Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

A Longitudinal Analysis Of Pathways To Computing Careers: Defining Broadening Participation In Computing (Bpc) Success With A Rearview Lens, Mercy Jaiyeola

Theses and Dissertations

Efforts to increase the participation of groups historically underrepresented in computing studies, and in the computing workforce, are well documented. It is a national effort with funding from a variety of sources being allocated to research in broadening participation in computing (BPC). Many of the BPC efforts are funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) but as existing literature shows, the growth in representation of traditionally underrepresented minorities and women is not commensurate to the efforts and resources that have been directed toward this aim.

Instead of attempting to tackle the barriers to increasing representation, this dissertation research tackles the …

The Impact Of Project-Based Learning On Students In High School Chemistry In Rural Maine, Brianna Degone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Project-based learning (PBL) is an instructional strategy that is promoted throughout education for its use of active learning and ability to connect to real-world applications. Studies have been conducted on PBL ranging from early elementary grades through graduate courses, however little research considers the effectiveness of PBL at the secondary science level. This thesis considers the use of PBL and describes the implementation of a PBL unit in a rural Maine 11th grade chemistry classroom. The thesis aims to better understand the impact PBL has on students’ content learning and additional skills acquired through the PBL learning process. Along with …

What Do General And Organic Chemistry Students Consider When Making Decisions About Acids And Bases? A Phenomenographic Study, Sarah Wood

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Chemistry students often struggle in organic chemistry courses. In fact, these courses are viewed by some as “weed-out” classes. There are many fundamental concepts covered in general chemistry that contribute to students’ ability to succeed in organic chemistry. One of those fundamental topics, and the focus of this study, is the topic of acids and bases. Acid–base topics are featured in both general and organic chemistry courses, and the interests of this study lie not only within the realm of organic chemistry but also general chemistry.

The purpose of this study was to determine both undergraduate general and organic chemistry …

An Investigation Of Students' Use And Understanding Of Evaluation Strategies, Abolaji R. Akinyemi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One expected outcome of physics instruction is that students develop quantitative reasoning skills, including evaluation of problem solutions. To investigate students’ use of evaluation strategies, we developed and administered tasks prompting students to check the validity of a given expression. We collected written (N>673) and interview (N=31) data at the introductory, sophomore, and junior levels. Tasks were administered in three different physics contexts: the velocity of a block at the bottom of an incline with friction, the electric field due to three point charges of equal magnitude, and the final velocities of two masses in an elastic collision. Responses …

The Activity Of Abstraction In Physical Chemistry Problem Solving And Instruction, Jessica M. Karch

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Productive problem solving, concept construction, and sense making occur through the core process of abstraction. Although the capacity for domain-general abstraction is developed at a young age, the role of abstraction in increasingly complex and disciplinary environments, such as those encountered in undergraduate STEM education, is not well understood. Undergraduate physical chemistry relies particularly heavily on abstraction because it uses many overlapping and imperfect mathematical models to represent and interpret phenomena occurring on multiple scales. To reconcile these models, extract meaning from them, and recognize when to apply them in problem solving requires processes of abstraction. This dissertation aims to …

Riverology: Promoting Stewardship Of Rivers Through Youth Participation In Science And Art, Robin R. Dunbar

Institute for the Humanities Theses

This project focuses on mentoring children to help reduce marine debris in their local river by implementing one of ten lessons from an inquiry-based Riverology curriculum to empower youth voice, increase geo-literacy, and spatial thinking. Eighteen participants aged seven and eight, piloted Riverology Lesson 2: What Do I Know or Imagine about the Elizabeth River? that includes six steps: inquire, visualize, draw, share, act, and reflect. The children were asked to make drawings before and after viewing an Elizabeth River Story Map presentation (Dunbar, 2021a). The drawings were then compared to see if the participants included marine debris, stewardship solutions, …

The Impact Of Service-Learning On General Chemistry Ii Students At The University Of Nebraska At Omaha, Kayla Rud

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Service-learning has been shown to enhance academic and leadership skills while promoting community engagement and exposing students to different career opportunities (Esson et al., 2005). While the benefits of service-learning courses are clear, few STEM courses include service-learning components (Esson et al., 2005). Here, students in a totally online 2nd semester UNO chemistry course completed a service-learning project where they remotely led a live, inquiry-based STEM activity for Girl Scouts. To quantify the impact of service-learning on professional development, future career plans, and future volunteerism, a series of pre and post surveys were administered. Paired-sample t-tests revealed a statistically significant …

Exploring The Division Algorithm In Euclidean Domains With Exploding Dots, Nicholas Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

We will give an overview of the representation of place value and arithmetic known as Exploding Dots and use this idea to explore the division algorithm. It is well-known that the ring of integers, the ring of polynomials, and the ring of Gaussian integers are all examples of Euclidean domains and therefore possess a division algorithm. Exploding Dots beautifully illustrates how one can perform division in any base and how this naturally leads us to division of polynomials. We will show how this same idea of having a “base machine” can be used to perform division in the Gaussian integers. …

Examining Virtual Mathematics Instruction: A Comparative Case Study Of In-Service Elementary Teachers With Mathematics Anxiety And Mathematics Teaching Self-Efficacy, Telashay Swope-Farr

Theses and Dissertations

Mathematics Anxiety (MA) and Mathematics Teaching Self-Efficacy (MTSE) have been reported as factors related to teachers’ mathematics instruction. This study investigated MA and MTSE in in-service elementary teachers’ virtual mathematics instruction. A comparative case study design was used to understand the relationship between MA, MTSE, and their virtual mathematics instructional practices. Two in-service elementary teachers from an urban public charter school district in a large metropolitan city in the Midwest participated. I employed qualitative methods to examine the results from the Abbreviated Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (AMAS), an adapted version of a researcher-developed instrument called the Mathematics Teaching and Mathematics …

Secondary Teachers’ Noticing Of Students’ Mathematical Thinking As They Participate In A Professional Development Program Centered On Task-Based Student Interviews, Gurkan Kose

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Teacher’s noticing of students’ mathematical thinking has been an important focus of research in the past two decades (e.g., Jacobs et al., 2010; Sherin et al., 2011). Noticing matters, but it is not an end in itself (Schoenfeld, 2011). It is operationalized within the context of teachers’ dispositions and knowledge which shape decisions teachers make while responding to student thinking and planning the next instructional steps. In order for teachers to adapt productive beliefs about how children learn and shift to student-centered instruction, they need to acknowledge the importance of understanding students' existing conceptions of mathematical ideas (Carpenter & Lehrer, …

A Unique, Project-Based, Microcourse To Teach The Fundamental Concepts Of Quantum Mechanics, Elijah Begin

Honors Theses

Spyder, a Scientific Python Development Environment, provides an easy-to-use software that can be used to generate data from quantum mechanical systems. This project proposes and explores a microcourse which takes advantage of this utility to teach undergraduates the fundamentals of quantum mechanics.

Investigating Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Virginia Computer Science Standards Of Learning: A Qualitative Multiple Case Study, Valerie Sledd Taylor

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Computer science education is being recognized globally as necessary to better prepare students in all grade levels, K-12, for future success. As a result of this focus on computer science education in the United States and around the world, there is an increased demand for highly qualified teachers with content and pedagogical knowledge to successfully support student learning. As a result, there is a call to include and improve the computer science training offered to pre-service teachers in their educator preparation programs from methods courses to practicum and student teaching experiences. Thus, it is important to understand how pre-service teachers …

Non-Academic Support Math Faculty Members Provide In Developmental Accelerated And Corequisite Support Courses In California Community Colleges, David Vakil '92

Doctoral Dissertations

To guide practitioners of rapidly evolving developmental math reform in community colleges, this study surveyed California community college math faculty who taught accelerated developmental courses or corequisite support courses. The survey was conducted during the early implementation phase of both course types, during spring and fall 2018 terms. This study measured faculty’s self-reported provision of forms of non-academic support, frequency of implementation, and reasons faculty believed the support would help students succeed. The literature review guided grouping non-academic support into five forms: nurturing, helping students’ motivation, providing a growth mindset theory of intelligence, helping provide social integration, and helping to …

Proctoring And Apps In College Algebra, Cynthia M. Shelton

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

The pandemic forced more instructors and students to move to online learning. For the first time, many experienced a loosening of the reigns and were forced to allow students to submit non-proctored work. Many may have questioned what students really learned in the year 2020. Many college math course competencies emphasize procedures. Now that apps can do that for students, where does that leave math instructors? Additionally, online instruction has exploded over the last decade and has challenged the teaching of college mathematics. While online instruction opens the door to access, it does beg the question of whether students complete …

Evaluating Augmented Reality Tools For Physics Education, Corey Pittman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

While we are in the midst of a renaissance of interest in augmented reality (AR), there remain a small number of application domains that have seen significant development. One domain that often benefits from additional visualization capabilities is education, specifically physics and other sciences. This paper summarizes interviews with secondary school educators about their experience with AR and their most desired features. Three prototypes were created which were used to collect usability information from students and educators about their preferences for AR applications in their physics courses. Additionally, we introduce the concept of Environmental Integration, a novel method of defining …

Teacher Understanding Of Instructional Strategies In Elementary Mathematics, Erica Boatwright Glover

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Synergizing Elementary School (pseudonym) consistently experiences low state-required mathematics test scores in grades 3 and 4 below district and state proficiency rates in mathematics. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate what instructional practices used by Grade 3 and Grade 4 teachers are, aligned or not aligned, with research-based planning, standards-based instruction, attention to conditions of learning, and professional responsibilities of teachers to support students’ achievement in mathematics. This study's conceptual framework was grounded in Robert Marzano's model of teaching effectiveness called the focus teacher evaluation model. Data for this case study were gathered from semi-structured interviews …

The Case Of Environmental Education Of Children, Mary Greagan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Invasive species are one of the greatest threats to biodiversity. Humans are one of the most pervasive vectors of invasive species spread which can be accelerated through different behaviors and pathways as a result of a lack of education and understanding. One of the most effective management efforts undertaken to fight invasive species spread and prevent further infestations is through education and advocacy. Currently, there are several educational resources dedicated to invasive species history, identification, and prevention. These resources range from school curriculums created for State School systems, to regional and national toolkits that contain lessons, identification resources, and activities …

Analyzing Applied Calculus Student Understanding Of Definite Integrals In Real-Life Applications, Cody Hood

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

An individual’s knowledge of definite integrals can range from rote memorization to a strong foundational connection harkening back to its Riemann sum limit definition. In my research, I conducted seven task-based face-to-face interviews with Applied Calculus students. Through the use of real-life examples and guided reinvention, I analyzed ways in which these students, who all initially demonstrated rote memorization, could exhibit a Riemann sum based level of comprehension. This research was conducted in the confines of a student population with definite integral experience, but no formal instruction on limits. My results show that the lack of computational emphasis in class …