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Full-Text Articles in Science and Mathematics Education

Christian High School Science Teachers' Perspective Transformation: The Journey From Evolution To Creation, Paul Leslie Thorpe Nov 2018

Christian High School Science Teachers' Perspective Transformation: The Journey From Evolution To Creation, Paul Leslie Thorpe

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenology study was to explore and describe the perspective transformations of 11 science instructors teaching at Christian high schools. These science teachers previously believed the evolutionary paradigm of origins. However, they have all experienced a transformation and now hold a young-earth creation perspective and believe the literal six-day creation event in the book of Genesis is accurate and true. Transformation of perspective regarding origins is defined as a phenomenon of transformative faith accompanied by assimilation and accommodation of new knowledge as seen through the lens of Jack Mezirow’s (1991) transformative adult learning theory, and James …


A Causal Comparative Analysis Of Mathematics Self-Efficacy Of Face-To-Face And Online Quantitative Literacy Students, Laronda Lowery Jul 2018

A Causal Comparative Analysis Of Mathematics Self-Efficacy Of Face-To-Face And Online Quantitative Literacy Students, Laronda Lowery

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Mathematics self-efficacy has been shown to be a strong predictor of mathematics performance and mixed results have been found when examining the mathematics self-efficacy of face-to-face students based on gender and age. However, there is a lack of research studies that examine if differences exist in the mathematics self-efficacy of face-to-face and online students. The purpose of this ex-post facto causal comparative quantitative study was to determine if differences existed in the mathematics self-efficacy of Quantitative Literacy students, as measured by the Mathematics Self-Efficacy Scale, based on their choice of delivery method (face-to-face or online). Participants for this research study …


The Effect Of Gender On Spatial Ability And Spatial Reasoning Among Students In Grades 2-8, Sharon W. Morris Jun 2018

The Effect Of Gender On Spatial Ability And Spatial Reasoning Among Students In Grades 2-8, Sharon W. Morris

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine gender differences across three types of spatial ability; namely, spatial perception, spatial visualization, and mental rotation in conjunction with working memory. The study utilized a causal-comparative research design involving group comparisons. In this design researchers collect data about variables that they have conceptualized to be in a causal relationship to each other, but there is no intervention as in experimental research. Participants in this study included approximately 200 students in second through eighth grades at one public school and one public charter school, all located in the same school district/county. Spatial ability …


A Phenomenological Study Of College Students In Developmental Mathematics Classes Experiences With Mathematics And Computer Anxiety, Dan Murphy Jun 2018

A Phenomenological Study Of College Students In Developmental Mathematics Classes Experiences With Mathematics And Computer Anxiety, Dan Murphy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

No research has been conducted on college students in developmental mathematics classes struggling with both mathematics anxiety and computer anxiety in a qualitative manner. Prior studies have dealt with college students in developmental mathematics classes struggling with mathematics anxiety and college students in developmental mathematics classes struggling with computer anxiety. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of students taking developmental mathematics who self-report both mathematics anxiety and computer anxiety. The theory guiding this study was the social cognitive theory by Bandura (1986) as modeling is a key component in the learning of mathematics, especially …


The Impact Of Computer-Based Programs On Middle School Math Achievement, Kenyatta Gilmore May 2018

The Impact Of Computer-Based Programs On Middle School Math Achievement, Kenyatta Gilmore

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this correlation research study was to investigate the impact of computer-based learning on middle school math achievement of at-risk students. The participants for this study were drawn from a convenience sample of 83 middle school students located in southeastern Georgia. At-risk middle school students were achieving below their grade equivalent and failing to meet local and state proficiency standards. Computer-based instruction was implemented as an intervention to increase student achievement in mathematics. The study used a pretest-posttest control group design and used SPSS software to conduct the statistical analyses using an ANCOVA and t-test. The results indicated …


Experiencing Success: A Hermeneutic Phenomenology Of Successful Remedial Mathematics Students, Kyle Ireland May 2018

Experiencing Success: A Hermeneutic Phenomenology Of Successful Remedial Mathematics Students, Kyle Ireland

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to describe how students experience success in mathematics remediation at a four-year private institution in the central United States. Success in a remedial mathematics course was defined as one’s completion of a required remedial mathematics course having earned an overall grade of 90% or higher. The theories guiding this study were achievement goal theory and expectancy-value theory grounded in Bandura’s social cognitive theory. This theoretical framework provided a motivational framework for student success in a post-secondary, remedial mathematics course based on individual goals for completing the task, student self-efficacy beliefs, and the …


Male And Female Middle School Students' Attitudes Toward Science, Michelle Schpakow Apr 2018

Male And Female Middle School Students' Attitudes Toward Science, Michelle Schpakow

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Women continue to be underrepresented in certain disciplines of science. Differences in male and female students’ attitudes toward science have been observed down to the middle school level. Attitudes, however, may be formed through the integration of multiple constructs: attitudes toward school science, desire to become a scientist, value of science to society, and perceptions of scientists. To fully understand the problem of the underrepresentation of females in science, differences in male and female middle school students’ attitudes toward science were analyzed across these constructs. A causal-comparative design was used to compare students’ attitudes toward science based on biological sex. …


The Effect Of Undergraduate Biology Research Experiences And Mentoring Structures On Student Self-Efficacy, Kyle Harris Apr 2018

The Effect Of Undergraduate Biology Research Experiences And Mentoring Structures On Student Self-Efficacy, Kyle Harris

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Collaborative inquiry within undergraduate research experiences (UREs) is an effective curriculum tool to support student growth. This study seeks to understand how collaborative inquiry within undergraduate biology student experiences are affected within faculty mentored experiences and non-mentored experiences at a large private southeastern university. Undergraduate biology students engaged in UREs (faculty as mentor and non-mentor experiences) were examined for statistically significant differences in student self-efficacy. Self-efficacy was measured in three subcomponents (thinking and working like a scientist, scientific self-efficacy, and scientific identity) from student responses obtained in an online survey. Responses were analyzed using a nonparametric equivalent of a t …


Teacher Factors And The Impact On Student Success In Algebra I, Kalee Mcmullen Apr 2018

Teacher Factors And The Impact On Student Success In Algebra I, Kalee Mcmullen

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Algebra I proficiency is an important aspect of a solid foundation in mathematics. Teachers play a critical role in the failure or success of students. Different teacher characteristics are thought to have a significant impact on the potential for student success. This non-experimental correlational research study seeks to examine the potential relationships between specific teacher characteristics and student success in Algebra I as measured by the Algebra I End of Course Exam scores. This study uses ordinary least squares regression analysis to examine the effects of independent variables on successful Algebra I scores. The independent variables in this study include …


The Impact Of Khan Academy Math Remediation On Ninth Grade Student Achievement, Sandra Kelly Apr 2018

The Impact Of Khan Academy Math Remediation On Ninth Grade Student Achievement, Sandra Kelly

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to determine if using Khan Academy as math remediation for fifteen minutes per day during a ninth grade Math I class would significantly affect student math achievement as measured by the North Carolina READY Math I End-of-Course Assessment. This quantitative study conducted at two rural high schools in West Virginia used remediation theory to make a comparison against a control population with the independent variable being grade level instruction only or grade level instruction plus math remediation using Khan Academy. The participants in the study included 131 ninth grade high school students taking …