Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

A Case Study Of The Mathematical Learning Of Two Teachers Acquiring Mathematical Knowledge For Teaching, David R. Hartman

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study offers an analysis of the learning of practicing teachers as they acquire a deeper knowledge of mathematics. While some professional developers have shifted part of their focus to helping practicing teachers acquire a deeper knowledge of mathematics (e.g., Stein & Silver, 1996), the results from studies often describe what translates from the professional development experience into classroom practice and measureable gains in student achievement (e.g., Desimone et al., 2002). Studies showing improvements in pedagogy and student learning are important. However, studying what teachers are learning and how they learn is important in developing understanding of the content and …

The Effect Of A Math Emporium Course Redesign In Developmental And Introductory Mathematics Courses On Student Achievement And Students' Attitudes Toward Mathematics At A Two-Year College, Amy Renée Bishop

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of computer-based instruction on student mathematics achievement and students' attitudes toward mathematics in developmental and introductory mathematics courses, namely Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, and College Algebra, at a community college. The researcher also examined the relationship between attitudes and achievement. The sample consisted of 112 students, and the study was conducted during the Spring 2010 semester at a community college in south Mississippi. The participants were enrolled in one of six classes taught by the researcher. The control group consisted of three classes (one Intermediate and two College Algebra sections) …

The Relationship Among Mathematics Anxiety, Mathematical Self-Efficacy, Mathematical Teaching Self-Efficacy, And The Instructional Practices Of Elementary School Teachers, Lydia Joan Smith

Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to explore the relationships among the variables of mathematics anxiety, mathematical self-efficacy, mathematical teaching self-efficacy, and the instructional practice of elementary school teachers. The study included 320 practicing elementary teachers who teach mathematics to students in kindergarten through eighth grade. These teachers completed the Abbreviated Mathematics Anxiety Scale, the Mathematics Teaching and Mathematics Self-Efficacy survey, and the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Survey. Quantitative data analysis methods included descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. Results indicated a statistically significant relationship between mathematical teaching self-efficacy (efficacy) and mastery approaches to instruction, as well as …

The Inquiry Learning Model As An Approach To Mathematics Instruction, Michael C. Brune

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Since current approaches to mathematical instruction fall short of the goals of NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) research was conducted in a small rural school district in the northwest United States evaluating inquiry based instruction. To complete the study two high school geometry classes were taught area formulation using a traditional lecture based approach to instruction. A third geometry class was taught area formulation utilizing inquiry-based instructional methods. Students in both groups took both a pre-test and post-test, filled out a questionnaire, and participated in a project designed to test their applications of mathematical understanding. Results indicated that …

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Fall 2010, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs, and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge.

The senior design competition helps to focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects …

The Effects Of A Course On Statistical Literacy Upon Students' Challenges To Statistical Claims Made In The Media, Rose Martinez-Dawson

All Dissertations

Statistical literacy involves critically evaluating and questioning statistics encountered in everyday life. The purpose of this study was to evaluate students' questions (challenges) concerning statistics encountered in everyday life and how these challenges differed before and after taking an undergraduate statistics course, entitled Statistics in Everyday Life 200 (SIEL), which focused on statistical literacy. One hundred forty-four students were given three media articles to indicate questions they had concerning statistics cited in the articles and explain why these questions were important to ask. Students' responses were categorized based on the topic and were assessed using the Statistics Literacy Components Rubric …

Pisa In Brief : Highlights From The Full Australian Report : Challenges For Australian Education : Results From Pisa 2009 : The Pisa 2009 Assessment Of Students' Reading, Mathematical And Scientific Literacy, Sue Thomson, Lisa De Bortoli, Marina Nicholas, Kylie Hillman, Sarah Buckley

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australia

PISA in Brief summarises the results from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2009 assessment of students’ reading, mathematical and scientific literacy skills. It tells us about how students performed in the assessment and describes some wider findings about what lies behind their results. PISA 2009 assessed students’ capacities to apply knowledge and skills in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy. More assessment time was given to reading literacy, as this was the main focus for this cycle.

Verbal Cues: Producing The Same Results In Stereotype Threat Research?, Tarryn E. Mcghie

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examined the notion that stereotype threat experiments can be influenced through linguistic manipulation. The cueing of a phrase (whether stereotypical or non-stereotypical) can produce performance differences between groups, rather than cueing of a stereotype, as used in previous research. Participants (n=95) mostly Caucasian females (68%) ranging in age from 18-45 (M=22.7). The design involved three groups and participants were randomly assigned in order to control for consequential affects. The control group received no verbal cues. The stereotypical group received a stereotypical cue (i.e. men tend to do better on this test than women). The counter-stereotypical group received a …

Developing Mathematical Content Knowledge For Teaching Elementary School Mathematics, Eva Thanheiser, Christine Browning, Meg Moss, Tad Watanabe, Gina Garza-Kling

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper the authors present three design principles they use to develop preservice teachers' mathematical content knowledge for teaching in their mathematics content and/or methods courses: (1) building on currently held conceptions, (2) modeling teaching for understanding, (3) focusing on connections between content knowledge and other types of knowledge. The authors share results of individual research projects and teaching approaches focusing on helping preservice elementary teachers develop such knowledge. Specific examples from different content areas (whole number, fractions, angle, and area) are discussed.

Assessment Of College Students' Understanding Of The Equals Relation: Development And Validation Of An Instrument, Gregory D. Wheeler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research indicates that many elementary students do not comprehend that the equal sign is an indication that an equality relation exists between two structures. Instead, they perceive the equal sign as an indication that a particular procedure is to be performed. As students mature, and as their exposure to the equal sign and equality relations in multiple contexts increases, most obtain the ability to interpret the equal sign as an indicator of an equivalence relation. Incorrect usages of the equal sign, however, by post-algebra students indicate a tendency for students to regress back to a comprehension of the equal sign …

An Application Of Vygotsky’S Social Learning Theory On Calculator Self-Efficacy And Calculator Achievement By Gender, Debbie M. Kohler

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

The purpose of this study is to determine what relationships or differences exist between males and females in calculator self-efficacy and calculator achievement, and if social learning groups better support females in calculator achievement and efficacy. To accomplish this purpose, this quasi-experimental study examined pre-test and post-tests using a teacher developed Calculator Self-Efficacy Instrument and a Calculator Achievement Test. The study involved three treatment classes that were arranged into social learning groups according to Vygotsky’s social learning theory and one control class that was arranged in traditional rows. Four major findings emerged. Males scored significantly higher than females on the …

Education In The Environment: A Strategy For Continued Interagency Outdoor Education Programming: Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending November 30, 2010, Margaret N. Rees

Reports (PLI Education)

Highlights of the university’s focused efforts during the past three months include the following:

• Two Families in Nature events were held, benefitting approximately 100 people.
• The Nevada Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights was officially launched on October 9, 2010.
• A total of 18 people are finishing capstone projects and homework to complete requirements for the Nevada State Certification in Environmental Education and Interpretation.
• Forever Earth was scheduled for 35 days serving 965 people.
• Discover Mojave Outdoor World events were conducted for 253 people.

Education In The Environment: A Strategy For Continued Interagency Outdoor Education Programming: Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending November 30, 2010, Margaret N. Rees

Reports (PLI Education)

Highlights of the university’s focused efforts during the past three months include the following:

• Two Families in Nature events were held, benefitting approximately 100 people.
• The Nevada Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights was officially launched on October 9, 2010.
• A total of 18 people are finishing capstone projects and homework to complete requirements for the Nevada State Certification in Environmental Education and Interpretation.
• Forever Earth was scheduled for 35 days serving 965 people.
• Discover Mojave Outdoor World events were conducted for 253 people.

Teaching Research: Encouraging Discoveries, Francis E. Su

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

What does it take to turn a learner into a discoverer? Or to turn a teacher into a co-adventurer? A handful of experiences—from teaching a middle-school math class to doing research with undergraduates—have changed the way that I would answer these questions. Some of the lessons I’ve learned have surprised me.

Ists, November 2010, Iowa Academy Of Science

ISTS Newsletter

In this issue:

--Notes and News

--Opportunities

Multiple Visions Of Teachers' Understandings Of Mathematics, Ann Kajander, Ralph Mason, Peter Taylor, Edward Doolittle, Tom Boland, Dan Jarvis, Wes Maciejewski

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

In this dialog, the notion of mathematical understanding as might be needed by classroom teachers is critically examined by mathematics educators, mathematicians, and a classroom teacher, based on the outcomes of recent work with expert classroom teachers. Terminology, assumptions and examples are discussed and analysed from a number of points of view. Ultimately, the goal is to construct common ground from which appropriate mathematics courses for future teachers might be developed and taught. The need for common terminology and a unifying framework from which to work becomes apparent as multiple interpretations and visions are discussed.

An Attempt To Get And Keep Women Involved In Physics, Jim Crumley, Kristen Nairn, Lynn Ziegler

MapCores Faculty Publications

In this talk I will briefly review some of the obstacles to the full participation of women in the STEM disciplines. In order to increase the number of women in physics, computer science, and mathematics we have started a cohort-based program with curricular and scholarship components for women in these majors. I will present the results of our program so far and offer some advice based on our experiences.

Bridging The Gap Between The Industrial Environment And The Classroom Via Project-Based Learning, Michael W. Martin

Presentation

Recent engineering education research has concluded that most engineering curricula do not promote attainment of many characteristics desired in practicing engineers. Methods to attain these characteristics include both project-based learning (PBL) and simulation of workplace situations in the educational environment. The presenter will outline the use of both PBL and workplace simulation through the implementation of a semester-long project in a senior-level Data Acquisition course taught out of the Department of Engineering Technology at Northern Michigan University. A typical undergraduate experimental analysis or data acquisition course will review topics including; sensoring, hardware requirements, testing techniques, computer integration, software use, and …

Promoting Stem Education Via The Design And Fabrication Of A Simulated Lunar Vehicle, Henrique Casagrande

Von Braun Symposium Student Posters

No abstract provided.

Ahhhhhhh! Earthquake!, Jarred Green, Eugene Lasarge, Brittany Marcott, Maigan Matthias, Matthew Watts

Von Braun Symposium Student Posters

No abstract provided.