Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Exploring The Role Of Social Reasoning And Self-Efficacy In The Mathematics Problem-Solving Performance Of Lower- And Higher-Income Children, Allison G. Butler

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Research documents an income-based achievement gap in mathematics, yet children from lower-income backgrounds do not lag behind their more advantaged peers in high-level social reasoning tasks. The purpose here was to investigate whether modifying mathematics word problems to make them more socially based would impact the mathematics performance and/or mathematics self-efficacy of lower- versus higher-income children. Research questions regarding (1) the relative difficulty of symbolic equations versus word problems, (2) the impact of socially modifying word problems on children’s accuracy and self-efficacy, and (3) the relation between children’s mathematics performance and mathematics self-efficacy were explored. Participants were 164 5th graders. …

The Nuts And Bolts Of Running A Graduate Student-Led Science Outreach Program, Matthew Mccune, Deepika Menon, Kevin Tarwater, Christopher Owens

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Abstract submitted for the PSF13 meeting of the American Physical Society, October 12, 2013 about the nuts and bolts of running a graduate student-led science outreach program.

Barriers To Developing Physics Faculty Knowledge For Teaching: Identifying Gaps Through Critical Review Of The Literature, Deepika Menon

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Abstract submitted for the PSF13 Meeting of the American Physical Society, October 11, 2013 on barriers to developing physics faculty knowledge for teaching, identifying gaps through a critical review of the literature.

An Examination Of How Women And Underrepresented Racial/Ethnic Minorities Experience Barriers In Biomedical Research And Medical Programs, Devasmita Chakraverty

Discipline-Based Education Research Group Speaker Series

Women in medicine and biomedical research often face challenges to their retention, promotion, and advancement to leadership positions (McPhillips et al., 2007); they take longer to advance their careers, tend to serve at less research‐intensive institutions and have shorter tenures compared to their male colleagues (White, McDade, Yamagata, & Morahan, 2012). Additionally, Blacks and Hispanics are the two largest minority groups that are vastly underrepresented in medicine and biomedical research in the United States (AAMC, 2012; NSF, 2011). The purpose of this study is to examine specific barriers reported by students and post‐degree professionals in the field through the following …

The Uah Ariss Program, Promoting Stemby Practicing Amateur Radio With Astronauts, Mark Becnel

Von Braun Symposium Student Posters

No abstract provided.

Beliefs And Instructional Practices Of Four Community College Remedial Mathematics Instructors, Robin Marie Wucherer

Theses and Dissertations

BELIEFS AND INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES OF FOUR COMMUNITY COLLEGE REMEDIAL MATHEMATICS INSTRUCTORS

Robin M. Wucherer

285 Pages August 2011

In an extension of research linking teachers' beliefs about mathematics and their instructional practices at the Prek-12 level, the present study examined and documented both the beliefs and instructional practices of four community college instructors who teach remedial mathematics. Data was collected through survey, observations, interviews, and classroom artifacts. The results of the survey, the Modified Standards Based Belief Instrument (MSBI), showed one-third of 39 community college mathematics instructors had beliefs about mathematics and the teaching and learning of mathematics that …

Unalienated Recognition At The Core Of Meaningful Exchange Between School And Community. A Response To "Unalienated Recognition As A Feature Of Democratic Schooling", Robin R. Sears

Democracy & Education

I apply the concept of unalienated recognition as a form of democratic exchange, introduced by Rheingold (2012), to a different educational setting. Through a case study of the School for Field Studies international environmental programs, that are, like Rheingold’s study school, field based and community centered, I explore the hypothesis that today’s undergraduate students’ desire to serve and to solve can be usefully harnessed in formal coursework and research to address real problems at their foundation. I link the cases by building on Rheingold’s use of the concept of boundary objects as an organizing principle behind the success in motivating …

Teacher, Researcher, And Accountability Discourses: Creating Space For Democratic Science Teaching Practices In Middle Schools, Cory A. Buxton, Shakhnoza Kayumova, Martha Allexsaht-Snider

Democracy & Education

This study explores the role of competing discourses that shape current practices in U.S. schools and how professional development efforts can support teachers and researchers in finding ways to reinsert more democratic processes into their collaborative work. We examine the case of one research and professional development project with the goal of supporting middle school science and ESOL teachers in fostering more meaningful science learning for all their students but especially their English language learners. Using Gee’s notion of big-D discourses and Fairclough’s notion of interdiscursivity, we trace how the Discourse of accountability, the Discourse of science teaching, and the …

Project-Oriented Science Instruction Involving General-Education Undergraduates Serving As Mentors To Underprivileged Middle-Students Students, Walter S. Borowski, Malcolm P. Frisbie, Tara Shepperson, Linda Frost

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

We report results from a novel, project-based science course funded by the NSF for general-education students in the EKU Honors Program and for middle school students. Key aspects of the course are: (1) instruction in the natural sciences adopting a regional context; (2) investigation of the water quality of a local stream involving all portions of a scientific study from planning to data collection and analysis to presentation; and (3) direct mentoring of underprivileged, seventh-grade students by honors students in project activities, including trips to campus for laboratory work and presentations. The course is meant to provide high-quality scientific instruction …

Using The-Math-You-Need Modules In A General Education, Oceanography Course, Walter S. Borowski, E. Baer, J. Wenner

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The Math You Need (TMYN) is a series of on-line tutorials designed for students to increase their mathematical abilities while taking geology and other science courses. The aim of the program is to increase the quantitative abilities of students while demonstrating mathematical applications in an effort to make students more comfortable with and aware of the utility of mathematics. Over two semesters, we implemented targeted-TMYN modules into a general-education oceanography course that is typically populated by non-science majors with a wide variety of mathematical skills before calculus. Students participate voluntarily in TMYN modules with extra credit given for their successful …

Ua64/2 The Challenge: Magazine For The Center For Gifted Studies (No. 32, Fall 2013), Center For Gifted Studies, Tracy Inman Editor

Gifted Studies Publications

No abstract provided.

Question Order Effects On A General Chemistry Concept Inventory, Travis Lund

Discipline-Based Education Research Group Speaker Series

During the development of a general chemistry concept survey, interviews demonstrated that students used distinctly different problem‐solving strategies to answer two survey questions, one verbally‐based and one pictorially‐based, despite the fact that the questions were both designed to test the same concept of strong versus weak acids. Alternate versions of the concept survey were administered, with the order of the pictorial and verbal questions reversed. A significant ordering effect was observed in the questions of interest, and the incorrect answer choices that became better or worse distractors were identified. Current findings, future directions, and practical implications for instructors and researchers …

Iowa Academy Of Science: The New Bulletin, V09n2, Fall 2013, Iowa Academy Of Science

New Bulletin

Inside This Issue:

--Message from the Executive Director

--ICTM-ISTS Math Science Fall Conference

--Next Generation Science Standards Updates

--Academy to Host NGSS Alignment Workshop

--Abstract Submission Deadline

--All Puns Intended: New Facilitators Dive into Project WET

--Iowa Science Foundation

--Recognizing Excellence

--Events and Deadlines

--New Excellence in Science Teaching Award

Astr 407: Physics Of The Interstellar Medium, Edward Schmidt

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Syllabi

Syllabus for ASTR 407: Physics of the Interstellar Medium syllabus for Fall 2013 semester.

A Primer For Mathematical Modeling, Marla A. Sole

Publications and Research

With the implementation of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics recommendations and the adoption of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, modeling has moved to the forefront of K-12 education. Modeling activities not only reinforce purposeful problem-solving skills, they also connect the mathematics students learn in school with the mathematics they will use outside of school. Instructors have found mathematical modeling difficult to teach. To successfully incorporate modeling activities I believe that curricular changes should be accompanied by professional development for curriculum developers, classroom teachers, and higher education professionals. This article serves as an introduction to modeling by …

Inclusion: Problems And Potential Solutions In Mathematics Instruction, Lynnea Marie Salscheider

Mathematics Graduate Theses

The purpose of this study was (1) to identify and describe the attitudes and beliefs of general and special education teachers about inclusion and (2) to identify significant recommendations based on teacher attitudes for improving the teaching of mathematics to special needs students using inclusion.

Differentiated Instruction In The High School Mathematics Classroom, Sherri Kruger

Mathematics Graduate Theses

The purpose of this research paper is to address the challenges of instruction within a classroom whose census is a diverse mixture of student mathematical abilities. The diverse ability of low and high achieving students all required to master the different strands of mathematics creates problems for instructors and students to stay engaged and actively moving forward deepening and widening their knowledge base. This paper will focus on differentiated lessons, assessments, and projects of a mathematics classroom in a public high school.

Bridging The Gap Between Engineering Design And Pk-12 Curriculum Development Through The Use The Stem Education Quality Framework, Margaret Pinnell, James Rowley, Sandi Preiss, Rebecca P. Blust, Rebecca Beach, Suzanne Franco

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper will describe a unique partnership among the Department of Teacher Education and School of Engineering at the University of Dayton (UD) and the Dayton Regional STEM Center (DRSC). This partnership resulted in the development of the STEM Education Quality Framework (SQF), a tool to guide educators in teaching, learning and refining STEM education. The SQF resulted in a variety of educational tools, including a STEM curriculum template, that was implemented in the DRSCs teacher professional development and curriculum development program entitled the STEM Fellow Program. The STEM Fellow program was later modeled in a unique, NSF sponsored six …

Implementation Of A Research-Based Lab Module In A High School Chemistry Curriculum: A Study Of Classroom Dynamics, Matthew Pilarz

Open Access Dissertations

Pilarz, Matthew. Ph.D., Purdue University, December 2013. Implementation of a Research-Based Lab Module in a High School Chemistry Curriculum: A Study of Classroom Dynamics. Major Professor: Gabriela C. Weaver.

For this study, a research-based lab module was implemented in two high school chemistry classes for the purpose of examining classroom dynamics throughout the process of students completing the module. A research-based lab module developed for use in undergraduate laboratories by the Center for Authentic Science Practice in Education (CASPiE) was modified and implemented in two high school settings. This module consisted of four phases: Skill Building, Experimental Design, Independent Research, …

Student Success: Approaches To Modeling Student Matriculation And Retention, Jien-Jou Lin

Open Access Dissertations

Every year a group of graduates from high schools enter the engineering programs across this country with remarkable academic record. However, as reported in numerous studies, the number of students switching out of engineering majors continues to be an important issue. Previous studies have suggested various factors as predictors for student retention in engineering. To assist the engineering students with timely advising early in their program, an effective prediction model of matriculation and retention in engineering that use available student data are highly desirable.

In the first part of this work, the author developed new prediction models of student retention …

How Engineering Innovators Characterize Engineering Innovativeness: A Qualitative Study, Daniel Michael Ferguson

Open Access Dissertations

The use of science and engineering skills to address the problems of modern society is regarded as an economic strategy in developed countries across the world. However, business and political leaders in the United States feel that we, as a society, do not understand that new global competition can match and even outpace us on innovation. Many of the studies on innovators are not specific to engineers. This study filled a gap in the understanding of what characteristics constitute innovative behavior in engineers.

The purpose of this study was to explore engineers' views of innovation and innovators who create and …

Ecology Content In Introductory Biology Courses: A Comparative Analysis, Richard F. Pool, Gregory D. Turner, S. Anne Boettger

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Distributed Scaffolding: Wiki Collaboration Among Latino High School Chemistry Students, Edwin Duncan O'Sullivan

Dissertations (1934 -)

The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate if wiki collaboration among Latino high school chemistry students can help reduce the science achievement gap between Latino and White students. The study was a quasi-experimental pre/post control group mixed-methods design. It used three intact sections of a high school chemistry course. The first research question asked if there is a difference in academic achievement between a treatment and control group on selected concepts from the topics of bonding, physical changes, and chemical changes, when Latino high school chemistry students collaborate on a quasi-natural wiki project. Overall results for all three …

Textbooks, Teachers, And Middle School Mathematics Student Achievement, Susan R. Monaghan

Dissertations (1934 -)

The purpose of this study was to extend the research on textbook effectiveness to a situated investigation of a single large urban school district in which middle schools were given a choice in selecting from three textbooks for mathematics instruction: a reform textbook, a commercially produced textbook developed in response to mathematics standards, and a traditional textbook. Its genesis is rooted in the efforts in the mathematics education community to investigate the interaction of teachers and mathematics curriculum materials, but in light of the shift to an accountability policy climate in public education. In particular, this study sought to determine …

Insects As Educational Tools: An Online Course Teaching The Use Of Insects As Instructional Tools, Douglas A. Golick, Tiffany M. Heng-Moss

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Publication of the 1996 National Science Education Standards (NSES) initiated a push to transform science education by engaging K-12 students in active learning through inquiry-based teaching (National Research Council, 1996). Students need opportunities to construct knowledge by asking questions, developing hypotheses, collecting and analyzing data, and interpreting and communicating results. Inquiry teaching has been shown to improve students’ attitudes toward science, enhance their performance, and promote scientific literacy (Haury, 1993; Lindberg, 1990: Mattheis and Nakayama, 1988; Rakow, 1986).

Providing both pre- and in-service teachers with courses and professional development programs that promote inquiry teaching are vital to teacher education (National …

Exploring The Need For Hands-On, Expert-Taught Environmental Education In Tasmanian Formal Schools: A Survey For Greening Australia In Hobart, Tasmania, Hannah Underwood

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Australia’s history of environmental education began in 1970 with a conference meant to highlight and discuss the importance of environmental education in schools. Since then, the way environmental education is taught in schools has evolved and expanded to its current state, which is a way of teaching that highlights the interconnectedness of environmental issues to many different subjects and disciplines. Hands-on environmental education has also become increasingly valued, both in schools with gardening, waste, and energy programs, and from outside experts visiting schools to teach students experiential lessons about the environment. One such organization that sends environmental experts to schools …

The Direct And Indirect Paths Impacting Geometry Student Achievement, Marlynn Bailey

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

Previous studies have shown that several key variables influence student achievement in geometry, but more research needs to be conducted to determine how these variables interact. A model of achievement in geometry was tested on a sample of 102 high school students. Structural equation modeling was used to test hypothesized relationships among variables linked to successful problem solving in geometry. These variables, including motivation, achievement emotions, pictorial representation, and categorization skills were examined for their influence on geometry achievement. Results indicated that the model fit well. Achievement emotions, specifically boredom and enjoyment, had a significant influence on student motivation. Student …

Increasing Evidence Based Reasoning In An 8th Grade Classroom Through Explicit Instruction, Erol Chandler

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigates the effectiveness of an instructional strategy that uses students' prior understanding of informal evidence based reasoning (EBR) to build an understanding of scientific EBR. A pre and post instructional strategy survey revealed that students' understanding of EBR increased over the length of the study. Data collected from pre and post instructional discussions also showed increases in the amount of EBR students used.

Creating Interdisciplinary Collaborations To Support And Understand Mathematics Teaching And Learning, Ruth Heaton, Wendy M. Smith, Traci Kutaka

Discipline-Based Education Research Group Speaker Series

Teaching mathematics is a complex endeavor and requires a deep understanding of content and pedagogy. Helping teachers learn what they need to know requires the expertise of disciplinary area faculty as well as those with pedagogical expertise. Similarly, understanding the learning of teachers or their students requires complex analyses of messy data by teams of researchers representing differing but complementary perspectives. Cases describing the nature and process of interdisciplinary teaching and research collaborations in mathematics education will be presented and analyzed for lessons learned.

The Effects Of An Undergraduate Algebra Course On Prospective Middle School Teachers' Understanding Of Functions, Especially Quadratic Functions, Jonathan Taniola Duarte

Theses and Dissertations

Although current reform movements have stressed the importance of developing prospective middle school mathematics teachers' subject matter knowledge and understandings, there is a dearth of research studies with regard to prospective middle school teachers' confidence and knowledge with respect to quadratic functions. This study was intended to fill this void. It generated information on prospective teachers' knowledge of quadratic functions as well as of their confidence to answer questions involving quadratic equations and multiple representations of functions.

The study employed a multiple-perspectives design, with data being collected from different vantage points - documents, pre- and post-teaching tests, artifacts, interviews, classroom …