Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Walking Lightly On The Planet: A Curriculum Enrichment For The Pinelands Science Unit Of The Cherry Hill Environmental Education Residency Program On Pinelands Ecology, Elaine Ruth Miller

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis project is designed to produce written curriculum materials in Pinelands ecology. The written curriculum materials produced are intended to be implemented as part of the Pinelands Science Unit of the Cherry Hill Environmental Education Residency Program, also known as CHEER.

The written curriculum materials will include pre-trip, resident trip, and follow up assessment materials and activities that follow the given format for all Cherry Hill science units. The structure of such a program will allow, if desired, interdisciplinary coordination between science, math, English and ecology that correlate with the existing CHEER program. Through this experience it is expected …

Interactive Television In The Classroom: A Comparison Of Student Math Achievement Among Three Instructional Settings, Sherri L. Hodge-Hardin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A dramatic expansion of distance learning through the use of interactive television (ITV) is allowing colleges and universities to offer students potentially unlimited access to educational and training opportunities. While the expanding information age beckons us to consider mechanisms for using communication technologies for the benefit of meeting the needs of learners in a variety of locations, the question may be raised--Is ITV an effective medium of instruction? This study examined the effectiveness of using an interactive television system to broadcast developmental algebra classes at East Tennessee State University. The purpose of this study was to determine if there were …

A Comparison Of Kentwood Public Schools' Algebra Standards And The Ucsmp Algebra Objectives, Carol A. Farrer

Masters Theses

This paper compares the Standards written by Kentwood Public Schools in Kentwood, Michigan for its algebra course and the objectives of the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project Algebra textbook. The paper includes an examination of national recommendations and publications which influenced the authors of the UCSMP text and the national and state publications which influenced Kentwood's Mathematics Curriculum Committee. Lessons are provided for Kentwood's algebra teachers for the few instances where the objectives of the textbook do not meet the district's standards.

The Teachers' And Principals' Perceptions Of The Impact Of Operation Physics On The Teaching Of Elementary Science In Michigan Schools, Brenda Prater Earhart

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of Michigan Operation Physics (MOP) on the teaching and learning of basic physics concepts in the elementary classroom as perceived by both the teachers and principals of those teachers. In addition, the study sought to identify the teachers' and principals' perceptions of the principal's role in promoting science at the elementary level.

The method used for this study was survey research. Questionnaires were mailed to Michigan Operation Physics participants, non- Michigan Operation Physics participants, and the principals of those teachers in southwestern Michigan.

Findings of this study were that teachers' …

Journal Writing For College Students In A Developmental Mathematics Class, Mary Anne Dorofee

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to measure academic achievement in a developmental mathematics class through the use of journal writing. Twenty-seven college level students were part of the experiment. Two classes of "Introduction to College Math" were used. Their age levels ranged from students who had just graduated from high school to returning adults in their fifties. A variety of ethnic groups were represented in both classes. The experimental group consisted of eighteen students who kept a journal on various mathematics topics. The control group consisted of nine students and they did not keep a journal. The academic achievement …

A Course In Mathematics Appreciation, Daniel J. Kraft

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to create a mini-course in mathematics appreciation at the senior high school level.

The mathematics appreciation course would be offered as an elective to students in the 11th or 12th grade, who are concurrently enrolled in trigonometry or calculus.

The topics covered in the mathematics appreciation course include: systems of numeration, congruences, Diophantine equations, Fibonacci sequences, the golden section, imaginary numbers, the exponential function, pi, perfect numbers, numbers with shape, ciphers, magic squares, and root extraction techniques.

In this study, the student is exposed to mathematical proofs, where appropriate, and is encouraged to create …

A Study To Determine The Effects That Concrete Manipulatives Have On Mathematics Anxiety And Achievement, Nicholas R. Brian Simione

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this five week study was to test any effects that concrete manipulatives had on mathematics anxiety and achievement. Two groups of high school freshmen were selected. A control group (n = 23) was taught using traditional teaching methods of lecture-homework-review-test. An experimental group (n = 20) used concrete manipulatives to reinforce a lesson after it was introduced. Manipulatives replaced worksheets as the sole source of review.

To assess changes in mathematics anxiety in the experimental group, the adolescent version of the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS-A) was administered. The researcher used dependent t test procedures to determine …

The Database Management Course At Camden County College And The Effect On The Technological Needs Of Industry, Jennifer R. Lupo

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Database Management course at Camden County College to determine if it currently meets the needs of businesses in Camden County. A review of recent literature and the proposal of the Data Processing Management Association expressed that technological courses should be reviewed every two years. The researcher queried one hundred randomly chosen Camden County businesses and twenty-seven Camden County College Database Management students from the Spring, 1995 semester. Opinionnaires were mailed to local businesses and a survey was administered to the students. A comparison was made between industry's needs and the students' …

Computer Science Curriculum In The Community College: An Evaluative Study, Rosemary R. Boiano

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess the sufficiency of the Computer Studies curriculum at Camden County College in meeting the needs of its local job market.

A questionnaire was distributed to 106 computer-based businesses in southern New Jersey, northern Delaware, and the greater Philadelphia area. The purpose of the survey was twofold. it was first necessary to ascertain whether or not these businesses would hire individuals possessing an associate's degree in Computer Science and if so, how many such positions might they have available in any given year. The survey then questioned respondents about the individual needs of …

A Study To Determine The Effectiveness Of Various Factors In The Reduction Of Mathematics Anxiety, Mindy S. Hutter

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if increasing the amount of problem solving, journal writing, group work, and praise would decrease the level of mathematics anxiety experienced by eighth grade students. The forty-seven students involved included twenty-one average to below average students and twenty-six average to above average students. Both groups were pretested and posttested using the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale - A. During a six week period, class time contained a high concentration of problem solving, journal writing, group work, and praise. A dependent t test was used to analyze the results.

The conclusions showed a significant …

Perceptions Of Secondary School Mathematics Teachers On The Importance And Presence Of Elements Associated With Effective Staff Development, Paula L. Leo

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the importance and the actual practice of elements associated with effective staff development as perceived by Secondary School Mathematics Teachers. A questionnaire consisting of 24 statements was developed by the researcher after a review of the research on effective staff development practices.

An analysis, using the Pearson r correlation coefficient, found r values between -0.17 and 0.4 suggesting a moderate to low correlation between the perceived importance and actual practice of those elements of staff development.

In testing rho, to find the population correlation between perceived importance and perceived …

The Development Of A Unit On Fractal Geometry Appropriate For The High School Student, Ira A. Fine

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop a three week fractal geometry unit plan and analyze its success at the high school level. The researcher evaluated the research and literature related to fractal geometry and fractal geometry education suitable for the high school student. A fractal geometry unit plan was constructed. Topics covered in the unit plan included introductory concepts, the Koch curve, Sierpinski's triangle, coastline length, the chaos game, complex numbers, the Mandelbrot set and computer generated fractal images.

The unit plan was taught to three tenth grade honors geometry classes at Washington Township High School in Southern …

A Secondary Education Model Of An Applied Learning Health Occupations Program, Andrea Lee Chapman

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to develop an applied learning health occupations program model that encompassed interagency collaboration and partnership. The formal partnership in this project was established with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department and the Bethel School District. Initially the model was designed for implementation in the Bethel School District and eventually other school districts in the State of Washington. To accomplish this purpose, a review of current literature regarding the future workforce, applied learning and partnerships between schools, business and the community was conducted and related materials from inservice programs and conferences was reviewed and assessed.

Supplimental Activities/Lesson Plans For General Math, Jacklyn Sue Long

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of the project was to develop supplemental activities/lesson plans for ninth grade general mathematics. The activities/lesson plans make use of manipulatives, cooperative learning and real life situations. Some of the activities/ lesson plans are developed into projects.

Teaching Geometry In The Elementary Classroom, Virginia Lee Copper Rogers

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Mathematics Placement At A Community College, Bonnie E. Morris

Masters Theses

There are few recently documented effectiveness studies of locally designed math placement tests, while there are many that utilize a professionally designed test. All tests that are used in placement whether professionally designed or created by faculty need to conform to the same standards.; This research assimilates the current best knowledge of the qualities required of a math placement test. It delineates the procedures required in the creation and evaluation of a valid and reliable mathematics placement test by addressing a variety of issues. These include calculating difficulty and discrimination indexes, validating and setting cut scores, and evaluating test validity …

Mathematics Curriculum Implementation For The Sixth Grade, Steven Anthony Knap

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

The Development Of An Instrument To Aid In Focusing On Modern Physics In The High School Physics Classroom, John De Jong Arner

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of An Activity Based Integrated Science Curriculum On Secondary Student Attitudes, Norma M. Clauson

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

An Exploratory Study Of Student Attitudes Toward Statistics And Their Retention Of Statistical Concepts, Linda Araki

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this exploratory research was to investigate potential factors (i.e. gender, time lapse between the latest statistics class and completion of the statistics test, grade point average (GPA), attitude towards statistics), which are associated with the comprehension and retention of statistical knowledge in Baccalaureate Psychology students. The criterion variable was statistical competency, which was measured in five subdomains: basic concepts, descriptives, correlation/regression, hypothesis testing, and inferential statistics.

Science In A Constructivist Classroom: Progress In A Five-Year-Old Child's Reasoning About Water Dynamics, Hyang-Lim Kwak

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of the study is to understand changes in a target child’s reasoning about water dynamics, specifically, draining and movement of water in tubes. The study also focuses on development and evaluation of activities and teaching strategies. The activities were conducted with all children in the preschool at a public elementary school in Iowa as part of the regular classroom constructivist program inspired by Piaget’s work. Using Piaget’s theory to provide insights into the child’s reasoning and knowledge, analysis focused on the child’s construction of regularities between his actions and reactions of water, and on the construction of relationships …

Difficulties Experienced By Year 10 Students When Solving Monohybrid Autosomal And X-Linked Genetic Problems, Christina Williams

Theses : Honours

Genetics is an important aspect of secondary education as it improves students, understanding of the inheritance of genetic diseases which are present in many families. Genetics also provides opportunities for students to learn important problem solving skills. Students experience difficulties with problem solving in genetics as they tend to rote learn algorithmic methods and not have a meaningful understanding of the concepts of meiosis, gametes and fertilisation which underpin genetics problems. Following instruction in the area of genetics, think-aloud protocols were collected from 20 Year 10 students, while solving four genetic problems. The students were also interviewed to probe their …

Identifying The Difficulties Experienced By Year 10 High School Students When Attempting To Solve Genetic Pedigree Problems, Richard Hamilton-Brown

Theses : Honours

Teachers rate genetics as one of the most difficult biology topics for high school students to understand (Finley, Stewart & Yarroch, 1982). It has been observed that some students are able to solve genetics problems using routine algorithmic methods, without understanding the basic underlying concepts (Stewart, 1982). The aim of this study was to identify the procedural errors and conceptual misunderstandings that the students had when attempting to solve genetic pedigree problems. Genetic pedigrees are diagrammatic representations of the members and ancestral relationships in a family (Cummings, 1991). Two male and two female students were selected from each of four …

The Local Use Of Igap Science Test Scores In High School Program Evaluation, Garry Krutsinger

Masters Theses

This study examined the use of various objective test data, including IGAP Science test scores, by school personnel in the process of local science program evaluation. Three hundred and twenty-four public Illinois High Schools, all Illinois high schools with enrollments of 500 or less, were surveyed. Principals were asked to identify objective test score data used in local science program evaluation, to characterize the nature of the local evaluation process, and to identify local personnel involved in the evaluation process. All respondents identified sources of objective test score data used in local science program evaluation. The IGAP Science test score …

Teacher Efficacy And The Use Of Specific Instructional Practices By Seventh- And Eighth-Grade Science Teachers In The United States, Larry Dale Burton

Dissertations

Problem. Current reform efforts in science education are constructivist in nature and call for major changes in the way science has been taught in the schools. Teacher efficacy, a measure of perceived instructional empowerment, is one variable which has been linked to teacher change and general classroom innovation. However, the specific relationship between efficacy and innovative science instruction had not been examined.

Method. This descriptive study employed a correlational design utilizing cross-sectional survey methodology. Data were collected via a three-part survey instrument. The purpose ofthis design was to gather descriptive data on science education in seventh- and eighth-grade classes in …