Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Perceived Barriers And Solutions: Engineering Design Implementation, Ken L. Turner

Dissertations

Engineering Design, part of the practices dimension of the Next Generation Science Standards, NGSS, is widely recognized as the most challenging piece for teachers to implement. It involves practices that teachers are unfamiliar with, have not taught before, have not been taught, and have not experienced as a student. This manuscript documents a mixed-methods survey of over 200 K-12 teachers on their perceptions of both the greatest barriers to implementation of Engineering Design, and those items that will be of most value as a solution to those barriers. A systems approach to understanding Engineering Design was utilized; with data collection …

Examining The Effects Of College Algebra On Students' Mathematical Dispositions, Kevin Lee Watson

Theses and Dissertations

As Mathematics Educators, we want to help our students not only develop a deep, conceptual understanding of mathematical concepts and processes, but also a positive disposition towards mathematics. Despite the importance of helping students develop a positive mathematical disposition, little research has been conducted examining how students' dispositions develop as they progress through their mathematical studies. In particular, the effects of college algebra on students' mathematical dispositions is not well understood. To examine the influence of college algebra on students' dispositions, students using two different college algebra curriculums were studied at Brigham Young University. Using a mathematical disposition survey, student …

Enhancing Freshman Engineering Instruction With In-Class Interaction Systems And E-Books, Branimir Pejcinovic, Phillip K. Wong

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Electrical engineering students in our department take a year-long series of courses which introduces electrical engineering as a discipline and provides good grounding in engineering problem solving and programing. We have recently attempted to make the second course in the sequence more engaging by applying active learning techniques, including assigned reading and exercises prior to lectures, in-class exercises using a classroom interaction system, and programming exercises during lectures. Our results are mixed: while we think that students have learned more than if we had not used these techniques, we have not completely won over our students. While using an e-book …

High Impact Strategies And The Effect It Has On Students’ Mathematics Attitudes, Lauren A. Ryba

All Student Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to determine if innovative strategies such as the use of technology and Supplemental Instruction (SI) could have an impact on students in an introductory statistics course. The study describes the use of a reliable instrument to measure students’ attitudes and beliefs about mathematics. Martha Tapia developed the Attitudes Toward Mathematics Inventory (ATMI) instrument in 1996 and later Lim and Chapman further refined a short form in 2012. The purpose of the ATMI was to measure mathematics attitudes in four ways: (1) enjoyment of mathematics, (2) motivation to do mathematics, (3) self confidence in mathematics, and (4) …

Signaling Instructional Video For Mathematics, Kimberly W. Milner

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Video provides an increasingly valuable medium for delivery of instruction in a growing number of content areas. Growth of online instructional applications has been prompted by expansion of the Internet and video streaming technology, adding to the need for design practices that produce more effective and efficient instructional videos. This study examined the use of signaling for multimedia to reduce cognitive overload and increase mental effort when learning mathematical concepts and procedures from instructional video. Signaling addresses the issue of directing the learner's attention by using visual or verbal cues that stress importance and organization (Mayer, 2009). Effectively signaled instructional …

A Written Instrument For Assessing Students’ Units Coordination Structures, Anderson Norton, Steven Boyce, Nathan Phillips, Tessa Anwyll, Catherine Ulrich, Jesse L. M. Wilkins

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Units coordination refers to students’ abilities to create units and maintain their relationships with other units that they contain or constitute. In recent research, units coordination has arisen as a key construct that mediates opportunities for student learning across several domains of mathematics, including fractions knowledge and algebraic reasoning. To date, assessments of students’ stages of units coordinating ability have relied upon clinical interviews or teaching experiments whose time-intensive nature precludes opportunities for conducting large-scale studies. We introduce a written instrument that teachers and researchers can use with large populations of students. We report on the reliability and validity of …

Development And Uses Of Iterative Systematic Literature Reviews In Electrical Engineering Education, Branimir Pejcinovic

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

It is expected that most, if not all, graduate students will posses skills necessary for doing literature reviews. It is less clear how to teach these skills most effectively especially to students who are area novices and unfamiliar with review process. Systematic literature reviews offer a solid instructional framework which can be implemented across curriculum and offer an opportunity to teach course material differently so that student learn not just the literature review technique itself but also some segment of the course material. Our pilot study investigated issues related to practical implementation of systematic literature reviews in two classes, with …

A Cross Case Study Of Excellence In Science Fair Program Design, Kimberly Jones Murie

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify components of schools with successful science

fair programs. Ideally schools interested in starting or improving their science fair programs could find a way to emulate some of the identified components. Successful was defined by having received recognition on some level at the International Science and Engineering Fair at least nine out of the last ten years. Twelve schools were identified as meeting this definition and five agreed to participate in the study. The schools represented diverse geographic areas as well as types of schools. Included in the study was a private school, …

Stem Education Research: Useful Ideas For College Instructors Using Ballooning, Stacy A. Wenzel

2017 Academic High Altitude Conference

Stratospheric ballooning is a tool of enormous promise to help STEM college faculty foster highly engaged learning of science for a wide range of students at a wide range of institutions. High altitude ballooning offers a platform for investigating science and engineering across many fields. Ballooning has been used in courses and experiences for not just undergraduate science majors, but also all undergraduates—including future teachers who, in turn, are the key to improving K-12 science education. Technological advances are lowering the cost of and expertise levels required to make launches and analyze data.

Ballooning offers a context within which faculty …

The “Stratospheric Cricket Keeper” – Developing A Simple“Life-Support” Payload For High-Altitude Balloon Missions, Lucas Kramer, Chad Serba, James Flaten

2017 Academic High Altitude Conference

Exposure to the environmental conditions of “near-space” (AKA the stratosphere) is quickly fatal to nearly all forms of animal life. It is even challenging to build a sealable enclosure that can keep insects (crickets) alive through the dramatic and simultaneous pressure and temperature drops experienced during a high-altitude balloon mission. This poster describes the development of a rugged “cricket keeper” in which we were able to fly crickets to the stratosphere and, quoting the words of JFK, “return (them) safely to the earth!” This “life-support” payload had large windows (for the view!) and included Arduino-logged temperature and pressure sensors, an …

Maker: Twisted Sister Rover, Andy S. Zhang, Bryant Vicente, Alexis Daniel Ortiz, Angran Xiao, Anass Baroudi, Albino Marsetti, Rocky Marcus Kowchai

Publications and Research

The Twisted Sister is a four-wheel mobile robot that can twist its front wheels to navigate the rough terrains. Each wheel is driven by a DC motor. The front wheels can be raised by a DC gearmotor which is connected to a worm gear system. The rover chassis is made of sheet metal cut from water jet. An Arduino robot controller is mounted on the Twisted Sister Rover. A remote controller is equipped with two tiny joysticks. One joystick is used to control the movement of the rover and the other joystick to used to either raise or lower the …

Evolution Of A First-Year Engineering Course, Noah Salzman, Janet Callahan, Gary Leroy Hunt, Carol Sevier, Amy J. Moll

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The first-year engineering course at Boise State University has evolved significantly over the past decade as a result of continuous improvement with a particular focus on student retention. The course was originally created in 1999-2001 as an “Introduction to Engineering” course in order to recruit students to one of the fields of engineering, by introducing those fields of engineering as topics across the semester. Over the first ten years, the course continued that introductory-to-field focus while also introducing a significant design element solving openended engineering problems. As a result of a five-year grant aimed toward improving first-year retention, the first-year …

Maker: Candy Crane Robot, Andy S. Zhang, Angran Xiao, Bijan Bayat Mokhtari

Publications and Research

Candy Crane is a custom-made robot that looks like a traditional tower crane and is used to pick candies by the young users for fun and for learning mechatronics product design. The tower structure is made from either aluminum C-channels or plastics made from 3D printer. Two 12V DC motors and several limit switches are used to control the movement of the crane. A miniature crane to be held by the user is equipped with a linear potentiometer and rotary potentiometer and is used to control the movement of the big tower crane wirelessly through a blue tooth module. An …

The Epa P3 Program: An Opportunity For Growing Student Entrepreneurs, Marc Compere, Yan Tang, Yung Wong

Publications

In this paper we will share our experiences of fostering entrepreneurial spirit through projects funded by EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) P3 (People, Prosperity, and the Planet) Program which hosts the P3 collegiate competition for designing solutions for a sustainable future. Since 2012, we have integrated the P3 competition with the capstone design course of Clean Energy Systems track in mechanical engineering as an effective educational vehicle for introducing the concept of sustainable design. Since the competition focuses on designs which have values of real world application, it is also a great opportunity to create entrepreneurial spirit. We have successfully turned …

Engaging Engineering Experiences For K-5, Melanie L. Villatoro, Servena Narine, Diana Samaroo

Publications and Research

The City University of New York (CUNY) Service Corps mobilizes CUNY students, faculty and staff to work on projects that improve the short and long-term civic, economic and environmental sustainability of New York City and of its residents and communities. Our project was designed to promote A Better Educated City by partnering with Daniel Hale Williams Elementary School; recently designated as a Magnet School for STEM Studies. During the 2014-2015 academic year, two CUNY students worked to develop and implement an Educational Outreach Program which provided children in grades 1-5 with exposure to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

Focus On A Stem, Based In Place, Watershed Curriculum: A Confluence Of Stormwater, Humans, Knowledge, Attitudes, And Skills, Lecia Molineux Schall

Dissertations and Theses

This case study investigated the potential of a place-based watershed curriculum, using STEM principles, to increase watershed literacy and knowledge of human impacts on stormwater in the environment. A secondary goal was to examine whether the place-based connection and increased exposure to issues within their local watershed impacted the students' environmental attitudes and sense of place. Over 500 sixth graders participated in this localized curriculum, where they learned the science behind watershed issues on their own school campuses. They focused on ways humans can monitor and mitigate their impacts on stormwater, through engineering investigations. The mixed-method research study investigated the …

Developing & Describing The Use & Learning Of Conceptual Models For Integer Addition And Subtraction Of Grade 5 Students, Nicole Marie Wessman-Enzinger

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation reports the results of a teaching experiment, which explored student thinking about integer addition and subtraction. Through the lens of commognitive theory (Sfard, 2008), interpreting negative integers as secondary intuitions (Fischbein, 1987), and employing teaching experiment methodology (Steffe & Thompson, 2000), this study was a first step in developing more robust descriptions of students' conceptual models for integer addition and subtraction. I investigated: (a) the conceptual models that students exhibited, (b) the various ways that students utilized conceptual models while learning about the addition and subtraction of integers, and (c), the ways that students' conceptions evolved over the …

Invention Through Form And Function Analogy, Audrey C. Rule

Faculty Book Gallery

Invention through Form and Function Analogy is an invention book for teachers and other leaders working with youth who are involving students in the invention process. The book consists of an introduction and set of nine learning cycle formatted lessons for teaching the principles of invention through the science and engineering design principles of form and function. An appendix contains sets of color, illustrated cards to be printed onto cardstock paper and used for sorting and sequencing activities during the lessons. This set of lessons has been field-tested with elementary and middle school students by teachers and was improved through …

Localized Ecological And Educational Effects Of Environmental Service-Learning In Portland, Oregon, Steven Matthew Braun

Dissertations and Theses

Environmental service-learning is an intentional educational experience(s) wherein learners engage in meaningful activities designed to serve the environment. Environmental service-learning activities vary according to their learning and service goals and include ecomanagement, persuasion, legal action, economic action and political action. The purpose of this mixed methods research was to explore the ecological and educational impacts of grades 6-12 environmental education, with special attention to environmental service-learning throughout Portland, Oregon.

Ecological impacts considered restoration and conservation outcomes of several environmental service-learning programs including plant communities, soils, litter removal and trail maintenance. Educational outcomes considered aspects of environmental literacy including locus of …

Stem Education In The Foreign Language Classroom With Special Attention To The L2 German Classroom, Sarah Danielle Schoettler

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis tackles the issues of foreign language education, with special attention to German as a foreign language, and STEM education in the K-12, and in some cases K-16, educational system. After exploring the societal and national need for improved STEM and foreign language education programs, this thesis suggests methods of integrating STEM education elements and principals in the foreign language classroom. These methods are provided in chapters about integrating state and national education standards in the STEM fields, core academic subject fields, and foreign language teaching, and finally in chapters about the most appropriate and effective pedagogies for successful …

Engineering Professional Development: Elementary Teachers' Self-Efficacy And Sources Of Self-Efficacy, Donna Louise Webb

Dissertations and Theses

Currently, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is a popular buzz word in P -12 education as it represents a means to advance American competitiveness in the global economy. Proponents of the engineering component of STEM advocate additional benefits in teaching engineering, such as its capacity to engage students in collaboration, and to apply critical thinking, systems thinking, negotiation, and communication skills to solve real-life contextual problems. Establishing a strong foundation of engineering knowledge at a young age will provide students with internal motivation as it taps into their curiosity toward how things work, and it also prepares them for …

Designing And Implementing A Planetary Geology Course For Engineers At The Jet Propulsion Lab, Jessica Joyce Dimizio

STAR Program Research Presentations

This project took place at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and involved creating an instructional tool that would increase the quality of communication between mechanical engineers and geologists who are collaboratively designing ways to collect and cache martian rock samples for the Mars 2020 rover mission. Geology and engineering do not cross paths in traditional education settings and communication is difficult due to the specialized language and processes of geology. Previous attempts to bridge communications between these two groups did not serve a large enough audience nor were they specific to the complexities of the Mars 2020 mission. Interviews with …

To The Mathematical Beach, Francis Su

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

What context am I missing that hinders my connection with my students? How often do I take the time to get to know their backgrounds? What are the primary experiences that shaped them, and do those present obstacles or opportunities for learning? And in what ways does the mathematical beach say “open to all” but still feel restricted?

These questions appear unrelated to mathematics, but if we ignore their effects, some of our students will not flourish.

Math Department Newsletter, 2014-2015, Mathematics Department

Mathematics Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Work Integrated Learning In Stem In Australian Universities: Final Report: Submitted To The Office Of The Chief Scientist, Daniel Edwards, Kate Perkins, Jacob Pearce, Jennifer Hong

Higher education research

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) undertook this study for the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS). It explores the practice and application of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) in STEM, with a particular focus on natural and physical sciences, information technology, and agriculture departments in Australian universities. The project involved a detailed ‘stocktake’ of WIL in practice in these disciplines, with collection of information by interview, survey instruments, consultation with stakeholders and literature reviews. Every university in Australia was visited as part of this project, with interviews and consultation sessions gathering insight from more than 120 academics and support …

A Model Of How Different Biology Experts Explain Molecular And Cellular Mechanisms, Caleb M. Trujillo, Trevor R. Anderson, Nancy J. Pelaez

PIBERG Publications

Constructing explanations is an essential skill for all science learners. The goal of this project was to model the key components of expert explanation of molecular and cellular mechanisms. As such, we asked: What is an appropriate model of the components of explanation used by biology experts to explain molecular and cellular mechanisms? Do explanations made by experts from different biology subdisciplines at a university support the validity of this model? Guided by the modeling framework of R. S. Justi and J. K. Gilbert, the validity of an initial model was tested by asking seven biologists to explain a molecular …

Discovering And Applying Geometric Transformations: Transformations To Show Congruence And Similarity, Tamara V. Bonn

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The use and application of geometric transformations is a fundamental standard for the Common Core State Standards. This study was developed to determine current high school teachers’ prior mathematical content knowledge and develop their content knowledge of transformations and their applications. The design of this study was guided by the questions: “Why is there a level of reluctance amongst secondary teachers when it comes to teaching geometric transformations?” and “How can their content knowledge become deepened to apply geometric transformations to prove that two figures are congruent?” The study provided teachers a chance to gain experience with transformations and use …

Adult Education In A Museum Setting Requires Reinforcement, Judy Ann Lowman

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This thesis addresses adult education in a museum setting and measures adult learning during and after a museum visit. While a number of studies have investigated the impact of museum visits on children’s learning, there are few studies on adult learners. This thesis is an initial effort to fill that gap. Qualitative data were gathered through interviews with 24 adult visitors at the Victor Valley Museum in Apple Valley, California. The objective was to determine which exhibits were found to be of greatest interest to the visitor. Follow-up interviews were conducted four weeks later to measure retention. The qualitative data …

Exploring The “Mojo” Of Presidential Awards For Excellence In Mathematics And Science Teaching (Paemst) Recipients, James W. O'Malley

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine how extraordinary science teachers develop their teaching mojo. The teachers investigated were recipients of the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST). This investigation focuses specifically on science instruction. The method used for this investigation was individual and group interviews conducted with eight PAEMST recipients. Five themes emerged from these interviews: 1. Science is a natural motivator for learning; 2. Students need to be scientifically literate citizens; 3. A critical “trigger event” propelled each of these teachers towards great science instruction; 4. Each sought out and engaged in …

How Instructional Strategies Engaged Fourth Graders In Math Learning, Ryan Wallace Patrie

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences of fourth-grade learners in a math classroom, how fourth graders express their interest and desire to learn math, and how different instructional strategies influence that interest and desire. The participants for this study were all fourth graders enrolled at a rural school district in Maine that serves approximately 1,200 learners in grades pre-kindergarten through Grade 6. Fifteen fourth graders provided the data to determine student perceptions on how they engage in math instruction. The findings of this study indicate strong relationships between instructional strategies and the self-determination theory of …