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Science and Mathematics Education Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Science and Mathematics Education

Interactive And Textbook Lessons In Science Instruction: Combining Strategies To Engage Students In Learning, Christina Puentes May 2007

Interactive And Textbook Lessons In Science Instruction: Combining Strategies To Engage Students In Learning, Christina Puentes

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Students in elementary classrooms are not receiving science instruction that is engaging and challenging. The review of the literature indicates that the way that the information is presented has more of an impact on the students than simply whether they comprehend the information. Studies show that hands-on science instruction allows success beyond the classroom, hands-on activities excite students about leaning and science in general, and that the hands-on activities create confidence in the children. Research also indicates that students who receive textbook based lessons earn scores similar to students who learn through hands-on lessons. This study explores the effects of …


Representations Of Fractions: Promoting Students’ Mathematical Understanding, Thomas Edward Hodges May 2007

Representations Of Fractions: Promoting Students’ Mathematical Understanding, Thomas Edward Hodges

Masters Theses

Representations of mathematical ideas serve as a foundation for understanding mathematical concepts. Using and translating among a variety of representations promotes deep conceptual understanding and connections between mathematics topics, in addition to providing contexts for more advanced mathematics concepts. The importance placed on mathematical representations led to an examination of sixth grade middle school mathematics textbooks’ representation of fraction concepts. The chapters included in this thesis represent a portion of the work completed during the examination and an example of how representations of fractions can impact topics in secondary mathematics.


Student Perceptions Of Interactive Whiteboards In A Biology Classroom, Christina Schut Jan 2007

Student Perceptions Of Interactive Whiteboards In A Biology Classroom, Christina Schut

Master of Education Research Theses

This qualitative study provides student perceptions of interactive whiteboard (IWB) use in a secondary biology classroom. The use of the IWB was alternated with the overhead on an ABAB and BABA design in two classrooms. The study was based on semi-structured interviews of thirty-six individuals, representing a sample of rural, high school students. Interview questions focused on three constructs: benefits, limitations, and suggestions for improvement. Analyzing the results ascertained that students found the IWB to be interesting because it was engaging and offered multimedia aspects. Students also reported the IWB to improve instruction through enhanced visuals and notes. Limitations and …


Journaling As A Test Preparatory Measure In Secondary Mathematics: Successful Student Strategies, Lloyd E. Nickerson Ii Jan 2007

Journaling As A Test Preparatory Measure In Secondary Mathematics: Successful Student Strategies, Lloyd E. Nickerson Ii

Master of Education Research Theses

This study examines a math journal writing assignment comparing how high school (grades 10 through 12) algebra students who performed well and students who performed poorly on traditional mathematics tests constructed their corresponding journal entries. Statistically significant differences found indicated that students who performed well on the tests were more likely to have originally composed the text and examples in their journal entries, and students who performed poorly were more likely to have copied much of the mathematical language and examples in their journal entries from their textbooks. Students who performed well on the test were also more likely to …


Students' Epistemological Beliefs Of Mathematics When Taught Using Traditional Versus Reform Curricula In Rural Maine High Schools, Glenn T. Colby Jan 2007

Students' Epistemological Beliefs Of Mathematics When Taught Using Traditional Versus Reform Curricula In Rural Maine High Schools, Glenn T. Colby

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study compared students’ epistemological beliefs of mathematics after completing 3 years of a reform-oriented curriculum developed by the Core-Plus Mathematics Project (CPMP) versus a more traditional curriculum developed by Glencoe Mathematics. The Conceptions of Mathematics Inventory (CMI; Grouws, Howald, & Colangelo, 1996) was administered to 11th-grade students in four rural Maine high schools (n=102) to measure student beliefs of mathematics. CPMP was used as the primary textbook series in 2 of the schools, while the other 2 schools used Glencoe Mathematics. A variation of the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP; Piburn & Sawada, 2000) and teacher questionnaires were used …