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The Relationship Between Extracurricular STEM Activities and Performance on the Florida Science Assessment
Title
The Relationship Between Extracurricular STEM Activities and Performance on the Florida Science Assessment.
Creator
Fisher, Karin, Marino, Matthew, Dieker, Lisa, Hines, Rebecca, Basham, James, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Students with disabilities perform below their non-disabled peers in science (National Center for Educational Statistics [NCES], 2011; National Educational Longitudinal Study [NELS], 1998; National Science Foundation [NSF], 2013). The achievement gap is a problem because the nation's competitiveness depends on individuals with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) knowledge, skills, and abilities to drive innovation that will lead to new products and economic growth ...
Show moreStudents with disabilities perform below their non-disabled peers in science (National Center for Educational Statistics [NCES], 2011; National Educational Longitudinal Study [NELS], 1998; National Science Foundation [NSF], 2013). The achievement gap is a problem because the nation's competitiveness depends on individuals with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) knowledge, skills, and abilities to drive innovation that will lead to new products and economic growth (Business-Higher Education Forum [BHEF]/Act Policy Brief, 2014; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2016; National Science Board, 2015). If Florida is to continue to grow and prosper, all students, including students with disabilities must be prepared for the economy they will inherit. The purpose of the current study was to determine if informal science learning activities offered in Florida school districts impact students with disabilities (SWD) performance on the 8th Grade Florida science assessment.The researcher posed four research questions. The first research question determined whether a statistically significant difference existed between students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers on the 8th Grade Florida Science Assessment. The researcher found a statistically significant difference of students without disabilities outperforming their peers with disabilities. The second and third research questions were analyzed using survey responses from STEM personnel in each Florida district. The questions evaluated the percentage of SWD who participate in STEM activities. Findings indicated most districts do not track the number of SWD who participate in STEM activities. The third research question determined the type of SWD who participated in STEM activities. The largest category represented in STEM activities was students with learning disabilities. The last research question asked if there was a correlation between the number of STEM activities offered in a district and the results of the 8th Grade Statewide Science Assessment for SWD. Results indicated a small positive correlation. The researcher identified areas for future research, as well as recommendations and implications of the results from the study.
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Date Issued
2016
Identifier
CFE0006299, ucf:51594
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006299
Supporting Middle School Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders in Blended Learning: A Fraction Intervention using Virtual Manipulatives
Title
Supporting Middle School Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders in Blended Learning: A Fraction Intervention using Virtual Manipulatives.
Creator
Serianni, Barbara, Dieker, Lisa, Marino, Matthew, Vasquez, Eleazar, Basham, James, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) are more likely than other students with disabilities to drop out of school (Blackorby (&) Wagner, 1996) and suffer societal consequences that include higher probabilities and rates of incarceration, poverty, drug abuse, homelessness, low wages, and unemployment (Bradley, Doolittle, (&) Bartolotta, 2008; Wagner, 1995). High school graduation is a critical factor to improve post-secondary outcomes for students with EBD; yet it is often...
Show moreStudents with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) are more likely than other students with disabilities to drop out of school (Blackorby (&) Wagner, 1996) and suffer societal consequences that include higher probabilities and rates of incarceration, poverty, drug abuse, homelessness, low wages, and unemployment (Bradley, Doolittle, (&) Bartolotta, 2008; Wagner, 1995). High school graduation is a critical factor to improve post-secondary outcomes for students with EBD; yet it is often mathematics, specifically algebra, that stands in the way of graduation (Blackorby (&) Wagner). Students with EBD often enter middle school lacking foundational mathematics skills, such as fractions, which sets them up to struggle with pre-algebra and ultimately fail algebra (U.S. Department of Education, 2008). The purpose of this study was to improve the ability of middle school students with EBD to access online grade-level mathematics content by providing fraction remediation to improve conceptual fraction knowledge and procedural fluency. The intervention consisted of Initial Fraction Ideas, an intervention curriculum from the Rational Number Project (RNP; Cramer, Behr, Post, (&) Lesh, 2009), in conjunction with three online virtual manipulatives (VM). The unique blended learning environment of this study provided the opportunity to evaluate the use of an evidence-based fraction intervention, in conjunction with VMs, in a single subject, multiple baseline across subjects design. Fluency data was gathered from daily fraction addition assessments (FAA) administered after each intervention session. A second component of the study featured a non-experimental repeated measures design that assessed student conceptual understanding of fraction equivalency through the administration of pre, post, and delayed-post Equivalent Fraction Tests (EFT). The intervention was effective in producing increases in median group fluency with high effect sizes, across three replications, establishing a functional relationship between the intervention and the dependent variable for these groups of students with EBD. In addition, all groups posted mean gains in equivalent fraction knowledge from pre to post-EFT, and maintained those gains for at least 15 days after the intervention concluded.
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Date Issued
2014
Identifier
CFE0005415, ucf:50435
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005415