Education Commons^™

Learning To Teach Mathematics And To Analyze Teaching Effectiveness: Evidence From A Video- And Practice-Based Pre-Service Course, Rossella Santagata, Cathery Yeh

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Although emerging consensus exists that practice-based approaches to teacher preparation assist in closing the distance between university coursework and fieldwork experiences and in assuring that future teachers learn to implement innovative research-based instructional strategies, little empirical research has investigated teacher learning from this approach. This study examines the impact of a video- and practice-based course on prospective teachers’ mathematics classroom practices and analysis of their own teaching. Two groups of elementary prospective teachers participated in the study—one attended the course and one did not. Findings reveal that the course assisted participants in making student thinking visible and in pursuing it …

The Effects Of Standards-Based Grading On Student Performance In Algebra 2, Rachel Beth Rosales

Dissertations

The use of standards-based grading in American public schools is increasing, offering students, parents, and teachers a new way of measuring and communicating about student achievement and performance. Parents indicate an appreciation for this method of grading, and students at the elementary grades (K-6) have improved standardized test scores in reading and math as a result of its implementation. This study seeks to determine whether standards-based grading has the same effect on students at the high school level (grades 9-12) by comparing end-of-course test scores and posttest scores of Algebra 2 students enrolled in a standards-based graded classroom with to …

Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Literacy Professional Learning: An Amalgamation Of Adolescent Literacy, Mathematics Teaching, And Adult Learning, Janet L. Larson

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study uses practitioner research to examine secondary mathematics teachers’ learning of literacy integration practices in the context of a district-wide literacy professional development series. The author, a secondary mathematics curriculum and instruction facilitator in a large, Midwestern suburban district, engaged in a two-year partnership with seventeen Mathematics Teacher Facilitators (MTFs) who taught literacy practices to their colleagues via a train-the-trainer model. This study provides an explicit rendering of professional development practices and ongoing, job-embedded learning vignettes of six MTF’s experiences in (a) teaching literacy practices to their colleagues and (b) how they learned and enacted these practices in their …

Mathematics Interventions: A Correlational Study Of The Relationship Between Level Of Implementation Of The Accelerated Math Program And Student Achievement, Deborah Walker Driesel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Current legislation, such as No Child Left Behind (2001) or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004), has increased accountability for schools for the education of all students. These laws require schools to provide interventions for struggling learners, as part of the Response to Intervention process (IDEA, 2004). Accelerated Math (AM), published by Renaissance Learning, is a scientifically based program designed to supplement quality instruction as part of the RtI process. This correlational study examined ex post facto data using pre and posttest scores on the STAR Math Test in relation to amount of classroom time dedicated to AM instruction …

Stem Literacy For Ells Through Service Learning, Sandra Rodriguez-Arroyo, Barbara Brimmerman, Olga Zeisler

Teacher Education Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

This presentation features: Rationale, Model of Academic Language Proficiency/ Jim Cummins’s Quadrant, STEM Literacy for ELLs, ELLS-OPS, Tall grasses and Wildflowers of Nebraska: A Service Learning Experience, UNO Students, Objectives, First Year: 2011-2012, Second Year: 2012-2013, Community Partner: Allwine Prairie, Support from Service Learning Academy, Research Presentations, Literacy Strategies, Service Learning Project Outcomes, Visit to the Prairie, and Future Research.

The Hidden Stem Economy: The Surprising Diversity Of Jobs Requiring Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math Knowledge, Jonathan Rothwell

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

Policy and businesses leaders have argued that there is a shortage of highly educated workers in professional occupations related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Critics have countered that Ph.D scientists often face a difficult academic labor market and do not necessarily earn higher wages than other professionals. Yet, both sides of the STEM debate have been relying on an ill-defined definition of STEM work. Using a detailed survey of worker knowledge requirements, this research project redefines STEM jobs based on the level of knowledge required in STEM fields to perform occupations. The results uncover two facts previously unrecognized …

A Longitudinal Study Investigating The Effects Of The Pbl Approach In Secondary Mathematics Education, Yooyeun Hwang

Faculty Presentations

This longitudinal study investigated the effect of Project Based Learning (PBL) on secondary-mathematics students in order to determine both academic-skill development and motivational factors associated with learning. Results showed that secondary students not only benefited from PBL in learning mathematics content, but exhibited improved self-efficacy and self-regulation in learning mathematics.

Measure For Measure : A Review Of Outcomes Of School Education In Australia, John Ainley, Eveline Gebhardt

Assessment and Reporting

There have been a plethora of research reports providing information about the achievements of students in Australian schools and how those achievements differ among jurisdictions and among groups of students. However, each report has often been viewed in isolation from other similar studies. This report is intended to provide an integrated appraisal of the results of the international and national achievement surveys conducted since 1994 but with some references to earlier studies. In addition to limiting the task to manageable proportions, this time span corresponds to the widespread introduction of modern measurement methods so that there is a better basis …

A Teacher's Guide To Pisa Mathematical Literacy, Sue Thomson, Kylie Hillman, Lisa De Bortoli

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australia

This report focuses on mathematical literacy and is one of a series of three reports on Australian students' performance in PISA. The report provides an overview of the PISA mathematics framework and Australia's results in the PISA 2003 international assessment. Also included are mathematics items released for public viewing after the PISA 2003 assessment and examples of responses, marking guides and comparisons of results with other countries. The context behind achievement, e.g. attitudes, engagement and learning strategies, is also presented.

Mobile Expansion Of Teachlive™ Laboratory, Joan Walker

Cornerstone 1 Reports : Expansion and Enhancements of the Thinkfinity Platform

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Single Gender Instruction On Eighth Grade Students' Mathematics Achievement, David Hammel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

n the research study, this investigator utilized a non-experimental, causal-comparative design (ex post facto) with archival data to determine the real impact single gender instruction had on eighth grade students' mathematics achievement. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively analyze the benefits of single gender mathematics instruction for eighth grade male and female students, when compared against traditional coeducational instruction. Specifically, the researcher compared students instructed in single gender eighth grade mathematics classes with students taught in traditional coeducational classes by analyzing fall vs. spring Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) computerized mathematics test score means. Additionally, honors vs. non-honors …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of An Intervention Mathematics Class For Low Achieving Middle School Students In Northwest Georgia, Johnnie Coats

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

High-stakes testing has become crucial in public education, requiring students to meet increasingly higher standards, regardless of their ability levels. This causal-comparative study sought to determine the effectiveness of an intervention mathematics course in the middle school setting for at-risk, sixth grade students. The Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) math scores of 143 at-risk students enrolled in a remediation mathematics course were compared to scores from a control population of 143 at-risk students who did not participate in the class. Math scores from the 2008 administration of the CRCT test were used as covariates, and comparisons were made using …

A Comparison Of Two Job Offers In Mathematics Education, Ryan Andrew Nivens

ETSU Faculty Works

Many job seekers in higher education are unaware of how large a discrepancy there can be in terms of financial potential for mathematics education jobs in higher education. Recent research on this topic has focused on the base salary (Reys, Reys, & Estapa, 2013), but other financial factors have been left unstudied. Through two cases, the researcher demonstrates a large gap that exists in net pay when major financial factors beyond base salary are considered, specifically insurance and retirement benefits. This article will spur conversations among faculty and graduate students in mathematics education doctoral programs allowing mentors to draw from …

Teacher-Student Relationships And Student Achievement In Grades Six And Seven Math, Julia Britt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study analyzed the effect of teacher-student relationships on the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) math scores for grades six and seven. Data were studied to determine if an increase in student achievement was related to the often-overlooked interpersonal human relationships between teachers and students. The researcher expected to find a correlation between positive teacher-student relationships and an increase in standardized test scores. The researcher analyzed the data of student scores in rural middle school mathematics' class and teacher characteristics to determine if a relation existed between student achievement and positive teacher-student relationships. The American version of the Questionnaire on …

Social Mathworking: The Effects Of Online Reflection On Algebra I Students' Sense Of Community And Perceived Learning, Patricia Allanson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine if online reflections through social networking affect students' sense of community and levels of perceived conceptual learning in Algebra I courses. Social constructivism, connectivism, and computer-mediated communication in relation to reflective practices form the theoretical and practical framework for the use of Web 2.0 technologies in this investigation. A quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group design was used to examine Algebra I students' sense of community as measured by the Sense of Classroom Community Index, and perceived learning as measured by Perceived Learning Instrument. The sample consisted of 27 Algebra I students at a …

Upward Bound Math-Science At Umass Boston, Terri Slater

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Upward Bound Math-Science (UBMS) strives to increase the number of low-income and first-generation college bound students who enroll in and complete higher education programs, majoring in mathematics, the sciences, and computer science. UBMS aims to increase the number who pursues advanced study in these fields. UBMS serves students enrolled in the six academies that comprise the Lawrence High School Complex.

What Can Stem Educators Learn From A Teacher Induction Program? A Study Of Science And Mathematics Teachers’ Reflections On Teaching And Learning, Sheryl Mcglamery, Saundra Shillingstad

Teacher Education Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Research completed to date confirms that beginning science and mathematics teachers face many challenges, and must master numerous areas of teaching skill in order to demonstrate competence in teaching. Most will face the initial year of practice with little or no access to an induction program targeting their content areas (Luft, 2009). Research further suggests that science and math teachers left without critically needed guidance, a comprehensive induction program could provide, often develop practices that do not allow their students to participate in inquiry activities (e.g. labs, simulations, problem solving, research projects ( Luft, Roehrig, & Patterson, 2003). Instead the …

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

Annual Celebration of Student Scholarship and Creativity

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 …

The Relationship Between Music Participation And Mathematics Achievement In Middle School Students, Joshua Boyd

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A comparative analysis was used to study the results from a descriptive survey of selected middle school students in Grades 6, 7, and 8. Student responses to the survey tool was used to compare multiple variables of music participation and duration of various musical activities, such as singing and performing on instruments, to the mathematics results from Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (Georgia Department of Education, 2011. The results were analyzed with the use of the Pearson r correlation coefficient. The intensity of relationships was assessed with analysis of variance (ANOVA). A final t-test of means was conducted to compare the …

Translating Mathematics Efficacy, Gabriel T. Matney, Yupadee Panarach, Jack Jackson

School of Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

This paper presents our work in translating the Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Instrument (MTEBI) from English to Thai and our resulting initial investigation with 262 Thai pre-service teachers. The MTEBI underwent confirmatory factor analysis indicating two independent scales of Personal Mathematics Teaching Efficacy and Mathematics Teaching Outcome Expectancy (Enochs, Smith, Huinker, 2000). The translation process occurred over several meetings between two US educators and one Thai educator. To check for reliability the instrument was translated into Thai and back translated into English.

Preparing K-10 Teachers Through Common Core For Reasoning And Sense Making, Jonathan Bostic, Gabriel T. Matney

School of Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

There looms an uncertainty about the Common Core State Standards for mathematics for many teachers. Teachers have indicated that they want professional development (PD) focused on learning about the new standards (Bostic & Matney, in press). This manuscript describes PD programs for K-10 mathematics teachers and offers results from one activity aimed to help teachers unpack the Standards for Mathematical Practice (SFMP). Four major themes arose from interpretive analysis of teachers’ perceptions of the SFMP. These findings suggest (1) the PD supported teachers to make sense of the SFMP and (2) teachers may have misperceptions about the SFMP that require …

A Framework For Categorising Mobile Applications In Mathematics Education, Boris Handal, Joe El-Khoury, Chris Campbell, Michael Cavanagh

Education Conference Papers

New learning technologies have brought fresh challenges to teachers in selecting appropriate educational resources, particularly in regards to mobile devices. There are an impressive number of educational mobile learning applications, more commonly known as apps, that teachers need to understand before integrating them into the classroom. To make this process more effective, educational apps can be categorised according to their specific role in the teaching and learning of mathematics along with their media richness. A framework of nine distinct categories of apps emerged, grouped into three main clusters, namely, investigative, productivity and instructive tools. The framework was validated with examples …

Looking At The Workplace Through Mathematical Eyes, John Keogh

Doctoral

This thesis is concerned with the idea that people may know more about mathematics than they think they do and rely on it more than they realize, especially in work. That they more readily account for what they ‘do’, dismissing what they ‘know’ as ‘commonsense’ or ‘part of the job’, seems to extend a self-perception of not ‘being a maths person’ and permits it to be transmitted within families, across generations and throughout communities. At the same time, the pervasiveness of modern technology, and the proliferation of information represented in mathematical shapes, patterns, relationships, quantities and chance, would seem to …

Research Briefs: Improving College Students' Attitudes Toward Mathematics, Georgia Southern University

Research Briefs (2012-2019)

• Improving College Students’ Attitudes Toward Mathematics

Math Education At Its Prime?, Natalie Benet

Senior Honors Theses

Three main problems with current math education are negative mindsets toward math, the lagging comparison with advanced education in other countries, and ill-equipped teachers and school systems. The consequences of these problems have impacted math education by convincing students that they do not need to try at math, filling countless classrooms with ill-qualified teachers, and overall lowering the quality of U.S. math education compared to the education of rest of the world. In order to correct these problems and reverse the present and future consequences, the quality of math education must be increased. This can be done by changing the …