Education Commons^™

The Perceptions And Experiences Of Math Anxiety, Bradley Baas

Education | Master's Theses

Math anxiety has the potential to negatively impact a student’s knowledge and awareness of themselves. This anxiety leaves students with feelings of incapability in learning math because of their existing beliefs they received in their early years in their educations. The purpose of this research was to better understand the development of middle school eighth grade students and their teachers’ math anxiety while also exploring the obstacles that anxiety creates preventing and/or inhibiting teachers from teaching the required standardized lessons. My research shows that without a trusting relationship between the teacher and student, students experience a decline in mathematics performance …

Differentiated Instruction For 1st Grade Advanced Learners In Mathematics, Patricia Cawley

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Differentiated instruction is student-aware teaching, in which the students not only develop content mastery, but also take ownership of their learning. This study examined the results differentiated instruction in mathematics had on advanced learners perceived competence, persistence, and intrinsic motivation. Differentiation was implemented in a classroom through various activities that challenged student thinking. Students enrolled in a first grade class in an all girl school setting served as study participants. Data were collected on a total of 21 students in the class, but analysis focused on a subgroup. Results indicated that the participants’ interest and engagement in math varied student …

Guiding Sixth Grade Language Development In Mathematical Content Acquisition Through Student Centered Siop Instruction, Leah Callister

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Mathematics is considered a universal language for students. However, now common core standards require students to explain their conceptual understanding through words, numbers, and verbal explanations. Student proficiency in the universal language is impeded when they do not speak the primary language. It is difficult for the teacher to teach both the academic language and mathematical concepts, when the vocabulary is not accessible to all students. Conversely it is difficult for students to follow the pacing of the class while having to translate and gain a conceptual understanding of the subject. The purpose of this study is to increase student …

Eighth Grade Mathematics Intervention: Improving Student Self-Esteem And Content Knowledge Of Targeted Mathematic Skills, Stephanie Hart

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

By eighth grade some students believe they are “not good” and never will be successful at mathematics. Discouraged by poor grades, negative feedback from teachers or demoralized by repeated academic failure, these students disengage from their mathematics classwork. In some cases, mathematics intervention classes are a last chance to get them back on track to qualify for Algebra I in 9^th grade. The purpose of this study is to identify strategies to reengage students by increasing their academic content knowledge in mathematics and boosting their self-esteem and sense of belonging in the school setting. The review of the literature …

Building Depth Of Understanding Of The Concept Of Number Sense And Algebra In Students Grades 7 And 8, Catherine Janes

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Mathematics instruction offers both challenges and rewards to students. Teachers tend to focus on transmission of knowledge. Student creativity and problem-solving skills are not typically activated with common teaching practices. When students are engaged in mathematics they are recognizing patterns, making connections on their own, coming up with creative solutions, and discussing mathematical ideas with peers and adults. The purpose of this study was to identify, employ, and evaluate strategies that engage students in these practices and assist them in developing a deep understanding of mathematics concepts such as number sense and algebra.

The review of the literature began with …

Common Core Math And Critical Reasoning, Lorna M. Hayman

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

This teacher research action study compared the performance of students in mathematical critical reasoning for selected strands of math under the new Common Core Math Standards with their performance under the old California State Standards. Student scores from in-class tests and quizzes were comparatively analyzed over the duration of a year in one sixth grade classroom in Northern California. Findings from this study indicated a minimal increase in the critical reasoning skills of the students under the Common Core Standards when compared to the California State Standards. The results of the study imply that there is a need for longitudinal …

Effects Of School Choice On Math Performance, Rachel Ricioli Wittenberg

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a significant skill level difference between freshmen geometry students who attended charter schools and those who attended noncharter schools during middle school. The study addresses the controversy over charter schools providing better educational outcomes. The literature reviewed focuses on achievement in charter schools, and also discusses the indirect effects charter schools may have on surrounding public schools. The sample includes two cohorts of freshmen geometry students from the 2011- 2012 and 2012-2013 school years, which resulted in a sample size of 115 students. The results show that the difference …

Algebra Ii: Gatekeeper Course An Examination Of Cst Proficiency Levels In California And The Bay Area, Laurie Allyn Hailer-O'Keefe

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

This paper examines the Algebra II course and California Star Test (CST) proficiency levels in the San Francisco Bay Area and in the State of California. CST proficiency levels are examined by grade level for the State and nine counties of the San Francisco Bay Area region. Algebra II is shown to be one of the more complicated courses in the CSU and UC A-G eligibility courses for students in high school. This paper attempts to highlight the achievement gap of gender and socio-economic and race/ethnicity gaps in completion of the course. This paper examines completion rates by grade and …

Jesuit Education And Mathematics: Review Of The Literature On Jesuit Education And Mathematics, Ernesto A. Diaz

Education | Print Theses

The purpose of the thesis is to review recent literature on diverse aspects of Jesuit cation including its historiography, pedagogy, teaching, philosophy, and its contributions to Id of Mathematics. The time frame studied has been divided in four main periods. Origins; encompassing the founding of the Society of Jesus in 1540 to the publication of the Ratio Studiorum in 1599. Expansion; covering from the publication of the Ratio to the suppression of Society in 1773. Restoration: covers the period between the 1814 Restoration, until the ginning of the Vatican II Council. Renewal; the Society in the post-Vatican area to the …