Thesis (Ed.D.)--Liberty University School of education, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Rowan University, 2004. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references.

This study is an attempt to address the problem associated with a high percentage of freshman students, at a private Christian high school in Florida, who either fail Algebra 1 or pass with a low percentage rate. As a result, these students either retake Algebra 1 or continue on—being inadequately prepared to successfully pass Geometry and Algebra 2. This study concentrates on the student background knowledge of mathematics, which is among the causes associated with this problem, and proposes remediation. As such, a mathematics remediation course is designed and implemented for a select number of incoming freshmen. This study includes a correlational examination to determine a possible correlation between students' background knowledge of the middle school mathematics and predicts a possible failure or successful completion of Algebra I in high school. In addition, it purposes a two-stage evolution plan in order to determine the effectiveness of the design of the remedial course as well as its effectiveness. Undertaking the design evaluation, this study uses a mixed-modes design consisting of a qualitative (interview and observation) of a number of participants and a quantitative examination (survey) of a larger sample. The correlational study indicates that there is a positive and moderately strong correlation between students' background knowledge in (middles school) mathematics and their grades in Algebra 1. The evaluation concludes that students find the design of the MIP program helpful and aesthetically appealing; however, its usability did not meet the evaluation criteria. Furthermore, the MIP Program Manager and teacher are fully satisfied with its design, content, and components.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Virginia Commonwealth University, 2010. / Prepared for: Dept. of Educational Studies. Title from title-page of electronic thesis. Bibliography: leaves 93-99.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Auburn University. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 148-159).

abstract: Many students in the United States are graduating from high school without the math skills they need to be considered college ready. For many of these graduates, who find themselves starting their higher education at a community college, remedial math can become an insurmountable barrier that ends their aspirations for a degree or certificate. Some students must take as many as four remedial courses before they are considered college ready. Studies report that between 60% and 70% of students placed into remedial math classes either do not successfully complete the sequence of required courses or avoid taking math altogether and therefore never graduate (Bailey, Jeong, & Cho, 2010). This study compared three low-level freshman math classes in one Arizona high school. The purpose of this study was to implement an innovative learning intervention to find out if there was a causal relationship between the addition of technology with instruction in a blended learning environment and performance in math. The intervention measured growth (pre- and posttest) and grade-level achievement (district-provided benchmark test) in three Foundations of Algebra classes. The three classes ranged on a continuum with the use of technology and personalized instruction. Additionally, focus groups were conducted to better understand the challenges this population of students face when learning math. The changes in classroom practices showed no statistical significance on the student outcomes achieved. Students in a blended online environment learned the Foundations of Algebra concepts similarly to their counterparts in a traditional, face-to-face learning environment. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Administration and Supervision 2013

The purpose of this study is to determine what problems the ninth-grade students of the North Texas Demonstration School at Denton, Texas, and the Denton Junior High School, say concern them most and to make some recommendations for helping students solve these problems.

Scientific literacy entails mastery of basic scientific thinking practices. Rather than focus attention exclusively on students’ acquisition of science content knowledge, students should be engaged in the practice of science in order to support development of the critical thinking skills essential to scientific work. Previous research (Kuhn et al., 2017) has demonstrated the advancement of high-school students’ scientific reasoning and understanding of the nature of science following participation in a problem-based inquiry activity based on a socio-scientific issue. The present research investigates whether superior maintenance and transfer of scientific practices and understandings occur when students engage in investigations involving multiple such issues, including one of particular personal relevance for the population of students who participated. The intervention employed in the current work is the same one as in the study by Kuhn et al. (2017). However, in this study 84 ninth-grade students were assigned to one of three intervention groups who addressed different topics in a classroom activity that took place over five sessions of eighty minutes each. One group (the Astronaut group) addressed a neutral topic. The second group (the Asthma group) addressed a personally relevant topic. The third group addressed both of these topics. Students worked in pairs in a guided problem-based investigation to identify relations between multiple factors and an outcome. Students’ investigations began with comparisons of individual data points, and then proceeded to comparison of entire samples depicted graphically in Inspire Data, a data analysis tool for beginners. Thirty days following completion of the intervention, students were assessed on their ability to design controlled comparisons, to coordinate the effects of multiple-variables on an outcome, and to understand principles of scientific method. Results showed no statistically significant differences across groups in the maintenance and transfer of skills; the development of an experimental design, counterargument, and selection of informative evidence, although all groups showed gains compared to an earlier non-intervention group (Kuhn et al., 2017). However, the third multiple-topic group showed superior performance to the first two groups, in particular with respect to the understanding of multiple causes contributing to an outcome. These results suggest that the relevance of content and provision of multiple contexts to apply skills and understandings can enhance the development of science skills and understandings and aid in understanding their real-life relevance.

xi, 69 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Research has identified the construct of student engagement as an antecedent to positive academic outcomes. In this study, the Student Engagement Instrument (SEI) was administered to 371 9th grade students at a comprehensive high school to measure the cognitive and affective engagement of students. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted on the 35-item SEI with best model fit matching previous research in which a five-factor model was found. Logistic and multiple regression analyses were then utilized to explore the relationships among cognitive and affective engagement and student achievement and behavioral outcomes. Findings generally supported the significance of the student engagement subtypes of cognitive and affective engagement in predicting educational outcomes. Results suggest that further study of the affective and cognitive subtypes and their development over the course of a student's education would enhance the understanding of the student engagement construct and lead to the development of interventions to mediate the effects of these subtypes. / Committee in charge: Edward Kameenui, Chairperson, Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership; Keith Zvoch, Member, Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership; Keith Hollenbeck, Member, Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership; Robert Davis, Outside Member, Romance Languages

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