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EXPLORING THE EXPERIENCES OF LEARNING MATHEMATICS FOR A CHILD WITH CANCER: A CASE STUDY
Title
EXPLORING THE EXPERIENCES OF LEARNING MATHEMATICS FOR A CHILD WITH CANCER: A CASE STUDY.
Creator
Bello, Elizabeth M, Nickels, Megan, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
In this research report, I utilize interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith, Flowers, & Larkin, 2009) to examine the mathematics education experiences of a child with cancer. Two qualitative interviews with a 13-year-old male patient with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and his mother were analyzed. Findings revealed several storylines or themes: living with cancer, environmental barriers, and mathematics in virtual school. Grade level mathematics, content knowledge, and delivery during treatment...
Show moreIn this research report, I utilize interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith, Flowers, & Larkin, 2009) to examine the mathematics education experiences of a child with cancer. Two qualitative interviews with a 13-year-old male patient with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and his mother were analyzed. Findings revealed several storylines or themes: living with cancer, environmental barriers, and mathematics in virtual school. Grade level mathematics, content knowledge, and delivery during treatment in comparison to the child's healthy peers are also discussed.
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Date Issued
2017
Identifier
CFH2000250, ucf:46003
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000250
IMPROVED PHYSIOLOGY AND PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING FOR CHILDREN WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES THROUGH VIRTUAL REALITY IMMERSION
Title
IMPROVED PHYSIOLOGY AND PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING FOR CHILDREN WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES THROUGH VIRTUAL REALITY IMMERSION.
Creator
Fralish, Bethany D, Nickels, Megan, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The purpose of this case study was to examine the physiological and psychosocial effects of an immersive virtual reality (VR) system in a female, young adult with right side paralysis following a left hemisphere brain bleed in order to determine the usefulness of immersive VR for children with physical disabilities, in particular, cerebral palsy (CP). The current study consisted of six sessions over a span of three weeks, with each session lasting approximately 45 minutes. Physiological...
Show moreThe purpose of this case study was to examine the physiological and psychosocial effects of an immersive virtual reality (VR) system in a female, young adult with right side paralysis following a left hemisphere brain bleed in order to determine the usefulness of immersive VR for children with physical disabilities, in particular, cerebral palsy (CP). The current study consisted of six sessions over a span of three weeks, with each session lasting approximately 45 minutes. Physiological factors (upper body mobility, heart rate variability) were assessed via a hand use questionnaire and a heart rate monitor, while psychosocial factors (e.g. positive mood) were assessed through post-session debriefing discussions with the participant. All measures were completed at each of the six VR sessions, with the exception of the hand use questionnaire, which was administered at baseline, and post-intervention. The VR programs selected were specifically chosen to engage upper body and arm movements. Descriptive analyses and coding of interviews were conducted to examine changes throughout the study sessions. The participant reported an increase in hand mobility and psychosocial well-being, such as improvement in mood, as a result of her participation in the VR sessions. The results of the current study suggest that the use of movement-specific VR programs may be beneficial to children with physical disabilities and CP, although due to the single-subject design of the study, further research is warranted.
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Date Issued
2017
Identifier
CFH2000255, ucf:46028
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000255
Pre-service teacher perceptions on the education of children with critical illness and preparation to teach mathematics to children with critical illness.
Title
Pre-service teacher perceptions on the education of children with critical illness and preparation to teach mathematics to children with critical illness.
Creator
Fralish, Bethany, Nickels, Megan, Bush, Sarah, Kelley, Michelle, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This research study presents data on three pre-service elementary teachers in an ethnographic study outlining the experiences of the pre-service elementary teachers during the semester of their first education internship. During the first internship semester, the three pre-service teachers completed a 12-week internship placement, 6-weeks at a hospital-based school program and 6-weeks at a brick-and-mortar public school, and three co-requisite courses (i.e., elementary mathematics methods,...
Show moreThis research study presents data on three pre-service elementary teachers in an ethnographic study outlining the experiences of the pre-service elementary teachers during the semester of their first education internship. During the first internship semester, the three pre-service teachers completed a 12-week internship placement, 6-weeks at a hospital-based school program and 6-weeks at a brick-and-mortar public school, and three co-requisite courses (i.e., elementary mathematics methods, diagnostic and corrective reading, and teaching exceptional students). The data collected includes the pre-service teacher applications to participate in internship at the hospital-based school program, pre-interview questionnaire, end-of-day reflections, post-interview questionnaire, and background information questionnaire. The questions of study were: (1) How prepared do pre-service teachers feel to educate children with critical illness and address the needs of children with critical illness in the classroom as a result of completion of a 6-week internship at a hospital-based school program? (2) How prepared do pre-service teachers feel to teach mathematics to children with critical illness after completing a 6-week internship at a hospital-based school program? The results show that the participants' reported an increase in preparation to teach children with critical illness and teach them mathematics, but their views about the education of children with a critical illness and mathematics remain consistent. Thus, the results illuminated two themes across all participants: 1) children as a homogenous group 2) procedural mathematics. Study implications include the need to add specific professional learning on the educational impacts of a critical illness and the need to involve pre-service teachers in reflective practices of what they learn and observe and how that informs actions in the classroom.
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Date Issued
2019
Identifier
CFE0007804, ucf:52354
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007804
Computer Programming with Early Elementary Students with and without Intellectual Disabilities
Title
Computer Programming with Early Elementary Students with and without Intellectual Disabilities.
Creator
Taylor, Matthew, Dieker, Lisa, Vasquez, Eleazar, Hines, Rebecca, Nickels, Megan, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Researchers suggest students at the preschool and kindergarten grade levels are active learners and creators and need to be exposed to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum. The need for student understanding in STEM curriculum is well documented, and positive results in robotics, computer programming, and coding are leading researchers and policy makers to introduce new standards in education. The purpose of this single case design study is to research the...
Show moreResearchers suggest students at the preschool and kindergarten grade levels are active learners and creators and need to be exposed to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum. The need for student understanding in STEM curriculum is well documented, and positive results in robotics, computer programming, and coding are leading researchers and policy makers to introduce new standards in education. The purpose of this single case design study is to research the abilities of kindergarten students, with and without intellectual disabilities (ID), to learn skills in computer programming and coding through explicit instruction, concrete manipulatives, and tangible interfaces. While constructionist methodology is typically used to teach robotics, best practice for students with ID is explicit instruction. For this reason, a group of students with ID and a group of students without ID were taught to program a robot to move in a square, through explicit instruction, and by using the iPad application, Blockly. It was discovered that students in both groups were capable of programming the robot, though students learned at different rates. Introducing STEM to students with and without ID at an early age could prepare students for future STEM careers and encourage students with ID to pursue STEM-related paths.
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Date Issued
2017
Identifier
CFE0006807, ucf:51802
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006807
A Multiple Case Study Examining How Third-Grade Students Who Struggle in Mathematics Make Sense of Fraction Concepts
Title
A Multiple Case Study Examining How Third-Grade Students Who Struggle in Mathematics Make Sense of Fraction Concepts.
Creator
Gault, Rebecca, Ortiz, Enrique, Dixon, Juli, Nickels, Megan, Little, Mary, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
A qualitative multiple case study was conducted to reveal the sense-making processes third-grade students who struggle in mathematics used to build an understanding of fraction concepts. Purposive sampling identified three participants who were struggling in a local school's third grade mathematics classes. This research describes how these participants made sense of fraction concepts through their strengths and struggles while engaged in 15 small-group intervention sessions. Vygotsky's (1934...
Show moreA qualitative multiple case study was conducted to reveal the sense-making processes third-grade students who struggle in mathematics used to build an understanding of fraction concepts. Purposive sampling identified three participants who were struggling in a local school's third grade mathematics classes. This research describes how these participants made sense of fraction concepts through their strengths and struggles while engaged in 15 small-group intervention sessions. Vygotsky's (1934/1986/2012) theory that children's optimal learning is supported by teacher-student interactions was used as an interpretive framework. Tasks were developed over the course of the intervention sessions with consideration of a model developed by Lesh, Post, and Behr (1987) for connecting mathematical representations and the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (&) Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010). Data, including transcripts, tapes, and artifacts, were analyzed using two frameworks. These were Geary's (2003) classification of three subtypes of learning disabilities in mathematics and Anghileri's (2006) descriptions of social-constructivist scaffolding techniques. The first analysis resulted in a description of each participant's strengths and struggles, including alignment with Geary's subtypes, and how these strengths and struggles interacted with participant's construction of knowledge about fractions. The second analysis described episodes of learning that were supported by social-constructivist scaffolding techniques and revealed how participants made sense of fractions through their interactions with each other, the researcher, and intervention tasks. The researcher found that each participant's learning process, including struggles, was unique, with each interacting in different ways with tasks, manipulatives, pictorial representations, and questioning. For each participant, however, scaffolding techniques oriented around prompting and probing questions, participant verbalizations, and interactions with connected fraction representations were critical in their learning process.
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Date Issued
2016
Identifier
CFE0006307, ucf:51587
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006307