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
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Item The Culture Beyond the Content: Does an “Overcoming Testimony” Empower Effective Urban Mathematics Teachers to Reach their Students?(2021) Smith, John Franklin; Wiseman, Donna L; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)“Do effective mathematics teachers with under-performing classes in urban settings possess cultural characteristics making them more effective than others?” This study evaluates the personal histories and beliefs of twelve qualifying middle school mathematics teachers to determine the role experiences and beliefs play in how teachers transform challenging classes into relatively high achievers. Effective is defined as recommended by their principals, coupled with demonstrated growth through public data of the state’s PARCC* assessment. Urban is defined as schools having close proximity to a major U.S. city, comprised of over 80% minority student populations and over 60% FARMS** recipients. Based on the literature and anecdotal evidence, a conceptual framework called the “overcoming testimony”- missionary zeal, community bonding, legacy, activist ideology and guardian angel - was designed to evaluate interview data. An interview protocol was administered and the interviews were videotaped and transcribed for further study. The impact of the teachers’ personal histories on their current practices was assessed using a coding system as the transcripts were evaluated. The results showed strong alignment with Fives and Buehl’s (2012) findings whereby beliefs “filter, frame and guide” decision-making. Beliefs and experiences filtered pedagogical choices and methods. The “overcoming testimony” elements framed their resiliency and commitment to their students’ welfare. Views on culture and content guided the teachers toward creating learning environments that promoted achievement. The data demonstrated an emerging community-bonding dynamic between African-American teachers and their Hispanic students. The results indicate effective teachers may succeed in part due to negative experiences they endured as students. I argue that based on the prevalence of beliefs and experiences evident in the interviews, these perspectives serve as a cultural lens enabling teachers to effectively engage grade-level mathematics students to demonstrate proficiency on state assessments. Without this lens, content mastery alone could be insufficient to the task.”*The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers **Free and Reduced MealsItem UNDERSTANDING HOW PRESERVICE TEACHERS USE FOCUSING QUESTIONING STRUCTURES: A MULTIPLE CASE STUDY(2019) Nolan, Edward Charles; Walkoe, Janet; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The study explores how five secondary mathematics preservice teachers use questioning structures as they develop understanding of how to teach. Teacher questioning impacts the degree of student thinking during solving problems, specifically selecting focusing over funneling questioning structures (Herbel-Eisenmann & Breyfogle, 2005; Wood, 1998). Questioning structures are investigated as the participants plan a lesson, practice it to their peers, and then teach it to high school students. As these preservice teachers explore this lesson over most of a semester, a rich analysis of questioning is developed through planning, practicing, and teaching the lesson. Investigation includes how participants elicit and interpret student thinking and how their responses either focused on the thinking of students or funneled students to the thinking of teachers. The research questions of this study are: • Do preservice teachers use focus and funnel questioning structures as they elicit, interpret, and respond to student thinking and, if so, how do they use them? • In what ways does preservice teachers’ use of focus and funnel questioning structures change through the plan-practice-teach cycle? Data for the study include an initial peer rehearsal activity; draft and final lesson plans; reflections on experiences with planning, peers, and students; and transcripts of peer rehearsals and interviews with each participant at the end of the study. Analysis of the data explored the types of questions asked and questioning structures used, how the preservice teachers used questioning to privilege or minimize the role of student thinking, and how flexible the preservice teachers were in asking questions, be they planned or extemporaneous. While each of the participants stated the goal of creating student-centered learning environments, they varied widely in their ability to privilege student thinking. Some reasons for the differences in these abilities are explored. The study demonstrated four potential areas of future research in regard to teacher preparation: preservice teachers need help to learn about and use focusing questioning structures; opportunities may need to allow preservice teachers to address and overcome their current beliefs; preservice teachers need support to effectively elicit, interpret, and respond to student thinking; and peer practice needs specific structures to be effective.Item GUIDED DISCOVERY ACTIVITIES SUPPORTING MATHEMATICAL UNDERSTANDING IN CHILDREN(2018) Daubert, Emily; Ramani, Geetha B; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Early numerical knowledge lays the foundation for later mathematics achievement, career advancement, and daily functioning. Therefore, it is troubling that mathematics achievement in the United States is especially poor. For this reason, it is crucial that ways to improve learning outcomes in young children, particularly in the area of mathematical development are explored. Mathematics is a complex process, which requires flexible thinking, exploration and analysis of novel, complicated, and real world problems. Guided discovery is a pedagogical context, which is adult-initiated and child-directed and promotes flexible thinking, analysis of complex problems- the same skills required for early mathematical learning. The goal of this study was to examine the effectiveness of one element of guided discovery- dialogic inquiry- for improving children’s numerical knowledge when used in a guided discovery setting. Dialogic inquiry is the practice of asking questions that lead children to think differently about the mathematical concepts at hand or act differently on the objects in their environments. Ninety-four preschoolers played a life-sized linear number board game under three conditions and were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: math-related dialogic inquiry, math statements, and positive encouragement. Children’s learning from pretest to posttest was compared on four numerical knowledge outcomes: number line estimation, magnitude comparison, arithmetic, and ordinality. Additionally, children’s mathematical talk and behavior during board game play were compared across conditions. Children in the dialogic inquiry condition improved more than children in the math statements and positive encouragement conditions on arithmetic performance. Children in the math statements condition declined in performance on magnitude comparison significantly more than children in the dialogic inquiry and positive encouragement conditions. Lastly, children in both the dialogic inquiry and math statements conditions outperformed children in the positive encouragement condition on ordinality. There were no significant differences between conditions for mathematical talk and behavior. Understanding the specific mechanisms, such as dialogic inquiry, which contribute to the effectiveness of guided discovery will improve the implementation of guided discovery pedagogies aimed at improving numerical knowledge.Item The Relationship Between Teachers' Mathematical Knowledge and The Mathematics Achievement of Students in Grades Four and Five(2014) Palmer, Jana Eileen; Koziol, Steven; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between teacher mathematical knowledge (content and pedagogy) and the mathematics achievement of students in grades four and five. This study used a quantitative approach using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM). Through a quantitative study based upon a teacher assessment of mathematics content and pedagogy and a student assessment entitled the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), the researcher measured the teachers' mathematical content knowledge, mathematical pedagogy knowledge, and analyzed the data to determine if there was a relationship between teacher knowledge and student achievement. The assessments were based on the Maryland state curricular standards. All teachers involved in the study were considered generalists at the elementary level. Student achievement was measured through MAP. Through the use of the teacher knowledge assessment, the study provided valuable data that could be used to inform colleges providing training to pre-service teachers, principals, supervisors, and those providing professional development to elementary teachers. Additionally, the study could be used to inform teacher education and education policy efforts intended to strengthen and support teacher quality while improving the achievement of students in mathematics.Item WIDGETS AND DIGITS: A STUDY OF NOVICE MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS ATTENDING TO MATHEMATICS IDENTITY IN PRACTICE(2013) Frank, Toya Jones; Clark, Lawrence M; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This is a study of novice middle-school mathematics teachers' attention to mathematics identity guided by three primary goals: (a) to understand how they were conceptualizing mathematics identity, (b) to investigate how they attended to mathematics identity in practice, and (c) to glean an understanding of the forces that they saw as influential in attending to mathematics identity. I explored how these teachers conceptualized mathematics identity and attended to it across four dimensions: ability, importance, motivation, and the nature of mathematical tasks. I used a metaphor of interlocking gears to represent how these four dimensions were interrelated. While each practicing novice teacher (PNT) conceptualized mathematics identity differently, they all viewed it through an ability lens, meaning their attention to mathematics identity was predicated upon how they positioned students as mathematically competent or incompetent. I used qualitative methods to highlight the perspectives and practices of three PNTs novice teachers who participated in an alternative certification program that prepared teachers to teach in a district with a long, documented history of low student achievement. I used Engeström's (1987, 1999, 2001) activity theory to explore how the elements of the teachers' activity systems promoted or impeded their attention to mathematics identity. I highlighted salient themes across all PNTs in a cross-case analysis. The teachers in the study attended to mathematics identity in various ways. I categorized these tools in three ways: (a) attention to mathematics identity via instruction, (b) attention to mathematics identity via planning, and (c) an emergent sociopolitical stance. I used the cases to provide illustrative examples of what attending to mathematics identity in each category looked like in practice. Across all of the PNTs, the rules at multiple levels (classroom, school, and district) that governed their activity systems were similar in nature. Their test-driven (Valli, Croninger, Chambliss, Graeber, & Buese, 2008) contexts shaped instructional decisions. At the classroom level, classroom management also proved to be a force that either supported or impeded the PNTs' attention to mathematics identity in practice. With the findings and analysis in mind, I present implications for teacher education, data collection, and theoretical considerations.Item A STUDY OF TEACHER CONCERNS ON THE INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY WITH MATHEMATICS CONTENT AND PEDAGOGY(2012) Collette, Sherwin Anthony; Edwards, Ann R.; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this research was to study teachers' changes in concerns as they integrate technology with their content and pedagogy. By analyzing the Stages of Concerns Questionnaire (SoCQ) at the beginning and end of this professional development cycle, this study analyzed changes in teacher concerns about the integration of technology, pedagogy, and content in their mathematics teaching and learning program as a result of participating in specific professional development. Results of the t-tests comparing pre and post-survey data indicated that significant differences were found between February and May for Stages 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. No significant differences were found at Stage 6, the stage where participants have ideas about how to change or alter the reform initiative. Concern profiles were generated and analyzed for all participants, whole-school implementation participants, and partial-school implementation participants for February and May. Profiles reflected shifts in concerns over time. A major area of concern that evolved over time was an increase in management concerns. Profiles reflected low concerns about the impact to students.Item The Impact of Curriculum Focal Points on State Mathematics Standards(2009) Vennebush, George Patrick; Campbell, Patricia; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)State mathematics standards from six states were analyzed to determine the impact of Curriculum Focal Points on recent revisions. The standards were analyzed to determine the alignment between the state documents and Curriculum Focal Points. In particular, a comparison of the framework used in each state standards document was compared to the framework used in Curriculum Focal Points, and the content within the state mathematics standards, as represented by the grade level expectations for Grade 5, was compared to the content within Curriculum Focal Points. The results were used to compare state standards for consistency between one another and to determine what changes, if any, had occurred from standards developed prior to the release of Curriculum Focal Points to standards developed after the release of Curriculum Focal Points.Item A Case Study: Change Facilitator Activity to Support the Implementation of a District's Pre-K-12 Aligned Mathematics Program(2008-05-05) Kubic, Kathryn Leigh; Mawhinney, Hanne; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)ABSTRACT James County Public Schools was a 74,000 student school district in Maryland that chose to implement a pre-K - 12 aligned mathematics program in response to state mandated assessments imposed by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) federal legislation. Schools that fail to demonstrate Adequate Yearly Progress on these assessments may descend into a spiral of sanctions. Consequently, districts must choose and implement programs that will increase student achievement. This study sought to determine the characteristics of the pre-K - 12 aligned mathematics program and explore and describe the dynamics of its implementation through the lens of a change facilitator. The study used a case study design methodology. The findings revealed the district implemented four parts of an instructional component: district assessments, pacing guides, professional development, and a single text adoption program. The change facilitator undertook activities to support the implementation. The study found three positive results of the implementation: Creation of Student Support Courses, Creation of a Benchmark Data System, and Creation of a University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) Cohort. When the pace of the implementation was analyzed, conflict surrounded the implementation and it yielded three negative results: Competition for Scarce Resources, Defensive Professional Development, Trail of Memos, and Professional Blunders. The findings of this study added to the research and literature on implementation, particularly the role of the change facilitator. The findings also will assist other districts in policy and practice as they too seek to implement new instructional programs in their efforts to comply with the demands of NCLB.Item THE EFFECTS OF A CONTEXTUALIZED INSTRUCTIONAL PACKAGE ON THE AREA AND PERIMETER PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY STUDENTS WITH EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL DISABILITIES(2007-07-30) Mulcahy, Candace A; Leone, Peter E; Maccini, Paula; Special Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The current study examined the effects of an instructional package on the mathematics performance of secondary students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) when applied to grade-appropriate area and perimeter objectives. The instructional package included the following empirically-supported approaches: (a) contextualized instruction; (b) use of manipulatives; (c) use of a cue card; and (d) self-monitoring techniques for behavior and academic performance. The intervention also incorporated pre-requisite skills and was delivered through a set of scripted lessons that employed explicit instruction balanced with constructivist-based activities. The multiple-probe design was implemented across two participants, then replicated across two more participants (Tawney & Gast, 1984). The participants were four middle school students with EBD in a suburban Maryland public school. Results of the study demonstrated that participants were able to improve mathematics accuracy on area and perimeter objectives. Three participants were also, to a limited extent, able to maintain performance over time and transfer performance to more complex mathematics tasks. Two participants were able to transfer performance to tasks of similar context to those practiced in the intervention. The study suggests that, when provided explicit and sustained instruction on pre-requisite math objectives and grade-appropriate mathematics objectives, students with EBD may be successful with non-computational mathematics.Item Life's Rich Pattern: The Role of Statistics and Probability in Nineteenth Century Argumentation for Theories of Evolution, Variation, and Heredity(2006-04-26) Wynn, James; Fahnestock, Jeanne; English Language and Literature; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Though modern philosophers of science recognize the inappropriateness of the reduction of all scientific investigations to mathematics, mathematics and science share a long history with one another during which mathematics has been employed as a major component of scientific argumentation. Over the last twenty years, rhetoricians have done substantial work studying the role of argumentation in science (Bazerman 1988; Gross 1990, 2002; Myers 1990; Fahnestock 1999); however, despite the importance of mathematics in making scientific arguments, little effort has been made to understand the role mathematics has played in making these arguments. This dissertation represents a move to resolve this shortcoming by investigating the role of mathematics in arguments in evolutionary biology from the middle of the nineteenth to the beginning of the twentieth century. In the first part of the nineteenth century, the mass collection and mathematical assessment of data for scientific purposes provides the context for understanding some of the rhetorical choices of an important group of natural philosophers and biologists who developed arguments in the second half of the century about the nature of variation, evolution, and heredity. In the works of Charles Darwin, Gregor Mendel, Francis Galton, and Karl Pearson, arguments from probability and statistics play important roles as support for their arguments and as a source of invention for their claims. This investigation of the rhetorical situations of these four biologists, their arguments, and the role of the principles, operations, and formulae of probability and statistics supports the position that mathematization had a major impact on the nature of scientific evidence in the nineteenth century. What it also suggests is that, though mathematized arguments may have had a great deal of credibility within the scientific community in general, factors such as the stature of the rhetor and of their biological theory within their specific discourse communities played an equally important role in the persuasiveness of their arguments.