Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

The Connective Tissue Of Well-Developed Interests: A Case Study Of A Science Research Classroom, Deborah M. Brand

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine ways that long-term interests in high school students could be inspired and facilitated in educational contexts. In particular, it explored how a high school Science Research (SR) program cultivated belonging and supported autonomy in ways that inspired and promoted well-developed individual interests. This type of interest is characterized by an enduring desire to pursue learning out of an intellectual and emotional need to gain understanding; it drives behavior, motivation, and cognition toward particular activities and ideas. Classroom belonging is derived from this sense of connection and purpose a student feels from the …

Overview Of The Proceedings Of The 2022 Inclusion In Science, Learning A New Direction, Conference On Disability (Island), Cary A. Supalo, Jasodhara Bhattacharya, Daniel Steinberg

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

The 13th annual Inclusion in Science, Learning a New Direction, Conference on Disability was hosted by the Princeton Center for Complex Materials (PCCM), a National Science Foundation funded Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC), and Princeton University on September 16-17, 2022 at Bowen Hall. This annual conference included presentations that featured innovative research done by science educators in formal and informal education contexts, ranging from pre-K-12 to higher education, and science education researchers, access technology developers, and others interested in the full inclusion of persons with disabilities into the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce. The 2022 ISLAND …

From The Editors..., Todd Pagano

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

How To Create 3rd - 5th Grade Activity Plans, Admin Stem For Success

STEM for Success Showcase

This flier provides elementary school teacher with a guide for how to create science activities and labs for their students.

Growth Mindset Intervention And Its Impact On Productive Struggle In The Eighth-Grade Mathematics Classroom, Jordy Wilson

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

This study aims to seek means to increase student productive struggle while adhering to the strenuous performance demands by our school systems. This study examines connections between growth mindset interventions, attitude towards struggle, and productive struggle in the mathematics classroom. Growth mindset interventions have been shown to change mindsets and to help students become more willing to engage in challenging problems and deal with difficult situations and struggle. Productive struggle is the engagement with difficult problems with the understanding that breakthroughs occur from confusion and struggle and has been linked with students’ conceptual understanding in the mathematics classroom. It has …

Staar Preparation: How It Affects The Perceptions Of Third-Grade Students, Taylor Whitworth

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Test preparation is a hot button topic in education today. Many studies have looked at students’ and teachers’ perceptions after the administration of the STAAR test. This study investigated third-grade students’ perceptions of the STAAR before and after previous-form test preparation interventions. The researcher used observations, surveys, and interviews to collect data. The data was analyzed using the constant comparative method and descriptive statistics. The author found five major themes that answered the two original research questions. Most students had negative perceptions of the STAAR test prior to intervention, and these often stemmed from information from family members. Overall, the …

Go With The Flow: Indigenous Science In The Language Classroom, Stephany Runninghawk Johnson, Sequoia L. Dance

Occasional Paper Series

In 2017 a team from the College of Education at Washington State University received a grant from the National Science Foundation to work on a project called Culturally Responsive Indigenous Science (CRIS). In this essay we explore a small piece of the CRIS project with our Coeur d’Alene partners and the lessons we learned from it. These lessons include building and using a culturally responsive lesson plan template and the challenges associated with doing so, learning together and teaching each other how science belongs within a language classroom, and examining beautiful examples of an Indigenous teacher using traditional educational methods …

Predicting Attrition Among Human Anatomy And Physiology I Students In Community Colleges, Benjimen Sessums

Dissertations

Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) courses are offered at almost every postsecondary educational institution in the United States enrolling over 450,000 students each year across the United States with an overall attrition rate between 30-40%. Approximately 150,000 of these students will not be successful the first time they attempt A&P. This constitutes one of the highest attrition rates of all undergraduate degree courses with this size of yearly enrollment.

A&P courses often serve as gateway course required for the continuation and completion of several biological degree fields. Many health-related professional programs such as nursing, paramedicine, and other allied health vocations require …

A Teaching Unit Plan For Introducing Engineering In 1st-2nd Grade Classrooms, Claudia Smith

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The field of engineering, and specifically chemical engineering, is projected to increase significantly over the next 10 years. Engineering programs require students to have a strong foundation of math and science. Students in the United States are often underprepared to enter these programs, and the majority of high school students are not interested in pursuing a career in the STEM field at all. For this project, a unit teaching plan was created to introduce students to the field of engineering, providing a foundation for their upper-level STEM classes, and encouraging them to consider engineering as a career in the future. …

Development Of Secondary Special Education Science Assessments And Curriculum Map, Heather Thompson

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This project explores and develops science curriculum for secondary students with severe special needs. It identifies why science is important for this demographic as well as what students and teachers need to improve science instruction within that setting. The project provides a curriculum map with leveled access to each of the Essential Elements detailed by the state throughout an academic year. It also provides leveled common assessments to us in conjunction with that map in order to facilitate a continued share from success growth mentality.

Enhancing Stem Education For East Tennessee In A Post-Covid World, Jennifer L. Lauer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I have identified a need for an analysis of the middle and high school STEM education curricula in the East Tennessee Region which does not effectively integrate technology into their current instruction, which results in low student engagement, motivation, and achievement in the instruction and learning of algebra and geometry. I propose a program to identify specific applications and methods to be integrated into these programs which will improve the abilities of teachers to positively impact their students' understanding and mastery of algebra and geometry. Using emerging and novel STEM subject instruction, teaching, and engagement methods, and focusing on the …

Propuesta De Un Modelo De Enseñanza En Las Matemáticas Enfocado En La Solución De Problemas En El Nivel Secundario En Puerto Rico, Carlos J. Colon Rivera

Theses and Dissertations

El propósito del estudio fue proponer un modelo educativo enfocado en la solución de problemas matemáticos en el nivel secundario, y se realizó la revisión sistemática para evaluarlo. El marco teórico incluyó teorías heurísticas y modelos educativos. La metodología de seis fases que se empleó en este estudio, incluyendo la formulación de preguntas investigativas, búsqueda de literatura, selección de investigaciones, levantamiento de información, análisis y resumen de resultados y exposición y discusión de estos. Se siguieron guías para revisiones sistemáticas y criterios de inclusión y exclusión para evaluar la efectividad de modelos didácticos en la disciplina de matemáticas con énfasis …

Strategies To Aid Multilingual Learners In Academic Language Acquisition In Elementary Science And Mathematics Classes, Mikayla Grumbacher, Sophia Sladic

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

This qualitative inquiry research study surveys academic language acquisition strategies for teachers of multilingual learners in elementary science and mathematics classes. We paired readings of recent peer-reviewed journal articles with video observations of three elementary school teachers and an interview with a Director of English as a Second Language for a county in Virginia. Thematic analysis helped us identify similar strategies across the different studies, classroom observations, and interview. Our findings suggest that utilizing sensory and interactive supports are especially helpful strategies for teachers seeking to help multilingual learners in academic language acquisition.

Incentives And Their Effect On Retention And Comprehension Of Mathematical Ideas, Dylan Mathess

Honors Projects

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the benefits and/or disadvantages of providing rewards to students as a result of understanding and applying mathematical concepts during class time and on assessments. Rewarding student behavior by means of incentives have been used in the past to reward behavior and less on content knowledge. The goal was to analyze the effects of incentives on retaining and comprehending mathematical concepts. After analyzing the data, it was proved that providing incentives did not have a significant impact on demonstrating knowledge of mathematics.

Exploring The Association Of Student-Teacher Relationships And Mathematics Teaching Styles With Star Renaissance Mathematics Scores In A Group Of Middle School Students At A Midwestern School., Sydney Lund

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This study aimed to explore the relationship between middle school students’ perceived student-teacher relationships, students’ perceived mathematics teachers’ teaching styles, and middle school students’ Fall benchmark Star Renaissance mathematics assessment scores at a Midwest public school. The positivist paradigm served as a lens to formulate this cross-sectional correlational study. A Qualtrics questionnaire was developed and contained the Student Version of The Teacher-Student Relationship Inventory (S-TSRI), an adapted version of The Teaching Styles Inventory, and a selection of demographic variables (e.g., grade level, gender, family structure). The Star Renaissance mathematics assessment Fall 2022 benchmark was introduced to the database after …

Creating And Evaluating Dimensional Analysis Software For University Students, Ac Hýbl

Campus Research Month

Most scientific disciplines depend on mathematics to varying degrees. Real-world problems often include quantifiable measurements with units. For example, chemistry, physics, and pharmacology require flawless unit conversions and dimensional homogeneity to obtain acceptable results. Students often choose to ignore units until the end of the problem-solving process, but this introduces errors and robs students of a deep understanding of units. Current tools for teaching dimensional analysis are limited both in scope and accessibility. Unit Playground addresses this issue by providing an interactive interface to experiment with units and their relationships.

Promoting Skills In Children And Teens With Autism Spectrum Disorder Through Play And Steam, Meaghan Mcleod Mozingo, Krzysztof J. Rechowicz

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a low employment rate. This is caused by a lack of support from employment resources and the negative stigma associated with common characteristics associated with ASD. With limited career-building activities and events, it is difficult for individuals with ASD to identify their skills, strengths, and career opportunities. Parental support is crucial when seeking employment opportunities for their children. Through the use of play, children with ASD engaged and explored their skills with science, technology, engineering, arts, and math-centered activities. This paper highlights the events and shows the proposed redesign for an additional workshop.

Examining Whether And How Instructional Coordination Occurs Within Introductory Undergraduate Stem Courses, Brian A. Couch, Luanna B. Prevost, Marilyne Stains, Blake Whitt, Ariel E. Marcy, Naneh Apkarian, Melissa H. Dancy, Charles Henderson, Estrella Johnson, Jeffrey R. Raker, Brandon J. Yik, Brittnee Earl, Susan E. Shadle, John Skvoretz, John P. Ziker

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Instructors’ interactions can foster knowledge sharing around teaching and the use of research-based instructional strategies (RBIS). Coordinated teaching presents an impetus for instructors’ interactions and creates opportunities for instructional improvement but also potentially limits an instructor’s autonomy. In this study, we sought to characterize the extent of coordination present in introductory undergraduate courses and to understand how departments and instructors implement and experience course coordination. We examined survey data from 3,641 chemistry, mathematics, and physics instructors at three institution types and conducted follow-up interviews with a subset of 24 survey respondents to determine what types of coordination existed, what factors …

Analysis Of Attitudinal Student Learning Benefits From A Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (Cure) Adapted For Online Format, Ambika Kapil, Luis C. Gonzalez Isoba, Niraj Pathak, Arthur Sikora, Santanu De

FDLA Journal

Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) are an increasingly utilized model for exposing students to research. The lack of robust assessments is a major hurdle to wider adoption of CUREs. The Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic necessitated a drastic shift of in-person courses to the online format. Using the Participant Perception Indicator (PPI) survey, we measured students’ self-reported changes in learning from such a biochemistry course at a large university in south Florida based on the Biochemistry Authentic Scientific Inquiry Lab (BASIL) model. By doing this, we were able to better understand the student-benefits of CUREs and how these benefits …

Alternative Techniques For Blind Low Vision Students Enrolled In Coding Courses, Robert Jaquiss

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

BLV (blind low vision) students face difficulties when taking coding classes. Individual Development Environments (IDE) can be inaccessible which make it difficult if not impossible for BLV students to complete coursework. Alternative techniques are described which will allow a BLV student to successfully complete coursework. The author has found the Command Line Interface (CLI) is often a recommended alternative to a Windows based IDE interface. Many blind computer programmers use the Windows and Linux command interfaces which are described as part of this discussion.

Approach To Problem Solving And Use Of Intuition By Engineering Technology Students, Meher R. Taleyarkhan, Anne M. Lucietto, Natalie L. F. Hobson, Therese M. Azevedo

Journal of Global Education and Research

Engineering technology students often forgo a methodical approach of solving or answering questions on assignments or exams in favor of an intuition-based approach, emphasizing educated guessing (Broberg et al., 2008). Faculty observations have noted these student solutions often provide explanations, usually sans calculations, to support answers the students believe to be reasonable when in reality deviated from the correct answer. An extensive study was developed to assess several distinctions between student intuition and use of cognition in problem solving, as related to a generalized student population. The study was comprised of a survey and interview. The survey utilized two instruments, …

Challenge-Based Learning & Steam Curriculum, Diana Lockwood

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

STEAM education is being integrated into elementary schools as a way to engage more students in creativity, hands-on learning, and problem-based learning also referred to as Challenge-Based-Learning (CBL). This article focuses on elementary educators’ curriculum design for STEAM and presenting students with open-ended questions phrased as a challenge as a way to raise student interest and achievement (DeJarnette, 2018; Hunter-Doniger, 2018). When students received challenges to solve, they felt more open to sharing their ideas since there was more than one potential right answer (DeJarnette, 2018; Drake, 2012). When implementing CBL, teachers act as facilitators using a constructivist approach as …

Introduction To A Universal Performance Improvement Method (Chigen-Iku), Yoshihiko Ariizumi

Learning, Teaching, & Researching Optimization

This brief article introduces a universal performance improvement method called Chigen-iku, which has been developed carefully and extensively over more than 25 years through more than 100 individual and group projects based on the principles that were selected through my doctorial study in the field of Instructional Psychology and Technology.

Interaction Between Students With And Without Disabilities In An Inclusive Schools From Their Teachers Perspective., Dr. Basmah Alshahrani

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

The success of the inclusion of students with disabilities substantially depends on the collaboration of various social agents, including non-disabled peers, who play a substantial role in the lives of students with disabilities. Peers, as social agent, are responsible for the creation of a favourable social environment, in which one of the key factors is a positive acceptance. This research examined the reality of interactions between non-disabled students and their acceptance to peers with disabilities. A qualitative research approach was employed using interviews with Nine special education teachers. An overall positive attitudes were reported with non-disabled peers being reported as …

Adjusting/Modifying Assignments To Support Students With Learning Disabilities While Engaging In Ngss Science And Engineering Practices And Inquiry-Based Learning, Shannon Morago Dr.

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Effective science instruction involves opportunities for all students to do science, including engaging in the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices through inquiry-based learning. Many students with learning disabilities have the accommodation of shortened or reduced assignments in their Individualized Educational Programs to allow them equal access to science learning. Science teachers struggle to provide this accommodation. This practice brief provides examples of supports and strategies for implementing this accommodation during an inquiry-based investigation. A vignette is used to follow a science teacher and her students through an investigation; it details how she provides equal access to the learning objectives as …

Unit #7: Steam Resources, Lindsey Herlehy, Cassandra Armstrong

Little STEAMers: Early Learning Program

No abstract provided.

Preservice Elementary Teachers Conceptions And Self-Efficacy For Integrated Stem, Deepika Menon, Deef A. A. Shorman, Derek Cox, Amanda Thomas

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Educational reform efforts have emphasized preparing highly competent and confident preservice teachers to deliver effective K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) instruction. Self-efficacy is a key variable that influences motivation and performance, and therefore it is necessary to support the development of preservice teachers’ integrated STEM teaching self-efficacy. This mixed-methods study investigates how preservice elementary teachers’ integrated STEM teaching self-efficacy is shaped during their participation in a newly redesigned STEM semester consisting of three concurrent methods courses (science and engineering, mathematics, and technology methods courses). The quantitative data sources included the Self-efficacy for Teaching Integrated STEM instrument administered as …

Middle Savannah River: An A/R/Tographic Ecopedagogical Ethnography Experimenting With Rhizomatic Perspectives, Lisa Augustine-Chizmar

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This research is an experiment in perspective. Using the four commonplaces (Schwab, 1978), I practiced letting the Savannah River teach me what there is to know about the water, the land, the people, and the other entities that depend on ki through artistic, ethnographic, and ecopedagogical lenses. The ethnographic findings describe the social actors that depend on ki and give a voice to the River. The a/r/tographic findings display the River on a canvas map through two hundred years using paint, clay, photography, video, abstract acrylics, and fabric. Together, these methods contribute to a unique ecopedagogical journey. This word cloud …

Understanding And Advancing College Students' Mathematical Reasoning Using Collaborative Argumentation, Rachel Kay Heili

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This study explored students’ mathematical reasoning skills and offered supports to advance them through a collaborative argumentation framework in a college intermediate algebra class. The goals of this study were to make observations about student reasoning, identify specific actions to address those observations, and document student growth in reasoning as a result of those actions. An iterative analysis, mixed method study was conducted in which the researcher engaged students in responding to questions that required conceptual understandings using a collaborative argumentation framework as a tool to identify and code components of their responses—claim, evidence, and reasoning. After coding and analyzing …

Summary Of Effects: Impact Of Intersect On Student Math Achievement And Teacher Perceptions, Natalie Wright

STEM Research

This summary of project evaluation findings was presented to the InTERSECT team and DCPS leaders in February 2023 as a supplement to the Year 2 Summative Evaluation Report. The evaluation examined effects of Project InTERSECT on Cohorts 1 and 2, including student mathematics achievement and teacher perceptions. The project has had significant impacts on students’ mathematics achievement. Compared to a business-as-usual group (which was matched to the treatment group based on pretest scores, demographics, and grade level), students in Project InTERSECT classrooms performed significantly higher on iReady Math assessments. Treatment effects were particularly large for kindergarten (Hedges’ g = .34) …