Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching Commons^™

Voices, Echoes, And Narratives: Multidimensional Experiences Of Three Teachers Immersed In Ethnomathematical Encounters In Morocco, Mekyah Q. Mcqueen, Stanley F. H. Shaheed, Curtis V. Goings, Iman C. Chahine

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

How Is It That One Particular Statement Appeared Rather Than Another?: Opening A Different Space For Different Statements About Urban Mathematics Education, David W. Stinson

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Faculty Publications

In this editorial, the author applies Michel Foucault's concept of "discursive formations" to examine fictions, fantasies, and power relationships in mathematics education research.

A Pilot Study Examining High School Physical Education Teachers' Understanding And Use Of Mosston's Style(S) Of Teaching, Greg L. Pierce

Master's Theses

The purpose of this project was to develop a questionnaire that could lend insight to physical educations teachers’ perceptions and use of Mosston's Teaching Styles. The researcher designed a pilot study in which he distributed the questionnaire to six teachers from three Santa Barbara District High Schools. Results show that the six teachers were familiar with all Mosston’s Styles. However, citing circumstances such as class time and class sizes, the participants in this study did not use all of Mosston’s Styles. These results may be useful for physical education teacher educators to help them understand teachers’ knowledge of Mosston’s Styles, …

The Relationship Of Personality Traits To Satisfaction With The Team: A Study Of Interdisciplinary Teacher Teams In Rhode Island Middle Schools, Michele D. Humbyrd, Robert K. Gable

Teacher Education

Shared practice in schools has emerged; teachers are moving from isolation to team collaboration where personality traits could be related to quality interactions. Team personality traits and team satisfaction were examined. A survey and interview approach was used for N = 244 full-time teachers from N = 49 interdisciplinary teams at N = 7 middle schools. Descriptive, correlational, multiple regression analyses and coded themes about team members’ personalities and interactions were employed. No significant relationships were found between the BFI traits and Satisfaction with the Team. Team-level analysis indicated a significant negative correlation between Satisfaction with theTeam and Extraversion and …

Inferring Impulsive-Analytic Disposition From Written Responses, Kien Lim, Miguel Mendoza

Kien H Lim

Impulsive disposition refers to one’s proclivity to spontaneously proceed with an action that comes to mind without checking its relevance. Analytic disposition refers to one’s proclivity to analyze a problem situation and establishes a goal to guide one’s actions. An instrument, called the likelihood-to-act survey, was developed to measure students’ impulsive-analytic disposition. In this study, we sought to test and refine this instrument by analyzing 92 participants’ written responses to open-ended questions that were adapted from items in the likelihood-to-act survey. We found relatively strong correlations between participants’ disposition scores for written responses and those from the likelihood-to-act survey.

Continuing Discussion Of Mathematical Habits Of Mind, Annie Selden, Kien H. Lim

Kien H Lim

The idea of “mathematical habits of mind” has been introduced to emphasize the need to help students think about mathematics “the way mathematicians do.” There seems to be considerable interest among mathematics educators and mathematicians in helping students develop mathematical habits of mind. The objectives of this working group are: (a) to continue the discussion of various views and aspects of mathematical habits of mind begun at PME-NA 31, (b) to explore avenues for research, (c) to encourage research collaborations, and (d) to interest doctoral students in this topic.

Continuing Discussion Of Mathematical Habits Of Mind, Annie Selden, Kien H. Lim

Kien H Lim

The idea of “mathematical habits of mind” has been introduced to emphasize the need to help students think about mathematics “the way mathematicians do.” There seems to be considerable interest among mathematics educators and mathematicians in helping students develop mathematical habits of mind. The objectives of this working group are: (a) to continue the discussion of various views and aspects of mathematical habits of mind begun at PME-NA 31, (b) to explore avenues for research, (c) to encourage research collaborations, and (d) to interest doctoral students in this topic. In the Proceedings of PME-NA 31, we provided an overview of …

Educating Children About Global Issues, Ali Nawab

Professional Development Centre, Chitral

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of Reading Assignments In The Secondary Classroom, Rachel Elizabeth Leer

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this research study is to examine reading assignments given in the secondary classroom of a rural secondary school. The intention is to analyze student readiness to handle complex text found in post-secondary education and/or the workforce, based on current reading trends within the school. The research questions guiding this study focus on the average amount of reading students are expected to complete in a week, what strategic support is being provided to students to enhance comprehension of text, the methodology behind how teachers select both reading assignments and reading strategies, and finally the methodology behind how teachers …

The Role Of Prediction In The Teaching And Learning Of Mathematics, Kien Lim, Gabriela Buendía, Ok-Kyeong Kim, Francisco Cordero, Lisa Kasmer

Kien H Lim

The prevalence of prediction in grade-level expectations in mathematics curriculum standards signifies the importance of the role prediction plays in the teaching and learning of mathematics. In this article, we discuss benefits of using prediction in mathematics classrooms: (1) students’ prediction can reveal their conceptions, (2) prediction plays an important role in reasoning and (3) prediction fosters mathematical learning. To support research on prediction in the context of mathematics education, we present three perspectives on prediction: (1) prediction as a mental act highlights the cognitive aspect and the conceptual basis of one’s prediction, (2) prediction as a mathematical activity highlights …

The Sixth International Mathematics Education And Society Conference: Finding Freedom In A Mathematics Education Ghetto, David W. Stinson

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Faculty Publications

In this editorial, the author relates his experiences at the Sixth International Mathematics Education and Society Conference, held March 2010 in Berlin, Germany, and explores whether urban mathematics educators can navigate historically marginalized racial, ethnic, religious, cultural, gendered, sexual, intellectual, and other communities to find freedom in a what he sees as a "mathematics education ghetto."

The Nuts And Bolts: A Review Of Culturally Specific Pedagogy In The Mathematics Classroom: Strategies For Teachers And Students, Shonda Lemons-Smith

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Faculty Publications

The author reviews Jacqueline Leonard's Culturally Specific Pedagogy in the Mathematics Classroom: Strategies for Teachers and Students.

Collaborative Evaluative Inquiry: A Model For Improving Mathematics Instruction In Urban Elementary Schools, Iman C. Chahine, Lesa M. Covington Clarkson

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Faculty Publications

In this article, the authors describe the cyclical process of a collaborative evaluative inquiry project and the data collected throughout the project—data that not only informed "next steps" during the project but also show promise in documenting the benefits of such projects. Over a period of 18 months, seven elementary teachers from a K–6 urban elementary school collaborated with university personnel using Parsons’s (2002) Evaluative Inquiry Model, a 5-stage, cyclical model that includes defining, planning, and investigating challenges; collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing data; and communicating findings that transpire through collaborative inquiry. Overall, the project focused on improving the elementary teachers’ …

Complicating Students’ Historical Thinking Through Primary Source Reinvention, John H. Bickford Iii

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

To best challenge students’ thinking, researchers and educators must locate or create innovative ways to spark enthusiasm and facilitate criticality. This paper investigates how middle school students analyzed various primary and secondary historical documents to construct original political cartoons. Students articulated newly generated understandings about the complex historical event within these original political cartoons. Students then examined and discussed peers’ original political cartoons. This approach was novel because the research literature indicated students rarely are asked to construct original political cartoons to express opinions and understandings. Political cartoons mostly are used as tools for interpretation and usually only with gifted …

The Effects Of Reflective Thinking On Middle School Students’ Academic Achievement And Perceptions Of Related Instructional Practices: A Mixed Methods Study, David Denton

Theses and Dissertations

The problem investigated in this study was whether instructional practices, which characterize reflective thinking, aided in the alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment at the classroom level. Participants included 259 seventh grade students, 126 female and 133 male, from 10 intact social studies classrooms. The investigator used an explanatory mixed methods design, which included a quantitative and qualitative phase.

The first phase involved testing the effects of an intervention, administered for 23 days, on students’ academic achievement according to a content-specific test. In addition, this phase involved a questionnaire used to assess student perceptions of the intervention. Results of the …

Students’ Conceptions Of The Nature Of Mathematics And Attitudes Towards Mathematics Learning, Munira Amirali

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

Students’ conceptions of the nature of mathematics have a great influence towards mathematics learning. In order to understand gender-wise students’ conceptions and attitudes towards mathematics this study has been conducted in Karachi, Pakistan. This paper examines patterns in students’ conception and attitude towards mathematics by analyzing survey data obtained from 82 students studying in grade eight in a private school context. The survey was conducted using a five-point Likert scale ranging from ‘strongly agree’ through ‘neutral’ to ‘strongly disagree’. The survey findings illustrate that students consider mathematics as a useful subject which is used in daily life routines and facilitates …

High-Stakes Testing And Its Relationship To Stress Levels Of Secondary Teachers, Sonya Colman Christian

Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between high-stakes testing and the stress levels of secondary teachers in Jackson’s Jackson Public School District. The independent variables of age, gender, subject taught, teaching experience, degree and school level were used to determine the differences of the various groups. A survey was piloted and used to determine teachers’ levels of stress. There was not a statistically significant difference between the stress levels of teachers who teach subjects that are measured by high-stakes testing and those who do not. There also was not a statistically significant difference between the stress levels of veteran teachers and …

The Impact Of School Culture, Teacher Job Satisfaction, And Student Attendance Rates On Academic Achievement Of Middle School Students, Diane Yvonne Hatchett

Dissertations

This quantitative study focused on 760 Kentucky middle school teachers in 28 school districts across the state of Kentucky. The Pearson r was used to determine the relationship among the following variables identified in the study: (a) school culture as measured by the School Culture Triage Survey combined scores, (b) job satisfaction of teachers as measured by the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) scores, (c) student achievement scores as measured by the Commonwealth Assessment Testing Score (CATS) accountability index for each school, and (d) student attendance rates. This study utilized correlation analysis to answer questions one through six and multiple …

Cedar Middle School's Response To Intervention Journey: A Systematic, Multi-Tier, Problem-Solving Approach To Program Implementation, Shannon Kay Dulaney

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of the present study was to record Cedar Middle School's (CMS) response to intervention implementation journey. It is a qualitative case study that examines one school's efforts to bring school improvements under the response to inventory (RtI) umbrella in order to achieve a more systematic approach to providing high-quality educational services to every student enrolled at CMS. Participants included the 10 members of the school's Student Success Team along with the principal and assistant principal. The recorded journey included: (a) a description of the RtI consensus and infrastructure-building processes, (b) an exploration of the SST perceptions of school-wide …

Negotiating The Integration Of New Literacies In Math And Science Content: The Lived Experience Of Classroom Teachers, Jennifer Joy Wimmer

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the lived experience of integrating new literacies in math and science content by upper elementary and middle school teachers. This study highlights the lived experience of six teachers including two elementary math teachers, two middle school math teachers, and two middle school science teachers. Data sources included five in-depth interviews, teachers' weekly reflection journals, weekly classroom observations, and one principal interview at each of the three high-needs schools. Data were analyzed through an analytic and thematic approach. A reconstructed story was created for each teacher which provides insight into the teacher …

Teenagers’ Reasons For Listening To Music And The Students’ Perception Of The Effects Of Listening When Completing School Assignments, Jennifer Adriano, Thomas Dipaola

K-12 Education

Music is a significant part of our lives. People listen to music on the radio at home and in their car; they watch music videos on television or hand held technology; they buy CDs or download music; and they attend concerts. People also hear music in stores, restaurants, sporting events, and doctors’ offices (Schellenberg, Peretz, & Vieillard, 2008). Music is very important to many adolescents and they spend a considerable amount of their time listening to music. One study with N = 2,465 adolescents ages 13 and 14 found that participants listened to music for an average of 2.45 hours …

2010 Ijbe Front Matter, Tamra Connor

International Journal for Business Education

1. Editorial Board
2. President's Letter
3. SIEC-ISBE International

Relationship Of Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Award Books On Students' Reading Motivation In Three Illinois Rural Middle Schools: A Quantitative Study, Roxanne Marie Forgrave

Faculty Scholarship – Education

Motivating students to read is challenging, and 49 states have children’s choice book programs whose main purpose is to motivate students to read. This quantitative research study determined if, in three rural middle schools, a relationship exists between sixth, seventh, and eighth graders reading the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Award (RCYRBA) books and reading motivation. The Adolescent Motivation to Read Profile (Pitcher, et al., 2007) survey was used for data collection; the data was analyzed using multiple regression. The results indicate there is a relationship between middle school students’ reading motivation and the reading of RCYRBA books, gender, grade level, …

Nanny Of The Maroons And The Mythology Of [My]Self, Marva S. Mcclean Dr.

Marva S McClean Dr.

This paper examines the central role Nanny of the Maroon plays within the West Indian ideology of resistance & empowerment.

Project Stimmulis: Science Teachers Integrating Mathematical Modeling For Undergraduate Learning And Instruction In Schools, William H. Robertson, David Carrego

William H. Robertson

Computer-based mathematical modeling in Physics is a process of constructing models of concepts and the relationships between them in the scientific characteristics of work. In this manner, computer-based modeling integrates the interactions of natural phenomenon through the use of models, which provide structure for theories and a base for experimentation. Utilizing this method, scientists construct knowledge, and in like manner, students in science construct their understandings in significant ways, addressing their preconceptions and their knowledge of concepts in physics. Project STIMMULIS provides a mathematical modeling context for pre-service mathematics and science teachers’ conceptual and applied understanding of motion. Project STIMMULIS …

Dr. Skateboard’S Action Science: Increasing Science Knowledge And Skills For Middle School Teachers, William H. Robertson

William H. Robertson

Dr. Skateboard’s Action Science maps to the physical science Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills (TEKS) standards that all middle school students need to learn. Dr. Skateboard’s Action Science explores scientific concepts in a curriculum supplement that is designed to address both physical science content and process skills. The video instruction focuses on fundamental concepts found in the areas of motion, forces, Newton’s Laws of Motion, and simple machines. The use of familiar activities, situations and objects, such as skateboarding and bicycle motocross (BMX), around which students can explore and explain scientific concepts can be defined as action science. The main …

Research Poster: Climate Change Science For Northern Nevada Educators, Melissa Slayden, Jacque Ewing-Taylor, Kelly Cannon

2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference

Research poster

Research Poster: Clark County School District Involvement In The Nsf Epscor Program, Education Component, Aubrey M. Shirk, Larry Rudd, Paul Buck

2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference

Research poster

Understanding The Nature Of Learning Disorders In Pakistani Classooms, Kausar Waqar, Nilofar Vazir

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

No abstract provided.

Addressing Impulsive Disposition: Using Non-Proportional Problems To Overcome Overgeneralization Of Proportionality, Kien Lim, Osvaldo Morera

Kien H Lim

Impulsive disposition is an undesirable way of thinking where one spontaneously applies the first idea that comes to mind without checking its relevance. In this research, we explore (a) the possibility of helping pre-service teachers improve their disposition, from being impulsive to being analytic, in one semester, and (b) the effect of using non-proportional situations. This study involves two sections of a mathematics course for pre-service teachers for Grades 4-8. The lessons were designed whenever possible to elicit students’ impulsive disposition so that they could become cognizant of it and make conscious attempts to overcome it. Some test items were …