Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

The Effect Of Learning Environment And Student Groupings On Math Skill Mastery, Erin Marr

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

This study was designed to evaluate the impact of instructional group size and composition on student progress within a classwide math intervention. In terms of group size, groupings of greater than and less than 10 students were compared. In terms of group composition, homogeneous and heterogeneous groups were compared, defined by grouping the classes with standard deviations of student performance within the upper quartile (heterogeneous) and lower quartile (homogeneous) on a pre-intervention measure. The outcome measure used to evaluate student progress was the number of trials required for students to reach mastery on a specific skill within the 16-skill intervention …

Assessing Algebra Readiness: A Three-Year Study Of The Orleans-Hanna Prognosis Test And Middle School Math Placements, Tabitha Nicole Ringler

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study investigates the viability of the Orleans-Hanna Algebra Prognosis Test (Hanna and Orleans, 1982) as a modern predictor of algebra readiness among eighth grade students. At over 40 years old, the Orleans-Hanna Algebra Prognosis Test (1982) is still commonly utilized by schools as the main source of mathematical ability grouping. The guiding question for this research is whether the test is outdated and should be retired, or is it still a valid predictor of algebra readiness.

Utilizing a longitudinal study spanning three years, the research examines the performance of math students placed in an advanced class versus students who …

Motivating Math Students Through Socratic Pedagogy, Leslie Berg

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study investigated the impact of implementing the Socratic method in teaching logarithms on the motivation levels of high school Algebra 2 students. Drawing on foundational research by Hirsch and Pfeil (2012), the research involves two classes totaling 28 students, with surveys administered before and after the Socratic lessons to gauge motivation, engagement, and participation levels. The meticulously designed four-day lesson plans employ cooperative dialogue and critical inquiry to foster student understanding of logarithmic concepts. With the teacher serving as a facilitator and students actively participating in the learning process, the study aimed to replicate and build upon previous findings, …

Coalescence: A Carnivore Coexistence Curriculum That Braids Indigenous & Western Ecological Knowledge Into A Relevant And Experiential Learning Opportunity For Youth, Stephanie Anne Barron

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

As grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horriblis) begin to reoccupy more of their historic range, and as humans and large carnivore populations continue to increase, incidences of human carnivore conflict are on the rise. A decolonial curriculum designed in collaboration with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe’s wildlife biologists stands to increase awareness of Indigenous ecological knowledge and teach youth about the importance of coexistence with carnivores. Additionally, this project could greatly influence youth perceptions of grizzly bears and other large carnivores. This research project examines the development and implementation of a carnivore coexistence curriculum for youth that is guided by …

Analyzing Science Classroom Design Ideas Of High School Students: Variations Amongst Lgbt-Identifying Students, Abraham A. Lewis

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The physical design of science classrooms is a leading factor in determining the uses of the classroom and the comfort and engagement of students in the classroom, and if a science classroom is designed with only the majority of students or the average student in mind, the classroom design may have a negative impact on the comfort, engagement, and perceptions of minority groups of students, such as queer students. The purpose of this research is to identify how a science classroom’s design impacts the perceptions, engagement, and comfort of queer students, and to use student suggestions to identify science classroom …

Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Mathematical Competence, Vesife Hatisaru, Julia Collins, Steven Richardson, Constantine Lozanovski

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Whilst educational goals in recent years for mathematics education are foregrounded the development of mathematical competencies, little is known about mathematics teachers’ competencies. In this study, a group of practising teachers were asked to solve an algebra problem, and their solutions were analysed to determine the competencies apparent (or, equally importantly, absent) in these solutions. The most demonstrated competencies were devising strategies and mathematising, whilst communication and reasoning were mostly missed. The research provides a detailed methodology on how mathematical competencies can be assessed in the context of problem solving.

Mathematical Connections In Preservice Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Solution Strategies To Algebra Problems, Vesife Hatisaru, Kaye Stacey, Jon R. Star

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study investigated the mathematical connections found in the solutions provided by 22 preservice secondary mathematics teachers to a set of algebra problems. Interest in, and research on, mathematical connections has gained prominence of the past decade. Here, we use the Extended Theory of Mathematical Connections or ETMC to explore the types of connections that this framework does and does not capture in the preservice teachers’ solutions. The ETMC surfaced four types of mathematical connections across four problems: ‘different representations’, ‘procedural’, ‘part-whole’ and ‘meaning’. The other types of connections defined in ETMC such as ‘reversibility’ or ‘feature’ were not found …

Influences On Student Decisions To Enrol In Higher-Level Mathematics Courses, Gregory Hine, Chris Forlin, Paola Chivers

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Addressing the participation rates in senior secondary mathematics courses in Australian schools remains a critically important issue. In this paper, the authors report on quantitative findings from a study in which all year 11 and year 12 (aged 17–18 years) Australian Tertiary Admissions Ranking (ATAR) students in Western Australia were invited to participate. The aim was to explore the perceptions of these students regarding their enrolment in higher-level mathematics courses. Data from 1633 students were collected using a survey instrument comprised of 12, 5-point, Likert-scale items. Data were analysed by applying two statistical procedures: calculating frequencies of the 12 items …

Analyzing A Smartphone Battle Using Bass Competition Model, Maila Hallare, Alireza Hosseinkhan, Hasala Senpathy K. Gallolu Kankanamalage

CODEE Journal

Many examples of 2x2 nonlinear systems in a first-course in ODE or a mathematical modeling class come from physics or biology. We present an example that comes from the business or management sciences, namely, the Bass diffusion model. We believe that students will appreciate this model because it does not require a lot of background material and it is used to analyze sales data and serve as a guide in pricing decisions for a single product. In this project, we create a 2x2 ODE system that is inspired by the Bass diffusion model; we call the resulting system the Bass …

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

A Critical Computing Curriculum Design Case: Exploring Tribal Sovereignty For Middle School Students, Kristin A. Searle, Aubrey Rogowski, Colby Tofel-Grehl, Mengying Jiang

Journal of Computer Science Integration

We report on our efforts to design an integrated computing curriculum for middle school students in Montana that is in line with the Kapor Center’s focus on culturally sustaining-revitalizing pedagogies. Montana provides a unique context for doing this work because a state constitutional mandate requires all K-12 students to learn about tribal histories and cultures through Indian Education For All (IEFA). IEFA centers around seven essential understandings about Indigenous peoples in Montana that are integrated across content areas. In addition, implementation of Montana’s CS standards began in the 2021–2022 school year. In the curricular design, we sought to bring together …

Employing An Abolitionist, Critical Race Pedagogy In Cs: Centering The Voices, Experiences And Technological Innovations Of Black Youth, Tiera Tanksley

Journal of Computer Science Integration

This paper proposes a pedagogical extension of culturally responsive praxis called abolitionist, critical race pedagogy in CS. To showcase the power and potentiality of this pedagogy, this paper examines the experiences of 2 cohorts of Black high school students (n = 30) who participated in a critical race technology course that was taught during the dual pandemic of COVID-19 and anti-Black racism. The goal of this summer course was to employ an abolitionist, critical race pedagogy in CS to foster Black students’ ability to critically examine the ubiquity of anti-Black racism within the socio-technical architectures (e.g. code, data, algorithms and …

How To Intercept A High-Speed Rocket With A Pair Of Compasses And A Straightedge?, Yagub N. Aliyev

CODEE Journal

In this paper a nonlinear differential equation arising from an elementary geometry problem is discussed. This geometry problem was inspired by one of the proofs of the first remarkable limit discussed in a typical first semester undergraduate Calculus course. It is known that the involved differential equation can be reduced to Abel’s differential equation of the first kind. In this paper the problem was solved using an approximate geometric method which constructs a piecewise linear solution approximation for the curve. The compass tool of GeoGebra was extensively used for these constructions. At the end of the paper, some generalizations are …

Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Computational Thinking: Enactment In Elementary Classrooms, Victoria Macann, Aman Yadav

Journal of Computer Science Integration

Technology has increasingly permeated many aspects of everyday life and this evolution raises the need for individuals to understand how the digital world works and what opportunities and risks it brings (Nouri, Zhang, Mannila & Norén, 2019). For this to be an experience for everyone, we need to rethink how we integrate computational thinking (CT) and provide teachers with tools to center their students’ identities, experiences, and cultures in the classroom. In this paper, we present two case studies of primary (elementary) teachers from a full primary (student ages 5–13) semi-rural school in the North Island of New Zealand that …

Library Steam Kits: Developing Circulatable Curriculum For Community Steam Learning, Daphne Fauber, Ashley Fletcher

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Public libraries serve as repositories for a movement described as cultivation of the Library of Things. In the wake of COVID-19, the West Lafayette Public Library enhanced its existing Library of Things collection through the creation of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) kits. Since 2017, the West Lafayette Public Library has held regular free STEAM programs for the community; those programs were put on hold during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which concurred with a library renovation. These kits provide the community with the ability to learn STEAM concepts at home engaging, hands-on activities that may otherwise …

Indianapolis Gems Club: Engagement In Informal Mathematics And Science Learning, Maria Eloisa Nuguid

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

There continues to be a need for the representation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. To address this need, the Girls Excelling in Mathematics and Science (GEMS) research team at Purdue started a GEMS club at Lew Wallace School in Indianapolis, referred to as Indy GEMS Club. GEMS research assistants Maria Eloisa Nuguid, Yi Zhu, and Grace Gochnauer worked with Professor Elizabeth Suazo-Flores. This article is a description of the first Indy GEMS Club experience that consisted of hands-on activities created by GEMS founder Laura Reasoner Jones. The activities were hidden Legos, cup stacking, building a …

A Review Of “Making Black Girls Count In Math Education: Black Feminist Vision For Transformative Teaching, Michelle Craddock Guinn

Feminist Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

Feminist Biology: Towards Gender Equity In The Biology Curriculum, Nicole Danos, Carla Y. Bonilla, Sofia Leung

Feminist Pedagogy

The current curriculum in STEM is a product of historically unequal representation of genders in the science community. As a result, most attention has been given to male biology, creating a knowledge gap that has affected our social and political perspectives, such as an underinvestment in women’s health research. Feminist biology seeks to provide equal time and weight to the impact of sex as a biological factor, using inclusive definitions of biological sex that go beyond the male/female binary. Feminist pedagogy is a method of teaching that involves engaged learning and reflection in order to create a community of learners …

Centering Equity In Stem Teaching: Stem Ideas That Change The World, Ileana Vasu

Feminist Pedagogy

No discussion on equity/inequity makes sense without bringing power into that discussion. As instructors we need to ask questions such as “who decides and controls what knowledge is”, “whose identities are empowered and whose are erased”, “who has access and opportunity and who doesn’t”. Traditional teaching in STEM, including mathematics, assumes knowledge is objective, transmittable, repeatable to everyone. When educators follow a traditional curriculum, just like their teachers before them, they do so thinking their methods ensure equality and objectivity. These practices not only deny the role that Western patriarchal cultures have played in creating these so-called equitable practices, but …

Building Community, Competency, And Creativity In Calculus 2: Summary Of A Pilot Year Of Project Implementation, Jennifer Beichman, Candice R. Price

Feminist Pedagogy

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, instructional modes at our institution moved to fully online and remote, then fully online but on campus, and back to in-person learning in fall 2021. To combat perceived issues in student engagement, we piloted using group projects in place of exams at the natural content break points in Calculus 2.