Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Introducing Abstract Mathematics Through Digit Sums And Cyclic Patterns, Sudhir Goel, Shaun V. Ault

Georgia Journal of Science

Using simple concepts that middle and high school students should be able to grasp, including “clock face arithmetic,” the standard multiplication table, and adding the digits of a number together, more abstract concepts such as modular arithmetic and cyclic groups may be introduced at an early stage in the students’ mathematical career. We find this approach to be organic and appealing to most students, encouraging them to think in different ways about familiar objects, and we encourage educators to test the concepts in their own classrooms.

Differentiating Instruction Through Math Stations And Literacy Centers, Olivia Bates

Faculty Curated Undergraduate Works

Differentiating instruction based on students’ readiness, interests, and learning profiles is essential for creating effective and meaningful learning activities. Identifying these characteristics allows teachers to meet students’ needs and engage them in learning. By differentiating instruction, educators target specific students’ strengths and challenges in developing lessons to support their understanding of content. Two useful strategies for differentiating math and literacy instruction include stations and centers. In stations and centers, students work on specific skills catered to their educational needs while rotating activities in flexible groups. This guide supports teachers in identifying strategies and understanding the benefits of differentiating math and …

The Creation Of A Video Review Guide For The Free-Response Section Of The Advanced Placement Calculus Exam, Jeffrey Brown

Honors Theses

The Creation of a Video Review Guide for the Free-Response Section of the Advanced Placement Calculus Exam follows the creation of a resource to help students prepare for the College Board’s Advanced Placement Calculus Exam. This project originated out of the authors personal experiences in preparing for this exam. The goal of the project was to create an accessible resource that reviews content, provides insights into the Advanced Placement exam, and creates successful habits in student responses. This paper, chronologically, details the development of the resource and a reflection on the final product and future uses.

Analyse D’Un Projet Pilote D’Intégration D’Une Approche Par Les Situations Dans L’Éducation De Base De La République Démocratique Du Congo, Stéphane Cyr, Annie Savard, Emna Braham

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

En 2015, la République Démocratique du Congo (RDC) a entrepris une démarche transitoire de réforme scolaire en adoptant une Approche par les Situations (APS) dans ses programmes pour le primaire. Pour initier cette démarche, le pays a mis en place un projet pilote visant l’amélioration de l’enseignement et des apprentissages des mathématiques et des langues. Dans ce dispositif, des situations ont été crées et des enseignants ont été formés à l’utilisation de ces situations en classe. Le présent article présente les résultats issus des différents outils de collecte de données visant à rendre compte de cette démarche expérimentale en mathématiques …

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Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Call For Manuscripts!

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities (JSESD)

The Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities is a multi-disciplinary, peer-reviewed journal with an international focus on providing information on science education for students with varying types and levels of disabilities. We aspire to publish the best of theoretical research and practical application and we review articles by both special and general educators. Interesting topics have included innovative curricular ideas, instructional adaptations, research-based modifications, best practices, and management issues in science education.

Copyright Statement

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Publication rights to works is granted to Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities, however, full copyright for works published in this journal is retained by the author(s). The author(s) may post their works online in an institutional repository, on their University departmental website, or on their own personal websites

Stem Stories, December 2016, #2, Marcy Seavey

STEM Stories

Semester End Special - Fall 2016. Here Are Some Highlights

The Effectiveness Of Participation In A Project-Based Learning Project On At-Risk Student Self-Efficacy, Benjamin Aaron Weber

Dissertations and Theses

Project-based learning is a multifaceted approach to teaching in which students explore real-world problems and challenges while working in small collaborative groups. Project-based learning is active and engaging and drives students to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects they're studying, and students develop confidence and self-direction as they move through both team-based and independent work. This project endeavored to assess the effect of participation in a project-based learning (PBL) activity of the Wind and Oar Boat School's curriculum on the self-efficacy of at-risk high school students. Twenty students participated in the program for both math and applied arts credits …

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Fall 2016, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs, and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge. The senior design competition helps focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects on …

Pisa 2015 : A First Look At Australia’S Results, Sue Thomson, Lisa De Bortoli, Catherine Underwood

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australia

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international comparative study of student achievement directed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). PISA 2015 represents the sixth such study since PISA was first conducted in 2000. Seventy-two OECD countries or partner economies participated in PISA 2015. In Australia, PISA is managed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and is jointly funded by the Australian Government and the state and territory governments. The goal of PISA is to measure how well 15-year-olds, who are nearing the end of their compulsory schooling in most participating educational systems, …

Formulating A Pharmacy Collection Without A Prescription, Kristin Laughtin-Dunker, Linda Galloway

Library Articles and Research

Librarians without a background in the health sciences were tasked with building a collection to support a new pharmacy school at a traditionally liberal arts institution. Despite little subject expertise, the team assessed current holdings, conducted a review of recommended resources, and collaborated with faculty to prioritize acquisitions to support the developing program as funds became available. The hire of a health sciences librarian provided new opportunities for assessment and for continued collecting. Altogether, this process allowed for the creation of recommended best practices that can be adopted by any librarian procuring resources to support new health science programs.

Project-Based Learning And Design-Focused Projects To Motivate Secondary Mathematics Students, Kelly W. Remijan

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

This article illustrates how mathematics teachers can develop design-focused projects, related to project-based learning, to motivate secondary mathematics students. With first-hand experience as a secondary mathematics teacher, I provide a series of steps related to the engineering design process, which are helpful to teachers in developing design-focused projects, describe various projects that have been developed and implemented within my classroom, and share project artifacts illustrated by pictures, student work, and student comments. Referring to the MUSIC Model of Academic Motivation and reflecting upon personal observations, student outcomes, and student comments, I provide personal insight on how design-focused projects can be …

A Matter Of Time: The Relationship Of Class Length And Demographics On The South Carolina Algebra I End-Of-Course Test In South Carolina Middle Schools, Jennifer Addie Ramsey

Education Dissertations and Projects

For middle school students taking Algebra 1 as a high school credit, having sufficient instructional time to understand and explore the course content is crucial. While the focus of the literature review helps lend understanding to the study, there has been limited information concerning assessment scores in middle school math classes and the length of class time. This study investigated the differences in the End-of-Course Examination Program (EOCEP) test scores of middle school students in Algebra 1 as influenced by schedules used in South Carolina public middle schools for each individual year in a 5-year span of the 2010-2015 academic …

A Mixed-Methods Program Evaluation Of Two Middle School Mathematics Intervention Programs, Angela Hines

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to conduct a program evaluation of two mathematics intervention programs, Transmath and Vmath, in order to discover whether students who are exposed to the intervention programs will show growth in their mathematics performance. The effectiveness of the programs was measured quantitatively by collecting a pre and postassessment score using Moby Max and qualitatively regarding the implementation and effectiveness of the two programs by conducting classroom observations and teacher interviews.

The literature in this study identifies the connection between RTI, tiered intervention, mathematics intervention, and program implementation fidelity. The current literature contains a great deal …

Teacher Self-Efficacy, Instructional Practices, And Student Achievement In Mathematics: A Correlational Study, Kristi Lynn Day

Education Dissertations and Projects

This mixed-methods research examined teacher self-efficacy in mathematics and the use of specific mathematical instructional practices in Grades 3-5 classrooms. The purpose was to examine the relationships among teacher self-efficacy of teaching mathematics, the use of specific mathematical instructional practices, and student achievement as measured by the North Carolina end-of-grade test. According to the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008), differences in students’ mathematical achievement are credited to differences in teacher characteristics including their self-efficacy in teaching and use of specific instructional practices. The study sought to add to the research behind that finding.

Correlational relationships among the variables were studied. …

Students' Explanations In Complex Learning Of Disciplinary Programming, Camilo Vieira

Open Access Dissertations

Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) has been denominated as the third pillar of science and as a set of important skills to solve the problems of a global society. Along with the theoretical and the experimental approaches, computation offers a third alternative to solve complex problems that require processing large amounts of data, or representing complex phenomena that are not easy to experiment with. Despite the relevance of CSE, current professionals and scientists are not well prepared to take advantage of this set of tools and methods. Computation is usually taught in an isolated way from engineering disciplines, and therefore, …

The Peec Experiment: Native Hawaiian And Native American Engineering Education, Suzette R. Burckhard, Joanita M. Kant

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Books

PART I: Context
1. Engineering for Native nations: Origins and goals of the Pre-Engineering Education Collaboratives (PEECs)
PART II: Culture matters
2. Recognizing history: Indigeneity matters
3. Moving beyond cultural sensitivity: Developing culturally responsive programs for and with Native engineers
4. Invoking cultural relevance at tribal colleges: Grandmother’s way is important
5. Discovering what works: STEM pedagogy and curriculum development for Native Americans
6. Exploring indigenous science and engineering: Projects with indigenous roots
PART III: Providing support for Natives in Engineering
7. Finding an Engineering identity: A Native American PEEC leader’s experience
8. Outreaching to K-12 and tribal schools in …

Going For Gold In The International Math Olympiad, Queena N. Lee-Chua

Mathematics Faculty Publications

In July 2016, two high school students in the Philippine team garnered gold at the 57th International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) in Hong Kong, capping a three-decade long quest for the top prize in the most prestigious high school math competition in the world. The four other team members also brought home honors, boosting our country to its highest rank ever, 17th out of 109 countries. This article discusses the history of the Philippine participation in the IMO, and examines the critical factors that have led to the victory. For Philippine team participants in general, these include: institutionalized and refined search …

Stem Stories, December 2016, #1, Mir Ashfaquzzaman

STEM Stories

Student Profile - Haley Osborn

Heteroglossic Practices In A Multilingual Science Classroom, Lydiah Kananu Kiramba

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

This paper uses sociocultural theories of language learning to investigate how teachers and students navigate between monolingual institutional policies and the multilingual realities encountered in a rural Kenyan fourth-grade classroom. The paper addresses not only how learners’ communicative repertoires are deployed to make meaning in a foreign language instruction context but also the sociocultural significance of these communicative practices. Results illustrate how the science teacher used heteroglossic practices to mediate students’ access to literacy, hence, supporting the content learning and language development of students. Both the science teacher and the students preferred a more flexible use of language to make …

Measuring The Effectiveness Of A Two-Period Algebra Class: A Program Evaluation, Tracey K. Landry

Dissertations

This paper details a program evaluation of a two-period freshman Algebra course in a two-high school district. The study examines the degree to which the two-period course is an effective intervention for freshman math students as compared to the one-period freshman Algebra course by reviewing student assessment data, student growth indicators, and course enrollment data. In addition to quantitative data, student, teacher, and administrator perceptions of the course inform the investigation into the two-period remedial math class. The paper concludes that the two-period math program is not having the desired impact and should be reconfigured or reconsidered altogether.

Authentic Science In Education: Studies In Course-Based Research At The United States Military Academy, Anthony M. Chase

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation consists of two studies at the United States Military Academy. Both studies involve the use of Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs). These experiences give students the ability to engage in undergraduate research at an early point in their academic career by replacing traditional laboratory activities with semester-long research projects. Both studies show an implementation of this type of instruction from the Center for Authentic Science Practice in Education (CASPiE). Study 1 shows the specific method of implementation at the military academy and explores learning-based outcomes. Primarily the outcome of critical thinking is demonstrated. Critical thinking is a construct …

The Association Between Tolerance For Ambiguity And Fear Of Negative Evaluation: A Study Of Engineering Technology Capstone Courses, Sergey I. Dubikovsky

Open Access Dissertations

For many students in engineering and engineering technology programs in the US, senior capstone design courses require students to form a team, define a problem, and find a feasible technical solution to address this problem. Students must integrate the knowledge and skills acquired during their studies at the college or university level. These truly integrative design activities do not have a single “correct” solution. Instead, there is an array of solutions, many of which could be used to achieve the final result. This ambiguity can cause students to experience anxiety during the projects.

This study examined the main topics: • …

Race, Class And Gender In Engineering Education: A Quantitative Investigation Of First Year Enrollment, Canek Moises Luna Phillips

Open Access Dissertations

Research explanations for the disparity across both race and gender in engineering education has typically relied on a deficit model, whereby women and people of color lack the requisite knowledge or psychological characteristics that Whites and men have to become engineers in sufficient numbers. Instead of using a deficit model approach to explain gender and race disparity, in the three studies conducted for this dissertation, I approach gender and race disparity as the result of processes of segregation linked to the historic and on-going perpetuation of systemic sources of oppression in the United States. In the first study, I investigate …

Factors Influencing Teacher Instructional Practice In Mathematics When Participating In Professional Development, William S. Walker Iii

Open Access Dissertations

In this research, I investigated teachers’ interpretations of the goals of professional development and factors that contributed to enacted instructional practices. A multiple-case study design was used to examine the interpretations of four high school teachers participating in a year-long professional development program with a standards-based framework for mathematics education. Data collection included information about the professional development program, the intended and enacted curriculum (Stein et al., 2007), the teachers’ interpretations of the professional development goals, and context factors that influenced instructional planning and implementation. The data were used to create a description of the professional development, a case study …

A Comparison Of Online And Face-To-Face Achievement In Physical Science, Lisa F. Mozer

Doctor of Education in Instructional Technology Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This study provided a descriptive analysis of learning outcomes in both online and face-to-face grades 9-12 physical science courses. Archived data from a single school system were used for a comparative analysis of learning outcomes in high school physical science between students enrolled in online classes and students enrolled in face-to-face classes. The study compared two years of summative assessment scores of two student groups and, overall, found equality between the two learning environments. Online learning outcomes and face-to-face learning outcomes were similar for both school years, 2013-2014 and 2014-2015. The overall comparison between learning environments was further examined …

Food And Energy For All, Bradley Stevens, Stephen Rybczynski, Deborah Herrington

Peer Reviewed Articles

When asked what plants need for photosynthesis, many students can correctly recall the reaction equation and state that plants require CO2, H2O, and light. Many students, however, do not understand that these reactants are the raw materials plants use to make sugars and instead believe that they are food for plants. Moreover, when questioned further, students often voice the idea that plants get their food from the soil (Kestler 2014). This is consistent with findings that fewer than half of current middle and high school students have a correct understanding of the process of photosynthesis (AAAS 2015). We developed this …

Effect Of Small Class Setting On The Algebra I Achievement Of Ninth-Grade Students, Lisa Kissire

College of Education Dissertations

The effects of class size on student outcomes has been widely studied at the elementary level. Many such studies have found important relationships between class size and outcome in the areas of academic achievement, student discipline, and teacher retention. However, little attention has been given to the examination of how class size may affect student outcomes in the middle school and high school levels. The purpose of this nonexperimental study was to examine the effects of class size setting, gender, socioeconomic status, and school configuration on the Algebra I achievement of ninthgrade students. Participants were drawn from four rural schools …

Professional Learning Communities (Plcs) For Early Childhood Science Education, Jungwon Eum

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

This study explored the content, processes, and dynamics of Professional Learning Community (PLC) sessions. This study also investigated changes in preschool teachers’ attitudes and beliefs toward science teaching after they participated in two different forms of PLCs including workshop and face-to-face PLC as well as workshop and online PLC. Multiple sources of data were collected for this study including participant artifacts and facilitator field notes during the PLC sessions.

The participants in this study were eight teachers from NAEYC-accredited child care centers serving 3- to 5-year-old children in an urban Midwest city. All teachers participated in a workshop entitled, “Ramps …

Exploration Of Student Biodiversity Knowledge And Decision-Making For A Wildlife Conservation Socioscientific Issue, Ashley R. Alred

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Global biodiversity, a foundation for ecosystem function, is diminishing at a rate unprecedented in the last 50 years. Biodiversity loss and ecosystem services deterioration is linked to increased food insecurity, reduced water quality and availability, decreased energy security, higher economic losses and human suffering (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005). Consequently, educators should invest in supporting students in their development of ecological understanding and formal decision-making skills so they are equipped with meaningful tools they can use as scientifically literate citizens. To contribute to that mission, this study seeks to explore student 1) comprehension and explanation of biodiversity concepts and 2) decision-making …