Education Commons^™

Effectiveness Of 1:1 Technology In The Science Classroom, Courtney Tara Weiss

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were: (a) to determine if using e-text technology in a middle school resource science classroom increases student academic performance, (b) to determine if using e-text technology in a middle school science resource classroom increases student engagement/on-task behavior, and (c) to evaluate student comfort and satisfaction in using an electronic textbook or print textbook in a middle school resource science classroom. Ten middle school students, four in grade 7 and six in grade 8 participated in the study using the Discovery Education Science Techbook and the AGS General Science series. A single subject design with ABABA …

Comparing Math Fluency And Automaticity Using Explicit Timing With Students With Disabilities, Andrew Ehala

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the mathematical fluency performance of a group of students with various learning disabilities in an eighth grade classroom by implementing and intervention intensification program that incorporates an explicit timing model. Students demonstrated a wide range of progression with their mathematical fluency with all students showing progress from the start of the study to the conclusion. Analysis of the data determined that students fluency levels increased at a faster rate when provided with a consistent intensive regime of math computational facts. Implications for teaching students with disabilities mathematical fluency are discussed.

First-Year Students: Investigating The Impact Of Participating In A Mathematics Learning Community, Lindsay Barrie

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate how participating in a mathematics learning community can impact a first-year students’ experience in college. The total population in the Math Learning Community (MLC) was 40, 36 of these members participated in a survey and five volunteered to participate in an interview. The survey collected demographic information and responses to statements regarding the students’ transition to college, their connectedness to Rowan, their peer interaction, faculty interaction, and their overall satisfaction at Rowan. The interview questions asked about their most and least satisfying aspects of participating in the MLC and what recommendations they …

Do Formative Assessment Strategies Help Learners With Academic Difficulties?, Dana King

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not formative assessment strategies enhance the educational learning experience for lower level learners in a mathematics classroom setting. The selected students are supported by a Basic Skills teacher and perform below grade level. The FA group, Formative Assessment group, was given two variations of Formative Assessments to use each day. The IAL group, Instruction as Usual group, continued as is. The formative assessment strategies used were mini white boards and a mathematical graphic organizer allowing the students to determine the problem, question being asked, information provided, which operation to choose, …

The Effects Of Cognitive Strategies Paired With Hands-On Or Virtual Manipulatives On Math Instruction For Students With Mathematical Learning Disabilities To Learn Word Problem Solving Skills, Kimberly Plute

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of using cognitive strategies with hands-on manipulatives, and cognitive strategies with virtual manipulatives to enhance problem solving skills of students with Mathematical Learning Disabilities (MLD), as well as their satisfaction with those strategies. Five, 5th graders with MLD participated in the study to learn word problem solving skills in a math class for 80 minutes, 5 days a week for 10 weeks. A single subject research design with ABC phases was used in the study. Results showed each student gained from 3.6 to 5.2 mean points of the weekly quizzes …

Comparing The Effectiveness Of Two Verbal Problem Solving Strategies: Solve It! And Cubes, Margaret Tibbitt

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to find which problem solving strategy was more effective for special education students in the general education classroom; CUBES or Solve It! The students completed a pre-test, solving five single step and five multi-step word problems. The students then received four instructional and activity sessions on the CUBES and Solve It! strategies. The results indicated that the six fourth grade special education participants increased their problem solving skills after using each strategy. The Solve It! strategy resulted in a larger increase then the CUBES strategy. The students showed a slightly larger decrease in the …

Exploring Alternate Route Science Teacher Development Of Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Kim Feltre

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand how alternate route first year science teachers’ learning experiences gained from their alternate route courses translated into their classroom instruction and facilitated the development of their pedagogical content knowledge. Participants included three first year high school teachers from two alternate route program institutions. Data collection and analyses focused on semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and teacher-generated artifacts. Findings reveal patterns among participant responses that emphasized the limited translation of learned pedagogical experiences from their alternate route programs into classroom instruction. In addition, findings show that participant alternate route program learned pedagogical …

The Effects Of Using The Gomath Program On Teaching Computation Skills For Students With Learning Disabilities, Patricia Virginia Giordano

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects on teaching math computation skills to students with learning disabilities (LD) using the GoMath program and to examine the teachers’ and students’ satisfaction with this program in their teaching and learning. Four, 3rd and 4th graders with LD were taught by one special education teacher in a resource room and participated in learning computation skills for 60 minutes, 5 days per week for 12 weeks, using the Go Math program. A multiple baseline research design with A B phases across students was used to evaluate their performance. The findings indicated …

The Effects Of The Ride Strategy On Teaching Word Problem Solving Skills To Students With Learning Disabilities, Sandra Kay Locke

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of the RIDE, a mnemonic device on solving word problems for middle school students with Learning Disabilities and to examine the teacher and student satisfaction in teaching and learning using RIDE to solve word problems. Two male 8th graders participated in this study. They were both classified as having learning disabilities and were learning mathematics at a 3rd grade level. A single subject design with ABC phases was used in this study. During the baseline, the students were given a quiz with 5 word problems each day for ten …

Strategies For Teaching Developmental Mathematics Students At The College Level, Natalie Lynn Kautz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to identify strategies used by effective instructors of developmental mathematics, and to discover the perceptions developmental mathematics students have about these strategies. While there are research projects focusing solely on developmental mathematics achievement, this study fills a need by incorporating views of teaching effectiveness from multiple viewpoints.

In this research project, college-level instructors of developmental mathematics students were recorded on video before, during, and after the teaching of an algebraic concept. Students were given a pre-lesson survey and post-lesson survey to see if there were gains in their learning. Students completed a survey about …