Education Commons^™

Investigating The Relationship Between Empowerment And Secondary Science Teachers’ Technology Integration Knowledge, Jane Elizabeth Walsh

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

Empowered teachers believe they can improve their work conditions and positively impact student outcomes. Likewise, teachers with technology integration knowledge can effectively use technology to enhance lessons and improve student learning. This quantitative correlational study investigated teachers’ empowerment, teachers’ technology integration knowledge, and associations between empowerment and technology integration knowledge. Two hundred fourteen randomly selected high school science teachers from across the United States responded to a survey intended to measure empowerment and technology integration knowledge. The teachers' average responses indicate that teachers generally agree with statements surrounding empowerment (M = 3.93, SD = 0.54) and technology integration knowledge …

Developing Pedagogical Content Knowledge As Communal Practice: A Case Study Of Chemistry Graduate Teaching Assistants, Walker Bryan Mask

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Learning does not only happen during dedicated instructional time, which also applies to learning how to teach. Teachers can reflect on their practice while working to continue to improve and develop their teaching skills. In addition to self-reflection, teachers can also learn from their colleagues to experiment with new practices and take others’ teaching knowledge into their repertoire. Understanding how these two processes function can lead to developments in teacher education and professional development, specifically for initiatives that seek to promote collaboration among teachers. Post-secondary educators in particular can benefit from collaborative and reflective practices to improve their teaching, especially …

The Perceptions And Usage Of The Interactive Video Playposit In A General Chemistry Course, Tracy Gastineau-Stevens

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Technology within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classrooms has been a topic of discussion for decades (Reiser, 2001, 2007). With the inclusion of more technologies or digital tools in the classroom has pushed classes towards a blended learning or flipped classroom approach (Atkins 2015; Tayebinik & Puteh, 2013; Williams et al., 2008). One such digital tool that has started gaining traction in the STEM classroom is the interactive video (M. K. Seery, 2013; Smith, 2013). Interactive videos allow students to watch the general lecture material outside of class and work through problems during normal class time (M. K. Seery, …

A Survey Of Elementary Educators' Self-Efficacy Related To Stem Education, Elizabeth Mckenzie Johnson

Theses and Dissertations--Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

While the call for STEM and engineering design has increased since the release of the Next Generation Science Standards, the implementation of STEM in elementary grades has been slow. A variety of factors play a role in why educators, schools, or districts make the informed decisions they do regarding curriculum and instruction. Identifying strengths and challenges elementary educators face in implementing STEM into the curriculum can guide schools and districts in creating supports for increasing STEM in the elementary grades. This study sought to create and test a survey instrument for use with elementary educators in a large urban district …

A Study Of Underrepresented Minorities In An Informal Stem Experience, Rachel Rogers

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

According to labor market data, there is core cognitive knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with STEM education that are in demand in not just STEM fields, but all areas of the workforce (Carnevale, Smith, & Melton, 2011; Rothwell, 2013). During the period from 2005 until 2015, STEM professions grew by 24.4% (Noonan, 2017). During this time, populations such as minorities continued to show a gap in their representation in STEM (Noonan, 2017). To effectively examine how to increase the rate of URM student success in STEM, more research is needed on the factors that might contribute to minority STEM interest, …

Development Of The Elementary Teachers’ Commitment To Outdoor Education Survey: A Mixed Methods Study, Sagan Goodpaster

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

As the Green Schoolyards Movement continues to grow throughout North America, outdoor education (OE) is gaining more attention in the formal K-12 curriculum (Dyment, 2005; Sterrett & Imig, 2015). Rooted in the pedagogies of place-based and experiential learning, outdoor instruction provides social, psychological, physical, and academic benefits for students, and fosters their sense of connection to the natural environment (Dubel & Sobel, 2008; Robertson, 2017). In particular, outdoor learning opportunities have been shown to promote greater gains in students’ scientific content knowledge (Carrier et al., 2014; Cronin-Jones, 2000; Dirks & Orvis, 2005; Kenney et al., 2003). Outdoor instruction involves students …

The Potential Role Of Trauma-Informed Positive Education In The Secondary Mathematics Classroom In Disrupting The Preschool-To-Prison Pipeline, Jessica Michele Doering

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This mixed-methods study considered the potential for trauma-informed mathematics education to disrupt the preschool-to-prison (or school-to-prison) pipeline. Phenomenological qualitative interviews were conducted in conjunction with the use of the Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care (ARTIC; Baker et al., 2016) scale to determine teacher perceptions of trauma-informed care practices, their thoughts regarding challenging classroom behaviors and the connection of these behaviors with trauma and the pipeline, and their ideas about how much of an impact teachers can have on students who present with challenging behaviors that might be symptoms of trauma or that might be an indicator of future incarceration. This …

Co-Teaching Practices Of General And Special Educators In Secondary Science Classrooms, Samantha Jolene Ringl

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

The purpose of this study was to establish current levels of co-teaching implementation and to explore teachers’ perceptions of co-teaching and co-teacher relationships. This study also examined whether there is a relationship between teachers’ perception of their co-teaching relationship and their perception of co-teaching implementation in their classrooms. Analysis revealed that teachers generally have positive perceptions of their co-teaching partners and relationships, and these perceptions did not significantly differ between science teachers and special educators. However, this study found that teachers are not regularly planning lessons together, sharing the workload in the classroom, or choosing co-teaching models together. This study …

Proctoring And Apps In College Algebra, Cynthia M. Shelton

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

The pandemic forced more instructors and students to move to online learning. For the first time, many experienced a loosening of the reigns and were forced to allow students to submit non-proctored work. Many may have questioned what students really learned in the year 2020. Many college math course competencies emphasize procedures. Now that apps can do that for students, where does that leave math instructors? Additionally, online instruction has exploded over the last decade and has challenged the teaching of college mathematics. While online instruction opens the door to access, it does beg the question of whether students complete …

The Efficacy Of Accelerating Underprepared Community College Students Using A Corequisite Liberal Arts Mathematics Course, Drew Wilkerson

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

Every year, millions of first-time students enroll in community colleges underprepared for college-level work in mathematics. Typically, these students are referred to a sequence of developmental courses designed to remediate their skills and prepare them for college-level work. Recently, educators and policy makers have questioned the efficacy of these courses, especially since most students assigned to remedial courses never complete the sequence and enroll in college-level courses. Calls to reform developmental mathematics have included changes to how institutions determine whether students are college-ready and the elimination of the remedial course sequences themselves. The corequisite model, in which students enroll in …

Investigating How Timing Of Case Study Presentation On Huntington Disease Influences Construction Of Argument Warrant While Learning The Central Dogma Of Molecular Biology, Katherine A. Sharp

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

A common belief among pre-medical and medical students is that biochemistry is not relevant to practicing medicine. Among topics commonly taught in biochemistry, courses include the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology, which is among the most critical science topics taught to medical students by biochemistry educators. Perceived irrelevance among students may be due to common curricular trends in biochemistry education. Many biochemistry courses are found at Research I (R1) universities that teach biochemistry using traditional lectures with little evidence of supporting learning with real-world applications. Instructors commonly assume that students can make realworld connections independently during lecture courses, but it …

Exploring The Impact Of Pre-College Stem Exposure On First-Year Engineering Student Self-Efficacy, Micaha Dean Hughes

Theses and Dissertations--Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) outreach programs for high school students have become more widely available during the last decade in an effort to drive more graduates into the ever-growing STEM field in the United States. This study utilizes the Longitudinal Assessment of Engineering Self-Efficacy (LAESE) survey to investigate a possible relationship between specific pre-college STEM outreach programs and noncognitive predictors of success in first-year undergraduate engineering students. Students in their first semester of a first-year engineering program at a large, public research university completed the LAESE survey and were asked to identify their participation in one of three …

Bridging The Gap: Effects Of Dual Credit College Algebra On Postsecondary Education Outcomes, Karen S. Heavin

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

The contraction of the blue-collar economy is slowly rendering the high school diploma obsolete as an entry-level requirement for middle class employability. Over the last 40 years, jobs requiring some sort of postsecondary education or post-high school credential increased from 28% to 62%, while lower-skilled jobs, traditionally filled by high school graduates or those without a high school diploma, decreased from 72% to 38%. As automation slowly replaces the blue-collar workforce, it is critical that our educational system provides all students the necessary tools to successfully complete a postsecondary degree or credential.

This study examined two groups of graduating high …

A Case Study Of A Stem Specialist Co-Teaching Model, Kristen Lynn Witt

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This research is focused on elementary science teaching and learning with support of a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) specialist because science tends to be nearly absent from self-contained classrooms in the primary grades. Research has established STEM education needs to increase, however, a key question for researchers remains who should teach science and how we can improve teacher efficacy for science education. The purpose of this study is to discover the impacts of a STEM specialist’s role on an elementary school’s daily science instruction. “Impact” refers to teachers, administrators, and student’s value in science education, teacher’s confidence in …

Assessing The Effects Of An Authentic Project-Based Intervention On Secondary Students’ Understanding Of Ecosystems And Their Attitudes Toward And Interests In Stem, Kenneth Rolland Thompson

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

There is a need for secondary schools to provide more authentic, hands-on experiences in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and specifically, project-based investigation (PBI) environments in the classroom that focus on real-world problems relevant to students’ experiences, interest, and lives that manifest the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) following practices they prescribe. This study investigated how, to what extent, a contextualized aquaponics PBI (APBI) 10-week model unit affected high school students’ attitudes toward STEM in general, and aquaculture and aquaponics in particular, and interests in future STEM-related disciplines and/or STEM career pathways. This study also measured changes in students’ …

Can Less Be More? Study Load And Its Effect On Science Achievement Among Chinese Eighth-Grade Students, Xian Wu

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

The present study addressed a core research question of “Can less be more?” concerning study load, which has become increasingly worrisome and controversial around the world. This idea reflects the philosophy of pursuing efficiency and effectiveness on learning, namely that a lighter study load may result in more successful academic achievement. The study adopted the IPO (input-process-output) model to address five interrelated research questions: 1) What are the structural characteristics of study load? 2) Is there any individual difference in study load? 3) What are the characteristics of teachers and schools under which students tend to have a heavier study …

Ionic Bonding Curriculum Unit: An Electrostatic Framework, Mary Frank Lamar

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This mixed methods study compared two groups of high school students’ understanding of the ionic bond and the dissolving process. A 5 lesson curriculum unit was developed using Taber’s electrostatic framework (1997) focusing on the electrostatic forces between ions compared to a molecular framework (business-as-usual) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013). The lessons were developed to integrate spatially integrated experiences. Experimental (new curriculum unit) and business-as-usual (criss-cross method) students had their spatial skills tested before and after learning about the ionic bond using the Purdue Spatial Visualization-Rotations Test (PVST-Rot; Bodner & Guay, 1997). Students’ content was …

Improving Retention And Degree Attainment For Underrepresented Students In Stem: Is Experiential Learning The Solution?, Cori Henderson

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

Experiential learning opportunities, such as undergraduate research, are found to be useful in promoting retention and graduation in STEM majors, and specifically for underrepresented student populations. These opportunities are being implemented throughout the United Stated as a means to improve student learning and persistence. In Kentucky’s strategic plan, experiential learning activities are seen as an avenue to help students persist in college and are key components in helping the commonwealth reach their goal of sixty-percent of adult Kentuckians earning a college credential by 2030.

Mirroring the commonwealth’s strategic plan, Northern Kentucky University (NKU) emphasized the importance for experiential learning opportunities …

Student Help-Seeking Behaviors And Teacher Instructional Practices: Examining Their Relationship With U.S. Student Mathematics Achievement, Michael C. Osborne

Theses and Dissertations--Curriculum and Instruction

Even though the United States (U.S.) spends, on average, more money per student than most Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, it continues to lag behind its international peers in mathematics achievement. This study, which responded to the call for educational reforms that improve the mathematics achievement of U.S. students, aimed to examine the issue of student help-seeking behaviors and teacher instructional practices as they interact to affect student mathematics achievement. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) defines student help-seeking behaviors as the ways in which students have a propensity to depend on the knowledge and intellect …

Undergraduate Mathematics Students’ Connections Between Their Group Homomorphism And Linear Transformation Concept Images, Jeffrey Slye

Theses and Dissertations--Mathematics

It is well documented that undergraduate students struggle with the more formal and abstract concepts of vector space theory in a first course on linear algebra. Some of these students continue on to classes in abstract algebra, where they learn about algebraic structures such as groups. It is clear to the seasoned mathematician that vector spaces are in fact groups, and so linear transformations are group homomorphisms with extra restrictions. This study explores the question of whether or not students see this connection as well. In addition, I probe the ways in which students’ stated understandings are the same or …

A Quasi-Experimental Study Of Middle Level Student Engineering Understanding Pre-And Post-Treatment, Emily Driessen

Theses and Dissertations--Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

This qualitative quasi-experimental study analyzed middle-level students’ understanding of engineering before and after instruction. Students from four teachers were examined. Before and after instruction, all students completed the Draw an Engineer Test (DAET) and the Views of Nature of Engineering (VNOE) survey. Additionally, sixteen students (eight girls and eight boys) from each group (Treatment and Comparison) were interviewed before and after instruction. Findings revealed that after instruction (1) many students viewed engineers as makers/builders/workers (just as they did pre-instruction), however, the percentage of students who listed engineers as inventors, designers, and creators increased; (2) fewer students from both groups noted …

High School Engineering Students’ Identities And Interest In Stem, Morgan Lane

Theses and Dissertations--Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

With a national push toward improving STEM education, it is imperative for researchers to study what makes students want to pursue STEM education and STEM careers. To learn about this in the context of one high school’s engineering program, this study used student interviews to gain insight into how student identities influence their interest and experiences in STEM. Five components of student identities were revealed to be influential on a student’s interest in STEM: (1) an early interest/skill in STEM, (2) familial involvement in STEM, (3) self-motivation, (4) gender, and (5) socioeconomic status.Race/ethnicity, peer influence, and teacher influence did not …

Differential Item Functioning Among English Language Learners On A Large-Scale Mathematics Assessment, Ruixue Liu

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

English language learner (ELL) is a term to describe students who are still acquiring English proficiency. In recent decades, ELLs are a very rapidly growing student group in United States. In school classrooms, ELLs are learning English and their academic subjects simultaneously. It is challenging for them to hear lectures, read textbooks, and complete tests in English despite of their inadequate English language proficiency (Ilich, 2013). As a result, the increasing number of ELLs in public schools has paralleled the increase in ELLs’ low mathematics performance (NCES, 2016).

Due to the popularization of international large-scale assessments in the recent decade, …

The Influence Of Access To Informal Stem Learning Experiences On Middle School Students’ Self-Efficacy And Interest In Stem, Soledad G. Yao

Theses and Dissertations--Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

Informal learning experiences have become increasingly effective in enhancing self-efficacy and interest in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).This study investigated the impact of access to informal STEM learning experiences on student self-efficacy and interest in STEM before and after participating in the 2018 See Blue See STEM Summer Experience. Pre-survey results indicated that middle school students who had previous access to informal STEM learning experiences are 3.21 times as likely to demonstrate high self-efficacy in STEM as those who had no previous access. After engaging in the 2018 summer experience, post-survey results showed a statistically significant …

A Tale Of Two Contexts: Mathematics Self-Efficacy Development Among Rural And Urban Students, Brianna L. Weidner

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Self-efficacy, or a belief in one’s ability to complete a task, has been shown to predict student success and persistence. Rural students have a history of lower college enrollment and degree attainment than urban students. However, no studies have compared self-efficacy or its sources across rural and urban groups. The purpose of this study is to examine differences in how rural and urban middle school students develop self-efficacy and self-efficacy for self-regulated learning in the domain of math. Data were collected from 174 rural students and 1743 urban students in grades 6-8 in the southeastern United States. Measurement invariance analyses …

Influences Of Probability Instruction On Undergraduates' Understanding Of Counting Processes, Kayla Blyman

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Historically, students in an introductory finite mathematics course at a major university in the mid-south have struggled the most with the counting and probability unit, leading instructors to question if there was a better way to help students master the material. The purpose of this study was to begin to understand connections that undergraduate finite mathematics students are making between counting and probability. By examining student performance in counting and probability, this study provides insights that inform future instruction in courses that include counting and probability. Consequently, this study lays the groundwork for future inquiries in the field of undergraduate …

Assessing Stem Literacy In An Informal Learning Environment, Maureen Ann Lafemina Cavalcanti

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This mixed methods study investigated methods for assessing STEM literacy amongst middle grades students participating in an informal learning environment, specifically, a summer STEM camp. Adopting a situated perspective on STEM literacy, this dissertation employed psychometric techniques and discourse analysis to answer the overarching research question: How can STEM literacy amongst middle school students be assessed in the context of a summer STEM camp? An integrated review of literacy within and across STEM disciplines first offered a new direction for conceptualizing STEM literacy. With this understanding, subsequent research methods applied novel approaches for investigating STEM literacy in the context of …

Instructional Coaching And Its Effects On Middle School Mathematics Teachers’ Perceptions Of Coaching And Content Knowledge: A Mixed Methods Study, Jamie-Marie Miller

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Instructional coaching has been a professional learning opportunity that many school districts have employed to support teacher practice. Pairing instructional coaching with on-going workshops is a relatively new approach to professional development. Participants for this study include fourteen middle school teachers that teach either mathematics or collaborate with special needs students. This study examines the effect that pairing instructional coaching with on-going workshops (with a primary focus on proportional reasoning) has on participants’ content knowledge and their perceptions of coaching. Drawing on Wenger’s community of practice theory and post-modern theory of power, this study employs mixed-methods design. Pre- and post-tests …

Spatial Reasoning And Understanding The Particulate Nature Of Matter: A Middle School Perspective, Merryn L. Cole

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This dissertation employed a mixed-methods approach to examine the relationship between spatial reasoning ability and understanding of chemistry content for both middle school students and their science teachers. Spatial reasoning has been linked to success in learning STEM subjects (Wai, Lubinski, & Benbow, 2009). Previous studies have shown a correlation between understanding of chemistry content and spatial reasoning ability (e.g., Pribyl & Bodner, 1987; Wu & Shah, 2003: Stieff, 2013), raising the importance of developing the spatial reasoning ability of both teachers and students.

Few studies examine middle school students’ or in-service middle school teachers’ understanding of chemistry concepts or …

Using Student Characteristics, Student Spatial-Content Knowledge, And Teacher Spatial-Content Knowledge To Predict Student Spatial-Content Knowledge Of Lunar Phases, Kyle A. Curry

Theses and Dissertations--Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

Student demographic characteristics of gender and race/ethnicity, students’ spatial-content knowledge as measured by pre-instructional performance on the Lunar Phases Concept Inventory (LPCI) (Lindell & Olsen), and post-instructional performance on the Purdue Visualization of Rotations Test (PSVT) (Bodner & Guay, 1997), and teachers’ spatial-content knowledge as measured by the two assessments were considered to predict students’ overall understanding of lunar phases as measured by post-instructional results on the LPCI. A mixed modeling approach was used in a hierarchal manner to evaluate the student learning outcomes. Results showed that student gender was not a significant predictor of post-instructional student performance, but students …