Education Commons^™

Assessing The Impact Of A Computer-Based College Algebra Course, Ningjun Ye

Dissertations

USM piloted the Math Zone in Spring 2007, a computer-based program in teaching MAT 101and MAT 099 in order to improve student performance. This research determined the effect of the re-design of MAT 101 on student achievements in comparison to a traditional approach to the same course. Meanwhile, the study investigated possible effects of the Math Zone program on students’ attitude toward studying mathematics.

This study shows that there was no statistically significant difference on MAT101 final exam scores between the Math Zone students and the Classroom students in Fall 2007, Spring 2008 and Fall 2008. At the same time, …

A Comparison Of Computer-Based Training And Traditional Classroom Training For The Sad Corporation Job Placement Team, Janice Brown Adams

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this research study was to compare the effectiveness of computer-based training with traditional classroom training; both instructional delivery methods utilized the traditional classroom curriculum as a means of delivery for an on-the-job company-sponsored program. The JAW-SAD Human Resource Center (HRC) is a training facility for the SAD Corporation, a major international manufacturing company. The HRC is responsible for conducting continuous training and certification of SAD employees. Historically, training has been provided through conference workshops with a traditional classroom training format. The motivation and importance for this study was influenced by an administrative requirement to determine the …

Mastery Of Sixth-Grade Mathematics Expectations As Measured By The Seventh-Grade Michigan Education Assessment Program From 2005 To 2007, Marian Prince

Dissertations

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to document sixth-grade mathematics mastery as measured by the seventh-grade Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) over a period of 3 years: 2005, 2006, and 2007. This study investigated whether mathematics performance in Michigan is related to ethnicity by analyzing student responses on the seventh-grade MEAP which evaluates students’ mastery of the Michigan sixth-grade mathematics expectations.

Method

Data from the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) containing the student scores of individual test items on the mathematics Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) for seventh-grade students in Michigan for 2005 to 2007 formed the basis for …

African-American College Student Attitudes Toward Physics And Their Effect On Achievement, Carl Timothy Drake

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors affecting the attitudes that African-American college students have towards introductory college physics. The population targeted for this study consisted of African-American males and females enrolled in introductory college physics classes at an urban public historical black college or university (HBCU) located in the southeastern United States. Nine of the Fennema- Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scales, modified for physics, were used to analyze the attitudes of the 135 participants enrolled in an introductory college physics class. The nine scales used to measure the students' attitudes were Attitude Toward Success in Physics Scale (AS), …

Empirical Development Of An Instructional Product And Its Impact On Mastery Of Geometry Concepts, Donaldson Williams

Dissertations

Problem

Relatively poor levels of mathematical thinking among American school children have been identified as a major issue over the past half century. Many efforts have been made to increase the mathematics performance of children in schools. Additionally, out-of-school-time programs have attempted to address this issue as well. Holistic development is one of the distinguishing features of Seventh-day Adventist instructional programs. Yet, as of 2007, the Pathfinder program, an informal educational program operated by the world-wide Seventh-day Adventist church, had no instructional product designed to foster participants’ cognitive development in mathematics. This study focused on the empirical development of an …

What Allows Teachers To Extend Student Thinking During Whole-Group Discussions, Nesrin Cengiz

Dissertations

Research indicates that extending students' mathematical thinking during whole-group discussions is challenging, even for the most experienced teachers. That is, it is challenging for teachers to help students move beyond their initial mathematical observations and solutions during whole-group discussions. To better understand this phenomena, the teaching of six experienced elementary school teachers, who had been teaching aStandards-based curriculum for several years and had participated in a multi-year professional development project focused on that curriculum, is explored in this study. In particular, two issues are addressed: what it looks like to extend student thinking during whole-group discussions and how …

Retaining Information Technology Employees In Higher Education, Mary Holmes

Dissertations

The retention of qualified Information Technology (IT) employees is at an all time low within higher education institutions. IT personnel are essential for higher education institutions to effectively integrate technology into their educational programs. These IT employees contribute to their institution's teaching/learning mission, while simultaneously supporting complex and highly visible administrative operations. Yet, all previous research regarding IT employee retention issues had only been conducted within corporate settings.

To examine factors related to IT employees' retention within public higher education, an internet-based study was sent to IT employees in all four-year public universities throughout Michigan. The survey included questions within …

A Study Of How Precursor Key Concepts For Organic Chemistry Success Are Understood By General Chemistry Students, Patrick Gerard Meyer

Dissertations

This study examines college student understanding of key concepts that will support future organic chemistry success as determined by university instructors. During four one-hour individual interviews the sixteen subjects attempted to solve general chemistry problems. A think-aloud protocol was used along with a whiteboard where the students could draw and illustrate their ideas. The protocols for the interviews were adapted from the Covalent Structure and Bonding two-tiered multiple choice diagnostic instrument (Peterson, Treagust, & Garnett, 1989) and augmented by the Geometry and Polarity of Moleculessingle-tiered multiple choice instrument (Furió & Calatayud, 1996). The interviews were videotaped, transcribed, and coded …

An Investigation Of Secondary Teachers’ Knowledge Of Rate Of Change In The Context Of Teaching A Standards-Based Curriculum, Jihwa Noh

Dissertations

This study investigated teachers' mathematical content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge with respect to rate of change in the context of teaching a Standards-based high school mathematics curriculum that emphasizes rate of change as a central theme, the Core-Plus Mathematics Project (CPMP) materials. A framework was designed to provide a comprehensive guide for analyzing different aspects of rate of change knowledge incorporating existing frameworks relative to rate of change, NCTM recommendations described in Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics andPrinciples and Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 2000), and research related to pedagogical understanding of rate of change.

Data …

A Comparative Study Of Interrater Reliability Coefficients Obtained From Different Statistical Procedures Using Monte Carlo Simulation Techniques, Ebrima Nying

Dissertations

Reliability estimation is a key research component within the global area of educational assessment. The literature reports numerous studies using different statistical techniques for estimating reliability of educational measures. However, few have focused on the estimation of interrater reliability of performance assessment (Abedi, Baker, & Herl, 1995). Specifically, this study compared three different methods for estimating interrater reliability to determine if there are differences among these estimates as a function of: sample size, measurement scale, number of raters and the theoretical population reliability (rho). The three methods of estimation were the Intraclass Correlation (ICC(2, k )) (Shrout & Fleiss, 1979), …

How Secondary School Mathematics Teachers Construct An Understanding Of "Appropriate Use" Of Graphing Calculators In The Context Of Collegial Inquiry, Marcia L. Weller Weinhold

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Variables Related To The Successful Completion Of The First Course In Business Calculus At Three Jamaican Universities, Martin Nkhrama Richards

Dissertations

Problem. Many students at all levels of the education system in Jamaica perform poorly at mathematics. In particular, the results of both the Caribbean Examinations Council and Business Calculus 1 at the university level have reflected a declining trend in mathematics performance in recent years. Consequently, this study sought to investigate the variables related to the successful completion of the first course in business calculus at Jamaican universities. To this end, the study looked at perceptions of students and their professors regarding students' cognitive, affective, and professor effectiveness variables impacting success.

Method. The sample for this study consisted of 389 …

An Investigation Into Relationships Between Alternative Assessment And Pre-Service Elementary Teachers’ Beliefs About Mathematics, David Charles Coffey

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine how including alternative assessments in a reform-based mathematics course affects pre-service teachers’ mathematical beliefs. A single section of a mathematics course designed for elementary education majors that employed three different alternative assessments was the setting for the study.

A pre- and post-belief survey completed by students enrolled in the section under study represented the first level of data collection and analysis. The results of the pre-belief survey guided the selection of seven informants from the section and provided belief statements for the informants to verify during subsequent interviews. Based on the data …