Education Commons^™

Success In College Algebra: Examining Student Experiences In Corequisite College Algebra Courses, Sandra Leiterman

Theses and Dissertations

This descriptive case study explores undergraduate student experiences and perceptions in corequisite college algebra courses at an Arkansas university. Corequisite models enroll students in credit-bearing college algebra paired with required supplemental academic support. Current research has largely focused on pass rates or DFW rates. However there are limited studies exploring student experiences within this emerging model. Within this descriptive case study, several forms of data were collected. Students were surveyed on math anxiety and mindset at the start and end of the semester. Semi-structured interviews with two students and three instructors provided personal accounts of their challenges, beliefs, and attitudes …

Developing Understanding Of Fraction And Decimal Magnitude: A Teaching Experiment, Elizabeth Cutter-Lin

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

DEVELOPING UNDERSTANDING OF FRACTION AND DECIMAL MAGNITUDE: A TEACHING EXPERIMENT

by

Elizabeth Cutter-Lin

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2023Under the Supervision of Professor DeAnn Huinker

This study investigated how three fifth-grade students’ understanding of fraction and decimal magnitude evolved over the course of a five-week teaching experiment. Students participated in teaching and learning sessions focused on developing concepts of fraction and decimal magnitude. The following questions guided this study: (1) How do fifth grade students reason about the magnitude of fractions and decimals? (2) What are the shifts in mathematical thinking that occur with students’ evolving understanding as they progress …

An Analysis Of Secondary Mathematics Teacher Learning In The Midwest Master Teacher Partnership, Jenny Lynn Sagrillo

Theses and Dissertations

This case study investigates the professional learning and changes in teaching practices and leadership of four experienced, mid-career secondary mathematics teachers as a result of participation in the Midwest Master Teacher Partnership, a professional development partnership between a research university and a large, urban school district. The design of the professional development was based primarily on teacher action research; it placed the teacher at the center of the learning experiences, and included considerations of teachers’ existing knowledge, contexts, community, and assessment.The primary research question is, “How have teachers’ practices changed through their participation in a practice-based professional development project?” To …

“I’M Now Always Thinking About Math”: Exploring Mathematics Identities, Beliefs, And Lived Experiences Through Ypar, Maya A. Severns

Theses and Dissertations

This youth participatory action research (YPAR) study employing survey and case study design sought to explore and document the influence of YPAR participation on Black and Latine high school students’ perceptions of their mathematics identity development, what they learned about their peers’ and their own mathematics perceptions and lived experiences, and their recommendations for change in their own school and mathematics education in general. Eight high school participants were invited to engage in 12 YPAR study sessions that drew on the literature of mathematics identity, equity in mathematics education, and YPAR and were grounded in a theoretical framework including culturally …

The Connective Tissue Of Well-Developed Interests: A Case Study Of A Science Research Classroom, Deborah M. Brand

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine ways that long-term interests in high school students could be inspired and facilitated in educational contexts. In particular, it explored how a high school Science Research (SR) program cultivated belonging and supported autonomy in ways that inspired and promoted well-developed individual interests. This type of interest is characterized by an enduring desire to pursue learning out of an intellectual and emotional need to gain understanding; it drives behavior, motivation, and cognition toward particular activities and ideas. Classroom belonging is derived from this sense of connection and purpose a student feels from the …

An Investigation Of Emotional Intelligence Among African American College Students Enrolled In A State College In Florida, Wayne Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the small number of research studies that have explored emotional intelligence (EI) in African-American (AA) samples (i.e., twelve studies, with six involving college students), the first purpose of this study was to describe conceptual and empirical dimensions of EI within a sample of AA college students (Research Question 1). To date, only one EI measure has been developed for use with AA samples, the African American Emotional Intelligence Survey or AAEIS (Funderburk, 2007), so the second purpose was to further explore the validity and reliability of the AAEIS (Research Question 2). The third purpose was to explore the …

Exploring Environmental Sensitivity And Significant Life Experiences Of Selected African American And Hispanic American College Students: A Mixed Methods Study, Danielle Pastor

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored Significant Life Experiences (SLEs) and the development of Environmental Sensitivity (ES) in a sample of African American and Hispanic American College Students. In the field of Environmental Education, SLEs and ES have been researched for the past 40 years. Specific factors associated with the development of ES have been identified (e.g., Chawla, 1998; Peterson, 1981; Tanner, 1980), and ES was found to be a predictor of environmental action (e.g., Marcinkowski, 2005; McBeth et al., 2014). Despite its importance, few studies have explored the development of ES among individuals who are majoring or working in an environmental field, …

Propuesta De Un Modelo De Enseñanza En Las Matemáticas Enfocado En La Solución De Problemas En El Nivel Secundario En Puerto Rico, Carlos J. Colon Rivera

Theses and Dissertations

El propósito del estudio fue proponer un modelo educativo enfocado en la solución de problemas matemáticos en el nivel secundario, y se realizó la revisión sistemática para evaluarlo. El marco teórico incluyó teorías heurísticas y modelos educativos. La metodología de seis fases que se empleó en este estudio, incluyendo la formulación de preguntas investigativas, búsqueda de literatura, selección de investigaciones, levantamiento de información, análisis y resumen de resultados y exposición y discusión de estos. Se siguieron guías para revisiones sistemáticas y criterios de inclusión y exclusión para evaluar la efectividad de modelos didácticos en la disciplina de matemáticas con énfasis …

The Effects Of Scientific Inquiry On The Self-Efficacy Beliefs Of Students Regarding Teaching Science As Inquiry, Jaclyn M. Todd

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the course, Scientific Inquiry, significantly increased the self-efficacy beliefs of its students. According to Bandura (1977), an increase in self-efficacy could increase the likelihood that teachers implement scientific inquiry in their classrooms. I explored self-efficacy in an effort to address the overarching problem, an overall inconsistency of inquiry teaching in classrooms. There are numerous benefits associated with the implementation of scientific inquiry in today's classrooms. A key question then to investigate was whether the experience students gain by taking the course Scientific Inquiry can alter student self-efficacy beliefs which could increase …

How Teacher-Student Relationships Shape Student Engagement And Interest In Science, Destini N. Braxton

Theses and Dissertations

The current research on emotional engagement and teacher-student relationship is abundant and acknowledges education as an environment that thrives on social interactions and causes a variety of emotions to be present in the classroom. However, research on the relationship between Black and Latinx students’ teacher-student relationships and students’ emotional engagement and interest in science in urban middle school science classrooms remains scarce. Unfortunately, Black and Latinx students often experience a) mixed social interactions with their teachers, b) a lack of relatability to science instruction, and c) a combination of positive and negative emotions during science instruction and activities. This phenomenological, …

Elementary Teachers’ Experiences And Responses To Student Engagement While Teaching Eureka Math Virtually During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jamika D. Hill

Theses and Dissertations

The Covid-19 Pandemic shifted the structure of public education by forcing public schools in Georgia and across the world to shift from a traditional, face-to-face model to a virtual model. This study was conducted to explore elementary teachers’ experiences and responses to issues with student engagement in their virtual Eureka Math classrooms during the Covid-19 Pandemic. A qualitative research design was used to conduct a hermeneutic, phenomenological study that included a document analysis, classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews using six elementary school teachers as participants. The resulting data was coded and triangulated using the thematic analysis of overarching themes, which …

Resilience In Early Second Career Stem Teachers Employed In Public Secondary Schools, Donald Selway

Theses and Dissertations

A troubling shortage of K-12 Science, Technology, Engineer and Mathematics (STEM) teachers exists in the United States. One solution to increase STEM teachers involves recruiting STEM professionals to transition from industry to K-12 teaching. Research indicates that fostering resilience is one way to help new STEM teachers’ retention and persistence in the field. This study explored individual and programmatic factors that increase early career and early second career K-12 STEM teachers’ resilience. Moreover, this research examined how strategic initiatives and programs assisted STEM professionals to build resilience as they transitioned into K-12 STEM educators.

This study utilized mixed-methods design to …