Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Elementary General Education Teachers' Knowledge Of And Experience Teaching Students With Disabilities In Science And Social Studies, Diane Rice

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Grades 3 to 5 at a suburban southeastern elementary school, the percentage of students with disabilities (SWDs) who do not meet state standards in science and social studies is greater than that of their nondisabled peers. To address this disparity, district administrators required that proficiency ratings increase for SWDs without providing general education (GE) teachers with training. A qualitative bounded case study was used to understand how GE teachers constructed their knowledge of and met SWDs instructional needs and to understand GE teachers' needs as they worked toward meeting the district goals. Piaget's constructivist learning theory served as the …

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Impact On Student Academic Achievement., Stephanie B. Philipp, Thomas R. Tretter, Christine V. Rich

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

This study evaluated the impact that trained and supported undergraduate teaching assistants (UTAs) may have had on the academic achievement of students in the first semester of an introductory chemistry course for science and engineering majors. Framed by the concepts of Lave and Wenger’s Community of Practice and Wheeler, Martin and Suls’ Proxy Model of Social Comparison , the study used an untreated control group with dependent post-test only design. Covariates related to student academic achievement and contextual variables were also collected and used to build models for the final exam core outcome variable. Hierarchical linear models indicated that having …

Development Of Undergraduate Teaching Assistants As Effective Instructors In Stem Courses., Stephanie B. Philipp, Thomas R. Tretter, Christine V. Rich

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

This study examined the development of peer mentoring skills and deepening of content knowledge by trained and supported undergraduate teaching assistants (UTAs) working with students in entry-level STEM courses across nine departments at a large research intensive U.S. university. Data were collected from two sources: a survey with 10 items requesting 5-point Likert-type responses and an open-ended reflection written by each UTA to process their experiences. The survey responses were analyzed by comparing rates of agreement across the 10 items. Statements from the reflections were categorized by research question and descriptively labeled to capture the essence of implied or explicit …

Blended Learning In Chemistry Laboratory Courses: Enhancing Learning Outcomes And Aligning Student Needs With Available Resources, Shayna Brianne Burchett

Doctoral Dissertations

"Freshman science courses are intended to prepare students for the rigor and expectations of subsequent college science. While secondary education aims to prepare students for the college curriculum, many incoming freshman lack the sense of responsibility for their own learning that is essential for success in a college-level course. The freshman general-chemistry laboratory course at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) was identified as a bottleneck course with a demand beyond accommodation capacity. To address the bottleneck and develop a sense of learner responsibility, a decision was made to investigate laboratory course delivery strategies. As a result of …

Teachers' Practice Of Mathematical Reform Techniques In The Classroom, Mark Turner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 1989, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics advocated for a reform mathematics approach to mathematics education. Teachers in a large suburban school district in the southeastern United States are expected to use strategies that are consistent with reform mathematics. It is not known whether faculty members of a large elementary school in that district have adopted reform mathematics teaching strategies. Reform mathematics is an endeavor to move away from the traditional, direct instruction approach of the teacher as the sole provider of information toward the teacher as a facilitator of knowledge. Reform mathematics allows students to construct their …

Rural High School Mathematics Instructional Practices And Students' Academic College Readiness, Luajean Erna Bryan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Rural high school graduates in the United States lag behind in college math preparedness, therefore prompting researchers to identify instructional practices that would advance student math performance. This quantitative research study investigated specific teacher practices and their correlation with student gains in college math preparedness on the American College Test (ACT). Data were collected using a teacher questionnaire to quantify the level of reform practices among a sample of six math teachers and used ACT pre and posttests to assess 312 11th grade students' gains in college math readiness in a public rural high school in Southeast Tennessee. Correlation analysis …

Strategies For Managing A Multigenerational Workforce, Ronald Lee Iden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The multigenerational workforce presents a critical challenge for business managers, and each generation has different expectations. A human resource management study of organizations with more than 500 employees reported 58% of the managers experiencing conflict between younger and older workers. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the multigenerational strategies used by 3 managers from a Franklin County, Ohio manufacturing facility with a population size of 6 participants. The conceptual framework for this study was built upon generational theory and cohort group theory. The data were collected through face-to-face semistructured interviews, company documents, and a reflexive journal. …

Mathematical Instructional Practices And Self-Efficacy Of Kindergarten Teachers, Tammy Schillinger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A local urban school district recently reported that 86% of third graders did not demonstrate proficiency on the Math Standardized Test, which challenges students to solve problems and justify solutions. It is beneficial if these skills are developed prior to third grade. Students may be more academically successful if kindergarten teachers have moderate to high self-efficacy when teaching lessons that focus on justifying solutions. Bandura's self-efficacy theory was incorporated into this study as the conceptual framework lens. Research questions were designed to investigate kindergarten teachers' instruction in mathematics that focused on justifying solutions, their self-efficacy in challenging students to justify …

Linguistic Cohesion In Middle-School Texts: A Comparison Of Logical Connectives Usage In Science And Social Studies Textbooks, Diego Román, Allison Briceño, Hannah Rhode, Stephanie Hironka

Faculty Publications

Learning from textbooks is challenging because students must understand novel concepts while also comprehending the language used to convey those concepts. In the domain of science, one posited reason for the perceived difficulty in the reading comprehension of science texts is the low frequency of logical connectives (words that signal relationships between sentences and ideas). To test this claim and discuss its potential effects on the reading comprehension of texts used at the middle school level, this study measured whether the usage of logical connectives (e.g., therefore, so) differed between science and social studies textbooks. Our findings from a large …

Science That Matters: Exploring Science Learning And Teaching In Primary Schools, Angela Fitzgerald, Kathy Smith

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

To help support primary school students to better understand why science matters, teachers must first be supported to teach science in ways that matter. In moving to this point, this paper identifies the dilemmas and tensions primary school teachers face in the teaching of science. The balance is then readdressed through a research-based examination of some of the components underpinning quality science learning and teaching practices. Stories of teachers reshaping their science teaching to enable practical applications of these elements in future practice are shared to illustrate what is possible.

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Perceptions And Competence Of Turkish Pre-Service Science Teachers With Regard To Entrepreneurship, Isa Deveci

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The aim of this study is both to determine the perceptions of pre-service science teachers towards the concepts of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial characteristics and to investigate the perceptions of pre-service science teachers regarding transferring the entrepreneurial characteristics to students. This study is designed as a qualitative study and a phenomenological research approach is used. A total of 12 pre-service science teachers from grades 5 to 8 participated in the study. Data were gathered through the use of semi-structured interviews. The data were evaluated through both descriptive and content analysis. The results show that the perceptions of the 12 …

Developing Primary Pre-Service Teachers' Mathematical Content Knowledge During Practicum Teaching, Sharyn L. Livy, Colleen Vale, Sandra Herbert

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

While it is recognised that a teachers’ mathematical content knowledge (MCK) is crucial for teaching, less is known about when different categories of MCK develop during teacher education. This paper reports on two primary pre-service teachers, whose MCK was investigated during their practicum experiences in first, second and fourth years of a four-year Bachelor of Education program. The results identify when and under what conditions pre-service teachers’ developed different categories of their MCK during practicum. Factors that assisted pre-service teachers to develop their MCK included program structure providing breadth and depth of experiences; sustained engagement for learning MCK; and …

Scaffolding The Mathematical “Connections”: A New Approach To Preparing Teachers For The Teaching Of Lower Secondary Algebra., Christine A. Ormond

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper discusses the results of a three-year mixed methods study into the effectiveness of a mathematics education unit. This was written for both pre-service primary education students and re-training in-service teachers, to prepare them for the teaching of pre-algebra and early algebra. The unit was taught rom 2013 to 2015 inclusively in a School of Education setting of a university in an Australian capital city. Focusing on the Number and Algebra strand in the Australian Curriculum, its purpose was to better prepare some novice teachers through modelling a more coherent approach to mathematics teaching. The unit’s genesis lies in …

Exploring Quality Teaching In The Online Environment Using An Evidence-Based Approach, Elena Prieto-Rodriguez, Jennifer Gore, Kathryn Holmes

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Online learning is increasingly ubiquitous in higher education. However, research regarding online teaching often focuses on the affordances of the online environment rather than on the quality of pedagogy. In this paper we consider how online learning could be enhanced using rich pedagogical models that are consistent with a wealth of existing knowledge on pedagogy for face-to-face settings. To do so, we apply an established framework, the Quality Teaching model, to explore pedagogy in the online environment and illustrate its potential benefits using a case study of 60 students in a tertiary mathematics teacher education program. We conclude that the …

Marketing An Alternate Model For Science And Mathematics Initial Teacher Education, Andrew Seen, Sharon P. Fraser, Kim Beswick, Margaret Penson, Robert Whannell

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

An innovative initial teacher education undergraduate degree has been offered for the first time in 2016 at an Australian University. The degree provides for qualification as a secondary science and mathematics teacher through the completion of a four-year integrated science, mathematics and education program of study where the synergies available through concurrent, integrated study of content and teacher pedagogy are available. The paper describes the results of the analysis of data from science and mathematics school teachers and career advisors in relation to the potential market for the program and perceived advantages and barriers to students selecting the degree.

Instructors' Perceptions Of Their Students' Conceptions: The Case In Undergraduate Mathematics, Wes Maciejewski

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

How a student conceives the nature of a subject they study affects the approach they take to that study and ultimately their learning outcome. This conception is shaped by prior experience with the subject and has a lasting impact on the student's learning. For subsequent education to be effective, an instructor must link the current topic to the student's prior knowledge. Short of assessing their students, an instructor relies on their subjective experience, intuitions, and perceptions about this prior knowledge. These perceptions shape the educational experience. The current study explores, in the context of undergraduate mathematics, the alignment of instructors' …

Model Lessons For Math And Geography Activities, Karen Adams, Tyler Sexton, Shawnti Peachey

Instructional Materials

Model Lessons for Math and Geography Activities to use with The Student Atlas of Oregon.

Frequently-Used Discipline And Management Techniques In The Cedar Valley, Gabriel Gedlinske

Honors Program Theses

The primary goal of this research is to observe frequently-used classroom management techniques in the Cedar Falls Community School District. The observed techniques and the philosophies behind them will then be compared to the methods and philosophies of educational researchers and theorists. Classroom management is an area that is often underrepresented in the plethora of courses required of college undergraduates, as can be observed at the University of Northern Iowa. Of the 120 total credit hours required of an undergraduate student for graduation, exactly three are devoted to classroom management. Furthermore, those three credit hours, or one class, may not …

Teacher Noticing Of Justification: Attending To The Complexity Of Mathematical Content And Practice, Kathleen Mary Melhuish, Eva Thanheiser, Jodi I. Fasteen, Julie Fredericks

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this report, we will consider in-service elementary school teachers' noticing of the mathematical practice: justification. This study is part of a larger project evaluating the efficacy of a three year professional development built around attending to student thinking and promoting mathematical habits of justifying, generalizing and making sense. Noticing just¢cation is a complex task requiring attention to both the (1) mathematical content and strategies and (2) the nature of the argument provided by a student. We have found that teachers' struggle to attend to both aspects simultaneously and offer a framework for considering teacher noticing of mathematical practices.

Measuring Fidelity Of Implementation In A Large-Scale Professional Development Efficacy Study, Kathleen Mary Melhuish, Eva Thanheiser, Brenda Rosencrans

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Fidelity of implementation is the essential link between professional development (PD) experiences and changes in outcomes. Yet, as a field we have few measures available to directly look at implementation. In this poster, we present our preliminary work measuring teachers’ implementation of a research-based PD.