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Theses/Dissertations

2009

Brigham Young University

Mathematics education

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Full-Text Articles in Education

The Influence Of Risk Taking On Student Creation Of Mathematical Meaning: Contextual Risk Theory, Erin Nicole Houghtaling Jun 2009

The Influence Of Risk Taking On Student Creation Of Mathematical Meaning: Contextual Risk Theory, Erin Nicole Houghtaling

Theses and Dissertations

The primary concerns of mathematics educators are learning and teaching mathematics. It is, therefore, natural to ask "what implications and benefits might there be if learning were perceived as a risk-taking event?" (Atkinson, 1957, p. 266). The underlying motivation of this study is to analyze the risks students take in the mathematics classroom and how risk influences student creation of meaning and development of understanding. I define risk in the mathematics classroom to be any observable act that entails uncertain outcome. The research presented here focuses on a table of four students: Andrew, Carina, Kam, and Mark as they grapple …


Uncovering Transformative Experiences: A Case Study Of The Transformations Made By One Teacher In A Mathematics Professional Development Program, Rachelle Myler Orsak Mar 2009

Uncovering Transformative Experiences: A Case Study Of The Transformations Made By One Teacher In A Mathematics Professional Development Program, Rachelle Myler Orsak

Theses and Dissertations

Effective professional development is vital for improving mathematics teaching (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM], 2007), so studying effective professional development programs is important to the field of mathematics education. This case study presents findings on one teacher, Rebecca, and her experiences in a five-semester mathematics professional development for elementary teachers. The participants in this professional development engaged in collaborative problem solving of challenging mathematical tasks over extended periods of time. I used qualitative research methods based on grounded theory methodology (Charmaz, 2006) to analyze Rebecca's entrance and exit surveys, video data of Rebecca's individual interviews, and video data …