Specialist in Education, Miami University, 2019, Educational Psychology

Today professions and post-secondary opportunities in the United States in the areas of science, technology, and engineering are continuously growing and requiring students to have complex understandings of mathematical concepts. As the demand for these professions continues to grow, mathematic achievement scores in the U.S. continue to decline. The current study seeks to examine if an alternative to explicit instruction, such as play, through a multiplication fluency game, can improve mathematic motivation and multiplicative fluency. Students in two third grade classrooms were given pre and posttest curriculum-based fluency tests and surveys focused on their attitude toward math to compare results between the treatment and control classrooms. The treatment classroom played a multiplication fluency game for three days a week for four weeks while the control classroom engaged in traditional instruction. Results were examined qualitatively and quantitatively to conclude that the play intervention appears to have no significance when compared to instruction without a fluency game on mathematical fluency scores.

Committee: Sarah Watt (Committee Chair); Doris Bergen (Committee Member); Brooke Spangler-Cropenbaker (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Psychology; Mathematics; Mathematics Education

Master of Arts, Wittenberg University, 2022, Education

Mathematical fluency is important to students' foundational math development. Based on Ohio's state math standards, students should be fluent with their multiplication facts by third grade. However, many fifth grade students are entering the classroom not meeting those standards. For many years, educators relied on procedural strategies to teach and assess numerical fluency. In recent years the theoretical approach to teaching shifted from procedural to a more conceptual method. This shift moves from rote memorization and timed-tests to more meaningful activities such as fluency games, rich problems, and number talks. The theoretical foundation for this study is constructivism and the interventions provided students opportunities to communicate and construct their own thinking. This action research reports the effect that providing multiple strategies for solving problems had on fifth-grade students' numerical fluency. A multi-methods design was used which included a Multiplication Fluency Assessment, a Beliefs Questionnaire, and student interviews. Overall students reported that they did not enjoy using models or find them beneficial, however many used models in their work. Students did show growth in their computational accuracy as well as in the strategies they used to solve problems.

Committee: Michael Daiga (Advisor); Melanie Moss-Lenz (Committee Member); Hilllary Libnoch (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Elementary Education; Mathematics Education

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2016, Curriculum and Instruction Mathematics Education (Education)

Financial literacy is an important life skill, yet how are we fostering understanding in our youngest students? Unless schools begin instruction on money concepts and skills at an early age, the majority of the students will not have the needed exposure until much later in their educational career. This study used a mixed methods research approach to explore kindergarten through second grade teachers' perspectives regarding the curriculum and instruction of financial literacy. The study had two main phases. Both phases consisted of a two-step process of data collection and analysis. Phase 1 was qualitative and comprised interviews of teachers who taught in K–Grade 2 at three schools in Ohio. The interviews were coded descriptively, and the author used codeweaving to analyze the data for common themes. From these results, an online survey was created and distributed in Phase 2. Phase 2 was quantitative and involved a survey of a broader sample of K–2 teachers in Ohio. This phase tested the veracity of the Phase 1 results. Phase 2 determined whether generalizations could be made regarding teachers' perceptions of students' prior knowledge and skills, and of students' cognitive readiness to understand financial literacy content. Perceptions from the two phases were triangulated with theory and research relating to child development to explore what, when, and how teachers are teaching money concepts and skills in their classroom. The findings indicate that K–2 teachers see value in teaching financial literacy concepts and skills in their classroom, but they are unsure of the expectations for implementation. In particular, the majority of the participants were unaware of the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy's National Standards in K–12 Personal Finance Education and demonstrated confusion on state and Common Core standard expectations. During this study, making connections and providing students with genuine experiences were frequently iden (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Gregory Foley (Advisor); Eugene Geist (Committee Member); Koestler Courtney (Committee Member); Machtmes Krisanna (Committee Member) Subjects: Applied Mathematics; Curricula; Early Childhood Education; Education; Educational Theory; Elementary Education; Finance; Literacy; Mathematics; Mathematics Education; Pedagogy; Teacher Education; Teaching

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2010, Leadership Studies

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between students' performance on the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) and the fourth and fifth grade Reading and Math Achievement Tests in Ohio. The sample utilized students from a suburban school district in Northwest Ohio. Third grade CogAT scores (2006-2007 school year), 4th grade Reading and Math Ohio Achievement Test scores (2007-2008 academic year), and 5th grade Reading and Math Ohio Achievement Test scores (2008-2009 school year) were utilized in this study. Pearson Correlation was utilized to examine the relationship between the test scores. Secondly, the researcher examined whether the correlation coefficients between CogAT and fourth and fifth grade Ohio Achievement Test scores differ by CogAT performance level (below average, average, above average). Additionally, a linear regression test was utilized to determine whether the composite scores from the CogAT can predict proficiency on the fourth and fifth grade Ohio Achievement Tests in Reading and Math. The correlation coefficient on all four achievement tests indicated strong positive significant relationships between scores on each achievement test and scores on the CogAT for the entire sample (n=292), while three of four of the coefficient correlations were weak for the below average group. The average group generated the strongest correlations of the CogAT with all the OATs examined. The above average group generated moderate correlations. Predictions for future academic achievement are stronger with the above average and average groups, while weaker for the below average group. In general, students who score approximately 93-95 on the CogAT in 3rd grade are likely to achieve a proficient level on the 4th and 5th grade OAT for Reading and Math. The range of CogAT scores necessary to predict accelerated and advanced levels increases greatly. In addition, higher CogAT scores were necessary to achieve accelerated or advanced for Re (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Rachel Vannatta Reinhart (Advisor); Kevin Gorman (Committee Member); Mark Munson (Committee Member); Patrick Pauken (Committee Member); Judith Zimmerman (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Elementary Education; School Administration