Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Integrating A Farm Study Into A Mixed Age Classroom, Rachel Kanegis

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This paper, Integrating A Farm Study Into A Mixed Age Classroom, explores the impact and benefits of integrating a farm study into a classroom. It reports on the course and the results of how students responded to the farm study over one full school year. In addition, it shows how the integrated farm study could be incorporated into the core academic topics such as reading, writing, math, social studies, and science. In fact, this paper proves how students become more motivated and engaged to learn in the core academic topics through their focus on the farm study. The class that …

From Sensors To Knowledge: The Challenge Of Training The Next Generation Of Data Analysts, Sonya A. H. Mcmullen, Troy Henderson, Scott Burgess, Patti J. Clark, David Ison

Publications

With the advent of commercial-off-the-shelf sensors for use in a variety of applications, integration with analytical software tools, and expansion of available archived datasets, there is a critical need to address the problem of transforming resultant data into comprehensible, actionable information for decision-makers through rigorous analysis. In previous research the participating authors have emphasized that users are often faced with the situation in which they are “drowning in a sea of data” but still “thirsting for knowledge”. The availability of analysis software, tools, and techniques provide opportunities for information collection of ever increasing complexity, but the need for the training …

Student Attitudes On Cooperative Learning And Individual Learning In My Mathematics, Jessica Thompson

Honors Projects

The main purpose of this research is to see which learning style, individual or cooperative, is better for student attitudes in my classroom when implemented correctly. When students work within cooperative learning groups, research has found that they have more positive attitudes as well as higher performance levels. However, the students in my classroom did not have a significant change in attitude when in cooperative learning groups versus learning individually.

Reading Strategies In Content Area Math, Jennifer Bachman O’Brien

Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Literacy

Since the introduction of the CCSS, expectations in math have placed greater responsibility for problem-solving on students. No longer is computation the primary focus of elementary math instruction; instead the goal has shifted to student understanding of the mathematical contexts. The aim of this action research study, guided by Vygotsky’s theory of social constructivism, was to determine the effectiveness of integrating reading and content area math, while deepening students’ skills in vocabulary, journaling, and visualizing. Nine fifth-grade students receiving Tier 2 math intervention were selected to participate in the study. Data collection consisted of pre and post measures including criterion-referenced …

The Mindset Classroom Blended Course, Louis T. Papai

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Northwest Louisiana houses a collective impact organization called Step Forward. It utilizes several networks to create change within the region. Stakeholders of the Middle Grade STEM Network were aware of the impact of growth mindset principles and practices on educators and students’ self-efficacy and needed to train regional formal and informal educators in growth mindset principles and practices. After ruling out available options due to cost, two network stakeholders and myself collaborated to create our own growth mindset training. An initial mini-pilot was conducted in the fall of 2017 followed by a needs assessment and learner analysis. Three primary goals …

Motivational Decline And Recovery In Higher Education Stem Courses, Anna M. Young, Paul J. Wendel, Joan M. Esson, Kathryn M. Plank

Education Faculty Scholarship & Creative Works

Decline in student motivation is a concern for STEM education, especially for underrepresented groups in the sciences. Using the Science Motivation Questionnaire II, 41 foundational STEM courses were surveyed at the beginning and end of each semester in an academic year at a small primarily undergraduate university. Significant pre- to post-semester declines were observed in each of five measured motivational factors (Intrinsic motivation, Career motivation, Self determination, Self-efficacy, and Grade motivation), with effect sizes ranging from 0.21 to 0.41. However, in the second semester pre-survey, four motivational factors rebounded, including three returning to initial levels, suggesting that the observed motivational …

Impact Of Literacy On Student Readiness In Math And Science Classroom, Mackenzie Alexandra Rittner

Honors Projects

Lack of literacy, specifically disciplinary literacy, is an epidemic in education today. Here, I will illustrate how this problem presents itself in our student’s reading every day in every class. Within a literature review, many accounts are detailed about the impact literacy has on a student’s educational career. From the outset, literacy is a key factor in a student’s success in school. A research study was conducted that asked students to give varied definitions of the word ‘volume’ based on prior experience. These results showed that direct instruction in how a word can change based on its context had an …

21st Century Stewardship: The Role Of Educational Equity In School Sustainability Programs, Marissa Page

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

In light of the increasingly devastating consequences of climate change and the generational inequity involved, there is an urgent need to educate our youth on environmental issues and empower them with opportunities to effect positive change. This research focuses on the problem of inconsistent sustainability programs on school campuses, investigates causal factors and identifies areas for transformation. While many prior studies address the significance of sustainability and the key components of successful school waste reduction, energy conservation and environmental education, this study builds on prior research by considering school sustainability programs through a lens of equity and organizational systems. This …

Expanding Your Horizons & Dream Big Screening, Marcene Seavey, Mani Vedanayagam, Heidi Kenkel

Community Engagement Celebration Day

Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) is a Society of Women Engineers (SWE) program designed to give middle school aged girls experiences and positive role-models in engineering careers. The University of Northern Iowa began partnering with Cedar Valley SWE to host an EYH event on the UNI campus in 2014. On Saturday, November 11th, 2017, the University hosted its 5th EYH event for more than 150 area 5th to 8th grade girls. Participants attended three small group active sessions (no more than 12 per group) in laboratories and classrooms in McCollum Science Hall, Latham Hall, and the Industrial Technology Building. Session leaders …

Halloween House, Madison Flesch, Nick Bonde

Community Engagement Celebration Day

Since 2007, the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society at the University of Northern Iowa has organized a community outreach program called Halloween House. What started out as a one-room chemistry demonstration show 11 years ago, has now evolved into a huge event in collaboration with other STEM clubs on campus. The event brought in between 800-1000 community members, mainly elementary aged-students, last fall. The collaboration amongst different STEM clubs in physics, biology, earth science, and chemistry allows students to have an interdisciplinary experience, exploring all of the sciences and seeing how they all connect. The Halloween House activities …

Preservice Teachers’ Creation Of And Beliefs About Culturally Responsive And Critical Mathematics Tasks, And Their Beliefs About The Students For Whom Their Tasks Were Intended, Tisa Trask

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, case study methodology was used to explore secondary mathematics preservice teachers (PSTs) attempts to construct tasks for lower income, predominantly African American students at a cultural immersion site who PSTs encountered frequently and interviewed. PST beliefs about their tasks and their students were also investigated. The first research aim of this study was to investigate PSTs’ attempts to create culturally responsive mathematics tasks for themselves and for the students. PSTs incorporated students’ personal and cultural details in tasks for the students. However, they had greater difficulty integrating cultural backdrops into the primary mathematics activities of tasks they …

Stem Stories, April 2018, #3, Ginger L'Heureux

STEM Stories

Alumni & Staff Profile - Latricia Hylton

Unpacking Teacher Practice Through A Moves-Based Formative Assessment Framework Using Video-Based Cycles Of Inquiry, Brent Duckor, Carrie Holmberg

Faculty Publications

Research has shown for over a decade that teachers who engage in formative assessment (FA) practices may have the most powerful impact on student learning (Black & Wiliam, 1998; Hattie, 2012). Yet less is known about the development of teachers’ knowledge and use of formative assessment as they plan, enact, and reflect on their questioning practices. Our qualitative case study focuses on how in-service middle school math teachers take up three specific moves (Author A, 2014) associated with formative assessment practice as as part of a video-based cycle of inquiry project. The study found focusing participants’ planning and reflection through …

Teaching The Next Generation Of Researchers: An Inquiry Into Aviation Research Education, David C. Ison

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Research in aviation fields has become increasingly important to institutions and their faculties. Expectations to conduct such research have escalated, with tenure and employment decisions often hanging on evidence of research skill and advanced educational attainment. Considering the importance of research to aviation higher education, this study investigated how research skills are conveyed to undergraduate and graduate aviation students. Further, the subjects and methods of instruction were evaluated. This inquiry was guided by content analysis. To bolster the findings of this study, a series of interviews with program directors and faculty teaching research courses were conducted to explore faculty perceptions …

Art In The Science Classroom: Art Integration, Alexandria Stough

Honors Projects

The arts should be included in the science classroom as a way of helping students learn. Art integration provides a deeper understanding of the material to students and also gives students the chance to be creative in their school work. Over the next year, I intend to conduct research about the integration of art in a science classroom.

Inquiry-Based Learning: Effects On Student Engagement, Kimberly Wheatley

Honors Projects

Inquiry-based learning is an approach to science instruction that has been around for over 40 years and has many positive aspects, including: critical thinking, student achievement, positive attitudes towards science, and student engagement. Inquiry-based learning has four different levels and is an instructional method that provides a problem or question which allows students to complete an investigation. This action research project will explore how inquiry-based learning affects student engagement and how student’s feel about inquiry. Students were taught with two days of traditional instruction, two days inquiry-based instruction, and then given a pre-survey and post-survey, and observed using an engagement …

Action Research: Using Engaging Vocabulary Instruction In A Science Classroom, Madison Pittman

Honors Projects

The focus of this study is to look at vocabulary instruction and how certain techniques affect student learning. This paper evaluates the work that has already been completed within this field of study of vocabulary instruction, focusing on its impact on students and educators. This paper also provides the phases of an action research project focusing on students using interactive activities for implementing vocabulary instruction into a fourth grade math and science classroom. The data collected from this study determined vocabulary instruction improved the students’ final test scores at the end of the unit in my classroom.

Impacts Of Representation On Increasing Flexibility In Understanding Number Composition, Abigail Carr

Honors Theses

Place value is a mathematical concept that young children struggle to understand. A common misconception for children is that the digits that make up multi-digit numbers represent the quantity of that number itself, instead of the number according to its place value (i.e. the 1 in 18 represents 1, instead of 10). The base-ten representation is an efficient way to represent numbers and quantities, but it is not easily learned. One reason children may struggle to fully understand place value is the English language does not make the value of the number known and has hidden base-ten meanings. To contrast, …

Effects Of A Historical Story On Student Understanding Of Nos, Peng Dai

Research and Creative Activities Poster Day

Science educators have identified that Nature of Science (NOS) is essential to improve students’ science literacy. Numerous empirical studies suggest that incorporating the history of science (HOS) into class by means of an explicit reflective approach is one way to promote students’ NOS conceptions. In view of these findings, we developed a unit using an interrupted story technique to depict the discovery of the structure of DNA featuring Rosalind Franklin’s neglected role to help students learn both science content and NOS. Our study design compares an experimental group (story used) with a control group (no story used). The SUSSI (a …

Elementary/Middle School Pre-Service Teachers’ Understanding Of Variability And The Use Of Dynamical Statistical Software, Yaomingxin Lu

Research and Creative Activities Poster Day

A primary purpose of the study was to examine the effects of using dynamical statistical software (DSS) on prospective teachers’ (PSTs) understanding of statistical concepts, especially variability. Data were collected from PSTs enrolled in a probability and statistics course designed for prospective K-8 teachers. After initial analysis of the data using coding and classification schemes, we found the need to develop a more targeted framework to analyze students’ different levels of understanding. The variability framework (Garfield & Ben-Zvi, 2005) and the Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) taxonomy were then used in combination to develop a revised framework in order …

Concepts In Animal Parasitology: Information For Authors [Slides], Sue Ann Gardner, Scott Lyell Gardner

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

Broadcast via Zoom live online, the following are the slides from an information session held for authors and reviewers of the Concepts in Animal Parasitology textbook. The work will be written collaboratively and published in 2024 as an open educational resource under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 International license.

Engaging Hispanic Science Learners Within California’S Central Valley: A Mixed Methods Study Of The Perceptions Of High School Teachers Relative To Advanced Placement Science Courses, David Menshew

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the engagement of Hispanic Advanced Placement science learners in California’s Central Valley as perceived by high school teachers.

Methodology: The mixed method study surveyed 20 Advanced Placement science teachers from the region of interest. Likert surveys were used to determine: 1) their perceptions of the engagement of Hispanic students by the AP Program, and 2) barriers presented by the AP Program. Quantitative results indicated teacher support for the AP Program and few barriers as currently administered. A focus group of 12 teachers recruited from the 20 surveyed provided qualitative …

Stem Stories, April 2018, #2, Ginger L'Heureux

STEM Stories

Faculty Profile - James Dietrich

Peer-Led Team Learning Bridges The Learning Gap In A First-Year Engineering Technology Course, Chen Xu, Ohbong Kwon, Juanita C. But, Benito Mendoza, Janet Liou-Mark, Robert Ostrom

Publications and Research

Electrical Circuits (EMT 1150) is a first-year engineering gateway course for Electromechanical Engineering Technology (EMT) associate degree students. It is a five-credit course with a combined lecture and laboratory components. Topics in the lecture portion introduces the physical basis and mathematical models of electrical components and circuits. The laboratory sessions of the course are performed on a breadboard using the digital multi-meter, oscilloscope, and function generator. In the past ten consecutive semesters, the average enrollment for EMT1150 was approximately 144 students per semester with an average of 73% passing with a D or better and 64% passing with a C …

The Effects Of Peer-Led Workshops In A Statics Course, Melanie L. Villatoro, Karla Karolin Peña, Janet Liou-Mark

Publications and Research

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an 8% increase in employment for civil engineers is expected in the next decade.1 To assist in attracting more undergraduates to pursue a degree in Civil Engineering Technology, New York City College of Technology has implemented an instructional strategy in one of the main gatekeeper courses. Statics has been identified as a course where undergraduates either decide to retain in their Civil Engineering Technology major or transfer out to another one. To provide more support for undergraduates taking this course, the Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) strategy was adopted. This study compared the final …

How Readability Factors Are Differentially Associated With Performance For Students Of Different Backgrounds When Solving Mathematics Word Problems, Candace Walkington, Virginia Clinton, Pooja Shivraj

Educational Foundations and Research Faculty Publications

The link between reading and mathematics achievement is well known, and an important question is whether readability factors in mathematics problems are differentially impacting student groups. Using 20 years of data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, we examine how readability factors – such as length, word difficulty, and pronouns – interact with student background characteristics – such as race/ethnicity, mathematics achievement, and socioeconomic status. Textual features that make problems more difficult to process appear to differentially negatively impact struggling students, while features that make language easier to process appear …

Stem Storytelling: Using Picture Books To Integrate Mathematics - "Dare To Tinker", Lindsey Herlehy, Karen Togliatti

Publications & Research

This series of activities invites students to engage in a design challenge that elicits mathematical and scientific thinking. In the first activity, the picture book The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires will be used as a catalyst to discuss the engineering design process as experienced by the protagonist, a little girl. Suggested questioning techniques and inferential reasoning strategies will focus on the trials and tribulations, frustrations, and successes achieved by the little girl. Additionally, discussion prompts are included to provide students an opportunity to reflect on the little girl as a mathematician and scientist as she takes action and …

News From The Graduate School - Educational Mathematics, Otterbein Office Of Graduate Programs

Graduate School

Newsletter that provides updates from the Graduate School and the Educational Mathematics Graduate Program.

Stem Stories, April 2018, #1, Ginger L'Heureux

STEM Stories

Program Spotlight - Athletic Training Program

Informal Learning: How Care Providers Can Engage In Learning Outside Of The Classroom, Christina Lannon

Honors Senior Capstone Projects

Informal learning is learning that happens spontaneously with no explicit instruction taking place (Latchem, 2014). The term informal learning was developed in 1950 by Malcolm Knowles in his work Informal Adult Education (as cited in Cofer, 2000) and many others have researched best practices for informal learning involving children (Latchem, 2014; Song et al., 2017). In many cases, it is the responsibility of the adult to initiate informal learning experiences by providing quality explanations for the many questions that children ask and engaging in everyday conversation with children. Much of the research that has been done exploring informal learning has …