Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Enhancing The Campus Experience: Helping International Students To Adapt To North American Campus Life, Qiaoying Wang

Open Access Theses

This thesis investigates how culture adaption topic can be applied to a design solution by enhancing international students experience on North American campus. Each year more than half a million international students enroll in American colleges and universities. Many will spend several years on a campus working toward their degree. Most of them arrive with clear academic goals, but they may have no clue what their social lives will be like. In that case, a common phenomenon that most of the international students need to get along with is called “Culture Shock”, which involves culture and academic adapting difficulties, limited …

Trigonometry: An Overview Of Important Topics, Lauren Johnson

All Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project was to help students achieve a better understanding of Trigonometry, in order to better prepare them for future Calculus courses. The project is a tutorial that walks the student through important Trigonometry topics. The topics range from, but are not limited to, finding the measure of an angle to analyzing the graphs of Trigonometric Functions. Each topic allows an opportunity for the student to assess their understanding by working through practice problems and checking their solutions.

At any university, incoming students will have a wide variety of mathematical backgrounds. These students differ in age, in …

Analysis Of Scientific Argumentation In Two Physical Chemistry Classrooms Using The Pogil Approach, Alena C. Moon

Open Access Dissertations

The benefits of facilitating argumentation in science education have been well reported (Jimenez-Aleixandre & Erduran, 2007). Engaging in argumentation has shown to model authentic scientific inquiry as well as promote development of content knowledge. However, less emphasis has been placed on facilitating argumentation in upper level undergraduate courses, though it is important for evaluating undergraduate curricula to characterize upper level students’ scientific reasoning. This work considers two implementations of the POGIL physical chemistry curriculum and evaluates the classroom argumentation. The researchers aimed to consider the content of the arguments and dialectical features characteristic of socially constructed arguments (Nielson, 2013). To …

Exploring The Relationship Between High School Diploma Requirements In Mathematics And College Remediation Rates, Derek J. Brown

Doctor of Education (EdD)

This study examined the relationship between the essential skill of math and college remediation rates using a dataset of 1,858 recent high school graduates attending public, 4-year Oregon universities. Using a logistic regression methodology, this study explored (a) the extent to which the essential skill of math improved college remediation rates, (b) the association between allowable essential skill of math sources of evidence and college remediation rates, and (c) the impact of the essential skill of math on students from various demographic backgrounds. Results from this study suggest the essential skill of math graduation requirement significantly predicts the likelihood of …

The Gold Standard And Education Intervention Research: A Consideration Of Middle School Mathematics Interventions As A Particular Case, Sarah Nielsen , '16

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

This thesis explores the benefits and drawbacks of various experimental designs, outcome measures, and specific methodological techniques in education intervention research. Through an analysis of nine top-tier journals in education, I describe which experimental designs and outcome measures are most commonly used in current middle school mathematics intervention research. Then, four case intervention studies with different experimental designs are closely examined. This discussion is juxtaposed with consideration of evaluation standards published by government agencies. Each study represents different discourses about the effectiveness of the intervention reported. Although the standards for intervention research no longer only promote randomized quantitative research, I …

Empirical Evaluation Of Different Features Of Design In Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Deyab Almaleki

Dissertations

Factor analysis (FA) is the study of variance within a group. Within-subject variance (WSV) is affected by multiple features in a study context, such as: the study experimental design (ED) and sampling design (SD), thus anything that influences or changes variance may affect the conclusions related to FA.

The aim of this study was to provide empirical evaluation of the influence of different aspects of ED and SD on WSV in the context of FA in terms of model precision and model estimate stability. Four Monte Carlo population correlation matrices were hypothesized based on different communality magnitudes (high, moderate, low, …

Earth Systems Science As Civic Participation: An Approach To Youth Action Research For Social Change, Ciara Williams , '16

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

Just as environmental justice challenges dominant notions of "environment" that cannot account for connections between social and natural processes, earth systems science pursues connections between science and society, challenging a dominant discourse which asserts that both can be fully understood without the other. Grounding "environment" and "science" as socially situated concepts helps to foreground, in turn, the ways that race structures exposure to risk and the exercise of citizenship both nationally and globally. My thesis draws on these discourses while focusing on youth as citizens and civic participation through the creation of an elementary school science curriculum.

The Impact Of Students’ Attitudes After Implementing A Leadership Collaborative Grouping Method In A Collegiate Technical Mathematics Class, Robert J. Belin

All Student Theses and Dissertations

This research paper explored students’ attitudes towards mathematics before and after the implementation of an experimental instructional method. The measurement tool that was used is the Mathematics Attitude Inventory for Students (ATMI). The experimental methodology implemented in the collegiate class is a leadership based cooperative learning model. Students were surveyed twice. The first installment of the ATMI was conducted prior to a mathematics unit that spanned three classes. The second installment of the ATMI survey was conducted after the unit was completed. Student surveys were assessed and determined if the experimental model had any impact of students’ attitudes towards mathematics. …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Educational Games In Promoting Interest And Understanding Of Gravitational Wave Physics, Jonathan Wheeler

Honors Theses

The LIGO Scientific Collaboration Education and Public Outreach group seeks to ameliorate the lack of public understanding of gravitational wave physics. One such effort is Black Hole Pong, a remake of the 1972 arcade classic developed by researchers at University of Birmingham, UK. Black Hole Pong differs from other educational games in that it stretches the laws of physics to make the user experience more exciting. Another effort has been my own work in developing a game called Chickens in Space where players can create mass, which coalesces and eventually forms black holes, which serve as obstacles to the players. …

Understanding Millennial, Generation X, And Baby Boomer Preferred Leadership Characteristics: Informing Today’S Leaders And Followers, Lee-Volker Cox

Dissertations

Purpose. This quantitative study’s purpose was to describe and determine the degree of difference and importance of leadership characteristics as perceived by Baby Boom, Generation X, and Millennial generational cohort followers in STEM-related U.S.-based or headquartered aerospace and computer organizations as measured by the Multigenerational Leadership Characteristics Questionnaire (MLCQ).

Methodology. This was a cross-sectional, nonexperimental, comparative and correlational quantitative, ex post facto study. A web-based MLCQ was developed after conducting an academic literature review. Participants used a 6-point Likert scale identifying the importance of 30 characteristics with 2 aggregation questions identifying the most and least important characteristics; 408 members of …

Teaching Critical Media Literacy Through Videogame Creation In Scratch Programming, Elizabeth Anne Gregg

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Critical media literacy (Kellner & Share, 2005) may better equip children to interpret videogame content and to create games that are nonviolent and socially just. Videogames are growing in popularity in classrooms. Yet educators and parents have concerns about the violent and stereotypical content they include. An earlier study based on the curriculum Beyond Blame: Challenging Violence in the Media (Webb, Martin, Afifi, & Kraus, 2009) examined the value of a media awareness curriculum. In this mixed-method study, I explored the effectiveness of a critical media literacy program that incorporated collaboratively creating nonviolent or sociallyjust games in teaching fourth-grade students …

Educational Use Of Social Media: Exploring Science And Engineering College Students' Perceptions About Utilizing Facebook To Enhance The Learning Of Physics, Angel Salvador Marquez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The aim of this qualitative investigation is to explore a group of science and engineering students' perceptions about utilizing Facebook to enhance the learning of physics. Particularly, a survey composed of multiple choice and open-ended questions was employed as to obtain participantsâ?? reactions on a proposed scenario where Facebook is utilized in an Introductory Classical Mechanics course as the medium to manage the following academic activities throughout the semester: examinations, class preparations, study guides, homework assignments, lab preparations, creating group studies, and class participation dynamics. Out of the 120 potential candidates, 106 of them accepted to voluntarily participate in this …

Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Disposition Toward Challenge And Its Impact On Teaching Practice, Yirah Mariana Valverde

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This two phase, sequential exploratory study focused on mathematics teachers' disposition toward challenge and its impact in their teaching practice and students' performance. This heavily qualitative study employed a mixed methodology to answer the following guiding research question: how do teachersâ?? disposition towards challenge affect teaching practice and what is the nature of that relationship?

During the initial phase (quantitative), two teachers who were enrolled in a graduate mathematics at a University in the southwestern U.S. were selected for the study (N=5). The goal of the class was to increase the participants' mathematical knowledge for teaching. The purposive selection was …

A Generalization Of The Difference Of Slopes Test To Poisson Regression With Three-Way Interaction, Melinda Bierhals

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Linear regression models involving interaction can use the difference of slopes test to compare slopes for various situations. We will be generalizing this process to develop a procedure to compare rates in a Poisson regression model, allowing us to consider unbounded count data as opposed to continuous data. We will apply this process to an educational data set from a sample of students located in two different Los Angeles high schools. Our model will include a three-way interaction and address the following questions:

• Does language ability impact the relationship between math ability and attendance in the same way for …

Effective Teaching Practices In Online Higher Education, Kim Mcmurtry

CCE Theses and Dissertations

In the context of continuing growth in online higher education in the United States, students are struggling to succeed, as evidenced by lower course outcomes and lower retention rates in online courses in comparison with face-to-face courses. The problem identified for investigation is how university instructors can ensure that effective teaching and learning is happening in their online courses. The research questions were:

1. What are the best practices of effective online teaching in higher education according to current research?
2. How do exemplary online instructors enact teaching presence in higher education?
3. What are the best practices of effective online teaching in …

Community College Faculty Dispositions Towards Blended Learning, Robin A. Hill

CCE Theses and Dissertations

Community colleges are being encouraged to find and provide access to higher education by offering more flexible course delivery methods to meet the needs of their diverse student body. At the same time, these institutions must retain their quality of instruction, accountability for learning outcomes, and institutional obligations. Blended learning, where students attend class both on campus and online, is promoted as one solution for attaining such goals. Among the four-year undergraduate population, blended learning has been shown to support student success, meet diverse learning styles, and meet institutional obligations; however, research within the community college population is limited. In …

Teaching Presence And Intellectual Climate In A Structured Online Learning Environment, Janice Marie Orcutt

CCE Theses and Dissertations

Teaching presence and its implications for the intellectual climate of an online classroom cannot be fully understood unless explored from the perspective of the instructors who experience it. Framed in the theoretical perspective of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model, this collective case study investigated the actions, intentions and perceptions of instructors with the intent of developing an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon of teaching presence as it was established in a structured online learning environment.

The experiences of selected successful instructors in this specific online context were explored to gain insight on how pedagogical choices influenced the establishment of …

Exploring Maintenance And Facility Operations Strategies For California Community Colleges, Virginia Parras Grande

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

California community college leaders are looking for strategies to sustain facilities and maintenance operations because the governor only approved the allocation of $87.5 million in the 2014-2015 Budget Act for facilities maintenance operations. Guided by the change and strategy theories, the purpose of this multicase study was to explore the strategies that a select group of college leaders have used to sustain or improve their facilities maintenance operations. The data collection process included a review of college planning documents and semistructured interviews with 10 senior administrators from 3 large California community colleges who have used strategies to address sustaining or …

The Relation Between Patient Education And Picc Line Occlusion, Patricia Louise Petroulias

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of using an electronic tablet to supplement patient and caregiver education about PICC line maintenance and to compare the percentage of PICC line complications in the intervention group with national percentage rates for patients and caregivers. Newly diagnosed cancer patients who had PICC lines inserted participated in this study. They used an electronic tablet to learn the 10 steps for flushing their PICC lines correctly. They also met with the researcher via FaceTime to review the steps.

A total of 11 patients participated in this quasi-experimental pilot study. They completed …

Environmental Dynamics: A Compendium Of Rhetorical Application, Annalisa Perez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Technology, albeit exceedingly useful, has exponentially exacerbated the communications dilemma between the technical and the non-technical. Additionally, based on a current new understanding of the term environmental, it can no longer be fully defined by terms such as air, water, waste, or purification. Rather, the meaning of environmental has been globally transformed in several ways. The term environmental is encompassing an expansion of understanding and is further defined with words such as essence, perception, rapport and multi-dimensional spaces. This work, Environmental Dynamics: A Compendium of Rhetorical Application (EDC), provides a framework where communication can be enhanced in areas where communication …

Design And Evaluation Of The Impact Of A Multi-Agent Control System (Framework) Applied To A Social Setting, Perez Antonio Perez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this research is to design and analyze the performance of a new mechanism to improve the advising of students in a nontraditional environment. This nontraditional environment includes: a minority serving, commuter campus with a high percentage of transfer students. Specifically, these demographics are unable to keep a tightly controlled cohort of students flowing through to the completion of the curriculum. Students in these circumstances usually have varied course loads and competing priorities due to family and financial needs or other societal responsibilities. Therefore, there is a need for an individualized approach to advising.

University administrations face challenges …

A Comparison Of Latent Class Analysis And The Mixture Rasch Model: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Of 8th Grade Mathematics Achievement In The Fourth International Mathematics And Science Study (Timss-2011), Turker Toker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study provides a comparison of the results of latent class analysis (LCA) and mixture Rasch model (MRM) analysis using data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study - 2011 (TIMSS-2011) with a focus on the 8th-grade mathematics section. The research study focuses on the comparison of LCA with Mplus version 7.31 and MRM with WinMira 2011 to determine if results obtained differ when the assumed psychometric model differs. Also, a log-linear analysis was conducted to understand the interactions between latent classes identified by LCA and MRM. The data set used in the study was from four diverse …

Communication Patterns And Strategies In Software Development Communities Of Practice, Shreya Kumar

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Some of the greatest challenges in the relatively new field of software development lie in the decidedly old technology of communication between humans. Software projects require sophisticated and varied communication skills because software developers work in a world of incomplete, imperfect information where teams evolve rapidly in response to evolving requirements and changing collaborators. While prescriptive models for software process such as Agile suggest ways of doing, in reality these codified practices must adapt to the complexities of a real workplace. Patterns, rather than rules of behavior within software process are more suitable to the varied and mutable nature of …

Using Mathematical Research Methods To Solve A Problem In Music Theory Instruction, Specifically, The Teaching Of Secondary Dominant Chords, Angela Ulrich

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The mathematical method for research is used to find a solution to a problem in music theory: understanding and identifying secondary dominant chords. By reviewing and assessing the teaching methods of university professors and theory textbooks, and comparing those findings with student reviews, a new method for teaching the concept is developed. The proposed system incorporates aural, visual, and kinetic exercises to serve every learner. The literature review and sample unit plan are followed by a possible procedure for testing the effectiveness of the new method.

A Big Idea: The Rollout Of Open Suny, Karen E. Case

CCE Theses and Dissertations

Leveraging technology may be a viable solution in the higher education industry as enrollments decline and institutions have a hard time meeting their projected budgets. One innovative approach to mitigating this problem was approved in March of 2013 by the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York (SUNY). It is called Open SUNY. Open SUNY consists of nine components: the creation and expansion of online programs to meet workforce development needs, the development of online credit-bearing experiential learning experiences, support for training of faculty who opt to use emerging technologies, support for student access to online courses, …

Blended Learning For Faculty Professional Development Incorporating Knowledge Management Principles, Julie E. Hewitt

CCE Theses and Dissertations

Adjunct faculty comprise a large percentage of part-time faculty for many colleges and universities today. Adjunct faculty are hired because they are experts in their content areas; however, this does not guarantee that they are skilled in effective classroom management. These instructors can become bewildered and frustrated because they lack the knowledge and skills that are needed to run an effective classroom.

While educational organizations have adopted blended learning environments as an effective delivery method for their students, this method has not gained much traction as a way to deliver instruction to their own employees. Thus, there are opportunities to …

An Empirical Study Of Authentication Methods To Secure E-Learning System Activities Against Impersonation Fraud, Shauna Beaudin

CCE Theses and Dissertations

Studies have revealed that securing Information Systems (IS) from intentional misuse is a concern among organizations today. The use of Web-based systems has grown dramatically across industries including e-commerce, e-banking, e-government, and e learning to name a few. Web-based systems provide e-services through a number of diverse activities. The demand for e-learning systems in both academic and non-academic organizations has increased the need to improve security against impersonation fraud. Although there are a number of studies focused on securing Web-based systems from Information Systems (IS) misuse, research has recognized the importance of identifying suitable levels of authenticating strength for various …

The Effects Of Time-Compression And Learner-Control In Multimedia Instruction, Jason Alan Pittman

CCE Theses and Dissertations

There is a significant gap in the body of knowledge concerning time-compressed multimedia instruction. Although research indicates that there is no loss in learning through well-designed multimedia instruction compressed at 25%, research is lacking that analyzes the effects of time-compression with learner-control included in the multimedia instruction. The aim of the study was to address this gap in the research by integrating learner-control into the interface of a time-compressed multimedia instructional lesson using similar methodologies from previous research.

Effects were analyzed of time-compressed learner-controlled multimedia instruction on learning and perceived cognitive load. Additionally, the researcher employed a participant population from …

An Examination Of Intrinsic Existence Value Towards Wildlife Of Columbus Zoo And Aquariums Tourists: Evaluating The Impact Of Behind The Scenes Programming, Robert Maxwell Lakes

Online Theses and Dissertations

Changes in climate and the corresponding environmental issues are major concerns facing the world today. Human consumption, which is leading the rapid depletion of the earth’s finite resources and causing a dramatic loss of biodiversity, is largely to blame (Pearson, Lowry, Dorrian, & Litchfield, 2014). American zoos and aquariums are positioned to create positive experiential relationships between zoo tourists and animals that have the potential to positively change the zoo tourists’ conservation behaviors. Challenges to changing the conservation behaviors of zoo tourists are many. One particularly important challenge is conservation/environmental education. Zoos and aquariums aim to provide effective and quality …

The Effects Of Blended Learning On Critical Thinking In A High School Earth Science Class, Renee Nicole Borglum

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study analyzed the effects of differing levels of technology use in a high school Earth Science class on student performance on the Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (CTSR). Blended learning manipulates the combination of hands-on activities, classroom discussions, online discussions, interactive simulations and a variety of assessments that engage, instruct and assess student learning. Critical thinking is the set of skills and dispositions that foster problem solving, reasoning ability and selfregulation. The increasing use of technology in the classroom and fluctuation of content standards prompted this research. The results have implications for the classroom teacher of a wide range …