Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Stitching Dedekind Cuts To Construct The Real Numbers, Michael P. Saclolo

Analysis

No abstract provided.

Instructional Strategies And Rigor: Private School Administrator And Teacher Perspectives On Improving Minnesota’S College Mathematic Readiness, Nichelle Guillaume

Education Doctorate Dissertations

Instructional Strategies and Rigor: Private School Administrator and Teacher Perspectives on Improving Minnesota’s College Mathematic Readiness (May 2021)

This qualitative study explored private high school administrator and teacher perspectives on instructional strategies and rigor to improve Minnesota’s college mathematic readiness. Data collection sources for the study included individual interviews, focus groups, and document review. The study produced four emergent themes from the data collected in the individual interviews and focus groups: (a) Importance of Productive Struggle in Mathematic Instruction; (b) Necessary Balance of Mathematical Conceptual Understanding with Skill Acquisition; (c) Connection of Continuous Assessment to Mathematic Content Mastery and (d) …

Modeling Through Model-Eliciting Activities: An Analysis Of Models, Elements, And Strategies In High School. The Cases Of Students With Different Level Of Achievement, Jair J. Aguilar

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

A mathematical client-driven task known as Model-Eliciting Activities was implemented with students of different levels of achievement (i.e., low, average, and high) at the high-school level. The study strived to prove that Model-Eliciting Activities can be solved by students at any achievement level and be used as an assessment tool. Students collaborated in teams of three to develop solutions that met the client’s needs. The model-solutions were compared and contrasted among several dimensions and achievement levels, considering the quality of the final product-solution based on the Quality Assessment Guide, the intermedia product composed of the type of models created, the …

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 33, No. 1, April 2021

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

In This Issue of Hexapod Herald

• Student News - p. 2-3

• Alumni News - p. 4

• Faculty News - p. 5

• Dr. Scott Hutchins visits UNL campus - p. 6

• Publications - p. 6

Stop-Motion Animation To Model The Analemma, Leslie Atkins Elliott, Amanda Hunter, Carl Krutz, Shakayla Moran, Elliot Sherrow

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Sun does not return to the same position in the sky every 24 hours. At local noon, for example, the Sun will appear higher in the sky as we move from winter to summer solstice. In addition, and perhaps more surprisingly, solar days (the roughly 24 hours between subsequent local noons) vary in length, causing the Sun to be east or west of its location 24 hours prior. Over a year, this variation traces out a figure 8, known as an analemma, as shown in Fig.1. It can also be seen in the sundial in Fig. 2, where the …

Investigating Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Virginia Computer Science Standards Of Learning: A Qualitative Multiple Case Study, Valerie Sledd Taylor

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Computer science education is being recognized globally as necessary to better prepare students in all grade levels, K-12, for future success. As a result of this focus on computer science education in the United States and around the world, there is an increased demand for highly qualified teachers with content and pedagogical knowledge to successfully support student learning. As a result, there is a call to include and improve the computer science training offered to pre-service teachers in their educator preparation programs from methods courses to practicum and student teaching experiences. Thus, it is important to understand how pre-service teachers …

The Importance Of Using Manipulatives In Math Class, Jennifer Lange

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This literature review synthesizes research on how the use of manipulatives in math class benefit the learner. The problem is that the students are not always given the opportunity to explore and learn through the use of math manipulatives in order to gain a strong foundation and understanding of mathematical concepts. The purpose of this literature review is to explore the benefits of using manipulatives in the classroom and the impact it has on student achievement levels. The literature review is made up of research studies published within the last 10 years and explores the different types of manipulatives, levels …

Program And Proceedings: Nebraska Academy Of Sciences 1880–2021, 141st Anniversary Year, One Hundred-Thirty-First Annual Meeting, April 23-24, 2021

Nebraska Academy of Sciences: Programs and Proceedings

Program

Aeronautics and Space Science

Anthropology

Applied Science and Technology

Biological and Medical Sciences

Collegiate Academy: Biology

Collegiate Academy: Chemistry and Physics

Earth Sciences

Environmental Sciences

General Chemistry

General Physics

Teaching of Science and Mathematics

Friend of Science Award: Paul Karr

Standardized Tests: Effects On Science Education And Diversity In Science, Rachel A. Rucker

Honors Thesis

Standardized tests are ubiquitous in the American educational system. The excessive use of standardized tests has led to a decrease in taught content and has pushed teachers at the high school level to adopt less effective teaching styles that are also extremely common for introductory STEM courses at the undergraduate level. The heavy reliance on ACT and SAT scores for acceptance into college is misplaced, as the ACT/SAT are poor predictors of STEM college graduation. Also, underrepresented students (women, racial minorities, and lower socioeconomic groups) are disproportionately impacted by the heavy use of standardized tests. These students tend to score …

Stem Education As A Vital Preventive Response To A Pandemic, Emily Faulconer, Katherine Baker, Oliver Grundmann, Sarah Haines, Tyra Hall-Pogar

Publications

T he extraordinary work to develop feasible vaccines, effective medical treatments, and accurate epidemiological studies to alleviate the SARS-CoV2 pandemic would not have been possible without collaboration between academia, industry, government laboratories, and regulatory agencies that speak the common language researchers around the world know—science!

Action Research Project: Using Mobymax To Increase Student's Fact Fluency, Brooke Faber

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This action research was pursued by the researcher's inquisitiveness about math fact fluency specifically using the technological platform MobyMax Fact Fluency to help boost student's fact fluency. The researcher is a first-grade teacher in her 8th year of teaching. The whole class of 17 students were a part of the class-wide research study. The five-week study examined the use of technology in the classroom. Specifically, the use of MobyMax Fact Fluency to determine if students showed growth in their fact fluency knowledge. Throughout the study, students were progress monitored every two weeks. The data suggests that with the implementation of …

Math Fact Fluency Instruction, Kelsey Nickel

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This literature review investigates the purpose and importance of math facts instruction at the elementary level. Being able to know basic math facts both fluently and accurately is the foundation of mathematics education. There has been research showing the lack of math facts knowledge for the students in the United States compared to their peers in other countries. Math curriculum does not focus on math facts instruction enough to achieve mastery without the use of supplemental strategies. There has been research done on the strategies to study the effectiveness. These strategies include rote memorization strategies, computer assisted instruction, educational games, …

The Effect Of Interleaved Practice In A High School Chemistry Class, Alex Herrington

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Determining practices to produce optimal learning outcomes is a foundational objective for educators. Recent publications have identified the importance of practice sequencing structures (blocked vs interleaved) on learning. While this information has significant value for education, few studies have been conducted in authentic educational environments. This action research involved high school chemistry students (n=25) completing a practice assignment covering mole-mass conversions. One group practiced these problems in a blocked organization while the other was interleaved. Immediately following this assignment, students noted their completion time and rated their perceived difficulty. Three days later, students were given an unannounced interleaved assessment of …

The Effect Of Cold-Calling On Voluntary Participation In A Middle School Science Classroom, Kris Birkland

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This action research study investigated the effect of cold-calling on voluntary participation in a middle school science classroom. Four sections of an eighth grade science class were observed: two of the sections were with a teacher who used cold-calling often, and two of the sections were with a teacher who does not use cold-calling. An observer recorded the number of students who volunteered to answer a question after it was first asked. Although the students in the class with the teacher who used cold-calling frequently had higher rates of voluntary participation, the results were not statistically significant; therefore, there is …

Influence Of Learner Motivational Dispositions On Mooc Completion, Robert L. Moore, Chuang Wang

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This study examined the role motivational dispositions had on completing a massive open online course (MOOC) using identifiable data from 10,726 students who enrolled in an iteration of the HarvardX MOOC, Super Earths and Life. As part of the course registration process, learners had the option to complete a pre-course survey and self-report information including their level of education, gender and registration motivations. Using these pre-course survey responses, latent profiles linked to learners’ course performance were created. Results showed education background, gender, and motivation were all significantly related to students’ performance. Furthermore, students with intrinsic motivational dispositions performed better than …

Teacher Perceptions Of Teaching Science Using The 5e Instructional Model, Erica Sheilasha Gaines

Theses and Dissertations

Changes made to science education on the national level caused many changes for state education systems. In the state of Georgia, science education instructional leaders also saw the need for a change in the way science needed to be taught to students. Due to the need to improve science teaching and learning and to increase interest in the STEM fields, Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science were released in 2016. Science teachers were required to shift their instructional practices to teach science as a practice by engaging students in specific tasks aligned to science and engineering practices. This study focused …

Perceptions Of Secondary Administrators: Looking At Their Experiences And Practices Supporting Science Instruction, Venicia Ferrell

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Secondary school administrators play a vital role as instructional leaders, specifically those that are aimed at improving students’ learning of science content (Hill & Grossman, 2013). Unfortunately, administrators rarely have a background in science (Halverson et al., 2011). Little is known about an administrator's knowledge of science practices and their ability to support science instruction at the secondary level. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to explore the relationship between the structure and focus of an administrator’s instructional roles and their capacity to foster quality science support and instruction for teachers and students. Administrators' perceptions of effective support actions …

The Pósa Method: Students' Perceptions Of Hungarian Mathematics Pedagogy, Lauren Seidl

Senior Theses

This study examines the reactions and experiences of students who are educated under the Pósa method, a Hungarian mathematics pedagogy previously employed in mathematics camps designed for gifted students. The focus of this research was to analyze the experiences of students in a Pósa method class in Budapest, Hungary. The holistic approach of gathering historical, qualitative, and analytical data pursued answers to the subsequent three research questions that guided the study: What do the students at Petrik School think about the Pósa method? What do the students in the Pósa method class think about math? What do the students’ and …

Girls In Stem Day: From Space To Dna, An Analysis Of Middle School Girls' Interests In Stem Fields, Emily Carter

Undergraduate Research Symposium Podium Presentations

Research specifically targeted at youth participation in STEM highlights the importance of community engagements outside of school to bolster interest in STEM. We ask the research questions: (1) How do girls who engage with a day-long STEM event at UNLV perceive hands-on science activities? (2) How did girls’ enjoyment of science activities shift their interest in science topics? The purpose of this study is to identify factors that influence middle school girls’ interests in STEM fields through a day-long STEM event. This research was conducted at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in 2020 called Girls in STEM Day …

Increase Enrollment Of Underrepresented Students In Advanced Mathematics Classes: A School Improvement Plan, Sarah Dougherty

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Providing minority students with the opportunity to engage in advanced mathematics courses affords them access to more engaging learning opportunities, increased motivational beliefs towards mathematics, and potentially higher future earnings dependent on the career they pursue. Examining the present enrollment statistics in math courses at the research site, the need to transform the enrollment in advanced math courses to represent the school population demographics is revealed. In response, a school improvement plan was developed using research-based initiatives. This plan includes teaching a mixture of advanced and non-advanced math courses, teachers advising non-AP and non-IB students to enroll in advanced math …

Rural Elementary Teachers And The Impact Of Professional Development On Mathematics Instruction, Heather Rockwell

All Theses And Dissertations

Rural elementary math teachers often lack a background in mathematics and even those with a strong mathematics background can sometimes struggle to model elementary math concepts (Holm & Kajander, 2019). Professional development (PD) provides teachers with an opportunity to increase their knowledge and skills while in the field. Although there are clear guidelines of what constitutes high-quality PD, not all PD achieves the same outcomes for teachers and students. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to understand PD experiences from the viewpoint of the rural elementary teachers, specifically the ways the PD experiences impact teacher efficacy and …

Examining Motivation As A Mechanism For The Effects Of Stereotype Threat On Stem Outcomes: A Longitudinal Mediation Analysis, Delaram A. Totonchi

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Although African-American students start STEM majors with higher levels of interest compared to their racial majority peers, they drop out of these majors at higher rates. One often tested explanation for this racial disparity is stereotype threat–the anxiety related to being judged stereotypically or the fear of confirming such stereotypes. Stereotype threat negatively impacts academic outcomes through a variety of psychological mechanisms including declined motivation. Accordingly, in this study, I examined expectancy-value beliefs as motivational mechanisms for the effects of stereotype threat on STEM outcomes. Participants were 362 African-American students in introductory chemistry and biology courses who completed surveys at …

A Multi-Case Examination Of Training Of Self-Explanation When Combined With Worked Examples, Laura Leveridge Stapleton

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

As more students enter higher education unprepared for college level mathematics, amelioration of deficiencies may be a key barrier which, once faced, will increase overall college graduation rates (Attewell, Lavin, Domina, & Levey, 2006). Corequisite courses offer the opportunity for the underprepared learner to take the gateway mathematics course with support (Complete College America, 2012). Upon passing, mathematics and STEM courses will “unlock,” thus allowing the learner to successfully complete their degree requirements. Faculty are challenged to retain the rigor of college-level coursework while supporting learners who possess a wide range of mathematics levels (Daugherty, Gomez, Carew, Mendoza-Graf, & Miller, …

The Corridor Of Shame: An Immersed Analysis Of South Carolina Schools, Darren R. Burton

Senior Theses

This research project discusses school funding instruments of rural and urban schools in South Carolina and uncovers its effect on student academic achievement. Educational achievement is assessed based on report card datasets between 2018 and 2019, containing South Carolina Assessment of State Standards (SCPASS) score data and South Carolina College and Career Ready Assessment (SCREADY) score data. This research project uses a comparative analysis to evaluate each group’s performance in the subjects of English Language Arts and science. The statistical analysis tools that this research project uses include analysis of variance (ANOVA), linear regression analysis, and Microsoft Power BI. The …

Empowering Elementary And Middle Level Science Educators: Keeping Pace With Instructional Trends In Science Education For The 21st Century, Julie E. Vowell, Marianne Phillips

MLET: The Journal of Middle Level Education in Texas

This article emphasizes current pedagogical themes that are important for elementary and middle school science instruction. Discussion topics include the following: (1) Integration (2) Differentiating for Young Learners (3 ) Creating a Balanced Classroom: Person-Centered Instruction (Freiberg, 2002) (4) Inquiry-Based Instruction (5) Maximizing the “Aha” Moment of Learning (6) Cognitive Benefits from Classroom Discourse (7) Including Purposeful Content (8) Integrating Technology (9) Standards-Based Instruction (10) Working Cooperatively in the Science Classroom (11) Authentic Science and (12) Understanding the Methods of Science.

Arab Undergraduate Students' Perceptions Of Their Transition To Learn Mathematics In English In The United States, Annetta Hastings

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The number of students who choose to pursue higher education outside their home country has continued to grow, and one of the most popular international destinations is the United States. International students, whose home language is not English, can find this educational opportunity to be academically challenging. Institutions of higher learning can admit international students and expect them to adjust to the linguistic, cultural, and social differences in a new educational system without appropriate support. To better support international students in undergraduate mathematics, researchers have focused on how language and culture affect mathematical understanding (Barton & Neville-Barton, 2003; Durand-Guerrier et …

Exploring Factors In Choosing Stem Majors And Careers: Improving Science Education Through The Lens Of Self-Determination Theory, Lauren Mott

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Several barriers currently exist for students who could be successful in science/STEM careers but have not had the support they needed throughout their science/STEM education. This study of the literature applies Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to existing research to identify steps educators can take to remove these unnecessary barriers for their students. SDT defines competence, relatedness, and autonomy as three innate psychological needs that must be met for well-being. An exploratory review of the literature was conducted, and findings were organized using SDT. The results showed that competence, relatedness, and autonomy were all key factors in students’ self-determination of science/STEM careers. …

Personal Reflections / 3.18.21, José M. Torres

Personal Reflections

No abstract provided.

Young Adolescents’ Opportunity To Develop Concept Images Of Polygons In Middle School Mathematics Textbooks, Megan N. Cannon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Young adolescents build notions of figures through experiences. When young adolescentsbegin middle school mathematics, they already have prior assumptions and conceptualizations about shapes (Herbst, Fujita, Halverscheid, & Weiss, 2017). Over years of experiences, interactions, and exposures with a particular concept, these students develop concept images consisting of all the visual information, pictures, mental images, or properties associated with the particular mathematical concept (Vinner, 1983). Seminal works in the field of mathematics education research found that without an opportunity to engage with varied representations, young adolescent students may not develop robust concept images (Aspinwall, Shaw & Presmeg, 1997; Hasegawa, 1997; Mesa, …

Unit #6: Animals - Remote Learning Activities, Lindsey Herlehy, Cassandra Armstrong

Little STEAMers: Early Learning Program

No abstract provided.