Digital Commons Network^™

Math Anxiety And Shame Exemplified On The Reality Show Survivor, James Drimalla, Dru Horne

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In an episode of season 45 of the reality show Survivor, three contestants competed in a challenge involving mathematics. In their reflections and responses to the challenge, the contestants discussed feelings of anxiety, fear, and shame. In this article, we describe (a) the challenge, (b) the three contestants’ attempts to complete the challenge and their responses to the challenge, (c) responses to the challenge in the media, and (d) relevant details of our personal experiences and related backgrounds. We then discuss themes of math anxiety, shame, and virtues, and encourage leaders in mathematical spaces to place a higher value on …

Introducing The Linear Poem, Cristian Ramirez Rodriguez

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In this article I introduce the linear poem, a poetic form I developed in fall 2023 as a pedagogical tool for high-school students. The linear poem is a poem which represents an integer valued linear function, treating the line numbers as inputs and the linguistic units in a line as outputs. Two examples of linear poems are given as well as the steps taken to produce them. By interpreting poetic forms as integer-valued functions as is done in this article, interdisciplinary pedagogy can be achieved, allowing educators and students to express mathematical ideas such as slope-intercept form in a creative …

Exploring Commutativity In A Hindi Language Classroom, Kumar Gandharv Mishra

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Commutativity is an important concept in mathematics. However, not much emphasis is given to it in the elementary or secondary school curriculum, as there is a lack of interesting noncommutative examples at this level. Since most examples of binary operations provided deal with numbers, commutativity appears trivial. In this article we offer an interesting example of noncommutativity that is familiar to Indian school children from a different context. Students in India study a chapter based on the joining of vowels in Hindi grammar. This process is analogous to producing commutative as well as noncommutative operations. When we bring in mathematical …

Should College Students Be Inventors? A Case Study Of A Mathematics Professor In India, Praveen Chhikara, Rochelle Gutiérrez

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This qualitative case study attempts to understand instructional roles and goals that a mathematics professor in India sets and envisions for engaging students around abstract mathematical concepts. We generated the data with the professor while he participated in professional development program sessions we provided on the active role of students in learning mathematics. Guided by two theoretical lenses of Realistic Mathematics Education and Rehumanizing Mathematics, our data analysis identified three main themes through the teaching practices that he employs or conceives: (1) Supporting students to avoid faulty foundations by developing proofs, (2) Offering opportunities for exploration by giving appropriate guidance, …

Memes As An Effective Approach To Increase Public Engagement With Mathematical Concepts, Juan M. Romero, Carlos Trenado

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

A meme is a graphical concept or cultural item that is disseminated via the Internet, often through social media platforms. Memes serve as a mechanism for replicating cultural traits by incorporating aspects of cultural mutation and evolution. The potential of memes in learning and education has been emphasized in several recent studies. The present article examines the impact of memes in increasing public engagement with mathematics and mathematical concepts. By focusing on memes that exhibit specific attributes—such as emotional facial expressions of recognizable human characters and dialogues emphasizing the usefulness or beauty of a mathematical concept—we observe a significant increase …

Graphical Timetables As A Real-Life Example Of Different Representations Of Functions, Olav G. Imenes

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This paper examines 203 pre-service teachers' reactions and learning when they were introduced to a real-life situation in which it is natural to publish officially both graphs and tables of a given function: the situation of operating a railway. I found that almost all the pre-service teachers managed the easiest tasks, like calculating speeds, distances, and time for train represented by graphs. However, the more complicated tasks, which required interpretations of the graphs and tables, such as planning for a delayed train, finding which trains were locals, freight trains etc., were more difficult for them to grasp. There were few …

Volatility Spillover From Largest Muslim Countries: Determinant From Palestine-Israel War, M. Fathur Rahman

International Journal of Islamic Economics and Business Sustainability

Background: This study investigates how sentiment related to the Palestine–Israel conflict influences volatility spillovers among selected Islamic equity markets. Methods – Weekly data on Islamic stock indices from seven major Muslim-majority countries (Indonesia, Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Turkey) are collected for the period 2013W1 through 2025W21. Geopolitical risk sentiment regarding the Palestine–Israel conflict is proxied by BlackRock’s conflict sentiment indicator. Volatility spillovers are measured via a Time-Varying Parameter VAR (TVP-VAR) joint connectedness framework. An Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach is then employed to assess the short-run and long-run impact of conflict sentiment (and energy price controls) on the TCI …

Mathematics Teachers' Perspectives On Computational Thinking: Insights Into Knowledge, Strategies, And Challenges, Hasan Djidu, Heri Retnawati, Haryanto Haryanto

The Qualitative Report

In this study we explored how mathematics teachers in Indonesia understood and implemented Computational Thinking Skills (CTS), as well as the challenges they encountered. While CTS—encompassing skills such as decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, and algorithmic thinking—had gained prominence in global education reform, its classroom-level integration remains uneven, especially in diverse school settings. Through semi-structured interviews with 11 mathematics teachers from primary and secondary schools across varied regions in Indonesia, including underserved and remote areas, we examined how CTS was conceptualized, practiced, and hindered in real-world teaching. Our thematic analysis revealed three key findings: (a) teachers demonstrated uneven familiarity with CTS, …

“Not Conducive To Good Education”: Insights From Interviews With High School Math Teachers About The Academic Impacts Of Covid-19 In The Classroom, Thomas G. Holtmeier, Brook K. Batch, Rebecca J. Allen

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

This study explores the academic impacts of COVID-19 and virtual learning on high school math students in the United States. Previous research has found that COVID-19 led to significant declines in engagement and test scores, alongside a widening opportunity gap among students of different backgrounds. This study interviewed high school math teachers from two private schools to understand what they have observed of students both during the pandemic and now. The findings reveal that the virtual learning experience had a limited negative impact on most students in these two schools, but teachers expressed concerns about the limitations of the …

Toxicological And Environmental Assessment Of Trace And Heavy Metals In Harnoi Coal Deposits, Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, Muhammad Sajid, Shaukat Khan, Muhammad Kashif, Khan Amir Khan, Muhammad Junaid

Jurnal Pendidikan Geografi: Kajian, Teori, dan Praktek dalam Bidang Pendidikan dan Ilmu Geografi

Mining and burning of coal release various toxic substances that can contaminate both surface and groundwater, thereby posing significant risks to human health, especially for households located near mines, coal deposits, or coal-fired power stations. This research examines the environmental effects of coal mining in the Harnoi Region of Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Four mining sites were randomly selected within the study area, and eight coal samples were collected and analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometry to determine the concentrations of trace and heavy metals. The findings indicate that Harnoi coal contains elevated concentrations of arsenic, zinc, lead, cadmium, nickel, cobalt, …

Promise In Practice: Building Belonging And Persistence Through Academic Advising, Mary E. Lawrence

Masters Projects

Promise scholarships were created to remove financial barriers to higher education, but financial support is not enough to help students succeed. This project focuses on developing an academic advising office at Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) to support students receiving the Grand Rapids Promise Zone (GRPZ) Scholarship. Using Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth Model and Sanford’s Theory of Challenge and Support as a foundation, the project outlines a culturally responsive and student-centered advising framework. The goal is to improve student retention and persistence, increase academic advising, and build meaningful relationships between students and advisors. Project components include an advising handbook, a …

Exploring Open Pedagogy Principles: A Qualitative Study Of Undergraduate Experiences, Staci Gilpin, Stephanie Rollag Yoon, Virginia Clinton-Lisell

Education, Health & Behavior Studies Faculty Publications

Open pedagogy, characterisedby students creating or co-creating artefacts that others may use, offers transformative opportunities for students to move beyond passive learning into active content creation. This qualitative study examines the experiences of 25 undergraduate students who engage with open pedagogy principles, including creation-centred learning, collaboration, audience engagement, and the integration of Open Educational Resources (OER) and Creative Commons (CC) licensing. Using surveys and interviews, we identified three key themes: the importance of real audiences, authentic connections over prescribed collaborations, and rethinking the role of Creative Commons. Findings suggest that open pedagogy enhances student engagement and provides meaningful, real-world applications …

Beyond Memorization: Developing Three-Dimensional Assessments For Earth Science Through The Carbon Cycle Unit, Stephanie Kay

Masters Projects

This Master's project addresses the critical need for improved assessment strategies in science education, particularly within the context of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Traditional summative assessments, often relying on multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank questions, frequently fail to evaluate students' higher-level thinking and comprehensive understanding as required by the NGSS's three-dimensional learning framework (science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas). This disconnect can hinder accurate student knowledge evaluation and limit the development of essential 21st-century skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration. The project aims to enhance effective assessment by developing a high school Earth Science unit …

Professional Learning For Antiracist District Transformation: The Role Of Transformational Leadership And Double-Loop Learning, Patricia Marisol Virella, Chedia Ayari, Steve Tozer

Department of Educational Leadership Scholarship and Creative Works

Introduction: This study investigates how professional learning contributes to antiracist district transformation, focusing on the roles of transformational leadership and double-loop learning. Transformational leadership inspires followers to achieve exceptional goals, while double-loop learning involves questioning underlying assumptions and values to foster systemic change.

Methods: A longitudinal case study approach was employed to examine the experiences of seven district and school-level leaders in an urban-intensive school district. These leaders participated in a multi-year antiracist professional learning series designed to promote equity and systemic change.

Results: Preliminary findings indicate that the professional learning series facilitated a shift in participants’ racial schema and …

Experiences Of Women In K–12 Educational Technology Leadership Positions, Natalie M. Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study was the lack of women in K–12 educational technology leadership positions in the United States. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the experiences of women in K–12 educational technology leadership regarding the challenges and successes they encountered in achieving and maintaining their positions. Feminist standpoint theory formed the framework for this study. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 women who were active or former K–12 educational technology leaders in public schools across the country. Open and pattern coding were used to support thematic analysis. An overarching theme of gender bias …

Transforming Recruitment: The Power Of Data-Driven Decision Making, Dylan Klim

Faculty and Staff Publications & Presentations

Dylan Klim, senior assistant director in Admission presented at the National Small College Enrollment Conference (NSCEC) in Charlotte, North Carolina. Klim's presentation was titled, "Transforming Recruitment: The Power of Data-Driven Decision Making."

The NSCEC conference focuses on small colleges and universities that provide essential education and networking opportunities for small college professionals.

Lifestyle Factors Contributing To Occupational Heat-Related Acute Kidney Injury, Jonathan Specht, Fabiano Amorim, Flavio De Castro Magalhaes, Zachary Mckenna, Zachary Schlader

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

Workers worldwide are at risk for acute kidney injury due to hyperthermia and dehydration as a consequence of exertional heat stress. Limited research has explored the impact which lifestyle agents such as beverages, recreational drugs, and medications have on core temperature, hydration, and risk of acute kidney injury during physical work in the heat. To address this research gap, we explored the impact of three agents frequently used by construction workers on thermoregulation and markers of risk of acute kidney injury. First, we investigated the effect which ibuprofen ingestion has prior to one hour of running in the heat on …

Essays On The Economics Of Education Policy, Stephen Owusu

Economics ETDs

The first chapter of this dissertation evaluates the impact of Ghana’s Capitation Grant Scheme, a government education policy that provides direct funding to public schools to eliminate primary school fees, on both the short- and long-term numeracy and literacy skills of children intended to be treated. The findings suggest that free primary education may exacerbate language competition in linguistically discordant societies. In the second chapter, we find that, even without complementary infrastructural expansion, an additional year of official secondary schooling positively affects secondary and post-secondary educational outcomes. The third chapter investigates the relationship between secondary education length reform and reproductive …

14-Year Retrospective Review Of Audiology Graduate Admission Data: Comparative Analysis With Other First Professional Health Programs, Alyssa R. Needleman, Patricia A. Gaffney, Erica B. Friedland, Josiah Alamu

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Demographic and cognitive data on students entering audiology programs is incomplete, and there is a lack of comparison among audiology students and those entering other first professional health (FPH) programs. This paper is the first of a multi-part series to provide evidence into the characteristics of the typical audiology student and their graduate outcomes. This is valuable for improving recruiting, admissions, retention, and success rates of audiology programs. A comprehensive descriptive analysis of admission criteria was performed for students who entered the NSU Doctor of Audiology (AuD) program over the last 14 years. Additionally, NSU admissions data was compared …

“I Have Never Enjoyed Writing…” Exploring Pre-Service Teachers’ Divergent Perspectives And Responding To Student Writing, Nicole M. Martin, Lisa K. Hawkins, Jennifer Cooper Mrs.

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Understanding of pre-service teachers’ [PSTs’] growth in practice is foundational to making the most of available opportunities in writing teacher preparation programs. We sought to examine differences in PSTs’ changes in reading and responding to student writing when their perspectives diverge from each other. Three PSTs enrolled in one learning-to-teach-writing course participated. Our comparisons of PSTs’ initial and end-of-semester reading and responding revealed varied changes within their core practice. PSTs’ variations displayed alignment to their divergent writing attitudes and beliefs. The results highlight the need for more nuanced attention to PSTs' growth in practice in future writing teacher preparation coursework.

Combining Bibliotherapy And Dialogue Journaling In A Fourth-Grade Book Club: Impact On Students’ Writing Apprehension, Leah A. Bryars, Bethanie C. Pletcher

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This article presents the qualitative findings derived from a larger convergent-parallel mixed methods study that explored the outcomes of a bibliotherapy and dialogue journaling intervention on the writing apprehension of eight fourth-grade student participants in an after-school book club. In addition to transcripts of dialogue journal entries, other qualitative data included survey responses from the fourth-grade language arts teachers, field notes, and a post-intervention focus group interview. The qualitative data set was transcribed, coded, and analyzed for emergent themes. Qualitative findings suggested that the student participants demonstrated increased confidence and were in the process of developing more positive attitudes toward …

07.28.2025 Ored Connect, Liz Williamson

ORED Newsletter

On-demand training courses released

• Mentoring
• My Project Was Funded, Now What?

Notice of Funding Opportunity SMART Act Accelerate Initiative

Memo Regarding Contact from Federal Agencies

Effect Of Parental Support On Learning Engagement In Mathematics Online Learning Environment: The Mediating Role Of Online Self-Regulated Learning Strategies, Malathi Letchumanan, Sharifah Kartini Said Husain, Ahmad Fauzi Mohd Ayub

Higher Learning Research Communications

This study examines the effects of parental support on learning engagement and the mediating roles of self-regulated learning (SRL) in mathematics online learning environments. A sample of 112 undergraduate students from the mathematics departments of two public universities in Malaysia participated in the study. We analyzed the data using descriptive analysis and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), and the study findings indicate that parental support significantly predicts online self-regulated learning (OSRL). In addition, OSRL is a significant predictor of students’ engagement. The results also suggest that OSRL fully mediates the relationship between parental support and learning engagement. However, …

(Arise) Achievements In Research, Inquiry And Scholarship Exhibition 2025, Office Of Undergraduate Research

(ARISE) Achievements in Research, Inquiry and Scholarship Exhibition

Conference held at John A. Delaney Student Union on July 25, 2025

Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions Of Creativity In Education, Merve Topak-Jamsran

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between pre-service teachers’ self-reported creativity and their appreciation for students’ creative characteristics. The researcher replicated Kettler et al.'s (2018) "Teacher Perceptions of Creativity in the Classroom" study of in-service teachers. Specifically, the relationship among pre-service teachers’ creative self-efficacy, self-reported personal creativity, perceived importance of promoting creativity, and their preference for student characteristics in the classroom was investigated. Data were gathered using a web-based questionnaire e-mailed to pre-service teachers in educational preparation programs in a southern U.S. state. The study sample were 92 pre-service teachers who had completed at least one practicum or who were currently …

Perceptions Of Department Chairs And Program Directors Of Ethnic Studies In The California State University System: A Convergent Parallel Mixed Methods Study, Christopher Jarrett Cox

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation study is to explore the conditions of Ethnic Studies departments and programs in the California State University (CSU) system nine years after the release of the CSU Ethnic Studies Task Force report released in 2016. Using a convergent parallel mixed methods analysis, this dissertation revisits several questions from the original CSU survey to assess the effectiveness of Ethnic Studies units in the CSU. Respondents to the survey included 13 of the 58 recognized department chairs and program directors for Ethnic Studies units among the 23 campuses of the CSU system, and interview participants included 5 …

Relationship Of A Business Simulation Course To Act Applied Math Outcomes, Brenda Lorraine Savage

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Little evidence links the use of business simulations to advances in the higher order thinking skills that high school students need to prepare for careers in finance. The problem for this study was that students in three southern high schools had limited success on the ACT Applied Math Assessment, and there was a need to explore the relationship of a newly implemented stock market trading simulation course to student success on the assessment. Kolb’s experiential learning theory, which was aligned to the simulation activities, guided the study. The purpose of this quantitative predictive study was to determine whether participation in …

Creating Learning Bridges: Redesigning Homework Within The Framework Of Multiple Intelligences, Vasileios Zagkotas

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

The article explores the application of Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences to homework and the potential of this approach to enhance the educational experience. Through a pilot application in philological subjects in Greek secondary education, the article presents the Homework Toolkit for Cultivating Multiple Intelligences, which offers various activities adapted to different types of intelligence. The findings from the case study research indicated that applying multiple intelligence theory to homework design improved academic performance, responsibility, and student collaboration, while also enhancing critical thinking and creativity. The results indicate that designing homework based on multimodal learning can reform the learning …

A Systematic Review Of Transmedia Literacy: Implications For Lifelong Learning, Rafel Meyerhofer-Parra

Journal of Media Literacy Education

One of the main objectives of international agendas is the promotion of lifelong learning opportunities. Transmedia literacy, usually acquired informally, offers many of the key skills, competences and strategies to ensure learning in a world where technology has a predominant role. However, no analyses reporting the impact of their use are systematically identified in the literature. Therefore, a systematic review of the literature on transmedia literacy and its practices is proposed, searching 4 databases and analysing a total of 42 articles. The results show experiences with plural thematic, extension and educational context, mainly located in the formal educational system, and …

How To Shape Digital Competences Among Pre-Service Teachers: A Global Expert Analysis, Łukasz Tomczyk, Francisco David Guillén-Gámez, Maria Lidia Mascia, Julio Ruiz-Palmero

Journal of Media Literacy Education

The article explores how to shape digital competences among pre-service teachers within the university education system. It addresses the challenges posed by the rapid development of the information society and the growing digitisation of education, necessitating the redefinition of existing teacher education models. Using the Delphi method, 36 media education experts from six continents were interviewed between June and August 2022. They identified 12 versatile solutions to enhance the effectiveness of digital competence formation in academia. These solutions aim to improve the content, methods, and forms of teacher education, ensuring future pedagogical staff are better prepared to integrate ICT into …