This investigation focuses upon the nation of Finland. Described by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs (“This is Finland”, n.d.) as a parliamentary democracy, Finland is a free-market economy with a young but progressive history. While the nation’s scores on the 2015 triennial PISA continue to indicate above average performance on all three domains, science, reading, and mathematics, inconsistencies were disclosed with regard to equity. Scoring above average on equitable achievement related to social background, which includes factors such as parents’ education and employment, Finland fell short regarding equitable achievement as it pertains to gender and immigrant students (“Compare Your Country, n.d.). This investigation will survey Finnish policy-related texts, education and mathematics curriculum, and Finnish artifacts; through the analysis of these texts, the intent is to determine how inequities and power dynamics are decipherable within these documents and potentially jeopardized students’ accessibility to mathematics endeavors. Fairclough’s interpretations and applications of critical discourse analysis will provide the foundation for analyses of Bourdieu’s notions of field, doxa, and habitus as they relate to Finnish equity and mathematics education and performance. / Teaching & Learning

<p> The Program for International Assessment tested students in mathematics from 41 countries and found that students in the United States ranked in the lowest percentile. This struggle with math among youth in the United States prompted this quasi-experimental quantitative study about using interactive technology to engage and motivate 9^th grade students in an Algebra classroom. The theoretical basis of this study was a constructivist perspective, using the Piagetian concept of action as an intellect builder. A convenience sample of 76 students was divided into 4 groups: Group 1, the control group, used no technology and consisted of 21 students; Group 2 used the TI Nspires calculators and consisted of 17 students; Group 3 used the TI Nspire calculators with the TI Navigator and consisted of 20 students; and Group 4 used the TI Nspire calculators, the TI Navigator, and the clickers. The participants were given 45 instructional classes that covered a 9-week period. All groups took the Motivated Strategy for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) and the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness test (STAAR) before and after the treatment of interactive technologies. A paired <i>t</i> test and a factorial repeated ANOVA were conducted, revealing no significant effect for the MSLQ based on the use of technology. However, the use of technology with the STAAR did show a significant difference in test scores for 2 treatment groups: Group 3, which used the calculator and the TI navigator; and Group 4, which used the calculator, the TI navigator, and the clickers. These results support the use of additional technology that is needed in the mathematics classroom to support the use of the calculators. </p>

<p> There are three hypotheses for this research: 1. High school mathematics students in urban public schools, who are provided interactive technology resources during normal course work, will experience a multiplier effect of enhanced learning in mathematics. They will have an increase in positive dispositions indicative of their identity development as competent doers of math. 2. Through focusing on solving problems that relate to the life-world of students, students will experience an increase in the levels of solidarity with participants of the course. This will have a positive impact of the learning experiences and achievement of students. 3. Students will develop increased value of using their developing competencies in math to model and analyze issues relevant to their communities.</p><p> The purpose of this research is to study effective utilization of interactive technologies and math computer programs in public high school mathematics classes. The interactive technologies used in classes are to support graphical, tabluar, verbal and analytical representations of the mathematics in hopes of increasing the learning potential and math fluency of students. The research will serve as a basis for ongoing development of teaching practices that improve student achievement in mathematics. </p><p> The research design is an interpretive / phenomenological study of evolving attitudes and practices of students as they are engaged with math problem solving. Students will not be asked to produce any data solely for the purposes of the research. All activities that students do, and all data that will inform the research, will emerge from best teaching practices, which are supported by the school principal and have been formally approved by the school board. All methods and strategies employed in this study are ones I have used, over the past six years, in my role as a highly qualified math teacher in Newark public schools. No changes in what happens will occur because of this dissertation study. </p><p> The research design is an interpretive / phenomenological study of evolving attitudes and practices of students as they are engaged with math problem solving. Students will not be asked to produce any data solely for the purposes of the research. All activities that students do, and all data that will inform the research, will emerge from best teaching practices, which are supported by the school principal and have been formally approved by the school board. All methods and strategies employed in this study are ones I have used, over the past six years, in my role as a highly qualified math teacher in Newark public schools. No changes in what happens will occur because of this dissertation study. </p><p> Not all teachers are implementing the best practices that this study focuses on. I want to shed light on these practices and show how they can become more common and done in a more collaborative way. Students can opt not to use technologies at all, but it is not likely they would want to since doing so would slow down their progress. Teachers, however, are required to teach math with using various technologies, such as in an advanced graphing calculator or an interactive smart board. This is a case of, students are using technology in classes, gaining advantages with this technology use, and I would just like to analyze it write about my findings in my dissertation. Please see the school issued student calculator contract included with this application. It shows that math teachers are required to teach with school approved technologies, in this case a newer handheld graphing calculator), but that students may opt not to use it. Furthermore, many teachers don't yet know how to use these newer school approved technologies and must be shown the methods and benefits.</p>

<p> En la actualidad existen estudiantes que manifiestan tener actitudes negativas hacia la matem&aacute;tica e indican que el hecho de tener que tomar un curso de matem&aacute;tica les provoca ansiedad. El prop&oacute;sito de esta investigaci&oacute;n fue determinar cu&aacute;l es la actitud hacia la matem&aacute;tica de estudiantes universitarios que tomaron alg&uacute;n curso b&aacute;sico de matem&aacute;tica e identificar si muestran tener ansiedad hacia la clase de matem&aacute;tica. De la misma forma, se determin&oacute; como se relacionan esas actitudes y la ansiedad hacia la matem&aacute;tica con diferentes caracter&iacute;sticas demogr&aacute;ficas y acad&eacute;micas, incluso con el &eacute;xito acad&eacute;mico en estos cursos b&aacute;sicos. </p><p> En esta investigaci&oacute;n se determinaron las actitudes y la ansiedad hacia la matem&aacute;tica de 182 estudiantes de un recinto en particular de una instituci&oacute;n privada, localizada al sur de Puerto Rico los cuales tomaron un curso b&aacute;sico de matem&aacute;tica. Para ello se utilizaron dos cuestionarios, el de Actitud Hacia la Matem&aacute;tica de Elena Auzmendi y la traducci&oacute;n en espa&ntilde;ol de sMARS por Isabel N&uacute;&ntilde;ez y colaboradoras. Los estudiantes mostraron actitudes m&aacute;s positivas en los factores actitudinales ansiedad, agrado, utilidad y motivaci&oacute;n; en los niveles de ansiedad se reflejaron datos positivos en los factores examen y tarea. Al comparar las actitudes y la ansiedad con las caracter&iacute;sticas demogr&aacute;ficas y acad&eacute;micas se encontraron diferencias estad&iacute;sticamente significativas para el g&eacute;nero, la primera generaci&oacute;n, el promedio general, la nota final, el uso materiales y lecturas, el uso de la calculadora cient&iacute;fica y graficadora, el uso de manipulativos y el uso de libros electr&oacute;nicos. El mejor modelo de regresi&oacute;n log&iacute;stica para explicar el &eacute;xito acad&eacute;mico en el curso b&aacute;sico de matem&aacute;tica se determin&oacute; que el mismo estuvo compuesto por las variables demogr&aacute;ficas del g&eacute;nero; las variables acad&eacute;micas del promedio general, la modalidad del curso, uso de la calculadora cient&iacute;fica, adem&aacute;s de las variables de actitud y ansiedad. La variable con mayor cambio y m&aacute;s determinante para alcanzar el &eacute;xito acad&eacute;mico en el curso de matem&aacute;tica es el promedio general.</p>

The present research was designed to study the interrelationships of modality strength, modality preference, field dependence-independence, sex and ecological environmental group, and their contribution to mathematics achievement among 256 fourth grade Puerto Rican students. Three instruments were administered: Learning Style Inventory (LSI), Swassing Barbe Modality Index (SBMI), and Children's Group Embedded Figures Test (CGEFT). Results from a Mathematics Basic Skills Test (MBST) were obtained from the Puerto Rican Department of Education. A combination of descriptive and inferential statistics were used in analyzing the data. / Results indicate that modality preference, as measured by the Learning Style Inventory, and modality strength, as measured by the Swassing Barbe Modality Index do not appear to measure the same dimension. The ipsative-like nature of the LSI and the SBMI, as well as issues of reliability and validity in relation to modality preference as measured by the LSI are discussed. / Ecological environment, defined as differences in ecological factors, was found to influence modality strength, modality preference and field dependence-independence. Separate analyses for males and females indicated variance in field dependence-independence and mathematics achievement can be accounted for differently according to sex. The joint contribution of modality strength and environmental group was statistically significant and explained 18% of field dependence-independence's variance for females. Modality strength's and modality preference's contributions were not statistically significant in explaining mathematics achievement vaiance for either males or females. Field dependence-independence's unique contribution explained the largest proportion of females' mathematics achievement variance (33%) while environmental group's unique contribution accounted for the greatest amount of explained variance in males (23%). / The findings of this study suggest that ecological factors present in an individual's environment influence learning style and mathematics achievement. Implications of the findings and future research needs are discussed. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-03, Section: A, page: 0666. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

Calls for reform in the way that calculus is taught stress the importance of instruction focused on graphic as well as analytic representations of functions and derivatives. The value of calculus lies in its potential to reduce complex problems to simple rules and procedures. However, students taught only rules and procedures often emerge from calculus classrooms without the ability to analyze graphs and lack an understanding of the conceptual foundations of the slope of a tangent line. Study based solely on analytic representations of functions and their derivatives often produces only procedural understanding. / In this study, two undergraduate calculus students were confronted with graphic representations for functions and their derivatives and asked to produce graphs that represented their images--their unique internal representations. Their attempts to provide external representations of their images provided the data for the study. The purposes of the study are two-fold: (1) to contrast the different mathematical understandings of these two students that have been revealed as a result of analyses of their graphic constructs for the derivative function and (2) to present the consequences of an instructional strategy based on graphic representation for functions and derivatives. / The study demonstrates that graphic instructional representations for functions and their derivatives, and students' concomitant images, have the potential for producing a richer understanding than that achieved by analytic study alone. Stimulated by graphic instructional representations, students form and can utilize mental images to construct understanding of the calculus derivative and to demonstrate their unique internal mathematical representations. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-07, Section: A, page: 1859. / Major Professor: Kenneth L. Shaw. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

This interpretive study of teacher learning and curriculum change investigated the constructs teachers found useful as they initiated and carried out changes in their beliefs and in the mathematics curricula used in their upper level mathematics courses. Also, the study focused on the constructs of the school culture as perceived by the teachers, and how these constructs influenced mathematics instruction. The study settings were two high school mathematics classes, located in an urban area, servicing a population of predominately African American students. / The findings of the study may be summarized as follows: (1) the teachers found metaphors for their roles very useful constructs when reflecting on teaching and learning; (2) the teachers were profoundly influenced by the cultural myths of their school; (3) the myths of the culture often acted as referents for teacher action and curricular decisions; (4) the reframing and reflecting process was the foundation of personal learning and curricular change; and (5) the lack of administrative support and collegiality among the faculty constrained the reform efforts of the teachers. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-07, Section: A, page: 2498. / Major Professor: Kenneth Tobin. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

The curriculum integration between algebra II and chemistry was investigated during a unit on gas laws. High school students enrolled in both algebra II and chemistry and their teachers participated in the qualitative study. Data were analyzed using a scheme developed from the findings of Lemke and Lampert. Important to the study were linguistic register findings, integration barriers and perceptions held by students. / The study examined three areas of analyses of linguistic registers including cognitive (personal and within each course), interactive (personal between courses) and negotiation (interactive between students) as questions of how students constructed meaning using their registers were explored. / Eleven assertions were constructed that identified areas of problem solving approaches, perceptions of course applications, possibilities of and barriers to course integration, linguistic register findings and student perceptions of curriculum. The assertions were used to enhance understanding of student difficulty in relating knowledge constructed in algebra II for use in construction of knowledge in chemistry. / The assertions were used to identify applications and implications for the results of this study that may be applied to teaching and learning algebra II and chemistry. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-12, Section: A, page: 4402. / Major Professor: Kenneth G. Tobin. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects on achievement of: (1) instructional control strategies, (2) prior knowledge, and (3) cognitive style in computer-based instruction. Also, this study attempts to find an optimal type of instructional control strategy based upon students' achievement and learning time. The contents of the nine lessons selected for this study are the multiplication facts. This type of computer-based instruction is basically composed of drill and practice programs. These computer-based instruction drill and practice lesson programs are developed for IBM compatible computers. To assess field independence and field dependence, the Children's Embedded Figures Test (CEFT) is employed. This CEFT developed as an instrument to identify the field independent and field dependent 7 to 12 year old students. The student population involved in this investigation comes from the Dong-Sung Private Elementary School located in Pusan, Korea. One hundred sixty-six second and third grade students were selected for this study during the second semester of the 1993 school year. The basic experimental design is 3 (program control, learner control, and learner control with advisement) x 2 (high and low prior knowledge) x 2 (field independence and field dependence). The dependent variable are the achievement score on the posttest and the time that students actually spend completing the computer-based lesson. The results show types of instructional control strategies interact with levels of prior knowledge and types of cognitive styles. This study suggests that instructional control strategies would be used differently based on students' aptitudes; also, instructional design should be considered with time on task. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-11, Section: A, page: 4069. / Major Professor: Robert M. Morgan. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

The purpose of this study was to determine how the Jostens Integrated Learning System (ILS) was implemented at L. D. McArthur Elementary School and its impact on curriculum and student learning. Seven research questions were answered to satisfy the purpose of the study. / The literature review established recommended approaches to implementing an ILS. These approaches were compared to actual practice at the school. ILS influence on student achievement was analyzed using a hypothesized effect of the ILS lessons on California Achievement Tests (CAT) and by relating ILS scores to CAT scores. / The results indicated that teacher undergraduate training in computers and computer-assisted learning systems was lacking. The computers, though physically located in the classrooms, were used exclusively for the Jostens ILS and were not integrated into classroom activities. / The Jostens ILS reports were considered satisfactory with only minor changes noted. The lab assistants printed the reports for the teachers, but the large part of the lab assistants time was taken helping students with ILS lessons and directions. / The student attitude survey indicated the computers and the ILS lessons were liked by the majority of the students. Students were not satisfied with the ILS lesson directions or the computer headsets. / The effectiveness of the Jostens ILS was considered satisfactory by the teachers. Although CAT scores had improved, analysis of student achievement indicated the ILS lessons had a minor and inconsistent effect. / Recommendations consisted of three decision paths: (1) enhance the current use of the ILS through additional teacher training, adding lab assistants, improving ILS directions and gaining electronic access to the MIS data base, (2) integrate the computers into classroom activities, substituting other software for the ILS, (3) aggregate the computers in one location as a lab to facilitate scheduling and whole group teaching. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-01, Section: A, page: 0043. / Major Professor: Robert G. Stakenas. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.