Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Views Of Coaching Practice Expressed By School-Based Coaches, D. A. Yopp, E. A. Burroughs, A. Barlow, J. T. Sutton

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This study reports on the views of coaching expressed by school-based coaches and coaching experts in response to observing the practice of a novice coach featured in a video. Researchers hypothesized that a coach participant's observations about another coach's practice would be a useful tool for examining participants' beliefs about coaching. Researchers compared responses from school-based coaches to the responses of coaching experts and views expressed in leading coaching literature in order to examine the variation in school-based coaches' views. Analysis of responses from both practicing coaches and coaching experts revealed eight themes that describe components of the videotaped coaching …

Success After Failure: Academic Effects And Psychological Implications Of Early Universal Algebra Policies, Keith Howard, Martin Romero, Allison Scott, Derrick Saddler

Education Faculty Articles and Research

In this article, the authors use the High School Longitudinal Study 2009 (HSLS:09) national database to analyze the relationships between algebra failure, subsequent performance, motivation, and college readiness. Students who failed eighth-grade Algebra I did not differ significantly in mathematics proficiency from those who passed lower-level courses, but initially demonstrated significantly lower mathematics interest, mathematics utility, and mathematics identity. Both groups were less likely than the general population to meet college requirements in the eleventh grade, although students who passed a lower-level mathematics course fared better than those who failed Algebra I. Implications for policies addressing mathematics course enrollments are …

Impact Of A Science Methods Course On Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Knowledge And Confidence Of Teaching With Scientific Inquiry And Problem-Based Learning, L. Y. Whiteman, T. M. Walker, T. L. Spencer

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The purpose of this study was to measure the impact of an elementary science methods course on pre-service teachers' knowledge and confidence of teaching with inquiry and problem-based instructional strategies. Changes in pre-service teachers' knowledge and confidence were measured before and after completing the course activities using a pilot survey entitled "Science Pedagogical Content Knowledge & Confidence (PCKC) Survey." An integrated lecture/laboratory elementary science methods course engaged participants with hands-on activities designed to increase their pedagogical content knowledge: including theory, planning and implementation of inquiry, and problem-based learning. The results indicated that pre-service teachers' knowledge and confidence improved as a …

Contents

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Science Education In Virginia, E. Rhoades

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Journal Of Mathematics And Science: Collaborative Explorations

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Experiences With Problem-Based Learning: Virginia Initiative For Science Teaching And Achievement, C. Phillips, R. Zimmerman, A. Martin

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The Virginia Initiative for Science Teaching and Achievement (VISTA) provides high-quality professional development for teachers and administrators to enhance the quality of their science instructional programs. One emphasis of this program is helping teachers learn to implement Problem-Based Learning in the elementary science classroom. Problem-Based Learning (PBL) has the potential to produce significant positive outcomes for students, such as increased student engagement, and opportunities for in-depth critical thinking [1]. Teachers find PBL challenging because it does take additional time for planning and material acquisition, but experience has shown that the benefits outweigh these challenges. Setting clear goals, identifying specific learning …

The Stability Of Boats: A Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics (Stem) Exercise, G. Rublein

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

In what might be called genuine Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), an engineering construct subject to well-understood physical principles is analyzed mathematically to yield predicted behavior. In this article, we provide just such an example. The mathematics is at the high school level. Among other things, one actually sees an application of the quadratic formula. Experimental verification of the results may be realized with simple materials.

Science Leadership: Impact Of The New Science Coordinators Academy, E. W. Edmondson, A. Mannarino, V. Reid, D. R. Sterling

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This article discusses the impact of the New Science Coordinators Academy (NSCA) on two cohorts of participants. The NSCA is one of four components of the Virginia Initiative for Science Teaching and Achievement (VISTA), a United States Department of Education (USED) science education reform grant. The NSCA is designed to support new school district science coordinators (with less than five years of experience) and to continue building the state science education infrastructure. Research in education leadership traditionally focuses on teacher leaders, principals, and district office personnel. Interestingly, research on district office personnel rarely distinguishes between the different roles of district …

A Note On Knights, Knaves, And Truth Tables, H. Reinhart, J. Boyd

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Student and teacher (in the order above) have taken on a project of trying to understand something about Boolean algebra, logic circuits, and applications with the aid of Mathematica. We quickly recognized that the logical puzzles popularized by Raymond Smullyan that involve Knights (truth tellers) and Knaves (liars) are ideally suited for analysis by Boolean methods and truth tables. with a big boost from Mathematica. Not only is there a lot of mathematics to be learned, there is a great deal of fun to be had. The topic seems to us to be an ideal vehicle for exposing young high …

Aims & Scope

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

In Memory Of Michael Watts (November 3, 1950–December 5, 2014), William Walstad, Sam Allgood, Tisha Emerson, Gail Hoyt, Kimmarie Mcgoldrick, Georg Schaur, William E. Becker

Department of Economics: Faculty Publications

Michael Watts, Professor of Economics at Purdue University, died unexpectedly on December 5, 2014, at the age of 64 while on vacation in Antigua. His connection to the Journal of Economic Education is a long one. For 20 years, from 1988 through 2007, Mike served as the associate editor for JEE’s instruction section, which typically accounts for the largest number of articles published in a JEE issue. After 2007, he continued to serve on JEE’s editorial board. Mike was a remarkable academic and scholar who made significant and wide-ranging contributions to economic education beyond his valuable service to JEE.

Mike …

A Comparison Of Two Low-Stakes Methods For Administering A Program-Level Biology Concept Assessment, Brian A. Couch, Jennifer K. Knight

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Concept assessments are used commonly in undergraduate science courses to assess student learning and diagnose areas of student difficulty. While most concept assessments align with the content of individual courses or course topics, some concept assessments have been developed for use at the programmatic level to gauge student progress and achievement over a series of courses or an entire major. The broad scope of a program-level assessment, which exceeds the content of any single course, creates several test administration issues, including finding a suitable time for students to take the assessment and adequately incentivizing student participation. These logistical considerations must …

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 …

Teac 315: Teaching Science In The Elementary School—A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio, Krista Adams

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

Teaching Science in the Elementary School (TEAC 315) is an upper-division course taken by elementary education majors as a requirement for the Bachelor of Science (BS) in Education. The peer review of teaching project had me identify concerns for teaching the elementary methods course. The concerns I wanted to address focused on eliciting teacher candidate’s views and experiences with teaching science as well as my ability to identify evidence of growth. The first area focuses on my needing to understand if I need to develop more instructional strategies to support teacher candidate growth. This involves both in terms of specific …

Online Versus Face-To-Face Biology: A Comparison Of Student Transactional Distance, Approach To Learning, And Knowledge Outcomes, Mary Erin Riggins

Dissertations

Community colleges are among many other institutions increasing course offerings online, but there is still some concern about the quality of online learning. Educator concerns, a lack of empirical evidence on biology courses offered online, and the need for an equal opportunity for education support the need for clarification of the quality of distance education in biology, especially in the community college setting. Student attitudes, approaches to learning, and performance should all be studied in order to formulate a better evaluation of the quality and effectiveness of online courses (Svirko & Mellanby, 2008).

The purpose of this study was to …

A Study Of The Teaching Beliefs Of The Modern Post Secondary Science Instructor And Implications They May Hold For The Future Of Science Education, Michael Charles Howard

Dissertations

It was the purpose of this study to examine the teaching beliefs of community college science instructors and discover whether their teaching beliefs were student oriented or instructor oriented. In addition, this study sought to examine demographic factors and find their relation, if any, to these teaching beliefs, as well as explore topics that may be useful in the future to helping community colleges science instructors’ curricula and beliefs come together and work in unison. To do this, the study built on the foundation laid by Sampson et al., in their creation of the Beliefs about Reformed Science Teaching and …

A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of Developmental Math Students' Experiences And Perceptions, Megan Cordes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Current literature suggests the rise of enrollment among United States (U.S.) postsecondary institutions but the decline in graduation rates. While there is extensive quantitative data examining course redesigns and increasing student achievement in developmental math courses, there is limited research examining students' experiences and perceptions within these courses. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to examine the experiences and perceptions of developmental math students. This study utilized the theoretical framework of Bandura's (1997) social cognitive theory and Tinto's (2012a) retention theory. Research questions focused on the lived experience of struggling within a developmental math course, past math experiences …

The Mindful Learning Model, David W. Brooks, Guy Trainin, Khalid Sayood

Discipline-Based Education Research Group Speaker Series

Earlier we published the Unified Learning Model which speaks to learning based on achieieving the "top slot" in working memory, repetition, and connections. The Mindful Learning Model accounts for more recent understandings of learning, and especially connections to "consciousness." The model has many parts. Inputs to the brain from sensors (eyes, ears) are not so much information about what is perceived but about discrepancies between that perception and one's mental model of the current context. The voices in our heads are after‐the fact reports rather than realtime executives. Working memory is a series of detectable brain events taking place over …

Implementing The Caspie Coursebased Research Experience At The United States Military Academy: Affective Responses And Effects On Critical Thinking, Anthony Michael Chase

Open Access Theses

The Center for Authentic Science Practices in Education (CASPiE) pioneered a course-based research experience approach to teaching chemistry laboratory courses. The method had previously been studied in a variety of institutional settings. Recently, the United States Military Academy at West Point decided to develop CASPiE-style modules for the introductory honors chemistry course. This research setting presents clean experimental-control comparisons and a group of faculty who were completely new to the method. Equipping students with authentic research experiences early in their education is important regardless of the institution. However, cadets at a military academy must make decisions relatively early (the outset …

A Qualitative Analysis Of The Impact Of The Reform Of The College Of Science Undergraduate Core Curriculum At State University, Dean Ballotti

Open Access Dissertations

The Dean of the College of Science at State University, a large public Midwestern research university, in a memo to the faculty and staff initiated what he called a "review" of the undergraduate science core curriculum. He formed a task force that was to investigate on three issues; a reassessment of the undergraduate core curriculum, the recruitment and retention of qualified undergraduate students with an emphasis on diversity, and strategies that would address these issues. The age of the curriculum, 40 years since the last significant change, was an important factor in the review of the curriculum. This qualitative study …

The Composition Of First-Year Engineering Curricula And Its Relationships To Matriculation Models And Institutional Characteristics, Xingyu Chen

Open Access Dissertations

The preparation of technically excellent and innovative engineering graduates urges for a reform of the engineering curriculum to meet critical challenges in society (National Academy of Engineering, 2005). An examination of the current engineering curricula is needed to offer a baseline to further discuss if the curriculum reform meets the critical challenges. Meanwhile, concern about engineering retention prioritizes a review of the first-year engineering curricula. The existing literature does not include a nationwide examination of the first-year engineering curricula and introductory engineering courses. This study aspired to fill the gap by providing a detail description of the composition of first-year …

Diagnosing Undergraduate Biology Students' Experimental Design Knowledge And Difficulties, Annwesa Dasgupta

Open Access Dissertations

Experimental design is an important component of undergraduate biology education as it generates knowledge of biology. This dissertation addresses the challenge undergraduate educators face for assessing knowledge of experimental design in biology by examining knowledge of, and difficulties with, experimental design in the context of first-year undergraduate biology students at Purdue. The first chapter reviews several recent reports that highlight the necessity to increase understanding of the experimental research process as a core scientific ability (for e.g., AAAS, 2011; AAMC-HHMI, 2009; NRC, 2007). Despite its importance, there is limited information about what students actually learn from designing experiments. In the …

Pre‐Service Teachers’ Use Of Content Knowledge To Inform Formative Assessment Strategies In An Integrated Life Sciences Methods Course, Jaime Sabel, Cory Forbes

Discipline-Based Education Research Group Speaker Series

Pre‐service elementary teachers should learn essential science concepts, how to apply those concepts to practice in elementary science learning environments, and how to effectively connect students’ ideas to appropriate instructional strategies. In order to effectively engage students in scientific practices and connect students’ ideas about science to appropriate instructional strategies, teachers should learn to engage in high‐leverage instructional practices, such as formative assessment. However, teachers may not understand formative assessment or possess enough science content knowledge to effectively engage in related instructional practices. To address these needs, we developed an innovative course for elementary pre‐service teachers built upon two pillars—life …

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/.

Providing The Fuel (And Passing The Flame), Todd Pagano

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

At the risk of opening with a cliché statement- at the heart of the most effective mentor is a burning passion. The fuel for this passion is a desire to convince, not just try to, but actually convince your mentee that you care about their success (be it in the classroom, career, or personal life). I am guilty of believing in, and living by, this cliché. However, despite passion being my primary motivator, I am not unwilling to admit that rationale for mentoring can sometimes transcend this ethically normative line of thinking. I believe that there are also sometimes quantitative, …

Using Outreach To Inform, Maintain And Evaluate Your Collection [Presentation Slides], Kiyomi D. Deards

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Presentations

Increasing responsibilities, coupled with larger student bodies and corresponding increases in teaching and research faculty and staff, have made it difficult for many librarians and information professionals to spend time on collection development. This presentation will demonstrate how both formal and informal outreach efforts can inform collection development of Chemistry resources, the evaluation of existing resources, and guide collection maintenance efforts.

Statistical Models Of Self-Efficacy In Stem Students, Sarah Painter

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Persistence through undergraduate education may be explained by self-efficacy. It is the belief in one’s self to persevere through challenges. Bandura stated four areas that are thought to influence self-efficacy: mastery experience, social persuasion, vicarious experience, and physiological state. In this study, we focused on general and academic self-efficacy in STEM students, in the hopes of learning more about the relationships between Bandura’s categories, demographics, and self-efficacy. Data was taken from two institutions: one, a large research focused university, and the other, a smaller teaching focused university. In the first phase, surveys on general self-efficacy were taken at both institutions …

Instructional Change In Academic Departments: An Analysis From The Perspective Of Two Environment-Focused Change Strategies, Kathleen M. Quardokus

Dissertations

Numerous reports demand changes in college and university teaching practices. This is especially true for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. STEM stakeholders are concerned about student retention within STEM majors, as well as the lack of sufficient graduates with the knowledge to advance these fields. A common conclusion of these reports is that teaching practices must change. Although these calls for change have occurred for decades, STEM fields have yet to experience widespread change. Thus, there is a need for more effective change strategies. Recently, researchers have suggested that effective change strategies should focus on changing the environments …

Weaving Experimental Skills Throughout The Introductory Laboratory, John Zwart

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

The laboratory portion of an introductory course sequence can be used to meet a wide variety of goals ranging from illustrating phenomena studied in class, to building intuition about how the physical world works, to confronting the unexpected. Helping students develop experimental skills is a crucial goal that needs to be addressed in lab, especially in light of the fact that most introductory textbooks do not specifically address this topic. Important skills that students should learn in lab include how to analyze data, how to communicate results and the art of designing an experiment. This presentation will discuss how we …