Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

The Perceived Impact Of Project-Based Learning (Pbl) On Middle School Students’ Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics (Stem) Identity And Engagement, Jonathan Olivera

Theses and Dissertations

Despite multiple calls to action, the United States educational system is not producing enough viable contributors in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). These fields continue to grow, and the STEM workforce continues to expand. However, the pool of citizens prepared to enter these professions is not keeping up with the demand. Part of this issue can be attributed to a diminishing interest in STEM by students, particularly during their identity forming adolescent years. Active learning strategies have proven successful in preventing this decline with project-based learning (PBL) being one of the most successful active learning strategies. …

Effects Of Differentiating Instruction Through Tiered Lessons In Special Education Secondary Mathematics, Katlyn Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of differentiating instructing through tiered lessons to see if it would improve students' success in high school special education classes. The study was done in two Algebra II secondary special education classrooms including 17 students in total. There were 5 females and 12 males, all students were juniors in high school and aged 16 or 17 years old. All of the students were classified as either specific learning disabilities, other health impaired, or multiple disabilities including anxiety and depression. The students were enrolled in resources classes for all of their major academic subjects and inclusive …

The Effectiveness Of Growth Mindset Strategies On Off-Task Time In A Special Education Mathematics Classroom, Alisa Marie Ialacci

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of growth mindset strategies on off-task time and attitude in a special education classroom. This research was done using a two-group pretest-posttest design where students with IEPs will be compared to those who do not have IEPs. Student on-task time was monitored prior to the intervention to give a pre-assessment of each student's off-task time. During the intervention, the students' behaviors were observed for signs of improvement. Growth mindset strategies were implemented during each class as needed for improving the overall mood. Overall the results showed a decrease in off-task …

Effects Of Online Program Vs. Handheld Flashcards On Multiplication And Division Fact Knowledge Of 4th Grade Learners With Exceptional Needs, Lindsay M. Siegman

Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized a time series design to investigate the effects of a computer-based math fact program called Xtramath.org vs. the use of traditional handheld flashcards. Students were given a baseline assessment before beginning the school district's method for learning basic math facts: Xtramath.org. They were tested again after 6 weeks and then began to use traditional handheld flashcards. Students were tested again to compare the results. Eight 4th grade students (5 male and 3 female) with special needs were included in this study. These students attend school in a wealthy, suburban area with a predominantly white population.

Fluency in …

Teaching The Common Core State Standards (Ccss) Using Interdisciplinary Units: A Qualitative Case Study Of How Secondary Core Curriculum Teachers Implement The Ccss Using Interdisciplinary Units (Ius), Ella Jones Burch

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how teachers understood and practiced using IUs to teach the core disciplines of the CCSS. The strategy of inquiry was a single case study in an urban high school where teachers of English, science, social studies, and math courses discussed IUs, and some teachers were observed using IUs. Data from public documents, teacher and student participant interviews, teacher classroom observations, a teacher survey, and field notes were analyzed and produced themes around the implementation of IUs.

The findings of this study indicate that teachers perceive how to conceptualize an IU, …

The Effects Of Using A Whiteboard Interactively In A Middle School Mathematics Classroom, Joshua H. Schneider

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to further examine the effects of using Interactive White Boards interactively versus as a glorified whiteboard. The experimental group consisted of seven eighth grade general education students and six eighth grade special education students. The experimental group was taught with lessons created to promote interactivity and student involvement and covered the five lessons in a unit on three-dimensional geometry. Baseline data was collected by using the mean of the students' recent test scores. The post-test was then compared to the students' baseline scores to show the effectiveness of the intervention. To further data analysis, …

Differences In Spatial Visualization Ability And Vividness Of Spatial Imagery Between People With And Without Aphantasia, Anita Crowder

Theses and Dissertations

Mathematics education researchers have examined the relationship between visualization and mathematics for decades (e.g., Arcavi, 2003; Bishop, 1991; Duval, 1999; Fennema & Tartre, 1985; Presmeg, 1986). Studies have linked spatial visualization ability, such as measured in mental rotation tasks, directly to mathematics self-efficacy (Pajares & Kranzler, 1995; Weckbacher & Okamoto, 2014), which in turn influences mathematics achievement (Casey, Nuttall, & Pezaris, 1997). With the important role that spatial visualization plays in learning mathematics, the recent identification of congenital aphantasia (Zeman, Dewar, & Della Sala, 2015), which is the lack of mental imagery ability, has raised new questions for mathematics education …

The Effects Of Teaching Middle School Students Math Using The Gifted Supplementary Curriculum “Mawhiba” On Students’ Academic Achievement And Attitude Toward Math In Public Schools In Saudi Arabia, Ahmed M. Alreshidi

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the use of a supplementary math curriculum, “Mawhiba,” that was designed for gifted students, would be appropriate for regular students in a mixed-abilities classroom. The researcher investigated the effects of implementing the Mawhiba enriched supplementary math curriculum on students’ achievements in mathematics and on students’ attitudes toward mathematics in Hail State, Saudi Arabia. The research design was an experimental randomized subject pretest, post-test, control group design. Two schools were chosen (a female middle school and a male middle school). The sample consisted of 121 students (60 males and 61 females). The …

Beyond Problem-Solving: Elementary Students’ Mathematical Dispositions When Faced With The Challenge Of Unsolved Problems, Jenna R. O'Dell

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to document the characteristics of students’ dispositions towards mathematics when they engaged in the exploration of parts of unsolved problems: Graceful Tree Conjecture and Collatz Conjecture. Ten students, Grades 4 and 5, from an after-school program in the Midwest participated in the study. I focused on the cognitive, affective, and conative aspects of their mathematical dispositions as they participated in 7 problem-solving sessions and two interviews.

With regard to cognitive aspects of the students’ dispositions, I focused on the students attempts to identify and justify patterns for labeling graphs. Overall, the unsolved problems were …

The Effectiveness Of The Flipped Classroom For Students With Learning Disabilities In An Algebra I Resource Setting, Ashley Butterick

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was: (a) to examine the effectiveness of using the flipped classroom model to improve the academic scores of students with a specific learning disabilities (SLD), (b) to examine the effectiveness of using the flipped classroom to improve rates of homework completion by students with a SLD and (c) to evaluate student satisfaction and perception of the flipped classroom intervention. Five high school students, four males and one female, with a SLD participated in the study. A single subject ABAB design was used. During the baseline phases, students received Algebra I instruction through a traditional classroom …

Making Sense Of School Reform: A Case Study Of Mathematics And Science Teachers' Sensemaking With One District's Differentiation And Detracking Initiatives, Katelyn Daplyn Skinner

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to examine how individual science and mathematics teachers within a particular high school made sense of a district differentiation effort. A focus on teachers' perceptions and interpretations of this effort was targeted through the theoretical framework of sensemaking. Two of the teachers were present for an initial detracking reform effort, which enabled the researcher to examine their sensemaking of both initiatives.

There were clear differences in the sense that teachers made of the differentiation initiative. Additionally, there were multiple factors that impacted teacher sensemaking; the district initiative was not one of these factors. …

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. …

The Effects Of Cognitive Strategies Paired With Hands-On Or Virtual Manipulatives On Math Instruction For Students With Mathematical Learning Disabilities To Learn Word Problem Solving Skills, Kimberly Plute

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of using cognitive strategies with hands-on manipulatives, and cognitive strategies with virtual manipulatives to enhance problem solving skills of students with Mathematical Learning Disabilities (MLD), as well as their satisfaction with those strategies. Five, 5th graders with MLD participated in the study to learn word problem solving skills in a math class for 80 minutes, 5 days a week for 10 weeks. A single subject research design with ABC phases was used in the study. Results showed each student gained from 3.6 to 5.2 mean points of the weekly quizzes …

The Effects Of Using The Gomath Program On Teaching Computation Skills For Students With Learning Disabilities, Patricia Virginia Giordano

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects on teaching math computation skills to students with learning disabilities (LD) using the GoMath program and to examine the teachers’ and students’ satisfaction with this program in their teaching and learning. Four, 3rd and 4th graders with LD were taught by one special education teacher in a resource room and participated in learning computation skills for 60 minutes, 5 days per week for 12 weeks, using the Go Math program. A multiple baseline research design with A B phases across students was used to evaluate their performance. The findings indicated …

Strategies For Teaching Developmental Mathematics Students At The College Level, Natalie Lynn Kautz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to identify strategies used by effective instructors of developmental mathematics, and to discover the perceptions developmental mathematics students have about these strategies. While there are research projects focusing solely on developmental mathematics achievement, this study fills a need by incorporating views of teaching effectiveness from multiple viewpoints.

In this research project, college-level instructors of developmental mathematics students were recorded on video before, during, and after the teaching of an algebraic concept. Students were given a pre-lesson survey and post-lesson survey to see if there were gains in their learning. Students completed a survey about …

Examining The Effects Of College Algebra On Students' Mathematical Dispositions, Kevin Lee Watson

Theses and Dissertations

As Mathematics Educators, we want to help our students not only develop a deep, conceptual understanding of mathematical concepts and processes, but also a positive disposition towards mathematics. Despite the importance of helping students develop a positive mathematical disposition, little research has been conducted examining how students' dispositions develop as they progress through their mathematical studies. In particular, the effects of college algebra on students' mathematical dispositions is not well understood. To examine the influence of college algebra on students' dispositions, students using two different college algebra curriculums were studied at Brigham Young University. Using a mathematical disposition survey, student …

Comparing Two Different Student Teaching Structures By Analyzing Conversations Between Student Teachers And Their Cooperating Teachers, Niccole Suzette Franc

Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that preservice teachers participating in traditional student teaching programs tend to focus on classroom management, with very little focus on student mathematical thinking. The student teaching program at BYU has been redesigned in the hopes of shifting the focus of student teachers away from classroom management toward student mathematical thinking. This study compared conversations between student teachers and cooperating teachers before and after the redesign of the program to work towards determining the effectiveness of the refocusing of the new student teaching program. The study found that STs and CTs in the different student teaching structures were …

Uncovering Transformative Experiences: A Case Study Of The Transformations Made By One Teacher In A Mathematics Professional Development Program, Rachelle Myler Orsak

Theses and Dissertations

Effective professional development is vital for improving mathematics teaching (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM], 2007), so studying effective professional development programs is important to the field of mathematics education. This case study presents findings on one teacher, Rebecca, and her experiences in a five-semester mathematics professional development for elementary teachers. The participants in this professional development engaged in collaborative problem solving of challenging mathematical tasks over extended periods of time. I used qualitative research methods based on grounded theory methodology (Charmaz, 2006) to analyze Rebecca's entrance and exit surveys, video data of Rebecca's individual interviews, and video data …

One Problem, Two Contexts, Danielle L. Gigger

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, a group of students were presented with two mathematically isomorphic problems but in radically different contexts. Analysis of their thinking and reasoning as they worked to solve and explain each problem demonstrates that the thinking and reasoning that emerged in each problem responded to clear purposes that the problems elicited in these students. The first problem was posed in a context that relied on experience and intuition rather than a formal mathematical description. The second problem was posed in a formal, set-theoretic context. While the analysis offered here reveals similarities in the students' final reasoning in the …

Second Graders' Solution Strategies And Understanding Of A Combination Problem, Tiffany Marie Hessing

Theses and Dissertations

I inquire about second graders' capabilities of developing solution strategies and the original variety of strategies they bring forth while solving a combination problem. Based on analysis of the data presented in this paper, students developed five different general strategies. After analyzing what the second grade students were capable of developing, we can conclude that young children are capable of developing powerful systematic strategies grounded in their personal experiences. This research shows that even when the teacher does not foster personal agency, children will still exercise agency. The social interactions in the classroom helped students learn to propose mathematical ideas, …

What Does It Mean To Preservice Mathematics Teachers To Anticipate Student Responses?, Matthew M. Webb

Theses and Dissertations

Lesson study is a form of professional development for teachers adopted in recent years from Japan. Introducing lesson study to U.S. teachers and researchers has been the focus of most of the literature on this subject. Much of the literature outlines how lesson study works and describes its essential features. One of the features of lesson study is anticipating student responses, also known as anticipating student thinking. Anticipating student responses is passingly described in lesson study literature. This research was conducted to understand what it means to anticipate student responses for preservice mathematics teachers in a lesson study group. Lesson …

Reasoning About Motion: A Case Study, Tiffini Lynn Glaze

Theses and Dissertations

Several dance and industrial design students were given the opportunity to attend a non-traditional mathematics course. The nature of this course prompted student interaction and expected collaboration. My research focuses on one dance student, Sara, who did not consider herself a strong mathematics student, but who understood physical motion very well. This paper explores the evolution of Sara's representations for physical motion in a given task, and discusses her reasoning for keeping or dismissing various parts of her representations during the course of this task. I examine first how Sara learns mathematics with understanding in this task, and second how …