Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Agency Of In-Service Elementary Science Teachers During A Global Pandemic, Anica Miller-Rushing

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In-service teachers of science work with unique content and pedagogical experiences. Understanding teacher agency in these circumstances will help researchers understand the actions that these teachers take, actions that are consequential for shaping teaching patterns and supporting the development of students’ scientific practices. The purpose of this study was to understand how the agency of six elementary (K–5) in-service teachers was expressed discursively during a global pandemic. The teachers’ agency was qualitatively analyzed using a case study approach (Yin, 2012, 2017) that applied discourse analysis to identify the ways in which science teacher agency is conceptualized, afforded, and constrained through …

The Influence Of Professional Development Methods On Student Mathematics Performance In New Jersey Public Elementary Schools, Xanthy Karamanos

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This quantitative study was developed to determine the influence of professional development methods on student academic performance in elementary mathematics. The study also reviews the relationship between content that was delivered in professional development programs and student performance. Additionally, the research analyzes the difference in student math performance when professional development decisions are made by administrators versus a mixed group of stakeholders. An online survey was conducted to collect data from district- and school-level administrators in New Jersey public school districts that serve elementary students from grades three to six. The study includes representation from 11.4% of public school districts …

Descriptions Of Differentiated Instruction In Mathematics In A Title 1 School District, Sheril Bulley-Simpson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In an urban Title 1 school district, the average number of Grade 3-5 students who scored proficient or advanced on the state standardized assessment was 37.3% below Grade 3-5 students countywide and 19.4% below Grade 3-5 students statewide. Low mathematics scores may indicate a gap in practice that affects student achievement. The purpose of this descriptive case study was to examine teachers' descriptions of instructional strategies implemented to mediate instruction for students who struggle in mathematics. This study was based on the conceptual framework of Tomlinson's differentiated instruction (DI), a means of accommodating the varied ways that students learn. The …

Elementary Teachers' Affective Relationship With Mathematics And Its Influence On Mathematics Instruction, Kelly Kreitzer Sutton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a South Carolina school district, approximately 45% of 3rd-5th grade students performed poorly on the state mathematics test. K-5 teachers attended district training to improve mathematics instruction and content mastery, but the training omitted teachers' affective domain in teaching. Teachers' affective relationships with mathematics (ARM) affects content delivery, instructional decisions, and teachers' confidence levels and motivation. The purpose of this sequential mixed methods study was to investigate whether teachers' years of experience, grade levels taught, or past mathematics experiences influenced K-5 teachers' ARM, as measured by the ARM survey, and to explore teachers' perceptions of their ARM in instruction. …

Implementing Elementary School Next Generation Science Standards, Kathy Kennedy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards requires developing elementary teacher content and pedagogical content knowledge of science and engineering concepts. Teacher preparation for this undertaking appears inadequate with little known about how in-service Mid-Atlantic urban elementary science teachers approach this task. The purpose of this basic qualitative interview study was to explore the research questions related to perceived learning needs of 8 elementary science teachers and 5 of their administrators serving as instructional leaders. Strategies needed for professional growth to support learning and barriers that hamper it at both building and district levels were included. These questions were considered …

An Examination Of How One University Is Preparing Elementary And Middle Level Education Majors For Common Core Mathematics, Michelle Elizabeth Schwartze

Theses and Dissertations

In 2010 the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for mathematics and English Language Arts were introduced into K – 12 classrooms (Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2015b). The standards for mathematics focus on having students demonstrate and explain understanding more than the standards have in the past (Burns, 2013). McCallum (2011) divides the eight Standards for Mathematical Practice into four main themes: reasoning and explaining, modeling and using tools, seeing structure and generalizing, and overarching habits of mind of a productive mathematical thinker. These four themes encompass what a mathematics classroom should look like when utilizing the CCSS for mathematics. …

Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Affective Dispositions Toward Mathematics, Benjamin R. Mcdermott

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to measure and report pre-service elementary teachers' affective domain of productive disposition toward mathematics during the semester they were enrolled in a reform-based mathematics methods course. The study attempted to observe and report dynamic and enduring aspects of disposition as well as the perceived reasons for any changes, or lack thereof, in disposition. The rationale for focusing on disposition is related to Kilpatrick, Swafford, and Findell's (2001) inclusion of productive disposition as one of the five interdependent strands of the mathematical proficiency conceptual framework. Furthermore, it has been argued that dispositions develop at very …

An Investigation Of Teachers’ Noticing, Cognitive Demand, And Mathematical Knowledge For Teaching: Video Reflections In An Elementary Mathematics Context, Lorelei R. Coddington

CGU Theses & Dissertations

In the past decade, mathematics performance by all students, especially minority students in low socioeconomic schools, has shown limited improvement nationwide (NCES, 2011). Traditionally in the United States, mathematics has consisted of arithmetic and computational fluency; however, mathematics researchers widely believe that this method of instruction does not enhance the development of mathematical reasoning and ignores the research on students’ mathematical development (Blanton & Kaput, 2005; Stigler & Hiebert, 1999). Recommendations by the mathematics community are to broaden and strengthen teacher content knowledge in mathematics and to provide the pedagogical tools needed by teachers to extend their students’ thinking and …

The Impact Of Beliefs And Curricular Knowledge On Planning For Science: A Multisite Case Study Of Four Teachers, Jessica L. Horton

Doctoral Dissertations

This descriptive multisite case study details how the beliefs and curricular knowledge of four science teachers in a southeastern school district affected their planning for science instruction.

Through the analysis of interviews, think-aloud planning records for one unit of instruction, and related documentation, categories were identified and connections drawn to how their beliefs and knowledge influenced planning for instruction.

The four teachers in this study jointly expressed certain beliefs about how students best learn science. They expressed beliefs that students best learn science through hands-on activities, through discourse, and by building the student’s knowledge base. The teachers also expressed beliefs …