Education Commons^™

Where Do Babies Come From?, Marcio Luis Ferreira Nascimento

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

According to European folklore, popularized by a fairy tale, storks are responsible for bringing babies to new parents. This probably came from observation in certain European countries, such as Norway, Netherlands or Germany, that storks nesting on the roofs of households were believed to bring good luck, as the possibility of new births. People love stories, but correlation simply means that there is a relationship between two factors that tells nothing about the direction of said relationship, if any. Another possibility is simple coincidence. Let us say that it’s possible that one factor causes another. It’s also possible that the …

Teaching Mathematics After Covid: A Conversation Not A Discussion, Wendy Ann Forbes, Joyce Mgombelo

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Inspired by Brent Davis' conceptualization of listening and conversation in his book Teaching Mathematics: Toward a Sound Alternative, we propose how we as a mathematics education community may move forward by continuing in the conversation that emerged from COVID. We encourage all involved to listen rather than assume a discussion-oriented stance. Using an enactivist lens, we look at the pandemic learning space, give an overview of the education conversation that emerged in Ontario, and offer a way to rethink Mathematics Education within the frame of a conversation. We believe that if mathematics education is to engage learners in a meaningful …

Human-Machine Collaboration In The Teaching Of Proof, Gila Hanna, Brendan P. Larvor, Xiaoheng (Kitty) Yan

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This paper argues that interactive theorem provers (ITPs) could play an important role in fostering students’ appreciation and understanding of proof and of mathematics in general. It shows that the ITP Lean has three features that mitigate existing difficulties in teaching and learning mathematical proof. One is that it requires students to identify a proof strategy at the start. The second is that it gives students instant feedback while allowing them to explore with maximum autonomy. The third is that elementary formal logic finds a natural place in the activity of creating proofs. The challenge in using Lean is that …

Collapsing Spaces, Colliding Places: Leveraging Constructs From Humanistic Geography To Explore Mathematics Classes, Valentin A. B. Küchle, Shiv S. Karunakaran, Mariana Levin, John P. Smith Iii, Sarah Castle, Jihye Hwang, Yaomingxin Lu, Robert A. Elmore

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Humanistic geographers distinguish between space and place: “What begins as undifferentiated space becomes place as we get to know it better and endow it with value” (Tuan, 1977, page 6). In this essay, we seek to demonstrate how mathematics education researchers and mathematics instructors may find space and place illuminating for understanding important aspects of students’ learning experiences during the coronavirus pandemic—and possibly beyond. Specifically, after introducing the terms and relating them to the context of a university mathematics class, we exemplify how home and class places collided for three undergraduate mathematics students forced to deal with the abrupt …

The Roles Of Mathematical Metaphors And Gestures In The Understanding Of Abstract Mathematical Concepts, Omid Khatin-Zadeh, Zahra Eskandari, Danyal Farsani

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

When a new mathematical idea is presented to students in terms of abstract mathematical symbols, they may have difficulty to grasp it. This difficulty arises because abstract mathematical symbols do not directly refer to concretely perceivable objects. But, when the same content is presented in the form of a graph or a gesture that depicts that graph, it is often much easier to grasp. The process of solving a complex mathematical problem can also be facilitated with the use of a graphical representation. Transforming a mathematical problem or concept into a graphical representation is a common problem solving strategy, and …

Introducing Systems Via Laplace Transforms, Ollie Nanyes

CODEE Journal

The purpose of this note is to show how to move from Laplace Transforms to a brief introduction to two dimensional systems of linear differential equations with only basic matrix algebra.

Humanizing English Language Arts Content Using A Social-Emotional Learning Approach, Marisol Thayre

CGU Theses & Dissertations

In light of an increased focus on the importance of soft skills to academic achievement and success later in life, educators are looking towards social-emotional learning (SEL) as a means for addressing the diverse needs of students. This qualitative study was aimed at understanding how secondary English Language Arts (ELA) teachers use literary texts in their classrooms to enhance social-emotional learning, specifically, their training, text selection processes, and methods for articulating and assessing ELA and SEL outcomes. A multiple-case study design featuring semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and content analysis of curricular materials was used to develop a robust understanding of …

African American Women In The Academy: Meaningful Pathways To Productive Careers, Kenya Marshall Harper

CGU Theses & Dissertations

African American female professors hold prominent, influential roles inside and outside university settings. In universities, professors are impactful mentors and role models influencing students' academic dispositions and outcomes (Zinn & Walker, 2018; Hine & Thompson, 1998). In communities, they provide meaningful scholarship that influences academic, workplace, and extracurricular equity and advancement opportunities (Njoku & Patton, 2017; Evans, 2016; Cooper, 2006). The current study investigates the individual aptitude, school/instruction , and environmental factors influencing African American females' life-span academic talent development. A mixed-method research approach, including a structured interview protocol and online survey, is used to investigate study participants' early to …

Prospects For Professional Art And Stem Collaborations To Create Steam Programs And Projects, Darius K. Hines

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Would STEAM project and program resources be better utilized through collaboration between STEM and Arts professionals or from creating STEAM from within the Arts and STEM disciplines organically? Four hundred nineteen STEM and Arts professionals from academia and industry were surveyed for their thoughts and opinions regarding STEAM, creating a unique data set. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and the inferential methods T-test, Chi-Squared and Multivariate Regression. Respondents reported a very small number of STEM (11%) and Arts (18.9%) professionals they know studied both STEM and Arts perform both equally in their careers. The majority of the STEM …

Social Emotional Learning For Latinx High School Students With Specific Learning Disabilities, Jennifer Lynn Tucker Mottes

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Social, emotional, and academic skills are essential to success in school, the workplace, our homes, and our communities, allowing individuals to contribute successfully and meaningfully to our society (Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011; Jones & Kahn, 2017). The labor market acknowledges the importance of these skills as well, actively seeking employees who have the necessary skills to manage their emotions, collaborate with peers, and persist through challenges (Jones & Kahn, 2017). Researchers have established a link between the implementation of social emotional learning programs in schools and positive social, emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes for those students as …

#Juccostruggle: A Critical Examination Into The Lived Experiences Of Black Male Community College Athletes, Terry James Sivers

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Claremont Graduate University and San Diego State University: 2022This study investigated the lived experiences of Black male student-athletes (BMSAs) participating in football and basketball at a community college. Their psycho-social-emotional experiences and development were emphasized before, during, and after college. The study deployed Afropessimism to frame the experiences of BMSAs; as such, I assumed that the continued violence against Black people was a physical projection of a psychic and emotional web sustained by the othering of Blackness or anti-Blackness. This study was informed by the primary research question: How does anti-Blackness produce itself in community college athletics? Prior research on …

The Role Of Porn Literacy In Comprehensive Sex Education To Reduce Endorsements Of Gendered Sexual Violence And Support Healthy Adolescent Development, Kiana Harnish

Scripps Senior Theses

Due to stigmatization of sex and insufficient sexual education, modern-day adolescents rely on free online pornography as a source of education about sex and relationships. This thesis provides a review of the connections between adolescent porn use and the socialization of sexual violence (SV) and coercion against women, comprehensive sex education (CSE) and healthy adolescent sexual development, and porn literacy (PL) and sexual attitude or behavior changes. Porn literacy aims to equip adolescents with tools to critically analyze sexualied media and messages, to empower them to make informed decisions to engage or disengage with porn and their sexuality in a …

Disruption, Dissent, And Dialogue: Ypar As A Pedagogical And Institutional Tool, Charlene E. Holkenbrink-Monk

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Education reform has been at the forefront of educational research for decades, depicted by government initiatives and policy, research, and pedagogical changes and recommendations. When considering elements of educational change, policy, best practices, and individual merit and retention have also been heavily in the spotlight, such as A Nation at Risk, No Child Left Behind , and other policies that have been put forward. What is often left out is student voice, both within policy as well as ideas around what should be changed. Based on my pilot study, I found that students also did not feel adequately represented in …

A Mixed Methods Inquiry Into The Decision-Making Of California’S Principals During Local Control, Adrienne Ortega-Magallanes

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The 2013 implementation of the Local Control Funding Formula and Local Control Accountability Plan in California granted school districts the opportunity to create their own expense plans based on student needs, with the aim of returning decision-making to those closest to students. Within subsidiarity is the belief that those at the least centralized decision-making level should have the dignity and freedom to decisions that affect the problem at its source, in this case, how to improve student achievement. It is argued here that principals, who have a strong indirect link to student achievement, are the least centralized. To explore the …

Teacher Education Program Recruitment And Admissions: A Multiple Case Study Of Three Minority-Serving Institutions In California, Mayeen Quader

CGU Theses & Dissertations

In response to a national agenda to increase diversity in the teaching workforce, this qualitative multiple case study critically examined the recruitment and admission of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) to teacher education programs (TEP) in three Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) in California. Specifically, this research explored the racialized discourses and factors that shape recruitment and admissions within TEPs and supports and barriers for BIPOC teachers. This study is grounded in Critical Race Theory, Critical Whiteness Studies with a Critical Discourse Analysis of recruitment and admissions policies on TEP websites and documents, four observations of TEP virtual information …

Opportunity Cost Of Student Loan Debt Forgiveness: Testing The Impact Of Four Policy Options On United States’ Economy, Emelia Akhlaghi

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Nearly 45 million Americans are trapped in a student loan debt. In total they owe more than $1.75 trillion. Research shows that such a high amount of debt harms the U.S. economy in several ways, preventing anything from small business development to new house purchases, and even weddings and procreation. It is an issue that stakeholders have tried to address by offering different relief measures ranging from re-financing to debt cancellation. Debt cancellation has remained high on the agenda of the Democrat political leadership. This is the reason that student loan debt cancellation was on the agenda of each democrat …

Undergraduates’ Preparedness For College-Level Work In Stem: The Importance Of Reading And Understanding Scientific Theories, Arguments, And Data, Ewa M. Burchard

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This study focuses on undergraduates’ preparation for college level courses. In recent international PISA results United States students fall behind seventeen countries on the computer-based reading proficiency test. They have scored low for over a decade, in spite of spending more than one hundred-thousand dollars per student on education. This US score is similar to, or lower than, the scores of other countries where spending is lower. Considering reading performance statistics from the international PISA assessment and the inconclusive results from reading comprehension studies across media, the concern arose whether today’s high school students are well prepared for college level …

Evaluation Education In A World In Transformation: The Way Forward, Marcia Paterno Joppert

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The world has experienced rapid changes, leading to pressing issues such as environmental degradation, social inequality, and resource depletion. As a transdisciplinary field, evaluation has emerged as a crucial tool in addressing these challenges and promoting systemic change. However, concerns have been raised regarding the field's capacity to meet these expectations and the existing gaps in evaluation education. This research aims to address these gaps by exploring how formal evaluation education programs (EEPs) respond to the preparation of professionals for systems change evaluations, prompting discussions on the need to redefine the approach to teaching evaluation. The study adopts a sequential …

California Community College Presidents’ Leadership: Serving Latinx Students At Hispanic Serving Institutions, Christina Joy Ryan Rodríguez

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative case study examined how California Community College Presidents (CCCPs) make meaning of leading a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) to evaluate how CCCPs respond to Latinx student success gaps and support initiatives at their campuses. Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) have been more visible within community college literature, but what remains unclear is specifically how leaders at HSIs enact their leadership and direct their efforts to serve Latinx students. This dissertation addressed the gap in MSI scholarship to explicitly focus on the role of CCCPs at HSIs and their service to Latinx students. The study applied Eddy’s Multidimensional Leadership Model …

What Drives West African Diaspora Students To Success?, Toby Madubuko

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative research investigated the first and second-generation diaspora of West Africa and also examined if there were differences between the two generations. The goal was that if such differences exist, it will help plan the learning experience for students with similar backgrounds. The research used in-depth, open-ended interview questions to collect data for analysis. Forty-one participants were interviewed, and they provided personal insight into the first and second-generation West African immigrants' attitudes to education and the differences between them. The participants included university professors, nurses, K-12 teachers, attorneys, and housewives who reside in Los Angeles County in Southern California. …

Beginner's Analysis Of Financial Stochastic Process Models, David Garcia

HMC Senior Theses

This thesis explores the use of geometric Brownian motion (GBM) as a financial model for predicting stock prices. The model is first introduced and its assumptions and limitations are discussed. Then, it is shown how to simulate GBM in order to predict stock price values. The performance of the GBM model is then evaluated in two different periods of time to determine whether it's accuracy has changed before and after March 23, 2020.

Dismantling Education’S “Wicked” Problems, Amanda M. Castillo

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The following papers, presented as a three-paper series format, discuss the implications of targeting three key, foundational problems within K-12 education. Designing solutions for policy or systemic problems requires more than just creativity. Since public education faces a myriad of crises, it falls under the term “wicked problem” first coined by Horst W.J. Rittel and Melvin M. Webber, to identify challenges that not only seem immune to conventional solutions but are often exacerbated by standard techniques. These papers are in no order of importance, nor are they issues educators might consider highest priority. The presented papers, however, provide suggestions for …

Black Girl Black Girl Holla And Let Em’ Hear You: An Autoethnographic Exploration Of My Experiences From Black Girlhood To Black Womanhood, Ashá S. Jones

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This critical autoethnographic study examined my experiences navigating educational institutions from young adulthood to adulthood, as seen through the eyes of a Black girl growing up to become a Black woman. Specifically, this study included an examination of 10 critical incidents with a combination of the past 7 years of my life that explain the negative and positive interactions that shaped my experiences with the educational system and society while explaining how music, self-reflective writing, and other “parent figures’’ (mentors) were all elements that contributed to my educational success. Drawing on Critical Race Theory, Critical Mentoring, Black Feminist Thought, and …

Institutional Researchers And Equitable Outcomes: An Examination Of Factors Driving Their Success, Qiana Nichole Davis

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The state of California has the largest community college system in the United States with 1.8 million students from diverse backgrounds and 64% percent of students who are economically disadvantaged (California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, 2022; Felix & Castro, 2018). California community colleges also experience inequitable outcomes for racially minoritized students and students who are economically disadvantaged (California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, 2022). McArthur (2016) posits that Offices of Institutional Research (OIR) are also critical in addressing and closing equity gaps. Through interviews with current and former institutional researchers (n=21), this qualitative case study identified environmental influences associated with institutional …

Assisting Students With Post-Secondary Aspirations: How High School Counselors Help Different Student Groups With Post-Secondary Professional And Vocational Pathways, Roya Tabrizi

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Abstract High school counselors support students across three areas or domains: academic, socio-emotional, and college and career development. Growing confusion and tensions around the time and responsibilities of school counselors have accompanied ever-evolving changes with their roles and coincided with continual efforts to address the K-12 and potential postsecondary educational opportunities, especially those from lower socioeconomic and particular racial and ethnic groups. The global health pandemic exacerbated challenges these student populations faced and greatly impacted the work of counselors. This qualitative multi-site case study draws on the triangulation of one-on-one interviews with twelve high school counselors across six school sites, …

Social Capital And The Transition To College For Asian Americans, Chia S. Her

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Asian Americans are generally perceived to be disproportionately enrolled in four-year postsecondary education institutions despite evidence of Asian Americans being concentrated at both two-year and four-year postsecondary education institutions. This perception of Asian Americans has contributed to limited attention to Asian Americans’ transition to college. To better understand the transition to college for Asian Americans, this study explored if social capital is related to four-year college enrollment and the highest level of educational expectation. Whites were included in the study for comparative purposes.

The main research question focuses on the extent demographic characteristics, access to, and mobilization of social capital …

Experiences Of Lgbtq Youth Experiencing Homelessness: Implementation Of The Mckinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Jonathan Carter Lee

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The hearts and minds among U.S. legislators need to change about homelessness. While homelessness is certainly a big current issue that many Americans feel that needs to be addressed by our elected leaders, in reality, there are still many debates in Congress about who should be included to receive such funding. Among them, there is bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress for homeless veterans. However, when it comes to LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness, the bills are introduced by the most progressive left and is quickly defeated. A large body of existing literature exist about LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness. However, few …

Ecodrama And Sustainable Theatre: A Handbook For Creating Remarkable Change, Gigi Buddie

Pomona Senior Theses

The climate crisis is not new to us, nor are the art forms that have taken shape as vital components of the many activist movements that seek to save the planet. Yet, for the first time at Pomona College, a play about environmental devastation and our hand in it finally graced the stage of this progressive institution this past year. This mini handbook is a call-to-action (of sorts), one that stems from the idea that this should not be the last ecodrama performed at Pomona College. These chapters are structured and supported by both experience and research – formulated from …

College Aspirations, Preparation, And Enrollment Of First-Generation College Students: The Role Of College Counseling Support, Jamilla Helena Jamison

CGU Theses & Dissertations

It is well documented that college degree attainment can impact lifetime earnings and social mobility. However, research shows that first-generation college students (FGCs) are less likely than their peers to enroll in college after high school. The influence of a college counselor at the high school level as an influential other may positively influence college-going rates for first-generation students and help to close educational attainment gaps between FGCs and non-FGCs. While previous research has examined lower college aspirations, academic preparation, and enrollment rates of FGCs, previous literature has yet to address the role of college counseling support on the four-year …

Implementation Of Local Control Accountability Plans In A Geographically Diverse Sample Of K-12 California Public School Districts: The Impact On The Classroom And Parent Input In The Process, Rita Mongoven Miller

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The Local Control Funding Formula, executed in part through the Local Control and Accountability Plans, allows California school districts to allocate funds based on their needs as identified through goals and action items. This research project sheds light on the extent to which the funds have been utilized in the classroom and at the school sites. Surveys were sent to teachers in six California school districts. The districts varied in size, demographics, and location. The research examined the steps the districts took to include parents in the process of developing the Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAP) and whether parents’ input …