Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Euler's Square Root Laws For Negative Numbers, Dave Ruch

Complex Variables

No abstract provided.

Gauss And Cauchy On Complex Integration, Dave Ruch

Complex Variables

No abstract provided.

Riemann's Development Of The Cauchy-Riemann Equations, Dave Ruch

Complex Variables

No abstract provided.

Me, Myself, And I: The Impact Of Metacognitive Strategies On Student Locus Of Control And Critical Thinking Skills, Danielle Kuchler

All Master's Theses

We live in an era when a college degree is essentially required for entry into good-paying careers, and yet achievement of a college degree is unacceptably low. Only 60% of students who enroll go on to graduate from 4-year colleges and universities in 6 years or fewer (National Center for Higher Education 2018). Why is this happening? What are the long-term intellectual and economic implications of ill-prepared students? We must ask ourselves if students are really prepared with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to be successful in college and whether those attributes are developed while in college. Two of the …

Scottish National Assessments: National Report For Academic Year 2018 To 2019, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Assessment and Reporting

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of Problem-Based Learning On The Advanced Placement Exam Scores And Interest Of Ap Biology Students, Tia Hohler

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This study reports the effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) on the interest and Advanced Placement (AP) Biology exam scores of high school students. The experimental group was exposed to a constructivist PBL environment using an overarching unit problem, inquiry style lab investigations and white board discussions while the comparison group received direct instruction in the same curriculum. AP Biology exam scores were collected for two years with direct instruction and two years with PBL instruction. An interest survey was given to a subset of the experimental group and included students enrolled in the course during the 2019-2020 school year. Analysis …

Mathematics Cognitive And Content Abilities Across The Vincentian Student Population, Brendalee Rorena Cato

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mathematics achievement is a key component of student overall academic achievement. However, many students from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Vincentian students) continue to perform poorly on the regional Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) mathematics examination. This poor mathematics performance is a concern for education stakeholders. The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental study was to explore the extent to which the CSEC mathematics scores of high-scoring Vincentian students versus low-scoring Vincentian students in the cognitive domains of knowledge, comprehension, and reasoning differ across the content domains of algebra; geometry; measurement; statistics; and relations, functions, and graphs (RFG). The theoretical foundation …

Teacher Perceptions Of Alternative Grading To Support Authentic Learning, Gina Nicole Sese

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Alternative grading practices are often used in authentic learning environments where the focus is on connecting instruction to real-world issues, problems, and applications. Scholarly literature lacks research studies related to teacher perceptions of alternative grading to support authentic learning. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of high school science teachers regarding their use of alternative grading to support authentic learning, student self-reflection, and student articulation of their learning. The conceptual framework for this study was based on Herrington and Oliver’s instructional design framework for authentic learning environments. The focus of the research questions was …

Stel Benchmark Verb Alignment To Cognitive, Affective, And Psychomotor Domains, T. Shown, Philip A. Reed

STEMPS Faculty Publications

(First paragraph) Curriculum developers and classroom teachers often need to make sure they are teaching and assessing students at the appropriate levels of the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. The STEL benchmarks are written with active verbs to target different levels of these domains. In addition, curriculum developers and classroom teachers want to know whether the benchmarks are at the factual, conceptual, procedural, or metacognitive level of knowledge. The second resource being provided on ITEEA’s interactive STEL website will identify these factors for all 142 STEL benchmarks. This tool was developed to help insure the alignment of the three domains …

Cybersecurity Education Through Technological And Engineering Literacy Standards, Philip A. Reed, Steven A. Barbato

STEMPS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

S-Stem Becoming Engaged Engineering Scholars (Bees): Insights From Year 1, Sura Alqudah, Elizabeth Litzler, Joseph Arthur Brobst, Jill Davishahl, Andrew G. Klein

Division of Research and Economic Development Faculty & Staff Publications

The Becoming Engaged Engineering Scholars (BEES) is an NSF S-STEM project that responds to the challenges in recruiting and retaining academically talented, low-income students from diverse backgrounds into undergraduate engineering programs. The new, ABET-accredited engineering programs at Western Washington University (WWU) have faced unique challenges in recruitment and retention, particularly in the first two years for pre-engineering students. Building on the success of prior S-STEM awards in other disciplines at WWU, the proposed program provides a systematic sequence of academic, social, and career support services specifically designed to enhance the success of engineering students during these first two years of …

An Initial Look Into The Computer Science And Cybersecurity Pathways Project For Career And Technical Education Curricula, Vukica M. Jovanovic, Murat Kuzlu, Otilia Popescu, Abdul Rahman Badawi, Deborah Kay Marshall, Salih Sarp, Spyridoula Tsouganatou, Petros J. Katsioloudis, Linda Vahala, Hongyi Wu

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Computer science and cybersecurity have gained the attention of various stakeholders, industry representatives, educators, parents and students who are thinking about their future careers. Teaching computer science courses has moved into K-12 education, no longer introduced in the college classroom. There are various reasons for this trend. One is that in this way more children have access to the curriculum that integrates computer science principles, not just those undergraduate students in specific STEM majors. Other industries need different levels of computer science and cybersecurity education. There are various programs across the nation that are focusing on introducing these topics as …

Effects Of Synchronous Group Work On Learning And Community In Online Mathematics At Community Colleges, Carrie L. Naughton

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Online learning plays an increasingly important role in community college education. However, evidence has shown that online learning can be a challenge, especially in mathematics, and students are not performing as well in online classes as they are in face-to-face formats. In addition, the online environment can be isolating and lonely, with little opportunity for interaction and group work with fellow students. With the increased demand for online mathematics courses at the community college level, it has become imperative that two-year colleges find ways to increase online student success while simultaneously fostering interaction, collaboration and community. This study focused on …

Time Management Matters: Online Faculty Perceptions Of Helpfulness Of Time Management Strategies, Beth Oyarzun, Florence Martin, Robert L. Moore

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This study examined 256 faculty survey responses to determine perceptions of helpfulness of 24 time management strategies grouped into four categories defined by Berge (1995) as managerial, pedagogical, technical, and social. Findings indicate that establishing clear and specific expectations (M = 4.32) was perceived as the most helpful, followed by organizing content into modules or units (M = 4.28), which were both pedagogical time management strategies. Participants additionally responded to two open-ended items regarding the most and least helpful time management strategies. The open-ended responses were consistent with the survey findings. The relationship between faculty demographic factors and strategies showed …

Cyberbullying And Autism: Findings Of A Recent Study, Amelia Anderson, Abigail Phillips

STEMPS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Mathematical Creativity And Problem Solving, Brooke Gruntowicz

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Many mathematical problems can only be solved in routine ways. But when students see that problems can be solved in innovative, original, or novel ways, unexpected benefits arise such as development in one’s mathematical creativity. The general mathematics classroom must be reformed into a more perceptive atmosphere that challenges all students, where student mathematical creativity is fostered, and creative insights are encouraged. Mathematical creativity encourages the full development of the learner, all students on the spectrum from underchallenged to traditional. Mathematical creativity is the ability of "divergent production in mathematical situations, and the ability to overcome fixations in mathematical problem …

Drama Applied To Content-Based Instruction In Elementary Education, A. Rocio Muhs

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Growing public interest in bilingual education has prompted many school districts to offer dual language models. Unaddressed challenges inherent in dual language immersion programs can compromise the quality of implementation, thus affecting student achievement and ultimately program sustainability. This study investigates how the integration of dramatic arts into core subject instruction in Spanish improves student learning and motivation among first grade second-language learners. Based on the existing challenges confronting a Dual Language Immersion Program in Western Montana, this study asks: What is the relationship between students’ attitudes about learning in a second language and the teacher’s pedagogical practices? In this …

Question 1: Plowing Snow; Question 2: Wasted Food, Larry Weinstein

Physics Faculty Publications

[Extracted from the article] How much snow is shoveled or plowed in the U.S. in a typical winter? How much food is wasted at school cafeterias every year in the U.S.? For more Fermi questions and answers, see Guesstimation 2.0: Solving Today's Problems on the Back of a Napkin, by Lawrence Weinstein (Princeton University Press, 2012).

Growth Vs. Fixed Mindsets In College Mathematics Education, Bryan Yaeger, Lynne Pachnowski

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between college mathematics professors and whether they have a growth or fixed mindset towards the students in their classrooms. This paper will share the results from a survey that was constructed with 38 participants - all of which are college mathematics professors in the state of Ohio. This survey focused on asking questions that would relate the professors to either having growth or fixed mindset traits. The survey also asked for the demographics of the participants, which helped classify similarities between those with growth or fixed mindset ideals. After analyzing …

Use Of Calculators In High School Mathematics, Alex Mcdaniel

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

For many collegiate level mathematics courses at universities across the country, students are not allowed to use calculators. This is often a huge adjustment for students who have spent their entire high school career using calculators. Whether it is graphing or simple arithmetic, students relied on calculators in high school, but for college, the tool of a calculator may not be available for them. This leads to a multitude of questions: Should calculators be used in high school? Do calculators help students learn or are they simply a tool to get answers? Are calculators beneficial in some courses, but not …

The Influence Of Connecting Funds Of Knowledge To Beliefs About Performance, Classroom Belonging, Dina Verdín, Jessica Smith, Juan Lucena

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

First-generation college students in engineering accumulate bodies of knowledge through their working-class families. In our ethnographic data of first-generation college students, we identified tinkering knowledge from home and from work, perspective taking, mediational ability, and connecting experiences as knowledge sources brought to engineering. The purpose of this paper was to understand how first-generation college students’ accumulated bodies of knowledge (i.e., funds of knowledge) support their beliefs about performing well in engineering coursework, feeling a sense of belonging in the classroom, and certainty of graduating. Data for this study came from a survey administered in the Fall of 2018 from ten …

Improving Retention And Degree Attainment For Underrepresented Students In Stem: Is Experiential Learning The Solution?, Cori Henderson

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

Experiential learning opportunities, such as undergraduate research, are found to be useful in promoting retention and graduation in STEM majors, and specifically for underrepresented student populations. These opportunities are being implemented throughout the United Stated as a means to improve student learning and persistence. In Kentucky’s strategic plan, experiential learning activities are seen as an avenue to help students persist in college and are key components in helping the commonwealth reach their goal of sixty-percent of adult Kentuckians earning a college credential by 2030.

Mirroring the commonwealth’s strategic plan, Northern Kentucky University (NKU) emphasized the importance for experiential learning opportunities …

Tabletop Mechanical Tester, Jamie Dombroski, Brian English, Richard Leffler, Andrew Shirk

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The need for hands-on and face-to-face experiences in the engineering classroom is very great. The equations, principles, and concepts can all be learned, but without the visual and tactile application, these don’t always sink in or become concrete. A small-scale tensile test machine was designed, sourced, manufactured, and tested for the purpose of being applied in classroom settings to provide this experience to engineering students. Extensive research was performed concerning tensile machines on the market, the essential elements of which are the load cell, grips, crosshead, extensometer, motor, and frame. The raw materials for the frame were purchased and drawings …

Use Of Metaconceptual Scaffolding In The Science Classroom To Promote Conceptual Change, Erin Duez

Education Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of providing metaconceptual awareness questions on the conceptual change and metaconceptual awareness of students in the chemistry classroom. This quasi-experimental study with a repeated-measures design analyzed the effects of providing metaconceptual awareness questions on the conceptual change and metaconceptual awareness of high school chemistry students. The intervention consisted of providing metaconceptual awareness questions nine times to the experimental group over a three-week period. The chemistry conceptual knowledge of both groups was assessed three times: pretest, posttest, and a delayed retention test. The metaconceptual awareness of the students was assessed twice …

Parent Involvement And Its Influence On Children’S Stem Learning: A Review Of The Research, Julie Thomas, Juliana Utley, Soo-Young Hong, Hunkar Korkmaz, Gwen Nugent

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

A growing understanding that parents and teachers can effectively collaborate to help children succeed in school has led worldwide policymakers and school leaders to begin deliberate actions to increase parents’ participation in school life. For example, the Chilean Education Minister recently encouraged contracts between parents, schools, and the state to increase parental involvement. The Australian government has formed a Research Alliance for Children and Youth to develop and promote understanding of parent involvement (i.e., what it is, why it matters, how it influences learning) and to build evidence about what works. From a sociological perspective, a school’s organizational boundaries are …

Posters As An Effective Assessment Tool For A Capstone Course, David Gosselin, Doug Golick

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

A rubric was developed to assess student posters as a mechanism to evaluate learning outcomes for a senior capstone course. The analytic rubric allows for the efficient and systematic collection of data from posters by students who worked across a variety of disciplines including the physical, biological, Earth sciences, social science, and the humanities. The rubric effectively addressed a fundamental assumption and requirement put forth during rubric development, that is, it needs to be relatively easy to use without training while at the same time producing consistent results across evaluators. The overall Chronbach’s alpha of 0.80 across semesters indicates acceptable …

Multiple True-False Questions Reveal More Thoroughly The Complexity Of Student Thinking Than Multiple-Choice Questions: A Bayesian Item Response Model Comparison, Chad Brassil, Brian A. Couch

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: Within undergraduate science courses, instructors often assess student thinking using closed-ended question formats, such as multiple-choice (MC) and multiple-true-false (MTF), where students provide answers with respect to predetermined response options. While MC and MTF questions both consist of a question stem followed by a series of options, MC questions require students to select just one answer, whereas MTF questions enable students to evaluate each option as either true or false. We employed an experimental design in which identical questions were posed to students in either format and used Bayesian item response modeling to understand how responses in each …

Innovative Teaching Knowledge Stays With Users, A. Kelly Lane, Jacob D. Mcalpin, Brittnee Earl, Stephanie Feola, Jennifer E. Lewis, Karl Mertens, Susan E. Shadle, John Svoretz, John P. Ziker, Brian A. Couch, Luanna B. Prevost, Marilyne Stains

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Programs seeking to transform undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses often strive for participating faculty to share their knowledge of innovative teaching practices with other faculty in their home departments. Here, we provide interview, survey, and social network analyses revealing that faculty who use innovative teaching practices preferentially talk to each other, suggesting that greater steps are needed for information about innovative practices to reach faculty more broadly.

Benefits Of A College Stem Faculty Development Initiative: Instructors Report Increased And Sustained Implementation Of Research-Based Instructional Strategies, Mary F. Durham, Oriana R. Aragón, Meghan E. Bathgate, Aiyanan Bobrownicki, Andrew J. Cavanagh, Xinnian Chen, William M. Trochim, Jonathan K. Waterhouse, Maek J. Graham, Brian A. Couch

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The Summer Institutes on Scientific Teaching (SI) is a faculty development workshop in which science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instructors, particularly from biology, are trained in the Scientific Teaching (ST) pedagogy. While participants have generally reported positive experiences, we aimed to assess how the SI affected participants’ teaching practices. Building on a previously developed taxonomy of ST practices, we surveyed SI participants from the 2004–2014 SI classes regarding specific ST practices. Participants’ self-reported use and implementation of ST practices increased immediately after SI attendance as well as over a longer time frame, suggesting that implementation persisted and even increased …

Examining The Role Of Spatial Skills And Mathematics Motivation On Middle School Mathematics Achievement, Kinnari Atit, Jason R. Power, Norma Veurink, David H. Uttal, Sheryl Sorby, Grace Panther, Camille Msall, Logan Fiorella, Martha Carr

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Background: Spatial skills and mathematical ability have been repeatedly identified as critical for achievement in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Previous studies have identified correlations between spatial skills and mathematical achievement; however, questions remain regarding improvements in non-spatial areas associated with STEM achievement. The current study examined whether competency in spatial skills could be related to individuals’ motivation for mathematics. Measures of spatial skills and mathematics motivation were completed by 1056 seventh grade students.

Results: Using hierarchical linear modeling, spatial skills and math motivation were examined relative to students’ performance on a state standardized mathematics subtest. Results indicate that …