Education Commons^™

Why We Teach Mathematics To Every Student: Determining Impact Of Mathematics On Problem Solving And Logical Reasoning Skills, Megan Marie Harris

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this paper is to dissect why it is important to teach mathematics to every student, even if the student does not plan on pursuing mathematics in his or her career. This paper will describe and test various reasons why mathematics is taught to every student but it will focus on math as a way to help develop and improve problem-solving and logical reasoning skills. An experiment was conducted on a random sample of fourteen University of Akron students who were measured on their problem-solving abilities and critical thinking through playing two games. These students were then compared …

Beyond Problem-Solving: Elementary Students’ Mathematical Dispositions When Faced With The Challenge Of Unsolved Problems, Jenna R. O'Dell

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to document the characteristics of students’ dispositions towards mathematics when they engaged in the exploration of parts of unsolved problems: Graceful Tree Conjecture and Collatz Conjecture. Ten students, Grades 4 and 5, from an after-school program in the Midwest participated in the study. I focused on the cognitive, affective, and conative aspects of their mathematical dispositions as they participated in 7 problem-solving sessions and two interviews.

With regard to cognitive aspects of the students’ dispositions, I focused on the students attempts to identify and justify patterns for labeling graphs. Overall, the unsolved problems were …

Structural-Symbolic Translation Fluency: Reliability, Validity, And Usability, Matt C. Hoskins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Standardized formative mathematics assessments typically fail to capture the depth of current standards and curricula. Consequently, these assessments demonstrate limited utility for informing the instructional implementation choices of teachers. This problem is particularly salient as it relates to the mathematical problem solving process. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate the psychometric characteristics of Structural-Symbolic Translation Fluency, a curriculum-based measure (CBM) of mathematical problem solving. The development of the assessment was based on previous research describing the cognitive process of translation (Mayer, 2002) as well as mathematical concept development at the quantitative, structural, and symbolic levels (Dehaene, …

Northeast Tennessee Educators’ Perception Of Stem Education Implementation, Kristin Turner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A quantitative nonexperimental survey study was developed to investigate Northeast Tennessee K-8 educators’ perceptions of STEM education. This study was an examination of current perceptions of STEM education. Perceived need, current implementation practices, access to STEM resources, definition of STEM, and the current condition of STEM in Northeast Tennessee were also examined. The participating school districts are located in the Northeast Region of Tennessee: Bristol City Schools, Hamblen County Schools, Johnson City Schools, Johnson County Schools, Kingsport City Schools, Sullivan County Schools, and Washington County Schools. Educational professionals including both administrators and teachers in the elementary and/or middle school setting …

Mathematical Tasks Without Words And Word Problems: Perceptions Of Reluctant Problem Solvers, Sydney Margaret Holbert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research study used a multiple, holistic case study approach (Yin, 2009) to explore the perceptions of reluctant problem solvers related to mathematical tasks without words and word problems. Participants were given a choice of working a mathematical task without words or a word problem during four problem-solving sessions. Data were gathered from problem-solving sessions, in the form of session transcripts, written reflections, and interviews to determine how the reluctant problem solvers perceived the problems presented in each session. Participants' views of the problems before and after working were recorded and thick descriptions of the sessions including quotes from …

Investigating The Validity Of A Survey Intended To Gauge Mathematics Problem-Solving Disposition Along The Impulsive-Analytic Dimension, Miguel Mendoza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study investigates the validity of the Likelihood-to-Act (LtA) survey developed to assess respondents' problem-solving disposition along the impulsive-analytic dimension. Sixteen pre-service teachers were strategically selected from a pool of 495 LtA survey respondents to participate in a semi-structured task-based interview approximately one hour in length. The interview consisted of three main parts: a problem solving section, a consistency section, and a classification section.

* Part 1 of the interview was developed to get interviewees to solve five open-response problems meant to elicit an impulsive response. Interviewees were also asked to verbalize their thought process in order for the researchers …

Second Graders' Solution Strategies And Understanding Of A Combination Problem, Tiffany Marie Hessing

Theses and Dissertations

I inquire about second graders' capabilities of developing solution strategies and the original variety of strategies they bring forth while solving a combination problem. Based on analysis of the data presented in this paper, students developed five different general strategies. After analyzing what the second grade students were capable of developing, we can conclude that young children are capable of developing powerful systematic strategies grounded in their personal experiences. This research shows that even when the teacher does not foster personal agency, children will still exercise agency. The social interactions in the classroom helped students learn to propose mathematical ideas, …

The Effects Of Journal Writing On Student Attitudes And Performance In Problem Solving, Christine Quinones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study summarizes research conducted in a second grade classroom at a rural elementary school in the fall of 2004. This study investigated the practice of using writing activities in mathematics to improve student attitudes and performance in problem solving. The classroom teacher supplemented traditional mathematics instruction with daily problem solving activities and affective journal writing. Students were asked to complete daily problem solving prompts and write about their problem-solving solutions. Attitude data was collected using a pre and post attitude survey as well as affective journal writing assignments. Performance data was collected using a performance based problem-solving rubric. Results …

An Integrated Math Curriculum Designed To Develop Problem Solving Skills In Third Grade Students, Nwaynna Bernadette Stewart

All Graduate Projects

The effectiveness of a curriculum integrating math, manipulative use, writing, drama and the visual arts was examined. The information gathered through research articles and case studies was used to create an integrated math program. The focus of the project is to strengthen problem solving and critical thinking skills of third grade students. The project is designed to supplement materials and textbooks teachers are currently using in their classrooms. Implications for future areas of research are discussed.