Education Commons^™

Use Of Vocabulary Strategies To Aid English Language Learners In A General Education Biology Classroom, Virginia Perry

All Dissertations

The demographics of the typical American classroom continue to present as a more diverse student population with the increase of English Language Learners (ELL) entering public schools. General education teachers on a secondary level are challenged with incorporating academic language instruction into content instruction for ELLs. Many of these teachers seek appropriate instructional strategies to teach ELLs academic language skills related to literacy to comprehend the specific content taught at the secondary level. A deeper understanding of language and skill acquisition within a secondary classroom can help guide future efforts in implementing effective literacy strategies to address ELLs’ academic language …

Including The Literary Arts As The A In Steam, Lindsay E. Cunningham

The STEAM Journal

This article examines the integration of literature into secondary STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) classes in British Columbia, Canada. Data were collected through interviews with nine secondary STEM subject teachers and focus on teachers’ perceptions of the effects of including literature, what/how literature has been included, as well as the barriers, both real and perceived, to doing so.

A review of the literature demonstrates that integrating literature into STEM can be appealing to a broad range of students and teachers and can help to engage students with a variety of interests, perspectives, and backgrounds. The arts, including the literary arts, …

“I Just Learn Differently”: The Experiences Of Dis/Abled Students Of Color Interpreting And Resisting Normalizing Forces In The Mathematics Classroom, Dina Mahmood

Education (PhD) Dissertations

This critical phenomenological study employs a disabilities studies in education and critical race theory (DisCrit) lens to unpack the learning experiences of seven dis/abled students of color in the secondary mathematics classroom. Based on data collected from individual and group interviews, the counter-stories presented in this study highlight the implicit and explicit ways that the normative forces of ableism and racism circulate in the secondary mathematics classroom. Through their education journey maps, the participants described forms of hyper-labeling, experiences of implicit and explicit biases from teachers and peers, and rigid conceptions of mathematics that constrained their success. The counter-stories are, …

Measuring Students' Pro-Environmental Attitudes And Behaviors Before And After Demonstration-Based Instruction, Collin Ryan

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

A growing amount of research exists on environmental education programs which incorporates the viewpoints of students into its assessment of the program’s efficacy. This research seeks to add to that body and evaluate an environmental education program about the sustainability of plastics, using both quantitative and qualitative data collected from participating students. The data was collected after a 90-minute instructional block of demonstration-based environmental education meant to inform students on the variability of plastics’ properties and the sorting and remolding processes of recycling. It also aimed to help build pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors in the students, and a sense of …

Can We Make Our Robot Play Soccer? Influence Of Collaborating With Preservice Teachers And Fifth Graders On Undergraduate Engineering Students' Learning During A Robotic Design Process (Work In Progress), Krishnanand Kaipa, Jennifer Kidd, Julia Noginova, Francisco Cima, Stacie Ringleb, Orlando Ayala, Pilar Pazos, Kristie Gutierrez, Min Jung Lee

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

This work-in-progress paper describes engineering students’ experiences in an NSF-funded project that partnered undergraduate engineering students with pre-service teachers to plan and deliver robotics lessons to fifth graders at a local school. This project aims to address an apparent gap between what is taught in academia and industry’s expectations of engineers to integrate perspectives from outside their field to solve modern societal problems requiring a multidisciplinary approach. Working in small teams over Zoom, participating engineering, education, and fifth grade students designed, built, and coded bio-inspired COVID companion robots. The goal for the engineering students was to build new interprofessional skills, …

Pisa 2018: Financial Literacy In Australia, Sue Thomson, Lisa De Bortoli, Catherine Underwood, Marina Schmid

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australia

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 is the seventh cycle of PISA since it was first conducted in 2000 and measures students’ skills in the core areas of reading literacy, mathematical literacy and scientific literacy. Since PISA 2012, financial literacy has been included as an additional optional assessment that accompanies the core assessments. In Australia, the financial literacy assessment is funded by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission. This report presents the results for the third assessment of financial literacy and focuses on the measurement of financial literacy for Australia as a whole and for different demographic groups, …

Development And Assessment Of A Continuing Education Unit In Quantitative Literacy For High School Stem Teachers, Craig P. Mcclure

Numeracy

Influencing the teaching of quantitative literacy at all levels of education can be difficult due to the many demands placed on educators. In a continuing education course, public high school science teachers participated in a pilot study of a program on quantitative literacy, involving defining quantitative literacy, how it is beneficial to students, examples of quantitative literacy education, and how it may be supported in the science classroom. Surveys administered before and after the unit indicate an improvement in the teachers’ understanding of quantitative literacy, and a follow-up survey indicates that the unit impacted classroom practice. Results support the conclusion …

A Mixed-Methods Study Of Entomology Incorporation In U.S. Secondary Science Instruction, Erin M. Ingram

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

To encourage understanding and appreciation of insects, entomology education advocates have supported and encouraged K-12 teachers to integrate insects and insect-related content into formal science instruction. However, research examining how and why science teachers incorporate entomology into secondary science courses is limited.

A sequential explanatory mixed-methods research study was conducted to address this gap. The study was conducted in two phases. During the first phase, quantitative survey research was conducted with a representative sample of 254 U.S. secondary life science teachers. During the subsequent qualitative phase, follow-up interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 18 survey participants and an …

Grading For Growth: Using Sliding Scale Rubrics To Motivate Struggling Learners, Dina Mahmood, Hugo Jacobo

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

In an effort to adopt more equitable and humanizing grading practices, this teacher inquiry explores how educators attempted to improve students’ views of learning and assessments by utilizing rubrics on a sliding scale. Using the sliding scale rubric approach to grading provided an opportunity for students and educators to rethink how learning is evaluated. The authors found that the logistics of using sliding scale rubrics as a grading tool does need to be refined and further evaluated; however, the belief that a student can receive a grade based on her or his individual starting point did have some positive implications …

The Importance Of Practice: Learning To Teach Student-Centered Labs With Confidence, Linda Nix

Dissertations

This quantitative research study examined the relationship between science teachers’ science education experiences (high school, undergraduate science courses, teacher education program science methods courses, in-service teaching, and professional development) regarding exposure to student-centered labs and science teacher self-efficacy in teaching student-centered labs. This research study also examined the relationship between science teachers’ opportunity to practice teaching student-centered labs during their science teacher experiences (teacher education program science methods course, in-service teaching, and professional development) and science teaching self-efficacy in teaching student-centered labs as they relate to the social constructivist and experiential learning theories.

A modified version of the Science Teaching …

Does Teaching The History Of Mathematics In High School Aid In Student Understanding?, Anne Campbell

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

This research will study the effect teaching the history of mathematics in a high school classroom has on student understanding. To accomplish this, lessons both including and excluding historical background on different topics were taught in an Honors Algebra 2 class in the high school setting. This research aims to engage student learning and investigation of topics that normally do not draw a lot of student focus and spark a new or revived interest in mathematics for students by broadening lessons to include material of which students would not otherwise be exposed. The lessons themselves aim to engage other current …

Yeast: The Gateway To Redefining And Improving Biology Labs, Connor Loomis

Biology Summer Fellows

Building off of collegiate research performed during the summer of 2018, this lesson plan outlines a lab for secondary students using yeast. Yeast is an affordable and convenient organism to introduce to secondary education, and students can learn a lot about biology through it. Essentially, the goal of the lab is for students to explore the effects of certain substances on the growth of yeast. While content is emphasized, this lesson plan also looks to build students’ understanding of science in general as well as proper laboratory skills and technique. In addition, it pushes students in their thinking as they …

Project-Based Learning And Design-Focused Projects To Motivate Secondary Mathematics Students, Kelly W. Remijan

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

This article illustrates how mathematics teachers can develop design-focused projects, related to project-based learning, to motivate secondary mathematics students. With first-hand experience as a secondary mathematics teacher, I provide a series of steps related to the engineering design process, which are helpful to teachers in developing design-focused projects, describe various projects that have been developed and implemented within my classroom, and share project artifacts illustrated by pictures, student work, and student comments. Referring to the MUSIC Model of Academic Motivation and reflecting upon personal observations, student outcomes, and student comments, I provide personal insight on how design-focused projects can be …

Final Project, Tyler Keller

Service-Learning

Tyler Keller's 2016 paper on his service-learning experiences in the AVID tutoring program .

Students’ Perceptions About High School Preparation For Mathematics In Post-Secondary Programs: A Case Study Of One High School, Wendy Pratt

All Theses And Dissertations

This qualitative case study examined how fifteen former high school students from a small, rural high school in central Vermont perceived their preparedness for college level mathematics and identified recommendations for improvement. Student interviews and math assessment data for each participant were analyzed to respond to the research question. The interview protocol consisted of one-on-one semi-structured phone interviews that were recorded for transcription. Thirteen open-ended questions were developed to answer the research question and sub-questions grounded in the research literature and specific concerns identified by the math teachers defined in the case study. The conceptual framework for this research study …

A Science Instrument For The Digital Age: #Scistuchat Participants' Perceptions Of Twitter As A Tool For Learning And Communicating Science, Ryan Liss Becker

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The integration of digital technologies in K-12 education is ubiquitous. Web 2.0 technologies enable students who were once passive consumers to become active participants in, and even creators of, dynamic digital experiences. Social media, in particular, can connect disparate populations, minimizing traditional barriers such as time, space and geography. Similarly, science communication has also been influenced by an expanding array of media through which scientists can now connect directly with the public. #Scistuchat, the focus of this study, uses the social media platform Twitter to bring together scientists, secondary science students and teachers outside of school in monthly, science-focused Twitter …

Examining The Relationship Between Parental Involvement And Mobile Technology Use, Toinette Marie Flowers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Understanding how mobile devices can enhance parent/teacher communication is important because parents play an important part in their children's learning. Research on parents' use of mobile devices to communicate with their children's teachers is limited. The purpose of this cross-sectional correlational study was to determine the relationships between parents' (a) knowledge of using mobile devices, (b) general use of mobile devices, (c) purpose for using mobile devices, (d) perceived ease of using mobile devices, (e) perceived usefulness of mobile devices, (f) attitude toward using mobile devices, and (g) use of mobile devices to communicate with teachers. The study was informed …

Mentor Preparation: A Qualitative Study Of Stem Master Teacher Professional Development, Heather Lynn Click-Cuellar

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has required districts to staff all classrooms with highly qualified teachers. Yet, retaining certified teachers in the profession has been a national concern, especially among new teachers who leave at alarming rates within their first three years. This comes at a heavy cost to districts financially and in trying to maintain highly qualified status, but also to the continuity and effective education of students. Mentoring has been identified by many researchers as a plausible solution to reducing attrition rates for beginning teachers.

In this Dissertation, I conducted qualitative research to explore and …

Reaching The Next Stephen Hawking: Five Ways To Help Students With Disabilities In Advanced Placement Science Classes, Lori A. Howard, Elizabeth A. Potts, Ed Linz

Special Education Faculty Research

As the federal government encourages all students to attempt advanced math and science courses, more students with disabilities are enrolling in Advanced Placement (AP) science classes. AP science teachers can better serve these students by understanding the various types of disabilities (whether physical, learning, emotional, or behavioral), associated legal issues, and ways to adapt instruction to improve learning by all students in the class. This article offers examples of adjustments you may need to use in your class.

Impacting Student Attitudes Toward Mathematics Through Project-Based Learning: A Multiple Intelligence Based Approach, Andrea Wade

Education Student Scholarship

Reflecting on my first year of teaching, the number one hindrance to my students’ progress in mathematics seemed to be that my students strongly disliked the subject. Therefore in my second year of teaching at a diverse Catholic school in New England, I completed an action research project that implemented project-based learning (PBL) based on Multiple Intelligence (MI) theory into my mathematics classroom. I wanted to to see if the experience would first, impact student attitudes to make students like math more, and second, if PBL would allow students to see mathematics as applicable to the real world. Therefore, this …

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 …

Gendered Patterns In High Achievement In Mathematics For Grades 4,6, And 8, Laura J. Falvey

Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview

Since 2001 , No Child Left Behind (N CLB) legislation has mandated that every state test students' educational progress annually, allowing each state to choose among many different instruments (Hoff, 2008). This demand for educational testing of all students has enabled the growth and availability of raw achievement data for subject areas tested and created an opportunity for a wide range of knowledge discovery. Not all states report testing results disaggregated by gender but in 2008, Hyde, Lindberg, Linn, Ellis, and Williams conducted research on data from I 0 states that do. They found the weighted mean achievement scores in …

The Predictive Validity Of High School Grades To College Remedial Mathematics Performance, John Dozier

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The concerns for remedial education are not new – as remedial education has a long history. Yet, the issues are gaining prominence in our discourse about improving the outcomes associated with post-secondary education. Any discussion of improvement is often accompanied by a discussion regarding the challenge posed to post-secondary institutions in meeting the growing remedial needs of the students that they receive. The purpose of this research is to evaluate community college placement of students into remedial coursework through an examination of whether a student’s high school mathematics preparation and mathematics grade average are a significant determinant of their completion …

Exploring Some Inattended Affective Factors In Performing Nonroutine Mathematical Tasks, John Douglas Butler

Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview

Describes students' attempts to solve nonroutine math problems and explores possible correlates of their performance, focusing on inattended (i.e., intentionally avoided) dimensions underrepresented in the literature, including attitudes, interests, values, aesthetics, metacognition, and representation. Analyzes objective and subjective data gathered from a sample of 9th-grade students at a high school in Rhode Island. Finds strong evidence of students' math-aesthetics in problem solving.

Parts Of The Whole: Is Everything Equally Important?, Dorothy Wallace

Numeracy

Two strategies are proposed for sorting out priorities and goals in education. At the college level the column argues that goals, and therefore requirements, should be set based on the desired knowledge base of the entire population rather than the individual. At the scale of a single K-12 classroom the column argues that priority be given to content requiring most instructor intervention, describing how the structure of class time and school activities would change as a result. Implementation of these strategies would lead to more efficient use of teacher’s time and effort, better allocation of systemic resources, and clarity of …

Rethinking Mathematics Assessment: Some Reflections On Solution Dynamics As A Way To Enhance Quality Indicators, Elliott Ostler, Neal Grandgenett, Carol Mitchell

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

This paper is intended to offer some reflections on the difficulties associated with the appropriate use of rubric assessment in mathematics at the secondary level, and to provide an overview of an assessment technique, hereafter referred to as solution dynamics, as a way to enhance popular rubric assessment techniques. Two primary aspects of solution dynamics are presented in this manuscript. The first aspect considers how the tasks assigned in mathematics classrooms might be better organized and developed to demonstrate an evolving student understanding of the subject. The second aspect illustrates how revised scoring parameters reduce the potential for scoring inconsistencies …

Student Perceptions Of Interactive Whiteboards In A Biology Classroom, Christina Schut

Master of Education Research Theses

This qualitative study provides student perceptions of interactive whiteboard (IWB) use in a secondary biology classroom. The use of the IWB was alternated with the overhead on an ABAB and BABA design in two classrooms. The study was based on semi-structured interviews of thirty-six individuals, representing a sample of rural, high school students. Interview questions focused on three constructs: benefits, limitations, and suggestions for improvement. Analyzing the results ascertained that students found the IWB to be interesting because it was engaging and offered multimedia aspects. Students also reported the IWB to improve instruction through enhanced visuals and notes. Limitations and …

Journaling As A Test Preparatory Measure In Secondary Mathematics: Successful Student Strategies, Lloyd E. Nickerson Ii

Master of Education Research Theses

This study examines a math journal writing assignment comparing how high school (grades 10 through 12) algebra students who performed well and students who performed poorly on traditional mathematics tests constructed their corresponding journal entries. Statistically significant differences found indicated that students who performed well on the tests were more likely to have originally composed the text and examples in their journal entries, and students who performed poorly were more likely to have copied much of the mathematical language and examples in their journal entries from their textbooks. Students who performed well on the test were also more likely to …

A Reforma Do Ensino De Ciências No Ensino Secundário Brasileiro Nas Décadas De 1960 E 1970 [Science Education Reform In Brazilian Secondary Schools In The 1960s And 1970s], Karl M. Lorenz

Karl M Lorenz

Na segunda metade do século dezoito, foi transplantado para o Brasil um paradigma que focalizava no processo da investigação científico no ensino das Ciências Naturais na escola secundária. O paradigma teve origem nos Estados Unidos em resposta às criticas internas referentes ao ensino secundário e aos acontecimentos internacionais. Inicialmente sustentado por subvenções estrangeiras, e mais tarde patrocinado pelo ministério da Educação, um movimento surgiu no Brasil que objetivava a produção e divulgação de materiais didáticos que incorporassem os princípios desse paradigma. Este trabalho descreve a trajetória do paradigma e do movimento reformista do ensino de Ciências, desde sua origem nos …

A Reforma Do Ensino De Ciências No Ensino Secundário Brasileiro Nas Décadas De 1960 E 1970 [Science Education Reform In Brazilian Secondary Schools In The 1960s And 1970s], Karl M. Lorenz

Education Faculty Publications

Na segunda metade do século dezoito, foi transplantado para o Brasil um paradigma que focalizava no processo da investigação científico no ensino das Ciências Naturais na escola secundária. O paradigma teve origem nos Estados Unidos em resposta às criticas internas referentes ao ensino secundário e aos acontecimentos internacionais. Inicialmente sustentado por subvenções estrangeiras, e mais tarde patrocinado pelo ministério da Educação, um movimento surgiu no Brasil que objetivava a produção e divulgação de materiais didáticos que incorporassem os princípios desse paradigma. Este trabalho descreve a trajetória do paradigma e do movimento reformista do ensino de Ciências, desde sua origem nos …