MAE, Otterbein University, 2019, Education

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using `Number Talks' intervention on students' ability to use number sense to problem-solve and persevere in solving problems within a second-grade math class. The 22 participants were volunteers in my second-grade class. A quasi-experimental design method was used to compare results between a control group and intervention group using a pre-post test design. The intervention group received 15 minutes of `Number Talks' a day for a total of 12 days while the control group participated in traditional daily math activities. Perseverance was measured using a tally chart to record number of strategies students used to solve problems. Written reflections were completed once a week for three weeks to build students' ability to explain reasoning in writing. Comparison of the mean prepost test scores of the intervention group and control groups indicated no significant differences in the scores. Comparison of the mean post test scores between the intervention and control groups indicated no significant differences in the scores. However, the dis-aggregated data showed some positive results in individual cases and improvements with written responses.

Committee: Kristin Bourdage Ph.D. (Advisor); Jeffrey Smith Ph.D. (Committee Member); Bethany Vosburg-Bluem Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Curriculum Development; Educational Theory; Higher Education; Mathematics Education; Science Education

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

Specialist in Education (Ed.S.), University of Dayton, 2014, School Psychology

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of two different Tier 2 number sense interventions on the mathematics performance of first-grade students identified as having mathematics difficulties on a universal screening tool. A quasiexperimental study was conducted utilizing single case design. Participants (N=6) were assigned to either a Number Worlds intervention or a cover-copy-compare intervention. It was hypothesized that the students receiving the Number Worlds intervention would demonstrate more growth from the winter to spring on the universal screening measure benchmark assessment than students receiving the cover-copy-compare intervention. This was measured by computing the g-index, the Mann-Whitney U test of nonparametric measures, and visual analysis. The g-index indicated the Number Worlds intervention yielded a slightly larger effect size and the Mann-Whitney U also supported the hypothesis but the results were not significant. The g-index, Mann-Whitney U, and visual analysis each indicated positive effects on growth in number sense skills as measured by mathematics computation fluency measures.

Committee: Elana Bernstein (Committee Chair); Susan Davies (Committee Member); Janet Herrelko (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Mathematics Education

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2008, Education : Special Education

The purpose of this research was the development of a valid and reliable mathematics curriculum-based measure (MCBM) that can be used by early childhood programs and teachers to assess Number sense,the ongoing development of quantitative reasoning, in preschool children. This is important in light of the current focus on program accountability, as exemplified by the National Reporting System instituted by Head Start, implications of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, and the documentation of progress toward academic content standards required by many states. Previous attempts to develop assessment tools for measuring number sense have focused largely on memorized number facts and have not considered the pre-counting quantification skills described by Piaget and Kamii. Of further concern to educators is the difficulty in accurately assessing preschool children. For this reason, curriculum-based measures, which are aligned to classroom curriculum and can therefore inform planning and instructional decisions, are of particular interest. The hypothesis of the current research was that six measurable variables, quantification level, counting skills, comparison of sets, numeral recognition and understanding, combination of sets, and patterning, would make a significant contribution to the latent construct of number sense. The measurement tool was an interactive game, played between assessor and child, that consisted of a series of cards in a standardized order and teddy bear counters. The game was aligned to the curriculum of a licensed preschool center in Cincinnati, Ohio, from which a sample of 108 children, ages 3 to 5, was drawn during the 2006-07 school year. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the hypothesized model. Results indicated a good model fit: χ2 (3, N = 108) = 4.246, p = .236; NFI =.990; CFI = .997; and RMSEA = .062. In addition, all standardized path coefficients demonstrated both statistical (p < .001) and practical significance (β > .3) (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Anne Bauer EdD (Committee Chair); Victoria Carr EdD (Committee Member); Peggy Elgas PhD (Committee Member); Wei Pan PhD (Other) Subjects: Educational Evaluation; Mathematics Education; Preschool Education; Special Education