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An Examination Of The Relationship Between Inclusion Of Students With Disabilities In General Education Classrooms And Student Success As Measured By Public School District Graduation Rates, Dropout Rates, And Act Mathematics Performance, Renee Anne Rudloff

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The accountability of No Child Left Behind (NCLB, 2001) provided assurance that “all children (would) have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging state academic achievement standards and state academic assessments” (Section 1001). According to research, subgroups such as students with disabilities have historically underperformed on state assessments (Darling-Hammond & Rustique-Forrester, 2005; Eckes & Swando, 2009). Measuring their progress holds the school district, teachers, and students accountable for the results, thereby raising expectations, improving teaching, and increasing learning.

In Michigan, students seeking a standard diploma must meet …

Mathematics Achievement With Digital Game-Based Learning In High School Algebra 1 Classes, Terri Ferguson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the impact of digital game-based learning (DGBL) on mathematics achievement in a rural high school setting in North Carolina. A causal comparative research design was used in this study to collect data to determine the effectiveness of DGBL in high school Algebra 1 classes. Data were collected from the North Carolina End-of-Course (EOC) Test for high school Algebra 1. The data collection was broken down by comparison groups based on academic achievement as measured by the North Carolina EOC Test for Algebra 1. The comparison groups were student participants who received digital game-based instruction and tradition instruction …

Existence: An Unholy Trinity. An Account Of Indeterminate Existence, Salas Sanchez-Bennasar

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

What is it for something to exist? This dissertation provides an answer to this question by giving a philosophical theory of existence in which the concept of existence in understood as a complex tri-partite notion. The account of existence defended here is arrived at by taking into consideration past philosophical theories of existence, the everyday and scientific uses of the notion, and also philosophical considerations about the nature of reality.

There are three conditions that are central to existence: spatiotemporality, mind-independence, and being a member of the quantificational domain of a true and complete scientific description about the world. To …

Workshop On Beauty And Explanation In Mathematics, Manya Raman-Sundström

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

On March 10-12, 2014, Umeå University in Sweden will host a workshop on mathematical beauty and explanation. The goal of this workshop is explore the question of whether beauty and explanation are related in mathematics. The workshop will bring together top researchers from fields such as mathematics, philosophy, and mathematics education for which this topic is relevant. Many of these researchers have till now worked within their own discipline boundaries on related topics, but have not met or worked with each other. We hope the workshop not only develops the programs of these established researchers, but also sparks interest in …

Ars Mathematica, Stan Raatz

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

No abstract provided.

An Introduction To Fourier Analysis With Applications To Music, Nathan Lenssen, Deanna Needell

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In our modern world, we are often faced with problems in which a traditionally analog signal is discretized to enable computer analysis. A fundamental tool used by mathematicians, engineers, and scientists in this context is the discrete Fourier transform (DFT), which allows us to analyze individual frequency components of digital signals. In this paper we develop the discrete Fourier transform from basic calculus, providing the reader with the setup to understand how the DFT can be used to analyze a musical signal for chord structure. By investigating the DFT alongside an application in music processing, we gain an appreciation for …

Mathematics In Rural Mexico: Motivations And Barriers For Adult Women Learners, Janel Wilson Williams, Dr. Jacqualine Taylor Voyles

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Math educators have long realized that women in general have shied away from involvement in the mathematical world. Current research in the mathematics education field studies the motivations and barriers women have to studying math. My research extends this topic to a small village in Mexico: La Estancia. By studying factors that encourage or discourage adult Mexican women from studying math in rural settings, important influences can be identified. The identification of these elements can lead to the development of important intervention programs targeted at minimizing negative influences while capitalizing on and strengthening the existing positive influences.

Math Colloquium Dynamics Of Liquid Membranes, Jan 31, Ohio University College Of Arts & Sciences

All Forum Articles

No abstract provided.

Statistical Inference For Everyone (Sie), Brian S. Blais

Science and Technology Department Faculty Book Publications

In the field of statistical inference, there are two primary schools of thought. Each has its proponents, but it is generally accepted that on all problems covered in an introductory course, that both approaches are valid and lead to the same numerical values when applied to actual problems. Only one of these approaches is covered in a traditional course, which denies the students access to an entire field of statistical inference. The traditional approach, also called the frequentist or orthodox perspective, leads almost directly to problem above. The other approach, also called Probability Theory as Logic, derives all statistical inference …

The Effects Of Doubling Instruction Efforts On Middle School Students' Achievement: Evidence From A Multiyear Regression-Discontinuity Design, Timothy J. Bartik, Marta Lachowska

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

We use a regression-discontinuity design to study the effects of double blocking sixth-grade students in reading and mathematics on their achievement across three years of middle school. To identify the effect of the intervention, we use sharp cutoffs in the test scores used to assign students to double blocking. We find large, positive, and persistent effects of double blocking in reading, but, unlike previous research, we find no statistically significant effects of double blocking in mathematics either in the short run or medium run.

Students Ahead Of The Curve In Regional Mathematics Competition, Tia Patsavas

News and Events (Discontinued Series)

No abstract provided.

Behavioral And Emotional Dynamics Of Two People Struggling To Reach Consensus About A Topic On Which They Disagree, Levent Kurt, Katharina G. Kugler, Peter T. Coleman, Larry S. Liebovitch

Publications and Research

We studied the behavioral and emotional dynamics displayed by two people trying to resolve a conflict. 59 groups of two people were asked to talk for 20 minutes to try to reach a consensus about a topic on which they disagreed. The topics were abortion, affirmative action, death penalty, and euthanasia. Behavior data were determined from audio recordings where each second of the conversation was assessed as proself, neutral, or prosocial. We determined the probability density function of the durations of time spent in each behavioral state. These durations were well fit by a stretched exponential distribution, with an exponent, …

Australian Curriculum Linked Lessons: Reasoning In Number And Algebra, Lorraine Day

Education Papers and Journal Articles

In the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics "Number and Algebra are developed together as each enriches the study of the other". The content strands indicate what students should be learning and the proficiency strands indicate the types of learning experiences students should be exposed to in order to learn the content. Most of the content descriptors in Years F-6 algebra refer to a progression of patterning and finding unknowns in number sentences. We could see from this that there are two major themes running through the curriculum; that of patterns and relationships, and that of equations and expressions. These two aspects of …

Teaching Mathematics To Students With Neurodevelopmental Conditions, Milena Venkova, Sean Mcgarraghy

Conference papers

No abstract provided.

Unit Mixed Interval Graphs, Alan Shuchat, Randy Shull, Ann N. Trenk, Lee C. West

Faculty Research and Scholarship

In this paper we extend the work of Rautenbach and Szwarcfiter [8] by giving a structural characterization of graphs that can be represented by the intersection of unit intervals that may or may not contain their endpoints. A characterization was proved independently by Joos in [6], however our approach provides an algorithm that produces such a representation, as well as a forbidden graph characterization.

Classifications Of Computable Structures, Karen Lange, Russell Miller, Rebecca M. Steiner

Faculty Research and Scholarship

Let K be a family of structures, closed under isomorphism, in a fixed computable language. We consider effective lists of structures from K such that every structure in K is isomorphic to exactly one structure on the list. Such a list is called a computable classification of K, up to isomorphism. Using the technique of Friedberg enumeration, we show that there is a computable classification of the family of computable algebraic fields, and that with a 0'-oracle, we can obtain similar classifications of the families of computable equivalence structures and of computable finite-branching trees. However, there is no computable classification …

Lack Of Quantitative Training Among Early-Career Ecologists: A Survey Of The Problem And Potential Solutions, F. Barraquand, T. G. Ezard, P. Søgaard Jørgensen, Naupaka B. Zimmerman, S. Chamberlain, R. Salguero-Gómez, T. J. Curran, T. Poisot

Biology Faculty Publications

Proficiency in mathematics and statistics is essential to modern ecological science, yet few studies have assessed the level of quantitative training received by ecologists. To do so, we conducted an online survey. The 937 respondents were mostly early-career scientists who studied biology as undergraduates. We found a clear self-perceived lack of quantitative training: 75% were not satisfied with their understanding of mathematical models; 75% felt that the level of mathematics was “too low” in their ecology classes; 90% wanted more mathematics classes for ecologists; and 95% more statistics classes. Respondents thought that 30% of classes in ecology-related degrees should be …

Abc Analysis For Inventory Management: Bridging The Gap Between Research And Classroom, Handanhal Ravinder, Ram B. Misra

Department of Management Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

ABC analysis is a well-established categorization technique based on the Pareto Principle for determining which items should get priority in the management of a company's inventory. In discussing this topic, today's operations management and supply chain textbooks focus on dollar volume as the sole criterion for performing the categorization. The authors argue that today's businesses and supply chains operate in a world where the ability to deliver the right products rapidly to very specific markets is key to survival. With suppliers, intermediaries, and customers all over the globe, and product lives decreasing rapidly, this focus on a single criterion is …

Existence Of Positive Solutions For A Superlinear Elliptic System With Neumann Boundary Condition, Alfonso Castro, Juan C. Cardeño

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

We prove the existence of a positive solution for a class of nonlin- ear elliptic systems with Neumann boundary conditions. The proof combines extensive use of a priori estimates for elliptic problems with Neumann boundary condition and Krasnoselskii's compression-expansion theorem

Middle School Mathematics Teacher Evaluation: The Role Of Subject Matter In Supervisor Feedback, Christine Trinter, Heather Carlson-Jaquez

MERC Publications

For decades, mathematics education in the United States has been a focus of national attention. Since the implementation of the First International Mathematics and Science Study in the mid-sixties, critics have reported on the United States’ global standing on achievement tests. Almost two decades after the first administration of the International Mathematics and Science Study, the widely publicized report, A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform (National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983) described various indicators for why the U.S. is at risk for losing its “preeminence in commerce, industry, science, and technological innovation” (p. 11). These risks …

Indigenous Education Update 2 - January 2014

Indigenous Education Update archive (2013-2016)

In this issue, we shine a light on ACER’s partnership with Dare to Lead to undertake research and the development of professional learning resources for teachers and school leaders. We illustrate our research into transitions to work for Indigenous learners, report on the Yiramalay/ Wesley Studio School journey, highlight the latest additions to Learning Ground – ACER’s Indigenous education research portal – and examine the maths achievement of Australia’s Indigenous 15-year-olds. This issue also celebrates the launch and implementation of ACER’s Reconciliation Action Plan and reflections from a kinship presentation delivered to our staff by Lyn Riley, Chair of ACER’s …

Fluctuations Of The Beta Rhythm: Mathematical Modeling And Periodic Forcing Of A Cortical Microcircuit, Michael Leone

Theses & ETDs

A network of neurons is, in many aspects, a coupled system of nonlinear oscillators. We adopt this interpretation for the purpose of mathematically modeling a beta-rhythmic, Layer 5 cortical microcircuit which supports selective attention through interlaminar interaction (28). We assume that the foundation of the beta rhythm is the interaction between the intrinsic bursting pyramidal neuron and the low-threshold spike interneuron, where the period of the rhythm is determined by the period of the M-current inherent to both neuron types. We test the robustness of oscillations and circuit response to periodic forcing in the (5-20 Hz) range. Differences between synaptic …

Just A Moment: Torsional Rigidity As A Non-Spectral Geometric Invariant, Joseph F. Comer

Theses & ETDs

The research of Gordon, Wolpert and Webb showed that the Dirichlet eigenspectrum of a planar domain is not sufficient to identify the domain uniquely, sparking a search for a new, stronger, natural geometric invariant. Colladay, Kaganovskiy and McDonald performed calculations indicating that the torsional rigidity--the first moment of heat content may be such an invariant. We investigate this possibility by calculating the torsional rigidities of two isospectral domain pairs. In the first--a pair of disconnected planar domains constructed by S.J. Chapman--we find that the torsional rigidities are given sums of functions in two variables and, by constructing upper and lower …

The Effectiveness Of The Flipped Classroom, Raymond Szparagowski

Honors Projects

This research study explores the “flipped” or “inverted” classroom and its effects on student learning. The flipped classroom is a form of education in which students learn new content during out-of-class-time instead of the traditional review exercises that are normally given, which opens up class time for activities, problem solving, and other forms of instruction. During this study, a flipped classroom was implemented in a high school mathematics course. Data was collected from student grades, a pre and post survey, a class interview/discussion, and my personal notes from teaching. My results indicate that some potential benefits of the flipped classroom …

Gaining Control: Changing Relations Between Executive Control And Processing Speed And Their Relevance For Mathematics Achievement Over Course Of The Preschool Period, Caron A. C. Clark, Jennifer Mize Nelson, John Garza, Tiffany D. Sheffield, Sandra A. Wiebe, Kimberly Andrews Espy

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Early executive control (EC) predicts a range of academic out comes and shows particularly strong associations with children’s mathematics achievement. Nonetheless, a major challenge for EC research lies in distinguishing EC from related cognitive constructs that also are linked to achievement outcomes. Developmental cascade models suggest that children’s information processing speed is a driving mechanism in cognitive development that supports gains in working memory, inhibitory control and associated cognitive abilities. Accordingly, individual differences in early executive task performance and the irrelation to mathematics may reflect, at least in part, underlying variation in children’s processing speed. The aims of this study …

The Mathematics Of Spot It, Marcus Heemstra

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

Spot It™ is a fun, fast paced game for people of all ages. The game appears to have a rich mathematical structure, which we investigated, using combinatorial analysis. We constructed some similar Spot It type games with a different number of cards, and displayed that some games are impossible to complete. In particular, the original Spot It game has eight objects on each card; however, it is impossible to construct a complete game (a game in which every object appears with every other object) in which every card has seven objects. We have investigated the mathematics behind the game.

Cracking The Code On Stem: A People Strategy For Nevada's Economy, Jessica A. Lee, Mark Muro, Jonathan Rothwell, Scott Andes, Siddharth Kulkarni

Brookings Mountain West Publications

Nevada has in place a plausible economic diversification strategy—and it’s beginning to work. Now, the state and its regions need to craft a people strategy. Specifically, the state needs to boost the number of Nevadans who possess at least some postsecondary training in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or math—the so-called “STEM” disciplines (to which some leaders add arts and design to make it “STEAM”).

The moment is urgent—and only heightened by the projected worker needs of Tesla Motors’ planned “gigafactory” for lithium-ion batteries in Storey County.

Even before the recent Tesla commitment, a number of the more high-tech …

What’S Art Got To Do With Math?, Eric L. Mann

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Education And Women Mathematicians In The Middle East, Syeda Tooba Zahra

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Middle Eastern women have made important contributions in the field of Mathematics. The purpose of this thesis is to understand the educational background for women in the Middle East and look at the life and contribution of a sample of women mathematicians in representative Middle Eastern countries such as Turkey, Lebanon, Iran, and Pakistan.

When Every Teacher Is A Language Teacher : A Case Study Of High School Math And Science Instructors' Use Of Multimodal Accommodations With Els, Karen Marie Gregory

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This case study investigated the multimodal accommodations that content teachers make in order to dually support linguistic and conceptual development for English language learning students. Data from digitally recorded classroom observations, teacher interviews, student work, and questionnaires were collected from the participating math and science teachers. The data were analyzed from the theoretical framework of an ecological -semiotic perspective of language teaching and learning (van Lier, 2004), and is theoretically tied to communication accommodation theory and multimodal communication theory as well.