Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

When Interviewing: How Many Is Enough?, William W. Cobern

Mallinson Institute Seminars

Researchers need to know what is an acceptable number for interview work How does one decide the acceptable number of people to interview? Or one might ask what is an acceptable N size for interview work?

Students' Perceptions Of Stem Learning After Participating In A Summer Informal Learning Experience, Thomas Roberts, Christa Jackson, Margaret J. Mohr-Schroeder, Sarah B. Bush, Cathrine Maiorca, Maureen Cavalcanti, D. Craig Schroeder, Ashley Delaney, Lydia Putnam, Chase Cremeans

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

Background: Informal learning environments increase students’ interest in STEM (e.g., Mohr‐Schroeder et al. School Sci Math 114: 291–301, 2014) and increase the chances a student will pursue a STEM career (Kitchen et al. Sci Educ 102: 529–547, 2018). The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of an informal STEM summer learning experience on student participants, to gain in-depth perspectives about how they felt this experience prepared them for their in-school mathematics and science classes as well as how it influenced their perception of STEM learning. Students’ attitudes and perceptions toward STEM are affected by their motivation, experience, …

Using Graphic Organizers To Improve Science Outcomes, Deana Lynn Elwood

Theses and Dissertations

This study looked at the outcome of using graphic organizers to improve student outcomes in the content area of science for students with special needs in an inclusion class in a high school in New Jersey. In total, there were five participants in this study who were all eligible for special education services. Of the five students in the study, four are under the category Other Health Impaired, and one student is autistic. All participants were demonstrating grade level performance as determined by their baseline data collection.

The data from the study illustrated that all five of the participants demonstrated …

Taking Professional Development From 2d To 3d: Design-Based Learning, 2d Modeling, And 3d Fabrication For Authentic Standards-Aligned Lesson Plans, Darran R. Cairns, Reagan Curtis, Konstantinos A. Sierros, Johnna J. Bolyard

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

There is currently significant interest in 3D fabrication in middle school classrooms. At its best 3D printing can be utilized in authentic design projects that integrate math, science, and technology, which facilitate deep learning by students. In essence, students are able to tinker in a virtual world using 3D design software and then tinker in the real world using printed parts. We describe a professional development activity we designed to enable middle school teachers who had taken part in a three-year Math Science Partnership program to authentically integrate 3D printing into design-based lessons. We include some examples of successful design-based …

Exploring Problem-Based Learning For Middle School Design And Engineering Education In Digital Fabrication Laboratories, Monica M. Chan, Paulo Blikstein

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

This is a research study of design and engineering classes that use a problem-based learning (PBL) approach in digital fabrication makerspaces in two middle schools. In these studies, teachers employ a PBL approach and provide an ill-structured problem scenario to facilitate design and engineering lessons in the FabLab (fabrication laboratory). Students in each school tackled different challenges that they defined for themselves in groups. This study provides examples of student-student interactions separated into key themes—defining specifications with teammates, personal exploration, and communication about discoveries. This study also provides examples of teacher-student interactions, and themes include demonstrations with tangible objects, discussing …

Stem Stories, September 2018, #2, Brooke Wiese

STEM Stories

Student Profile - Nicole Bishop

Pisa Australia In Focus Number 3: Motivation, Catherine Underwood

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australia

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) has collected information about student motivation in each cycle, but the types of motivation focused on has varied over the cycles in line with the major domain (or the main focus) of the assessment for that cycle – reading, mathematical or scientific literacy. The focus of PISA 2015 is on science learning. It collected data about students’ achievement motivation in relation to science learning using their responses to the following five items measured on a four-point Likert scale (strongly agree; agree; disagree; and strongly disagree): I want top grades in most or all …

Stem Stories, September 2018, #1, Brooke Wiese

STEM Stories

Faculty Profile - Benjamin Forsyth

Thinking Maths: Learning Impact Fund Evaluation Report: Addendum To The Evaluation Report, Katherine Dix, Hilary Hollingsworth, Toby Carslake

Literacy and numeracy

Thinking Maths is a three-term structured professional learning program for Years 6 - 9 mathematics teachers to engage middle school students’ mathematics learning. The Thinking Maths program has been developed by the South Australian Department for Education based on its Teaching for Effective Learning (TfEL) Framework. The program aims to address a significant drop in students’ mathematics performance in NAPLAN from Years 7 to Year 9. Thinking Maths supports teachers to improve students’ learning of mathematical content during the transition between Primary and Secondary school. Years 6 - 9 teachers participate in five professional learning days at 4 - 5 …

Thinking Maths: Learning Impact Fund Evaluation Report: Evaluation Report And Executive Summary, Katherine Dix, Hilary Hollingsworth, Toby Carslake

Literacy and numeracy

Thinking Maths is a three-term structured professional learning program for Years 6 - 9 mathematics teachers to engage middle school students’ mathematics learning. The Thinking Maths program has been developed by the South Australian Department for Education based on its Teaching for Effective Learning (TfEL) Framework. The program aims to address a significant drop in students’ mathematics performance in NAPLAN from Years 7 to Year 9. Thinking Maths supports teachers to improve students’ learning of mathematical content during the transition between Primary and Secondary school. Years 6 - 9 teachers participate in five professional learning days at 4 - 5 …

Development And Transfer Of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (Tpack) Of Special Education Teachers, Aleksandra A. Kaplon-Schilis

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation presents findings of three studies investigating the development and transfer of TPACK of pre-service and in-service elementary school special education teachers. The dissertation is presented in a non-traditional format including an introduction, three manuscripts submitted for journal publication, and a summary chapter. The purpose of the first study was to analyze development of TPACK of pre-service elementary special education teachers enrolled in a graduate level pedagogy course Integrating Technology in Mathematics and Science Instruction in Special Education and Inclusive Classrooms in a New York City public college. The study’s research question was to find out whether the TPACK- …

It's About Communities: The Commitment To Promoting A Culturally Competent Environmental Health Workforce, Clint Pinion Jr., Leslie D. Mitchell, Jason W. Marion

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Environmental health and public health are profoundly local. The Association of Environmental Health Academic Programs (AEHAP) firmly agrees and for this reason, it is important to have local environmental health experts who know the pulse of their communities. AEHAP believes in supporting the advanced scientific education of environmental health in these communities through people from these communities. Accordingly, AEHAP has sought to promote and support accredited environmental health programs among a diverse cross-section of the U.S. higher education landscape. AEHAP’s students are diverse in many ways, including socioeconomically, racially, ethnically, and culturally. The value of this approach enhances the overall …

Question 1: Plastic Straws; Question 2: Casino Sevens, Larry Weinstein

Physics Faculty Publications

The article offers questions on 1) the impact that American plastic straws have on the environment, and 2) the probable longest streak of consecutive sevens in casino craps games in the entire history of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Sources Of Students’ Difficulties In Learning Chemistry, David F. Treagust, Reinders Duit, Martina Nieswandt

Administration and Staff Articles and Research

Chemistry is a difficult subject to teach and to learn at both secondary and tertiary levels. Major learning difficulties are due to the particular views of chemistry phenomena that in many ways contradict intuitive and everyday views of the learners. As a result, major misunderstandings occur when students try to comprehend chemical explanations within the framework of their pre-instructional conceptions. This paper describes research findings on students’ pre-instructional conceptions in the domain of chemistry and on attempts to guide students from their conceptions to the core ideas of chemistry. Rather than providing an overview of students’ conceptions in various topics, …

A Qualitative Study On How Students With Visual Impairments Perceive Environmental Issues, Mustafa Ürey, Maşide Güler Mrs.

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Although there is a growing emphasis on determining how people perceive environmental issues, the studies composed of functioning members of society who happen to have visual impairments are still scarce. The scope of this current paper is aimed at revealing the environmental issue perceptions of middle school students with such conditions. As a part of a large-scale study, this paper presents qualitative data gathered from a well-structured interview protocol. The participants of the study were fifteen Turks from different regions who fell into the aforementioned group. In order to analyse the data, a content analysis technique has been adopted. The …

Self-Efficacy Of Early Childhood Teachers In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics, Ariella Rachel Donnelley Smith

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to identify the self-efficacy of early childhood teachers toward STEM subjects as measured on the Teacher Efficacy and Attitudes toward STEM Survey (T-STEM) and to explore factors that influence this confidence.

Methodology. A quantitative approach with two open-ended items was selected for this study, seeking to elicit both quantitative and qualitative data from participants. This approach allowed for multiple viewpoints to be expressed, with the qualitative data collected simultaneously with the quantitative data, and the former designed to illuminate reasons influencing the latter in a complimentary approach. The population for the study included …

Computational Thinking And Literacy, Sharin Rawhiya Jacob, Mark Warschauer

Journal of Computer Science Integration

Today’s students will enter a workforce that is powerfully shaped by computing. To be successful in a changing economy, students must learn to think algorithmically and computationally, to solve problems with varying levels of abstraction. These computational thinking skills have become so integrated into social function as to represent fundamental literacies. However, computer science has not been widely taught in K-12 schools. Efforts to create computer science standards and frameworks have yet to make their way into mandated course requirements. Despite a plethora of research on digital literacies, research on the role of computational thinking in the literature is sparse. …

School Shouldn’T End When The Bell Rings: An Exploratory Homeschooling Study, Mackenzie Dukelow

MA Research Paper

Homeschooling has experienced significant growth over the last several decades, yet little to no research has explored the relationship between homeschoolers and the public education system. Being the first to explore this relationship, the current study collected and examined data from 3 semi-structured interviews and 15 online homeschooling blogs in order to understand the growth of homeschooling in Ontario and the relationship between homeschooling and the public education system. The results of this study reveal the relationship between homeschoolers and the public education system varies significantly over time and locale, the challenges within each system and the difficulty of transitioning …

The 4 C'S Model - A Common Framework For Professional Aviator Development, Kenyatta Hents Ruffin

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

The United States Air Force currently has an acute shortage of pilots while simultaneously, the commercial airline industry is currently experiencing unprecedented growth. With 100's of thousands aviation professionals required over the next 15-25 years, the need for a collaborative and comprehensive approach to attract, motivate, and prepare the next generation of aerospace leaders is clear. The 4C's Model presents a partnered civil-military strategy to efficiently and effectively take youth from from the cradle to the cockpit. Through deliberate, engaging activities over the course of four distinct time periods—childhood, college, cockpit, career—with specific outcomes, the 4C's Model provides the National …

Robert James Baker (1942-2018), Obituary, Hugh H. Genoways, Robert D. Bradley, David J. Schmidly, Lisa C. Bradley, James J. Bull, Karen Mcbee, Meredith J. Hamilton, Peter A. Larsen

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

First paragraph:

On 30 March 2018, the science of mammalogy and the American Society of Mammalogists lost one of the most influential figures of the last half-century. Robert James Baker died quietly at his home in Lubbock, Texas (Fig. 1). He was born on 8 April 1942 to James Simeon Baker and Laura Cooper in Warren, Arkansas. His father was killed during World War II and his mother remarried, resulting in his growing up with six half-siblings. According to Robert’s autobiography in Going afield (330—number refers to specific publication in “Bibliography”), he spent a good deal of his youth with …

The Effects Of Motivation, Technology And Satisfaction On Student Achievement In Face-To-Face And Online College Algebra Classes, Hanan Jamal Amro, Marie-Anne Mundy, Lori Kupczynski

TxDLA Journal of Digital Learning

Demand for online learning has increased in recent years due to the convenience of class delivery. However, some students appear to have difficulties with online education resulting in lack of completion. The study utilized a quantitative approach with archival data and survey design. The factors of demographics, motivation, technology, and satisfaction were compared for face-to-face and online students. MANCOVA tests were performed to analyze the data while controlling age and gender to uncover significant differences between the two groups. The sample and population for this study were predominantly Hispanic students.

Motivation and Technology were non-significant, but satisfaction was proven to …

Share Your Expertise: Write For The Colorado Mathematics Teacher, Heather L. Johnson

Colorado Mathematics Teacher

What are you writing today? In this editorial, I invite you to contribute to the community and conversation by submitting an article to the new Colorado Mathematics Teacher.

From Soliciting Answers To Eliciting Reasoning: Questioning Our Questions In Digital Math Tasks, Heather L. Johnson, Gary Olson, Amber Gardner, Amy Smith

Colorado Mathematics Teacher

How can classroom teachers and task designers pose questions to promote students’ reasoning? The authors share a Toy Car task, developed in Desmos, then provide three design principles guiding task questions.

The Effect Of Imagine Math On High School Students With Learning Disabilities, Danielle Cabassa

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to: (a) examine the effectiveness of Imagine Math in increasing the engagement of students in a high school resource Algebra 2 classroom, (b) examine the effectiveness of Imagine Math in increasing the academic achievement of students in a high school resource Algebra 2 classroom, and (c) determine if students in a high school resource Algebra 2 classroom are satisfied with the use of Imagine Math. The research was conducted using single-subject design methodology. The study followed an ABAB alternating baseline pattern. Academic achievement was monitored through daily assessments, while engagements was evaluated in three …

Zooming Into A Tinkering Project: The Progression Of Learning Through Transitional Objects, Priyanka Parekh, Elisabeth R. Gee

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

The Maker Movement has been received by the field of K–12 education with great enthusiasm as a way of teaching STEM content to children. We call attention to and identify learning opportunities in children’s projects created in a playful, informal environment with easily available materials. In keeping with research in the field of maker education and learning sciences, we describe tinkering as a constructionist learning activity in which meaning making is captured through transitional objects (Bamberger, 1995). First, we examine one specific tinkering project and identify transitional objects within the project. Next, we discuss the process of meaning making as …

Alkene Ozonolysis In The Academic Lab, Patrick Dussault

Organic Peroxides: Safety Issues

The following information is offered as a guide based upon our experience with application of ozone for organic oxidations and hydroperoxide synthesis. Please send suggestions, requests, or corrections to [email protected].

Introduction and leading references

Overview of ozonolysis: Mechanism, Substrate reactivity, Typical reaction conditions, Reaction monitoring, Reaction work-ups

Safety Issues

Acknowledgements:

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The following provides a brief introduction to the application of ozonolysis within academic labs. Ozonolysis remains among the most frequently used of methods for oxidative cleavage of alkenes. While best known as a means by which to introduce aldehydes and ketones, ozonolysis can also be used to generate other …

Visualization Of Geospatial Data As An Analytical And Educational Tool, Richard A. Vu

STAR Program Research Presentations

World Wind is an open-source API developed for Java, Android, and browsers that is designed to visualize and interact with geospatial data. The Web World Wind client is composed of four major components: the HTML template, the globe, geospatial features, and application features. The template was implemented using Bootstrap and hosts the globe provided by World Wind. This globe draws its data from multiple imagery sources, including the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Map Service and Web Map Tile Service. This enables the application to perform and visualize complex calculations with multiple types of data such as weather and terrain. …

Map Of Mathworld: Identifying Core Practices For Successful Supplemental Instruction Of Community College Math Students, Shannon A. Patterson

Theses & Dissertations

At its core, this study is about developmental math which has been a problem in the United States for decades. Math teachers, at different academic levels, have assisted students through struggles with math. Research suggests that although math is a necessary skill, some students often fare poorly in the subject. Because of that, many formal, math support programs have been developed to assist students.

MathWorld is a math support program at St. Philip’s College that is available to math students for the purpose of receiving assistance on study skills and gaining understanding of mathematical concepts. The overarching purpose of this …

Examining Ec-6 Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions Of Self-Efficacy In Teaching Mathematics, Tonya D. Jeffery, Lisa D. Hobson, Sarah J. Conoyer, Karen E. Miller, Lesley F. Leach

Faculty Publications

Mathematics teacher quality has become a major focus in national education reform efforts. In addition, there is an increasing interest in the effectiveness of teacher preparation programs and the undergraduate preparation of elementary mathematics teachers. Empirical evidence suggests that teacher attitudes, behaviors and values, or dispositions, towards teaching have a significant impact on student outcomes. The purpose of this study is to survey juniors and seniors in an undergraduate teacher preparation program to gauge their perceptions of self-efficacy and comfort with teaching mathematics. The results have implications for, and reaffirm concerns about the undergraduate preparation of elementary mathematics teachers.

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 30, No. 3, August 2018

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Contents: Congratulations -- Department Buzz -- Hutchins Nominated for USDA Undersecretary - Welcome -- Student News -- Publications -- Blast from the Past -- Grants