Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Developing & Describing The Use & Learning Of Conceptual Models For Integer Addition And Subtraction Of Grade 5 Students, Nicole Marie Wessman-Enzinger

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation reports the results of a teaching experiment, which explored student thinking about integer addition and subtraction. Through the lens of commognitive theory (Sfard, 2008), interpreting negative integers as secondary intuitions (Fischbein, 1987), and employing teaching experiment methodology (Steffe & Thompson, 2000), this study was a first step in developing more robust descriptions of students' conceptual models for integer addition and subtraction. I investigated: (a) the conceptual models that students exhibited, (b) the various ways that students utilized conceptual models while learning about the addition and subtraction of integers, and (c), the ways that students' conceptions evolved over the …

Invention Through Form And Function Analogy, Audrey C. Rule

Faculty Book Gallery

Invention through Form and Function Analogy is an invention book for teachers and other leaders working with youth who are involving students in the invention process. The book consists of an introduction and set of nine learning cycle formatted lessons for teaching the principles of invention through the science and engineering design principles of form and function. An appendix contains sets of color, illustrated cards to be printed onto cardstock paper and used for sorting and sequencing activities during the lessons. This set of lessons has been field-tested with elementary and middle school students by teachers and was improved through …

Localized Ecological And Educational Effects Of Environmental Service-Learning In Portland, Oregon, Steven Matthew Braun

Dissertations and Theses

Environmental service-learning is an intentional educational experience(s) wherein learners engage in meaningful activities designed to serve the environment. Environmental service-learning activities vary according to their learning and service goals and include ecomanagement, persuasion, legal action, economic action and political action. The purpose of this mixed methods research was to explore the ecological and educational impacts of grades 6-12 environmental education, with special attention to environmental service-learning throughout Portland, Oregon.

Ecological impacts considered restoration and conservation outcomes of several environmental service-learning programs including plant communities, soils, litter removal and trail maintenance. Educational outcomes considered aspects of environmental literacy including locus of …

Stem Education In The Foreign Language Classroom With Special Attention To The L2 German Classroom, Sarah Danielle Schoettler

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis tackles the issues of foreign language education, with special attention to German as a foreign language, and STEM education in the K-12, and in some cases K-16, educational system. After exploring the societal and national need for improved STEM and foreign language education programs, this thesis suggests methods of integrating STEM education elements and principals in the foreign language classroom. These methods are provided in chapters about integrating state and national education standards in the STEM fields, core academic subject fields, and foreign language teaching, and finally in chapters about the most appropriate and effective pedagogies for successful …

Engineering Professional Development: Elementary Teachers' Self-Efficacy And Sources Of Self-Efficacy, Donna Louise Webb

Dissertations and Theses

Currently, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is a popular buzz word in P -12 education as it represents a means to advance American competitiveness in the global economy. Proponents of the engineering component of STEM advocate additional benefits in teaching engineering, such as its capacity to engage students in collaboration, and to apply critical thinking, systems thinking, negotiation, and communication skills to solve real-life contextual problems. Establishing a strong foundation of engineering knowledge at a young age will provide students with internal motivation as it taps into their curiosity toward how things work, and it also prepares them for …

Designing And Implementing A Planetary Geology Course For Engineers At The Jet Propulsion Lab, Jessica Joyce Dimizio

STAR Program Research Presentations

This project took place at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and involved creating an instructional tool that would increase the quality of communication between mechanical engineers and geologists who are collaboratively designing ways to collect and cache martian rock samples for the Mars 2020 rover mission. Geology and engineering do not cross paths in traditional education settings and communication is difficult due to the specialized language and processes of geology. Previous attempts to bridge communications between these two groups did not serve a large enough audience nor were they specific to the complexities of the Mars 2020 mission. Interviews with …

To The Mathematical Beach, Francis Su

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

What context am I missing that hinders my connection with my students? How often do I take the time to get to know their backgrounds? What are the primary experiences that shaped them, and do those present obstacles or opportunities for learning? And in what ways does the mathematical beach say “open to all” but still feel restricted?

These questions appear unrelated to mathematics, but if we ignore their effects, some of our students will not flourish.

Math Department Newsletter, 2014-2015, Mathematics Department

Mathematics Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Work Integrated Learning In Stem In Australian Universities: Final Report: Submitted To The Office Of The Chief Scientist, Daniel Edwards, Kate Perkins, Jacob Pearce, Jennifer Hong

Higher education research

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) undertook this study for the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS). It explores the practice and application of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) in STEM, with a particular focus on natural and physical sciences, information technology, and agriculture departments in Australian universities. The project involved a detailed ‘stocktake’ of WIL in practice in these disciplines, with collection of information by interview, survey instruments, consultation with stakeholders and literature reviews. Every university in Australia was visited as part of this project, with interviews and consultation sessions gathering insight from more than 120 academics and support …

Exploring The “Mojo” Of Presidential Awards For Excellence In Mathematics And Science Teaching (Paemst) Recipients, James W. O'Malley

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine how extraordinary science teachers develop their teaching mojo. The teachers investigated were recipients of the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST). This investigation focuses specifically on science instruction. The method used for this investigation was individual and group interviews conducted with eight PAEMST recipients. Five themes emerged from these interviews: 1. Science is a natural motivator for learning; 2. Students need to be scientifically literate citizens; 3. A critical “trigger event” propelled each of these teachers towards great science instruction; 4. Each sought out and engaged in …

A Model Of How Different Biology Experts Explain Molecular And Cellular Mechanisms, Caleb M. Trujillo, Trevor R. Anderson, Nancy J. Pelaez

PIBERG Publications

Constructing explanations is an essential skill for all science learners. The goal of this project was to model the key components of expert explanation of molecular and cellular mechanisms. As such, we asked: What is an appropriate model of the components of explanation used by biology experts to explain molecular and cellular mechanisms? Do explanations made by experts from different biology subdisciplines at a university support the validity of this model? Guided by the modeling framework of R. S. Justi and J. K. Gilbert, the validity of an initial model was tested by asking seven biologists to explain a molecular …

Discovering And Applying Geometric Transformations: Transformations To Show Congruence And Similarity, Tamara V. Bonn

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The use and application of geometric transformations is a fundamental standard for the Common Core State Standards. This study was developed to determine current high school teachers’ prior mathematical content knowledge and develop their content knowledge of transformations and their applications. The design of this study was guided by the questions: “Why is there a level of reluctance amongst secondary teachers when it comes to teaching geometric transformations?” and “How can their content knowledge become deepened to apply geometric transformations to prove that two figures are congruent?” The study provided teachers a chance to gain experience with transformations and use …

Adult Education In A Museum Setting Requires Reinforcement, Judy Ann Lowman

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This thesis addresses adult education in a museum setting and measures adult learning during and after a museum visit. While a number of studies have investigated the impact of museum visits on children’s learning, there are few studies on adult learners. This thesis is an initial effort to fill that gap. Qualitative data were gathered through interviews with 24 adult visitors at the Victor Valley Museum in Apple Valley, California. The objective was to determine which exhibits were found to be of greatest interest to the visitor. Follow-up interviews were conducted four weeks later to measure retention. The qualitative data …

How Instructional Strategies Engaged Fourth Graders In Math Learning, Ryan Wallace Patrie

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences of fourth-grade learners in a math classroom, how fourth graders express their interest and desire to learn math, and how different instructional strategies influence that interest and desire. The participants for this study were all fourth graders enrolled at a rural school district in Maine that serves approximately 1,200 learners in grades pre-kindergarten through Grade 6. Fifteen fourth graders provided the data to determine student perceptions on how they engage in math instruction. The findings of this study indicate strong relationships between instructional strategies and the self-determination theory of …

Analysis Of English Language Learner Performance On The Biology Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System: The Impact Of English Proficiency, First Language Characteristics, And Late-Entry Ell Status, Mary A. Mitchell

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This study analyzed English language learner (ELL) performance on the June 2012 Biology MCAS, namely on item attributes of domain, cognitive skill, and linguistic complexity. It examined the impact of English proficiency, Latinate first language, first language orthography, and late-entry ELL status. The results indicated that English proficiency was a strong predictor of performance and that ELLs at higher levels of English proficiency overwhelmingly passed. The results further indicated that English proficiency introduced a construct-irrelevant variance on the Biology MCAS and raised validity issues for using this assessment at lower levels of English proficiency. This study also found that ELLs …

Algebra 1 Students’ Ability To Relate The Definition Of A Function To Its Representations, Sarah A. Thomson

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

One hundred high school Algebra students from a southern California school participated in this study to provide information on students’ ability to relate the definition of function to its representations. The goals of the study were (1) to explore the extent to which students are able to distinguish between representations of functions/non-functions; (2) to compare students’ ability to distinguish between familiar/unfamiliar representations of functions/non-functions; (3) to explore the extent to which students are able to apply the definition of function to verify function representations; and (4) to explore the extent to which students are able to provide an adequate definition …

English Learners' Participation In Mathematical Discourse, Lindsay Marie Merrill

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the increasing diversity of mathematics classrooms today, teachers need guidance on how to support English Learners (ELs) in mathematics classes in a way that situates language learning within mathematical activity. Unfortunately, neither mathematics education research nor EL education research is sure how to navigate the complexity of teaching ELs mathematics while supporting both their language development and their mathematical development through their participation in mathematical activity. This study examined ELs' participation in mathematical Discourse, investigating both the mathematical purposes ELs accomplished by using multiple symbol systems, and the way ELs used non-English language (NEL) symbol systems to support …

A Study Of Conceptual And Language Issues Surrounding Weight, Weightlessness, And Free Fall: Textbook Analysis, Instructional Design, And Assessment, Rex Taibu

Dissertations

Science education is an interdisciplinary field that has developed from and continues to rely on research in the fields of cognitive science, philosophy, psychology, sociology and history. This clearly reflects that learning and teaching can be studied from multiple perspectives. Despite these wide ranging roots, contemporary science education by and large is not informed by the work of research on linguistics, and in particular, the role of language in mediating conceptual understanding. The term “weight” has multiple meanings in both science and everyday language, and this unfortunately creates inherent difficulties for teaching and learning. The present study addresses a need …

Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Attitudes And Beliefs Toward Statistics: Developing An Initial Profile, Christina M. Zumbrun

Dissertations

Over the last several decades, mathematics education researchers have given increased attention to students’ and teachers’ attitudes and beliefs toward mathematics and statistics, but no work has been done that examines practicing secondary mathematics teachers’ (SMTs’) attitudes and beliefs towards statistics in light of the GAISE framework and the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM). This study begins to address this gap in the research by creating the Teacher Attitude and Beliefs toward Statistics Survey (TABSS), a synthesis of items taken from the Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics (Schau, 2003), the Statistics Course Attitude Scale and newly developed items …

Designing For Mistrust, Eric Gossett

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2015

The 2014 ACM North Central Region programming contest contained a problem about a group of v bandits who want to use multiple locks to seal their treasure and distribute keys in such a way that no group of less than m bandits can open all the locks. The problem asks for an algorithm that will determine the number of locks needed for any set of parameters (v, m). I will present an analytic solution that produces a minimum number of locks, a recurrence relation solution, and a constructive algorithm that can print out a table showing the …