Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2012, Curriculum and Instruction Mathematics Education (Education)

In Turkey, the secondary mathematics curriculum, students' mathematical proficiency, and their preparation for the university entrance examinations are inextricably connected. The Ministry of National Education adopted a new curriculum in 2005 that was built on constructivist theory. This study explored the perceptions of high school mathematics teachers in Turkey regarding the effects of this new curriculum on students' mathematical proficiency and students' success on the examinations. Specifically, this study investigated two issues: • the perceptions of teachers regarding the reform and its impact on students' mathematical proficiency and their success on national university entrance examinations, and • the differences among those perceptions across types of schools and years of teaching experience. This exploratory investigation concurrently used a survey and interviewed teachers at Anatolian, general, and science high schools. The researcher designed and tested the survey and disseminated it to 162 teachers from 59 of the 81 provinces in Turkey. In addition, 18 teachers were interviewed: 9 from each of two provinces and 6 from each of the three types of schools. The researcher conducted three factorial analyses of variance and several follow-up tests to address the research questions, and analyzed the results using constuctivist theory as a framework. Teachers' perceptions of the reformed curriculum and its impact on students' mathematical proficiency were about the same regardless of school type or teaching experience. The teachers indicated that the main obstacles to implementation are lack of time, large class sizes, an unchanged university entrance examination system, and insufficient professional development. Overall, teachers' perceptions about the impact of the curriculum reform on students' success on university entrance examinations were slightly negative. Teachers perceived that the educational and examination systems conflict with each other a (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Gregory Foley PhD (Advisor); John Henning PhD (Committee Member); George Johanson PhD (Committee Member); Timothy McKeny PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Curriculum Development; Education; Mathematics Education; Secondary Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2009, ED Teaching and Learning (Columbus campus)

This investigation examined interactions in three classrooms to determine how they influenced Discourses related to mathematics learning and teaching. Mathematics education literature suggests that effective mathematics instruction includes mathematical Discourses. However, effective mathematical Discourses within mathematics classrooms vary widely and effective Discourses in one classroom may be ineffective in another. The purpose of the investigation was to gain insights for developing effective Discourses or classrooms that exhibit reform oriented cultures (ROC). The primary research question addressed was how do classroom interaction influence the Discourses related to mathematics learning and teaching in MCP supported classrooms? MCP supported classrooms are within buildings were an MCP instructional coach is assigned. The MCP coaches' role within the building includes: a) developing his or her knowledge and understanding of research-based mathematics education reform; b) providing sustained classroom-embedded professional development to small groups of mathematics teachers; and c) offering school-based professional development for all mathematics teachers in the building. The site of the investigation was a large urban school district in the Midwest United States of America. According to the school district's website for the school year 2008-2009 they reported 23,850 students enrolled and 70 % qualified for free-reduced lunch. Data were collected in four MCP supported classrooms within this district, but only three grade six classrooms were used in this report. The final report includes input from 52 students, 3 teachers, and 2 MCP instructional coaches. Data was collected using interviews, classroom observations, and surveys. The teachers responded to two instruments to provide data about their perceptions related to mathematics education reform (TCMER ) and teaching efficacy (TSES ). The student survey captured data about attitude and identity perceptions (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Patricia Brosnan PhD (Advisor); Diana Erchick PhD (Committee Member); Azita Manouchehri PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; Education; Elementary Education; Mathematics Education; Secondary Education; Social Research; Teacher Education; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2004, Curriculum and Instruction

This ethnographic case study of a constructivist classroom examined the contextual, academic, and socio-cultural factors that influence kindergarten students' mathematical literacy development. This study was done during the crucial junction between informal and formal mathematics and during the junction between informal and formal discourse that occurs in a kindergarten classroom. It also examined how disciplinary knowledge in mathematics is presented through classroom discourse. Five lenses drawn from the research literature were used to examine the data: (a) socio-cultural perspectives, (b) constructivist learning theory, (c) kindergarten curriculum, (d) language and discourse development, (e) mathematical process and content. A final framework was developed from the data collected. It included an (a) active restructuring of the environment (socio-cultural perspectives and constructivist learning theory), (b) language and discourse development, and (c) mathematical processes and content. This framework also delineated the elements observed in the classroom that support the final framework categories. The choice of curriculum should support collaboration between children and adults as well as collaboration between children. The choice of curriculum should encourage the complex use of language and support the transition to formal mathematical discourse (one of the dominant academic discourses). Children's initiation and choice within the curriculum were found to be other key elements in this constructivist classroom. A system of continuous assessment and subsequent differentiation of instruction were two other essential elements in this reform mathematics classroom. Each of these key elements was shown to be important to foster mathematical literacy for all children. The role of socio-cultural perspectives ranging from Dewey's structuring of the environment through Freire's problem-posing curriculum to Delpit and Gee's work on dominant discourses was highlighted in (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Eileen Carr (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2011, Curriculum and Instruction Mathematics Education (Education)

This study examined reform and change perspectives of retired rural secondary mathematics teachers in a North Carolina Appalachian community, giving voice to rural mathematics teachers. The investigation is inherently rural because of the nature of the place involved. The study emphasized tensions between reform efforts involving local, state, and national policy. The careers of the participants spanned the period from just prior to the 1957 Soviet Sputnik launch through 2002. This qualitative study involved ethnographic interview methods. Phenomenological-based interviews combined life histories with focused in-depth interviewing using open-ended questions designed to explore participant responses. The study employed a critical analysis approach to identify themes of change; to view the way change evolved; and to analyze interpretations of the mathematics teachers within a single county school system. Emphasizing contextual analysis, the study included historical documents as well as a limited number of individual interviews and participant journals. The data revealed three themes of change considered significant by the participants: (a) outside intrusions, (b) treading community boundaries, and (c) understanding and misunderstanding mathematics. Underlying teacher beliefs in the defense of community, the nature of mathematics, and the common good contributed to data interpretation. Understanding the teachers' perspectives through their lenses of beliefs and their community contexts proved critical to the analysis. The teachers' perceptions of change depended on their underlying beliefs in the community. Preserving the good of the community evolved as a dominant theme. Decisions made by the rural teachers involved community benefit, which was often of more significance than individual benefit. The mathematics teachers seldom initiated major changes. They were most willing to change when student benefits were clear and when change did not conflict with community v (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: George Johanson PhD (Committee Chair); Gordon Brooks PhD (Committee Member); Linda Rice PhD (Committee Member); Gregory Foley PhD (Committee Member); Jeffrey Wanko PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Mathematics Education; Secondary Education

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2010, Curriculum and Instruction Mathematics Education (Education)

This dissertation describes findings of a qualitative study using a grounded theory methodology to explore teacher perceptions and implementation of the Ohio Academic Content Standards for Mathematics. Teachers who have knowledge of the Standards and have participated in professional development that builds on that knowledge do not always teach in a way that is indicative of standards-based instruction. This study examines the disconnect between teachers' espoused beliefs about standards-based instruction and what students eventually experience in their classroom. Classroom practice of twelve teachers was explored through interviews, observations, and surveys of lesson plans and assessments. Not all teachers in this study had a thorough understanding of the Standards. For many, standards-based instruction meant teaching the Standards. The Standards involved mathematics content with little or no attention paid to the mathematical process standards. For many, Standards were a checklist of unitized grade-level indicators teachers were responsible for teaching, and the teachers' effectiveness in teaching this checklist could be evaluated based on students' test scores on standardized tests. Teachers' perception of their role and responsibilities could be categorized into three distinct groups- performance, compliance, and resistance- with each group having a differing perception made up of a compilation of ideas about the Standards, testing, teacher beliefs, and practice. Regardless of teacher perception, teachers' decisions about classroom practice were purposeful. Teachers taught in a way they believed to be most likely to bring about desired results. Levels of teacher efficacy were associated with their success at achieving those desired results. Foundationally, teachers believed that their responsibility to students was based upon what was fundamental to their job. Some teachers approached teaching mathematics from a school mathematics perspective in which school ma (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: George Johanson A (Committee Chair); Thomas Davis (Committee Member); Dianne Gut (Committee Member); Craig Howley (Committee Member) Subjects: Mathematics Education

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2010, Educational Leadership

Although most high schools espouse school-wide literacy initiatives, few schools place equal emphasis on numeracy, or quantitative literacy. This lack of attention to quantitative skills is ironic in light of documented deficiencies in student mathematics achievement. While significant research exists regarding best practices for mathematics teaching, little research exists around best practices for leadership that supports student mathematics achievement. The purpose of this study was to explore a possible connection between school leaders‘ mathematics background and student mathematics achievement. Specifically, the study explores the potential importance of principals‘ attitudes and beliefs about mathematics, as well as knowledge of mathematics, as they impact a principal‘s ability to lead mathematics reform initiatives (i.e. the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics). The study focuses on students and administrators at secondary schools. The study used mixed methods, employing quantitative research (survey questionnaire, data-base analysis) and qualitative research (interviews). The survey was administered to Ohio principals participating in the High Schools That Work (HSTW) network. Eight survey respondents participated in follow-up interviews focusing on indicators of mathematics program success and mathematics teacher strength, as well as emphasis on numeracy across the curriculum. While the study did not yield significant correlations directly linking a principal‘s background to student achievement data, interviews conducted in conjunction with the statistical analysis did produce interesting results. Findings include insights into how a principal‘s mathematical background impacts his/her approach to mathematics program evaluation and mathematics teacher evaluation. Principal interviews offered insights into views on equal access to rigorous mathematics courses, perceptions of emphasis on numeracy, and perspectives on the importance of content knowledg (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Sally Lloyd Dr. (Committee Co-Chair); Frances Fowler Dr. (Committee Co-Chair); Steven Thompson Dr. (Committee Member); Kate Rousmaniere Dr. (Committee Member); Iris Johnson Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Mathematics Education; School Administration

PHD, Kent State University, 2012, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies

The purpose of this study was to determine the experiences related to and perceptions of statistics of mathematics teacher educators. Particularly, this study focused on the participants¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ lived experience by training preservice K-8 teacher candidates in topics related to statistics in the mathematics methods course. Their perceptions and interpretations were organized according to key points, respective to each semi-structured question presented in the interview protocol. The participants for this study were three (3) mathematics teacher educators in the same state system of higher education in a northeastern state in the US. The mathematics teacher educators were interviewed individually for 60-90 minutes in a semi-structured format, discussing their experiences and perceptions of statistics related to their role as K-8 math methods professors. The design of the study was phenomenological (Giorgi, 1994; Moustakas, 1994). Each question contained in the interview protocol was broken into key points, capturing the essence(s) of their experiences. The key points and interpretations were reviewed with Richard Busi, a doctoral student in mathematics education, in an effort to triangulate the interpretative process (Denzin, 1978). The results obtained from Chapter IV indicate three major domains discussed by the participants, including preservice teacher preparation, conceptualizing the role of statistics, and allocation of time. This study also suggests that there are numerous factors related to the experiences and perceptions of mathematics teacher educators, which may promote a more thorough understanding of the challenges they face in light of preparing preservice teachers to teach mathematical and statistical notions.

Committee: Anne Reynolds PhD (Committee Chair); Jason Schenker PhD (Committee Member); Scott Courtney PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Mathematics Education

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2005, Arts and Sciences : Interdisciplinary Studies

The purpose of this thesis is to identify the key components for assessing undergraduate mathematics programs. These will be used to develop a tool that mathematics departments can apply with relative ease, which will provide an outcome in the form of advice specifically tailored to help them best respond to the varying needs of their changing student population. This tool has been designed for smaller two- and four year colleges in Midwest states. The first part of this tool consists of a set of questions that these math departments should ask themselves so that they may ascertain whether they are meeting the needs of their students. The second part of this tool consists of a list of reforms. Once a math department has established the answers to the questions from the first part of the tool, it can determine its weaknesses and match them with the reforms in the second part.

Committee: Dr. Glenn Markle (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Education (EdD), Ohio University, 2007, Educational Administration (Education)

The types of leadership practices that might work to improve mathematics curriculum and instruction are of interest to people who are concerned about the quality of mathematics education in rural schools. Certain leadership practices have been shown to influence school climate and culture, which indirectly influences student achievement, but there is no agreement regarding their effectiveness. Nevertheless, particular content-specific practices have been recommended for leadership of mathematics education, but little empirical work to date has substantiated the extensiveness of those practices, the conditions associated with their use, or their influence on school culture and performance (Larson et al., 2006). This study investigated the separate and combined influences of principals' mathematics knowledge, principals' knowledge of mathematics education and a set of contextual and organizational variables, including locale, school size, per pupil expenditure, free and reduced lunch rate, and the employment of a mathematics department chair, on principals' perceptions of effective leadership of mathematics education reform. Gender was included as a control variable because prior literature suggested that gender would likely have an influence on mathematics knowledge and therefore had the potential to moderate the influence of that variable on the dependent variable, leadership of mathematics education reform. The researcher mailed a questionnaire to a random sample of 596 high school principals in Pennsylvania, 260 of whom returned questionnaires, yielding an overall response rate of 50.4%. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings based on backwards stepwise regression analyses showed that none of the target variables exerted a significant influence on principals' perception of effective leadership of mathematics education reform. Moreover, the control variable, gender, exerted a significant influence only in the data set from which o (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Aimee Howley (Advisor) Subjects:

Master of Education, Cleveland State University, 2008, College of Education and Human Services

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the Core Plus Mathematics Project in terms of raising students' mathematics achievement. The study utilized Iowa Test of Educational Development (ITED) mathematics score data for 454 minority and low-income students. An Individual Growth Model revealed that Core Plus participants' initial status was statistically significantly higher than their traditional counterparts. Over a three-year period, Core Plus participants' total ITED mathematics score growth decelerated significantly. However, the Core Plus participants remained slightly higher than the traditional students at the end of the three-year period. The study recommends use of other measures of student learning outcomes beyond the ITED to determine the effectiveness of Core Plus among diverse groups of students

Committee: Joshua Bagaka's (Committee Chair); Judy Stahlman (Committee Member); Patrick Wachira (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Evaluation; Mathematics Education; Secondary Education