Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Establishing Construct Validity Of The Biology I Subject Area Testing Program In Mississippi, Christy Michelle Hollis Philippoff

Dissertations

Science education has undergone many revisions since it was permanently embedded in the country's educational curriculum at the end of the 19th century. Some of these revisions occurred as a direct result of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This legislation placed more accountability on schools than ever before by requiring that all students pass a series of standardized tests (USDE, 2010). High schools in Mississippi require four areas of standardized testing: English II, Algebra I, U.S. History, and Biology I (Wroten, 2008). The focus of this study is the Biology I Subject Area Test.

In an effort to …

Learning Middle School Mathematics Through Student Designed And Constructed Video Games, Camille M. Mccue

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Mathematics achievement is an area in which American precollege students are faltering. Emerging research suggests that making mathematics instruction relevant and applicable in the lives of youth may impact math achievement, especially when it capitalizes on high-interest technologies such as video games.

Employing a quasi-experimental and descriptive approach, this study examined the mathematics (i.e., numbers and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, and probability) that middle school students employed during their design and construction of video games. First, it examined the mathematics content learned by 19 sixth and seventh graders during their analysis, synthesis, and programming of three video game projects over …

Doing Science Their Way, Carol M. Giuriceo

Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview

From the perspective of social cultural anthropology employing the field research techniques of ethnography this study focuses on the experiences and perspectives of sixth grade girls in a moderately-sized East Coast city as they construct meaning through active engagement i a science classroom. The study analyzes the ways in which girls change roles and incorporate social interaction during science activities to create their own unique engagement in science.

The Effects Of Learning Groups On Student Achievement And Attitude In A Sixth Grade Mathematics Class, Jay Randall Mcguffin

All Graduate Projects

A handbook for implementing "Student Team Learning" as an alternative teaching strategy for middle level math teachers was developed after conducting extensive action research project within a sixth grade math classroom. A literature review on barriers to learning mathematics in middle schools and Student Team Learning as a teaching strategy was conducted. An action research project was conducted and from the pre to post-test data and best practices implementation regarding student team learning methods the handbook project was constructed. The handbook includes an introduction to Student Team Learning; guidelines for implementation; a student attitude survey; lesson practice questions, review sheets, …

The Impact Of Bilingual Treatment On The Math Skills Of Hispanic High School Algebra Students, Robert Kirk

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to measure the impact of instructional techniques in the Foundations of Algebra classroom to bridge linguistic barriers between Hispanic students and the language of teaching. Two consecutive years of failing to meet anticipated yearly growth among Hispanic students in Algebra I, as determined by the North Carolina End of Course exams, indicated a cognitive gap among these students when it comes to learning mathematics.

The writer developed an experiment to be delivered among 9 sections of Algebra in a North Carolina high school. The control group used Microsoft PowerPoint slides created for every lesson plan determined …

Inquiry-Based Laboratory Investigations And Student Performance On Standardized Tests In Biological Science, Usha Patke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Achievement data from the 3rd International Mathematics and Sciences Study and Program for International Student Assessment in science have indicated that Black students from economically disadvantaged families underachieve at alarming rates in comparison to White and economically advantaged peer groups. The study site was a predominately Black, urban school district experiencing underachievement. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between students' use of inquiry-based laboratory investigations and their performance on the Biology End of Course Test, as well as to examine the relationship while partialling out the effects of student gender. Constructivist theory formed the theoretical …

Science Scores In Title I Elementary Schools In North Georgia: A Project Study, Ramon Frias

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)'s emphasis of reading, language arts, and mathematics (RLA&M) and its de-emphasis of science has been a source of great concern among educators. Through an objectivist and constructionist framework, this study explored the unforeseen effects of the NCLB on public science education among Title I (TI) and non-Title I (NTI) students. The research questions focused on the effects of NCLB on Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) scores in the high-stakes subjects of reading, language arts, mathematics and the low stakes subject of science among TI and NTI 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students in …

Efficacy Of A Summer Intervention To Improve Gateway Mathematics Examination Scores, Arthur Wesley Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Less than 50% of students from an inner-city high school in a southeastern US state who took the GATEWAY mathematics exam (2001-2007) earned a passing score on the first attempt, prompting teachers at the school to begin a summer intervention program based on Bandura's Self Efficacy Theory, to help them succeed on a subsequent reexamination. The program featured (a) extended learning time, (b) mastery learning, (c) direct instruction, (d) single-sex grouping, and (e) teacher collaboration. A survey of recent scholarly literature indicated that these 5 characteristics positively impact student learning and performance. The goal was to increase student understanding of …