Theses and Dissertations from UMD
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New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item Implementing Eighth Grade Mathematics Problems in Six Countries: A Secondary Analysis of the TIMSS 1999 Video Data(2007-07-11) Birky, Geoffrey D; Fey, James T; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study examined transcripts of videotaped lessons from the U.S. and five high performing countries participating in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 1999 Video Survey to investigate how eighth-grade teachers implemented mathematics problems. A coding system was developed to describe how teachers maintained or altered the potential of problems to "make connections" as they led public discussions of these problems. An analysis of the transcripts of 82 problem implementations found that when teachers or students made connections during problem discussions they most frequently did so by addressing mathematical justification, examining concepts more deeply than simply recalling or applying them, and connecting representations. Teachers most frequently led such discussions by drawing conceptual connections, taking over challenging aspects of the problems, and stepping students through arguments. Teachers much less frequently developed generalizations, compared solution methods, built on student ideas, provided scaffolding, or pressed students for justification. When connections were lost, teachers most often took over challenging aspect of the problems or shifted the focus to procedures, answers, or superficial or vague treatment of concepts. Regardless of whether or not connections were made, in about half of all implementations, teachers did most of the mathematical work, in about 8% of implementations students did it, and in the remainder, the work was shared more or less equally. This study suggests that teachers in high performing countries often make connections using approaches American mathematics educators associate with traditional teaching. Teachers in other countries may not share the assumption held by some American educators that teacher-centered instruction is ineffective for improving students' conceptual understanding and abilities in problem solving and mathematical reasoning.Item The effects of Collaborative Strategic Reading and direct instruction in persuasion on sixth-grade students' persuasive writing and attitudes(2005-07-07) Standish, Leisa Gaye; Slater, Wayne H; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study examined the effects of Collaborative Strategic Reading and direct instruction in persuasion on sixth-grade students' persuasive writing and attitudes. Students in three intact classes were assigned to one of three treatment conditions: Collaborative Strategic Reading and direct instruction in persuasion or direct instruction in persuasion or a control group. Treatment effects were examined using six measures of persuasive writing: the Adapted Toulmin Scoring Criteria (claim, data and backing); coherence and organization; five-paragraph structure; and essay length. In addition, the Writer Self-Perception Scale was administered to assess the relationship between students' attitudes toward writing at the beginning of the study and at its conclusion. Finally, three students from each treatment condition in the study were observed and interviewed for the case study. Analyses revealed significant findings. First, the students engaged in Collaborative Strategic Reading and direct instruction in persuasion performed significantly better on all six measures of persuasive writing than students in the other two treatment conditions. During the case study, the same students were observed to spend more time on task and were engaged more than students in the other two treatment conditions over the six-week intervention when working in collaborative groups. In the direct instruction in persuasion group, students did not perform significantly better on the six measures of persuasive writing compared to the other two treatment conditions. However, the students in the case study indicated that direct instruction in persuasion does benefit their writing. Finally, students' attitudes toward writing in all three treatment conditions were not found to change significantly from pre-test to post-test but the students' responses in the case study indicated that if students have positive attitudes about their writing they will most likely write more often and more effectively. Overall the findings from the present study suggest Collaborative Strategic Reading and direct instruction in persuasion is a powerful combination for teaching students to write persuasively. However, more research is needed to determine the effects of direct instruction on persuasion and students' attitudes toward writing. Limitations of the present study and directions for future research are presented.