from the Study of Personnel Needs in Special Education was used to investigate the relationship among teachers’ years of experience teaching students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), the amount of professional development received over the past 3 years, and teachers’ self-perceived ability to adapt instruction for students with IEPs. Results indicate that any amount of professional development in a 3-year period significantly predicts teachers’ perceived ability to adapt instruction; however, at least 8 hours of …