Education Commons^™

Judith Shakespeare's Problem : Ssing Timss To Examine Contextual Indicators In Girls' Mathematics Achievement, Elizabeth Ann S. Kelly

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Using the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study Data (TIMSS) 2015 dataset, this study examines 30 different contextual indicators to determine significant predictors of girls’ mathematics achievement globally. The study design employs three nested levels in the hierarchical linear model (individual, classroom, and nation) to analyze cross-national scores and responses to the contextual questionnaires. Additionally, the focus is on girls as a standalone, independent population, not in comparison to boys. This research seeks to understand at which level of society the most variability is found, as well as analyze the comparative effect sizes of various explanatory contextual predictors within …

Exploring Teachers’ Beliefs And Practices On Mathematical Discourse For Diverse Students In Inclusive Classrooms, Gloria A. Carcoba Falomir

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The recent implementation of rigorous standards in mathematics education has required shifts in classroom practices. Standards-based instruction places large emphasis on students’ conceptual understanding, requiring them to demonstrate high cognitive levels of mastery of the content through communication of their mathematical reasoning. Teachers and students’ mathematical discursive practices in the classroom can lead to meaningful discussions that integrate students’ explanation, justification, and arguments of ideas or claims and understanding of the content. Research on teachers’ discursive practices has shown that (a) teacher talk tends to dominate classroom instruction and (b) classroom discourse lacks frequent opportunities for teacher-student and peer interactions. …

A Case Study On Targeted Support Using Tpack Model For Newly Hired Secondary Mathematics Teachers, Kristin Leigh Mckitrick-Rojas

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

As teachers plan for instruction, technology integration is an important factor in the planning and implementation process. This is become imperative in a virtual learning environment for instructors to be competent (Gregory & Lodge, 2015). Problems exist with integrating technology that aligns with teaching and learning in content areas. Among the many possible factors that contribute to these problems is lack of understanding of technology, lack of support for teachers with technology, everchanging technology tools, inadequate training alignment to instruction, technology training that is not content-specific, lack of support with the integration of technology, pedagogy, and content (Koehler et al., …

Entrepreneurship Education Relation To Mathematical Proficiency Amongst Secondary Youth, Mariam Abdelhamid

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Mathematical aptitude in the United States has been a concern over the past few decades, not only from an international perspective but from a student proficiency perspective. This phenomenon is also further negatively impacted due to COVID-19 associated learning loss. Correspondingly, there are calls for students to develop entrepreneurial skills to thrive in the 21st century economy. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine whether participation in an entrepreneurship class was related to mathematical proficiency (Algebra II) in high school. Data on students from two school districts were used, consisting of 2,741 and 1,172 Algebra II students in …

Delivering On A Promise: A Longitudinal Cohort Study Of Emergent Bilinguals' Academic Achievement In A Utah Dual Language Program, J. Eric Campbell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Emergent bilingual (EB) students are a growing population in the U.S. school system currently comprising over 10% of the total population. U.S. school districts have educated EB students using a myriad of practices, including dual language immersion (DLI). Many studies have looked at the academic achievement of native-Spanish speaking EB students, yet there is a dearth of research on DLI in medium-sized school districts in rural settings. This study focused on native-Spanish speaking EB students in a DLI program in a rural Utah district. Specifically, the study compared student academic achievement in English acquisition, English language arts, mathematics, and grade …

Children's Mathematical Engagement Based On Their Awareness Of Different Coding Toys' Design Features, Joseph S. Kozlowski

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Tangible coding toys have been promulgated as useful learning tools for young children to learn computer science and mathematics concepts and skills. Although research shows coding toys can support mathematics for early childhood aged children, little is known about the specific design features of coding toys that afford mathematical thinking concepts and skills to young children. The purpose of this study was to examine kindergarten-aged children’s awareness of the design features in coding toys and to understand how those design features afford children’s engagement with mathematics. The dataset used for this study was collected as part of design-based research NSF …

How To Guard An Art Gallery: A Simple Mathematical Problem, Natalie Petruzelli

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

The art gallery problem is a geometry question that seeks to find the minimum number of guards necessary to guard an art gallery based on the qualities of the museum’s shape, specifically the number of walls. Solved by Václav Chvátal in 1975, the resulting Art Gallery Theorem dictates that ⌊n/3⌋ guards are always sufficient and sometimes necessary to guard an art gallery with n walls. This theorem, along with the argument that proves it, are accessible and interesting results even to one with little to no mathematical knowledge, introducing readers to common concepts in both geometry and graph …

Using Video Recordings To Support Meaningful Reflection Of Mathematical Teaching Practices, David Scalzo

Honors Theses

The practice of teaching mathematics is a skill that can be continually built upon. In order to maximize the effectiveness of one’s math lessons, it is essential that they become a reflective teacher. This project explains the importance of reflecting on mathematical teaching practices, then outlines the steps I have taken to start becoming a reflective teacher. Video recordings working with math are included as part of the project, which are used as the material I reflect about.

Mathematical Analysis Of An Sir Disease Model With Non-Constant Transmission Rate, Emma Bollinger, Tayler Valdez, Swarup Ghosh, Sunil Giri

Student Research

• Epidemiology: A branch of medicine that studies causes, transmission, and control methods of diseases at the population level.
• Mathematical epidemiology deals with creating a model for a disease through the study of incidence and distribution of the disease throughout a population.
• Here, we have examined the behavior of a measles-like disease[2] that is characterized by a non-constant transmission rate.

Parental Involvement - Investigating The Roles, Barriers, And Strategies Of Effective Parent-Teacher Relationships In Middle School Math, Praise-El K. Pelemo

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this single-instrument qualitative case study was to investigate the roles, barriers, and strategies for effective parent-teacher relationships in middle school mathematics. The focus of this study was the accounts of three parents of middle school mathematics students in independent schools and three middle school math teachers in independent schools on their perception of roles, barriers, and strategies that increase or reduce building effective partnerships. Audio recorded semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather details about participants' lived experiences. The goal of the research was to gain knowledge on current parent, teacher, and school practices on parental involvement and …

Supplementing Math Instruction In The Elementary Classroom With Cognitively Guided Instruction (Cgi), Wai Yang

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Education in the United States has long used the traditional written algorithm for math. In other countries around the world with high student achievement on international math assessments, different approaches to math instruction are taken. Cognitively guided instruction (CGI) in math is one of the alternative approaches to teaching math in American classrooms. Teachers may sometimes avoid implementing different math instruction approaches in their profession. This capstone sought to answer the research question, How can cognitively guided instruction (CGI) in math supplement current math in the elementary classroom? The result is a collection of nine lessons that address the research …

Motivation In Online Course Design: Action Research Using A Self-Determination Theory-Based Mathematics Unit To Improve Students’ Autonomy, Competence, And Relatedness, Emily Rose Shank

Theses and Dissertations

Strong mathematics achievement is lacking in the United States, with motivation waning especially among mathematics and online students. Online mathematics students, in particular, struggle with self-regulation and self-efficacy (Kim, 2012; Sun & Rueda, 2012). Ryan and Deci (2017), in their well-established and empirical self-determination theory, contended that satisfying the psychological needs of autonomy (involving self-regulation), competence (involving self-efficacy), and relatedness (involving a sense of belonging) creates a suitable environment for integrated extrinsic and intrinsic motivation to thrive. The purpose of this action research was to create and implement a self-determination theory-based online unit on factoring polynomials for mathematics students at …

Teaching Growth Mindset In A Secondary Mathematics Classroom, Katherine Sneider

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Carol Dweck’s research in fixed and growth mindsets has garnered attention in mathematics education, especially as the frustration of students of mathematics becomes more apparent with new or more difficult content. The literature review and subsequent project seeks to answer the question: How can teaching high school students about growth mindset affect their attitudes toward mathematics learning and academic achievement? Research demonstrates that students with a growth mindset perform better academically than students with a fixed mindset. While these mindsets may be more inherent in nature, students have the potential to develop a growth mindset through classroom learning and skill …

The Impact Of Altering Physical And Human Components In Middle School Mathematics Classes On Assessment Performance, Raina Quinnell

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

"Abstract This action research report explores classroom environment interventions used to improve mathematics assessment scores and the effects of anxiety on those scores. This paper identifies that to increase academic performance on math assessments, a person should consider physical and human components, whether it is within the physical movement in the classroom, teacher-student proximity, or student self-assessment (e.g., attitude, growth mindset, focus/engagement). This research also suggests that teachers and students need to be relieved of the negative effects of pressure in a school’s testing culture. The conclusion gathered from this research suggests that students benefit from increased movement during assessments …

Effects Of Actively Involving Students With Ieps In The Progress Monitoring Process, Kelly Adams

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Special education teachers are trying many ways to help students with IEPs achieve their goals. This action research study looks at one way educators might do that with the involvement of students with IEPs in the progress monitoring process, specifically students with math goals. Instead of having the progress monitoring process as something done to them, students with disabilities were encouraged to take an active role by goal setting, getting feedback, reflecting, and graphing their scores. The five fifth-grade students that this study followed showed signs of growth over the six weeks of this intervention. The findings of this action …

Mindset, Stereotype Threat, And The Fear Of Failure: Why Female Students Leave A Secondary High Honors Mathematics Pathway, Annabelle Merg

Theses and Dissertations

The disproportionate attrition of female students in STEM is well documented in higher education but less well understood at the secondary level. In a large, public high school in an affluent, highly educated city, the high honors mathematics pathway is the only math pathway that has not yet achieved gender parity, an implication for future educational and economic equity. Female students leave this pathway at significantly higher rates than male students, especially during and immediately after the first course. Through an explanatory, mixed methods approach, this study found that these female students are not less well prepared than their male …

Open-Ended Problems: How Much Time Is Enough Time?, Kaitlyn Solymosi

Honors Projects

The purpose of this action research is to observe and analyze students’ responses to open-ended questions, examine student engagement in assessment, and to gauge a reasonable timetable of how long students are predicted to work through them. A great amount of research has been conducted regarding the benefits and impact of open-ended problems in K-12 classrooms, but very little research has focused on the proper amount of time that should be allotted for them. This action research aims to establish a general rule for determining the proper amount of time allotted for open-ended problems. Implications for mathematics teachers will be …

Connecting The “Real-World” To The Math Classroom: Implementing Professional Development For Mathematical Modeling, Rejoice Akapame

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This qualitative research study focused on the changes in classroom pedagogy and content of rural mathematics teachers who engaged in a year-long professional development project focused on mathematical modeling. During a 2-week summer institute, teachers solved mathematical modeling problems as learners and then went through an iterative design process of creating, testing and refining lessons for classroom implementation. The lessons were implemented during the academic year. Results of this study indicate that teachers developed a willingness to move from traditional lecture and replication as the main form of pedagogy. Instead they incorporated more group tasks, alternate assessments, and created their …

Examining Small-Group Discourse Through The Lens Of Students’ Beliefs About Mathematics And The Instructional Triangle, Jennifer Ericson

Doctoral Dissertations

Standards-based mathematics instruction [SBMI], with opportunities to engage in high-quality mathematical discourse about meaningful tasks, leads to increased student achievement. However, not all students participate in mathematical discourse with high-quality. Esmonde & Langer-Osuna (2013) found that students participate in discourse with various degrees of engagement based upon individual beliefs. Boaler (2006b) found that SBMI in a detracked setting improves students’ beliefs about mathematics. The purpose of this descriptive case study was to illustrate the phenomenon of incongruent written curricula commitments across grade bands in a school district by examining small-group discourse and students’ mathematical related beliefs. This study compared students’ …

Exploration Of Piccirillo's Trick On Low Crossing Number Knots, Gabriel Adams

Honors Theses

Piccirillo recently discovered a process that can be applied to an unknotting number one knot to convert it into a different knot called a Piccirillo dual. Piccirillo duals have been shown to have the same n-trace and the same sliceness. However, exploration and knowledge of this process is limited. We were able to generate the Piccirillo duals for several low-crossing number knots. We offer the foundation for and explain how to follow the Piccirillo process and generate Piccirillo duals. This talk assumes little knowledge of knot theory and concisely gives newcomers a clear introduction to get started working with Piccirillo …

The Relationship Of Instructional Time On High School Students' Mathematical Achievement In The State Of New Jersey, Natalie Diaz

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This non-experimental quantitative study sought to analyze the relationship between instructional time and high school students' mathematical achievement as measured by the 2019 New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA) for Algebra 1. In addition to determining to which extent the district factor groups (DFGs) affect the relationship between instructional time on the performance of high school students on the 2019 New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA) for Algebra 1 when controlling for staff, student, and school variables. The 2018–2019 NJDOE Performance Report provided the variables used in this study. The unit of analysis was public high schools in New Jersey …

Evaluation Of The Availability And Utilization Status Of Texts In Core Subjects In Primary Schools’ Libraries, Valentine Joseph Owan, Daniel Clement Agurokpon, Abahcham V. Owan

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study evaluated primary texts' availability and utilisation status in core subjects (English Language, Mathematics, Social Studies and Basic Science) in primary schools’ libraries in Obubra Local Government Area of Cross River State. The researchers formulated six null hypotheses to guide the study. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. The target population of this study comprised a total of 30,036 teachers and pupils, distributed across the 73 public primary schools. A proportionate stratified sampling technique was used to select 30% and 5% of the available teachers and pupils in each school, resulting in a sample of 270 respondents. …

A Systematic Review Of Research Syntheses For Students With Mathematics Learning Disabilities And Difficulties, Gena Nelson, Angela Crawford, Jessica Hunt

Early and Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this document is to provide readers with the coding protocol that authors used to code 36 research syntheses (including meta-analyses, evidence-based reviews, and quantitative systematic reviews) focused on mathematics interventions for students with learning disabilities (LD), mathematics learning disabilities (MLD), and mathematics difficulties (MD). The purpose of the systematic review of mathematics intervention syntheses was to identify patterns and gaps in content areas, instructional strategies, effect sizes, and definitions of LD, MLD, and MD. We searched the literature for research syntheses published between 2000 and 2020 and used rigorous inclusion criteria in our literature review process. We …

Discussion Of Educational Philosphy For Elementary Math Educators, Daniel Kurzweil

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Physical Education On Students’ Performance Outcomes In Mathematics, Ryan Thomas Cox

Theses and Dissertations

Research studies have suggested that students who participate in daily physical activity and who are more physically fit may have improved academic achievement scores. However, pressures on school districts to improve students’ academic achievement in core course areas such as math, science, and English have put less emphasis on courses such as physical education. School districts around the country have eliminated and/or have lessened the amount of physical activity students receive during the school day. This study examined the impact of time of physical education and difference in 9th-grade students’ math achievement scores in their Algebra course and outcomes on …

Seventh Grade Mathematics Results In A Standards-Based Learning Environment: Examining Teacher Collaboration And Leadership, Demetria C. Moon

Dissertations and Theses

The pressure on schools to improve student performance in middle school mathematics combined with the movement towards standards-based instruction leaves teachers searching for the most effective instructional practice and administration examining their role in improvement efforts. This study examines the effect on student achievement in middle school mathematics as a function of the quality of teacher collaboration interacting with administration presence during collaboration. This study used a quantitative research design in which seventh-grade mathematics teachers from two different middle schools in the same district with similar demographics taught the same standards-based unit of study and administered a common summative assessment …

A Systematic Review Of Treatment Acceptability In Mathematics Instruction For Students With Learning Disabilities, Gena Nelson, Andrea Johnson, Mali Sawyer

Early and Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Treatment acceptability is an aspect of social validity that refers to participants’ beliefs and perceptions about the intervention, such as the helpfulness of the strategies or the interventions’ efficacy to improve performance. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of treatment acceptability measures administered during mathematics interventions for students with learning disabilities (LD). We sought to identify the characteristics of the measures and the treatment acceptability outcomes. To be included in this review, studies had to (a) focus on testing the effectiveness of a mathematics intervention, (b) include preschool through 12th grade students who were diagnosed …

Connecting Weirdness And Wonder To Mathematics, Elizabeth Basile, Deborah H. Mcmurtrie, Bridget K. Coleman

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

Middle school students are weird and wonderful. Why not bring some of that weirdness and wonder into the mathematics classroom? Effective teachers of mathematics can create a culture of engagement, curiosity, and collaboration in mathematics instruction by presenting “weird” problems (as opposed to word problems) and giving students opportunities to explore their wonderings. Inspired by “the bizarreness effect,” the problems presented here are infused with humor and designed to intrigue young adolescents.

A Tale Of Four Departments: Interdisciplinary Faculty Learning Communities Informing Mathematics Education, Bryan D. Poole, Caroline Maher-Boulis, John Hearn, Jason Robinson, Patricia Mcclung, Amanda Jones

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

As a result of the Curriculum Foundations Project and the SUMMIT-P consortium, faculty from four different departments at Lee University created a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) with the goal of improving students’ attitudes toward undergraduate mathematics courses, including students’ perception of the utility of mathematics in their lives and the feelings of anxiety that they experience in these courses. The interdisciplinary collaborations resulted in introducing novel activities and manipulatives in various mathematics courses (Introduction to Statistics, Concepts of Mathematics I and II, and Algebra for Calculus). This paper first describes the efforts of creating the inter-departmental FLC. Second, it discusses …

Using An Interdisciplinary Case Study To Incorporate Quantitative Reasoning In Social Work, Nursing, And Mathematics, Elizabeth Post, Mischelle Stone, Lauren Cavner Williams, Mary Beaudry

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Through the national consortium, SUMMIT-P, Ferris State University faculty collaborated to develop and scaffold mathematics and quantitative reasoning across disciplines to reduce math anxiety. Participants in this collaborative group included faculty from social work, nursing, and mathematics who developed a case study on a Hurricane Katrina scenario that necessitated calculating the need for emergency shelter, water, food, and medicine, and as a response to the potential for a Malaria outbreak. This particular case study allowed faculty to use the lens of social justice to teach mathematical concepts and provided an avenue for nursing and social work students to engage in …