Secondary Education Commons^™

The Design, Creation, And Cognitive Evaluation Of Ranking Tasks In Introductory Astronomy, Emily A. Welch

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Ranking tasks are a type of interactive formative assessment. They allow students to explore a concept by ranking similar situations for a specified variable, preferably without computation of that variable. I created two sets of introductory astronomy ranking tasks: the first connects the Hertzsprung–Russell (HR) diagram and the Stephan-Boltzmann luminosity equation; the second uses the transit method (TM) to rank exoplanets by comparing the depth, duration, and frequency of transits.

These tasks are designed within the constructivist pedagogical framework. They require students to call upon their own relevant schema to establish an assessment rule by which to rank the tasks. …

Message From The President / 7.28.21, Evan M. Glazer

Message from the President

No abstract provided.

Message From The President / 7.14.21, Evan M. Glazer

Message from the President

No abstract provided.

Academic And Demographic Patterns Of Students Placed In Early Algebra I Acceleration, Jill Smith

Dissertations

In the United States, there had been a push for Algebra for All in the early 1990’s in an effort to increase performance on international assessments and provide equity for low-income students and students of color. As the number of students in eighth grade Algebra I increased, a small number of students enrolled in seventh grade Algebra I also increased. The purpose of this quantitative study is to identify and evaluate demographic and academic patterns of students placed in this early acceleration at the middle school level looking at the continuation of acceleration, higher achievement, and an increase in the …

Contributors

Early College Folio

Contributors to issue 1 of Early College Folio

Table Of Contents

Early College Folio

Table of Contents | Issue 1 | Early College Folio

Early College Pedagogy: An Introduction To The Bard Early College Fellowship, Ligaya Franklin

Early College Folio

The author introduces the Bard Early College Fellowship, an opportunity for faculty from the network of Bard Early Colleges to craft a lesson series which centers Bardian pedagogical methods and student success. The author also highlights five projects that emerged from past fellows, also published in this issue.

Initiatives To Find The "Lost Einsteins" Through The Integration Of Independent Scientific Research Projects In Early College, Maria Agapito, Mini Jayaprakash, Tiffany Morris, Carla Stephens

Early College Folio

This exploratory study examines the effects of incorporating Independent Scientific Research Projects (ISRP) into early college biology curriculum. The authors present their findings, which are steeped in the goal of increasing minority students’ interest in STEM careers, by analyzing student engagement in classrooms with and without ISRP integration.

Equity-Oriented Conceptual Framework For K-12 Stem Literacy, Christa Jackson, Margaret J. Mohr-Schroeder, Sarah B. Bush, Cathrine Maiorca, Thomas Roberts, Caitlyn Yost, Abigail Fowler

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

We introduce a conceptual framework of K-12 STEM literacy that rightfully and intentionally positions each and every student, particularly minoritized groups, as belonging in STEM. In order to conceptualize the equity-based framework of STEM literacy, we conducted a systematic review of literature related to STEM literacy, which includes empirical studies that contribute to STEM literacy. The literature on the siloed literacies within STEM (i.e., science, technology, engineering, and mathematics literacy) also contributed to formulate the necessity of and what it means to develop STEM literacy. The Equity-Oriented STEM Literacy Framework illuminates the complexities of disrupting the status quo and rightfully …

Funds Of Knowledge As Pre-College Experiences That Promote Minoritized Students’ Interest, Self-Efficacy Beliefs, And Choice Of Majoring In Engineering, Dina Verdín, Jessica M. Smith, Juan Lucena

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Pre-college experiences both inside and outside of the classroom inform students’ interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related activities, help them evaluate their knowledge and skills in various tasks, and shape their perceptions of themselves as individuals who can participate in STEM. Yet little empirical research examines the valuable pre-college knowledge, practices, and skills that minoritized students acquire through their home experiences and how they can support students’ transition into an engineering pathway. This study addresses this gap by investigating how students’ funds of knowledge support their interest in engineering, self-efficacy beliefs, and certainty of pursuing an engineering major. …

Teacher Led Tier Two Intervention To Increase Student Academic Achievement, Cynthia Shepherd

Education Masters Papers

The purpose of this action research was to determine if the implementation of a tier two teacher led intervention would increase student academic achievement. A small group of ten students in a ninth-grade physical science class participated in the study. Data was collected over a period of three weeks using pre- and post- intervention surveys, an exit slip for self-assessment, researcher observations, comparisons of work completion and grades from previous grading periods, participant performance self-assessment, and a goal setting activity. Results show an inconclusive connection between the tier two teacher led intervention and student academic achievement. This is possibly due …

Setting Empirically Informed Policy Benchmarks For Physical Science Teaching, Elizabeth B. Lewis, Ana Rivero, Lyrica L. Lucas, Aaron Musson, Brandon Helding

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

In the United States, research on beginning science teachers provides little guidance regarding empirical minimum levels of discipline-specific science coursework for sufficient subject matter knowledge to teach science. Accordingly, in this study we analyzed secondary physical science teachers' science coursework for subject matter knowledge (SMK) and resulting misconceptions of chemistry and physics concepts. Findings were compared with state-level science teacher certification policies. Participants had either: (a) completed a master's level teacher preparation program with an undergraduate degree in science, (b) completed an undergraduate teacher preparation program with a minor degree or more in science, or (c) were undergraduate students enrolled …

Modeling Functions: Modified Falling Ladder Task, Nakia Salam

Symposium of Student Scholars

Modeling Functions: Modified Falling Ladder Task

By the time students graduate from high school, the knowledge of functions has shifted from a conceptual understanding to a procedural approach, where the understanding of functions is based upon memorized computational steps that can’t be modeled. A focus on the computational aspect of functions can have a long-term effect on students’ ability to understand the meaning of functional relationships, negatively affecting their overall ability to reason mathematically. Without educators making a conscious decision to recognize the value of modeling and force its’ inclusion, there are few opportunities to experience the application of functional …

The Effects That A Flipped Classroom Has On Engagement And Academic Performance For High School Mathematics Students, Jordan Geraets

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Flipped classrooms continue to spark educator’s attention and curiosity as an alternative to the traditional teaching and engagement in a classroom, especially during the time of a global pandemic. New, innovative technology has allowed for educators to be able to evolve their classrooms into new learning environments. Research into how flipped classrooms can impact mathematics classrooms and how students engage and perform differently than in a traditional mathematics classroom was expanded on in this study to determine what benefits there could be for students and how effective the teaching model can be in a class where students often struggle. As …

How The Covid-19 Pandemic Affected High School Student Mathematical Anxiety During Distance Learning., Ryan Christiansen

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Mathematical anxiety is the stress associated with an insecurity in a student’s own ability to solve a math problem (Beilock & Willingham, 2014). This stress can cause students to perform below their ability and put in motion a dislike for math that can last a lifetime. In the spring of 2020, a sudden interruption in learning, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, caused students to be separated from their teachers, setting up a situation in which students were not as fully supported as usual, and mathematical anxiety potentially increased. The previous research on students being separated from their teachers on …

Implementing Instructional Scaffolding To Support Secondary Students' Abilities To Write Mathematical Explanations, Camry J. Cowan

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This study examined the implementation of an instructional scaffolding teaching strategy in the secondary mathematics classroom. An iterative process was used to implement an initial design of instructional scaffolding, reflect on its efficacy, and adjust the design as needed. The goal was to assist students in learning to write responses of high epistemic complexity, which is an indicator of the degree of conceptual understanding. A total of 94 responses written by 35 students in two high school Algebra 2 courses were analyzed for epistemic complexity. Across three iterations of the implementation of instructional scaffolding, students wrote at the highest levels …

Mathematics Education: Good, Bad, & Ugly, Katie L. Johnson

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

A thought experiment centering around K-12 mathematics education, and the possible changes that may come about due to the use of technology and social learning.

Research-Practice Partnership Strategies To Conduct And Use Research To Inform Practice, Erin Henrick, Steven Mcgee, Lucia Dettori, Troy Williams, Andrew M. Rasmussen, Don Yanek, Ronald I. Greenberg, Dale Reed

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Given the complex challenges inherent in improving the quality of education, research-practice partnerships (RPPs) aim to bring together research and practice educators to conduct and use research to improve outcomes for students. This collaborative approach is challenging, and often requires members to adopt new ways of working (Coburn, Penuel, & Geil, 2013). RPPs have the potential to provide an infrastructure and mechanisms to integrate and unify research, policy, and practice, in contrast to traditional research processes in which research, policy, and practice can be in tension (Desimone, Wolford, Hill, 2016). The RPP literature is still young, and rich descriptions related …

Dots Explode In HawaiʻI, Veny Liu, Laurie James

Journal of Math Circles

Teachers are wonderful advocates of mathematics for future generations, and they are continually looking for ways to get students more engaged in mathematics. Through visuals and hands-on activities, the Exploding Dots concept can help teachers and students understand many elementary arithmetic and algebra topics. The implemented tasks promote problem-solving by allowing multiple entry points and varied solution strategies. This paper explored this idea beyond drawing clusters of dots by Locking Legos activity. With a thorough understanding of math content, participants in multiple Math Teachers’ Circle of Hawai‘i (MaTCH) meetings expressed confidence in creating and developing meaningful and relevant differentiated learning …

Netsci High: Bringing Agency To Diverse Teens Through The Science Of Connected Systems, Stephen M. Uzzo, Catherine B. Cramer, Hiroki Sayama, Russell Faux

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

This paper follows NetSci High, a decade-long initiative to inspire teams of teenage researchers to develop, execute and disseminate original research in network science. The project introduced high school students to the computer-based analysis of networks, and instilled in the participants the habits of mind to deepen inquiry in connected systems and statistics, and to sustain interest in continuing to study and pursue careers in fields involving network analysis. Goals of NetSci High ranged from proximal learning outcomes (e.g., increasing high school student competencies in computing and improving student attitudes toward computing) to highly distal (e.g., preparing students for 21st …

Metacognition In A Mathematics Classroom, Paige Murta

Honors Projects

The purpose of this action research study is to explore the connections between students’ ability to engage in metacognitive methods, their understanding of mathematical content, and their mathematical performance. By having a group of students engage in a lesson about metacognition and a mathematical modeling problem then comparing their test scores to that of a control group a correlation can be found to analyze the effects of metacognition methods in a mathematics classroom.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Effects Of Creative Video Games On Creativity, Haiqal Sazalli, Sharil Sungkono, Mohammed Rashaun, Khalis Muzakir

Introduction to Research Methods RSCH 202

The purpose of this research is to find the effects of creative games on the Creativity Quotient of human beings. Assessing creativity is based on divergent thinking consisting of fluency, originality and uniqueness in thinking methods. The theoretical framework assesses the creative thinking of candidates through a 4-week gaming programme consists of a pre-and post-assessment of the Creativity Quotient Test which consists of 10 critical thinking questions. These questions will test the fluency, originality and uniqueness of the candidates. To provide a fair result, the same questions will be used for the pre-and post-assessment. Results will prove that games are …

Instructor Strategies To Alleviate Stress And Anxiety Among College And University Stem Students, Jeremy L. Hsu, Gregory R. Goldsmith

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

While student stress and anxiety are frequently cited as having negative effects on students’ academic performance, the role that instructors can play in mitigating these challenges is often underappreciated. We provide summaries of different evidence-based strategies, ranging from changes in instructional strategies to specific classroom interventions, that instructors may employ to address and ameliorate student stress and anxiety. While we focus on students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the strategies we delineate may be more broadly applicable. We begin by highlighting ways in which instructors can learn about and prepare to act to alleviate stress and anxiety. We then …

Ethnography: Building A Thriving Classroom Community In The Face Of A Pandemic, Joshua Timothy Jackson

Claremont Graduate University School of Education Teacher Education

A dive into the ride of a first-year teacher, which was also taught an entire year virtually. An extremely intensive look into the skills needed to grow as a secondary school teacher, in a situation that has never been experienced before. This paper also explores the foundations and scaffolds a teacher needs in order to become both a critical and socially just educator for all students within their classroom. The aspect of community is felt heavily throughout this journey, and the idea that communities are the very keystone of every single classroom; student-to-teacher community, student-to-student community, and classroom-to-household community are …