Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Deoxyribonucleic Acid And Other Words Students Avoid Speaking Aloud: Evaluating The Role Of Pronunciation On Participation In Secondary School Science Classroom Conversations, Stacie Elizabeth Beck

Dissertations and Theses

Student's verbal participation in science classrooms is an essential element in building the skills necessary for proficiency in scientific literacy and discourse. The myriad of new, multisyllabic vocabulary terms introduced in one year of secondary school biology instruction can overwhelm students and further impede the self-efficacy needed for concise constructions of scientific explanations and arguments. Factors inhibiting students' inclination to answer questions, share ideas and respond to peers in biology classrooms include confidence and self-perceived competence in appropriately speaking the language of science. Providing students with explicit, engaging instruction in methods to develop vocabulary for use in expressing conclusions is …

Edutainment: Using Media And Video Instruction As Methods Of Disseminating Content In Science, Technology, Engineering And Mathematics (Stem) Instruction, William Robertson

Selected Works Temporary Series

Edutainment has recently been a major growing area of education, showing great promise to motivate students with relevant activities. The author is among a group of innovators who have developed cutting-edge fusions of popular culture and science, mathematics, engineering and technology (STEM) concepts to engage and to motivate middle school students, using vehicles such as skateboarding. The importance of using relevant and practical methods of instruction and curriculum delivery that build on student interests and increase enjoyment in the learning process is critical at the middle school level, especially in the STEM fields. The use of edutainment in this manner …

Edutainment: Using Media And Video Instruction As Methods Of Disseminating Content In Science, Technology, Engineering And Mathematics (Stem) Instruction, William Robertson

Departmental Papers (TE)

Edutainment has recently been a major growing area of education, showing great promise to motivate students with relevant activities. The author is among a group of innovators who have developed cutting-edge fusions of popular culture and science, mathematics, engineering and technology (STEM) concepts to engage and to motivate middle school students, using vehicles such as skateboarding.  The importance of using relevant and practical methods of instruction and curriculum delivery that build on student interests and increase enjoyment in the learning process is critical at the middle school level, especially in the STEM fields. The use of edutainment in this manner …

Types Of Questions That Comprise A Teacher's Questioning Discourse In A Conceptually-Oriented Classroom, Keilani Stolk

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines teacher questioning with the purpose of identifying what types of mathematical questions are being modeled by the teacher. Teacher questioning is important because it is the major source of mathematical questioning discourse from which students can learn and copy. Teacher mathematical questioning discourse in a conceptually-oriented classroom is important to study because it is helpful to promote student understanding and may be useful for students to adopt in their own mathematical questioning discourse. This study focuses on the types of questions that comprise the mathematical questioning discourse of a university teacher in a conceptually-oriented mathematics classroom for …

Parts Of The Whole: The Educational Sieve, Dorothy Wallace

Numeracy

This essay argues that the structure of course prerequisites affects retention of students in a course of study. The same argument suggests that the structure of degree requirements, including quantitative reasoning courses, affects retention in college. In particular, the same set of courses required in a rigid sequence will cause more students to exit the program early than if the same courses were offered in a flexible order.

An Electrolysis Experiment For A Middle School Summer Science Camp, Mike A. Christiansen, Leslie Jessup, Kevin D. Woodward

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Higher education is often culturally deemphasized in the geographic area served by our rural, regional campus. As a result, faculty members have the opportunity to spearhead teaching efforts designed to educate the community about the importance of obtaining a post-secondary degree. To this end, we recently held a Science Summer Camp for middle school students, designed to infuse young people with an increased excitement for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education. In this report, we summarize a chemical electrolysis experiment we carried out with middle school students for our annual Science Summer Camp. We also provided procedural guidelines for …

Ua64/2 The Challenge: Magazine For The Center For Gifted Studies (No. 31, Summer 2013), Center For Gifted Studies, Tracy Inman Editor

Gifted Studies Publications

No abstract provided.

Purification And Characterization Of Enzymes From Yeast: An Extended Undergraduate Laboratory Sequence For Large Classes, Kelly E. Johanson, Terry J. Watt, Neil R. Mcintyre, Marleesa Thompson

Faculty and Staff Publications

Providing a project-based experience in an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory class can be complex with large class sizes and limited resources. We have designed a 6-week curriculum during which students purify and characterize the enzymes invertase and phosphatase from bakers yeast. Purification is performed in two stages via ethanol precipitation and anion exchange chromatography, and students perform both direct and coupled enzyme assays. By completion of the experimental series, students are able to identify which enzymes they have purified and have obtained kinetic parameters for one. This experimental series requires minimal instructor preparation time, is cost effective, and works with multiple …

Quantified Recess: Design Of An Activity For Elementary Students Involving Analyses Of Their Own Movement Data, Victor R. Lee, Joel R. Drake

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Recess is often a time for children in school to engage recreationally in physically demanding and highly interactive activities with their peers. This paper describes a design effort to encourage fifth-grade students to examine sensitivities associated with different measures of center by having them analyze activities during recess using over the course of a week using Fitbit activity trackers and TinkerPlots data visualization software. We describe the activity structure some observed student behaviors during the activity. We also provide a descriptive account, based on video records and transcripts, of two students who engaged thoughtfully with their recess data and developed …

Deconstructing Maths Anxiety: Helping Students To Develop A Positive Attitude Towards Learning Maths, Sarah Buckley

Student learning processes

Higher maths ability is often believed to go hand-in-hand with greater levels of general intelligence. At the same time, many students have a negative attitude towards maths. Maths anxiety is defined in the research literature as feelings of concern, tension or nervousness that are experienced in combination with maths. In 2005, researchers in the United States estimated that approximately 20 per cent of the US population were highly maths anxious. Given the cultural similarities between the US and Australia, we can assume that the percentage would be comparable here. Research in education, cognitive psychology and neuroscience shows that anxiety can …

A Comparison Of Christian School And Public School Geometry Teachers Concerning The Beliefs Of Practices And Teaching Proofs, Benjamin Lane

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Theorists contend that mathematics teachers' beliefs influence their practices; consequently, differing Christian and public school philosophies should lead to different practices. However, some researchers have questioned if Christian education is "truly distinct" from public education. Other researchers have noted that this question is still open and that the philosophical differences between Christian and public school teachers might not be translating into differences in practices. A causal-comparative study was conducted between Christian and public school geometry teachers to investigate these differences. This study took place in Florida and Georgia using an instrument designed to measure four different aspects of teaching geometry …

The Effects Of Self-Regulated Learning On Community College Students' Metacognition And Achievement In Developmental Math Courses, Karen D. Y. Campbell

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The effects of training in self-regulation on metacognition and math achievement were investigated in this study. The moderator effect of gender, age and ethnicity on the relationships between training and the outcomes of metacognition and math achievement were also explored. The participants for this study were 116 community college students enrolled in developmental math courses during the spring semester. Teachers volunteered their classes for the study; there were a total of 16 classes participating in the study over two four-week terms. Classrooms were bifurcated and students were randomly assigned to the treatment and control groups. Participants in the treatment group …

The Transformative Potential Of Boundary Spanners: A Narrative Inquiry Into Preservice Teacher Education And Professional Development In An Nclb-Impacted Context, David Whitenack, Patricia Swanson

Faculty Publications

This narrative inquiry uses pedagogic discourse theory and organization theory to frame pre-service teacher education and in-service professional development initiatives in a school district facing tensions related to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Implications for similar future initiatives are considered.

The Effect Of Single Gender Instruction On Eighth Grade Students' Mathematics Achievement, David Hammel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

n the research study, this investigator utilized a non-experimental, causal-comparative design (ex post facto) with archival data to determine the real impact single gender instruction had on eighth grade students' mathematics achievement. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively analyze the benefits of single gender mathematics instruction for eighth grade male and female students, when compared against traditional coeducational instruction. Specifically, the researcher compared students instructed in single gender eighth grade mathematics classes with students taught in traditional coeducational classes by analyzing fall vs. spring Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) computerized mathematics test score means. Additionally, honors vs. non-honors …

Updates To A Sequence Of Thermodynamics Experiments For Mechanical Engineering Technology Students, Roger A. Beardsley

All Faculty Scholarship for the School of Graduate Studies and Research

This paper presents an outline of thermodynamics experiments and lab activities that accompany the introductory thermodynamics course for Mechanical Engineering Technology juniors at Central Washington University (CWU) in Ellensburg, Washington. It outlines and describes the current suite of thermodynamics lab activities, comparing the current suite of seven lab activities to a sequence outlined in an ASEE conference paper presented in 1995. Some lab activities in that paper have been replaced, while others have been updated. For example an experiment to measure the Joule-Thomson coefficient has been replaced with a First Law energy balance activity and the former First Law experiment …

Using Online Data Sets To Teach K-12 Students And Teachers About Climate Change, Larry Rudd

American Association for the Advancement of Science Pacific Conference

• Description of project

• Data-based Activities

• Inservice Teacher Use and Feedback

• Preservice Teacher Use and Feedback

• Future Work

• Conclusions

• Discussion

Reaching Nevada's Teachers Through Nsf Epscor Climate Change Science Institutes, Aubrey Mae Bonde, Larry Rudd, Paul Buck, Juan Mcalister

American Association for the Advancement of Science Pacific Conference

Education Component Goals

• Increase the number and quality of STEM educators and STEM professionals in the region and country
• Develop institutional partnerships that support exemplary practices and policies in STEM education
• Implement inquiry activities focusing on facets of climate change science and promote interest in STEM career pathways and higher education

Integrated Stem Model-Eliciting Activities: Developing 21st Century Thinkers, Micah Stohlmann

American Association for the Advancement of Science Pacific Conference

Studies have shown that integrating math and science makes learning more connected and relevant and has a positive impact on student attitudes and interest in school, their motivation to learn, and achievement.

Engineering is becoming more prevalent in K-12 schools and can provide great problem solving opportunities for students to learn about mathematics, science, and technology while working through the engineering design process.

Climate Change Connected Curriculum, Southern Nevada Science Teachers Association

American Association for the Advancement of Science Pacific Conference

Climate change is a complex global issue that spans many disciplines. The curriculum spans several subject areas and cuts across national standards.

Our team will focus on creating lesson plans to cover a span of two weeks; i.e. one unit on Climate Change .

The SAME concepts will be taught in the SAME week to the SAME 9th and 12th grade students; with a focus on those concepts in specific subject areas.

Challenges And Successes In Exposing Community College Students To Field Work And Undergraduate Research In A New Introductory Field Biology Course At The College Of Southern Nevada, Brian C. Wainscott

American Association for the Advancement of Science Pacific Conference

Few of the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) students I interact with consider careers in field biology. When asked why, most report they do not know much about field biology because too few opportunities exist. Knowing this, and the importance of attracting students to STEM careers, I solicited input from potential employers and developed a new course called Introduction to Field Biology (BIOL 211). BIOL 211 was approved by the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) during 2012 and I offered it for the first time during the spring semester of 2013. It is a 4-credit lecture/lab course that meets …