Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Stem Stories, April 2017, #2, Mir Ashfaquzzaman

STEM Stories

Featured Event - STEM Summer Camps

Incorporating Undergraduate Research Experiences In An Engineering Technology Curriculum, Benito Mendoza, Pamela Brown

Publications and Research

Undergraduate research is a high-impact practice leading to student success, engagement, interest in higher education, and skills development. There are two well-known models for incorporating research experiences in a program: Undergraduate Research Experiences (UREs) and Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs). UREs represent the apprentice model. They feature individual students in faculty research laboratories and provide the opportunity for one-on-one mentoring. On the other hand, CUREs are embedded into the curriculum and are open to most students. CUREs put high demands on one or a few mentors to guide many students. UREs and CUREs vary in selectivity, duration, setting, mentoring, and …

A Dber Approach To Writing To Learn, Brian M. Waters

Discipline-Based Education Research Group Speaker Series

Goals for today’s talk

My research shift into DBER

Pilot studies in Scientific Writing and Communication

Research interests

Scientific Writing Help Desk

Conclusions: • Student knowledge and skill in scientific writing improved after taking “Scientific Writing and Communication” • “Writing my drafts” and “Revising my drafts…” were ranked as the most effective activities. This feedback suggests that a full-semester course with multiple drafts, peer review, and revisions is more effective than a workshop or short course without writing practice • Student confidence in the ability to write scientific manuscripts increased after taking this course. This improvement could lead to increased …

A Qualitative Comparison Of General Chemistry And Advanced Placement Chemistry Students’ Misconceptions Regarding Solution Chemistry, Megan Vandersee

Annual Graduate Student Symposium

There has been much research on student misconceptions regarding the particulate nature of matter and its relation to solution chemistry (e.g. Adadan & Savasci, 2012; Calik & Ayas, 2005; Calik, Ayas, & Coll, 2009; Pinarbasi & Canpolat, 2003; K. J. Smith & Metz, 1996). However, there is a lack of information regarding student misconceptions in areas of solution chemistry such as factors affecting solubility, polarity & molecular interactions and colligative properties. This research compared the misconceptions in solution chemistry held by students who are approaching the end of an Advanced Placement (AP) chemistry course in the high school setting with …

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. …

Walking The Walk: Authentic Science And Mathematics Research Conducted By Preservice And Inservice Teachers, Cherie Mccollough, Tonya D. Jeffery, Kim Moore

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Stem Integration: Math, Meet Biology!, Lindsey Herlehy, Karen Togliatti

Publications & Research

Join us for three hands-on, inquiry-based activities integrating mathematical and scientific thinking. First, explore patterns in the powers of ten and use this information to sort a set of images and design a scale model of an E. coli's DNA. Then, simulate a colorful biotechnology application using new tools and laboratory skills. Art, science, and math intersect in an activity merging coordinate geometry, symmetry, and biotechnology skills. NGSS and CCSS practice standards will be demonstrated.

Stem Center For Student Retention And Success: A Proposal, Madhu Dhar Ph.D

Higher Education Student Work

The STEM pipeline, a commonly used analogy (Kuh, 2006; Tierney, 2000), has been shrinking. Furthermore, degree attainment for women and underrepresented minority students in STEM are even lower than for undergraduates as a-whole (National Science Foundation, 2007). With low numbers of students enrolling in STEM fields and even smaller numbers of women and minorities in the STEM pipeline, colleges and universities need to pay particular-attention to retaining the students they have. This capstone proposes a STEM Center that provides an infrastructural support for undergraduate students in the School of Science and Engineering at Merrimack College. The Center will consolidate programs …

Computer Science Unit, Megan Bouchard

Honors Senior Capstone Projects

A collection of ten computer science lesson plans, aligned with Massachusetts Digital Literacy and Computer Science Standards, developed for an after school program.

Stem Stories, April 2017, #1, Mir Ashfaquzzaman

STEM Stories

Faculty Profile - Gowri Betrabet Gulwadi

Teacher Characteristics And Student Achievement In Mathematics In International Schools, Michael Arcidiacono

Doctor of Education (EdD)

This study explored the relationship between traditional measures of teacher status (experience, level of education and certification) and student achievement growth in mathematics in international schools in Brazil. These measures have been explored extensively in educational research in the United States. However, similar studies have not been conducted in international school settings. The literature review investigated the existing body of literature on teacher status as well as the nature of mathematics achievement in international schools and the rise in use of value-added models as a means of measuring growth. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the impact of teacher …

Parents’ Perspective On Diversifying The Stem Education To Career Pipeline: Motivating Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Gifted/Talented Students To Engage In Stem, Adrienne Coleman

Publications & Research

According to the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME), there is a lack of diversity in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education and careers. The 2013 U.S. Census Bureau indicates that Blacks and Latinos are underrepresented in STEM, with each group making up less than 7% of the STEM workforce; while Whites are overrepresented, making up 70% of the workforce (2013). However, the 2016 Illinois STEM report card suggests that 24% of Black and 28% of Hispanic high school students are interested in STEM. The Research Consortium on STEM Career Pathways further indicates that 21% of Blacks …

To Engage Students In Stem, Engage Them In The World, José M. Torres

Publications & Research

Over the coming years, the next generation of bright young minds will have to confront climate change, humanitarian crises, income inequality, and the other great challenges of our age. But for now, those challenges can provide them with great opportunities to learn. By bringing such topics into the classroom, teachers can tap into students' intrinsic motivation to grapple with authentic, real-world problems that truly matter, both at the local and global levels. Further, because these topics are so complex, they invite students to wrestle with ideas that reach across the academic content areas, requiring them to integrate their knowledge of …

Program And Proceedings: Nebraska Academy Of Sciences 1880–2017, 137th Anniversary Year, One Hundred-Twenty-Seventh Annual Meeting

Nebraska Academy of Sciences: Programs and Proceedings

Program

Aeronautics and Space Science

Chemistry and Physics

Collegiate Academy: Biology

Collegiate Academy: Chemistry and Physics

Biological and Medical Sciences

Aeronautics and Space Science: Poster Session

Applied Science and Technology

Maiben Memorial Lecture

Anthropology

Earth Science

Applied Science and Technology

Teaching of Science and Mathematics

Environmental Sciences

Friend of Science Award: Kacie Baum and Todd Young

Each To Their Own Cure: Faculty Who Teach Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences Report Why You Too Should Teach A Cure, Erin E. Shortlidge, Gita Bangera, Sara Brownell

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) meet national recommendations for integrating research experiences into life science curricula. As such, CUREs have grown in popularity and many research studies have focused on student outcomes from CUREs. Institutional change literature highlights that understanding faculty is also key to new pedagogies succeeding. To begin to understand faculty perspectives on CUREs, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 61 faculty who teach CUREs regarding why they teach CUREs, what the outcomes are, and how they would discuss a CURE with a colleague. Using grounded theory, participant responses were coded and categorized as tangible or intangible, related to …

An Evaluation Of The Relationships Between Collegiate Aviation Safety Management System Initiative, Self-Efficacy, Transformational Safety Leadership And Safety Behavior Mediated By Safety Motivation, Daniel Kwasi Adjekum

Aviation Faculty Publications

The study conceptualized Safety Management System (SMS) initiative, self-efficacy, and transformational safety leadership as constructs that relates to safety behavior (measured by safety compliance and safety participation) when mediated by safety motivation using a quantitative approach. Structural equation modeling techniques was used to derive a final measurement model that fit the empirical data and was used to test the study hypotheses. Utilizing a sample of 282 collegiate flight students and instructors from a large public university in the US, a 46-item survey was used to measure respondent’s perceptions on the study variables. The results indicate that perceptions of SMS policy …

2017 Imsaloquium, Student Investigation Showcase, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

IMSAloquium Event Booklets

"This is IMSA's 30th year of leading in educational innovation and the 29th year of the Student Inquiry and Research Program (SIR)! Welcome to another year of profound investigation and discovery! In these pages, you will find exciting abstracts on a variety of fantastic studies done by IMSA's great minds."

Exploring American Indian Students’ Problem-Solving Propensity In The Context Of Culturally Relevant Stem Topics, Young Rae Kim, Youn-Kyeong Nam

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications (Archived)

This study presents an out-of-school problem-solving lesson we designed for American Indian students using a culturally relevant STEM topic. The lesson was titled “Shelter Design for Severe Weather Conditions.” This shelter design lesson was developed based on an engineering design allowing us to integrate STEM topics within a traditional indigenous house-building context. This problem context was used to encourage students to apply their prior knowledge, experience, and community/cultural practice to solve problems. We implemented the lesson at a summer program on an American Indian reservation. Using the lesson, this study explores how American Indian students use cultural knowledge and experience …

A Study Of Perceptions Of Math Mindset, Math Anxiety, And View Of Math By Young Adults, Tami L. Hocker

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

This study’s purpose was to determine whether instruction in growth math mindset led to change in perceptions of 18-22-year-old at-risk students in math mindset, math anxiety, and view of math. The experimental curriculum was created by the researcher with the guidance of experts in mathematics and education and focused on the impact of brain growth and learning supported by positive math mindset. Young adult public charter high school at-risk students were surveyed before and after completion of the experimental intervention to measure their perceptions in the domains of Math Mindset, Math Anxiety, and View of Math. The results revealed significant …

Does A Taste Of Computing Increase Computer Science Enrollment?, Steven Mcgee, Randi Mcgee-Tekula, Jennifer Duck, Ronald I. Greenberg, Lucia Dettori, Dale F. Reed, Brenda Wilkerson, Don Yanek, Andrew Rasmussen, Gail Chapman

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The Exploring Computer Science (ECS) high school curriculum is designed to foster deep engagement through equitable inquiry around computer science concepts. We have shown that students find ECS courses personally relevant, are increasing their expectancies of success and perceived value for the field of computer science, and are more likely to take another computing course.