Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Retention Rates In A Hbcu Community, Rian Stallings

Show Your Stripes Research and Creative Showcase

This project determines the impact of federally funded STEM programs on retention rates of the underrepresented minority (URM) returning to their HBCU after 2 semesters. A statistical analysis of university data will determine if there is a significant difference in the retention rates of the URM majoring in STEM who participate in federally funded STEM programs vs. URMs majoring in STEM who do not participate in STEM programs. Previous researchers found students well prepared academically but with unmet basic needs were more likely to transfer and more access to scholarships increase the likelihood of returning to school tied into financial …

Teachers’ Perception Of An Integrated Approach To Biology And Emotional Learning, Laura Ferreira González, Thomas Hennemann, Kirsten Schlüter

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Inclusive education requires that teachers not only teach academic knowledge and skills, but also consider the individual needs of all pupils, especially with respect to their social-emotional status. All teachers (including science and biology teachers) have to promote the well-being of their pupils by helping them develop social-emotional skills. The positive impact of these skills has been widely researched and documented. There is no doubt that academic achievements and social-emotional skills go hand in hand. However, only very little research data are available on how biology lessons and biology teachers can facilitate inclusive education in everyday school. The purpose of …

Teaching Basic Cryptography Concepts Using Braille And Large Print Manipulatives, Jason Martin

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

The scope of this article is to describe the creation and implementation of specialized adaptations used in teaching the subject of basic cryptography to students who are visually impaired or blind. Included is an overview of events held for visually impaired and blind transition age youth in Alabama and the methods used to engage this population in the subject of computer science. Teaching strategies utilized for this unique demographic of students are discussed as they relate to the sample cryptography lessons used during the transition day events. The construction of three forms of adapted ciphers are described in addition to …

Making 3d Laser Cut Stratigraphic Audio-Responsive Tactile Templates, Michael A. Kolitsky

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

The geologic method of stratigraphy which studies the structure of the earth by making layers was employed with 3D laser cutting techniques to make more easily defined tactile regions in templates of cells, tissues and anatomic regions containing muscles and bones. Templates were made audio responsive by hand-drilling a small hole in a template and filling that hole with conductive electric paint. A finger touch to the template top side now carries a charge similar to an electric circuit to the template bottom side resting on the surface of an iPad or iPad Pro where an audio button produces audio …

The Sals App: Making Chemistry Accessible With Ios Devices, Rosanne Hoffmann

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

A new version of SALS (Submersible Audible Light Sensor) consists of a wireless light-detecting probe, Bluetooth ® connected to the iOS SALS App. As in previous versions of SALS, changes in detected light are converted to changes in sound, the latter now rendered with iPhone or iPad audio. The SALS probe assists the student with visual impairment in a variety of science activities, including those involving liquids. For example, when the SALS probe is placed in a reaction vessel, changes in light intensity caused by a chemical reaction or color indicator change are converted to changes in tone in real …

Content Validity Of A Mathematics Placement Test For A Gifted High School, Hannah R. Anderson

Publications & Research

The Content Validity of a mathematics placement test at a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) gifted residential high school is examined. Data were collected from internal and external mathematics subject matter experts (SMEs) using a card- sorting task and were analyzed using Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA). Results demonstrate some congruence between the two configurations, suggesting marginal evidence of Content Validity.

Stem Stories, April 2019, #2, Brooke Wiese

STEM Stories

Student Profile - Lily Conrad

The Relationship Between Engineering Identity And Belongingness On Certainty Of Majoring In Engineering For First-Generation College Students, Dina Verdín, Allison Godwin

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

This paper seeks to understand the factors that support first-generation college students’ certainty of majoring in engineering. Data used in this study came from thirty-two four-year ABET- accredited institutions across the United States which has a total sample of 790 first-generation college students. We used the frameworks of engineering role identity and sense of belonging to understand the factors that influence first-generation college students’ certainty of majoring in engineering. Certainty is referred to as the degree of confidence or decisiveness an individual has with regard to their chosen occupational plans. First, we examine how first-generation college students’ engineering role identity …

Uni Science Education Update Conference, Save The Date Flier, Spring 2019, University Of Northern Iowa. Science Education Program.

Science Education Update Conference Documents

Announcement for the 2019 Science Education Update Conference

Uni Science Education Update Conference [Program] April 5, 2019, University Of Northern Iowa Science Education Program.

Science Education Update Conference Documents

The program for the Science Education Update Conference held on April 5, 2019 at the University of Northern Iowa.

Second Grade Students Learn About Civil Engineers And Erosion, Andrea Anderson

Annual Graduate Student Symposium

The integration of art into curricula focused on teaching science is a new perspective in education designed to reach a broader range of students. The current study examined the process of second-grade students participating in science and art activities through qualitative content analysis. The subjects of science and art were not taught to the students separately, rather, students engaged in both subjects simultaneously, in an integrated manner. Participants were 23 second-grade students (11 female and 12 male; age range 7 to 8 years) who were learning about erosion through sketching and creative construction and the work of civil engineers through …

How To Calculate Pi: Buffon's Needle (Non-Calculus Version), Dominic Klyve

Pre-calculus and Trigonometry

No abstract provided.

Stem Ready: Inspiring And Preparing Undergraduate Students For Successful Volunteerism In After-School Stem Programming With Marginalized Youth, Bailey N. Wagner

Community Engagement Student Work

The activities in which children and youth engage while outside of school hours are critical to their development, highlighting the need for quality afterschool programs that engage students – regardless of gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or minority classification. STEM Ready set out to study the effectiveness of an experiential education pedagogy approach in the design of a professional workshop for undergraduate volunteers who work directly with these marginalized populations in afterschool programs. This project hosted a training that gave the opportunity for afterschool volunteers to come together to be trained on STEM curriculum that has been developed in collaboration with …

Connectedness- Its Evolution And Applications, Nicholas A. Scoville

Topology

No abstract provided.

Ua64/2 The Challenge: Magazine For The Center For Gifted Studies (No. 46, Spring 2019), Center For Gifted Studies, Tracy Inman

Gifted Studies Publications

No abstract provided.

The Apollo 1 Fire: A Case Study In The Flammability Of Fabrics, With Supplemental Material For On-Line Appendix, Gregory A. Dilisi

2019 Faculty Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Measuring And Modelling How And When Effective Science Teaching Occurs, Elizabeth B. Lewis, Lyrica L. Lucas, Amy N. Tankersley, Elizabeth Hasseler, Brandon A. Helding

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Presentations

With new national science education standards, we must understand how to prepare science teachers capable of advancing reform initiatives. In a 3-year longitudinal study we adopted a multi-method approach to investigate beginning science teachers’ instructional practices. We analyzed transcripts, administered a teaching self-efficacy survey, observed science lessons, and documented weeks of lessons. Using this large dataset, we posed research questions about the use of NGSS scientific practices in teachers’ science lessons (Paper #1) and teacher- and student-level characteristics as it relates to teachers’ use of inquiry in the classroom (Paper #2). In order to expand our coding capability of science …

Greatest Common Divisor: Algorithm And Proof, Mary K. Flagg

Number Theory

No abstract provided.

Stem Stories, April 2019, #1, Brooke Wiese

STEM Stories

Featured Event - NASA Space Exploration Educators Conference (SEEC)

Establishing Enhanced Learning Outcomes In Science For First Generational Undergraduate College Students, Marianna Burks

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

First-generation students represent an increasing percentage of the demographic for college and university enrollment at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Since 2001, results from the National Center for Education Statistics Longitudinal Study, indicates ‘higher percentages of first-generations college students attended public postsecondary institutions-76 vs. 72%’ (Redford & Hoyer, 2017). There is insufficient research, however, concerning how first-generation students’ needs are different, even unique, from those students who are second- generation and beyond attending college (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2017). Since this increase of students enrolling in post-secondary education, ‘understanding the needs of first-generation students is imperative more now …

Who Can Excel In Mathematics?, Marla A. Sole

Publications and Research

Students may erroneously believe that mathematics ability is largely innate and fixed (Kimball and Smith 2013). The evidence seems to support these mistaken beliefs. Women and minorities score lower on the mathematics section of the SAT (College Board 2017). When assessing students’ mathematics college readiness, a larger percentage of women, African Americans, and Hispanics fell below the benchmark (ACT 2017); and, in general, in science, engineering, math, and technology (STEM) fields, the gender and racial gaps in interest, performance, and degrees awarded have not closed (Neuhauser 2015). Persistent performance gaps can serve to reinforce students’ mistaken belief that women and …

Why Domain-Specific Science Knowledge Matters In Teacher Certification: Focusing On Evidence For Effective Science Teaching, Elizabeth B. Lewis, Lyrica L. Lucas, Amy Tankersley, Elizabeth Hasseler

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

The landscape of teacher preparation is complex. From a research perspective, how to prepare teachers presents as a multilevel, multivariable puzzle. For decades, federal and state policymakers, educational researchers, and administrators, along with teacher education institutions, school districts, and other stakeholders have tried to determine and measure the key malleable factors that result in effective teaching (NRC, 2010).

Periodically, state departments of education review secondary science teaching endorsement policy guidelines. As revisions occur, teacher educators in higher education and district administrators need to engage in a multidisciplinary discussion about:

1. the ways in which strong domain-specific science content knowledge contributes …

The Hottest Color For The Fastest Ride: A Problem-Based Unit Of Instruction For The Elementary And Middle School Science Classroom, Madison Wells

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

There is a major gap in the availability of Next Generation Science Standard focused curriculum that effectively utilizes technology to solve real-world problems in an authentic way. “The Hottest Color for the Fastest Ride” will allow students to participate in the real-world application of reflection absorption of light and heat due to color through designing, building, and testing two dual-tone corvettes. This three-day unit of physics instruction designed for fourth- and fifth- grade science classrooms will be tied to a grand challenge that tasks the students with designing a dual-tone car that will stay cool during Kentucky’s hot summer weather …

An Introduction To The Algebra Of Complex Numbers And The Geometry In The Complex Plane, Nicholas A. Scoville, Diana White

Complex Variables

No abstract provided.

Elements Of Successful Education Abroad Programs For Stem And Vocational Students: Lessons From The University Of Wisconsin – Stout, Polytechnic, Amy Kelley

Capstone Collection

In a globalized economy, wherein manufacturing and knowledge trade are international, STEM – science, technology, engineering, math – and vocational degrees lead to international career paths. International experience through education abroad is relevant, therefore, to preparing STEM and vocational students preparing for these international paths. The University of Wisconsin – Stout, Polytechnic (Stout) serves as a case-study for the question: “What elements or structures of an education abroad program should be emphasized to build programs which best serve STEM and vocational students’ unique needs, creating an optimal environment for learning and growth, while preparing them for global careers?” Data collection …

How Participation In The Arts Impacts Learning Comprehension For High School Students During Stem Coursework At Two High Schools In Southwest Florida: A Case Study, Tiffany Lynn Jennings

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to understand how participation in the arts impacts Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) coursework for students at two Southwest Florida High Schools. Within the context of the study, the term “arts’ was used to collectively refer to all visual and performing arts courses, including painting, drawing, graphic arts, two-dimensional and three-dimensional, music, and theatre. Studies show that in order to be innovative, students need to have the experiences that the arts can foster in the right side of the brain, the side associated with creativity (Eisner, 2002). I chose a case study …

Promoting Tolerance Through Learning About Human Evolution And Creation Myths, Afsoon Alishahi

Doctoral Dissertations

The role that religion plays in the lives of humans is complex, contradictory, and deeply impactful. According to Allport (1979), religion has a paradoxical function in that it can either combat or contribute to prejudice. A meta-analysis by Hall, Matz, and Wood (2010) found a significant correlation between being deeply religious and having racial prejudice. Similarly, many social scientific studies since 1940 have concluded that religious individuals are more prejudiced than less religious individuals (Hunsberger & Jackson, 2005).

Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine whether gaining knowledge about human evolution, creation myths, and their relationship to religious …

Does Teaching The History Of Mathematics In High School Aid In Student Understanding?, Anne Campbell

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

This research will study the effect teaching the history of mathematics in a high school classroom has on student understanding. To accomplish this, lessons both including and excluding historical background on different topics were taught in an Honors Algebra 2 class in the high school setting. This research aims to engage student learning and investigation of topics that normally do not draw a lot of student focus and spark a new or revived interest in mathematics for students by broadening lessons to include material of which students would not otherwise be exposed. The lessons themselves aim to engage other current …

An Assessment Of The Effectiveness That Nild Educational Therapy© Has On Math, Reading, And Written Language Outcomes For Middle School Students With Academic Underachievement, Dawn Marie Brittingham

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

In the last forty years, the National Institute of Learning Development (NILD) spent time researching and cultivating the methodologies currently utilized in the cognitive mediation involving students struggling with academic underachievement. Research conducted over the last twenty years bares the efficacy and robustness that cognitive components of NILD provided to academic underachievers. Research focused on student populations enrolled in NILD Educational Therapy© (ET) divulged how NILD ET furnished research-based, cognitive techniques that scaffolded student-learning propensity. In recent years, researchers who studied academically underachieving students focused on the elementary-aged struggling learner population. In this dissertation, the researcher investigated students in the …

Science In The School Library Inquiry Model (Sslim): A Mixed-Methods Case Study Of The Implementation Of A Science And Information Inquiry Curriculum In An Elementary Library, Bree L. Ruzzi

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

Data indicate that students in the U.S. may start school with lower levels of science understanding and that these levels may consistently remain lower throughout their public-school career. With deficits in science achievement starting in the earliest years of students’ education, benefits may be gained by exploring alternate resources and alternative environments that can support young student’s science education and achievement. A largely unexplored area for science instruction is in the school library. This dissertation, a mixed-methods, case study, examined the creation and implementation of a novel information and science inquiry model and curriculum, SSLIM. This curriculum was created and …