Digital Commons Network^™

Creative Learning With Music And Mathematics: Reflections On Interdisciplinary Collaborations, Graham Johnson, Alesia Mickle Moldavan

Elementary & Special Education: Faculty Publications

Culturally responsive content, accessible and inclusive tools, and meaningful interdisciplinary tasks can aid in developing equitable and creative learning environments. Music and mathematics are ideal disciplines for interdisciplinary creative learning. In this article, we reflect on our experiences engaging in interdisciplinary music and mathematics tasks with preservice teachers. In particular, we highlight specific efforts taken to design and implement a creative music and mathematics workshop for use in a mathematics methods course. Guided by these experiences, we offer examples of tools and practices that have helped preservice teachers collaborate, engage in inquiry, improvise, develop empathy, and take intellectual and social …

Normalization And Generalization In Deep Learning, Griffin Hurt

Theses

In this thesis, we discuss the importance of data normalization in deep learning and its relationship with generalization. Normalization is a staple of deep learning architectures and has been shown to improve the stability and generalizability of deep learning models, yet the reason why these normalization techniques work is still unknown and is an active area of research. Inspired by this uncertainty, we explore how different normalization techniques perform when employed in different deep learning architectures, while also exploring generalization and metrics associated with generalization in congruence with our investigation into normalization. The goal behind our experiments was to investigate …

Teacher Perceptions And Teaching Practices In The Elementary Mathematics Classroom, Cynthia K. Moschera

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore elementary educators’ perceptions regarding what it means to conceptually understand mathematics, the emphasis teachers place on utilizing evidence-based teaching processes, as identified as effective by National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and how these perceptions influence their instructional choices. The theoretical framework includes Lev Vygotsky’s theory of Zone of Proximal Development. The methodological type will be a qualitative collective case study consisting of 8 participants, which include classroom teachers of grades 2-5. The TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) conducted every four years, has highlighted gaps in mathematics performance …

Engagement And Solidarity While Learning, Deolinda Maria L. Dias Rasteiro, Cristina M. R. Caridade, Ascensión Hernandez Encinas, Araceli Queiruga-Dios, Ion Mierlus

Practice Papers

2020 and 2021 were difficult years for students attending higher education and secondary education especially if they were preparing to enter higher education. Teaching was adapted, and assessments were the possible ones according to what we lived and experienced. Thus, students need innovative and stimulating teaching and learning practices that motivate and involve them in the teaching/learning processes. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and digital platforms have seen their indiscriminate use, not without sometimes, teachers and students questioning whether they were being used in the best conceivable way or taken full advantage of. Face-to-face group work and involvement with the …

Exploring Strategies To Promote Engagement And Active Learning Through Digital Course Design In Engineering Mathematics, Fulya Kula, Erik M. Horstman, Lavinia S. Lanting, Linda R. Ten Klooster

Practice Papers

This research explores the strategies and techniques used to foster and promote the engagement and active learning of engineering students within a digital course. This digital course has been developed to address the varying levels of understanding of fundamental mathematics among first-year engineering students, who often have disparate levels of prior knowledge at their high school completion. We observe an increasing need to bridge the widening gap between high school and university mathematics in order to prevent engineering students from being hindered in their academic successes due to a lack of prior mathematical understanding. With a team of engineers and …

Enhancing Engineering Students' Mathematics Learning Through Digitised Effective Feedback, Tugce Akkaya, Fulya Kula

Practice Papers

This practice paper explores the impact of effective digitised feedback on engineering students' mathematics learning in the digital environment. By using a schematic framework, an online repository will be developed to provide effective feedback to the first-year students taking mathematics courses. The repository takes into account calculus topics and focuses on providing guidance to students who give incorrect answers to questions by incorporating sub-questions based on Polya's heuristics. The sub-questions aim to motivate students to draw on simpler connections and stimulate learning by encouraging students to check their answers and reflect on their initial responses. This study is currently an …

The Impacts Of Tracking In Middle School Mathematics, With Particular Emphasis On Small Private Schools, Jared Hanson

Teaching and Learning (MA) Theses

Most studies of the efficacy and equity of tracking in middle school mathematics focus on programs implemented in large public schools or entire school districts. They do not consider the impacts of how tracking might affect middle school students at a small private school. This study therefore seeks to determine how the theories, findings, and conclusions in the existing research may be applied in the context of a small private school. It begins with an extensive review of the literature that discusses the history and impacts of tracking, focusing on academic achievement, self-esteem and self-concept, and discrimination along racial and …

Effect Of The Mathematics Workshop Model On Middle School English Language Learners’ Achievement, Khethiwe Hudson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMost English learners (ELs) face challenges upon entering schools in the United States. The problem addressed in this study was that more than half of middle school ELs did not reach basic proficiency on their mathematics inventory in a Mid-Atlantic school district between 2017 and 2022. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the differences in the Spring mathematics inventory scores between low-English functioning middle school ELs (Level 1 entering and Level 2 emerging) and medium functioning middle school ELs (Level 3 developing and Level 4 expanding) who were instructed in the mathematics workshop model for 18 weeks …

The Everyday Math Guide: Seeing And Using Math In Your Daily Life, Jamie King

ATU Faculty OER Books and Materials

This textbook was created to align with many of the Arkansas standards for the Quantitative Literacy course "MATH 1113" in the Arkansas Course Transfer system.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words: Understanding Our Students' Mathematical Experiences Through Drawing, Gabriel T. Matney, Corrinne Fischer, Jack L. Jackson Ii

School of Inclusive Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Learning about our students’ perceptions of mathematics can help teachers better understand students’ mathematical efficacy and aid in the creation of lessons that foster positive mathematical learning experiences. In this article, we share some students’ perceptions of doing mathematics through their drawings. We looked at students from three different grade levels in three different countries: China, Fiji, and the United States. We discuss what we learned from these drawings as teachers and how teachers can use the drawing task to learn more about their student’s perceptions of doing mathematics.

Investigating Students’ Conceptualization Of Linear Programming In Mathematics, A Case Of A Secondary School In Rachuonyo East Sub-County, Kenya, Opiyo Collince Oyaya

Master of Education

Mathematics is a compulsory subject in the Kenyan education system from pre-primary to secondary education. The ministry of education through the introduction of the 8-4-4 system of education in 1985 made Mathematics compulsory owing to its vast application in a wide range of spheres and professions. It is argued that proficiency in mathematics propels both economic and technological advancements. To further enhance delivery in this subject area, the ministry of education initiated SMASSE for science and mathematics teachers to help in simplifying the ‘high order’ concepts such as calculus, loci, and linear programming among others. Linear programming is applicable in …

Streaming With Butterflies: A Whole School Stream Project, Carey L. Averill, Janet M. Herrelko

Journal of Catholic Education

This study explores the commitment of a school faculty to use the pedagogical practices needed to employ a project-based unit of Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STREAM). The unit of study concentrated on environmental sustainability of butterflies through project-based learning (PBL). Teacher interviews were analyzed to reveal the similarities and differences, strengths and weaknesses in the teachers’ reactions to implementing a cross-curricula content unit designed for a pre-kindergarten (PK) to eighth grade school. Analysis of teacher data and classroom artifacts provided evidence of: content mastery at the student levels; implementation of scaffolding for developmental levels; and the need …

Finding The Common Denominator: Understanding The Shared Experiences Of Female Math Majors, Abigail R. Rosenbaum

Honors Theses

Despite efforts to increase gender diversity in STEM fields, women remain underrepresented in mathematics, especially in advanced academic and research positions. This study aimed to explore the experiences of female math majors as they attempt to navigate this male-dominated space. Through qualitative interviews with seven female math majors, two female math professors, and a focus group with education majors at Woodbridge College, small liberal arts college in the United States, several common themes were identified that define the experiences of female math majors. The findings suggest that math is held at an elevated status in society and that there is …

Link Between Mathematics Pedagogy And Missouri Assessment, Mary E. Hartnett

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The researcher studied the correlation between mathematics pedagogy and fifth grade test scores on the Missouri Achievement Program Mathematics Test, utilizing data from 2019 to avoid the effects Covid-19 had on the education system. All fifth graders attending public schools in Saint Louis County were studied using the data released by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The first research question pertained to a correlation between mathematics pedagogy (Spiral, Strand or Blended Method) and overall fifth grade test scores on the Missouri Assessment Program Mathematics Test. The second question tested whether correlation existed between mathematics pedagogy and test …

Using Padlet On Math Collaborative Learning In An Engineering Course, Cristina M. R.Caridade, Deolinda Maria L. Dias Rasteiro

Practice Papers

This paper describes a study, with the objective of evaluating the possibilities of knowledge construction through collaborative learning (CL) in the innovative Padlet environment. During the practical classes of a math curricular unit of an engineering course, activities and assessments were carried out using Padlet. Program themes are organized by columns as a wall. Each students group accesses a problem proposal using a QR-Code. In the first part of the class, the group must solve the problem correctly, using all the materials and technologies they deem necessary. In the second part, each group will correct another group’s problem. The teacher …

Math Department 2022-2023 Newsletter, Mathematics Department

Mathematics Newsletter

Welcome to our annual Mathematics Department Newsletter. We had an exciting year with many activities and accomplishments. Our students have received awards, attended conferences, conducted research, and have really contributed to the life of the department. Our faculty have had many accomplishments in teaching and scholarship. We conducted several events such as Alumni Night, hosted a guest speaker for the university community, had our Pi Mu Epsilon induction and awards ceremony, and much more. We have heard from several alumni and are happy to report what they are doing. Our Math Club has been becoming more active. On the curriculum …

Mathematics And Special Education Co-Teaching In The Middle School: How Teachers Make Sense Of Their Partnership, Bethany Lavalley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Co-teaching is the practice of general educators and special educators sharing instruction in a general education setting to deliberately meet the needs of students with and without disabilities. Co-teacher research tends to focus on the processes of co-teaching, and little is known about how teachers go about creating a system of interconnected professional expertise that flexibly meets the diverse learning needs of students. This comparative case study examines the interpersonal and professional relationships of two co-teaching teams who were supported by their respective administration, who shared common planning time, co-instructed together in the mathematics classroom, and were engaged in a …

The Pursuit Of A Meaningful Life Through Taoism And The Golden Ratio, Robert Q. Williams Ii

CMC Senior Theses

What constitutes a meaningful life is perhaps the most crucial question we can ask ourselves throughout our lifetime; for what we know, the desire to become knowledgeable of a definitive answer is a journey traveled by humans as early as the 6th century BCE. Nonetheless, history illustrates various paths that brave individuals took to provide guidelines for today’s society to reflect on and choose whether or not they wish to follow them. To portray some of these philosophies in greater detail, we begin by exploring the term “meaning” from a metaphysical perspective and then the categories such philosophies might fall …

Associating High School Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math (Stem) Course-Taking With Future Earnings For Non-Stem Employed High School Graduates, Beth Marchant

Dissertations

Problem

Due to the current resurgence of attention given to high school students' taking courses in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), research was needed to examine whether a relationship between the number of STEM courses a high school student, who graduates from high school and works in a non-STEM field, completes and the success of that student 10 years later. One measure of student success, future earnings, can be measured quantitatively and is included in the Education Longitudinal Survey of 2002 (ELS:2002) data set, an ideal source of information to evaluate this issue (Institute of Education Sciences, 2019b).

Method …

Exploring Teacher Quality Of Mathematics Teachers: A Case Study Of One Government-Aided Secondary School In Ajuri County, Alebtong District, Aracha Jackson

Master of Education

This research looked at a public secondary school's mathematics teachers in Ajuri County, Alebtong district. To determine how mathematics teachers' activities from the standpoint of mathematics teaching and learning in secondary schools represent teacher quality, the research study used a qualitative method with a case study design. Purposive sampling was used to get the school of study and the data was obtained from two mathematics teachers who were also purposively sampled from the teachers in the school through the use of structured and semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and observations. The recorded data obtained were then transcribed into text, and classified …

Mathematics Teachers’ Practices In Developing Learners’ 21st-Century Competencies: A Case Of A School In Yumbe District, Uganda, Etoma Innocent

Master of Education

The study explored mathematics teachers’ practices in developing learners’ 21st-century competencies. The study objectives were to explore the understanding of mathematics teachers on the 21st-century competencies, examine the instructional practices the mathematics teachers use to develop the 21st-century competencies in the classroom, determine how mathematics teachers provide for the development of 21st-century competencies during planning, and determine extend to which mathematics teachers provide for the development of learners’ 21st-century competencies during assessment of learning outcomes. The study was carried out in a secondary school in Bidibidi refugee settlement, Yumbe district, Uganda. A qualitative approach was employed for carrying out the …

Utilizing Markov Chains To Estimate Allele Progression Through Generations, Ronit Gandhi

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

All populations display patterns in allele frequencies over time. Some alleles cease to exist, while some grow to become the norm. These frequencies can shift or stay constant based on the conditions the population lives in. If in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the allele frequencies stay constant. Most populations, however, have bias from environmental factors, sexual preferences, other organisms, etc. We propose a stochastic Markov chain model to study allele progression across generations. In such a model, the allele frequencies in the next generation depend only on the frequencies in the current one.

We use this model to track a recessive allele …

Approach To Problem Solving And Use Of Intuition By Engineering Technology Students, Meher Taleyarkhan, Anne M. Lucietto, Natalie L. F. Hobson, Therese M. Azevedo

School of Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Engineering technology students often forgo a methodical approach of solving or answering questions on assignments or exams in favor of an intuition-based approach, emphasizing educated guessing (Broberg et al., 2008). Faculty observations have noted these student solutions often provide explanations, usually sans calculations, to support answers the students believe to be reasonable when in reality deviated from the correct answer. An extensive study was developed to assess several distinctions between student intuition and use of cognition in problem solving, as related to a generalized student population. The study was comprised of a survey and interview. The survey utilized two instruments, …

Using Music To Teach Math In Middle School, James D. Walsh, Bridget K. Coleman

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

Music is an effective tool to use in the middle school classroom. Music is engaging, makes learning memorable, and can help relieve anxiety. Music can be connected to math in many different ways. Lyrics, melodies, and movement can be used to enhance learning. Students can learn the quadratic formula song to help with procedural memory; they can identify fractions in musical composition and notation; and they can write class songs to help retain information.

Did The Covid-19 Pandemic Cause A Learning Loss In Reading And Mathematics? Empirical Evidence Using 2022 Grade 8 Students In Kentucky., Tiyani Rodrigo

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

In 2020, most United States (U.S.) schools closed abruptly. Due to the pandemic, students and teachers were affected in multiple ways. Nearly three years post-pandemic, it is evident students lost in academic achievement. Lower academic performance may impact the future economy and labor force due to lower productivity. Therefore, understanding the causal impact COVID-19 had on academic achievement is vital to develop policy that will help mitigate the long-term impact. In this capstone, I will estimate the size and direction of the impact COVID-19 had on Mathematics and Reading skills for grade 8 students in Kentucky. Using a Difference-in-Differences (DiD) …

Data From An International Multi-Centre Study Of Statistics And Mathematics Anxieties And Related Variables In University Students (The Smarvus Dataset), Jenny Terry, Robert M. Ross, Tamás Nagy, Mauricio Salgado, Patricia Garrido-Vásquez, Jacob O. Sarfo, Susan Cooper, Anke C. Buttner, Tiago J. S. Lima, İbrahim Öztürk, Nazli Akay, Flavia H. Santos, Christina Artemenko, Lee T. Copping, Mahmoud M. Elsherif, Ilija Milovanović, Robert A. Cribbie, Marina G. Drushlyak, Katherine Swainston, Yiyun Shou, Juan D. Leongómez, Nicola Palena, Fitri A. Abidin, Maria F. Reyes-Rodríguez, Yunfeng He, Juneman Abraham, Argiro Vatakis, Kristin Jankowsky, Stephanie N. L. Schmidt, Elise Grimm, Desirée González, Philipp Schmid, Roberto A. Ferreira, Dmitri Rozgonjuk, Neslihan Özhan, Patrick A. O'Connor, Andras N. Zsido, Gregor Stiglic, Darren Rhodes, Cristina Rodríguez, Ivan Ropovik, Violeta Enea, Ratri Nurwanti, Alejandro J. Estudillo, Nataly Beribisky, Karel K. Himawan, Linda M. Geven, Anne H. Van Hoogmoed, Amélie Bret, Jodie E. Chapman, Udi Alter, Zoe M. Flack, Donncha Hanna, Mojtaba Soltanlou, Gabriel Banik, Matúš Adamkovič, Sanne H. G. Van Der Ven, Jochen A. Mosbacher, Hilal H. Şen, Joel R. Anderson, Michael Batashvili, Kristel De Groot, Matthew O. Parker, Mai Helmy, Mariia M. Ostroha, Katie A. Gilligan-Lee, Felix O. Egara, Martin J. Barwood, Karuna Thomas, Grace Mcmahon, Siobhán M. Griffin, Hans-Christoph Nuerk, Alyssa Counsell, Oliver Lindemann, Dirk Van Rooy, Theresa E. Wege, Joanna E. Lewis, Balazs Aczel, Conal Monaghan, Ali H. Al-Hoorie, Julia F. Huber, Saadet Yapan, Mauricio E. Garrido Vásquez, Antonino Callea, Tolga Ergiyen, James M. Clay, Gaetan Mertens, Feyza Topçu, Merve G. Tutlu, Karin Täht, Kristel Mikkor, Letizia Caso, Alexander Karner, Maxine M. C. Storm, Gabriella Daroczy, Rizqy A. Zein, Andrea Greco, Erin M. Buchanan, Katharina Schmid, Thomas E. Hunt, Jonas De Keersmaecker, Peter E. Branney, Jordan Randell, Oliver J. Clark, Crystal N. Steltenpohl, Bhasker Malu, Burcu Tekeş, Tamilselvan Ramis, Stefan Agrigoroaei, Nicholas A. Badcock, Kareena Mcaloney-Kocaman, Olena V. Semenikhina, Erich W. Graf, Charlie Lea, Kalu T. U. Ogba, Fergus M. Guppy, Amy C. Warhurst, Shane Lindsay, Ahmed A. Khateeb, Frank Scharnowski, Leontien De Kwaadsteniet, Kathryn B. Francis, Mariah Lecompte, Lisa A. D. Webster, Kinga Morsanyi, Suzanna E. Forwood, Elizabeth R. Walters, Linda K. Tip, Jordan R. Wagge, Ho Y. Lai, Deborah S. Crossland, Kohinoor M. Darda, Tessa R. Flack, Zoe Leviston, Matthew Brolly, Samuel P. Hills, Elizabeth Collins, Andrew J. Roberts, Wing-Yee Cheung, Sophie Leonard, Bruno Verschuere, Samantha K. Stanley, Iro Xenidou-Dervou, Omid Ghasemi, Timothy Liew, Daniel Ansari, Johnrev Guilaran, Samuel G. Penny, Julia Bahnmueller, Christopher J. Hand, Unita W. Rahajeng, Dar Peterburg, Zsofia K. Takacs, Michael J. Platow, Andy P. Field

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This large, international dataset contains survey responses from N = 12,570 students from 100 universities in 35 countries, collected in 21 languages. We measured anxieties (statistics, mathematics, test, trait, social interaction, performance, creativity, intolerance of uncertainty, and fear of negative evaluation), self-efficacy, persistence, and the cognitive reflection test, and collected demographics, previous mathematics grades, self-reported and official statistics grades, and statistics module details. Data reuse potential is broad, including testing links between anxieties and statistics/mathematics education factors, and examining instruments’ psychometric properties across different languages and contexts.

Commentary On Thematic Special Issue: Seeing Self-Based Methodology Through A Philosophical Lens, Elizabeth Suazo-Flores, Signe E. Kastberg, Melva Grant, Olive Chapman

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

A mathematics teacher educator’s (MTE) use of self-based methodologies goes beyond developing MTE professional knowledge by contributing scholarly inquiry into MTE work. Existing discussions of MTEs’ use of self-based methodologies have provided descriptions of the methodologies and examples of their use by MTEs to unpack their practice. What is less clear is why MTEs elect to use self-based methodologies. Yet central to understanding and validating self-based methodologies as a means of developing knowledge in mathematics teacher education is understanding the aims of MTEs who use such methodologies. On the basis of author interviews, drafts, and final papers for this special …

Strong Homotopy Lie Algebras And Hypergraphs, Samuel J. Bevins, Marco Aldi

UROP Posters

We study hypergraphs by attaching a nilpotent strong homotopy Lie algebra. We especially focus on hypergraph theoretic information that is encoded in the cohomology of the resulting strong homotopy Lie algebra.

Elliptic Functions And Iterative Algorithms For Π, Eduardo Jose Evans

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Preliminary identities in the theory of basic hypergeometric series, or `q-series', are proven. These include q-analogues of the exponential function, which lead to a fairly simple proof of Jacobi's celebrated triple product identity due to Andrews. The Dedekind eta function is introduced and a few identities of it derived. Euler's pentagonal number theorem is shown as a special case of Ramanujan's theta function and Watson's quintuple product identity is proved in a manner given by Carlitz and Subbarao. The Jacobian theta functions are introduced as special kinds of basic hypergeometric series and various relations between them derived using the triple …

Effect Of The Mathematics Workshop Model On Middle School English Language Learners’ Achievement, Khethiwe Hudson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMost English learners (ELs) face challenges upon entering schools in the United States. The problem addressed in this study was that more than half of middle school ELs did not reach basic proficiency on their mathematics inventory in a Mid-Atlantic school district between 2017 and 2022. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the differences in the Spring mathematics inventory scores between low-English functioning middle school ELs (Level 1 entering and Level 2 emerging) and medium functioning middle school ELs (Level 3 developing and Level 4 expanding) who were instructed in the mathematics workshop model for 18 weeks …