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The purpose of this study was to compare three different types of programming options for identified gifted and talented middle school students.

The purpose of this study was to learn about the underlying factors that might help to explain differences in performance and engagement among middle school girls in mathematics. The study employed a qualitative approach to observe and listen directly to the voices of middle school girls and their parents and math teacher as they reflected on their experiences and thoughts about the girls‟ performance in and long-term goals related to mathematics. My goal was to hear what forces were working in and around the girls that might lead them to engagement or disengagement with mathematics. Through the use of journals, interviews, and classroom observations, I collected data on six adolescent girls attending a middle school in a small New England city. The data collected were viewed through several lenses including the triads created by parent-student-teacher and the triads of “high-performing” and “low-performing” girls. Six themes emerged: factoring in the algebra class; finding seats; relating to the teacher; social networking and engagement; untangling performance and engagement; and structuring class. These themes helped to explain some of the differences between the girls‟ performance in and engagement with mathematics. In addition, they suggested that the concept of engagement was contextual and somewhat elusive. The study raised questions about where engagement was taking place (in school or out, in math or another class), whether it was a solitary endeavor or a social creation, and the complex relationship between engagement and performance. Further longitudinal work with girls and young women as they progress through school will be important to the understanding of how, why and when girls engage or disengage from the study of mathematics.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Delaware, 2007. / Principal faculty advisor: Sharon Walpole, School of Education. Includes bibliographical references.

As a result of the calls for reform in mathematics education and the ever-changing nature of mathematics, today's teachers face the challenge of teaching unfamiliar content in ways that are equally unfamiliar. In view of this challenge, the purpose of this study was to investigate middle school teachers' subject matter and pedagogical content knowledge of probability and its relationship to the teaching of probability. The study also explored the nature of the instructional tasks and classroom discourse during probability instruction. Case study methodology was used to examine the knowledge and practice of 4 middle school teachers. A pre-observation interview assessed the teachers' subject matter knowledge of probability. The teachers were then observed as they taught probability. Post-observation interviews further explored teacher knowledge and its relationship to teaching practice. Data sources included interview transcripts, observational field notes, video and audiotapes of classroom instruction, and written instructional documents. Individual case studies were written describing the teachers' background and probability instruction. Cross-case analyses compared and contrasted the cases in response to the research questions. The results of this study indicate the teachers generally (a) lacked an explicit and connected knowledge of probability content, (b) held traditional views about mathematics and the learning and teaching of mathematics, (c) lacked an understanding of the "big ideas" to be emphasized in probability instruction, (d) lacked knowledge of students' possible conceptions and misconceptions, (e) lacked the knowledge and skills needed to orchestrate discourse in ways that promoted students' higher level learning, and (f) lacked an integrated understanding of the nature of the reform. One teacher captured the essence of the reform effort in her probability instruction; the other 3 teachers generally fell short of the goal despite their efforts to implement aspects of the reform. Although students were actively involved in exploring probability content through the use of games, simulations, and other hands-on instructional tasks, the cognitive level of the tasks and discourse was limited by the nature of instruction. The findings of this study have implications for mathematics education reform, preservice teacher preparation, staff development, and curriculum development. / Graduation date: 1998

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Baylor University, 2005. / Includes bibliographic notes (p. 210-220).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2001. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains x, 135 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 111-128).