Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

The Effects Of Using Selected Metacognitive Strategies On Act Mathematics Sub-Test Scores, Jeffrey Lemay

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quasi-experimental post-test only control group designed quantitative study examined whether or not members of an experimental group of participants who utilized two metacognitive strategy training regimens experienced a significant increase in their ACT mathematics sub-test scores compared to a group of students who did not utilize either of the study’s metacognitive strategy training regimens. Using a post-test only control group design required 2 groups of participants: 1) the experimental group, and 2) the control group. Participants began the study’s treatment on October 26, 2015, and the study ended on December 12, 2015, when all participants of the study took …

Comparing The Effects Of Elementary Music And Visual Arts Lessons On Standardized Mathematics Test Scores, Molly King

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to compare the effect elementary music and visual arts lessons had on third through sixth grade standardized mathematics test scores. Inferential statistics were used to compare the differences between test scores of students who took in-school, elementary, music instruction during the same semester state standardized mathematics tests were administered and those who took in-school, elementary visual arts instruction during the same semester standardized mathematics tests were administered. The students attended seven elementary schools in the same North Alabama school district. The research questions were: (a) Does participation in elementary school music lessons …

Facilitating Conceptual Learning In Quantitative Chemistry, Sarah R. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traditional chemistry laboratory courses have a manual consisting of “step-by-step” experiments; instructions are given to complete experiments, requiring minimal information/concepts processing to be successful. This experience leaves students unprepared for the real-world, where critical thinking skills are needed to conduct research. This study focused on building analytical techniques, conceptual knowledge, and critical thinking skills used to solve research problems. A new quantitative chemistry laboratory manual was developed to transition students from traditional to inquiry-based experiments, requiring analytical method development. Data showed students having less difficulty using the new manual (0.8281 average difficulty) on method development exam questions and experiments, compared …

Designing Sewn Circuits And Stem Self-Efficacy In Middle School Girls, Kara Kaiser

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine if the experience of designing and sewing LilyPad Arduino circuits in crafts projects can increase middle school girls’ STEM self-efficacy. Boys STEM self-efficacy will also be assessed to determine if LilyPad Arduino circuits can also increase boys’ STEM self-efficacy. Researchers have been wondering why there is a male dominance in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields and why some women do not have a particular interest in these subjects. There are several reasons this could happen; stereotypes conveyed to them by parents and/or teachers, they genuinely are not interested in STEM …

Retention Effects Of An Experiential Pedagogical Approach, Kelsea E. Adams

Senior Honors Projects

The quality and nature of delivery of education, especially at the K12 level is a major focus of the education reform movement. As an aspiring teacher, I am interested in developing a personal understanding of the efficacy of different modes of delivery. A large body of studies has examined the differences between experiential learning versus traditional classroom learning as well as effects on student retention. Traditional classroom learning involves literary texts, PowerPoint presentations and teacher-centered learning. In contrast, experiential learning is a hands-on, real world experience that provides students with an environment to expand their critical thinking skills and apply …

Multivariate Thinking In An Intro Stats Course – Is It Possible?, Beverly Wood

Publications

Many of our students have an intuitive sense that there is more to the story than univariate or bivariate data can tell us. We can acknowledge and encourage that habit of digging deeper by demonstrating some ways to look at additional variables. Simpson’s paradox and side-by-side scatter plots are ways to provide a glimpse of more complex analysis that are accessible to students in an introductory course with or without strong quantitative skills.

The Experience Of Teaching Online Secondary Science, Cynthia Ann Clark

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The experience of teaching online secondary science was investigated through the lens of developmental phenomenography. Recorded phenomenographic interviews were conducted with thirteen secondary science teachers who were teaching online in two countries and four states. After analyzing the transcripts individually and as a whole, seven themes were identified: (1) Virtual Labs and Learning, (2) Student Learning and Factors Involved, (3) Communication and Instruction, (4) Teaching as Collaboration/Social Aspect, (5) Teaching and Learning as Assessment, (6) Curriculum Effects on Teaching and Learning, and (7) Online Structure Effects on Teaching and Learning. The structures of awareness of these seven themes formed the …

A Case Study: Students' Mathematics-Related Beliefs From Integrated Stem Model-Eliciting Activities, Cathrine Maiorca

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This case study examines the mathematics-related beliefs of fourth and fifth grade students who participated in an after-school integrated science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) program where participants completed four Model-Eliciting Activities. The research questions addressed by this study are, What is the nature of the change in mathematics-related beliefs of students who participate in an after-school MEA program? In particular, what is the difference, if any, of the nature of the change in beliefs across varying ability levels? The framework used to describe these beliefs was developed by Kloosterman and includes beliefs about the nature of mathematics and mathematics …

Eight Steps To Weight Loss: Development Of An Evidence-Based Collaborative Provider-Patient Workbook For Overweight Or Obese Adults, Katherine Ann Wagner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Despite decades of effort on the part of health care providers and policy makers to reduce the prevalence of obesity, the prevalence of obesity in the United States remains high (CDC, 2015). In the adult population ages 20 years of age and older, 35.7% are considered obese. The annual medical costs for people who are obese are $1,429 higher than people of a healthy weight (CDC, 2013). Obesity increases the risk for chronic health conditions such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, coronary heart disease, stroke, asthma, arthritis, and cancer (Hammond & Levine, 2010). Over-weight and obesity are the main …

Instructional Approach And Mathematics Achievement: An Investigation Of Traditional, Online, And Flipped Classrooms In College Algebra, Dustin Daniel Files

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship three different instructional models had with students’ mathematics achievement. The research factors included group membership (flipped, online, and traditional), student demographics (gender, age, and race/ethnicity), and students’ affective domain (attitudes toward mathematics, mathematics self-efficacy with respect to algebra, and locus of control). The study used a quasi-experimental, modified nonrandomized pretest-posttest control group, involving intact classes of 117 students during the fall 2015 semester. The data collection instruments consisted of several different assessments: (a) a four-section questionnaire, (b) a test of prerequisite skills (TPRS), (c) three unit examinations, and (d) an …

Epistemic Beliefs Of Middle And High School Students In A Problem-Based, Scientific Inquiry Unit: An Exploratory, Mixed Methods Study, Jiangyue Gu

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Epistemic beliefs are individuals’ beliefs about the nature of knowledge, how knowledge is constructed, and how knowledge can be justified. This study employed a mixed-methods approach to examine: (a) middle and high school students’ self-reported epistemic beliefs (quantitative) and epistemic beliefs revealed from practice (qualitative) during a problem-based, scientific inquiry unit, (b) How do middle and high school students’ epistemic beliefs contribute to the construction of students’ problem solving processes, and (c) how and why do students’ epistemic beliefs change by engaging in PBL.

Twenty-one middle and high school students participated in a summer science class to investigate local water …

Reflective Assessment, Feedback And Academic Achievement In High School Mathematics, Nalline S. Baliram

Education Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of metacognitive strategies and content-specific feedback on student achievement in high school mathematics. Participants in the study consisted of a convenience sample of honors geometry students in grades 9 and 10 in a private high school located in Daytona Beach, Florida. Beyond answering the specific research questions raised in the study, an additional aim was to contribute to the growing body of knowledge pertaining to effective ways to use metacognitive instruction and provide effective content-specific feedback to improve student achievement and learning.

A quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control-group design with repeated-measures was …

Program And Proceedings: Nebraska Academy Of Sciences 1880–2016, 136th Anniversary Year, One Hundred-Twenty-Sixth Annual Meeting

Nebraska Academy of Sciences: Programs and Proceedings

Program

Aeronautics and Space Science

Chemistry and Physics

Collegiate Academy: Biology

Earth Science

Biological and Medical Sciences

Anthropology

Collegiate Academy: Chemistry and Physics

Environmental Sciences

Aeronautics and Space Science, Poster Session

Maiben Memorial Lecture: Juliane Soukup, “Riboswitches Turn Students onto Research” Teaching of Science and Mathematics

Applied Science and Technology

History and Philosophy of Science

Put Away Your Phone And Learn! How Technology Engages Or Disengages Students And… When It Is Good That Your Students Are Confused, Douglas K. Duncan

Discipline-Based Education Research Group Speaker Series

Some technology increases student learning, some decreases it. I will show evidence of both and discuss what makes the difference. Approximately 70% of college students now text during class, and no faculty member we studied saw even as much as half of the texting that occurred. Is there any viable way to stop this? What should instructors do about the use of laptops in class?

The second part of the talk will address the uses of confusion, presenting interesting data showing the type of confusion that leads to increased student learning. Part of the discussion will be how demos – …

Successful Female Students In Undergraduate Computer Science And Computer Engineering: Motivation, Self-Regulation, And Qualitative Characteristics, Melissa Patterson Hazley

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Computer Science (CS) and Computer Engineering (CE) fields typically have not been successful at recruiting or retaining women students. Research indicates several reasons for this shortage but mainly from three perspectives: social issues, exposure/prior knowledge and curriculum issues in K-12 settings. This mixed-methods research addresses a gap in the literature by investigating the motivation and self-regulation behaviors of successful female students who are studying computer science and computer engineering. The findings in phase one of this study indicated that learning and performance approach goals predicted adaptive strategic self-regulation behaviors including strategy use, knowledge building and engagement. Learning avoidance goals predicted …

Implementation Of Flipped Classrooms In A Non-Major Biology Course, Leah Good

Scholars Week

With major calls for reform in STEM education from professional organizations (e.g. AAAS, NIH, NSF), studies have found that faculty in higher education can improve student learning by changing their teaching from teacher-centered to student-centered. Change in teaching practice can be difficult, however, especially without significant training. One method of introducing student-centered teaching practices into the classroom is through the use of a flipped classroom model, where students engage in learner-centered activities within the classroom and receive passively-transmitted information outside the classroom. The focus of my study was two-fold, (a) to determine if the flipped classroom method affects student learning …

Math As Text, Rhetoric As Reason: Can The Humanities Save Math Education?, Elizabeth Melendez

KSU Journey Honors College Capstones and Theses

As a student I had always struggled hopelessly with math. I noticed many of my classmates and associates outside of school shared similar experiences with this subject. However, a unique convergence of fortuitous circumstances shed some much needed light on my difficulties with math. Using a creative and communicative approach, I was able to analyze my experience from a rhetorical perspective, which allowed me to see more clearly, not just the problem I was having with math, but the overall problems many seem to have with math education. My findings were astonishing and became the subject of my research for …

Concepts About Sedimentology And Stratigraphy In Undergraduate Geoscience Courses, Bailey Z. Kreager

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This two-part study examines sedimentologic and stratigraphic concepts in undergraduate geoscience courses. The first part seeks to identify the various types of interactive engagement strategies used in undergraduate science courses, how they are used and in what fields. It also looks at areas in which the geosciences have excelled in interactive engagement strategies. Published studies describing interactive engagement strategies in college-level courses were collected and coded, which identified six emergent types of interactive engagement strategies: (1) Polling, (2) Full-Class Discussion and Activities, (3) In-Class Group Work, (4) Out-Of-Class Group Work, (5) Online Work, and (6) Other types. Interactive engagement strategies …

Physics Comic Book: A Classroom Resource For Engaging Students, Jacob Bukkila

Undergraduate Research Symposium

For most students going through school, physics can be an intimidating course. Large and complicated textbooks are daunting, the material itself can sometimes be conceptually difficult, and on top of all that, physics uses the language of math to communicate ideas. Additionally, societal expectations have turned women away from the sciences, creating an unequal distribution of gender in science occupations. For these reasons, students are often intimidated by physics. The purpose of this project is to make physics more accessible to every student, especially women, through the use of a comic book. Comic books provide a multitude of advantages for …

21st Century Reasoning Modalities In Interdisciplinary Stem Education, Bryan Gallant

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

The overarching goal of the Institute for Interdisciplinary STEM Education (iå_STEMe) at Georgia Southern University is to improve student engagement and learning outcomes in STEM courses through immersion in authentic, real-world, problem-based and place-based educational settings. To accomplish this goal, iå_STEMe has partnered with 10 middle and high schools located in Georgia to incorporate a series of reasoning modalities developed to meet the requirements of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to develop STEM literate citizens capable of making informed decisions, and to open up opportunities to fill the growing need for STEM professionals. The reasoning modalities developed are Complex …

Building Exemplary Teaching Practices: Following The Paths Of New Science Teachers, Elizabeth B. Lewis, Ana Rivero, Aaron A. Musson, Jia Lu, Lyrica Lucas

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Presentations

There are few comprehensive studies of beginning science teachers that describe enacted teaching practices in terms of inquiry-based instruction, classroom discourse, assessment, and curricular choices, and explore how these factors interact with teaching self-efficacy. We conducted a 3-year, longitudinal study of four cohorts of master’s level science teacher education program graduates. We coded and analyzed 319 science lessons of new teachers from student teaching to third year post-program to describe teachers’ enacted practices and gathered annual teaching self-efficacy reports to examine teachers’ beliefs. Our analysis resulted in key findings relevant to future programmatic improvements. First, when we reviewed specific inquiry-based …

The Impact Of A Story-Based Lesson On Student Learning And Attitudes, Janice Marie Fulford

Research and Creative Activities Poster Day

Recent work by Stephen Klassen draws attention to specific structural elements that are thought to give stories their explanatory power in the context of physics. In this poster we report results of a study based on Klassen’s pioneering work but in the context of evolution. A mixed-method research study was conducted over two semesters at a Midwest university to determine if a story developed from the history of research on industrial melanism over the course of a three day lesson would result in improved student understanding of the concept of natural selection.

The study involved a direct comparison of two …

Why Are Students Doing Research? Examining The Motivation Of Students Involved In Undergraduate Research Programs, Andrew Layne Mcdevitt

Theses and Dissertations

Use of self-determination theory (SDT) within the science classroom focuses primarily on ways to integrate intrinsic motivation into students' identity. Experiential learning plays a large role in promoting learning by shaping students' interests, identity, and intrinsic aspirations. This phenomenological research study sought to understand how experiential learning experiences helped influence career aspirations of graduate students within ecological disciplines. By determining how their experiences met three basic psychological needs outlined by SDT (competence, autonomy, and relatedness), we were able to examine which regulators drove motivation.

In the qualitative pilot study, participants developed a genuine enjoyment and appreciation for their discipline as …

The Scientific Teaching Practices Survey For Undergraduate Stem Courses, Mary F. Durham, Jenny K. Knight, Brian Couch

Discipline-Based Education Research Group Speaker Series

The National Academies Summer Institutes on Undergraduate Education (SI) is a faculty development workshop in which STEM instructors are trained in the Scientific Teaching (ST) pedagogy and encouraged to implement its practices at their home institutions. While participants generally report positive experiences at the SI, it remains unclear how these experiences affect instructors’ teaching practices and associated student outcomes. As part of a larger effort to evaluate the SI, we developed a survey to gauge the frequencies of ST practices that could occur in undergraduate STEM courses. The ST Practices Survey is derived from the observable teaching practices described in …

Assessing Student Comprehension In Introductory Biology: A Comparison Of Free-Response And Multiple-True/False Exam Formats, Macy A. Potts, Brian Couch, Joanna K. Hubbard

UCARE: Research Products

Question format is an important consideration when designing instruments to gauge student comprehension. In many lecture-style courses, instructors must decide how to effectively test a large group of students. Two common types of question formats used for introductory biology exams are free-response (FR) and multiple-true/false (MTF). FR questions include a question prompt which students respond to with essay-style answers. Conversely, MTF questions include an opening question stem with accompanying statements to be marked as either true or false. The goal of this study was to determine the advantages and disadvantages of FR and MTF question formats for assessing student comprehension …

Binning For Equity And Access: Formative Assessment–Focused Teacher Professional Development For Middle School Mathematics Classrooms, Brent Duckor, Carrie Holmberg, Joanne Becker

Faculty Publications

While research has shown for over a decade that teachers who engage in formative assessment (FA) practices may have the most powerful impact on student learning (Black & Wiliam, 1998; Hattie, 2012) less is known about the development of teachers’ knowledge and use of formative assessment as they plan, enact, and reflect on their practice. Our qualitative case study focuses on how in-service middle school math teachers take up the specific moves (Author, 2014a) associated with formative assessment practice as they plan, enact, and reflect on their practices as part of a FA-focused professional development cycle of inquiry. The study …

Stem Stories, April 2016, #2, Mir Ashfaquzzaman

STEM Stories

Project Profile - Biogeochemical Evolution of the Atmosphere (BETA) Project

Using Just-In-Time Teaching In A Flipped Undergraduate Biological Systems Engineering Course, Jeyamkondan Subbiah

Discipline-Based Education Research Group Speaker Series

This study analyzed the role of the evidence-based instructional practice of Just-in-time (JIT) teaching integrated with the flipped classroom in an undergraduate biological systems engineering course. In the present paper we provide a detailed overview of the course design, development, and implementation of JIT in a flipped approach to instruction by communicating the technologies used, pedagogy employed to integrate online and in-class activities, and the collaboration between the instructional design support and instructor. Based on the results, we provide recommendations for engineering faculty that want to explore the flipped approach to teaching, examples for online learning activities and how to …

Using Interactive Engagement Strategies To Enhance Learning In College Science Courses, Bailey Z. Kreager, Leilani Arthurs

Discipline-Based Education Research Group Speaker Series

The number of decreasing science majors in U.S. institutions of higher education is connected to the quality of science instruction (Seymour, 1994; Daempfle, 2003) and resulted in nation-wide efforts to improve the quality of college-level science education (National Committee on Science Education Standards and Assessment et al., 1996; NGSS Lead States, 2013). This talk presents historical trends in the adoption of interactive engagement (IE) strategies in college-level science courses and presents one such IE strategy, lecture tutorials (LTs), in the context of sedimentology and stratigraphy.

To determine historical trends in the adoption of IE strategies, peer-reviewed journal articles accessible via …

Motivation For Mathematics: The Development And Initial Validation Of An Abbreviated Instrument, Kenneth Lee Butler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study outlines the development and initial validation of an abbreviated instrument intended to measure motivation for mathematics of university students in developmental algebra courses. I look across many of the predominant theories on motivation with the aim of representing several of these theories as latent constructs in a single instrument that is short enough to be administered in a reasonable amount of time, but inclusive enough that it could incorporate subscales representing multiple distinct latent factors. This study answers a call by researchers expressing a need to investigate relationships between disparate theories on motivation and is a response to …