Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Community Roles For Supporting Emerging Education Researchers, Christopher A. F. Hass, Emilie Hancock, Samantha Wilson, Shams El-Adawy, Eleanor C. Sayre

Mathematics Faculty Scholarship

DBER attracts many faculty from other STEM disciplines, and these faculty have little or no specific training in DBER. DBER requires a mastery of quantitative, qualitative, and/or mixed methodologies, and also a nuanced understanding of breadth of topic, research questions, and theoretical frameworks. This interdisciplinarity is particularly challenging for emerging DBER researchers who often switch into DBER with only discipline specific content and research training. As part of a large study about how STEM faculty become involved with DBER, we interviewed a number of emerging DBER faculty about their pathways into DBER. We conducted a thematic analysis of these interviews …

Mathematics Education: Good, Bad, & Ugly, Katie L. Johnson

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A thought experiment centering around K-12 mathematics education, and the possible changes that may come about due to the use of technology and social learning.

Interdisciplinary Thinking: Financial Literacy Crosses Disciplinary Boundaries, Marla A. Sole

Publications and Research

Financial literacy is ideally suited to be integrated into mathematics courses and taught in an interdisciplinary manner. Students learn best and are motivated when tackling real-world meaningful questions. This article shares how elementary mathematics was applied to better understand the debate about raising the minimum wage and the United States National Debt. To serve as a guide for other teachers who wish to incorporate financial literacy into their mathematics courses and take an interdisciplinary approach, this article suggests readings, data sets, and pedagogical practices. Students were engaged and enthusiastic to work on problems that challenged their thinking about financial issues.

The Differences Between College Readiness And The Type Of Algebra 1 Course Taken By Male And Female Students Attending A Private School In Southwestern Virginia, Christina M. Perdue

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Algebra 1 is a foundational course for all higher mathematics. Research suggests taking rigorous math courses earlier in a student’s education increases college readiness which leads to a greater economic impact to the community. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to determine if there is a difference between male and female students’ college readiness as measured by the mathematics test scores of the PSAT/NMSQT of students who have taken an Algebra 1 course, designated as either Honors or Non-Honors section, who attend a private high school. Having early indications of college readiness allows students more time to develop …

Dominant And Critical Mathematics: A Multi-Case Study Examining Mathematics Teachers’ Equitable Teaching Practices, Laura Zamudio

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the field of mathematics education, it is common for studies to use test scores to examine racial and socio-economic achievement gaps. The results of such studies have influenced mathematics teachers to address issues of equitable access and achievement as part of closing existing gaps (Gutiérrez & Ezekiel Dixon-Román, 2011). However, closing achievement gaps does not mean that equity has been addressed if marginalized students continue to express a cultural disconnect from the field of mathematics (Lubienski & Gutiérrez, 2008).

This qualitative multi-case study seeks to attend to these issues by exploring the understandings of equity and equitable teaching practices …

Mathematics Teacher Developers’ Views Of A Demonstration Class, Ginger Rhodes, Allyson Hallman-Thrasher, Kyle T. Schultz

Education Faculty Articles

This article examines the professional vision of mathematics teacher developers during a professional development experience that featured observations of a content course for elementary teachers. The researchers examined whether these mathematics teacher developers viewed the demonstration class as an analysis class, a site for reflection and analysis, or a model class, an example of teaching to be emulated. Results indicated participants could hold either view and, in some cases, both. Each view provided opportunities for professional growth, but particular aspects of the experience promoted an analysis class view.

Investigating Secondary Students Beliefs About Mathematical Problem-Solving, Mark Prendergast, Cormac Breen, Aibhin Bray, Fiona Faulkner, Brian Carroll, Dominic Quinn

Articles

Many studies over the past thirty years have highlighted the important role of students’ beliefs for successful problem solving in mathematics. Given the recent emphasis afforded to problem solving on the reformed Irish secondary school mathematics curriculum, the main aim of this study was to identify Irish students’ (n = 975) beliefs about the field. A quantitative measure of these beliefs was attained through the use of the Indiana Mathematical Belief Scale, an existing thirty item (five scale) self-report questionnaire. A statistical analysis of the data revealed that students who were further through their secondary education had a stronger belief …

A Path Analysis Exploration Of Teacher’S Effect, Self-Efficacy, Demographic Factors, And Attitudes Toward Mathematics Among College Students Attending S Minority Serving Institution In Face-To-Face And Hybrid Mathematics Courses, Nelson De La Rosa

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Graduation rates in colleges and universities have not kept up with the increase in enrollment. Lack of mathematics competence is a factor that impairs students from completing higher education studies. This problem is even more pervasive in minority groups. The existing body of research on mathematics education have not favored emerging minority populations in terms of addressing their needs for academic program completion across mode of instruction.

The study analyzed the relationship between type of instruction and the factors underlying students’ attitudes toward mathematics. Further, this study examined the effect of factors underlying the constructs of teacher’s effect and self-efficacy …

Binning For Equity And Access: Formative Assessment–Focused Teacher Professional Development For Middle School Mathematics Classrooms, Brent Duckor, Carrie Holmberg, Joanne Becker

Faculty Publications

While research has shown for over a decade that teachers who engage in formative assessment (FA) practices may have the most powerful impact on student learning (Black & Wiliam, 1998; Hattie, 2012) less is known about the development of teachers’ knowledge and use of formative assessment as they plan, enact, and reflect on their practice. Our qualitative case study focuses on how in-service middle school math teachers take up the specific moves (Author, 2014a) associated with formative assessment practice as they plan, enact, and reflect on their practices as part of a FA-focused professional development cycle of inquiry. The study …

Maximizing The Impact Of Digital Supports In Mathematics Learning Support In Higher Education – An Overview Of The 9th Annual Imlsn Workshop, Cormac Breen, Anthony Cronin

Articles

In this article we give a short description of the 9th Annual Workshop of the Irish Mathematics Learning Support Network (IMLSN). The workshop theme was ‘Maximizing the impact of digital supports in Mathematics Learning Support in Higher Education’. We briefly describe the Irish Mathematics Learning Support Network (IMLSN) and outline the factors that motivated this workshop theme. We will also discuss the presentations, some of the issues that were raised during the workshop and we close with some brief conclusions on this very successful event.

Investigating The Engagement Of Mature Students With Mathematics Learning Support, Cormac Breen, Michael Carr, Mark Prendergast

Articles

The Maths Learning Support Centre (MLSC) in the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) provides free mathematical support to all DIT students. This support is primarily delivered through a drop-in service, where students can receive one-to-one tuition, without an appointment, in any area of mathematics. In the first semester of the 2013/14 academic year, a significant proportion of students that availed of this drop-in service were mature students enrolled in Engineering programmes. This is of particular interest as mature students constitute a relatively small proportion of the total student body, motivating a deeper study of the reasons for the high levels …

The Flipped Classroom: Its Effect On Student Academic Achievement And Critical Thinking Skills In High School Mathematics, Joranna Saunders

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the effect of the flipped classroom on academic achievement in high school mathematics. The purpose of this study was twofold. The immediate purpose was to determine if there was a statistical difference in student academic achievement in two high school mathematics classrooms once the flipped classroom concept was implemented. This study also examined the effect of the flipped classroom on students' critical thinking skills. This static-group comparison utilized a pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group design and two null hypotheses were tested. The flipped curriculum was not a significant factor in increasing student academic achievement or in increasing student …

Elementary School Teachers' Interpretation And Promotion Of Creativity In The Learning Of Mathematics: A Grounded Theory Study, Yinjing Shen

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Creativity is important for young children learning mathematics. Comparing the investment theory of creativity and national standards and principles for early mathematics shows that doing mathematics is more than applying rules and procedures; rather, learning mathematics takes a lot of creativity. However, much literature claimed that creativity for young children in the learning of mathematics was not adequately supported by teachers in the classroom due to teachers’ poor college preparation in mathematics content knowledge, teachers’ negativity towards creative students, teachers’ occupational pressure, low quality curriculum, and the like. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to generate a model …

The Transformative Potential Of Boundary Spanners: A Narrative Inquiry Into Preservice Teacher Education And Professional Development In An Nclb-Impacted Context, David Whitenack, Patricia Swanson

Faculty Publications

This narrative inquiry uses pedagogic discourse theory and organization theory to frame pre-service teacher education and in-service professional development initiatives in a school district facing tensions related to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Implications for similar future initiatives are considered.

One Teacher's Instrumental Orchestrations Of Students' Small-Group Work With Graphing Calculators, James L. Kratky

Research and Creative Activities Poster Day

No abstract provided.

Excellent Teaching: A Collective Case Study Of Outstanding Elementary Mathematics Teachers' Teaching Of Mathematics, Michael J. Gay

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This qualitative collective case study explored the mathematical teaching of three excellent elementary teachers who were nominated by experts in mathematics and mathematics educational organizations, agencies and universities. I examined what excellent elementary mathematics teachers know and do in their practice of teaching. The study depicts detailed verbatim interactions between the teachers and students during actual teaching episodes to give the reader naturalistic examples of the explanation patterns and questioning strategies that these excellent teachers used to further students’ understandings of mathematical concepts and procedures. Analyses of the pedagogical strategies, including the interactive exploratory problem solving format these teachers used, …

Mathematical Competitions In Hungary: Promoting A Tradition Of Excellence & Creativity, Julianna Connelly Stockton

Mathematics Faculty Publications

Hungary has long been known for its outstanding production of mathematical talent. Extracurricular programs such as camps and competitions form a strong foundation within the Hungarian tradition. New types of competitions in recent years include team competitions, multiple choice competitions, and some exclusively for students who are not in a special mathematics class. This study explores some of the recent developments in Hungarian mathematics competitions and the potential implications these changes have for the very competition-driven system that currently exists. The founding of so many new competitions reflects a possible shift in the focus and purpose of competitions away from …

Bridging Professional Development And Context: Integrating Mathematics And Academic Language In A District Facing Takeover, Patricia Swanson, David Whitenack

Faculty Publications

This quasi-experimental, multi-phase study uses mixed methods to evaluate a professional development initiative focused on integrating mathematics and academic language. The context is a highly diverse urban district facing state takeover. The professional development focused on the understanding of key mathematics concepts and developing content-specific academic language. It linked explicitly to district-adopted texts and prescribed lesson formats. Teachers perceived the strategies to be feasible and beneficial to student learning, and had high rates of implementation. Nonetheless, pacing guides pressuring teachers to quickly cover content pose challenges for continued implementation. Implications for (1) professional development focusing on integrating subject-matter content and …

Teacher Collaboration: Implications For New Mathematics Teachers, Laura M. Gellert, Lidia Gonzalez

Publications and Research

One increasingly popular way of supporting new teachers is through the use of mentoring. New teachers are often paired with mentors as one of a number of supports meant to aid new teachers as they begin their career. The various types of mentoring range from school based mentors assigned by the school to specialty mentors, such as math coaches. Examples of other types of supports that are thought of as separate from formal mentoring are lesson studies, professional development schools, professional development workshops supported by local universities, teacher networks and sponsored professional development. Given the popularity of policies promoting support …

What Factors Contribute To The Success Of African American Women In Science And Mathematics: Do Teaching Techniques Matter, Sheryl Mcglamery

Teacher Education Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

The session content will focus on the author's research about effective teaching techniques that engage and assist African American women (and others) in succeeding in science and mathematics courses. Several case studies will highlight the effective practice focus of this session.