Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Section Abstracts: Education

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Education Section for the 91st Annual Virginia Journal of Science Meeting, May 2013

2013 Imsaloquium, Student Investigation Showcase, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

IMSAloquium Event Booklets

"This year, we are proudly celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of IMSA’s Student Inquiry and Research (SIR) Program. Our first IMSAloquium, then called Presentation Day, was held in 1989 with only ten presentations; this year we are nearing two hundred."

A Hands-On Activity To Introduce The Effects Of Transmission By An Invasive Species, Barbara May

Biology Faculty Publications

This activity engages students to better understand the impact of transmission by invasive species. Using dice, poker chips, and paper plates, an entire class mimics the spread of an invasive species within a geographic region. The activity can be modified and conducted at the K-16 levels.

Mathematical Knowledge For Teaching And Visualizing Differential Geometry, Nathan Pinsky

HMC Senior Theses

In recent decades, education researchers have recognized the need for teachers to have a nuanced content knowledge in addition to pedagogical knowledge, but very little research was conducted into what this knowledge would entail. Beginning in 2008, math education researchers began to develop a theoretical framework for the mathematical knowledge needed for teaching, but their work focused primarily on elementary schools. I will present an analysis of the mathematical knowledge needed for teaching about the regular curves and surfaces, two important concepts in differential geometry which generalize to the advanced notion of a manifold, both in a college classroom and …

Engaging Students In A Bioinformatics Activity To Introduce Gene Structure And Function, Barbara J. May

Biology Faculty Publications

Bioinformatics spans many fields of biological research and plays a vital role in mining and analyzing data. Therefore, there is an ever-increasing need for students to understand not only what can be learned from this data, but also how to use basic bioinformatics tools. This activity is designed to provide secondary and undergraduate biology students to a hands-on activity meant to explore and understand gene structure with the use of basic bioinformatic tools. Students are provided an “unknown” sequence from which they are asked to use a free online gene finder program to identify the gene. Students then predict the …

Conceptualising Changes To Pre-Service Teachers’ Knowledge Of How To Best Facilitate Learning In Mathematics: A Tpack Inspired Initiative, Frank G. Bate, Lorraine Day, Jean Macnish

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In 2010, the Australian Commonwealth government initiated an $8m project called Teaching Teachers for the Future. The aim of the project was to engage teacher educators in a professional learning network which focused on optimising exemplary use of information and communications technologies in teacher education. By taking part in this network, participants were afforded opportunities to transform their practice through a range of localised initiatives that applied information and communications technologies to the art and science of teaching and learning. One of these initiatives involved re-engineering a university mathematics unit targeted at pre-service teachers. Information and communications technologies were purposefully …

Common Misconceptions And Instructional Best Practices For Teaching Fractions To Students In Grades Three, Four, And Five, Dan Fairchild

Mathematics Graduate Theses

This research paper will identify common misconceptions related to the teaching and learning fractions for students in grades three, four, and five. Different fraction subconstructs will be identified and instructional best practices will be identified for the teaching and learning of comparing fractions, ordering fractions, adding fractions, and subtracting fractions.

Parentage Analysis And Conservation Genetics Educational Material For The Eastern Hellbender Salamander, Cryptobranchus Alleganiensis Alleganiensis, Sarah A. Chudyk

Master's Projects

Populations of the Eastern hellbender salamander, Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis, are declining, making this a species of special concern in New York State and under consideration for Federal Endangered Species listing. As a result of this decline, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Buffalo Zoo initiated a headstarting program with an egg mass found in the Allegheny River drainage. The juveniles being raised by the Zoo will be released back into the watershed and so understanding the genetic diversity and parentage of these hellbenders will inform the reintroduction efforts. Furthermore, in order to determine how to …

Predictive Effects Of Absence, Gender, And Lunch Status On Math And Literacy Achievement, Megan Witonski

College of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if any predictive effects exist between absence, gender, lunch status, and math and literacy achievement on exams. While research supported the predictive effects of absence, gender, and lunch status on achievement there was inadequate data to determine which predictor played a more significant role.

A quantitative, regression strategy was used to analyze data from students in a rural school in northwest Arkansas. All students in this rural district who had taken the Arkansas Augmented Assessment in math and literacy required under the Arkansas accountability requirements comprised the sample for this study. The …

An Engineering Design Stem Project: T-Shirt Launcher, Todd D. Fantz, Melva R. Grant

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Technology education has the potential to be the glue for integrating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education through the use of the design process. This should result in increased student interest in science and math, resulting in increased standardized science and math scores (Silk, C. Schunn, & Strand, 2009). In order for this to happen, students need to integrate their grade-level mathematics and science content knowledge in their technology and/or engineering design (Tran & Nathan, 2010). Hopefully, this can be accomplished without losing student interest generated by hands-on, kinesthetic learning. This article provides one example of getting technology education …

The Assignment Packet Grading System, Sarah Nichole Bruce

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The Assignment Packet Grading System is a form of choice-based learning that may be a valuable strategy to increase both motivation in students and their self-efficacy, which in return could result in higher levels of student achievement. The study was of an experimental design, carried out in Geometry classes at the high school level. Data were gathered regarding students’ mathematics self-efficacy and their academic achievement for two groups: one using the Assignment Packet Grading System and the other using a traditional classroom grading system.

The analysis of the data gathered in the study did not show a statistically significant difference …

Nursing Students' Attitudes Toward Science In The Nursing Curricula, Jill Deanne Maroo

Dissertations

The nursing profession combines the art of caregiving with scientific concepts. Nursing students need to learn science in order to start in a nursing program. However, previous research showed that students left the nursing program, stating it included too much science (Andrew et al., 2008). Research has shown a correlation between students’ attitudes and their performance in a subject (Osborne, Simon, & Collins, 2003). However, little research exists on the overall attitude of nursing students toward science. At the time of my study there existed no large scale quantitative study on my topic. The purpose of my study was to …

Comparability Of Online And Paper/Pencil Mathematics Performance Measures, John L. Moon

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

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between student mathematics performance of 4^th, 8^th, and 11^th grade students in Nebraska and the mode of test administration, online and paper-pencil. Schools were allowed to select the mode of test administration for their school with some exceptions for students needing accommodations. This resulted in four test groups, namely students taking the online tests in schools selecting paper or online assessments along with students taking the paper-pencil tests in schools selecting paper or online assessments. Since the students in the study were clustered within schools, …

Students' Confidence In The Ability To Transfer Basic Math Skills In Introductory Physics And Chemistry Courses At A Community College, Reginald Quinn

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the confidence levels that community college students have in transferring basic math skills to science classes, as well as any factors that influence their confidence levels. This study was conducted with 196 students at a community college in central Mississippi. The study was conducted during the month of November after all of the students had taken their midterm exams and received midterm grades.

The instrument used in this survey was developed and validated by the researcher. The instrument asks the students to rate how confident they were in working out specific math …

View Of Socioscientific Issues Among Educators: The Willingness Of Teachers To Accept Ssi Into The Classroom And The Reason Underlying Those Beliefs, John Carlos Parr

Dissertations

Socioscientific issues (SSI) are potentially controversial topics, which can be examined using a social and a scientific perspective. The inclusion of these topics in elementary and secondary classrooms has caused a number of conflicts over the past century. In the present study, I explore the willingness of teachers to include three SSI: evolution, stem cell research, and global climate change in the science curricula. Participants included 221 educators currently employed in K-12 schools. Teachers have the greatest impact on classroom instruction, regardless of state curricula. I found most educators willing to include the three previously named SSI in the curricula, …

National Science Foundation Grant Implementation: Perceptions Of Teachers And Graduate Fellows In One School Regarding The Barriers And Successes, Sharon D. Pickering

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the perceptions of partner teachers and graduate fellows in 1 school regarding the barriers and successes made during their participation in a National Science Foundation Grant. This study included 9 partner teachers and 7 graduate fellows who participated in the Science First! NSF GK-12 Grant. There were 16 participants in this study. This study was conducted at North Side Elementary and East Tennessee State University.

Partner teachers and graduate fellows were interviewed to gain perceptions of the barriers and successes of their participation in the implementation of the Science First! …

Using Learner-Generated Examples To Support Student Understanding Of Functions, Martha Ottelia Dinkelman

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The introduction of Common Core State Standards motivated K-12 teachers to look for ways to engage students in thinking differently about mathematics. Asking students to generate their own examples is one strategy that has proven to be beneficial to student learning for students in advanced math courses. This study was designed to determine if asking students to generate their own examples would be beneficial to student learning for high school students in a slower paced second year Algebra course.

This study occurred during a two week unit of instruction focused on the concept of function. The participants were Juniors and …

Social Mathworking: The Effects Of Online Reflection On Algebra I Students' Sense Of Community And Perceived Learning, Patricia Allanson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine if online reflections through social networking affect students' sense of community and levels of perceived conceptual learning in Algebra I courses. Social constructivism, connectivism, and computer-mediated communication in relation to reflective practices form the theoretical and practical framework for the use of Web 2.0 technologies in this investigation. A quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group design was used to examine Algebra I students' sense of community as measured by the Sense of Classroom Community Index, and perceived learning as measured by Perceived Learning Instrument. The sample consisted of 27 Algebra I students at a …

Teacher-Student Relationships And Student Achievement In Grades Six And Seven Math, Julia Britt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study analyzed the effect of teacher-student relationships on the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) math scores for grades six and seven. Data were studied to determine if an increase in student achievement was related to the often-overlooked interpersonal human relationships between teachers and students. The researcher expected to find a correlation between positive teacher-student relationships and an increase in standardized test scores. The researcher analyzed the data of student scores in rural middle school mathematics' class and teacher characteristics to determine if a relation existed between student achievement and positive teacher-student relationships. The American version of the Questionnaire on …

Do Teacher Characteristics Affect Student Achievement? Evidence From A Rural State, James V. Shuls

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Using a unique dataset, this dissertation analyzes the relationship between observable teacher characteristics and teacher effectiveness. Effectiveness is measured as a teacher's ability to improve student achievement on a standardized test. This analysis focuses on teachers of math and science at the elementary and middle school levels, as well as teachers of algebra, geometry, and 11th grade English language arts. The sample is drawn from Arkansas, a state that has a much more rural population than other states and cities where this type of analysis has been conducted in the past. For the analysis I am unable to link teachers …

The Importance Of Explicitly Mapping Instructional Analogies In Science Education, Loretta Asay

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Analogies are ubiquitous during instruction in science classrooms, yet research about the effectiveness of using analogies has produced mixed results. An aspect seldom studied is a model of instruction when using analogies. The few existing models for instruction with analogies have not often been examined quantitatively. The Teaching With Analogies (TWA) model (Glynn, 1991) is one of the models frequently cited in the variety of research about analogies. The TWA model outlines steps for instruction, including the step of explicitly mapping the features of the source to the target. An experimental study was conducted to examine the effects of explicitly …

Using Rnai In C. Elegans To Demonstrate Gene Knockdown Phenotypes In The Undergraduate Biology Lab Setting, Nicole M. Roy

Biology Faculty Publications

RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful technology used to knock down genes in basic research and medicine. In 2006 RNAi technology using Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine and thus students graduating in the biological sciences should have experience with this technology. However, students struggle conceptually with the molecular biology behind the RNAi technology and find the technology difficult to grasp. To this end, we have provided a simple, streamlined and inexpensive RNAi procedure using C. elegans that can be adopted in upper level biology classes. By using an unknown RNAi-producing bacteria, students perform novel …

Comparing The Impact Of Traditional And Modeling College Algebra Courses On Student Performance In Survey Of Calculus, Jerry West

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Students in higher education deserve opportunities to succeed and learning environments which maximize success. Mathematics courses can create a barrier for success for some students. College algebra is a course that serves as a gateway to required courses in many bachelor's degree programs. The content in college algebra should serve to maximize students' potential in utilizing mathematics and gaining skills required in subsequent math-based courses when necessary. The Committee for Undergraduate Programs in Mathematics has gone through extensive work to help mathematics departments reform their college algebra courses in order to help students gain interest in the utilization of mathematics …

Math, Science, And Social Studies Teachers' Attitudes Toward Diversity And Accommodation Of Diversity With Reference To Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Seventh, Eighth, And Ninth Grade Students In A Mid-South State, Nadia Khrais

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was exploring seventh, eighth, and ninth grade teachers' attitudes and beliefs in response to classroom diversity and how that is reflected on their instruction, learning styles, communication patterns, instrumental materials, and assessment patterns in math, science, and Social studies subject areas. In this mixed-method research, the designed survey consisted of 59 questions based on Likert scale and obtained information of ten demographic factors. The survey was delivered in two formats (online link and hard copy) to the participating schools in three urban school districts in a Mid-South State. The survey data were analyzed by using …

Gaise In Discipline-Specific Courses, Beverly Wood

Publications

While acknowledging the diverse setting, audience, and purpose of introductory courses, existing research assumes that courses offered by different disciplines share the same goals and teaching practices. The purpose of this study is to examine the objectives for student outcomes and pedagogical delivery of introductory statistics courses designed for students in a specific major, providing explicit evidence for this assumption.

The American Statistical Association’s Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) are meant to apply to all introductory courses. The College Report’s Goals for Students and Recommendations for Teaching are used as a framework for a qualitative study …

What Can Biochemistry Students Learn About Protein Translation? Using Variation Theory To Explore The Space Of Learning Created By Some Common External Representations, Thomas J. Bussey

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Biochemistry education relies heavily on students' ability to visualize abstract cellular and molecular processes, mechanisms, and components. As such, biochemistry educators often turn to external representations to provide tangible, working models from which students' internal representations (mental models) can be constructed, evaluated, and revised. However, prior research has shown that, while potentially beneficial, external representations can also lead to alternative student conceptions.

Considering the breadth of biochemical phenomena, protein translation has been identified as an essential biochemical process and can subsequently be considered a fundamental concept for biochemistry students to learn. External representations of translation range from static diagrams to …

Readiness For Reform In Middle Schools Adopting Powerteaching For Mathematics Instruction, Elizabeth Hoag Carhart, John Nunnery, Linda Bol, Pamela Arnold, Shanan Chappell,, The Center For Education Partners, Melva R. Grant, Gary R. Morrison

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Federal policy makers and school leaders increasingly recognize middle school math as a turning point in students’ academic success, especially in predicting high school graduation rates. New i3 scale-up grants allow large-scale implementation of proven reforms that increase student achievement. PowerTeaching (PT) is one such reform that centers on cooperative learning. A five year technologically-facilitated scale-up of PowerTeaching will bring the reform to 185 high-needs middle schools nationwide. In this pilot phase of the project, we will examine eight schools’ readiness for reform. Teacher questionnaires, interviews with school leaders, PT coaches and teachers, coaching feedback, and walk-through observation data will …

The Effects Of Climate Science Literacy And Cultural Polarization Around Climate Change Risk Perception, Gabriel R. Young, Helen R. Neill

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

Science communicators have struggled to provide meaningful information about climate change due to the complex nature of the problem and the polarized political and media landscapes, and yet, a well informed public is a crucial element to both public acceptance and policy initiatives aimed at climate change mitigation. Current literature suggests that scientific literacy actually increases cultural polarization around the issue of climate change (Kahan, 2012). This study adds to the literature by testing the hypothesis that climate change risk perception is more heavily tied to climate science literacy than general science literacy when controlling for cultural worldviews. We use …

Leaving No Child Behind: Finding A Happy Medium For Science Education, Chris Jennings '13

Honor Scholar Theses

No abstract provided.

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.