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EFFECTS ON TEACHERS' MATHEMATICS CONTENT KNOWLEDGE OF A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY
Title
EFFECTS ON TEACHERS' MATHEMATICS CONTENT KNOWLEDGE OF A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY.
Creator
Price, Beverley, Kaplan, Jeffrey, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The purpose of this research was to study the implementation of a professional learning community comprised of one group of third-grade teachers in a Florida elementary school where the emphasis was on research-based practices in the teaching of mathematics. Investigated were the growth of teachers' content knowledge in mathematics, specifically in the areas of multiplication and division, and the effects of their professional learning within their classrooms. Specifically this study looked...
Show moreThe purpose of this research was to study the implementation of a professional learning community comprised of one group of third-grade teachers in a Florida elementary school where the emphasis was on research-based practices in the teaching of mathematics. Investigated were the growth of teachers' content knowledge in mathematics, specifically in the areas of multiplication and division, and the effects of their professional learning within their classrooms. Specifically this study looked at whether or not the participation of a group of third grade teachers in a professional learning community PLC improved the mathematical content knowledge of the participants of the study. This research design called for the research to be conducted in three phases. In Phase I, the researcher interviewed all participants using a researcher-designed interview guide. A researcher-adapted survey, based upon previously released items Ball (2008) was administered as a pre-test of mathematical content knowledge,. In Phase II of the study, the researcher documented the activities that occurred within a 10-week long professional learning community (PLC) of third-grade teachers. In Phase III of the research, a post-study interview was conducted with each of the participants by an independent observer to elicit participants' perceptions and observations based on their participation in the PLC. A post-test of content knowledge was also administered to the participants. Several themes were identified in the research study. These themes led to recommendations for practice and future research. Themes were related to the lack of mathematical understanding experienced by some teachers and the lack of professional development specifically related to mathematics, the value of the professional learning community, and the benefits of sharing current research and best practices. During this study, the participants were able to read and share examples of research-based best practices in mathematics, and participants then used this new information and additional mathematics content knowledge in their classrooms in teaching their students.
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Date Issued
2011
Identifier
CFE0003619, ucf:48856
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003619
An Analysis of Undergraduate Elementary School Pre-Service Teachers' Ability to Contextualize Fraction Expressions and Decontextualize Fraction Word Problems
Title
An Analysis of Undergraduate Elementary School Pre-Service Teachers' Ability to Contextualize Fraction Expressions and Decontextualize Fraction Word Problems.
Creator
Tapp, Laura, Ortiz, Enrique, Andreasen, Janet, Dixon, Juli, Witta, Eleanor, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The focus of this research was to expand on existing literature by providing information on elementary school pre-service teachers' ability to contextualize fraction expressions and decontextualize fraction word problems. The elementary school pre-service teachers who participated in this study were enrolled in a mathematics for elementary school teachers content course in a college of education at a large university during the Spring 2016 semester. In this mixed-method study, the...
Show moreThe focus of this research was to expand on existing literature by providing information on elementary school pre-service teachers' ability to contextualize fraction expressions and decontextualize fraction word problems. The elementary school pre-service teachers who participated in this study were enrolled in a mathematics for elementary school teachers content course in a college of education at a large university during the Spring 2016 semester. In this mixed-method study, the participants were given the Contextualization and Decontextualization of Fractions Instrument (CDFI) which assessed elementary school pre-service teachers' ability to solve fraction word problems and identify decontextualized fraction word problems into expressions and contextualized fraction expressions into word problems. The elementary school pre-service teachers were given the CDFI before and after they completed a unit on fractions. Of the 52 participants who completed both the pre- and post- CDFI, 11 were selected to participant in think aloud interviews in which they decontextualized fraction expressions from word problems and solved and contextualized fraction word problems from expressions. Quantitative results showed an overall statistically significant difference in the elementary school pre-service teachers' pre- and post- test scores. With the exception of two questions, all questions on the CDFI showed a statistically significant difference between the pre- and the post- test scores. No statistical significance was found in the responses to the question that required the elementary school pre-service teachers to identify the expression that matched the given fraction subtraction word problem. A large number of participants correctly identified the correct subtraction expression on the pre-test, and only slightly more of them were able to identify the correct subtraction expression on the post-test. No statistical significance was found in the responses to the question that required the elementary school pre-service teachers to explain their selection of a contextualized fraction multiplication expression. Though there was an increase in the elementary school pre-service teachers' ability to explain their selection of the contextualized fraction multiplication expression, it was not statistically significant. The qualitative analysis of the think aloud interview data showed that some of the elementary school pre-service teachers struggled with contextualizing fraction expressions. Most of the elementary school pre-service teachers did not struggle with solving the fraction word problems, but did struggle with decontextualizing fraction multiplication word problems.
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Date Issued
2016
Identifier
CFE0006506, ucf:51405
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006506
EXPLORING THE UNDERSTANDING OF WHOLE NUMBER CONCEPTS AND OPERATIONS: A CASE STUDY ANALYSIS OF PROSPECTIVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS
Title
EXPLORING THE UNDERSTANDING OF WHOLE NUMBER CONCEPTS AND OPERATIONS: A CASE STUDY ANALYSIS OF PROSPECTIVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS.
Creator
Safi, Farshid, Dixon, Juli K., University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This research project aimed to extend the research literature by providing greater insight into the way individual prospective teachers develop their conceptual understanding of whole number concepts and operations in a social context. In this qualitative study, a case study analysis provided the opportunity for careful exploration of the manner in which prospective teachers' understanding changed and the ways two selected participants reorganized their mathematical thinking within a...
Show moreThis research project aimed to extend the research literature by providing greater insight into the way individual prospective teachers develop their conceptual understanding of whole number concepts and operations in a social context. In this qualitative study, a case study analysis provided the opportunity for careful exploration of the manner in which prospective teachers' understanding changed and the ways two selected participants reorganized their mathematical thinking within a classroom teaching experiment. While previous research efforts insisted on creating a dichotomy of choosing the individual or the collective understanding, through the utilization of the emergent perspective both the individual and the social aspects were considered. Specifically, using the emergent perspective as a theoretical framework, this research endeavor has outlined the mathematical conceptions and activities of individual prospective teachers and thus has provided the psychological perspective correlate to the social perspective's classroom mathematical practices. As the research participants progressed through an instructional sequence taught entirely in base-8, a case study approach was used to select and analyze two individuals. In order to gain a more thorough understanding of the individual perspective, this research endeavor focused on whether teachers with varying initial content knowledge developed differently through this instructional sequence. The first participant initially demonstrated "Low-Content" knowledge according to the CKT-M instrument database questions which measure content knowledge for teaching mathematics. She developed a greater understanding of place value concepts and was able to apply this new knowledge to gain a deeper sense of the rationale behind counting strategies and addition and subtraction operations. She did not demonstrate the ability to consistently make sense of multiplication and division strategies. She participated in the classroom argumentation primarily by providing claims and data as she illustrated the way she would use different procedures to solve addition and subtraction problems. The second participant illustrated "High-Content" knowledge based on the CKT-M instrument. She already possessed a solid foundation in understanding place value concepts and throughout the instructional sequence developed various ways to connect and build on her initial understanding through the synthesis of multiple pedagogical content tools. She demonstrated conceptual understanding of counting strategies, and all four whole number operations. Furthermore, by exploring various ways that other prospective teachers solved the problems, she also presented a greater pedagogical perspective in how other prospective teachers think mathematically. This prospective teacher showed a shift in her participation in classroom argumentation as she began by providing claims and data at the outset of the instructional sequence. Later on, she predominantly provided the warrants and backings to integrate the mathematical concepts and pedagogical tools used to develop greater understanding of whole number operations. These results indicate the findings based on the individual case-study analysis of prospective elementary school teachers and the cross-case analysis that ensued. The researcher contends that through the synthesis of the findings of this project along with current relevant research efforts, teacher educators and educational policy makers can revisit and possibly revise instructional practices and sequences in order to develop teachers with greater conceptual understanding of concepts vital to elementary mathematics.
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Date Issued
2009
Identifier
CFE0002811, ucf:48097
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002811
An investigation of the use of disciplinary texts and achievement on End-of-Course examinations in high school U.S. History courses
Title
An investigation of the use of disciplinary texts and achievement on End-of-Course examinations in high school U.S. History courses.
Creator
Downs, Jocelyn, Williams-Fjeldhe, Karri, Kelley, Michelle, Boote, David, Murray, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
ABSTRACTThis study was conducted to examine whether a disparity exists between teacher expectations of honors and non-honors U. S. History students and if students who read more for U. S. History perform better on the U. S. History End-of-Course (EOC) examination. To generate answers to the research questions, both teachers and students in U. S. History courses were surveyed as to how much time was spent reading for U. S. History content both during class and for homework. The student surveys...
Show moreABSTRACTThis study was conducted to examine whether a disparity exists between teacher expectations of honors and non-honors U. S. History students and if students who read more for U. S. History perform better on the U. S. History End-of-Course (EOC) examination. To generate answers to the research questions, both teachers and students in U. S. History courses were surveyed as to how much time was spent reading for U. S. History content both during class and for homework. The student surveys were matched to the U. S. History EOC Developmental Scale Scores to determine if students who responded as reading more for the course had higher achievement on the EOC examination. Five teacher surveys were completed, and 144 student surveys were analyzed, and comparisons were made using U. S. History EOC Developmental Scale Scores. Teachers surveyed did not appear to vary their expectations of student whether the students were in an honors or non-honors course. Approximately 71% of non-honors and 73% of honors students in this study were reading U. S. History homework content on a regular basis. Though not statistically significant, results did indicate a positive trend between students who read more for U. S. History content and achievement on the EOC examination. This study revealed the implementation of a standardized EOC examination may account for equally rigorous teacher expectations of both honors and non-honors students. All students have the same final evaluation and expectation of passing the EOC; therefore, all students are expected to learn the content.
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Date Issued
2014
Identifier
CFE0005459, ucf:50389
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005459
Exploring Intensive Reading Intervention Teachers' Formal and Practical Knowledge of Beginning Reading Instruction Provided to At-Risk First Grade Readers
Title
Exploring Intensive Reading Intervention Teachers' Formal and Practical Knowledge of Beginning Reading Instruction Provided to At-Risk First Grade Readers.
Creator
Cortelyou, Kathryn, Biraimah, Karen, Kelley, Michelle, Beverly, Monifa, Clements, Taylar, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This study was designed with two goals in mind. The first goal was to describe the formal and practical knowledge of intensive reading intervention teachers related to beginning reading instruction with at-risk first graders. A second goal was to understand any potential relationships between intensive reading teachers' practical knowledge and formal knowledge. These two goals framed the study's three research questions. To answer these three questions, the study was conducted in two phases....
Show moreThis study was designed with two goals in mind. The first goal was to describe the formal and practical knowledge of intensive reading intervention teachers related to beginning reading instruction with at-risk first graders. A second goal was to understand any potential relationships between intensive reading teachers' practical knowledge and formal knowledge. These two goals framed the study's three research questions. To answer these three questions, the study was conducted in two phases. Phase one included 32 participants, all of whom worked in the role of a K-2 intensive reading intervention teacher. Each of these 32 participants completed a background questionnaire and a paper/pencil Teacher Knowledge Assessment (TKA). The TKA measured participants' formal knowledge of beginning reading concepts. Participants' scores on the TKA were then rank-ordered from lowest to highest to help guide the selection of phase two participants. Eight teachers in all participated in phase two of the study dedicated to the study of teachers' practical knowledge of reading. Participants' practical knowledge of reading was explored through three activities including a semi-structured interview, a concept-mapping activity and a videotaped reading lesson. Data analysis revealed several important findings. Intensive reading intervention teachers in this study's sample differed in their formal knowledge of reading, measured by the TKA, and in their practical knowledge of reading, explored through interviews, concept-maps and reading lessons. The TKA revealed that study participants' held more formal knowledge of concepts related to phonology and phonics and less formal knowledge of concepts related to morphology and syllable types. Related to practical knowledge, data analysis revealed that the teachers in this sample differed in their knowledge of beginning reading with subject-matter knowledge accounting for most of the differences. These gaps in subject-matter knowledge also impacted this sample of teachers' use of instructional strategies and purposes of instruction. Data analysis also revealed insight into the relationships between this sample of teachers' formal and practical reading knowledge. In this sample, intensive reading intervention teachers with more formal knowledge of reading concepts as measured on the TKA demonstrated more evidence of these concepts within their instruction provided to at-risk first grade readers. The participants in this sample who had less formal knowledge of beginning reading as measured by the TKA demonstrated less evidence of these concepts within their instruction provided to at-risk first grade readers. Participants with less formal knowledge did accurately calibrate their knowledge of the concepts tested on the TKA but did not equate the lower scores to their practical knowledge and overall teaching efficacy. The findings from this study added several important contributions to the literature on teacher knowledge and beginning reading instruction. First, the study was unique in its focus on intensive reading intervention teachers, thus contributing new findings related to a specialized group of teachers. Secondly, this study contributed descriptions of teachers' practical knowledge with regards to beginning reading instruction. These descriptions are relatively absent in the current literature on teacher knowledge. Thirdly, the results from this study supported earlier findings in favor of a specialized body of subject-matter knowledge, especially related to beginning reading skills and concepts. Finally, the results contributed insight into the relationships between teachers' formal reading knowledge and practical reading knowledge.
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Date Issued
2012
Identifier
CFE0004541, ucf:49260
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004541
AN ACTION RESEARCH STUDY INVOLVING FIFTH-GRADE STUDENTS LEARNING FRACTIONS THROUGH A SITUATIVE PERSPECTIVE WITH STORY PROBLEMS
Title
AN ACTION RESEARCH STUDY INVOLVING FIFTH-GRADE STUDENTS LEARNING FRACTIONS THROUGH A SITUATIVE PERSPECTIVE WITH STORY PROBLEMS.
Creator
Allen, Colleen, Dixon, Juli, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
ABSTRACT The purpose of this action research study was to investigate the affects of teaching through a situative perspective with story problems on students' understanding of fraction concepts and operations in my fifth-grade mathematics classroom. Students participated in twelve weeks of instruction. Data was collected in the form of pre and post tests, audiotaped and videotaped recordings of instructional sessions, and student work samples. Data analysis revealed that my students...
Show moreABSTRACT The purpose of this action research study was to investigate the affects of teaching through a situative perspective with story problems on students' understanding of fraction concepts and operations in my fifth-grade mathematics classroom. Students participated in twelve weeks of instruction. Data was collected in the form of pre and post tests, audiotaped and videotaped recordings of instructional sessions, and student work samples. Data analysis revealed that my students constructed their own knowledge about various fraction concepts and operations because students engaged in discussions, after solving story problems, that developed, extended and restructured their knowledge. One example of this occurred after students had solved an equal-sharing problem. Two students came up with different answers and another student explained why both answers were equivalent. Student work samples and post test results indicated that the one student's explanation was understood, adopted and extended by all the students in my class. The data also revealed that students' pictures typically represented the context and action of the story problems. For example, subtraction problems dealing with length were usually represented by number lines or horizontal rectangles with crossed-out markings to show the subtraction operation. Throughout this research study, I discovered that my students were capable of learning from each other and solving problems for which they have no preconceived algorithm. I also learned that analyzing students' work and listening to their discussions in ways that focused on their thinking, not their answers, provided me with information about what my students were grasping and not grasping.
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Date Issued
2005
Identifier
CFE0000538, ucf:46423
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000538
A Framework of Critical Success Factors for Business Organizations that Lead to Performance Excellence Based on a Financial and Quality Systems Assessment.
Title
A Framework of Critical Success Factors for Business Organizations that Lead to Performance Excellence Based on a Financial and Quality Systems Assessment.
Creator
Francisco, Melissa, Elshennawy, Ahmad, Karwowski, Waldemar, Rabelo, Luis, Xanthopoulos, Petros, Weheba, Gamal, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
One of the most important tasks that business leaders undertake in order to achieve a superior market position is strategic planning. Beyond this obligation, business owners desire to maximize profit and maintain steady growth. In order to do this, resources must be invested in the most efficient way possible in order to achieve performance excellence. Adjusting business operations quickly, however, especially in times of economic uncertainty, is extremely difficult. Business leaders...
Show moreOne of the most important tasks that business leaders undertake in order to achieve a superior market position is strategic planning. Beyond this obligation, business owners desire to maximize profit and maintain steady growth. In order to do this, resources must be invested in the most efficient way possible in order to achieve performance excellence. Adjusting business operations quickly, however, especially in times of economic uncertainty, is extremely difficult. Business leaders therefore need insight into which elements of organizational improvement are most effective in order to strategically invest their resources to achieve superior performance in the most efficient way possible.This research examines the results of companies which have a demonstrated ability to achieve performance excellence as defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. This research examined award-winning applications to determine common input factors, compared the business results of a subset of those award-winners with the overall market for a time-frame of 11 years, and then investigated the profitability, liquidity, debt management, asset management, and per share performance ratios of award-winners compared with their industry peers over 11 years as well.The main focus of this research is to determine whether participation in performance excellence best practices have created value for shareholders and business owners. This objective is achieved through the analysis of performance results of award winning companies. This research demonstrates that the integration of efforts associated with performance excellence is in-fact advantageous.
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Date Issued
2014
Identifier
CFE0005331, ucf:50503
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005331