Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Peer Led Team Learning In Introductory Biology: Effects On Critical Thinking Skills, Julia J. Snyder

Science Teaching - Dissertations

This study evaluated the potential effects of the Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) instructional model on undergraduate, biology peer leaders' critical thinking skills. This investigation also explored peer leaders' perceptions of their critical thinking skills. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test with control group design was used to determine critical thinking gains in PLTL/non-PLTL groups.

Critical thinking was assessed using the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) among participants who had previously completed and been successful in the second semester of a two-semester introductory biology course sequence. Qualitative data from open-ended questionnaires confirmed that factors thought to improve critical thinking skills such as interaction …

Ists, May 2012, Iowa Academy Of Science

ISTS Newsletter

In this issue:

--Notes

--Thoughts

--News

--Opportunities

Roger Williams Park Edible Forest Garden, Mark S. Scialla

Senior Honors Projects

An edible forest garden is a low-maintenance system that uses edible native and regionally-adapted plants arranged in beneficial relationships to meet human, wildlife and ecosystem needs. The forest garden in Roger Williams Park will transform underutilized urban land into a highly productive parcel producing market-viable fruits, nuts, vegetables, medicine and fiber. Forest gardens mimic natural forest systems in architecture and complexity. The design follows ecological principles to create a system that promotes biodiversity and enhances the surrounding ecosystem. This project also demonstrates the potential to grow food and create land-based livelihoods in the city.

Located on the edge of a …

Mathematics Anxiety In Ninth-Grade Pre-Algebra, Jacquelyn D. Tretter

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In this qualitative action research study, five lower-achieving freshman prealgebra students in a rural high school were interviewed about mathematics anxiety. The subjects ranged in age from 13 to 15 years and included three boys and two girls, of which one was Hispanic, one was African-American, and three were Caucasian. These students had tested below the fourth-grade level in mathematics during their eighth-grade year and were placed in special pre-algebra classes, which met for 30 additional minutes each day and progressed with more depth, but at a slower pace.

The researcher employed personal interviews to answer the research question: How …

Semipermeable Membranes, Diffusion, And Osmosis Inquiry: Effective Modeling In A High School Classroom, Amar Patel

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

A novel approach is taken in teaching the core chemical and biological concepts of mass transport properties, specifically diffusion and osmosis, in an investigation-rich unit of instruction spanning fifteen days. The unit is based on the highly successful 5-E, inquiry based approach known as project-based instruction which emphasizes the use of laboratories and interactive discussions. The entire unit will center on a grand challenge which the students will provide a media-based solution for by encompassing the concepts taught in the unit. When introducing these topics in the high school classroom, the instructor must be able to help students understand the …

How Ipads Can Be Used In The Math Classroom To Improve Student Learning, Katie Ann Garrity Smieja

Mathematics Graduate Theses

This study explores how iPads can be used to enhance student learning in the math classroom. The author reviews current literature to determine how iPads are being used to facilitate communication, formative assessment, and promising practices in math education such as discovery learning and use of spreadsheets, graphing calculators, and manipulatives. Additionally, challenges and drawbacks to using iPads in the classroom are examined. Research supports the use of iPads to provide students access to digital content including online discussion boards and practice activities with instant feedback. iPads can also be used as student response systems to engage students in instruction …

Mathematics Classrooms At The Middle School Level: Does Grouping Make A Difference In Achievement, Adam Smieja

Mathematics Graduate Theses

This paper reviewed related research on student achievement based on how students were grouped, homogeneously or heterogeneously. Questions examined were whether students performed better in heterogeneous or homogenous groupings and to what extent did high-, average-, and low-ability students perform better in a particular group. Results showed that high-ability students in homogeneous groupings had higher gains in achievement when compared to their counterparts in heterogeneous groupings. However, gains for these high-ability students were not statistically significant. On the contrary, average-, and low-ability students did show statistically significant gains in achievement in the heterogeneous groupings. Yet, despite their effectiveness, implementation of …

Learning To Teach Mathematics With Reasoning And Sense Making, Amy L. Nebesniak

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

This study uses teacher research to examine teacher learning in the context of instructional coaching. The author, a mathematics instructional coach, engaged in an intense three-week coaching relationship with a high school Algebra teacher. A detailed description of the teaching and learning of quadratics that took place during this research provide information about what and how a teacher learns to teach mathematics with reasoning and sense making. Mapping the terrain of quadratics deepened the teacher’s understanding of the mathematical content and encouraged him to adapt his textbook in order to build mathematical reasoning. Through the coaching process, the teacher also …

Departmentalization And Twenty-First Century Skills, Toy Coles Watts

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between school organizational style and student outcomes. The research questions that guided this study were, “Is there a difference in mathematical performance of fourth graders who receive departmentalized instruction as compared to fourth grade students who receive self-contained instruction?,” Does the number of years of implementation affect academic outcomes in a departmentalized organizational style?,” “Are teacher attitudes toward a departmentalized organizational style influential on the academic outcomes of the students?,” and “Does teacher preparation in their area of instruction affect testing outcomes?”

The results of this study indicated no significance …

The Relationship Between Student Achievement Of At-Risk Students And The Georgia Performance Standards In Mathematics, Loralee Ann Hill

Dissertations

Educational leaders continue to be challenged in terms of accountability measures for increased student achievement, as mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). In particular, schools must show adequate yearly progress (AYP) reaching 100 % proficiency levels for all students in the areas of English language arts and mathematics by 2014. In 2008, the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) in mathematics were implemented at the high school level. Coupled with this new curriculum, a newly developed Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) in mathematics was administered in March 2011. The purpose of this study was to add …

Teacher Certification And Student Achievement, Patricia Lewis Moss

Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-method study was to determine if there is a significant difference between the achievement of students who are taught by traditionally prepared teachers and that of students who are taught by alternatively prepared teachers. The study further addressed the perspectives of both groups of teachers regarding selected dimensions of teaching.

The findings indicated that, overall, no significant difference existed in student achievement on MCT2 math scores for teachers who were alternatively prepared or traditionally prepared. However, there were significant differences in student achievement in grades 6 and 7 when examined by teacher preparation type. There was …

A Multicase Study Of The Impact Of Perceived Gender Roles On The Career Decisions Of Women In Science-Related Careers, Stephen Frank Hren

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was done to determine how the perception of gender roles developed throughout childhood and early adulthood affected the career decisions of women who showed early promise in science. In addition, this study was done to determine if my experiences as a researcher would have any impact on me personally. Four women were chosen as case study participants, providing for comparison within and across cases.

Gender roles were found to relate to the career decisions made by the four cases in three ways: (a) support from family members, teachers, mentors, and collaborators; (b) opportunities within the family, school and …

Using The R Library Rpanel For Gui-Based Simulations In Introductory Statistics Courses, Ryan M. Allison

Statistics

As a student, I noticed that the statistical package R (http://www.r-project.org) would have several benefits of its usage in the classroom. One benefit to the package is its free and open-source nature. This would be a great benefit for instructors and students alike since it would be of no cost to use, unlike other statistical packages. Due to this, students could continue using the program after their statistical courses and into their professional careers. It would be good to expose students while they are in school to a tool that professionals use in industry. R also has powerful …

Effective Science Teaching In A High Poverty Middle School, Georgette Meyer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative case study described the characteristics of science teachers in a high poverty urban middle school whose 2010 scores on South Carolina's Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (PASS) ranked second in the state. Data was obtained through classroom observations, open-ended interviews, school documents, and photographs taken inside the school from ten participants, who were seven science teachers, a science coach, and two administrators. Findings revealed a school culture that pursued warm and caring relationships with students while communicating high expectations for achievement, strong central leadership who communicated their vision and continuously checked for its implementation through informal conversations, frequent …

Teachers And Hand-Held Graphing Technology: An Examination Of Concerns, Edward Helton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this nonexperimental causal-comparative study was to examine the concerns of teachers in reference to the graphing calculator, as measured by the Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ) and compare the results to a combination of levels of concerns between groups. The study participants were high school teachers of mathematics in Northwest Georgia and Southeast Tennessee (n = 128). This study utilized a two-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to determine the effect of two independent variables, formal training and experience teaching with a graphing calculator, on seven dependent variables, teachers' Stages of Concern (stages 0-6). Also, a one-way …

The Effects Of Technology Instruction On The Academic Achievement Of Fifth Grade Students, Karen Davis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A digital native is an individual born between 1981 and 2001, and children born after 2001 are called millennials. Educators are expected to meet the needs of today's technologically savvy students. Some researchers assert that an academic `moral panic' is taking place that lacks the empirical and theoretical knowledge to support the claims that education needs to change to meet the needs of digital natives and millennials. The problem is that considering that the majority of students today are digital natives are educators meeting the learning needs of their students. This research study focused on the use of instructional technology …

Male Saudi Arabian Freshman Science Majors At Jazan University: Their Perceptions Of Parental Educational Practices On Their Science Achievements, Essa Alrehaly

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Examination of Saudi Arabian educational practices is scarce, but increasingly important, especially in light of the country's pace in worldwide mathematics and science rankings. The purpose of the study is to understand and evaluate parental influence on male children's science education achievements in Saudi Arabia. Parental level of education and participant's choice of science major were used to identify groups for the purpose of data analysis. Data were gathered using five independent variables concerning parental educational practices (attitude, involvement, autonomy support, structure and control) and the dependent variable of science scores in high school. The sample consisted of 338 participants …

Writing In Science: Influences Of Professional Development On Teachers' Beliefs, Practices, And Student Performance, Lori Fulton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Science education reform calls for learners to be engaged in hand-on, minds-on activities related to science. As a part of this reform effort, learners are encouraged to use writing as a means of documenting their work and developing their understandings. This qualitative case study employed the Conceptual Change Perspective and Sociocultural Perspective to examine the impact on three elementary teachers' beliefs, practices, and student outcomes, as they relate to science notebooks, based on their participation in a professional study group. Data sources included teacher and student interviews, video of the study group meetings, video of classroom lessons, and student work …

Students' Conceptions About Climate Change: Using Critical Evaluation To Influence Plausibility Reappraisals And Knowledge Reconstruction, Doug Lombardi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007) reported a greater than 90% chance that human activities are responsible for global temperature increases over the last 50 years, as well as other climatic changes. The scientific report also states that alternative explanations (e.g., increasing energy received from the Sun) are less plausible than human-induced climate change. These climate scientists have made their plausibility judgment--which I define as the relative potential truthfulness of alternative explanations--based on the evaluation and coordination of multiple lines evidence with competing theoretical perspectives.

Climate change is a highly relevant and gravely serious topic; in an educational setting, …

Imsa25 Gala: Acceptance Of Dr. Leon Lederman’S Portrait, Stephanie Pace Marshall

Lectures, Speeches, and Talks

Thank you, Max, good evening everyone and congratulations to our honorees: Sally Walker, Eric McLaren, Cathy Veal—whom I had the wisdom to hire 25 years ago! And King Harris and the Harris Family Foundation, long-standing supporters of IMSA beginning over 20 years ago with his very, very generous father, Neisen.

K-8 Preservice Teachers’ Inductive Reasoning In The Problem-Solving Contexts, Marta Magiera

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

This paper reports the results from an exploratory study of K-8 pre-service teachers’ inductive reasoning. The analysis of 130 written solutions to seven tasks and 77 reflective journals completed by 20 pre-service teachers lead to descriptions of inductive reasoning processes, i.e. specializing, conjecturing, generalizing, and justifying, in the problem-solving contexts. The uncovered characterizations of the four inductive reasoning processes were further used to describe pathways of successful generalizations. The results highlight the importance of specializing and justifying in constructing powerful generalizations. Implications for teacher education are discussed.

Productive Peer Culture: Algebra Project Students’ View, Melva R. Grant

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine students’ perspectives about productive peer culture for mathematics learning. The participating students were attending an annual residential summer institute and have been participating in Algebra Project activities for at least one year. Of the 26 high school students attending the institute, they all participate in mathematics literacy work1 through their local Young People’s Project (YPP) groups, while 20 of those students also receive their regular school-based mathematics instruction within an Algebra Project Cohort Model (APCM) structured classroom².

The Algebra Project targeted persistently underserved mathematics students who typically scored in the …

Considerations For Teaching Integrated Stem Education, Micah Stohlmann, Tamara J. Moore, Gillian H. Roehrig

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Quality Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education is vital for the future success of students. Integrated STEM education is one way to make learning more connected and relevant for students. There is a need for further research and discussion on the knowledge, experiences, and background that teachers need to effectively teach integrated STEM education. A support, teaching, efficacy, and materials (s.t.e.m.) model of considerations for teaching integrated STEM education was developed through a year-long partnership with a middle school. The middle school was implementing Project Lead the Way’s Gateway to Technology curriculum. The s.t.e.m. model is a good starting …

Preparing Stem Graduate Teaching Assistants To Teach, Sue Ellen Dechenne

Discipline-Based Education Research Group Speaker Series

No abstract provided.

Applying Active Learning Strategies To Advanced Mathematics Courses, Ruijun Zhao

All Resources

The passive teaching approach had been the only way in mathematics teaching because it is really difficult for students to understand by self-studying in a short time. Unlike other sciences, mathematics are not driven by hypotheses and experiments. We should always learn the correct definition, statements, and justifications. The teachers can make the learning process easier and faster for students. However, active learning strategies can be applied to mathematics teaching, particularly in advanced mathematics courses. For example, I am teaching Math 674, Computations in Linear Algebra. There are eight graduate students enrolled for this course, seven from Math Department and …

Team-Teaching Experiences Of A Mathematician And A Mathematics Teacher Educator: An Interpretative Phenomenological Case Study, Sarah K. Bleiler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, experts and organizations involved in mathematics education have emphasized the importance of collaboration between mathematicians and mathematics teacher educators as a means of improving the professional preparation of mathematics teachers. While several such collaborative endeavors have been documented in the extant literature, most research reports have focused on the products, rather than the process, of collaboration. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological case study is to gain an understanding of the lived experiences of a mathematician and a mathematics teacher educator as they engaged in a team-teaching collaboration within the context of prospective secondary mathematics teacher preparation. …

Umass Boston Anthropology Outreach, Claire L. Gold

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The program serves as a science enrichment program for the Boston area K-12 public schools where science teachers are provided with fossil casts of early human ancestors and the expertise of UMass Boston faculty. The program helps students further their understanding of biological evolution and the program was free to13 prequalified Boston area schools.

Getting Down To The Business Of Science: How Undergraduate Research Derailed My Career Plan And Put Me On A Path To Professional Success, Nicholas J. Mantis

Inquiry Journal 2012

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Teacher Absenteeism And Fourth-Grade Student Mathematical Achievement, Charles Michael Brouillette

Doctoral Dissertations

Within public schools throughout the United States, an emphasis has been placed on improving education for all students. In turn, this has resulted in legislators and policymakers placing an emphasis on assessing student learning and holding the education community accountable. In this study, the researcher examined one variable in the accountability effort: teacher absenteeism. The major purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teacher absenteeism and fourth-grade student mathematical achievement.

Data for this study were generated from nine school districts located in northern Louisiana. Data consisted of attendance records of fourth-grade teachers and student performance on the …

Integration Of Student Centered Physiology Learning Into Related High School Science Courses, Sowmya Anjur

Faculty Publications & Research

Student centered teaching was previously found to enhance student understanding and even improve performance of students in other courses taken in the same semester in high school (6). In an effort to improve student performance in related science classes, the same student centered methods used in my Physiology and Disease (PAD) class were implemented in a Biophysics class this semester. Initial student surveys showed that students felt that integrating physiology concepts into Biophysics helped them understand the material from two very different perspectives, giving them a "more complete picture". Test scores from each of the four units were compared in …