Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Fostering Reflective Teaching: Using The Student Participation Observation Tool (Spot) To Promote Active Instructional Approaches In Stem, Cara H. Theisen, Cassandra A. Paul, Katrina Roseler

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The Student Participation Observation Tool (SPOT) is a web-based classroom observation protocol developed for higher education STEM courses and based on research on evidence-based practices. The low-inference and objective nature of the SPOT and visual outputs make it an optimal tool for teaching professional development. The SPOT allows novice users to use data from their own classes to reflect on, and make data-driven changes to, their teaching practices. In particular, the SPOT was designed to present faculty with objective data related to their use of active instructional approaches, be easy for practitioners to use, and provide data outputs that are …

Learning Mathematics From The Master: A Collection Of Euler-Based Primary Source Projects For Today’S Students, Part I, Janet Heine Barnett, Dominic Klyve, Kenneth M. Monks, Adam E. Parker

Euleriana

This article and its sequel will together highlight a set of nine classroom ready projects that draw on the remarkable writing of Leonhard Euler (1707–1783) as a means to help students develop an understanding of standard topics from today’s undergraduate mathematics curriculum. Part of a larger collection of primary source projects intended for use in a wide range of undergraduate mathematics courses, these projects are freely available to students and their instructors. We provide a general description of the pedagogical design underlying these projects, more detailed descriptions of the individual projects themselves, and instructions for obtaining downloadable copies for classroom …

“I Can Math, Too!”: Reducing Math Anxiety In Stem-Related Courses Using A Combined Mindfulness And Growth Mindset Approach (Magma) In The Classroom, Tashana S. Samuel, Sebastien Buttet, Jared Warner

Publications and Research

Math anxiety has become an alarming social justice concern, as it results in negative academic consequences, contributes to disinterest and lack of persistence in STEM programs for underrepresented students, and limits their opportunities in STEM careers. According to research, this fear of math occurs long before students begin working on math problems. When high-math anxious students encounter math situations, anticipation anxiety consumes working memory capacity, inhibits learning, and causes them to severely underperform on mathematical tasks. However, very few studies have been conducted to embed psychological interventions in the classroom in an effort to mitigate both anticipation and execution anxiety. …

Action Research: Hand Signals' Impact On Student Mindset And Performance, Katelyn Niehaus

Honors Projects

Hand signal use as a form of alternate mode of communication in the classroom offers potential for developing a growth mindset in students and, by this, improving student performance. This paper explores the work already done on various response systems. Research shows response systems typically accomplish their intended goal, and may help students to develop a growth mindset. Additionally, development of a growth mindset is associated with improvement in student performance. The action research discussed in this paper shows there may be an increase in growth mindset as a result of hand signal use in the classroom.

Comparative Analysis Of Trends In American Physics Education, Adam Tyler Crank

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

“A Tale Of Two Classrooms”: Designing Culturally-Relevant Hip Hop Curriculum To Support Stem Identity Of Underrepresented Students, Jessica Mcclain, Rebecca Colina Neri Ph.D

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This article explores how educators can contribute to the development of STEM identity in historically marginalized groups by using critical frameworks and pedagogies like Funds of Knowledge and Critical Hip-Hop Pedagogy as a curricular tool to counter traditional teaching practices. The authors amplify the importance of cultural spaces that support educators in examining aspects of power, access, and cultural awareness in STEM classrooms to increase student participation and acquisition of STEM knowledge. This article provides a guided activity named “A tale of two citiez” as an example of how educators can act towards (re)conceptualizing and (re)imagining STEM classrooms.

Variability In Variables: An Analysis Of Variable Use In A Middle School Mathematics Textbook, Annalisa G. Lavin

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Variables are an important part of mathematics as they allow mathematicians to generalize and more easily express mathematical ideas, however research has shown that students struggle with understanding variables. One way to study variable use is to classify variables into different types based on how they are used. This study uses variable types to investigate variable usage in a middle school mathematics textbook. This study identified 9 variable types and 3 algebraic processes that variable types are tied to. This analysis also found evidence of a growing complexity in variable use, starting with sophisticated variable use in grade 6 and …

Message From The President / 3.16.22, Evan M. Glazer

Message from the President

No abstract provided.

Flags Of Africa: Promoting Cultures & Connecting Math Concepts, Kelly W. Remijan

Publications & Research

Objectives

1. To share ideas for using flags of Africa and technology to engage students with math concepts: counting, fractions, percentage, aspect ratio, linear equations/inequalities, domain/range, angles/distances/slope, classifying triangles, area of polygons, slope, parallelograms, & coordinate geometry.
2. To highlight technology such as Google Slides, Google Sheets Pixel Art, GeoGebra, Desmos, and CNC Machines that help enrich the teaching of math concepts.
3. To provide ideas for promoting discussion of culture, history, & geography within the math classroom.

Tiny Earth, Tinier Microbes: An Experiential Learning Approach To Antibiotic Discovery, Emily Kassing

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest global health challenges of the 21^st century as antibiotic discovery has slowed even as scientific knowledge about AMR has progressed. At the same time, science education has turned to active learning approaches like CUREs, or course-based undergraduate research experiences, to achieve educational objectives while engaging students in real-life research. The Tiny Earth Project is a global research initiative that seeks to crowdsource antibiotic discovery by recruiting undergraduate students to screen soil samples for antibiotic producers. The goal of this study was to determine the viability of translating the Tiny Earth programming to …

Analysis Of A Mathematical Model Of Real-Time Competitive Binding On A Microarray, Frank H. Lynch

CODEE Journal

A mathematical model of competitive binding on a microarray in real-time yields a planar system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. This model can be used to explore dimensionless formulation, linear approximation, and reduction. Real-time competitive binding is proposed as an uncommon approach to advance the study of planar systems of differential equations.

The Relationship Of Instructional Time On High School Students' Mathematical Achievement In The State Of New Jersey, Natalie Diaz

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This non-experimental quantitative study sought to analyze the relationship between instructional time and high school students' mathematical achievement as measured by the 2019 New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA) for Algebra 1. In addition to determining to which extent the district factor groups (DFGs) affect the relationship between instructional time on the performance of high school students on the 2019 New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA) for Algebra 1 when controlling for staff, student, and school variables. The 2018–2019 NJDOE Performance Report provided the variables used in this study. The unit of analysis was public high schools in New Jersey …

Successes And Shortfalls: A Comparison Of German And American Environmental Education, Sophie Wieland

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

Germany and the United States have very different national policies related to climate change mitigation and adaptation, a reflection of starkly different public views on climate change. Public opinions on the environment have many influences, with primary and secondary public education being a factor in the development of environmentally friendly opinions and behaviors. The differences in each country’s approach to the environment, overall methods of environmental education, and continuing problems in climate education are investigated here through a literature search. Both Germany and the US have education systems centered on regional control, and slow change of educational standards plagues both …

Effective Differentiation Utilizing Technology In The Elementary Mathematics Classroom, Sara Wiertzema

Graduate Teacher Education

The achievement gap between high-achieving and low-performing students has long been documented in the United States. Little, if any, efforts have proven effective in narrowing this gap. The goal of this research analysis was to identify whether technology can be used to effectively differentiate math content for students and increase achievement, thereby closing the achievement gap in American schools. The results of the studies investigated were clear that technology can be an effective method for math differentiation and can help lower-performing students accelerate their learning, in some cases even surpassing their higher-achieving peers. Technology, when used correctly to differentiate in …

Message From The President / 3.2.22, Evan M. Glazer

Message from the President

No abstract provided.

Teacher Enactment Of The Geospatial Inquiry Cycle In Classrooms Following Scaled Up Professional Learning And Development, Brooke A. Whitworth, Lori Rubino-Hare, Francis Boateng, Anne Hamlin, Nena E. Bloom, Eric Nolan

Publications

The current study examined the effects of a nationally scaled up Professional Learning and Development (PLD) model on teachers’ classroom implementation of the Geospatial Inquiry instructional framework. Geospatial Inquiry is defined as: asking and answering a research question through the analysis and communication of data that is linked to a geographic location on, above, or near Earth. These data are often represented visually via maps and explored with geospatial technologies. It also examined the relationships between Geospatial Inquiry Teacher Workshop (GITW) implementation and teacher implementation of the Geospatial Inquiry Cycle. Situated cognition provided a theoretical framework for the design, development, …

Playing With Code: Big Ideas For Early Learners, Lindsey Herlehy, Cassandra Armstrong

Publications & Research

For young children growing in today’s digital world, the acquisition of coding and computer programming skills has become a popular and appropriate focus in education. Beyond engaging in technology and coding applications as consumers – the passive act of sitting in front of a screen and merely pressing buttons without a high level of thought – early childhood students are capable of high-quality programming tasks through play-based learning experiences. As producers, our youngest students may explore the open-ended nature of computer programming and coding through design, art, and innovation. Engaging in coding builds valuable and transferable practices such as problem …

Little Changes, Big Impact: Integrating Evolution In Science And Ela, Christine L. Moskalik, Nicole Ross

Publications & Research

No abstract provided.

A Summer Program Goes Online: How Beam Served Students From Marginalized Backgrounds During Covid, Ramya Ramaswamy, Javier Ronquillo Rivera

Journal of Math Circles

Most summers, BEAM runs free summer programs for mathematically talented middle school students from low income, historically marginalized communities. Our programs are designed to deepen students' problem solving and mathematical reasoning skills, to foster their love of math, and to build a community centered around peers all interested in mathematics.

This summer, in response to the pandemic, we made the decision to shift our summer programming online and operate virtually for the first time. We crafted a program that we hoped would sustain many of our original programming goals.

This paper outlines the decisions made, the variables that affected implementation, …

Kepemimpinan Pembelajaran Dalam Implementasi Kebijakan Digital School, Meila Hayudiyani, Ibrahim Bafadal, Raden Bambang Sumarsono

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

The purpose of this study is to reveal the principal's learning leadership in implementing digital school policies. This study uses a qualitative approach with a constant comparative multi-site design to reveal the focus of the research at SMPN 1 Sumenep and SMPN 1 Ambunten. Data collection techniques used are observation, interviews, and documentation. The results show that the school principal is in the implementation of digital school policies at the planning, implementation, and evaluation stages. The orientation of the principal's behavior as a learning leader leads to technical, symbolic, human relations, and educational behavior. The principal's learning leadership is related …

Analisis Miskonsepsi Siswa Ma Menggunakan Metodethink Aloud Protocol (Tap), Erwinestri Hanidar Nur Afifi, Markus Diantoro, Wartono Wartono

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

This study aims to find out the misconceptions experienced by students during the learning process using think aloud protocol (TAP) and physics multiple choice tests (TPGF) on hydrostatic pressure materials. This research design uses mixed method design with embedded experimental design. Quantitative data is obtained through N-gain calculations that show a high category with a score of 0.7. This indicates that there is a significant change in the mastery of the student's hydrostatic pressure concept after learning activities. Qualitative data analysis based on the results of the think aloud protocol also shows how students experience misconceptions by pouring their thoughts …

Online Undergraduate Research In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics Courses, Emily K. Faulconer

Publications

What constitutes research can vary across fields. Even within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, the definition of research is flexible. For example, although science research and engineering research use similar methods and both produce valuable insights into the nature of our physical world, they have notably different focuses, with sciences aimed at expanding the outer edges of our knowledge and engineering fixed on systematic structuring of knowledge for application (National Academy of Engineering, 1995). Regardless of the STEM discipline, undergraduate research is a mentored experience in which students engage in original work, disseminating their outcomes to a larger …

Unpacking Efl Teachers’ Tpack Thru The Distance Education, Sofia Imania, Mirjam Anugerahwati, Sintha Tresnadewi

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

The growth of distance education provides an accessibility of teaching-and-learning-process involving the use of ICT. Hence, teachers’ competencies regarding the integration of ICT also one of the key success of teaching. Through TPACK, this study aims at investigating EFL teachers’ skills on technology integration and their preferable ICT based learning system amidst distance education. Moreover, this study also intends to analyze whether EFL teachers’ TPACK are significantly different in terms of teaching categories and gender. This survey study implicated 139 in-service EFL teacher in the city of Malang, East Java, Indonesia. The data were collected through questionnaire and analyzed by …

Collaborative Project Based Learning Implementation During Covid-19 Outbreak, Soetam Rizky Wicaksono, Rudy Setiawan

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

Covid-19 outbreak has already created such big changes in education all over the world. However, rapid response improvement is needed to overcome the reality. One of the improvements is using Project Based Learning (PBL) which ensured that students can still become active and enthusiastic during remote learning. PBL implementation can be done using collaborative technique, which empirically proven to have better result. This research took place in Information System Study Program at Universitas Ma Chung Malang, in course which includes laboratory activity (in this case is Programming Language course). This implementation then being measured using focus group discussion (FGD), which …

A Preliminary Study: The Urgency Of Stem-Based Science Practicum Book For Secondary School, Rahmah Evita Putri, Skunda Diliarosta, Monica Prima Sari

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

The research purpose is to analyse the needs of Science Technology Engineering and Mathematic (STEM)-based science practicum books for secondary school. This is descriptive qualitative research with questionnaire and interview methods. The sample of this research were secondary school science teacher and students. The data were analysed descriptively with the results of data processing in percent (%). The results showed that 98% of secondary school science teachers did not know that STEM-based practicum activities could train 21st century students' skills and 90% of secondary school students stated that they never carried out practicum activities other than laboratory activities. The results …

The Impact Of Personal And Service-Related Factors On The Perceived Academic Success Among College Students, Ronnie Davis, Geraldine Doucet, Terayana Lamb, Sonya Sneed, David Fletcher

The Journal of the Research Association of Minority Professors

In recent years, student completion of the first year and second-year college curriculum has become a significant barrier to student success and retention especially at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Despite low pass and retention rates, many degree programs in the U.S. require at least one college-level mathematics course, and the failure in this math course has contributed disproportionately to the failure to complete the first- and second-year curriculum.

The purpose of this study was to examine the predictability of the relationship between selected personal, academic, and service-related factors and the perceived academic success in mathematics among college students. Specifically, …

Incorporating Social Justice And Equity As Themes In Math Circles Online, Matthew Jones, Sharon Lanaghan, Carolyn Yarnall

Journal of Math Circles

The CSUDH Math Teachers' Circle chose a focus on equity and social justice in 2020. The national focus on social justice caused us to reflect on what we can do to affect change regarding issues of equity and social justice in our society. In addition, the global pandemic caused us to shift our circle online, which presented both obstacles and opportunities. In this paper, we expand upon how we addressed various challenges faced in facilitating an online Math Teachers’ Circle, focusing on our experience facilitating sessions focused on equity and social justice and participants' reactions to this experience.

Teaching Social Justice Issues Through Mathematics Curriculum, Lydia L. Butters

Research in the Capitol

I taught lessons from the textbook, High School Mathematics Lessons to Explore, Understand and Respond to Social Injustice (Berry et al., 2020) with revisions based on the interests and needs of the students(e.g. food deserts in the Midwest and ACT scores). Three lessons were taught in a statistics course at an urban school in the Midwest, while two other lessons were conducted in a geometry content course for pre-service K-8 teachers at a Midwestern University. Overall, high school students showed growth in their understandings of social justice issues and the uses of mathematics. While college students showed growth in their …

Professional Development For Early Career Dber Scholars Through In-Person And Virtual Career Panel Workshops, Miranda M. Chen Musgrove, Elizabeth Genné-Bacon, Kelsey Gray, Ashley B. Heim, Anupriya Karippadath, Rita Margarida Magalhães, Brie Tripp, Anna J. Zelaya

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

In discipline-based education research (DBER), early career scholars, such as graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, observe a slew of possible career pathways. Yet, there is a lack of opportunities to learn about such pathways, particularly when transitioning from traditional science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) disciplinary training into a DBER position. Thus, the DBER Scholars-in-Training Professional Development subcommittee was created within the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER) community to develop a collection of workshops that would serve the greatest professional development needs of early career scholars entering DBER. Through a series of surveys disseminated over multiple …

Teaching Mathematics With Technology: Tpack And Effective Teaching Practices, Christopher R. Rakes, Michele L. Stites, Robert N. Ronau, Sarah B. Bush, Molly H. Fisher, Farshid Safi, Siddhi Desai, Ashley Schmidt, Janet B. Andreasen, Jon Saderholm, Lisa Amick, Margaret J. Mohr-Schroeder, Julian Viera

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Faculty Publications

This paper examines how 17 secondary mathematics teacher candidates (TCs) in four university teacher preparation programs implemented technology in their classrooms to teach for conceptual understanding in online, hybrid, and face to face classes during COVID-19. Using the Professional Development: Research, Implementation, and Evaluation (PrimeD) framework, TCs, classroom mentor teachers, field experience supervisors, and university faculty formed a Networked Improvement Community (NIC) to discuss a commonly agreed upon problem of practice and a change idea to implement in the classroom. Through Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, participants documented their improvement efforts and refinements to the change idea and then reported back to the …