Education Commons^™

A Review Of Secondary Mathematics Textbooks On Families Of Functions, Emily Nyszczy

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In 2008, twelve commonly used textbooks were studied for their use of technology and content across 5 families of functions: polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric. Since 2008, the Common Core State Standards have been released and many textbook companies have used this as an opportunity to change their textbook content. This study reevaluates new high school algebra and precalculus textbooks across many of the same criterion studied in 2008. Some topics such as increasing and decreasing functions significantly increased their presence in the mathematics textbooks while topics such as sketching graphs has decreased. The reason for this shift in …

Transformative Models In K-12 Education: The Impact Of A Blended Universal Design For Learning Intervention, Kai Monet Mathews

Dissertations

Accountability measures, by way of standardized curriculum and assessments, have played a large part in the attempt to ensure that students from all backgrounds receive equal access to quality education. However, the inherent disadvantage of a standardized system is the implied assumption that all students come in with the same knowledge, learn at the same pace, and learn the same way. In the wake of an increasingly diverse K-12 population, educational researchers, learning theorists, and practitioners agree that the concept of the average student is, in fact, a myth. Students come to school with different needs, norms, interests, cultural behavior, …

Evaluation Of A Goal Setting Intervention With Grades 3-5 Military Dependent Students Targeting Math Proficiency, Whitney Desantis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As military dependent students relocate, they enroll in multiple schools throughout their K-12 experience. Frequent mobility can create gaps in achievement. The challenge in the local setting is meeting the needs of military dependent students scoring below grade level standards in math. The purpose of the formative evaluation was to determine the effectiveness of the Personalized Education Plan (PEP) program and propose refinements. The conceptual framework included goal setting, motivation, engagement, and self-regulation. The concurrent multi-methods study included a central research question on whether a PEP increased student math scores. Questions about student motivation, engagement, self-regulation, and goal setting followed. …

Differentiation In The Classroom Using Chromebooks And Google Applications, Allison Carney

Honors Projects

The purpose of this research was to differentiate using Chromebook and Google technology to improve engagement and grades in the classroom. Chromebooks have been implemented into classrooms all over the country, but the use of Google applications in order to differentiate instruction and assessment is not as prominent in schools. I created four assignments on the Chromebooks that differentiated instruction and assessment based on interest and ability levels. I used a total of six applications and differentiated for forty-four students in a sixth grade math and science classroom. I found that differentiating using Chromebooks and Google applications boosted student engagement, …

Diffusion Of A Math Intervention Program Within A Secondary Setting: A Mixed Methods Study, Stuart Lenz

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this convergent mixed methods study was to understand the stages of concern and levels of use for teachers as they integrate a new math intervention program. Teachers within three high schools in a large Mid-western school district all implemented the program at the same time, and were used as the sample during the three-year study. The study searched to discover (a) what or who influences the teachers in their use of the program, (b) how the teachers change in their levels of use and stages of concern, and (c) if the success of the program changes as …

When And How To Appropriately Implement Teaching Tools And Strategies For Early Childhood Numeracy, Elizabeth Bartha, Julie Dombai

Education: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

The Augustana/Longfellow Number Sense Project (NSP) is a collaborative action research project that was created to provide purposeful, individualized instruction for Longfellow’s kindergarteners and enhance the teacher education program at Augustana. During this program, we work with Kindergarten students on mathematical concepts and skills. Our lessons incorporate both hands-on materials and educational software into our lessons. As we became familiar with this software, we began to suggest ways we could improve the software as well as ideas for new applications designed to help meet needs the students encountered in the classroom. Because the students interacted with a variety of teaching …

Impact Of Inclusion Teachers' Mathematics Anxiety And Mathematics Self-Efficacy On The Mathematics Achievement Of Learning Disabled Students, Vladimir Sylne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Learning disabled (LD) students are put in inclusion classrooms in order to experience the mainstream environment and to receive the same level of education as their regular education counterparts. Unfortunately, LD students do not always get the mathematics education that they deserve because inclusion mathematics teachers are not required to be highly qualified in mathematics. The focus of this study was on the relationship between mathematics anxiety and self-efficacy of inclusion teachers and the academic achievement of the LD students they serve. The theoretical framework of this study involved the concepts of student achievement, teacher efficacy, mathematics anxiety, and best …

Math In The Dark: Tools For Expressing Mathematical Content By Visually Impaired Students, Patricia M. Mcdermott-Wells

CCE Theses and Dissertations

Blind and visually impaired students are under-represented in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines of higher education and the workforce. This is due primarily to the difficulties they encounter in trying to succeed in mathematics courses. While there are sufficient tools available to create Braille content, including the special Nemeth Braille used in the U.S. for mathematics constructs, there are very few tools to allow a blind or visually impaired student to create his/her own mathematical content in a manner that sighted individuals can use. The software tools that are available are isolated, do not interface well with other …

Research Trends In The Use Of Mobile Learning In Mathematics, Helen Crompton, Diane Burke

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

The use of mobile learning in education is growing at an exponential rate. To best understand how mobile learning is being used, it is crucial to gain a collective understanding of the research that has taken place. This research was a systematic review of 36 studies in mobile learning in mathematics from the year 2000 onward. Eight new findings emerged: (1) The primary purpose of most studies was to focus on evaluating mobile learning. (2) Case studies and experimental design were the main research methods. (3) Most studies report positive learning outcomes; (4) Mobile phones were the mobile device used …

The Word Problem Factor: Assessing The Ability Of Utah High School Career And Technical Education Students To Do The Math Involved In Formulating And Calculating Energy Cost Factors, Kristen Bentley

Theses and Dissertations

Much research has been done showing the difficulty people have with word problems. This has been shown to be true for many types of word problems and for different demographics. Questions have remained unanswered regarding the reasons for this difficulty. It has been unclear if the word problems were hard because the people had forgotten or had not yet learned how to do the math calculations involved or for some other reason. This study deals with high school students who are currently in a high school level math class. They were given an assessment involving word problems and number-only problems. …

Integrating Cognitive Science With Innovative Teaching In Stem Disciplines, Mark A. Mcdaniel, Regina F. Frey, Susan M. Fitzpatrick, Henry L. Roediger Iii

Books and Monographs

This volume collects the ideas and insights discussed at a novel conference, the Integrating Cognitive Science with Innovative Teaching in STEM Disciplines Conference, which was held September 27-28, 2012 at Washington University in St. Louis. With funding from the James S. McDonnell Foundation, the conference was hosted by Washington University’s Center for Integrative Research on Cognition, Learning, and Education (CIRCLE), a center established in 2011. Available for download as a PDF. Titles of individual chapters can be found at http://openscholarship.wustl.edu/circle_book/.

Mathematical Tasks And The Student, David Clarke, Heidi Strømskag, Heather Lynn Johnson, Angelika Bikner-Ahsbahs, Kimberly Gardner

Faculty and Research Publications

Mathematics Education has at its core a conception of the mathematical performances that represent the aspirations of the mathematics classroom and curriculum. These performances are constituted through teacher and student participation in the activities stimulated by mathematical tasks selected by the teacher for the realization of an instructional purpose. In this nexus of activity, intention, interpretation and consequence, the mathematical task occupies a central place. This Research Forum provides an opportunity to explore and reflect upon the role that mathematical tasks play in the achievement of the goals of the international mathematics education community. Further, consistent with current curricular and …

The Effects Of Reflex Math As A Response To Intervention Strategy To Improve Math Automaticity Among Male And Female At-Risk Middle School Students, Daphne Sarrell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The search for evidence-based math interventions that are easy to use and impact academic achievement are in demand, and the impact that these interventions can have on students who struggle with math achievement is of concern. In this study, the effects of Reflex math computerized intervention to improve the automaticity of basic math facts among male and female middle school students identified as at-risk for academic failure in mathematics was examined according to differences in mean scores and based on gender. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group design was used for the purposes of the study. Convenience sampling among students …

A Teacher's Guide To Pisa Mathematical Literacy, Sue Thomson, Kylie Hillman, Lisa De Bortoli

Lisa De Bortoli

This report focuses on mathematical literacy and is one of a series of three reports on Australian students' performance in PISA. The report provides an overview of the PISA mathematics framework and Australia's results in the PISA 2003 international assessment. Also included are mathematics items released for public viewing after the PISA 2003 assessment and examples of responses, marking guides and comparisons of results with other countries. The context behind achievement, e.g. attitudes, engagement and learning strategies, is also presented.

Upward Bound Math-Science At Umass Boston, Upward Bound, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Lawrence High School

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

We seek to increase the number of low-income and first-generation college students majoring in mathematics and the sciences at the undergraduate level. We motivate students to achieve at their highest potential by facilitating exploration and discovery in an active learning environment drawing on values embedded in the complementary philosophies of UMass Boston and the Noble and Greenough School.

The Effect Of The Pies Mnemonic Strategy On The Word Problem Solving Skills Of Middle School Students, Lisa A. Short

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the PIES mnemonic strategy on the word problem solving skills of middle school students in inclusive math classes. Participants in the study were 109 students in a rural middle school in a mid-Atlantic state. Seventy-five participants were normally achieving students, and 34 were students with disabilities (Other Health Impairment, Specific Learning Disability, and Emotional/Behavioral Disorders). A pretest consisting of 10 grade-level word problems covering concepts that had already been taught was administered. Students then learned the PIES mnemonic strategy (Picture, Information, Equation, Solution) and participated in five weeks of …

Integrating Math And Language Arts In The Classroom, Emilee Blake

Honors Projects

This is a unit outline with detailed lesson plans and a reflection. It is a unit teaching about adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators for fourth grade students. The unit focuses on incorporating language arts in the math classroom focusing on reading, writing, and speaking.

Teachers' Perceptions About The Types, Quality, And Impact Of Their Job-Embedded Professional Development Experiences, Delilah Mitchell

Dissertations

This study was designed to determine eighth grade teachers’ perceptions of the impact, quality, and types of job-embedded professional development activities they have participated in and the relationship to student achievement in language arts, math, or science. The researcher identified school districts with 50% or more of their eighth grade students scoring proficient or advanced on all three areas of Mississippi’s Curriculum Test, Second Edition (MCT2). Sixty-four eighth grade language arts, math, or science teachers who had been at their current school at least two years completed a questionnaire created by the researcher. Multiple Linear Regression and Pearson’s Correlation were …

Physics First: Impact On Sat Math Scores, Craig Earl Bouma

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Improving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education has become a national priority and the call to modernize secondary science has been heard. A Physics First (PF) program with the curriculum sequence of physics, chemistry, and biology (PCB) driven by inquiry- and project-based learning offers a viable alternative to the traditional curricular sequence (BCP) and methods of teaching, but requires more empirical evidence. This study determined impact of a PF program (PF-PCB) on math achievement (SAT math scores) after the first two cohorts of students completed the PF-PCB program at Matteo Ricci High School (MRHS) and provided more quantitative data …

Uno Stem Strategic Plan, Uno Stem Leadership Team

Student Learning

The following document is a strategic plan for STEMeducation at UNO as of September 5, 2013. Thedocument represents nearly six months of strategicplanning discussions, meetings, and conversationsbetween those of us on the writing team and many ofyou, our colleagues and friends that share our passionfor excellence in STEM education at UNO. It is alsothe result of a review of our local STEM statistics, theprofessional literature on STEM learning, and a sampleof what other universities are doing to enhance STEMlearning on their campuses. The document is intended tobe a very dynamic one that will be revisited yearly as wecontinue to move …

A Teacher's Guide To Pisa Mathematical Literacy, Sue Thomson, Kylie Hillman, Lisa De Bortoli

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australia

This report focuses on mathematical literacy and is one of a series of three reports on Australian students' performance in PISA. The report provides an overview of the PISA mathematics framework and Australia's results in the PISA 2003 international assessment. Also included are mathematics items released for public viewing after the PISA 2003 assessment and examples of responses, marking guides and comparisons of results with other countries. The context behind achievement, e.g. attitudes, engagement and learning strategies, is also presented.

Chosen Multiplication Algorithms And The Ability To Learn New Methods, Catherine A. Tarushka

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Stem And Branches: Update On The Columbus State University Stem-Ii Initiative, Cindy Ticknor, Tim Howard, Kimberly Shaw

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

Two USG STEM Initiative awards to Columbus State University have spawned the growth of several STEM and STEM education programs and nearly $2.6 million in grants. We provide an update on STEM-II Initiative projects including a peer leader program for core math and science courses, a faculty mini-grants program to promote scholarship on teaching and learning and awareness of best practices models, and a service learning course. The infrastructure that emerged through the first STEM Initiative and continued to develop with the STEM-II Initiative paved the way for a $1.4 million UTeach replication grant and a $1.2 million Robert Noyce …

Increasing The Number Of Undergraduates Who Succeed In Stem At Uga, Nancy Vandergift, Chuck Kutal

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

The University of Georgia has implemented several strategies focused on improving instruction and student achievement in STEM courses and assisting in the preparation and professional development of K-12 science and math teachers. Specific activities include a mini-grants program, learning communities, pre-service teacher recruitment, expanding Project FOCUS, and increasing faculty effort to improve instruction and student learning in the STEM disciplines.

Minority Women In Stem: A Valuable Resource In The Global Economy, Ezella Mcpherson, Diane R. Fuselier-Thompson

Journal of the International Association for the Study of the Global Achievement Gap

While there is an expected demographic shift of the ethnic minority population in the United States to become the majority population by 2020, few minority women successfully attain baccalaureate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematical (STEM) fields. To address this gap, this article employs critical race feminism and narrative analysis methods to examine minority women’s challenges while pursuing undergraduate STEM degrees. Findings suggest that limited access to the field, isolation and alienation, and affordability create barriers that result in many minority women leaving STEM majors. Implications for practice include targeted institutional efforts to increase recruitment and retention efforts towards …

Bar Graphs & Baselines: Student Perceptions Of Distortions In Real World Graphs, Robert K. Janes Iii

Honors Scholar Theses

It is important for every educated member of our society to be able to read, comprehend, and interpret graphs. To that end, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and the Common Core State Standards have endorsed a kindergarten through eighth-grade mathematics curriculum that is rich in data analysis and graphical literacy skills. These skills are important, as graphs in the public sphere may include certain features that can cause misperceptions of the data. Such features may be intentional or unintentional and can include non-zero baselines, representing data with extra dimensions, stretching and shrinking graphics, not displaying outliers, and …

Mathematics In The Age Of Technology: There Is A Place For Technology In The Mathematics Classroom, Helen Crompton

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

In today’s world of ubiquitous computing there are a number of technologies available to K-12 educators for teaching and learning mathematics. However, Koehler and Mishra (2008) have described how teaching and learning with such technologies presents a “wicked problem,” as it can involve a number of variables, independent of each other and contextually bound, that need to be brought together. This article highlights the advantages technology offers for mathematics education and looks at some of the reasons behind the poor uptake, such as teacher beliefs and lack of training. A number of solutions are offered to address these issues, including …

Engaging Math-Avoidant College Students, M. Paul Latiolais, Wendi Laurence

Numeracy

This paper is an informal, personal account of how we, as two college teachers, became interested in math anxiety, decided to explore it amongst students at our institution in order to inform our teaching, and became convinced that the massive problem is math avoidance. We tried discussion groups, but few students attended, although those that did made useful suggestions. Thus informed, we designed an innovative course, Confronting College Mathematics as a Humanities course with the possibility of credit toward the math requirement, but it was undersubscribed in its first offering and had to be canceled. How can we get college …

Education Faculty Math Curriculum And In-Service Teachers Needs, Sayed Sarwar Yaqubi

Master's Capstone Projects

This study accomplished as an education master thesis and addresses the following issue- the education faculty math curriculum in Jowzjan University in Afghanistan and the in-service teachers’ needs. I conducted this study on third-year in-service teachers who are studying at the Jowzjan University in Afghanistan. This study was conducted as qualitative study; there were 11 participants from the third-year in-service teachers. The methodology system was interview with participants. Because of the lack of time I did just one time interview with the participants. There were not class observation and group discussion. The finding from this study revealed some important and …

Are The Math Scores Of Students Who Are Taught Mathematics Utilizing The Methods Endorsed By The Alabama Math, Science, And Technology Initiative Affected?, Brenda Elise Jolly

Dissertations

Eighth-grade mathematics scores from 21 schools were compared pre-inception and post-inception of the Alabama Mathematics, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI). Only the scores from schools which had 80% of their mathematics and science teachers trained at one Summer Institute were used, as these were considered to be true AMSTI schools. Results found the effects of AMSTI to be not statistically significant.

The second part of this research was conducted based upon 256 surveys from teachers attending their second Summer Institute of ASMTI training. Results found many school systems may hamper teachers' ability to plan and execute AMSTI lessons due to …