Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Fostering Reflective Thinking In First-Semester Calculus Students, Pamela Crawford

Dissertations

This study focuses on the fostering of reflective thinking in students in a reform calculus course through completion of homework assignments incorporating reflective tasks, and the effect of these assignments on student understandings of calculus and conceptions of mathematics. The study, conducted in Fall 1997, involved two sections of first-semester calculus at a large midwestern university and used quantitative (n = 25, 18) and qualitative (n = 7) techniques.

Homework assignments incorporating reflective tasks included asking students to compare and contrast textbook ideas; to write about how obstacles were overcome as they attempted exercises; to develop concept maps organizing and …

The Effects Of Writing Assignments On Second-Semester Calculus Students' Understanding Of The Limit Concept, Melanie A. Wahlberg

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of writing assignments on second-semester calculus students’ understanding of the limit concept, using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. The study involved two sections of second semester calculus (n = 37, 34) at Western Michigan University during the fall semester of 1997.

The treatment group completed six writing tasks focusing on the mathematical concept of limit. These conceptually-oriented writing assignments replaced some of the problem sets that the instructor would have normally assigned. The control group did not engage in writing tasks but handed in problem sets more frequently than the …

A Study Of How The Results Of The Third International Mathematics And Science Study Might Be Used To Promote Improvement In Mathematics And Science Locally, Joyce O. Watson

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

An applied project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Education Specialist at Morehead State University by Joyce O. Watson on May 10, 1998.

Strategies To Improve H.S.P.T. Scores In The Ninth Grade Mathematics Curriculum, Monifa I. Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to integrate strategies in the ninth grade Mathematics curriculum with a goal of improving High School Proficiency Test scores. This study was designed to meet the needs for the students serviced at Pleasantville High School. Over the past five years Pleasantville High School students have demonstrated erratic behavior on the state mandated HSPT11. Eleventh grade first time test takers have yet to meet the 85% acceptable passing rate for this population. The school district must provide an educational environment where all can learn and find success. This includes preparing students for responsible citizenship, higher …

An Opinionnaire Of Secondary School Mathematics Instructors Regarding Block Scheduling, Elaine M. Groman

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of block scheduling on mathematics instruction at the secondary level in New Jersey public schools.

Surveys were sent to ten high schools identified as using block scheduling in New Jersey. Mathematics teachers and supervisors were asked to evaluate block scheduling and rate the impact it has on a scale from great effect to little effect in the areas of curriculum coverage, amount of time spent reviewing previously covered material, coverage of the New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards and sequence of mathematics courses a student takes. AP Calculus instructors were asked …

Trends In Teaching Object-Oriented Programming At The Community College Level, Thomas W. Fargnoli

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the current trends in teaching object-oriented programming at the community college level. A questionnaire was developed and sent to all community colleges in the state of New Jersey to assess the extent of object-oriented material offered in computer science courses. Nine community colleges participated in the study.

All nine colleges reported offering at least one course containing some degree of object-oriented material. Of the eighty-five computer science courses offered, thirty of them (35%) contained some degree of object-oriented material. The degree of the object-oriented material ranged from 5% to 100%. Fourteen of …

Increasing Student Achievement With Cooperative Learning, Curriculum Changes, And Portfolio Assessment, Lois S. Allen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to determine if student achievement could be approved by curriculum changes within a cooperative learning framework and the use of portfolio assessment. Students in two classes were involved in the study. Both classes received the same instruction, worksheet and quizzes. In addition, one class worked individually to complete the worksheets to prepare for weekly quizzes. The other class used the cooperative learning technique - Student Teams Achievement Divisions. The cooperative learning students worked in groups of four to complete the worksheets to prepare for the weekly quizzes. The goal was to have everyone in …

Do Smaller Classes Mean Greater Academic Achievement In High School Biology Classes?, Elaine Awalt

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if students in small classes would show greater academic achievement in high school biology classes. The study involved two high school biology classes, one with an enrollment of 20 students, and one with an enrollment of 25 students. Both groups of students were given pretests on the subject of invertebrates. A four week study of this topic followed. Teaching techniques and assignments were identical for the two groups. At the end of the four week study a posttest was given to all students.

The results of the pre and posttest were then …

A Study Of Calculator Usage On The Mathematics Achievement Of Seventh- And Eighth-Grade Students And On Attitudes Of Students And Teachers, Tracie Bidwell Ellerman

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of calculator usage on the mathematics achievement of seventh and eighth grade students as measured by the Mathematics Concepts and Applications sections of the California Achievement Test. The study also investigated the attitudes of students and teachers toward calculator usage. Student attitudes were measured through responses to the Student Calculator Survey. Teacher attitudes were measured through responses to the Attitude Instrument for Mathematics and Applied Technology-Version II.

Intact classes from two north central Louisiana school systems were assigned randomly to treatment and control groups. The sample consisted of 1070 students …

An Interdisciplinary Research Project For The Middle School Study Skills Curriculum, Colleen M. Kinney

All Graduate Projects

An integrated curriculum correlating endangered species with the disciplines of life science, math, language arts, geography, and study skills, for seventh grade students at Lewis and Clark Middle School in Yakima, Washington, was developed. A literature review supports the premise that integrated units enable students to make connections between the concepts taught in school and the real world. The literature review also indicated the need for schools to teach study skills to better prepare students for the future.

Writing Across The Curriculum For Primary Grades, Jenneifer L. Perri

All Graduate Projects

Writing activities have been developed for the primary classroom to help in the teaching of science and social studies. Both research and observation have shown that writing is a thinking process which has a positive impact on all areas of the curriculum. The project included specific writing activities which can be taught during specific science and social studies themes. A list of writing prompts which can be used when using learning logs has been provided as a way to encourage reflection and interaction with curriculum content.

A Unit On Proportional Relationships: A Preparation For Algebra, Jennifer Virginie Pidgeon, Katherine Anne Yule

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Manipulatives And Thematic Units To Aid With Learning, To Create Interest, And To Increase Involvement For At-Risk Students In Consumer Math, Michael Dean Marzilli, Michael Howard Minier

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Factors Associated With The Utilization Of Mathematics Manipulatives In Grades Kindergarten Through Four, Debra J. Bandy

Masters Theses

Since the publication of "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics" by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics in 1989, mathematics pedagogy has shifted from the standard memorization of facts and processes to concept development and application. Teachers have been encouraged to utilize manipulatives to help students bridge the gap between concrete and abstract mathematical concepts. This study was conducted to determine if grade level impacted the frequency with which manipulatives were used, to examine teacher perceptions of eleven factors associated with the frequency of utilization of math manipulatives, and to assess the perceived effect of teaching with manipulatives …

How Schools In Western Australia Are Responding To The Pressures Of Accountability In Mathematics Education, Lynne Messenger

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Western Australian primary schools have responded to the Education Department's call for school accountability in many areas of the school accountability. This study focuses on the endeavours that schools have made to demonstrate their accountability in the subject area of Mathematics. The document "Improving and Reporting Schools' Performance" was made available to all state primary schools at the beginning of the 1996 school year as part of the Student Outcome Statement package. However, only a small number of primary schools have used the Student Outcome Statements in Mathematics in the National Professional Development Program trial conducted by the Commonwealth Department …

The Effects Of Field-Based Learning On The Knowledge, Behaviors And Practices Of Teachers And Students, Mary Jo Kosco

Masters Theses

The outdoor environment has the potential to serve as a teeming laboratory with numerous opportunities for students to study various science-related phenomena and processes. However important teachers deem outdoor experiences in science, they also bear doubts about their abilities to teach in these natural surroundings. Providing teachers with the training necessary to teach using field-based activities would help develop and strengthen the teachers' and consequently their students' interest in science, their background knowledge of basic science concepts and processes and possibly affect their behaviors towards the environment. This study was designed to measure the extent science teachers' field-based learning experiences …

The Effects Of A Student-Centered Thinking Strategies Approach To Learning Basic Facts, Amber L. Grotjohn

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

Now the question becomes, "Can children learn basic facts even better by using a student-centered approach to helping them learn thinking strategies?" This study is an examination of a thinking strategies approach to teaching basic addition facts.

How The Internet Is Used In A Secondary Mathematics Classroom, Megan B. West

Theses : Honours

This project was designed to study how the Internet was used in a secondary mathematics classroom. It looks at a Year 12 Mathematical Modelling class and how the internet is used by the students and teacher in their mathematics lessons. The study consisted of observing and interviewing students to determine how they felt about using the Internet in a secondary mathematics classroom and how they used the Internet. Analysis of observations and the audio-taped interviews involved categorizing the students' usage of the Internet, the types of activities the Internet was used for, the length of time spent on the Internet, …

An Examination Of Learner Control In A Low Achieving Mathematics Class, Allan Bertram

Theses : Honours

This study examines the effect of learner control on the use of the software package Math Blaster Mystery (MBM) by low ability mathematics students. MBM is a mathematical software package which consists of four activities, each with four levels of difficulty, involving problem solving and worded problems. Each activity has four levels of difficulty. The purpose of the study was to answer the following questions; 1) Is the implementation of Math Blaster Mystery designed with a low level of learner control more effective with lower ability students than implementation with a higher level of learner control? 2) Do lower achieving …

Professional Development And Practice: A Study Of Early Childhood Teachers Of Mathematics, Wendy Hawthorne

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In the past twenty years there has been increased interest in the ways in which teachers construct their professional lives. It is no longer assumed that preservice education alone will enable teachers to meet the challenges of their teaching lives. Ongoing professional development is seen as an essential component of contemporary teachers' lives but remains a challenge for professional development planners and providers. The nature and extent of teachers' participation in professional development was a significant dimension of the investigation of professional development contained in this thesis. The research questions which formed the basis for the data collection in this …