Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Finding Success In Elementary Science Across Socioeconomic Boundaries, Jill K. Hettinger

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Elementary science education provides a platform for intellectual development, building a foundation of scientific literacy and a first entry point into interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. A significant body of research on elementary science education clearly defines what high-quality science education should look like at the elementary level. However, there is little understood about how to implement high-quality science instruction effectively within a school system. Prior research indicates that this problem is further compounded in low socioeconomic elementary schools by a lack of resources, time, and high teacher mobility. I used descriptive research to identify the …

Chasing Polys: Interdisciplinary Affinity And Its Connection To Physics Identity, Tyler Scott

All Dissertations

This research is based on two motivations that merge by means of the frameworks of interdisciplinary affinity and physics identity. First, a goal of education is to develop interdisciplinary abilities in students' thinking and work. But an often ignored factor is students interests and beliefs about being interdisciplinary. Thus, this work develops and uses a framework called interdisciplinary affinity. It encompasses students interests in making connections across disciplines and their beliefs about their abilities to make those connections. The second motivation of this research is to better understand how to engage more students with physics. Physics identity describes how a …

The Word Problem Factor: Assessing The Ability Of Utah High School Career And Technical Education Students To Do The Math Involved In Formulating And Calculating Energy Cost Factors, Kristen Bentley

Theses and Dissertations

Much research has been done showing the difficulty people have with word problems. This has been shown to be true for many types of word problems and for different demographics. Questions have remained unanswered regarding the reasons for this difficulty. It has been unclear if the word problems were hard because the people had forgotten or had not yet learned how to do the math calculations involved or for some other reason. This study deals with high school students who are currently in a high school level math class. They were given an assessment involving word problems and number-only problems. …

Language Use In Mathematics Textbooks Written In English And Spanish, Kailie Ann Bertoch

Theses and Dissertations

Research has suggested that although mathematics is a universal language, the notation, algorithms, and language in which it is taught varies from country to country. The literature has addressed the challenges associated with understanding the language of mathematics in English. Variable is a topic of mathematics where the literature has documented students' difficulty understanding the language of mathematics. Part of that difficulty is attributed to the fact that mathematics and English each have their own register and at times the differences in these registers conflict. This study examined the introduction and use of variable in the middle school textbooks of …

Analyzing State Attempts At Implementing The Common Core State Standards For High School Geometry: Case Studies Of Utah And New York, Edward Steltenpohl

Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzes two state attempts at aligning curricula to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in secondary school geometry. The education departments of Utah and New York have approved curricula aimed at aligning to the Common Core State Standards: the Mathematics Vision Project (MVP) and EngageNY (ENY) respectively. This study measures the extent to which those curricula align with the content demands of the relevant Common Core Standards. The results indicate that, while the two curricula vary in structure and assumptions about learners, each one aligns well with the Common Core State Standards in secondary school geometry. We conclude …

The Phenomenon Of Abstract Cognition Among Scholastic Chess Participants: A Case Study, Brent C. Laws

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A qualitative investigation was conducted to explore the phenomenon of abstract cognition among a purposive sample of 5 secondary scholastic chess club participants. The case study enabled the researcher to explore the faculties of abstract cognition among students of contrasting skills and abilities in playing chess. The study also allowed for the consideration of potential visual-spatial, logical, academic, social competency and life benefits of chess play. Through analysis of interviews, chess simulations, blindfold chess play, and narration of chess lines and sequences, the investigator was able to extract meaning and code schemata into a holistic understanding of the phenomenon of …

Brain Based Learning: K-12 Teachers’ Preferred Methods Of Science Instruction, Donna L. Mansy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate Brain Based Learning (BBL) techniques in teaching science. Participants included 216 K-12, full-time, regular education teachers from 8 Northeast Tennessee school systems who taught at least 1 science class. Specifically this research was guided by 7 research questions on teachers’ perceptions and practices in teaching science.

Data were collected by a survey that consisted of 82 statements where teachers rated their level of agreement and was distributed online via Survey Monkey. The first portion of my survey included demographic identifiers, teachers’ knowledge of the term BBL, and inquiries regarding science background …

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 26, No. 6, December 2014

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Contents: Welcome - Congratulations - Grants - Publications - Meeting an Off-Campus Students - Faculty News - Blasts from the Past - Calendar of Events

Online Versus Face-To-Face Biology: A Comparison Of Student Transactional Distance, Approach To Learning, And Knowledge Outcomes, Mary Erin Riggins

Dissertations

Community colleges are among many other institutions increasing course offerings online, but there is still some concern about the quality of online learning. Educator concerns, a lack of empirical evidence on biology courses offered online, and the need for an equal opportunity for education support the need for clarification of the quality of distance education in biology, especially in the community college setting. Student attitudes, approaches to learning, and performance should all be studied in order to formulate a better evaluation of the quality and effectiveness of online courses (Svirko & Mellanby, 2008).

The purpose of this study was to …

A Study Of The Teaching Beliefs Of The Modern Post Secondary Science Instructor And Implications They May Hold For The Future Of Science Education, Michael Charles Howard

Dissertations

It was the purpose of this study to examine the teaching beliefs of community college science instructors and discover whether their teaching beliefs were student oriented or instructor oriented. In addition, this study sought to examine demographic factors and find their relation, if any, to these teaching beliefs, as well as explore topics that may be useful in the future to helping community colleges science instructors’ curricula and beliefs come together and work in unison. To do this, the study built on the foundation laid by Sampson et al., in their creation of the Beliefs about Reformed Science Teaching and …

Teaching Beyond The Assessment, Daniel R. Ilaria

Mathematics Faculty Publications

This paper discusses how students can learn mathematics assessed on standardized testing in a way that promotes deeper thinking about the mathematics. While potential assessments aligned to the Common Core Content Standards drive the focus of the curriculum, technology can provide a way for delving into conceptual understanding. Using two standardized test questions, this paper provides examples of how technology can promote deeper thinking about mathematical concepts than what is supposed to be assessed in the questions.

Place-Based Education: An Impetus For Teacher Efficacy, Tamara Chase Coleman

Dissertations

This research investigated professional development in place-based (PB) methodology on the efficacy of science teachers. While teachers are expected to use best practices they do not always implement them due to a lack of efficacy in implementation. A professional development program (PD) was designed to increase confidence among teachers planning to incorporate PB methods. Place-based education (PBE) is recognized as a best-practice among professional educators. PBE includes the selection, design and engagement with science using the geographic place as the content. The literature reports that student learning and teacher efficacy will improve when teachers are prepared effectively in PB practices. …

Translating And Adapting The Postt For Formative Assessment Of Indonesian Preservice Science Teachers’ Pedagogical Orientations, Listiani

Masters Theses

Indonesia has experienced problems in teacher quality, especially science teachers. Regarding this problem, a teacher-training program, in which preservice teachers are directed to use the most appropriate science teaching methods, is important to prepare qualified teachers. Having formative assessments for assessing Indonesian preservice science teachers’ teaching orientations is important. Therefore, the Pedagogy of Science Teaching Test (POSTT) was translated and adapted into Bahasa as a formative assessment for preservice science teachers. There were eight steps to translate and validate the POSTT into Bahasa (Indonesian language). The translation and validation processes involved eight experts in the target language and eight science …

Math, Class, And Katrina Aftermath: The Impact Of Experiences Teaching Mathematics To Low-Income Middle School Students On Middle-Income Teachers’ Pedagogical Strategies, Susan J. Ikenberry

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Despite a century of educational reforms, no matter how achievement is measured, learning and opportunity gaps can still be predicted by race and socioeconomic status. Teachers and schools are blamed for functioning to reproduce social inequality. This study investigated teacher agency and transformative potentials. It considered how teachers modified their pedagogical practices when teaching low-income and high-poverty students. In order to capture teacher beliefs and logic, a qualitative approach was used involving in-depth interviews of a small number of participants.

The research used the context of the dislocation of students from high-poverty Orleans Parish schools in the year following Hurricane …

Using Art To Teach Students Science Outdoors: How Creative Science Instruction Influences Observation, Question Formation, And Involvement, Christina Schull Cone

Dissertations and Theses

Elementary education has become increasingly divided into subjects and focused on the demand for high math and reading scores. Consequently, teachers spend less time devoted to science and art instruction. However, teaching art and science is crucial to developing creative and rational thinking, especially for observation and questioning skills. In this study, third grade students attending an urban school in Portland, Oregon received instruction of an art strategy using observational and quantifying drawing techniques. This study examines, "Will an art strategy observing the local environment help students make observations and ask questions?" and "In what ways are student learning and …

Teaching Conceptual Understanding Of Mathematics Via A Hands-On Approach, Jessica Korn

Senior Honors Theses

Given the current developments in the field of mathematics instruction in the United States, conceptual understanding and a hands-on approach in mathematics are two topics of importance. Conceptual understanding of mathematics is often lacking but characterizes the core of what mathematics actually is. Using a hands-on approach presents an effective way to teach conceptual understanding of mathematics. In order to argue this, a presentation of the underlying theories of mathematical understanding and pertinent approaches is given. Then follows an investigation of three studies pertinent to using a hands-on approach in teaching conceptual understanding of mathematics: one related to implementation (Gürbüz, …

The Correlation Between Self-Efficacy And The Academic Success Of Students, Emily E. Taylor

Senior Honors Theses

Research reveals that gifted students at Springfield Middle School in Williamsport, Maryland possess stronger levels of self-efficacy than average students. For the purpose of this study, the term “gifted students” refers to students who are enrolled in above-grade-level classes at Springfield Middle School. Students must score high in tests and interviews in order to be placed in above-grade-level classes. According to Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory, increased levels of self-efficacy contribute to a person’s ability to complete a task. Using the Children’s Perceived Academic Self-Efficacy subscale from The Morgan-Jinks Student Efficacy Scale (MJSES), the study conducted at Springfield Middle School …

Teaching Science As Critical Thinking, Isidoro Talavera

Learning Showcase 2014

Science education helps students indirectly by pushing them to develop the critical thinking skills necessary to evaluate all kinds of phenomena, scientific, pseudoscientic, and other. Accordingly, the means and methods employed in science are defined and determined by any procedure [of analysis and evaluation] that serves systematically to eliminate reasonable grounds for doubt. Using a conceptual map I developed that highlights the acquisition of scientific knowledge, a new approach to teach science as critical thinking is presented to foment a skeptical attitude in our students so that they do not relinquish their mental capacity to engage the world critically …

Statistical Strategies: Meeting The Needs Of Struggling Math Students Through Self-Guided Interactive Media, Nimet Alpay, Adam Reid, Caitlin Uttley, Carolyn Levally

Learning Showcase 2014

The goal of every introductory statistics course is to produce statistically literate students with an ability to make informed decisions and to think critically. This is a challenging task. In fact, the introductory statistics course at Franklin University, Math215, has had disproportionately low success rates for several years. To address these concerns, considerable revisions were made to the curriculum, addressing the challenges of students and faculty. Perhaps the most significant among those changes was the addition of a series of standalone, interactive multimedia pieces to supplement the textbook and other course materials. The development of these 28 multimedia pieces took …

Demographics, Persistence, And Academic Performance: A Logistic Regression Analysis Of Who Chooses To Enter The Mathematics And Science Teaching Pipeline, Esther Joseph

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As of 1999, high school teachers without majors in their subject areas number 37% of biology teachers, 59% of physical science teachers, and 60% of mathematics teachers. These discouraging statistics grow more extreme in middle schools and high poverty public high schools, especially regarding mathematics and physical sciences instruction. The statistics are especially worrisome given the strong correlation between thorough teacher subject matter preparation and higher student performance. Unfortunately, the literature is limited in terms of a direct comparison between mathematics and science majors and individuals who become mathematics and science teachers. This study was undertaken to add to the …

Making The Journey From A Traditional Model To An Online Model, Jenny Shrensker, Nazire Koc

Jenny Shrensker

A Novel Approach To Using Personal Response Systems And Diagrams To Foster Student Engagement In Large Lecture: Case Study Of Instruction For Model-Based Reasoning In Biology, Johanna M. Fitzgerald

Doctoral Dissertations

At UMass Amherst a method of personal response system (clickers) use in large lecture biology called Guided Application of Model-based Reasoning (GAMBR) has been designed to give students experiences in reasoning like expert biologists: In large lecture biology many instructors appear to use clickers mainly as a quizzing and attendance tool. Less well documented and examined are uses of clickers to facilitate cognitive engagement in learning scientific models and skills. In GAMBR, clicker questions ask students to apply and perturb biological models; this is designed to engage them in model-based reasoning. In an attempt to understand such a course, an …

Thinking Critically About Data Consumption: Creating The Data Credibility Checklist, Lisa Zilinski, Megan R. Sapp Nelson

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

As STEM areas increasingly rely on pre-existing data, either to validate or extend the scientific body of knowledge, students who have baseline knowledge of how to find, evaluate, and access data will have an advantage. Accordingly, undergraduate STEM curricula is increasingly focused on research-based group projects that develop professional skills, building the professional portfolio needed for early career scientists, technologists, and engineers. This project works to develop new tools to implement basic data skills within the undergraduate disciplinary curricula. The first step in this process was to identify the competencies that are likely to be needed by those seeking data …

Using Interviews In Cer Projects: Options, Considerations, And Limitations, Deboarh G. Herrington, Patrick L. Daubenmire

Peer Reviewed Articles

Interviews can be a powerful chemistry education research tool. Different from an assessment score or Likert-scale survey number, interviews can provide the researcher with a way to examine and describe what we cannot see, aspects such as feelings, thoughts, or explanations of thinking or behavior. Most people have no doubt seen countless interviews on TV news and talk shows. These sessions might convey interviewing as a spontaneous, easy, and straightforward process. However, using interviews as a meaningful research tool requires considerable thought, preparation, and practice. This chapter provides a general introduction to the use of interviews as a tool within …

University Of New England Center For Excellence In Neuroscience K-12 Outreach Program, Alexandria D'Ambruoso, Kelsey Schwarz, Alex Deal, Kristen Erickson, Edward Bilsky, Michael Burman

Posters

Research poster describing UNE's Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences (CEN) K-12 outreach program. Founded in 2009 with three main areas of focus—research, scholarship and community outreach—CEN includes over 40 faculty members affiliated with neuroscience research and/or education. The Neuroscience Outreach Program was established in 2009 with the goal of bringing fun, interactive neuroscience lessons to schools to engage students in learning about neuroscience. UNE undergraduate and professional students present the lessons in classrooms with support from UNE faculty and staff.

The Effect Of Students' Mathematical Beliefs On Knowledge Transfer, Kristen Adams

Theses and Dissertations

Students learn many different concepts throughout their mathematical careers. In order to be successful in mathematics, students should be able to transfer these mathematical concepts learned in one situation and apply them to a new situation. There are many factors that might affect how students transfer knowledge; however research has focused mostly upon cognitive factors, even though affective factors might also exhibit a strong influence. This study examined how students' mathematical beliefs, specifically beliefs about mathematics education and self-efficacy, affect the transfer process. Data were collected from three middle school students. These data were collected through in-class observations, students' written …

A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of Developmental Math Students' Experiences And Perceptions, Megan Cordes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Current literature suggests the rise of enrollment among United States (U.S.) postsecondary institutions but the decline in graduation rates. While there is extensive quantitative data examining course redesigns and increasing student achievement in developmental math courses, there is limited research examining students' experiences and perceptions within these courses. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to examine the experiences and perceptions of developmental math students. This study utilized the theoretical framework of Bandura's (1997) social cognitive theory and Tinto's (2012a) retention theory. Research questions focused on the lived experience of struggling within a developmental math course, past math experiences …

Design Of A Thrust Stand To Introduce Propulsion Concepts In The Classroom, Ethan Hopping

Von Braun Symposium Student Posters

No abstract provided.

The One Month Project As A Training Tool Of The Space Hardware Club, Nathanial Long

Von Braun Symposium Student Posters

No abstract provided.

Improving The Efficacy Of Web-Based Educational Outreach In Ecology, Gregory R. Goldsmith, Andrew D. Fulton, Colin D. Witherill, Javier F. Espeleta

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Scientists are increasingly engaging the web to provide formal and informal science education opportunities. Despite the prolific growth of web-based resources, systematic evaluation and assessment of their efficacy remains limited. We used clickstream analytics, a widely available method for tracking website visitors and their behavior, to evaluate 60,000 visits over three years to an educational website focused on ecology. Visits originating from search engine queries were a small proportion of the traffic, suggesting the need to actively promote websites to drive visitation. However, the number of visits referred to the website per social media post varied depending on the social …