Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Extended Book Review: Mathematics In Popular Culture: Essays On Appearances In Film, Fiction, Games, Television And Other Media, Edited By Jessica K. Sklar And Elizabeth S. Sklar; Loving+Hating Mathematics: Challenging The Myths Of Mathematical Life, By Reuben Hersh And Vera John-Steiner; Mathematicians: An Outer View Of The Inner World, By Mariana Cook, Gizem Karaali

Pomona Faculty Publications and Research

I was delighted to have the opportunity to review three books on a topic near and dear to my heart. In recent years it has become a passion of mine to think of and speak about the place of mathematics in the real world, in the world of those who are not doing mathematics for a living. I care about the applications and the implications of mathematics, but more than that, I care about the feelings and the impressions attached to it. Often math anxiety or skepticism comes up; the latter may be due to how frequently others (mis)use statistics, …

Nature Of Science Conceptions, Attitudes Towards Evolution And Global Climate Change, And Course Achievement In An Introductory Biology Course, Benjamin Elijah Carter

Theses - ALL

Many researchers have studied student attitudes toward and knowledge of evolutionary science, attitudes towards global climate change (GCC), conceptions about the nature of science (NOS), and course success. However, at the time of this writing, no studies explicitly link these topics.

It is overwhelmingly acknowledged by the scientific community that evolution and global climate change (GCC) are undeniably supported by physical evidence. And yet, both topics remain very politically contentious in the United States. Efforts to mitigate the disconnects between the scientific community and the general public on these issues are imperative to science education. Such undertakings need to examine …

An Argument And Plan For Promoting The Teaching And Learning Of Neglected Tropical Diseases, Kevin M. Bonney

Publications and Research

Neglected tropical diseases constitute a significant public health burden, affecting over one billion people globally, yet this group of diseases is underrepresented in the appropriation of both monetary and intellectual capital for developing improved therapies and public health campaigns. The topic of neglected tropical diseases has been similarly marginalized in the biology classrooms of our nation’s high schools and colleges, despite offering an opportunity to teach and learn about a diverse area of microbiology with far-reaching public health, social, and economic implications. Discussed herein is an argument for increasing the representation of neglected tropical diseases in microbiology education as a …

Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Literacy Professional Learning: An Amalgamation Of Adolescent Literacy, Mathematics Teaching, And Adult Learning, Janet L. Larson

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

This study uses practitioner research to examine secondary mathematics teachers’ learning of literacy integration practices in the context of a district-wide literacy professional development series. The author, a secondary mathematics curriculum and instruction facilitator in a large, Midwestern suburban district, engaged in a two-year partnership with seventeen Mathematics Teacher Facilitators (MTFs) who taught literacy practices to their colleagues via a train-the-trainer model. This study provides an explicit rendering of professional development practices and ongoing, job-embedded learning vignettes of six MTF’s experiences in (a) teaching literacy practices to their colleagues and (b) how they learned and enacted these practices in their …

Environmental Literacy Of Sixth Grade Students In Arkansas: Implications For Environmental Education Reform, Lisa Suzanne Wood

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Environmental education must be better integrated into K-12 curriculum to advance environmental literacy. Producing a citizenry that can understand and address the complex environmental issues facing the world today and in the future is essential to sustainable life on this planet.

Using the Middle School Environmental Literacy Survey, 6th grade students across Arkansas were surveyed to obtain a baseline measure of environmental literacy based on the four domains of environmental literacy included in the survey; ecological knowledge, environmental affect, cognitive skills, and behavior. Individual domain scores were combined into a composite environmental literacy score. Results were then compared to the …

Personality And Science Training As Predictors Of Science Teaching Efficacy Beliefs, Holly Saint

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Various factors have been researched over the past decade related to teaching efficacy under NCLB. Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) guided this correlational study with 13 Alabama and 10 Tennessee public school districts to examine 114 K-4 teachers' personality measured by the Big Five Inventory (BFI) personality factors; science pre-service training and school-district professional development training measured by an unpublished Science Training Survey; and science teaching efficacy beliefs measured by the Science Teacher Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI). The BFI's personality factors and science training were examined in combination using a hierarchical linear regression in an eight-step model while controlling for …

Student Conceptions Of Learning And The Approaches To Learning Adopted In An Introductory Science Course: A Q Methodology Study, Kelly Marie Sparks

Dissertations

The conceptions of learning, guiding students’ primary beliefs about their experiences of learning as well as their interpretations of learning itself, have been found to be related to their approaches to learning and learning outcomes. This study examined the subjective beliefs of students about learning science in an undergraduate college setting. Q methodology was used examine student perceptions about learning and the approaches to learning they employed. Thirty six students completed Q-sorts of their perspectives on learning and the approaches they took to achieve that learning in an introductory physical geography course. Centroid factor analysis and varimax rotation of these …

La Diversidad De Los Análisis De Diversidad La Diversidad De Los Analisis De Diversidad [The Diversity Of Diversity Analyses], Victor D. Carmona-Galindo, Tizziana V. Carmona

Biology Faculty Works

There is a lack of consistency with respect to the use of the terms like species richness, diversity and biodiversity, which extends to the analysis of diversity indices and the merit of using diversity indices in the evaluation (comparison and contrast) of biological communities. The purpose of this article is to provide working definitions for these terms and cite examples from the primary literature that demonstrate the utility of estimating richness, evaluating proportional abundance patterns, as well as comparing indices of diversity and similarity to study patterns of biological organization at different ecological scales. Additionally, we provide a manual in …

Teachers' Perceptions About The Types, Quality, And Impact Of Their Job-Embedded Professional Development Experiences, Delilah Mitchell

Dissertations

This study was designed to determine eighth grade teachers’ perceptions of the impact, quality, and types of job-embedded professional development activities they have participated in and the relationship to student achievement in language arts, math, or science. The researcher identified school districts with 50% or more of their eighth grade students scoring proficient or advanced on all three areas of Mississippi’s Curriculum Test, Second Edition (MCT2). Sixty-four eighth grade language arts, math, or science teachers who had been at their current school at least two years completed a questionnaire created by the researcher. Multiple Linear Regression and Pearson’s Correlation were …

The Effect Of Dynamic Software On Prospective Mathematics Teachers’ Perceptions Regarding Information And Communication Technology, Enver Tatar

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of dynamic software on prospective mathematics teachers’ perception levels regarding information and communication technology (ICT). The study was conducted with senior prospective teachers studying in a department of secondary mathematics education. The data of the study used both quantitative and qualitative research approaches have been obtained using two different tests, namely “Technology Perception Scale” and “Computer Assisted Mathematics Instruction Perception Scale”. Consequently, it has been observed in the study that learning how to use dynamic software positively affects prospective mathematics teachers’ perception levels in a statistically significant way regarding the …

Kindergarteners' Concept Development In Science And Literacy Learning Through Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction (Cori), Char Adelia Moffit

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The notion that "real work" is somehow different from authentic and engaging discovery is troublesome. (Passman, 2001, p.196)

This qualitative case study examined science concept and literacy learning along with engagement of the students in a Kindergarten class in which science and literacy instruction was integrated through Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction (CORI). CORI is an instructional framework created to increase reading engagement by teaching reading comprehension strategies along with science concepts (Guthrie, et al., 1996). This study explored CORI at the Kindergarten level to examine how this curriculum framework engaged young learners in science concept and literacy learning. The study was …

Corals On Acid: An Inquiry-Based Activity Leading Students To A Better Understanding Of Ocean Acidification Impacts, Casey L. Boleman, Philip M. Gravinese, Ellen N. Muse, Andrea E. Marston, John G. Windsor

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The objective of this inquiry-based lesson is for students to gain an understanding of how increasing ocean acidity can affect the calcification of marine organisms. During this activity, students: (1) design an experiment to quantify the CaCO3 concentration of two invertebrate skeletal samples, one that has been soaked in normal seawater and another in a low pH solution, and (2) use critical thinking and discussion to evaluate possible explanations for the difference in the skeletal CaCO3 compositions. Our lesson focuses on exploring the activity before ocean acidification is introduced to provide a common conceptual framework to engage students.

Mathematics Interventions: A Correlational Study Of The Relationship Between Level Of Implementation Of The Accelerated Math Program And Student Achievement, Deborah Walker Driesel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Current legislation, such as No Child Left Behind (2001) or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004), has increased accountability for schools for the education of all students. These laws require schools to provide interventions for struggling learners, as part of the Response to Intervention process (IDEA, 2004). Accelerated Math (AM), published by Renaissance Learning, is a scientifically based program designed to supplement quality instruction as part of the RtI process. This correlational study examined ex post facto data using pre and posttest scores on the STAR Math Test in relation to amount of classroom time dedicated to AM instruction …

Elements: Elementary Teachers Of Science – Building Collaborations Between Content And Pedagogy Communities, Krista Adams, Jenny Melander

Discipline-Based Education Research Group Speaker Series

The current UNL elementary teaching program does not include a science methods practicum in which pre‐service elementary teachers could observe and teach reformed based science lessons in the classroom setting. The science methods course was modified during Spring 2013 to address this missing component. The exploratory course engages pre‐service teachers in designing and implementing a science unit (a series of lessons) to be taught as a science club in an after school program for K – 5th grade students. In Fall 2013, the course experiences expanded to include collaborating with biomedical engineering students in connecting real‐world applications to teaching science. …

Skills Needs Of The Ict Sector In Tanzania, Deirdre Lillis, Fredrick Mtenzi, Diana Mauricaite, Said Jafari, Peter Manifold

Reports

Information and Communication Technology will play a critical role in sustaining the high growth rates experienced by African economies in the last decade. Investment in the ICT sector enables the creation of high quality jobs and acts as an enabling technology for other key industries such as agriculture, mining, finance, health and education. ‘New Software Economy’ models mean international location and company scale are less relevant and enable small organisations to compete globally in niche markets. Unlike many traditional industries which have heavy infrastructure requirements, the key resource of the ICT Sector is its people and the knowledge, skills and …

Cave And Climate Change: Educating The Public At Rats Nest Cave, Alberta, Canada, Charles J. Yonge, Andrea Corlett, Adam Walker

National Cave and Karst Management Symposium 2013

Rats Nest Cave is a Provincial Historic Site whose mandate is to present its natural history to the public. In addition to a suite of interpretive messages, and relevant to this conference’s topic, we have addressed diverse climate change over the geological history of the cave. We start with the cave-hosting rock and the fossils it contains, to its origin along a thrust fault, ending with its enlargement and secondary mineralization during the Quaternary glaciations (the latter having been dated by radiometric methods). We have undertaken a program of speleothem remediation which, visible to the public, serves to reinforce the …

Broadening What We Perceive: A Method For Analyzing Gesture And Language, Caro C. Williams-Pierce

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Scholarship

Gesture and language are deeply intertwined, and attending to both simultaneously when examining mathematical processes is a complex yet rewarding task. We share our budding research methodology for analyzing gesture and language and discuss the methodology from a generic perspective that can be easily adapted to different contexts, participants, and mathematical domains. We further share our problem-specific gesture coding scheme as an example of the grain size and foci of such schemes. Finally, we close by discussing the importance of gesture and language to understanding mathematical justifications and proofs.

Strategically Chosen Examples Leading To Proof Insight: A Case Study Of A Mathematician’S Proving Process., Caro C. Williams-Pierce

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Scholarship

Examples play a critical role in the exploration and proving of conjectures. Although proof has been studied extensively, the precise ways in which examples might facilitate successful proofs are not well documented or understood. Working within a larger set of studies that argue for the value of examples in proof-related activity, in this paper we present a case study of one mathematician’s work on a conjecture in which his strategic, intentional use of examples led to a proof of that conjecture. By examining his work in detail, we highlight specific mechanisms by which the mathematician’s examples led to successful proof …

Science, 7th Graders, And A Stream: An Integrated, Experience-Based Science Course For Honors Students, Walter S. Borowski, Malcolm P. Frisbie, Tara Shepperson, Linda Frost

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

We report pedagogical results from a novel, integrated, experience-based science course for honors students funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The course seeks to improve science instruction and attitudes toward STEM disciplines for both honors students and underprivileged seventh-grade students by using honors students as learning mentors.

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 25, No. 5, November 2013

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Contents: Welcome - Publications - Faculty News - Grants - Meet an Off-Campus Student - Student News - This 'n That - Calendar of Events - BUGFEST Success