Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Impulse-Momentum Diagrams, David Rosengrant

Faculty Articles

Multiple representations are a valuable tool to help students learn and understand physics concepts. Furthermore, representations help students learn how to think and act like real scientists. These representations include: pictures, free‐body diagrams, energy bar charts, electrical circuits, and, more recently, computer simulations and animations. However, instructors have limited choices when they want to help their students understand impulse and momentum. One of the only available options is the impulse‐momentum bar chart. The bar charts can effectively show the magnitude of the momentum as well as help students understand conservation of momentum, but they do not easily show the actual …

Inquiry-Based Laboratory Investigations And Student Performance On Standardized Tests In Biological Science, Usha Patke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Achievement data from the 3rd International Mathematics and Sciences Study and Program for International Student Assessment in science have indicated that Black students from economically disadvantaged families underachieve at alarming rates in comparison to White and economically advantaged peer groups. The study site was a predominately Black, urban school district experiencing underachievement. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between students' use of inquiry-based laboratory investigations and their performance on the Biology End of Course Test, as well as to examine the relationship while partialling out the effects of student gender. Constructivist theory formed the theoretical …

Administering And Implementing The Singapore Mathematics Curriculum At A Learning Center, Hannah Colette Reaume

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A learning center in the southeastern part of the United States used the Singapore mathematics curriculum (SMC) to support student learning of a wide range of mathematics skills. However, a study had yet to be conducted to gain an understanding about the administration and implementation of the program. This case study was conceptually based on constructivist pedagogical theory, where learning is constructed between the teacher and students. The research questions explored how the learning center staff administered and implemented the SMC. Data for this study were collected through multiple in-depth interviews and observations of 2 educators at the learning center. …

Rethinking The Development Of Weapons And Their Impact, Petros J. Katsioloudis, Mildred V. Jones

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The article presents information on conventional weaponry and threats posed by it for the environment. Weapons consist of chemical, biological, depleted uranium, landmines, nuclear, jet fighters, and even the conventional lead bullets. It is stated that the manufacturing of biodegradable weapons that don't pollute the environment must be promoted, as they also strengthen the laws which ban the use of toxic and other chemical weapons. A table on correlation with standards for technological literacy, is also presented.

A Comparison Of Two Engineering Outreach Programs For Adolescents, Louis S. Nadelson, Janet M. Callahan

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

There is continued growth and development of outreach programs designed to increase pre-college students’ awareness and understanding of engineering as a profession and as a career. These outreach programs vary in format and in the groups targeted for participation but maintain the same fundamental goal of increasing participant knowledge of engineering. Many of these outreach programs also maintain the implicit goal of increasing the participants' knowledge and attitudes toward college. The additional resources and funding that are commonly allocated to support outreach programs frequently involve documenting accountability which motivates evaluation of program impact. Therefore, many outreach events include program evaluation …

Reflections On The Tenth Anniversary Of Mathematics And Democracy, Lynn Arthur Steen, Bernard L. Madison

Numeracy

Two independent reflections by early proponents of quantitative literacy connect today's numeracy initiative with its origin in concern about school tests, its impact on students today, and the challenges of democracy. Even as interest in QL grows in many places, evidence of need also grows. Moreover, well-meaning programs with other goals—especially at the K-12 level—often channel education in directions that fail to advance numeracy. Examples show that both students and teachers are enthusiastic when offered QL opportunities, but that individual beliefs and public decisions often belie the goals of QL.

Calculus, Biology And Medicine: A Case Study In Quantitative Literacy For Science Students, Kim Rheinlander, Dorothy Wallace

Numeracy

This paper describes a course designed to enhance the numeracy of biology and pre-medical students. The course introduces students with the background of one semester of calculus to systems of nonlinear ordinary differential equations as they appear in the mathematical biology literature. Evaluation of the course showed increased enjoyment and confidence in doing mathematics, and an increased appreciation of the utility of mathematics to science. Students who complete this course are better able to read the research literature in mathematical biology and carry out research problems of their own.

Spreadsheets Across The Curriculum, 2: Assessing Our Success With Students At Eckerd College, Laura Reiser Wetzel

Numeracy

The Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum (SSAC) library consists of activities to reinforce or teach quantitative literacy or mathematical concepts and skills in context. Each SSAC “module” consists of a PowerPoint presentation with embedded Excel spreadsheets. Each student works through a presentation, thinks about the in-context problem, figures out how to solve it mathematically, and builds spreadsheets to calculate and examine answers.

To assess the effectiveness of SSAC modules, I surveyed Eckerd College undergraduates in two separate studies. Two undergraduate research assistants and I generated pre- and post-tests for 10 SSAC modules. We hired 21 undergraduates who conducted 62 individual module …

Spreadsheets Across The Curriculum, 3: Finding A List Of Mathematical Skills For Quantitative Literacy Empirically, H L. Vacher, Emily Lardner

Numeracy

What mathematical topics do educators committed to teaching mathematics in context choose for their students when given the opportunity to develop an educational resource explicitly to teach mathematics in context? This paper examines the choices made for the 55 modules by 40 authors in the General Collection of the Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum (SSAC) library. About half of the modules were made by authors from natural science, and about 60% of the other modules were by authors from mathematics. The modules are tagged with terms of a search vocabulary developed for the browse page of the collection. The four terms …

The Implementation Of Pre-Lecture Resources To Reduce In-Class Cognitive Load: A Case Study For Higher Education Chemistry, Michael Seery, Roisin Donnelly

Articles

This case study describes an effective method to ameliorate the cognitive load caused by new terminology and concepts in lectures. Ten online pre-lecture resources whose design was underpinned by the principles of cognitive load theory were provided to a class of 49 first year university level chemistry students. Each resource introduced a number of key concepts to the forthcoming lecture and included a quiz for students to test understandings and identify misconceptions. The evaluation of the implementation of resources was measured by considering the difference in exam marks for in-semester test and end of module exam. These showed that the …

Mathematics In The Age Of Technology: There Is A Place For Technology In The Mathematics Classroom, Helen Crompton

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

In today’s world of ubiquitous computing there are a number of technologies available to K-12 educators for teaching and learning mathematics. However, Koehler and Mishra (2008) have described how teaching and learning with such technologies presents a “wicked problem,” as it can involve a number of variables, independent of each other and contextually bound, that need to be brought together. This article highlights the advantages technology offers for mathematics education and looks at some of the reasons behind the poor uptake, such as teacher beliefs and lack of training. A number of solutions are offered to address these issues, including …

An Investigation In Journal Writing And Cooperative Learning With 8th Grade Geometry Students In The Construction Of Proof, Paul Wojcik

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This action research study summarizes the investigation of journal writing and cooperative grouping with 8th grade geometry students in the construction of proof. Students written responses to prompts in journals were analyzed over the course of twelve weeks. Case studies of four students were developed from the researchers’ three geometry classes. All four students in the study participated in an academic program called Pre International Baccalaureate Preparation. Standardized test scores and an attitude scale categorized the four students. The ATMAT survey (Appendix A) measured each student’s attitude toward mathematics. Writing prompts focused on the students’ perceptions of the group process …

Comparison Of The Effects Of Inquiry-Based Cooperative Learning And Demonstrations In Science Education , John Asiala

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The reported research project involved studying how teaching science using demonstrations, inquiry-based cooperative learning groups, or a combination of the two methods affected sixth grade students’ understanding of air pressure and density. Three different groups of students were each taught the two units using different teaching methods. Group one learned about the topics through both demonstrations and inquirybased cooperative learning, whereas group two only viewed demonstrations, and group three only participated in inquiry-based learning in cooperative learning groups.

The study was designed to answer the following two questions:

1. Which teaching strategy works best for supporting student understanding of air …

Effects Of Instructional Changes On Student Learning Of Electrochemistry In An Ib Chemistry Course , Deborah Corriveau

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

This study investigated the effectiveness of incorporating several new instructional strategies into an International Baccalaureate (IB) chemistry course in terms of how they supported high school seniors’ understanding of electrochemistry. The three new methods used were (a) providing opportunities for visualization of particle movement by student manipulation of physical models and interactive computer simulations, (b) explicitly addressing common misconceptions identified in the literature, and (c) teaching an algorithmic, step-wise approach for determining the products of an aqueous solution electrolysis. Changes in student understanding were assessed through test scores on both internally and externally administered exams over a two-year period. It …

Improving Learning By Connecting Chemistry Curriculum To Students' Experiences , Nicole N. Olszowy

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The purpose of the study was to design, implement, and assess the effects of a teaching unit about fuel sources and chemical energy on students’ learning. The unit was designed to incorporate students’ experiences in a way that was aligned with the Michigan High School Content Expectations.

The study was completed with all of the students taking General Chemistry in a rural Michigan high school in the 2010-11 school year. There were 138 participants total. The participants were mostly Caucasian and the majority were in the 11th grade. Of these, 77 constituted the experimental group and were taught the unit. …

Is Virtuality Close Enough To Reality? A Comparison Of The Effectiveness Of Simulations With Traditional Laboratory Activities In A High School Biology Class , Wendelien K. Benya

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Some schools do not have ideal access to laboratory space and supplies. Computer simulations of laboratory activities can be a cost-effective way of presenting experiences to students, but are those simulations as effective at supplementing content concepts? This study compared the use of traditional lab activities illustrating the principles of cell respiration and photosynthesis in an introductory high school biology class with virtual simulations of the same activities. Additionally student results were analyzed to assess if student conceptual understanding was affected by the complexity of the simulation. Although all student groups posted average gain increases between the pre and post-tests …

Occasional White Boarding : Examining The Effects Of Physics Students' Understanding Of Motion Graphs , Tony Schwaller

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The Modeling method of teaching has demonstrated well--‐documented success in the improvement of student learning. The teacher/researcher in this study was introduced to Modeling through the use of a technique called White Boarding. Without formal training, the researcher began using the White Boarding technique for a limited number of laboratory experiences with his high school physics classes. The question that arose and was investigated in this study is “What specific aspects of the White Boarding process support student understanding?”

For the purposes of this study, the White Boarding process was broken down into three aspects – the Analysis of data …

Two-Language, Two-Paradigm Introductory Computing Curriculum Model And Its Implementation, Vladimir Zanev, Atanas Radenski

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

This paper analyzes difficulties with the introduction of object-oriented concepts in introductory computing education and then proposes a two-language, two-paradigm curriculum model that alleviates such difficulties. Our two-language, two-paradigm curriculum model begins with teaching imperative programming using Python programming language, continues with teaching object-oriented computing using Java, and concludes with teaching object-oriented data structures with Java.

Multiple Solutions To Problems In Mathematics Teaching: Do Teachers Really Value Them?, Erhan Bingolbali

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Solving problems in different ways is strongly advised for mathematics learning and teaching. There is, however, little data available on the examination of teachers’ openness to and evaluation of different solutions to the problems. In this paper, the author examines classroom teachers’ openness to different solutions (or to what extent they value different solutions) to problems and how they evaluate (grade) these solutions. For this purpose, two questionnaires including items on students’ different solutions are applied to about 500 classroom teachers. In this paper, only two items related to the focus of the study are analysed. The findings show that …

A Mixed Methods Study Of How The Transition Process Impacts The Autonomy Of Pre-Service Secondary Mathematics Teachers, Linda Kasal Fusco

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This mixed methods study sought to identify the impact that transition into the practice of teaching had on the autonomy of pre-service secondary teachers of Mathematics.  It was based on the belief that a Mathematics teacher’s autonomy depended on: beliefs about Mathematics and how it was learned, reflections on the teaching practice, and social constraints of a secondary school culture. Data was collected between January 2009 and March 2010.  In Phase I (Quantitative) the participants (N = 30), selected from ten State University of New York teacher preparation colleges and universities, completed five instruments to quantify the three factors of …