After-School Math PLUS (ASM+) Final Evaluation Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Academy for Educational Development, 2007

2007-01-01

This report summarizes findings from the Academy for Educational Development's (AED's) evaluation of After-School Math PLUS (ASM+). This program was designed to help students find the math in everyday experiences and create awareness about the importance of math skills for future career options. The evaluation was conducted by AED's Center for…

Welfare dynamics, support services, mothers' earnings, and child cognitive development: implications for contemporary welfare reform.

PubMed

Yoshikawa, H

1999-01-01

This prospective longitudinal study, using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY; N = 614), addresses the gap in the research literature regarding the effects of welfare reform on children. Key questions addressed include whether welfare dynamics and support services relevant to welfare reform, both measured across the first 5 years of life, are associated with mothers' earnings in the 6th year and three child cognitive outcomes in the 7th and 8th years: Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) math and reading scores, and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT). Welfare dynamics are represented by total time on welfare, degree of cycling on and off welfare, and degree to which welfare and work are combined. Support services measured include three forms of child care (relative, babysitter, and center-based), as well as three forms of human capital supports (child support, job training, and education). Controlling for a range of background factors and for different patterns of welfare use across the first 5 years, small positive associations with mother's earnings were found for child support, education, and job training. Small positive associations also were found between child support and both math and reading scores. Finally positive associations of medium effect size were found between center care and both mothers' earnings and child PPVT scores. Although effect sizes are generally small, the results suggest the potential value of welfare reform approaches that emphasize long-term human capital development. Interactions between welfare dynamics and support services suggest subgroup differences. Specifically, positive effects of support services on earnings are strongest among mothers with higher levels of human capital (higher levels of work while on welfare, lower total time on welfare). Babysitter care appears to have negative effects on both reading and math scores of children whose mothers report low levels of work while on welfare. Implications for welfare reform policy are discussed.

Science and Math through Role-Play Centers in the Elementary School Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jarrett, Olga S.

1997-01-01

Describes role-play centers in which children can do math problems, invent, experiment, write with a purpose, and act out adult career roles. Examples of centers include a doctor's office, a supermarket, a fix-it or inventor's workshop, a post office, a pet store, a zoo, a veterinary clinic, a museum, and a restaurant. (DKM)

"Informed Self-Placement" at American River College: A Case Study. National Center Report Number #07-2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Felder, Jonathan E.; Finney, Joni E.; Kirst, Michael W.

2007-01-01

"Informed math self-placement," a program implemented at American River College in Sacramento, California, to determine students' readiness for college-level math, has been in place for three years. This case study describes the development and implementation of math self-placement at American River. Math self-placement consists of a…

Learning by Choosing: Fourth Graders Use of an Online Multimedia Tutoring System for Math Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maloy, Robert W.; Razzaq, Leena; Edwards, Sharon A.

2014-01-01

This study explored the use of an online mathematics tutoring system in eight fourth grade classrooms in two Massachusetts communities--a small rural city with a low 2010 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) math performance rating and a small suburban district with a high 2010 AYP math performance rating. 165 fourth graders completed 11 modules…

Semiclassical Dynamicswith Exponentially Small Error Estimates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hagedorn, George A.; Joye, Alain

We construct approximate solutions to the time-dependent Schrödingerequation for small values of ħ. If V satisfies appropriate analyticity and growth hypotheses and , these solutions agree with exact solutions up to errors whose norms are bounded by for some C and γ>0. Under more restrictive hypotheses, we prove that for sufficiently small T', implies the norms of the errors are bounded by for some C', γ'>0, and σ > 0.

The Effects of a Summer Math Program on Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snyder, Kermit

2016-01-01

The math achievement of students is low in a small rural district in Colorado. The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of a summer third through fifth grade math program in improving math scores. Piaget's theory of cognitive development was used as the theoretical foundation for the math instructional resource delivered to the…

CAN YOU MAKE A PICTURE TO SUGGEST, A MANUAL OF IDEAS AND MATERIALS FOR A CONTEMPORARY CLASSROOM MATH RESEARCH CENTER.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

BUCKS COUNTY SCHOOL STUDY COUNCIL

A MATH RESEARCH CENTER MAY BE SET UP IN A CORNER OF A ROOM, PERFERABLY WITH A CHALK BOARD. CHILDREN ARE ABLE TO CREATE MANY OF THE GAMES, CHARTS AND STORIES TO BE USED IN SUCH A CENTER. THE CENTER MAY BE SUPPLEMENTED WITH BOOKS, GAMES, BLOCKS, POPPIT BEADS, COUNTERS, CHECKERS, AND NUMBER LINE CHARTS. ATTENTION IS GIVEN TO A WIDE VARIETY OF…

Home | Caltech

Science.gov Websites

& Planetary Sciences Humanities & Social Sciences Physics, Math & Astronomy Research Sciences Physics, Math & Astronomy Research Delve into Menu Centers & Institutes Student Research

Preschool Math Exposure in Private Center-Based Care and Low-SES Children's Math Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bachman, Heather J.; Degol, Jessica L.; Elliott, Leanne; Scharphorn, Laura; El Nokali, Nermeen E.; Palmer, Kalani M.

2018-01-01

Research Findings: The present study examined the amount of exposure to math activities that children of low socioeconomic status (SES) encounter in private community-based preschool classrooms and whether greater time in these activities predicted higher math skills. Three cohorts of 4- to 5-year-old children were recruited from 30 private…

Primary Place. Math Projects That Count.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buschman, Larry; And Others

1993-01-01

Offers elementary math-centered recycling activities and ideas on transforming throwaways into valuable classroom resources. The math activities teach estimating, counting, measuring, weighing, graphing, patterning, thinking, comparing, proportion, and dimensions. The recycling ideas present ways to use pieces of trash to create educational games.…

SRA Real Math Building Blocks PreK. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2007

2007-01-01

"SRA Real Math Building Blocks PreK" (also referred to as "Building Blocks for Math") is a supplemental mathematics curriculum designed to develop preschool children's early mathematical knowledge through various individual and small- and large-group activities. It uses "Building Blocks for Math PreK" software,…

The Groove of Growth: How Early Gains in Math Ability Influence Adolescent Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watts, Tyler W.; Duncan, Greg J.; Siegler, Robert S.; Davis-Kean, Pamela E.

2014-01-01

A number of studies, both small scale and of nationally-representative student samples, have reported substantial associations between school entry math ability and later elementary school achievement. However, questions remain regarding the persistence of the association between early growth in math ability and later math achievement due to the…

The Effect of Flexible Small Groups on Math Achievement in First Grade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benders, David; Craft, Tracy

2016-01-01

This action research study explores the Guided Math Approach to improving math scores for first grade students. Previous MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) scores were used to measure proficiency and students were placed in separate categories for appropriate instruction. This study reviewed math achievement scores on MAP test from a First grade…

Bolden STEM Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-01-28

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, left, holds a box of spiders as MathScience Innovation Center Instructor Rhonda Hawley describes them during a visit to the "Spider Room" at the center, Friday, Jan. 28. 2011, at the center in Richmond, Va. Earlier, Bolden spoke to students from Albert Hill Middle School, where he highlighted the importance of science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, as he shared his life experiences with the students. (Photo Credit:NASA/Paul E. Alers)

Case Studies of a Robot-Based Game to Shape Interests and Hone Proportional Reasoning Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alfieri, Louis; Higashi, Ross; Shoop, Robin; Schunn, Christian D.

2015-01-01

Background: Robot-math is a term used to describe mathematics instruction centered on engineering, particularly robotics. This type of instruction seeks first to make the mathematics skills useful for robotics-centered challenges, and then to help students extend (transfer) those skills. A robot-math intervention was designed to target the…

Naptime Data Meetings to Increase the Math Talk of Early Care and Education Providers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trawick-Smith, Jeffrey; Oski, Heather; DePaolis, Kim; Krause, Kristen; Zebrowski, Alyssa

2016-01-01

Classroom conversations about mathematics--math talk--between early care and education providers and young children have been associated with growth in mathematical thinking. However, professional development opportunities to learn about math teaching and learning are limited in many community-based child development centers. New approaches that…

Taking Math Outside of the Classroom: Math in the City

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Radu, Petronela

2013-01-01

Math in the City is an interdisciplinary mathematics course offered at University of Nebraska-Lincoln in which students engage in a real-world experience to understand current major societal issues of local and national interest. The course is run in collaboration with local businesses, research centers, and government organizations, that provide…

Science and Math in the Library Media Center Using GLOBE.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aquino, Teresa L.; Levine, Elissa R.

2003-01-01

Describes the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program which helps school library media specialists and science and math teachers bring earth science, math, information literacy, information technology, and student inquiry into the classroom. Discusses use of the Internet to create a global network to study the…

Student Math Achievement and Out-of-Field Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Jason G.; Dalton, Ben

2013-01-01

This study investigates the distribution of math teachers with a major or certification in math using data from the National Center for Education Statistics' High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09). The authors discuss the limitations of existing data sources for measuring teacher qualifications, such as the Schools and Staffing Survey…

Do Biology Students Really Hate Math? Empirical Insights into Undergraduate Life Science Majors’ Emotions about Mathematics

PubMed Central

Wachsmuth, Lucas P.; Runyon, Christopher R.; Drake, John M.; Dolan, Erin L.

2017-01-01

Undergraduate life science majors are reputed to have negative emotions toward mathematics, yet little empirical evidence supports this. We sought to compare emotions of majors in the life sciences versus other natural sciences and math. We adapted the Attitudes toward the Subject of Chemistry Inventory to create an Attitudes toward the Subject of Mathematics Inventory (ASMI). We collected data from 359 science and math majors at two research universities and conducted a series of statistical tests that indicated that four AMSI items comprised a reasonable measure of students’ emotional satisfaction with math. We then compared life science and non–life science majors and found that major had a small to moderate relationship with students’ responses. Gender also had a small relationship with students’ responses, while students’ race, ethnicity, and year in school had no observable relationship. Using latent profile analysis, we identified three groups—students who were emotionally satisfied with math, emotionally dissatisfied with math, and neutral. These results and the emotional satisfaction with math scale should be useful for identifying differences in other undergraduate populations, determining the malleability of undergraduates’ emotional satisfaction with math, and testing effects of interventions aimed at improving life science majors’ attitudes toward math. PMID:28798211

Science and Math Assessment in K-6 Rural and Small Schools. Rural, Small Schools Network Information Exchange: Number 14, Spring 1993.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Regional Laboratory for Educational Improvement of the Northeast & Islands, Andover, MA.

This packet includes reprints of journal articles and other resources concerning the assessment of science and math in small, rural elementary schools. Articles include: (1) "Standards, Assessment, and Educational Quality" (Lauren B. Resnick); (2) "A True Test: Toward More Authentic and Equitable Assessment" (Grant Wiggins); (3) "How World-Class…

34 CFR 645.31 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Upward Bound project, the Secretary reviews each type of project (Regular, Math and Science, or Veterans... need for an Upward Bound Math and Science Center in the proposed target area on the basis of— (i) The... careers in mathematics and science, and who could benefit from an Upward Bound Math and Science program...

34 CFR 645.31 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Upward Bound project, the Secretary reviews each type of project (Regular, Math and Science, or Veterans... need for an Upward Bound Math and Science Center in the proposed target area on the basis of— (i) The... careers in mathematics and science, and who could benefit from an Upward Bound Math and Science program...

34 CFR 645.31 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Upward Bound project, the Secretary reviews each type of project (Regular, Math and Science, or Veterans... need for an Upward Bound Math and Science Center in the proposed target area on the basis of— (i) The... careers in mathematics and science, and who could benefit from an Upward Bound Math and Science program...

34 CFR 645.31 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Upward Bound project, the Secretary reviews each type of project (Regular, Math and Science, or Veterans... need for an Upward Bound Math and Science Center in the proposed target area on the basis of— (i) The... careers in mathematics and science, and who could benefit from an Upward Bound Math and Science program...

34 CFR 645.31 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Upward Bound project, the Secretary reviews each type of project (Regular, Math and Science, or Veterans... need for an Upward Bound Math and Science Center in the proposed target area on the basis of— (i) The... careers in mathematics and science, and who could benefit from an Upward Bound Math and Science program...

Successful Strategies for Implementation of a High School Standards-Based Integrated Mathematics Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Linda

2012-01-01

Math achievement for students in the United States is not as high as in other countries. In response, one state implemented a new standards-based, integrated math curriculum that combines traditional high school math courses and emphasizes student centered instruction. The purpose of this study was to examine the implementation of a standards…

A Small Learning Community's Impact on Students' Success Assessed by State Test Scores in Reading and Math

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Christiana Helen Croson

2013-01-01

Drastic reform measures have taken place at Howard High School of Technology to incorporate a 10th grade small learning community. Due to the costs and resources associated with implementing small learning communities, it is important to examine if the 10th graders' achievement on the state tests in reading and math were significantly different…

enVisionMATH. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2013

2013-01-01

"enVisionMATH," published by Pearson Education, Inc., is a core curriculum for students in kindergarten through grade 6. The program seeks to help students develop an understanding of math concepts through problem-based instruction, small-group interaction, and visual learning with a focus on reasoning and modeling. Differentiated…

National Center for Mathematics and Science - publications

Science.gov Websites

Approach to Teaching Evolution Speaks to Debate (press release) Fourth Grade Math Makes the News: VIEW , Megan Loef Franke, Linda Levi Publisher: Heinemann, 2003 Transforming Teaching in Math and Science: How

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Biodiesel Fuels Education in Alabama

Science.gov Websites

process reinforces classroom concepts related to chemistry and math. As part of AIDB work experience the state's science and math curriculum for the appropriate grade level, and visiting students collect

Home - Defense Technology Security Administration

Science.gov Websites

, engineering, and math (STEM) focused Girl Scout troops 2210 and 5064 into the Mark Center to showcase their to welcome science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) focused Girl Scout troops 2210 and 5064

Effects of Small-Group Tutoring with and without Validated Classroom Instruction on At-Risk Students' Math Problem Solving: Are Two Tiers of Prevention Better Than One?

PubMed

Fuchs, Lynn S; Fuchs, Douglas; Craddock, Caitlin; Hollenbeck, Kurstin N; Hamlett, Carol L; Schatschneider, Christopher

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of small-group tutoring with and without validated classroom instruction on at-risk (AR) students' math problem solving. Stratifying within schools, 119 3(rd)-grade classes were randomly assigned to conventional or validated problem-solving instruction (Hot Math [schema-broadening instruction]). Students identified as AR (n = 243) were randomly assigned, within classroom conditions, to receive Hot Math tutoring or not. Students were tested on problem-solving and math applications measures before and after 16 weeks of intervention. Analyses of variance, which accounted for the nested structure of the data, revealed the tutored students who received validated classroom instruction achieved better than tutored students who received conventional classroom instruction (ES = 1.34). However, the advantage for tutoring over no tutoring was similar whether or not students received validated or conventional classroom instruction (ESs = 1.18 and 1.13). Tutoring, not validated classroom instruction reduced the prevalence of math difficulty. Implications for responsiveness-to-intervention prevention models and for enhancing math problem-solving instruction are discussed.

Effects of Small-Group Tutoring with and without Validated Classroom Instruction on At-Risk Students' Math Problem Solving: Are Two Tiers of Prevention Better Than One?

PubMed Central

Fuchs, Lynn S.; Fuchs, Douglas; Craddock, Caitlin; Hollenbeck, Kurstin N.; Hamlett, Carol L.; Schatschneider, Christopher

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of small-group tutoring with and without validated classroom instruction on at-risk (AR) students' math problem solving. Stratifying within schools, 119 3rd-grade classes were randomly assigned to conventional or validated problem-solving instruction (Hot Math [schema-broadening instruction]). Students identified as AR (n = 243) were randomly assigned, within classroom conditions, to receive Hot Math tutoring or not. Students were tested on problem-solving and math applications measures before and after 16 weeks of intervention. Analyses of variance, which accounted for the nested structure of the data, revealed the tutored students who received validated classroom instruction achieved better than tutored students who received conventional classroom instruction (ES = 1.34). However, the advantage for tutoring over no tutoring was similar whether or not students received validated or conventional classroom instruction (ESs = 1.18 and 1.13). Tutoring, not validated classroom instruction reduced the prevalence of math difficulty. Implications for responsiveness-to-intervention prevention models and for enhancing math problem-solving instruction are discussed. PMID:19122881

The Misplaced Math Student: Lost in Eighth-Grade Algebra. The 2008 Brown Center Report on American Education. Special Release

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loveless, Tom

2008-01-01

This new study is being released as an advance excerpt of the 2008 Brown Center Report on American Education. This new report finds that the nation's push to challenge more students by placing them in advanced math classes in eighth grade has had unintended and damaging consequences, as some 120,000 middle-schoolers are now struggling in advanced…

Teaching Strategies for Effective Fifth Grade Math Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zank, Alicia A.

2015-01-01

The purpose of the study is to determine what effects explicit and systematic math intervention instruction will have on student's performance on math assessments. The study will focus on a small group of fifth grade students that have been identified as needing targeted intervention (tier 2) and intensive interventions (tier 1) through the…

Community translation of the Math Interactive Learning Experience Program for children with FASD.

PubMed

Kable, Julie A; Taddeo, Elles; Strickland, Dorothy; Coles, Claire D

2015-04-01

The Math Interactive Learning Experience (MILE), a program designed to address academic and behavioral problems found in children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), was found to be effective in a randomized clinical trials with results that persisted at a 6-month follow-up. The current study evaluated the effectiveness of a community translation, in partnership with several community sites in the metropolitan Atlanta area. A total of 60 participants were randomly assigned to one of the three treatment groups: the MILE program administered at a specialty care center (Center MILE) or in the community (Community MILE), or to parent math instruction only (Parent Instruction). This study evaluated instructor satisfaction with the training program, knowledge related to FASD and the MILE program, adherence to the MILE teaching methodology, participant math outcomes, and parents' satisfaction with their treatment experience. Instructors reported a high degree of satisfaction with the overall training and mean site fidelity ratings were positively correlated with change in math performance. Those in the MILE intervention groups demonstrated more positive gains in math skills than those in the Parent Instruction group but did not differ from each other. Parents in the Parent Instruction group reported less satisfaction with their intervention than those assigned to the Center MILE group but satisfaction ratings did not differ between those in the MILE intervention groups. These results indicate that the community translation and the MILE instructor training program developed as part of this process were well-received and effective in producing positive treatment outcomes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

34 CFR 645.10 - What kinds of projects are supported under the Upward Bound Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... programs of postsecondary education. (b) Upward Bound Math and Science Centers designed to prepare high school students for postsecondary education programs that lead to careers in the fields of math and...

34 CFR 645.10 - What kinds of projects are supported under the Upward Bound Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... programs of postsecondary education. (b) Upward Bound Math and Science Centers designed to prepare high school students for postsecondary education programs that lead to careers in the fields of math and...

34 CFR 645.10 - What kinds of projects are supported under the Upward Bound Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... programs of postsecondary education. (b) Upward Bound Math and Science Centers designed to prepare high school students for postsecondary education programs that lead to careers in the fields of math and...

34 CFR 645.10 - What kinds of projects are supported under the Upward Bound Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... programs of postsecondary education. (b) Upward Bound Math and Science Centers designed to prepare high school students for postsecondary education programs that lead to careers in the fields of math and...

34 CFR 645.10 - What kinds of projects are supported under the Upward Bound Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... programs of postsecondary education. (b) Upward Bound Math and Science Centers designed to prepare high school students for postsecondary education programs that lead to careers in the fields of math and...

Finsler-Geometric Continuum Dynamics and Shock Compression

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-01-01

An important mathe - matical device used in the current derivations centers on the divergence theorem of Finsler geometry first presented by Rund...carbide ceramic. Philos Mag 92:2860–2893 Clayton JD (2012b)On anholonomic deformation, geometry, and differentiation. Math Mech Solids 17:702–735 Clayton... Math Phys 2015:828475 Clayton JD (2015b) Penetration resistance of armor ceramics: dimensional analysis and property correlations. Int J Impact Eng

Bolden STEM Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-01-28

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, right, shares a laugh with U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., center and U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., prior to an event at the MathScience Innovation Center, Friday, Jan. 28, 2011, in Richmond, Va. Bolden later spoke to students from Albert Hill Middle School highlighting the importance of science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, as he shared his life experiences with the students. (Photo Credit:NASA/Paul E. Alers)

Do Biology Students Really Hate Math? Empirical Insights into Undergraduate Life Science Majors' Emotions about Mathematics.

PubMed

Wachsmuth, Lucas P; Runyon, Christopher R; Drake, John M; Dolan, Erin L

2017-01-01

Undergraduate life science majors are reputed to have negative emotions toward mathematics, yet little empirical evidence supports this. We sought to compare emotions of majors in the life sciences versus other natural sciences and math. We adapted the Attitudes toward the Subject of Chemistry Inventory to create an Attitudes toward the Subject of Mathematics Inventory (ASMI). We collected data from 359 science and math majors at two research universities and conducted a series of statistical tests that indicated that four AMSI items comprised a reasonable measure of students' emotional satisfaction with math. We then compared life science and non-life science majors and found that major had a small to moderate relationship with students' responses. Gender also had a small relationship with students' responses, while students' race, ethnicity, and year in school had no observable relationship. Using latent profile analysis, we identified three groups-students who were emotionally satisfied with math, emotionally dissatisfied with math, and neutral. These results and the emotional satisfaction with math scale should be useful for identifying differences in other undergraduate populations, determining the malleability of undergraduates' emotional satisfaction with math, and testing effects of interventions aimed at improving life science majors' attitudes toward math. © 2017 L.P. Wachsmuth et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2017 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and Gendered Math Teaching in Kuwait

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahmad, Fatimah; Greenhalgh-Spencer, Heather

2017-01-01

This paper argues for a more complex literature around gender and math performance. In order to argue for this complexity, we present a small portion of data from a case study examining the performance of Kuwaiti students on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and on Kuwait national math tests. Westernized discourses suggest…

Cardboard Boat Building in Math Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Omundsen, John

2014-01-01

If you want to get the attention of a group of eighth grade math students, tell them they are going to build a life-size cardboard boat. To increase interest, follow up this statement by telling them that two to four of them will actually be rowing this boat across a small pond. Eighth grade math students at Oasis Charter Middle School in…

FASTSAT-HSV01 Thermal Math Model Correlation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McKelvey, Callie

2011-01-01

This paper summarizes the thermal math model correlation effort for the Fast Affordable Science and Technology SATellite (FASTSAT-HSV01), which was designed, built and tested by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and multiple partners. The satellite launched in November 2010 on a Minotaur IV rocket from the Kodiak Launch Complex in Kodiak, Alaska. It carried three Earth science experiments and two technology demonstrations into a low Earth circular orbit with an inclination of 72deg and an altitude of 650 kilometers. The mission has been successful to date with science experiment activities still taking place daily. The thermal control system on this spacecraft was a passive design relying on thermo-optical properties and six heaters placed on specific components. Flight temperature data is being recorded every minute from the 48 Resistance Temperature Devices (RTDs) onboard the satellite structure and many of its avionics boxes. An effort has been made to correlate the thermal math model to the flight temperature data using Cullimore and Ring's Thermal Desktop and by obtaining Earth and Sun vector data from the Attitude Control System (ACS) team to create an "as-flown" orbit. Several model parameters were studied during this task to understand the spacecraft's sensitivity to these changes. Many "lessons learned" have been noted from this activity that will be directly applicable to future small satellite programs.

The Effects of Personalized Practice Software on Learning Math Standards in the Third through Fifth Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gomez, Angela Nicole

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of "MathFacts in a Flash" software in helping students learn math standards. In each of their classes, the third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students in a small private Roman Catholic school from the Pacific Northwest were randomly assigned either to a control group that used…

It Does Matter How We Teach Math

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodrigues, Kathleen J.

2012-01-01

This paper describes application of innovative practice and procedures in relationship to recognized principles and theory of adult education used in college math instruction. Adult learning principles provide the theoretical constructs and foundation of the practice supporting a learner-centered approach to learning. The purpose was to explore…

Naval Medical R and D News, January 2018, Volume X, Issue 1

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-01-01

high school science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers toured the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC), Jan. 12, to see a working...lab into the classroom to promote hands-on science education. The teachers, whose subjects ranged from math and chemistry to biomedical sciences, came

New Mexico Math Pathways Taskforce Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New Mexico Higher Education Department, 2016

2016-01-01

In April 2015 New Mexico faculty, Dana Center staff, and New Mexico Higher Education (NMHED) co-presented the need for better math pathways statewide. Faculty from 6 institutions (New Mexico State University, New Mexico Highlands University, Dine College, Eastern New Mexico University, El Paso Community College, and San Juan College) participated…

Small Bodies, Big Discoveries: NASA's Small Bodies Education Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayo, L.; Erickson, K. J.

2014-12-01

2014 is turning out to be a watershed year for celestial events involving the solar system's unsung heroes, small bodies. This includes the close flyby of comet C/2013 A1 / Siding Spring with Mars in October and the historic Rosetta mission with its Philae lander to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Beyond 2014, the much anticipated 2015 Pluto flyby by New Horizons and the February Dawn Mission arrival at Ceres will take center stage. To deliver the excitement and wonder of our solar system's small bodies to worldwide audiences, NASA's JPL and GSFC education teams in partnership with NASA EDGE will reach out to the public through multiple venues including broadcast media, social media, science and math focused educational activities, observing challenges, interactive visualization tools like "Eyes on the Solar System" and more. This talk will highlight NASA's focused education effort to engage the public in small bodies mission science and the role these objects play in our understanding of the formation and evolution of the solar system.

How Well Are American Students Learning? With Sections on Reading and Math in the Common Core Era, Tracking and Advanced Placement (AP), and Principals as Instructional Leaders. The 2016 Brown Center Report on American Education. Volume 3, Number 5

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loveless, Tom

2016-01-01

The 2016 edition of the Brown Center Report (BCR) is number five in the third volume and the 15th issue overall. As is customary, this year's BCR contains three studies. Part one is on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and instruction in math and reading. National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data indicate that nonfiction is…

Bolden STEM Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-01-28

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden visits with students from Albert Hill Middle School during a visit to the MathScience Innovation Center, Friday, Jan. 28, 2011, in Richmond, Va. During his visit, Bolden highlighted the importance of science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, as he shared his life experiences with the students. Photo Credit:(NASA/Paul E. Alers)

Bolden STEM Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-01-28

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden speaks to students from Albert Hill Middle School during a visit to the MathScience Innovation Center, Friday, Jan. 28, 2011, in Richmond, Va. During his talk, Bolden highlighted the importance of science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, as he shared his life experiences with the students. Photo Credit (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

Differentiating Instruction with Menus Grades 3-5: Math

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westphal, Laurie E.

2007-01-01

"Differentiating Instruction With Menus Grades 3-5" offers teachers everything they need to create a student-centered learning environment based on choice. Addressing the four main subject areas (language arts, math, science, and social studies) and the major concepts taught within these areas, these books provide a number of different types of…

STAR: Preparing future science and math teachers through authentic research experiences at national laboratories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keller, John; Rebar, Bryan

2012-11-01

The STEM Teacher and Researcher (STAR) Program provides 9-week paid summer research experiences at national research laboratories for future science and math teachers. The program, run by the Cal Poly Center for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Education (CESaME) on behalf of the entire California State University (CSU) System, has arranged 290 research internships for 230 STEM undergraduates and credential candidates from 43 campuses over the past 6 years. The program has partnered with seven Department of Energy labs, four NASA centers, three NOAA facilities, and the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO). Primary components of the summer experience include a) conducting research with a mentor or mentor team, b) participating in weekly 2-3 hour workshops focused on translating lessons learned from summer research into classroom practice, and c) presenting a research poster or oral presentation and providing a lesson plan linked to the summer research experience. The central premise behind the STAR Program is that future science and math teachers can more effectively prepare the next generation of science, math, and engineering students if they themselves have authentic experiences as researchers.

Famous Threesomes: Uncommon Uses for Common Stories.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spears, Jo Ann Lohl

2003-01-01

This article presents a unit of fun and developmentally satisfying activities, using familiar folk stories focusing on threesomes. Each example involves story time, block center, art center, dramatic play, listening area, math and manipulatives center, folder game, group times, cooking, writing center, discovery center, and the music and movement…

2018 WINTER TRI-Association Small Business Advisory Panel (TRIAD) Conference

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-01-30

Senior Staff Officer, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Acquisition – SAF/ AQC, Pentagon; Branch Chief, Math & Science Division of the Air Force Office...encourage the pursuit of careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). CAROL WOODEN Director of Supplier Diversity, Corporate Supply

How Math Anxiety Relates to Number-Space Associations.

PubMed

Georges, Carrie; Hoffmann, Danielle; Schiltz, Christine

2016-01-01

Given the considerable prevalence of math anxiety, it is important to identify the factors contributing to it in order to improve mathematical learning. Research on math anxiety typically focusses on the effects of more complex arithmetic skills. Recent evidence, however, suggests that deficits in basic numerical processing and spatial skills also constitute potential risk factors of math anxiety. Given these observations, we determined whether math anxiety also depends on the quality of spatial-numerical associations. Behavioral evidence for a tight link between numerical and spatial representations is given by the SNARC (spatial-numerical association of response codes) effect, characterized by faster left-/right-sided responses for small/large digits respectively in binary classification tasks. We compared the strength of the SNARC effect between high and low math anxious individuals using the classical parity judgment task in addition to evaluating their spatial skills, arithmetic performance, working memory and inhibitory control. Greater math anxiety was significantly associated with stronger spatio-numerical interactions. This finding adds to the recent evidence supporting a link between math anxiety and basic numerical abilities and strengthens the idea that certain characteristics of low-level number processing such as stronger number-space associations constitute a potential risk factor of math anxiety.

How Math Anxiety Relates to Number–Space Associations

PubMed Central

Georges, Carrie; Hoffmann, Danielle; Schiltz, Christine

2016-01-01

Given the considerable prevalence of math anxiety, it is important to identify the factors contributing to it in order to improve mathematical learning. Research on math anxiety typically focusses on the effects of more complex arithmetic skills. Recent evidence, however, suggests that deficits in basic numerical processing and spatial skills also constitute potential risk factors of math anxiety. Given these observations, we determined whether math anxiety also depends on the quality of spatial-numerical associations. Behavioral evidence for a tight link between numerical and spatial representations is given by the SNARC (spatial-numerical association of response codes) effect, characterized by faster left-/right-sided responses for small/large digits respectively in binary classification tasks. We compared the strength of the SNARC effect between high and low math anxious individuals using the classical parity judgment task in addition to evaluating their spatial skills, arithmetic performance, working memory and inhibitory control. Greater math anxiety was significantly associated with stronger spatio-numerical interactions. This finding adds to the recent evidence supporting a link between math anxiety and basic numerical abilities and strengthens the idea that certain characteristics of low-level number processing such as stronger number–space associations constitute a potential risk factor of math anxiety. PMID:27683570

We [Heart] Art!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castellanos, Dalina

2011-01-01

The passage of the No Child Left Behind law in 2001, which measures student achievement based on English and math scores, has pressured schools to cut the arts. A 2006 survey by the Center on Education Policy found that 44 percent of school districts had increased time for English and math while cutting time for other subjects. And a follow-up…

Mathematics Instruction and Behavior Problems: Making the Connection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mancil, G. Richmond; Maynard, Katrina L.

2007-01-01

According to the National Center for Education Statistics' latest data on cross-national differences in math, science, and reading literacy among fourth- and eighth-graders and 15-year-olds, U.S. students rank close to the bottom in math. Just teaching more advanced subjects and forcing students to take more classes and do more homework, however,…

Big Math for Little Kids: The Effectiveness of a Preschool and Kindergarten Mathematics Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis Presser, Ashley; Clements, Margaret; Ginsburg, Herbert; Ertle, Barbrina

2015-01-01

Research Findings: Big Math for Little Kids (BMLK) is a mathematics curriculum developed for use with 4- and 5-year-old children. To investigate the BMLK curriculum's effect on children's mathematics knowledge, this cluster-randomized controlled trial randomly assigned child care centers to provide mathematics instruction to children, using either…

Effects of Professional Development on Infusing Engineering Design into High School Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Avery, Zanj Kano

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of professional development (PD) on the infusion of engineering design into high school curricula. Four inservice teachers with backgrounds in physics, chemistry, industrial education, math, and electrical engineering participated in the 2006 National Center of Engineering and Technology…

The period function of the generalized Lotka-Volterra centers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villadelprat, J.

2008-05-01

The present paper deals with the period function of the quadratic centers. In the literature different terminologies are used to classify these centers, but essentially there are four families: Hamiltonian, reversible , codimension four Q4 and generalized Lotka-Volterra systems . Chicone [C. Chicone, Review in MathSciNet, Ref. 94h:58072] conjectured that the reversible centers have at most two critical periods, and that the centers of the three other families have a monotonic period function. With regard to the second part of this conjecture, only the monotonicity of the Hamiltonian and Q4 families [W.A. Coppel, L. Gavrilov, The period function of a Hamiltonian quadratic system, Differential Integral Equations 6 (1993) 1357-1365; Y. Zhao, The monotonicity of period function for codimension four quadratic system Q4, J. Differential Equations 185 (2002) 370-387] has been proved. Concerning the family, no substantial progress has been made since the middle 80s, when several authors showed independently the monotonicity of the classical Lotka-Volterra centers [F. Rothe, The periods of the Volterra-Lokta system, J. Reine Angew. Math. 355 (1985) 129-138; R. Schaaf, Global behaviour of solution branches for some Neumann problems depending on one or several parameters, J. Reine Angew. Math. 346 (1984) 1-31; J. Waldvogel, The period in the Lotka-Volterra system is monotonic, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 114 (1986) 178-184]. By means of the first period constant one can easily conclude that the period function of the centers in the family is monotone increasing near the inner boundary of its period annulus (i.e., the center itself). Thus, according to Chicone's conjecture, it should be also monotone increasing near the outer boundary, which in the Poincaré disc is a polycycle. In this paper we show that this is true. In addition we prove that, except for a zero measure subset of the parameter plane, there is no bifurcation of critical periods from the outer boundary. Finally we show that the period function is globally (i.e., in the whole period annulus) monotone increasing in two other cases different from the classical one.

10 Reasons to Flip

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fulton, Kathleen P.

2012-01-01

A small school in southern Minnesota, strapped for funds and needing new math books and a fresh curriculum, flipped its classrooms and raised achievement and student engagement. The math teachers led and implemented the changes. Upon reflection, they found 10 good reasons educators should consider flipping their classroom. Among the most…

Activity Settings and Daily Routines in Preschool Classrooms: Diverse Experiences in Early Learning Settings for Low-Income Children.

PubMed

Fuligni, Allison Sidle; Howes, Carollee; Huang, Yiching; Hong, Sandra Soliday; Lara-Cinisomo, Sandraluz

2012-06-01

This paper examines activity settings and daily classroom routines experienced by 3- and 4-year-old low-income children in public center-based preschool programs, private center-based programs, and family child care homes. Two daily routine profiles were identified using a time-sampling coding procedure: a High Free-Choice pattern in which children spent a majority of their day engaged in child-directed free-choice activity settings combined with relatively low amounts of teacher-directed activity, and a Structured-Balanced pattern in which children spent relatively equal proportions of their day engaged in child-directed free-choice activity settings and teacher-directed small- and whole-group activities. Daily routine profiles were associated with program type and curriculum use but not with measures of process quality. Children in Structured-Balanced classrooms had more opportunities to engage in language and literacy and math activities, whereas children in High Free-Choice classrooms had more opportunities for gross motor and fantasy play. Being in a Structured-Balanced classroom was associated with children's language scores but profiles were not associated with measures of children's math reasoning or socio-emotional behavior. Consideration of teachers' structuring of daily routines represents a valuable way to understand nuances in the provision of learning experiences for young children in the context of current views about developmentally appropriate practice and school readiness.

Activity Settings and Daily Routines in Preschool Classrooms: Diverse Experiences in Early Learning Settings for Low-Income Children

PubMed Central

Fuligni, Allison Sidle; Howes, Carollee; Huang, Yiching; Hong, Sandra Soliday; Lara-Cinisomo, Sandraluz

2011-01-01

This paper examines activity settings and daily classroom routines experienced by 3- and 4-year-old low-income children in public center-based preschool programs, private center-based programs, and family child care homes. Two daily routine profiles were identified using a time-sampling coding procedure: a High Free-Choice pattern in which children spent a majority of their day engaged in child-directed free-choice activity settings combined with relatively low amounts of teacher-directed activity, and a Structured-Balanced pattern in which children spent relatively equal proportions of their day engaged in child-directed free-choice activity settings and teacher-directed small- and whole-group activities. Daily routine profiles were associated with program type and curriculum use but not with measures of process quality. Children in Structured-Balanced classrooms had more opportunities to engage in language and literacy and math activities, whereas children in High Free-Choice classrooms had more opportunities for gross motor and fantasy play. Being in a Structured-Balanced classroom was associated with children’s language scores but profiles were not associated with measures of children’s math reasoning or socio-emotional behavior. Consideration of teachers’ structuring of daily routines represents a valuable way to understand nuances in the provision of learning experiences for young children in the context of current views about developmentally appropriate practice and school readiness. PMID:22665945

Extension of Strongly Regular Graphs

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-02-11

E.R. van Dam, W.H. Haemers. Graphs with constant µ and µ. Discrete Math . 182 (1998), no. 1-3, 293–307. [11] E.R. van Dam, E. Spence. Small regular...graphs with four eigenvalues. Discrete Math . 189 (1998), 233-257. the electronic journal of combinatorics 15 (2008), #N3 5

"Lettuce" Learn Math: Teaching Mathematics with Seeds and Centimeters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rickard, Laura N.; Wilson, Colette

2006-01-01

"Lettuce Learn Math" is an interdisciplinary program that has effectively linked a small-scale agricultural production system to a sixth-grade mathematics and science curriculum. The mathematical concepts and skills, including measurement and geometry, taught in this project met and often exceeded the standards set by New York state for…

Consumer Math 4, Mathematics: 5285.24.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dade County Public Schools, Miami, FL.

The last of four guidebooks for the General Math student covers installment purchases and small loans, investments, insurance, and cost of housing. Goals and strategies for the course are given; performance objectives for computational skills and for each unit are specified. A course outline, teaching suggestions for each unit, and sample pretests…

Regression Model Optimization for the Analysis of Experimental Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ulbrich, N.

2009-01-01

A candidate math model search algorithm was developed at Ames Research Center that determines a recommended math model for the multivariate regression analysis of experimental data. The search algorithm is applicable to classical regression analysis problems as well as wind tunnel strain gage balance calibration analysis applications. The algorithm compares the predictive capability of different regression models using the standard deviation of the PRESS residuals of the responses as a search metric. This search metric is minimized during the search. Singular value decomposition is used during the search to reject math models that lead to a singular solution of the regression analysis problem. Two threshold dependent constraints are also applied. The first constraint rejects math models with insignificant terms. The second constraint rejects math models with near-linear dependencies between terms. The math term hierarchy rule may also be applied as an optional constraint during or after the candidate math model search. The final term selection of the recommended math model depends on the regressor and response values of the data set, the user s function class combination choice, the user s constraint selections, and the result of the search metric minimization. A frequently used regression analysis example from the literature is used to illustrate the application of the search algorithm to experimental data.

U.S. Poised to Sit Out TIMSS Test: Physics, Advanced Math Gauged in Global Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Viadero, Debra

2007-01-01

This article reports on reactions to the U.S. Department of Education's first time decision to sit out an international study designed to show how advanced high school students around the world measure up in math and science. Mark S. Schneider, the commissioner of the department's National Center for Education Statistics, which normally takes the…

Associations between Predictive Indicators and Postsecondary Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Success among Hispanic Students in Texas. REL 2018-279

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borman, Trisha; Margolin, Jonathan; Garland, Marshall; Rapaport, Amie; Park, So Jung; LiCalsi, Christina

2017-01-01

Nationwide, Hispanic students continue to be underrepresented among students who complete a four-year degree in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields (National Center for Education Statistics, 2016) and among workers in STEM fields. This discrepancy is a concern, especially in light of the projected growth in employment in STEM…

Middle School Regional Science Bowl Competition | Argonne National

Science.gov Websites

biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, energy, and math. The winner of the academic portion of the Biology IMEInstitute for Molecular Engineering JCESRJoint Center for Energy Storage Research MCSGMidwest Science and Engineering RISCRisk and Infrastructure Science Center SBCStructural Biology Center Energy.gov

Fold in Origami and Unfold Math

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Georgeson, Joseph

2011-01-01

Students enjoy origami and like making everything from paper cranes to footballs out of small, colorful squares of paper. They can invent their own shapes and are intrigued by the polyhedrons that they can construct. Paper folding is fun, but where is the math? Unless teachers develop lessons that address mathematical objectives, origami could be…

Recruitment to Physics and Mathematics Teaching: A Personality Problem?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smithers, Alan; Hill, Susan

1989-01-01

Results of a British study indicate that, among potential applicants (N=177), a small demand exists for a proposed science education degree program. Findings suggest that recruitment of science and math teachers may be hampered because the satisfactions provided by teaching are unlike those sought by science and math specialists. (IAH)

Math in the Real World: Early Findings from a Study of the Dana Center Mathematics Pathways. Research Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rutschow, Elizabeth Zachry; Diamond, John; Serna-Wallender, Elena

2017-01-01

Until recently, most colleges required students to pass a college-level algebra course in order to earn a degree. As many as 50 percent to 70 percent of community college students enter college unprepared to take these courses, and fewer than 20 percent of such students ever successfully complete a college-level math course; the rest are…

Preface

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-13

lems arising, for example, after discretization of optimal control problems. Lucien developed a general framework for quantifying near-optimality...Polak, E., Da Cunha, N.O.: Constrainedminimization under vector valued-criteria in finite dimensional spaces. J. Math . Anal. Appl. 19(1), 103–124...1969) 12. Pironneau, O., Polak, E.: On the rate of convergence of certain methods of centers. Math . Program. 2(2), 230–258 (1972) 13. Polak, E., Sargent

Comparing computer adaptive and curriculum-based measures of math in progress monitoring.

PubMed

Shapiro, Edward S; Dennis, Minyi Shih; Fu, Qiong

2015-12-01

The purpose of the study was to compare the use of a Computer Adaptive Test and Curriculum-Based Measurement in the assessment of mathematics. This study also investigated the degree to which slope or rate of change predicted student outcomes on the annual state assessment of mathematics above and beyond scores of single point screening assessments (i.e., the computer adaptive test or the CBM assessment just before the administration of the state assessment). Repeated measurement of mathematics once per month across a 7-month period using a Computer Adaptive Test (STAR-Math) and Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM, AIMSweb Math Computation, AIMSweb Math Concepts/Applications) was collected for a maximum total of 250 third, fourth, and fifth grade students. Results showed STAR-Math in all 3 grades and AIMSweb Math Concepts/Applications in the third and fifth grades had primarily linear growth patterns in mathematics. AIMSweb Math Computation in all grades and AIMSweb Math Concepts/Applications in Grade 4 had decelerating positive trends. Predictive validity evidence showed the strongest relationships were between STAR-Math and outcomes for third and fourth grade students. The blockwise multiple regression by grade revealed that slopes accounted for only a very small proportion of additional variance above and beyond what was explained by the scores obtained on a single point of assessment just prior to the administration of the state assessment. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Co-Constructed Failure Narratives in Mathematics Tutoring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeLiema, David

2017-01-01

The ideas students have about what causes math failure are known to impact motivation. This paper throws light on how attributions of failure are negotiated during math tutoring, between 4th/5th graders and volunteer tutors, at a non-profit STEM-based after-school program. The study employs methods of interaction analysis on a small number of…

"Change My Thinking Patterns towards Maths": A Bibliotherapy Workshop for Pre-Service Teachers' Mathematics Anxiety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Sue; Raven, Monica

2014-01-01

In small-group workshops, a joint initiative of the researcher and the student counsellor, primary (elementary) pre-service teachers (PSTs) wrote about critical incidents in their mathematics learning, and shared them with the group. Then, PSTs read extracts about mathematics anxiety (maths anxiety), and wrote and shared their reflections…

Active Learning in a Math for Liberal Arts Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lenz, Laurie

2015-01-01

Inquiry-based learning is a topic of growing interest in the mathematical community. Much of the focus has been on using these methods in calculus and higher-level classes. This article describes the design and implementation of a set of inquiry-based learning activities in a Math for Liberal Arts course at a small, private, Catholic college.…

Splitting of the Low Landau Levels into a Set of Positive Lebesgue Measure under Small Periodic Perturbations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dinaburg, E. I.; Sinai, Ya. G.; Soshnikov, A. B.

We study the spectral properties of a two-dimensional Schrödinger operator with a uniform magnetic field and a small external periodic field: where and , are small parameters. Representing as the direct integral of one-dimensional quasi-periodic difference operators with long-range potential and employing recent results of E.I.Dinaburg about Anderson localization for such operators (we assume to be typical irrational) we construct the full set of generalised eigenfunctions for the low Landau bands. We also show that the Lebesgue measure of the low bands is positive and proportional in the main order to .

Etiological Subgroups of Small-for-Gestational-Age: Differential Neurodevelopmental Outcomes

PubMed Central

Li, Xiuhong; Eiden, Rina D.; Epstein, Leonard H.; Shenassa, Edmond D.; Xie, Chuanbo; Wen, Xiaozhong

2016-01-01

Objectives It remains unclear why substantial variations in neurodevelopmental outcomes exist within small-for-gestational-age (SGA) children. We prospectively compared 5-y neurodevelopmental outcomes across SGA etiological subgroups. Methods Children born SGA (N = 1050) from U.S. Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (2001–2007) was divided into etiological subgroups by each of 7 well-established prenatal risk factors. We fit linear regression models to compare 5-y reading, math, gross motor and fine motor scores across SGA subgroups, adjusting for socio-demographic confounders. Results Compared to singleton SGA subgroup, multiple-birth SGA subgroup had lower mean reading (adjusted mean difference, -4.08 [95% confidence interval, -6.10, -2.06]) and math (-2.22 [-3.61, -0.84]) scores. These disadvantages in reading and math existed only among multiple-birth SGA subgroup without ovulation stimulation (reading, -4.50 [-6.64, -2.36]; math, -2.91 [-4.37, -1.44]), but not among those with ovulation stimulation (reading, -2.33 [-6.24, 1.57]; math 0.63 [-1.86, 3.12]). Compared to singleton SGA subgroup without maternal smoking and inadequate gestational weight gain, singleton SGA subgroup with co-occurrence of maternal smoking and inadequate gestational weight gain (GWG) had lower mean reading (-4.81 [-8.50, -1.12]) and math (-2.95 [-5.51, -0.38]) scores. These differences were not mediated by Apgar score. Conclusions Multiple-birth SGA subgroups (vs. singleton SGA) or singleton SGA subgroup with co-occurrence of smoking and inadequate GWG (vs. singleton SGA subgroup without maternal smoking and inadequate gestational weight gain) have poorer cognitive development up to 5 y. PMID:27501456

Center for Nonlinear Phenomena and Magnetic Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-12-04

S) AND ADDRESS(ES) B. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION Howard University /ComSERC REPORT NUMBER 2216 6th St., N.W. Suite 205 NA Washington, D.C. 20059 9...contract on the research environment at Howard University 14. SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF PAGES 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 18. SECURITY...October 25, 1991: Dr. Gerald Chachere, Math Dept., Howard University . Visualization - Improved Marching Cubes. January 27, 1992: Dr. Gerald Chachere, Math

Squashed Entanglement, k-Extendibility, Quantum Markov Chains, and Recovery Maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ke; Winter, Andreas

2018-02-01

Squashed entanglement (Christandl and Winter in J. Math. Phys. 45(3):829-840, 2004) is a monogamous entanglement measure, which implies that highly extendible states have small value of the squashed entanglement. Here, invoking a recent inequality for the quantum conditional mutual information (Fawzi and Renner in Commun. Math. Phys. 340(2):575-611, 2015) greatly extended and simplified in various work since, we show the converse, that a small value of squashed entanglement implies that the state is close to a highly extendible state. As a corollary, we establish an alternative proof of the faithfulness of squashed entanglement (Brandão et al. Commun. Math. Phys. 306:805-830, 2011). We briefly discuss the previous and subsequent history of the Fawzi-Renner bound and related conjectures, and close by advertising a potentially far-reaching generalization to universal and functorial recovery maps for the monotonicity of the relative entropy.

Expanding Girls' Horizons: Strengthening Persistence in the Early Math and Science Education Pipeline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Virnoche, Mary E.

Little longitudinal or follow-up data is available on the impact of Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) conferences. The purpose of the conferences is to encourage girls to take more math and science in high school by exposing them to hands-on activities and role models in math and science professions. This paper is based on 2005 and 2006 one-to-one and small-group interview data from 22 high school girls who attended an EYH conference during their middle school years. The data suggests that EYH strengthens girls' persistence in math and science pathways. Most girls came to the conferences already interested in math and science and at the urging of parents or teachers. Most felt empowered through the shared experience with hundreds of other girls and women, and relayed detailed and enthusiastic descriptions of hands-on activities. Many of the girls also drew connections between EYH and their course-taking actions and career goals. This paper highlights examples of these experiences and makes recommendations for future math and science early pipeline diversity work.

Innovative Teaching Games: Climbing the Hills of Math Skills. California Demonstration Mathematics Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pittsburg Unified School District, CA.

The card games in this publication are an alternative activity to help students master computational skills. Games for operations with whole numbers, fractions, decimals, percents, integers, and square roots are included. They can be used to introduce math topics and for practice and review, with either the whole class or in small groups with 2 to…

Comenius Project: Are e-Learning Collaborations of High School Students across Europe in Maths Possible?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simonovits, Reinhard; McElroy, Jim; O'Loughlin, James; Townsend, Colin

2013-01-01

The overall aim of the project is to allow for the collaboration of high school students of different European countries on small, selected maths topics. This involves the use of technology, student mobility and English language competency. Benefits are also expected to accrue to teachers of mathematics by providing the opportunity to work with…

The Development and Validation of a Revised Version of the Math Anxiety Scale for Young Children.

PubMed

Ganley, Colleen M; McGraw, Amanda L

2016-01-01

Although there is an extensive amount of research that examines the relation between math anxiety and math performance in adolescents and adults, little work has focused on this relation in young children. Recently more attention has been paid to the early development of math anxiety, and new measures have been created for use with this age group. In the present study, we report on the development and validation of a revised version of the Math Anxiety Scale for Young Children (MASYC; Harari et al., 2013). We conducted cognitive interviews with the 12 MASYC items with nine children and then administered the MASYC and five newly-developed items to 296 first-, second- and third-grade children. Results from cognitive interviews show that three of the items from the original scale were being systematically misinterpreted by young children. We present a revised measure (the MASYC-R) consisting of 13 items (eight original, five newly-developed) that shows strong evidence for reliability and validity. Results also showed that a small, but meaningful, proportion of children at this age show signs of high math anxiety. Validity of the MASYC-R was supported through correlations with a number of other factors, including general anxiety, math performance, and math attitudes. In addition, results suggest that a substantial proportion of the variance in math anxiety can be explained from these other variables together. The findings suggest that the MASYC-R is appropriate for use with young children and can help researchers to answer important questions about the nature and development of math anxiety at this age.

The Development and Validation of a Revised Version of the Math Anxiety Scale for Young Children

PubMed Central

Ganley, Colleen M.; McGraw, Amanda L.

2016-01-01

Although there is an extensive amount of research that examines the relation between math anxiety and math performance in adolescents and adults, little work has focused on this relation in young children. Recently more attention has been paid to the early development of math anxiety, and new measures have been created for use with this age group. In the present study, we report on the development and validation of a revised version of the Math Anxiety Scale for Young Children (MASYC; Harari et al., 2013). We conducted cognitive interviews with the 12 MASYC items with nine children and then administered the MASYC and five newly-developed items to 296 first-, second- and third-grade children. Results from cognitive interviews show that three of the items from the original scale were being systematically misinterpreted by young children. We present a revised measure (the MASYC-R) consisting of 13 items (eight original, five newly-developed) that shows strong evidence for reliability and validity. Results also showed that a small, but meaningful, proportion of children at this age show signs of high math anxiety. Validity of the MASYC-R was supported through correlations with a number of other factors, including general anxiety, math performance, and math attitudes. In addition, results suggest that a substantial proportion of the variance in math anxiety can be explained from these other variables together. The findings suggest that the MASYC-R is appropriate for use with young children and can help researchers to answer important questions about the nature and development of math anxiety at this age. PMID:27605917

The Theme's The Thing!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zaidel, Lisa Brusman

1991-01-01

Presents suggestions to help elementary teachers organize learning centers and activities around the themes of Peter Rabbit (Grade 1), weather (Grade 3), and bees (Grade 5). Suggestions are given for activities in centers for listening/reading, language arts, computers, math, science, cooperative learning, research, and writing. (SM)

Bolden STEM Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-01-28

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden speaks to students from Albert Hill Middle School during a visit to the MathScience Innovation Center, Friday, Jan. 28, 2011, in Richmond, Va., as U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., seated, look on. During his talk, Administrator Bolden highlighted the importance of science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, as he shared his life experiences with the students. (Photo Credit:NASA/Paul E. Alers)

NASA Lewis' IITA K-12 Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

The NASA Lewis Research Center's Information Infrastructure Technology and Applications for Kindergarten to 12th Grade (IITA K-12) Program is designed to introduce into school systems computing and communications technology that benefits math and science studies. By incorporating this technology into K-12 curriculums, we hope to increase the proficiency and interest in math and science subjects by K-12 students so that they continue to study technical subjects after their high school careers are over.

ERRATUM: Papers published in incorrect sections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2004-04-01

A number of J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. articles have mistakenly been placed in the wrong subject section in recent issues of the journal. We would like to apologize to the authors of these articles for publishing their papers in the Fluid and Plasma Theory section. The correct section for each article is given below. Statistical Physics Issue 4: Microcanonical entropy for small magnetizations Behringer H 2004 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 37 1443 Mathematical Physics Issue 9: On the solution of fractional evolution equations Kilbas A A, Pierantozzi T, Trujillo J J and Vázquez L 2004 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 37 3271 Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information Theory Issue 6: New exactly solvable isospectral partners for PT-symmetric potentials Sinha A and Roy P 2004 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 37 2509 Issue 9: Symplectically entangled states and their applications to coding Vourdas A 2004 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 37 3305 Classical and Quantum Field Theory Issue 6: Pairing of parafermions of order 2: seniority model Nelson C A 2004 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 37 2497 Issue 7: Jordan-Schwinger map, 3D harmonic oscillator constants of motion, and classical and quantum parameters characterizing electromagnetic wave polarization Mota R D, Xicoténcatl M A and Granados V D 2004 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 37 2835 Issue 9: Could only fermions be elementary? Lev F M 2004 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 37 3285

Scaffolding Learner-Centered Curricular Coherence Using Learning Maps and Diagnostic Assessments Designed around Mathematics Learning Trajectories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Confrey, Jere; Gianopulos, Garron; McGowan, William; Shah, Meetal; Belcher, Michael

2017-01-01

The paper describes how designers used the construct of learning trajectories to create a tool, Math-Mapper 6-8, to help scaffold curricula toward increased learner-centered coherence. It defines "learner-centered curricular coherence" as "an organizational means to promote a high likelihood that each learner traverses one of many…

Underrepresented Entrepreneurship: A Mixed Method Study Evaluating Postsecondary Persistence Approaches for Minorities in Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) to Graduate Studies and STEM Entrepreneurship Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodwyn, Kamela Joy

2017-01-01

Small businesses with emphasis in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) are catalytic in launching the United States' global presence and competitiveness into the twenty-first century through innovation and technology. The projected growth compared to non-STEM occupations, is almost twice as high for STEM occupations which further…

An Examination of the Promise of the NumberShire Level 1 Gaming Intervention for Improving Student Mathematics Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fien, Hank; Doabler, Christian T.; Nelson, Nancy J.; Kosty, Derek B.; Clarke, Ben; Baker, Scott K.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to test the promise of the NumberShire Level 1 Gaming Intervention (NS1) to accelerate math learning for first-grade students with or at risk for math difficulties. The NS1 intervention was developed through the Institute of Education Sciences, Small Business Innovation Research Program (Gause, Fien, Baker, &…

Approximate number sense correlates with math performance in gifted adolescents.

PubMed

Wang, Jinjing Jenny; Halberda, Justin; Feigenson, Lisa

2017-05-01

Nonhuman animals, human infants, and human adults all share an Approximate Number System (ANS) that allows them to imprecisely represent number without counting. Among humans, people differ in the precision of their ANS representations, and these individual differences have been shown to correlate with symbolic mathematics performance in both children and adults. For example, children with specific math impairment (dyscalculia) have notably poor ANS precision. However, it remains unknown whether ANS precision contributes to individual differences only in populations of people with lower or average mathematical abilities, or whether this link also is present in people who excel in math. Here we tested non-symbolic numerical approximation in 13- to 16-year old gifted children enrolled in a program for talented adolescents (the Center for Talented Youth). We found that in this high achieving population, ANS precision significantly correlated with performance on the symbolic math portion of two common standardized tests (SAT and ACT) that typically are administered to much older students. This relationship was robust even when controlling for age, verbal performance, and reaction times in the approximate number task. These results suggest that the Approximate Number System is linked to symbolic math performance even at the top levels of math performance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessment of Tutoring Laboratories in a Learning Assistance Center

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fullmer, Patricia

2012-01-01

The Learning Resource Center at Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, provides tutoring laboratories that are required for developmental reading, writing, and math courses. This article reviews the processes used to plan and determine the effectiveness of the tutoring laboratories, including logic models, student learning outcomes, and the results of…

Supporting Mathematical Discourse in the Early Grades. Interactive STEM Research + Practice Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stiles, Jennifer

2016-01-01

This research brief discusses the benefits of teachers using mathematical discourse--allowing students to explain, justify, and debate their individual techniques for solving math problems--to enhance learning. Using this strategy requires educators to discard traditional teacher-centered modes of instruction and adopt new student-centered modes…

Deconstruction Geography: A STEM Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gehlhar, Adam M.; Duffield, Stacy K.

2015-01-01

This article will define the engineering design process used to create an integrated curriculum at STEM Center Middle School, and it features the planning, implementation, and revision of the Deconstruction Geography unit. The Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Center opened in the fall of 2009 as a way to relieve overcrowding at the…

Bolden STEM Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-01-28

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, right, counts down along with others as U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., readies to launch a paper rocket as U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., third right, looks on, Friday, Jan. 28, 2011, at the MathScience Innovation Center in Richmond, Va. Earlier, Bolden, spoke to students from Albert Hill Middle School where he highlighted the importance of science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, as he shared his life experiences with the students. (Photo Credit:NASA/Paul E. Alers)

Mapping Anterior Temporal Lobe Language Areas with FMRI: A Multi-Center Normative Study

PubMed Central

Binder, Jeffrey R.; Gross, William L.; Allendorfer, Jane B.; Bonilha, Leonardo; Chapin, Jessica; Edwards, Jonathan C.; Grabowski, Thomas J.; Langfitt, John T.; Loring, David W.; Lowe, Mark J.; Koenig, Katherine; Morgan, Paul S.; Ojemann, Jeffrey G.; Rorden, Christopher; Szaflarski, Jerzy P.; Tivarus, Madalina E.; Weaver, Kurt E.

2010-01-01

Removal of the anterior temporal lobe (ATL) is an effective surgical treatment for intractable temporal lobe epilepsy but carries a risk of language and verbal memory deficits. Preoperative localization of functional zones in the ATL might help reduce these risks, yet fMRI protocols in current widespread use produce very little activation in this region. Based on recent evidence suggesting a role for the ATL in semantic integration, we designed an fMRI protocol comparing comprehension of brief narratives (Story task) with a semantically shallow control task involving serial arithmetic (Math task). The Story > Math contrast elicited strong activation throughout the ATL, lateral temporal lobe, and medial temporal lobe bilaterally in an initial cohort of 18 healthy participants. The task protocol was then implemented at 6 other imaging centers using identical methods. Data from a second cohort of participants scanned at these centers closely replicated the results from the initial cohort. The Story-Math protocol provides a reliable method for activation of surgical regions of interest in the ATL. The bilateral activation supports previous claims that conceptual processing involves both temporal lobes. Used in combination with language lateralization measures, reliable ATL activation maps may be useful for predicting cognitive outcome in ATL surgery, though the validity of this approach needs to be established in a prospective surgical series. PMID:20884358

Integrating Quantitative Reasoning into STEM Courses Using an Energy and Environment Context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myers, J. D.; Lyford, M. E.; Mayes, R. L.

2010-12-01

Many secondary and post-secondary science classes do not integrate math into their curriculum, while math classes commonly teach concepts without meaningful context. Consequently, students lack basic quantitative skills and the ability to apply them in real-world contexts. For the past three years, a Wyoming Department of Education funded Math Science Partnership at the University of Wyoming (UW) has brought together middle and high school science and math teachers to model how math and science can be taught together in a meaningful way. The UW QR-STEM project emphasizes the importance of Quantitative Reasoning (QR) to student success in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). To provide a social context, QR-STEM has focused on energy and the environment. In particular, the project has examined how QR and STEM concepts play critical roles in many of the current global challenges of energy and environment. During four 3-day workshops each summer and over several virtual and short face-to-face meetings during the academic year, UW and community college science and math faculty work with math and science teachers from middle and high schools across the state to improve QR instruction in math and science classes. During the summer workshops, faculty from chemistry, physics, earth sciences, biology and math lead sessions to: 1) improve the basic science content knowledge of teachers; 2) improve teacher understanding of math and statistical concepts, 3) model how QR can be taught by engaging teachers in sessions that integrate math and science in an energy and environment context; and 4) focus curricula using Understanding by Design to identify enduring understandings on which to center instructional strategies and assessment. In addition to presenting content, faculty work with teachers as they develop classroom lessons and larger units to be implemented during the school year. Teachers form interdisciplinary groups which often consist of math and science teachers from the same school or district. By jointly developing units focused on energy and environment, math and science curricula can be coordinated during the school year. During development, teams present their curricular ideas for peer-review. Throughout the school year, teachers implement their units and collect pre-post data on student learning. Ultimately, science teachers integrate math into their science courses, and math teachers integrate science content in their math courses. Following implementation, participants share their experiences with their peers and faculty. Of central interest during these presentations are: 1) How did the QR-STEM experience change teacher practices in the classroom?; and 2) How did the modification of their teaching practices impact student learning and their ability to successfully master QR? The UW QR-STEM has worked with Wyoming science and math teachers from across the state over the three year grant period.

We can do it: the interplay of construal orientation and social comparisons under threat.

PubMed

Marx, David M; Stapel, Diederik A; Muller, Dominique

2005-03-01

The authors investigated how a collective self-construal orientation in combination with positive social comparisons "turns off" the negative effects of stereotype threat. Specifically, Experiment 1 demonstrated that stereotype threat led to increased accessibility of participants' collective self ("we"). Experiment 2 showed that this feeling of "we-ness" in the stereotype threat condition centered on the participants' stereotyped group membership and not on other important social groups (e.g., students). Experiment 3 indicated that in threat situations, when participants' collective self is accessible, positive social comparison information led to improved math test performance and less concern, whereas in nonthreat situations, when the collective self is less accessible, positive comparison information led to worse test performance and more concern. Our final experiment revealed that under stereotype threat, only those comparison targets who are competent in the relevant domain (math), rather than in domains unrelated to math (athletics), enhanced participants' math test performance. ((c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved).

Special Issue on "Instanton Counting: Moduli Spaces, Representation Theory, and Integrable Systems"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruzzo, Ugo; Sala, Francesco

2016-11-01

This special issue of the Journal of Geometry and Physics collects some papers that were presented during the workshop ;Instanton Counting: Moduli Spaces, Representation Theory, and Integrable Systems; that took place at the Lorentz Center in Leiden, The Netherlands, from 16 to 20 June 2014. The workshop was supported by the Lorentz Center, the ;Geometry and Quantum Theory; Cluster, Centre Européen pour les Mathématiques, la Physique et leurs Interactions (Lille, France), Laboratoire Angevin de Recherche en Mathématiques (Angers, France), SISSA (Trieste, Italy), and Foundation Compositio (Amsterdam, the Netherlands). We deeply thank all these institutions for making the workshop possible. We also thank the other organizers of the workshop, Professors Dimitri Markushevich, Vladimir Rubtsov and Sergey Shadrin, for their efforts and great collaboration.

Effective pedagogies for teaching math to nursing students: a literature review.

PubMed

Hunter Revell, Susan M; McCurry, Mary K

2013-11-01

Improving mathematical competency and problem-solving skills in undergraduate nursing students has been an enduring challenge for nurse educators. A number of teaching strategies have been used to address this problem with varying degrees of success. This paper discusses a literature review which examined undergraduate nursing student challenges to learning math, methods used to teach math and problem-solving skills, and the use of innovative pedagogies for teaching. The literature was searched using the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature and Education Resource Information Center databases. Key search terms included: math*, nurs*, nursing student, calculation, technology, medication administration, challenges, problem-solving, personal response system, clickers, computer and multi-media. Studies included in the review were published in English from 1990 to 2011. Results support four major themes which include: student challenges to learning, traditional pedagogies, curriculum strategies, and technology and integrative methods as pedagogy. The review concludes that there is a need for more innovative pedagogical strategies for teaching math to student nurses. Nurse educators in particular play a central role in helping students learn the conceptual basis, as well as practical hands-on methods, to problem solving and math competency. It is recommended that an integrated approach inclusive of technology will benefit students through better performance, increased understanding, and improved student satisfaction. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trent Griffin honored on Good Morning America

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-09-17

TRENT GRIFFIN, RIGHT, IS CONGRATULATED FOR HIS WORK IN THE COMMUNITY AND HIS OUTREACH EFFORTS TO ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO ENTER THE SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATH FIELDS BY MARSHALL CENTER DIRECTOR PATRICK SCHEUERMANN. GRIFFIN WAS FEATURED AS A HOMETOWN HERO ON ABC’S "GOOD MORNING AMERICA" AT THE U.S. SPACE & ROCKET CENTER.

Better Data, Better Decisions: Informing School Choosers to Improve Education Markets

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valant, Jon

2014-01-01

School choice sits at the center of the education reform agenda. The most recent national study from Stanford University's Center for Research on Education Outcomes found that charter school students perform comparably in math and better in reading than their peers in traditional district schools. Often lost in the growing national enthusiasm…

Student Recommendations for Improving Nutrition in America's K-12 Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

NCSSSMST Journal, 2006

2006-01-01

Co-hosted by the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science, and Technology (NCSSSMST) and The Keystone Center, the third annual Keystone Center Youth Policy Summit focused on Adolescent and Childhood Nutrition in America's K-12 Schools. In June 2006, 40 students from 10 math and science schools came together in…

Teaching Technology with Technology. An Off-the-Shelf Robotics Course Builds Technical Center Enrollment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hannemann, Jim; Rice, Thomas R.

1991-01-01

At the Oakland Technical Center, which provides vocational programs for nine Michigan high schools, a one-semester course in Foundations of Technology Systems uses a computer-simulated manufacturing environment to teach applied math, science, language arts, communication skills, problem solving, and teamwork in the context of technology education.…

Optics Program Simplifies Analysis and Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

Engineers at Goddard Space Flight Center partnered with software experts at Mide Technology Corporation, of Medford, Massachusetts, through a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to design the Disturbance-Optics-Controls-Structures (DOCS) Toolbox, a software suite for performing integrated modeling for multidisciplinary analysis and design. The DOCS Toolbox integrates various discipline models into a coupled process math model that can then predict system performance as a function of subsystem design parameters. The system can be optimized for performance; design parameters can be traded; parameter uncertainties can be propagated through the math model to develop error bounds on system predictions; and the model can be updated, based on component, subsystem, or system level data. The Toolbox also allows the definition of process parameters as explicit functions of the coupled model and includes a number of functions that analyze the coupled system model and provide for redesign. The product is being sold commercially by Nightsky Systems Inc., of Raleigh, North Carolina, a spinoff company that was formed by Mide specifically to market the DOCS Toolbox. Commercial applications include use by any contractors developing large space-based optical systems, including Lockheed Martin Corporation, The Boeing Company, and Northrup Grumman Corporation, as well as companies providing technical audit services, like General Dynamics Corporation

Antecedents and Consequences of Verbal Disagreements during Small-Group Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindow, Janet A.; And Others

1985-01-01

Controversy, an aspect of small-group interactions, was investigated in 10 mixed-ability, mixed-sex, elementary math groups through analysis of dissension episodes. Results showed that boys and higher-ability students had significantly more prevailing answers and demonstrations. (Author/LMO)

GaAs Substrates for High-Power Diode Lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mueller, Georg; Berwian, Patrick; Buhrig, Eberhard; Weinert, Berndt

GaAs substrate crystals with low dislocation density (Etch-Pit Density (EPD) < 500,^-2) and Si-doping ( ~10^18,^-3) are required for the epitaxial production of high-power diode-lasers. Large-size wafers (= 3 mathrm{in} -> >=3,) are needed for reducing the manufacturing costs. These requirements can be fulfilled by the Vertical Bridgman (VB) and Vertical Gradient Freeze (VGF) techniques. For that purpose we have developed proper VB/VGF furnaces and optimized the thermal as well as the physico-chemical process conditions. This was strongly supported by extensive numerical process simulation. The modeling of the VGF furnaces and processes was made by using a new computer code called CrysVUN++, which was recently developed in the Crystal Growth Laboratory in Erlangen.GaAs crystals with diameters of 2 and 3in were grown in pyrolytic Boron Nitride (pBN) crucibles having a small-diameter seed section and a conical part. Boric oxide was used to fully encapsulate the crystal and the melt. An initial silicon content in the GaAs melt of c (melt) = 3 x10^19,^-3 has to be used in order to achieve a carrier concentration of n = (0.8- 2) x10^18,^-3, which is the substrate specification of the device manufacturer of the diode-laser. The EPD could be reduced to values between 500,^-2 and 50,^-2 with a Si-doping level of 8 x10^17 to 1 x10^18,^-3. Even the 3in wafers have rather large dislocation-free areas. The lowest EPDs ( <100,^-2) are achieved for long seed wells of the crucible.

Dragons, Ladybugs, and Softballs: Girls' STEM Engagement with Human-Centered Robotics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gomoll, Andrea; Hmelo-Silver, Cindy E.; Šabanovic, Selma; Francisco, Matthew

2016-01-01

Early experiences in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are important for getting youth interested in STEM fields, particularly for girls. Here, we explore how an after-school robotics club can provide informal STEM experiences that inspire students to engage with STEM in the future. Human-centered robotics, with its emphasis on the…

Developing an Early-Alert System to Promote Student Visits to Tutor Center

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cai, Qijie; Lewis, Carrie L.; Higdon, Jude

2015-01-01

An early-alert system (MavCLASS) was developed and piloted in a large gateway math class with 611 freshman students to identify academically at-risk students and provide alert messages. It was found that there was significant association between the alert messages students received and their visits to the university's tutor center. Further, the…

Astro Camp Plus

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-06-19

Stennis Space Center's new Astro Camp Plus camp kicked off June 19 for teens ages 13-15. The new camp delves more deeply into the science, math and technology concepts introduced in the center's popular Astro Camp series. Campers including Jasmyne White (left) and Dana Yingst, both of Slidell, La., learn how NASA uses 'podcasting' to broadcast video, and made their own podcasts.

Astro Camp Plus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

Stennis Space Center's new Astro Camp Plus camp kicked off June 19 for teens ages 13-15. The new camp delves more deeply into the science, math and technology concepts introduced in the center's popular Astro Camp series. Campers including Jasmyne White (left) and Dana Yingst, both of Slidell, La., learn how NASA uses 'podcasting' to broadcast video, and made their own podcasts.

Prediction of lymph node involvement in patients with breast tumors measuring 3-5 cm in a middle-income setting: the role of CancerMath.

PubMed

Pijnappel, E N; Bhoo-Pathy, N; Suniza, J; See, M H; Tan, G H; Yip, C H; Hartman, M; Taib, N A; Verkooijen, H M

2014-12-01

In settings with limited resources, sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNB) is only offered to breast cancer patients with small tumors and a low a priori risk of axillary metastases. We investigated whether CancerMath, a free online prediction tool for axillary lymph node involvement, is able to identify women at low risk of axillary lymph node metastases in Malaysian women with 3-5 cm tumors, with the aim to offer SNB in a targeted, cost-effective way. Women with non-metastatic breast cancers, measuring 3-5 cm were identified within the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) breast cancer registry. We compared CancerMath-predicted probabilities of lymph node involvement between women with versus without lymph node metastases. The discriminative performance of CancerMath was tested using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Out of 1,017 patients, 520 (51 %) had axillary involvement. Tumors of women with axillary involvement were more often estrogen-receptor positive, progesterone-receptor positive, and human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)-2 positive. The mean CancerMath score was higher in women with axillary involvement than in those without (53.5 vs. 51.3, p = 0.001). In terms of discrimination, CancerMath performed poorly, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.553 (95 % confidence interval CI 0.518-0.588). Attempts to optimize the CancerMath model by adding ethnicity and HER2 to the model did not improve discriminatory performance. For Malaysian women with tumors measuring 3-5 cm, CancerMath is unable to accurately predict lymph node involvement and is therefore not helpful in the identification of women at low risk of node-positive disease who could benefit from SNB.

75 FR 3901 - Board of Visitors, United States Military Academy (USMA)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-25

... Organizational Meeting of the USMA Board of Visitors (BoV). Members of the Board will be provided updates on..., Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) Center of Excellence, Energy Costs and Initiatives, Wastewater...

Math and Magnets

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-04-07

Physicists Stan Starr, left, and Bob Youngquist of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida work through part of an equation as they research elements of formulas showing how magnetic forces can be used in space for a variety of purposes.

Creating Child-Centered Materials for Math and Science: 3-6 Year Olds. Step By Step: A Program for Children and Families.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stolberg, Judith Rothschild; Daniels, Ellen R.

In child-centered education programs, children construct their own knowledge from their experiences and interactions with the world around them, and teachers foster children's growth and development by building on children's interests, needs, and strengths within a safe and caring environment. The Step by Step educational program developed a…

School Is Where the Children Are.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller-Pasquale, Sherry; Lee, Kami Amestoy

1997-01-01

Sponsored by Guatemala City's innovative Childhope/Pennat program, 30 teachers coach working children under trees in the park, in the streets next to their stalls, and in small, makeshift "mercado classrooms." Children learn how to do simple math, read official documents, understand their country's history, and manage a small business.…

Improving Student Achievement in Math and Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sullivan, Nancy G.; Hamsa, Irene Schulz; Heath, Panagiota; Perry, Robert; White, Stacy J.

1998-01-01

As the new millennium approaches, a long anticipated reckoning for the education system of the United States is forthcoming, Years of school reform initiatives have not yielded the anticipated results. A particularly perplexing problem involves the lack of significant improvement of student achievement in math and science. Three "Partnership" projects represent collaborative efforts between Xavier University (XU) of Louisiana, Southern University of New Orleans (SUNO), Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Stennis Space Center (SSC), to enhance student achievement in math and science. These "Partnerships" are focused on students and teachers in federally designated rural and urban empowerment zones and enterprise communities. The major goals of the "Partnerships" include: (1) The identification and dissemination of key indices of success that account for high performance in math and science; (2) The education of pre-service and in-service secondary teachers in knowledge, skills, and competencies that enhance the instruction of high school math and science; (3) The development of faculty to enhance the quality of math and science courses in institutions of higher education; and (4) The incorporation of technology-based instruction in institutions of higher education. These goals will be achieved by the accomplishment of the following objectives: (1) Delineate significant ?best practices? that are responsible for enhancing student outcomes in math and science; (2) Recruit and retain pre-service teachers with undergraduate degrees in Biology, Math, Chemistry, or Physics in a graduate program, culminating with a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction; (3) Provide faculty workshops and opportunities for travel to professional meetings for dissemination of NASA resources information; (4) Implement methodologies and assessment procedures utilizing performance-based applications of higher order thinking via the incorporation of Global Learning Observations To Benefit the Environment (GLOBE), Mission to Planet Earth and the use of Geographic Imaging Systems into the K-12th grade curriculum.

Anderson Localization for Schrödinger Operators on with Strongly Mixing Potentials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bourgain, Jean; Schlag, Wilhelm

In this paper we show that for a.e. x∈[ 0,2 π) the operators defined on as and with Dirichlet condition ψ- 1= 0, have pure point spectrum in with exponentially decaying eigenfunctions where δ > 0 and are small. As it is a simple consequence of known techniques that for small λ one has [- 2 +δ, 2-δ]⊂ spectrum (H(x)) for a.e.x∈[ 0, 2 π), we thus established Anderson localization on the spectrum up to the edges and the center. More general potentials than cosine can be treated, but only those energies with nonzero spectral density are allowed. Finally, we prove the same result for operators on the whole line with potential , where A:?2-->?2 is a hyperbolic toral automorphism, F∈C1(?2), ∫F= 0, and λ small. The basis for our analysis is an asymptotic formula for the Lyapunov exponent for λ--> 0 by Figotin-Pastur, and generalized by Chulaevski-Spencer. We combine this asymptotic expansion with certain martingale large deviation estimates in order to apply the methods developed by Bourgain and Goldstein in the quasi-periodic case.

The Physics Learning Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nossal, S. M.; Watson, L. E.; Hooper, E.; Huesmann, A.; Schenker, B.; Timbie, P.; Rzchowski, M.

2013-03-01

The Physics Learning Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison provides academic support and small-group supplemental instruction to students studying introductory algebra-based and calculus-based physics. These classes are gateway courses for majors in the biological and physical sciences, pre-health fields, engineering, and secondary science education. The Physics Learning Center offers supplemental instruction groups twice weekly where students can discuss concepts and practice with problem-solving techniques. The Center also provides students with access on-line resources that stress conceptual understanding, and to exam review sessions. Participants in our program include returning adults, people from historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, students from families in lower-income circumstances, students in the first generation of their family to attend college, transfer students, veterans, and people with disabilities, all of whom might feel isolated in their large introductory course and thus have a more difficult time finding study partners. We also work with students potentially at-risk for having academic difficulty (due to factors academic probation, weak math background, low first exam score, or no high school physics). A second mission of the Physics Learning Center is to provide teacher training and leadership experience for undergraduate Peer Mentor Tutors. These Peer Tutors lead the majority of the weekly group sessions in close supervision by PLC staff members. We will describe our work to support students in the Physics Learning Center, including our teacher-training program for our undergraduate Peer Mentor Tutors

Boundary Layer Measurements on Slender Blunt Cones at Free-Stream Mach Number 8

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-12-01

34 Angle of a t t a c k , deg Model c o n f i g u r a t i o n d e s i g n a t i o n Center of rotation~ tunnel centerline axial station about...ft/sec X Axial location located from virtual apex of 7-deg cone model, in. ZA ZP ZT ~ . . = ° Anemometer-probe height, distance to probe...300 psla at Math number 6, and 50 to 900 psia at Math number 8, with air supplied by the VKF main compressor plant. Stagnation temperatures sufficient

Math and Magnets

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-04-07

Physicists Bob Youngquist, left, and Stan Starr work with hollow and solid metal spheres in a laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida where they are helping formulate principles of magnetic forces to see how they might be applied to spaceflight.

G.E.M.S. event

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-08

About 170 high school and elementary girls from area schools participated in a Girls Excited about Math and Science event at Stennis Space Center on March 8, 2012. The event was designed to promote studies in science and mathematics.

Learning about Moths.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albrecht, Kay; Walsh, Katherine

1996-01-01

Describes an early childhood classroom project involving moths that teaches children about moths' development from egg to adult stage. Includes information about the moth's enemies, care, and feeding. Outlines reading, art, music and movement, science, and math activities centering around moths. (BGC)

Mrs. B.'s Lakeside Restaurant (In the Classroom).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borysiewicz, Pat

1992-01-01

Describes how the author and her kindergarten students created a cooking center and restaurant in which they participate in regular cooking projects to provide opportunities to apply newly acquired skills in reading, writing, and math. (MG)

Contact dynamics math model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glaese, John R.; Tobbe, Patrick A.

1986-01-01

The Space Station Mechanism Test Bed consists of a hydraulically driven, computer controlled six degree of freedom (DOF) motion system with which docking, berthing, and other mechanisms can be evaluated. Measured contact forces and moments are provided to the simulation host computer to enable representation of orbital contact dynamics. This report describes the development of a generalized math model which represents the relative motion between two rigid orbiting vehicles. The model allows motion in six DOF for each body, with no vehicle size limitation. The rotational and translational equations of motion are derived. The method used to transform the forces and moments from the sensor location to the vehicles' centers of mass is also explained. Two math models of docking mechanisms, a simple translational spring and the Remote Manipulator System end effector, are presented along with simulation results. The translational spring model is used in an attempt to verify the simulation with compensated hardware in the loop results.

Shaping stereotypical behaviour through the discussion of social stereotypes.

PubMed

Smith, Laura G E; Postmes, Tom

2011-03-01

In two studies, we demonstrate that small group discussions change the extent to which an activated stereotype affects performance in a relevant domain. In Study 1, female participants were asked why men are (or are not) better than them at maths. They generated their answers individually or through group discussion, and their subsequent maths performance was highest when they collectively challenged the stereotype and lowest when they collectively affirmed the stereotype. When participants affirmed the stereotype through discussion, they used more theories which supported the validity of the stereotype, compared to the individual thought condition; and consensus mediated the effect of group discussion on performance (relative to individual rumination). In Study 2, male and female participants affirmed or challenged the stereotype in same-gender discussion groups. After affirming the stereotype, women's performance decreased relative to their baseline scores and men's performance was 'lifted'. In contrast, when they challenged the stereotype, there was no difference between the performance of men and women on the maths test. This pattern of effects was mediated by confidence in mathematical ability. The findings support the idea that topical small group discussions can, in the short term, differentially alter the impact that stereotypes have on performance. ©2010 The British Psychological Society.

Association between individual differences in non-symbolic number acuity and math performance: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Chen, Qixuan; Li, Jingguang

2014-05-01

Many recent studies have examined the association between number acuity, which is the ability to rapidly and non-symbolically estimate the quantity of items appearing in a scene, and symbolic math performance. However, various contradictory results have been reported. To comprehensively evaluate the association between number acuity and symbolic math performance, we conduct a meta-analysis to synthesize the results observed in previous studies. First, a meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies (36 samples, N = 4705) revealed a significant positive correlation between these skills (r = 0.20, 95% CI = [0.14, 0.26]); the association remained after considering other potential moderators (e.g., whether general cognitive abilities were controlled). Moreover, a meta-analysis of longitudinal studies revealed 1) that number acuity may prospectively predict later math performance (r = 0.24, 95% CI = [0.11, 0.37]; 6 samples) and 2) that number acuity is retrospectively correlated to early math performance as well (r = 0.17, 95% CI = [0.07, 0.26]; 5 samples). In summary, these pieces of evidence demonstrate a moderate but statistically significant association between number acuity and math performance. Based on the estimated effect sizes, power analyses were conducted, which suggested that many previous studies were underpowered due to small sample sizes. This may account for the disparity between findings in the literature, at least in part. Finally, the theoretical and practical implications of our meta-analytic findings are presented, and future research questions are discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

China Reflections.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duval, Concetta

1984-01-01

A math and science high school director, who spent a month studying and traveling in China, comments on cultural differences observed during a visit to a day care center and during shopping trips and relates his experiences jogging during the early morning hours. (RM)

34 CFR 645.20 - How many applications for an Upward Bound award may an eligible applicant submit?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Upward Bound project, an Upward Bound Math and Science Center, or a Veterans Upward Bound project... additional application describes a project that serves a different participant population. (b) Each...

Measuring Very Small Quantities: Fascinating Suggestions for Math or Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, John Taylor

1989-01-01

Described are several activities for teaching children to determine mass and volume. Included are the masses of a water drop and a grain of rice; the volume of a water drop and small solids; and measuring the width of a hair. Procedures and materials for the activities are discussed. (CW)

Introduction to Dynamic Bifurcation.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-05-01

D-Ai33 252 INTRODUCTION TO DYNAMIC BIFtJRCATION(U) BROWIN UNIV PROVIDENCE RI LEFSCHETZ CENTER FOR DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS J K HALE MAY 83 LCDS-83-16 AFOSR...AV 04 Lefschetz Center for Dynamical Systems 0@0 UNCLASSIFIED. %;". "" I " PO. T NUMUER i2 ACCLSSIONNO .l l’. " . 0’l . 11...A0., .,N ; Lefschet; Center for Dynamical Systems Div. of Applied Math., Prov., R.I. 02912 PE61102F; 2304/A4 "t. CONTrOLLING OFFICE NAME AND ADORESS

Building Kindergartners' Number Sense: A Randomized Controlled Study.

PubMed

Jordan, Nancy C; Glutting, Joseph; Dyson, Nancy; Hassinger-Das, Brenna; Irwin, Casey

2012-08-01

Math achievement in elementary school is mediated by performance and growth in number sense during kindergarten. The aim of the present study was to test the effectiveness of a targeted small group number sense intervention for high-risk kindergartners from low-income communities. Children were randomly assigned to one of three groups ( n = 44 in each group): a number sense intervention group, a language intervention group, or a business as usual control group. Accounting for initial skill level in mathematical knowledge, children who received the number sense intervention performed better than controls at immediate post test, with meaningful effects on measures of number competencies and general math achievement. Many of the effects held eight weeks after the intervention was completed, suggesting that children internalized what they had learned. There were no differences between the language and control groups on any math-related measures.

Klinefelter Syndrome

MedlinePlus

... Enlarged breast tissue (gynecomastia) Weak bones Low energy levels Tendency to be shy and sensitive Difficulty expressing thoughts and feelings or socializing Problems with reading, writing, spelling or math Men Low sperm count or no sperm Small ...

Thermodynamics of feldspathoid solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sack, Richard O.; Ghiorso, Mark S.

We have developed models for the thermody-namic properties of nephelines, kalsilites, and leucites in the simple system NaAlSiO4-KAlSiO4-Ca0.5AlSiO4-SiO2-H2O that are consistent with all known constraints on subsolidus equilibria and thermodynamic properties, and have integrated them into the existing MELTS software package. The model for nepheline is formulated for the simplifying assumptions that (1) a molecular mixing-type approximation describes changes in the configurational entropy associated with the coupled exchange substitutions □Si?NaAl and □Ca? Na2 and that (2) Na+ and K+ display long-range non-convergent ordering between a large cation and the three small cation sites in the Na4Al4Si4O16 formula unit. Notable features of the model include the prediction that the mineral tetrakalsilite (``panunzite'', sensu stricto) results from anti-ordering of Na and K between the large cation and the three small cation sites in the nepheline structure at high temperatures, an average dT/dP slope of about 55°/kbar for the reaction over the temperature and pressure ranges 800-1050 °C and 500-5000 bars, roughly symmetric (i.e. quadratic) solution behavior of the K-Na substitution along joins between fully ordered components in nepheline, and large positive Gibbs energies for the nepheline reciprocal reactions and and for the leucite reciprocal reaction

McMillan Magnet School: A Case History of a School Acquiring a Critical Mass of Computer Technology and Internet Connectivity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grandgenett, Neal; And Others

McMillan Magnet Center is located in urban Omaha, Nebraska, and specializes in math, computers, and communications. Once a junior high school, it was converted to a magnet center for seventh and eighth graders in the 1983-84 school year as part of Omaha's voluntary desegregation plan. Now the ethnic makeup of the student population is about 50%…

Enhancing the Math and Science Experiences of Latinas and Latinos: A Study of the Joaquin Bustoz Math-Science Honors Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Escontrias, Gabriel, Jr.

Latinas and Latinos are currently underrepresented in terms of our 21 st century student academic attainment and workforce, compared to the total U.S. Hispanic population. In a field such as mathematical sciences, Hispanic or Latino U.S. citizenship doctoral recipients only accounted for 3.04% in 2009--2010. While there are various initiatives to engage underrepresented STEM populations through education, there is a need to give a voice to the experiences of Latinas and Latinos engaged in such programs. This study explored the experiences of seven Arizona State University undergraduate Latina and Latino Joaquin Bustoz Math-Science Honors Program (JBMSHP) participants as well as examined how the program enhanced their math and science learning experiences. Participants attended either a five-week or eight-week program and ranged in attendance from 2006 to 2011. Students were provided an opportunity to begin university mathematics and science studies before graduating high school. Through a demographic survey and one-on-one guided interview, participants shared their personal journey, their experience in the JBMSHP, and their goals. Using grounded theory, a qualitative research approach, this study focuses on the unique experiences of Latina and Latino participants. Four major themes emerged from the analysis of the data. Each participant applied to the program with a foundation in which they sought to challenge themselves academically through mathematics and/or science. Through their involvement it the JBMSHP, participants recognized benefits during and after the program. All participants recognized the value of these benefits and their participation and praised the program. Overall, the JBMSHP provided the students the resources to grow their academic capital and if they chose seek a STEM related bachelor degree. The results of this study emphasize the need to expand the JBMSHP both within Arizona and nationally. In addition, there is a need to explore the other components of their parent center, the Mathematical, Computational and Modeling Sciences Center (MCMSC), to determine if the suggested pipeline, MCMSC Model for Enhancing the Math and Science Experiences of Latinas and Latinos, can positively impact our 21st century workforce and the dire representational need of Latinas and Latinos in STEM fields.

Five Centers Model: Integrated Labs for Instructional Technology and Student Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burnett, Henry J.

1989-01-01

Describes the College of the Desert (California's) integrated facility that links the following three functions: (1) student assessment and computerized placement testing; (2) remedial instruction in study skills, writing, and math; and (3) research to assess learning gains. (DMM)

Education and the Changing Job Market

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levy, Frank; Murnane, Richard J.

2004-01-01

An education that is centered on complex thinking and communicating helps graduates to gain good jobs in the U.S. Educators will have to focus on raising students' achievement in math, science, and reading because complex, technical skills are essential for the new century's jobs.

Advanced Math? Write!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brandenburg, Sister M. Luka

2002-01-01

High-school mathematics teacher in Rock Island, Illinois, describes plan for using writing assignment to improve student understanding of advanced mathematics. Plan includes the following elements: Start small, be firm with students, make writing assignments count, and inform colleagues. (PKP)

Building Kindergartners’ Number Sense: A Randomized Controlled Study

PubMed Central

Jordan, Nancy C.; Glutting, Joseph; Dyson, Nancy; Hassinger-Das, Brenna; Irwin, Casey

2015-01-01

Math achievement in elementary school is mediated by performance and growth in number sense during kindergarten. The aim of the present study was to test the effectiveness of a targeted small group number sense intervention for high-risk kindergartners from low-income communities. Children were randomly assigned to one of three groups (n = 44 in each group): a number sense intervention group, a language intervention group, or a business as usual control group. Accounting for initial skill level in mathematical knowledge, children who received the number sense intervention performed better than controls at immediate post test, with meaningful effects on measures of number competencies and general math achievement. Many of the effects held eight weeks after the intervention was completed, suggesting that children internalized what they had learned. There were no differences between the language and control groups on any math-related measures. PMID:25866417

Our Practice, Their Readiness: Teacher Educators Collaborate to Explore and Improve Preservice Teacher Readiness for Science and Math Instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steele, Astrid; Brew, Christine; Rees, Carol; Ibrahim-Khan, Sheliza

2013-02-01

Since many preservice teachers (PTs) display anxiety over teaching math and science, four PT educators collaborated to better understand the PTs' background experiences and attitudes toward those subjects. The research project provided two avenues for professional learning: the data collected from the PTs and the opportunity for collaborative action research. The mixed method study focused on: the relationship between gender and undergraduate major (science versus non-science) with respect to previous and current engagement in science and math, understanding the processes of inquiry, and learning outside the classroom. A field trip to a science center provided the setting for the data collection. From a sample of 132 PTs, a multivariate analysis showed that the science major of PTs explained most of the gender differences with respect to the PTs' attitudes toward science and mathematics. The process of inquiry is generally poorly interpreted by PTs, and non-science majors prefer a more social approach in their learning to teach science and math. The four educators/collaborators reflect on the impacts of the research on their individual practices, for example, the need to: include place-based learning, attend to the different learning strategies taken by non-science majors, emphasize social and environmental contexts for learning science and math, be more explicit regarding the processes of science inquiry, and provide out-of-classroom experiences for PTs. They conclude that the collaboration, though difficult at times, provided powerful opportunities for examining individual praxis.

Academic and Nonacademic Validating Agents on Latinas Mathematics and Science Self Concept A Quantitative Study Utilizing the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garza, Jennifer M.

The purpose of this study is to inform and further the discussion of academic (i.e. teachers and school counselors) and non-academic (i.e. parents, family, friends, etc.) validating agents on Latina students' mathematics and science self-concepts. This study found a relationship between Latina students' interactions with academic and non-academic validating agents and their math and science self-concept at the K-12 level. Through the review of the literature the researcher addresses identifiable factors and strategies that inform the field of education in the areas of validation theory, family characteristics, and access to STEM fields for Latina students. The researcher used an established instrument designed, administered, and validated through the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). For purposes of this study, a categorical subset of participants who self-identified as being a Latina student was used. As a result, the total subset number in this study was N=1,882. To determine if academic and non-academic validating agents had an observable statistically significant relationship with Latina students' math and science self-concept, a series of one-way ANOVAs were calculated to compare differences in students' math and science self-concept based on academic and non-academic validating agents for the weighted sample of Latinas for the HLS:09 survey. A path analysis was also employed to assess the factors involved in Latina students' math and science self-concepts. The findings are consistent with previous research involving the influence that academic and non-academic validating agents have on the math and science self-concept of Latina students. The results indicated that students who had teachers that believed in the students, regardless of family background, social economic status or home environment influences had higher math and science self concepts than those who did not. Similarly, it was found that students who had counselors that set high standards of learning and believed that all students could do well had higher math and science self concept than those who did not. Students who had parents that encouraged and discussed taking more math and science courses had higher math and science self concepts than those who did not.

Mentoring for 2000 and beyond

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guerra, K. M.; Farrance, M. A.

1994-01-01

Today, more than 40 percent of the United States workforce are women. However, only a small percentage of working women are employed in science or engineering fields. The numbers of women in engineering and math professions have actually decreased since 1984. Last year, a mentoring program was created at NASA Ames Research Center aimed at encouraging young girls to stay in school, increasing their self confidence and helping them perform better academically. Teachers at the Ronald McNair Intermediate School matched fifth through eighth grade students with women engineers at NASA Ames. Results from a year-end survey submitted by the mentees indicated that the program was successful in achieving its first-year goals; more than one student reported that she felt 'really special' because of her mentor's efforts. The NASA Ames Mentor program has continued into the 1992-93 academic year with both returning mentor/mentee pairs and new participants.

A System of ODEs for a Perturbation of a Minimal Mass Soliton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marzuola, Jeremy L.; Raynor, Sarah; Simpson, Gideon

2010-08-01

We study soliton solutions to the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLS) with a saturated nonlinearity. NLS with such a nonlinearity is known to possess a minimal mass soliton. We consider a small perturbation of a minimal mass soliton and identify a system of ODEs extending the work of Comech and Pelinovsky (Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 56:1565-1607, 2003), which models the behavior of the perturbation for short times. We then provide numerical evidence that under this system of ODEs there are two possible dynamical outcomes, in accord with the conclusions of Pelinovsky et al. (Phys. Rev. E 53(2):1940-1953, 1996). Generically, initial data which supports a soliton structure appears to oscillate, with oscillations centered on a stable soliton. For initial data which is expected to disperse, the finite dimensional dynamics initially follow the unstable portion of the soliton curve.

Inspection of the Math Model Tools for On-Orbit Assessment of Impact Damage Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harris, Charles E.; Raju, Ivatury S.; Piascik, Robert S> ; KramerWhite, Julie A.; KramerWhite, Julie A.; Labbe, Steve G.; Rotter, Hank A.

2007-01-01

In Spring of 2005, the NASA Engineering Safety Center (NESC) was engaged by the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) to peer review the suite of analytical tools being developed to support the determination of impact and damage tolerance of the Orbiter Thermal Protection Systems (TPS). The NESC formed an independent review team with the core disciplines of materials, flight sciences, structures, mechanical analysis and thermal analysis. The Math Model Tools reviewed included damage prediction and stress analysis, aeroheating analysis, and thermal analysis tools. Some tools are physics-based and other tools are empirically-derived. Each tool was created for a specific use and timeframe, including certification, real-time pre-launch assessments. In addition, the tools are used together in an integrated strategy for assessing the ramifications of impact damage to tile and RCC. The NESC teams conducted a peer review of the engineering data package for each Math Model Tool. This report contains the summary of the team observations and recommendations from these reviews.

Charting a Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donnelly, Laura

2006-01-01

In this article, students learn math through boat-building and navigation, music through sea-shanty-singing, literature and history through the study of nautically themed writings, and physical education by rowing traditional dories at Sound School Regional Vocational Aquaculture Center. The school also teaches plenty of modern chemistry,…

G.E.M.S. event

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-08

About 170 high school and elementary girls from area schools participated in a Girls Excited about Math and Science event at Stennis Space Center on March 8, 2012. The event featured various workshops and presentations designed to promote studies in science and mathematics, as well as other activities.

Mathematically Gifted Third Graders--A Challenge in the Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolfle, Jane A.

1988-01-01

The third-grade classroom teacher can identify mathematically gifted students and can provide them with opportunities for extending their understanding and enjoyment of mathematics through use of such techniques as content sophistication, enrichment, peer tutoring, curriculum compacting, puzzles, and math centers. (Author/JDD)

Redesigning the Basics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mills, Kay

2010-01-01

This article discusses the successful use of technology, rather than lectures, by Tennessee's community colleges to teach developmental reading and math. The redesign occurred with the support of the National Center for Academic Transformation (NCAT). In fall 2007, the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) staff convened meetings to familiarize its…

New Horizons Regional Education Center 1999 FIRST Robotics Competition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Purman, Richard I.

1999-01-01

The New Horizons Regional Education Center (NHREC) in Hampton, VA sought and received NASA funding to support its participation in the 1999 FIRST Robotics competition. FIRST, Inc. (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an organization which encourages the application of creative science, math, and computer science principles to solve real-world engineering problems. The FIRST competition is an international engineering contest featuring high school, government, and business partnerships.

New Horizons Regional Education Center 2001 FIRST Robotics Competition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

The New Horizons Regional Education Center (NHREC) in Hampton, VA sought and received NASA funding to support its participation in the 2001 FIRST Robotics competition. FIRST, Inc. (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an organization which encourages the application of creative science, math, and computer science principles to solve real-world engineering problems. The FIRST competition is an international engineering contest featuring high school, government, and business partnerships.

General Mechanical Repair. Minor Automotive Maintenance, Small Engine [Repair, and] Welding: Curriculum Guide and Lesson Plans.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamlin, Larry

This document contains a curriculum guide and lesson plans for a general mechanical repair course with three sections: minor automotive maintenance, small engine repair, and welding. The curriculum guide begins with a matrix that relates the lesson plans to essential elements of math, science, language arts, and social studies and to Texas…

Students as Teachers: Effectiveness of a Peer-Led STEM Learning Programme over 10 Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drane, Denise; Micari, Marina; Light, Gregory

2014-01-01

Peer-led small-group learning has been used quite extensively in the US to enhance performance and retention of undergraduate students in science, math, and engineering classes. This study presents the results from an evaluation of a peer-led small-group programme at a research university in the US over a 10-year period across five disciplines…

Asymptotics of a Class of Solutions to the Cylindrical Toda Equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tracy, Craig A.; Widom, Harold

The small t asymptotics of a class of solutions to the 2D cylindrical Toda equations is computed. The solutions, , have the representation where Kk$ are integral operators. This class includes the n-periodic cylindrical Toda equations. For n=2 our results reduce to the previously computed asymptotics of the 2D radial sinh-Gordon equation and for n=3 (and with an additional symmetry constraint) they reduce to earlier results for the radial Bullough-Dodd equation. Both of these special cases are examples of Painlevé III and have arisen in various applications. The asymptotics of are derived by computing the small t asymptotics where explicit formulas are given for the quantities ak and bk. The method consists of showing that the resolvent operator of Kk has an approximation in terms of resolvents of certain Wiener-Hopf operators, for which there are explicit integral formulas.

Well-posedness and Scattering for the Boltzmann Equations: Soft Potential with Cut-off

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Lingbing; Jiang, Jin-Cheng

2017-07-01

We prove the global existence of the unique mild solution for the Cauchy problem of the cut-off Boltzmann equation for soft potential model γ =2-N with initial data small in L^N_{x,v} where N=2,3 is the dimension. The proof relies on the existing inhomogeneous Strichartz estimates for the kinetic equation by Ovcharov (SIAM J Math Anal 43(3):1282-1310, 2011) and convolution-like estimates for the gain term of the Boltzmann collision operator by Alonso et al. (Commun Math Phys 298:293-322, 2010). The global dynamics of the solution is also characterized by showing that the small global solution scatters with respect to the kinetic transport operator in L^N_{x,v}. Also the connection between function spaces and cut-off soft potential model -N<γ <2-N is characterized in the local well-posedness result for the Cauchy problem with large initial data.

Exploring Bias in Math Teachers’ Perceptions of Students’ Ability by Gender and Race/Ethnicity

PubMed Central

Riegle-Crumb, Catherine; Humphries, Melissa

2013-01-01

This study explores whether gender stereotypes about math ability shape high school teachers’ assessments of the students with whom they interact daily, resulting in the presence of conditional bias. It builds on theories of intersectionality by exploring teachers’ perceptions of students in different gender and racial/ethnic subgroups, and advances the literature on the salience of gender across contexts by considering variation across levels of math course-taking in the academic hierarchy. Utilizing nationally representative data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS), analyses reveal that disparities in teachers’ perceptions of ability that favored white males over minority students of both genders are explained away by student achievement in the form of test scores and grades. However, we find evidence of a consistent bias against white females which, although relatively small in magnitude, suggests that teachers hold the belief that math is easier for white males than it is for white females. We also find some evidence of variation across course level contexts with regard to bias. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for research on the construction of gender inequality. PMID:24187437

STEM Girls Night In at Goddard

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-11-05

Girls Night In was held at Goddard on Nov 4-5, 2016. This is a pilot program which reinvigorates, inspires, and engages high school girls who may be struggling or not fully engaged in STEM (Science, Technology Engineering and Math) education. The program allowed NASA women to share and demonstrate the work they do, provide the girls an opportunity to completely immerse themselves in Goddard science, technology, engineering and math as well as provide them activities that will challenge and promote knowledge and discovery. Goddard invites other NASA centers tolearn from this pilot program and work towards a simultaneous multicenter event in the future. Participating schools were: DuVal, Crossland, Flowers, High Point, Northwestern and Oxon Hill

STEM Girls Night In at Goddard

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-11-04

Girls Night In was held at Goddard on Nov 4-5, 2016. This is a pilot program which reinvigorates, inspires, and engages high school girls who may be struggling or not fully engaged in STEM (Science, Technology Engineering and Math) education. The program allowed NASA women to share and demonstrate the work they do, provide the girls an opportunity to completely immerse themselves in Goddard science, technology, engineering and math as well as provide them activities that will challenge and promote knowledge and discovery. Goddard invites other NASA centers tolearn from this pilot program and work towards a simultaneous multicenter event in the future. Participating schools were: DuVal, Crossland, Flowers, High Point, Northwestern and Oxon Hill

An Analysis of Navy Managed Child Development Centers

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

education system. The statistics gathered look at ethnicity/ sex /socio-economic background as well as results from various science, math, and language...Department. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED386297.pdf Laughlin, L. (2013). Who’s minding the kids ? Childcare arrangements: Spring 2011

The Sky's the Limit in Math-Related Careers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Askew, Judy

This booklet introduces readers--particularly women--to some jobs that use mathematical training, in laboratories, computer centers, universities, insurance companies, and government offices. Based on information from women working in mathematics-related fields, it is designed to help women consider various career choices. Sections focus on…

Intensive Intervention Practice Guide: Motivation Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Didion, Lisa Anne; Gesel, Samantha A.; Martinez-Lincoln, Amanda; Leonard, Kaitlin

2017-01-01

The National Center for Leadership in Intensive Intervention (NCLII), a consortium funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), prepares special education leaders to become experts in research on intensive intervention for students with disabilities who have persistent and severe academic (e.g., reading and math) and behavioral…

Anomalous thermal diffusivity in underdoped YBa2Cu3O6+x

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jiecheng; Levenson-Falk, Eli M.; Ramshaw, B. J.; Bonn, D. A.; Liang, Ruixing; Hardy, W. N.; Hartnoll, Sean A.; Kapitulnik, Aharon

2017-05-01

The thermal diffusivity in the abab plane of underdoped YBCO crystals is measured by means of a local optical technique in the temperature range of 25-300 K. The phase delay between a point heat source and a set of detection points around it allows for high-resolution measurement of the thermal diffusivity and its in-plane anisotropy. Although the magnitude of the diffusivity may suggest that it originates from phonons, its anisotropy is comparable with reported values of the electrical resistivity anisotropy. Furthermore, the anisotropy drops sharply below the charge order transition, again similar to the electrical resistivity anisotropy. Both of these observations suggest that the thermal diffusivity has pronounced electronic as well as phononic character. At the same time, the small electrical and thermal conductivities at high temperatures imply that neither well-defined electron nor phonon quasiparticles are present in this material. We interpret our results through a strongly interacting incoherent electron-phonon “soup” picture characterized by a diffusion constant D˜vB2τD˜vB2τ, where vBvB is the soup velocity, and scattering of both electrons and phonons saturates a quantum thermal relaxation time τ˜ℏ/kBTτ˜ℏ/kBT.

Personalized Medicine in Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injuries

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-01

UPGMA ) based on cosine correlation of row mean centered log2 signal values; this was the top 50%-tile, 3) In the DA top 50%-tile, selected probe sets...GeneMaths XT following row mean centering of log2 trans- formed MAS5.0 signal values; probe set cluster- ing was performed by the UPGMA method using...hierarchical clustering analysis using the UPGMA algorithm with cosine correlation as the similarity metric. Results are presented as a heat map (left

Effectiveness of Simultaneous Prompting in Small Group: The Opportunity of Acquiring Non-Target Skills through Observational Learning and Instructive Feedback

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gursel, Oguz; Tekin-Iftar, Elif; Bozkurt, Funda

2006-01-01

A multiple probe study across behaviors, replicated across students, assessed the effectiveness of simultaneous prompting (SP) in a small group teaching arrangement on teaching (a) to show the provinces, rivers, and border countries of Turkey on a map and (b) to expressively identify the names of the symbols which are usually used in math.…

34 CFR 645.1 - What is the Upward Bound Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... the following three types of projects: (1) Regular Upward Bound projects. (2) Upward Bound Math and Science Centers. (3) Veterans Upward Bound projects. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a-11 and 1070a-13) ...) The Upward Bound Program provides Federal grants to projects designed to generate in program...

34 CFR 645.1 - What is the Upward Bound Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... the following three types of projects: (1) Regular Upward Bound projects. (2) Upward Bound Math and Science Centers. (3) Veterans Upward Bound projects. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a-11 and 1070a-13) ...) The Upward Bound Program provides Federal grants to projects designed to generate in program...

34 CFR 645.1 - What is the Upward Bound Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... the following three types of projects: (1) Regular Upward Bound projects. (2) Upward Bound Math and Science Centers. (3) Veterans Upward Bound projects. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a-11 and 1070a-13) ...) The Upward Bound Program provides Federal grants to projects designed to generate in program...

Blockbusters: Ideas for the Block Center.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Polly K.; Nesmith, Jaynie

1996-01-01

Goals of block building in early childhood classrooms focus on physical, social, cognitive, and emotional development. Reports survey results of the value teachers place on block play. Offers illustrations of task cards to use with blocks in math, language arts, social studies, and science. Discusses guidelines and suggests idea cards and sentence…

The Math Wizard in Oz

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christy, Donna; Lambe, Karen; Payson, Christine; Carnevale, Patricia

2011-01-01

The crucial need for a mathematically literate society, coupled with a sustained focus on mathematics standards, continues its center-stage presence. At the same time, "Principles and Standards" states that it is imperative to offer "all students high-quality programs that include significant mathematics presented in a manner that respects both…

Teacher's Action Plan for "Shuttle External Tank and Solid Rocket Booster Math"

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prince, Mike

2007-01-01

My name is Mike Prince and I was one of eleven Brevard County teachers selected by United Space Alliance, LLC (USA), to work at the Kennedy Space Center (KSQ along side USA & NASA engineers during the Summer of 2007. Attached is a summary of my experience.

Digital Storytelling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Michael D.

2012-01-01

Much current debate in 21st century education centers on the relevance of the humanities because of the emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines and their role in workforce preparation. For the educators the question becomes, What can the humanities offer students in the 21st century? This is the generation that…

Preparing for Algebra by Building Fraction Sense

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodrigues, Jessica; Dyson, Nancy I.; Hansen, Nicole; Jordan, Nancy C.

2016-01-01

Fractions are troublesome for many children, especially students with learning difficulties and disabilities in mathematics. To address this serious educational concern, this article recommends the use of number lines to build fraction sense. Math activities that center on the number line build fraction concepts as early as third grade. A number…

Intensive Intervention Practice Guide: System of Least Prompts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walte, Samantha; Brown, Christerralyn; Wallace, Theresa

2017-01-01

The National Center for Leadership in Intensive Intervention (NCLII), a consortium funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), prepares special education leaders to become experts in research on intensive intervention for students with disabilities who have persistent and severe academic (e.g., reading and math) and behavioral…

Moving beyond Brownies and Pizza

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeman, Daniel W.; Jorgensen, Theresa A.

2015-01-01

A lack of fractional understanding is a well-documented obstacle to student achievement in upper elementary and middle school math (National Center for Educational Statistics [NCES] 1999; Lamon 1999; National Research Council [NRC] 2001). Lamon (1999) notes that one major conceptual hurdle that students must overcome is the idea that fractions are…

Buoying Design Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bliss, Angela; Bell, Elizabeth; Spence, Lundie

2013-01-01

Oranges, flying disks, pool noodles, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe may seem like items discarded after a Rube Goldberg experiment, but in fact, these objects were used in teaching science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). This article describes a project in which The Center of Ocean Sciences Education Excellence SouthEast (COSEE SE)…

34 CFR 645.1 - What is the Upward Bound Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... the following three types of projects: (1) Regular Upward Bound projects. (2) Upward Bound Math and Science Centers. (3) Veterans Upward Bound projects. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a-11 and 1070a-13) ...) The Upward Bound Program provides Federal grants to projects designed to generate in program...

Intensive Intervention Practice Guide: School-Based Functional Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pennington, Brittany; Pokorski, Elizabeth A.; Kumm, Skip; Sterrett, Brittany I.

2017-01-01

The National Center for Leadership in Intensive Intervention (NCLII), a consortium funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), prepares special education leaders to become experts in research on intensive intervention for students with disabilities who have persistent and severe academic (e.g., reading and math) and behavioral…

Serving Young Gifted Math Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corazza, Luciano; And Others

1995-01-01

The Diagnostic Testing and Prescription model, developed by the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University (MD), was implemented in seven sixth-grade classes at three Brooklyn schools. The selected 165 students were provided an accelerated curriculum (covering arithmetic, prealgebra, and in some cases, algebra) and completed from 1-2.5…

Connected Mathematics Project (CMP). What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report. Updated

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2017

2017-01-01

"Connected Mathematics Project" (CMP) is a math curriculum for students in grades 6-8. It uses interactive problems and everyday situations to explore mathematical ideas, with a goal of fostering a problem-centered, inquiry-based learning environment. At each grade level, the curriculum covers numbers, algebra, geometry/measurement,…

Changing Approaches--Changing Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Travis; Pearson, Donna; Sawyer, Jennifer

2011-01-01

Over the past seven years, research teams from the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education (NRCCTE) have been at work testing curriculum integration models. Each of three studies--Math-in-CTE, Authentic Literacy-in-CTE, and Science-in-CTE--has focused on the development of pedagogic frameworks and delivery of professional…

NASA: Data on the Web.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galica, Carol

1997-01-01

Provides an annotated bibliography of selected NASA Web sites for K-12 math and science teachers: the NASA Lewis Research Center Learning Technologies K-12 Home Page, Spacelink, NASA Quest, Basic Aircraft Design Page, International Space Station, NASA Shuttle Web Site, LIFTOFF to Space Education, Telescopes in Education, and Space Educator's…

That Can't Be Right! Using Counterintuitive Math Problems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maylone, Nelson John

This book is designed to provide middle-grade mathematics teachers with ideas for enlivening instruction to help students acquire a sense about numbers. Guided classroom discussions for writing opportunities centered on the theme of problem solving are provided. Following an introduction, chapters include the following: Counterintuitive Problems;…

Scattering in the Energy Space for Boussinesq Equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muñoz, Claudio; Poblete, Felipe; Pozo, Juan C.

2018-01-01

In this note we show that all small solutions in the energy space of the generalized 1D Boussinesq equation must decay to zero as time tends to infinity, strongly on slightly proper subsets of the space-time light cone. Our result does not require any assumption on the power of the nonlinearity, working even for the supercritical range of scattering. For the proof, we use two new Virial identities in the spirit of works (Kowalczyk et al. in J Am Math Soc 30:769-798, 2017; Kowalczyk et al. in Lett Math Phys 107(5):921-931, 2017). No parity assumption on the initial data is needed.

Arabidopsis thaliana BTB/ POZ-MATH proteins interact with members of the ERF/AP2 transcription factor family.

PubMed

Weber, Henriette; Hellmann, Hanjo

2009-11-01

In Arabidopsis thaliana, the BTB/POZ-MATH (BPM) proteins comprise a small family of six members. They have been described previously to use their broad complex, tram track, bric-a-brac/POX virus and zinc finger (BTB/POZ) domain to assemble with CUL3a and CUL3b and potentially to serve as substrate adaptors to cullin-based E3-ligases in plants. In this article, we show that BPMs can also assemble with members of the ethylene response factor/Apetala2 transcription factor family, and that this is mediated by their meprin and TRAF (tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor) homology (MATH) domain. In addition, we provide a detailed description of BPM gene expression patterns in different tissues and on abiotic stress treatments, as well as their subcellular localization. This work connects, for the first time, BPM proteins with ethylene response factor/Apetala2 family members, which is likely to represent a novel regulatory mechanism of transcriptional control.

Unconventional style reaps rewards for Ruckdeschel. Physician executive's career carries cancer center to the forefront. Interview by Patty Ryan.

PubMed

Ruckdeschel, J

2001-01-01

He didn't like math. Loved biology. So he ditched his plans to become an engineer and ended up pursuing a career in medicine and hospital administration. He led a sleepy cancer center to new heights of cutting-edge research and progressive types of treatment. And he did it all on his own terms--a mix of practicality and instinct that serves up some interesting perspectives for fellow physician executives to consider. Meet John Ruckdeschel, MD.

KSC-03pd0464

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-02-02

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A large poster in tribute to the Columbia astronauts who were lost in the Shuttle's explosion Feb. 1, is on display in the NASA News Center at KSC. The poster was signed by young women attending the Sally Ride Science Festival at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla. The Sally Ride event promotes science, math and technology as future career paths for girls. Former astronaut Sally Ride addressed the girls at the festival, while breakout sessions afforded closer interaction between Ride and festival attendees.

KSC-03PD-0464

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A large poster in tribute to the Columbia astronauts who were lost in the Shuttle's explosion Feb. 1, is on display in the NASA News Center at KSC. The poster was signed by young women attending the Sally Ride Science Festival at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla. The Sally Ride event promotes science, math and technology as future career paths for girls. Former astronaut Sally Ride addressed the girls at the festival, while breakout sessions afforded closer interaction between Ride and festival attendees.

Longitudinal Mediators of Achievement in Mathematics and Reading in Typical and Atypical Development

PubMed Central

Barnes, Marcia A.; Raghubar, Kimberly P.; English, Lianne; Williams, Jeffrey M.; Taylor, Heather; Landry, Susan

2014-01-01

Longitudinal studies of neurodevelopmental disorders that are diagnosed at or before birth and which are associated with specific learning difficulties at school-age provide one method for investigating developmental precursors of later-emerging academic disabilities. Spina bifida myelomeningocele (SBM) is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with particular problems in mathematics, in contrast to well-developed word reading. Children with SBM (n = 30) and typically developing children (n = 35) were used to determine whether cognitive abilities measured at 36 and 60 months of age mediated the effect of group on mathematical and reading achievement outcomes at 8.5 and 9.5 years of age. A series of multiple mediator models showed that: visual-spatial working memory at 36 months and phonological awareness at 60 months partially mediated the effect of group on math calculations; phonological awareness partially mediated the effect of group on small addition and subtraction problems on a test of math fluency; and visual-spatial working memory mediated the effect of group on a test of math problem solving. Groups did not differ on word reading, and phonological awareness was the only mediator for reading fluency and reading comprehension. The findings are discussed with reference to theories of mathematical development and disability and with respect to both common and differing cognitive correlates of math and reading. PMID:24269579

Inspection of the Math Model Tools for On-Orbit Assessment of Impact Damage Report. Version 1.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harris, Charles E.; Raju, Ivatury S.; Piascik, Robert S.; Kramer White, Julie; Labbe, Steve G.; Rotter, Hank A.

2005-01-01

In Spring of 2005, the NASA Engineering Safety Center (NESC) was engaged by the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) to peer review the suite of analytical tools being developed to support the determination of impact and damage tolerance of the Orbiter Thermal Protection Systems (TPS). The NESC formed an independent review team with the core disciplines of materials, flight sciences, structures, mechanical analysis and thermal analysis. The Math Model Tools reviewed included damage prediction and stress analysis, aeroheating analysis, and thermal analysis tools. Some tools are physics-based and other tools are empirically-derived. Each tool was created for a specific use and timeframe, including certification, real-time pre-launch assessments, and real-time on-orbit assessments. The tools are used together in an integrated strategy for assessing the ramifications of impact damage to tile and RCC. The NESC teams conducted a peer review of the engineering data package for each Math Model Tool. This report contains the summary of the team observations and recommendations from these reviews.

The role of self-math overlap in understanding math anxiety and the relation between math anxiety and performance

PubMed Central

Necka, Elizabeth A.; Sokolowski, H. Moriah; Lyons, Ian M.

2015-01-01

Recent work has demonstrated that math anxiety is more than just the product of poor math skills. Psychosocial factors may play a key role in understanding what it means to be math anxious, and hence may aid in attempts to sever the link between math anxiety and poor math performance. One such factor may be the extent to which individuals integrate math into their sense of self. We adapted a well-established measure of this degree of integration (i.e., self-other overlap) to assess individuals’ self-math overlap. This non-verbal single-item measure showed that identifying oneself with math (having higher self-math overlap) was strongly associated with lower math anxiety (r = -0.610). We also expected that having higher self-math overlap would leave one especially susceptible to the threat of poor math performance to the self. We identified two competing hypotheses regarding how this plays out in terms of math anxiety. Those higher in self-math overlap might be more likely to worry about poor math performance, exacerbating the negative relation between math anxiety and math ability. Alternatively, those higher in self-math overlap might exhibit self-serving biases regarding their math ability, which would instead predict a decoupling of the relation between their perceived and actual math ability, and in turn the relation between their math ability and math anxiety. Results clearly favored the latter hypothesis: those higher in self-math overlap exhibited almost no relation between math anxiety and math ability, whereas those lower in self-math overlap showed a strong negative relation between math anxiety and math ability. This was partially explained by greater self-serving biases among those higher in self-math overlap. In sum, these results reveal that the degree to which one integrates math into one’s self – self-math overlap – may provide insight into how the pernicious negative relation between math anxiety and math ability may be ameliorated. PMID:26528210

The role of self-math overlap in understanding math anxiety and the relation between math anxiety and performance.

PubMed

Necka, Elizabeth A; Sokolowski, H Moriah; Lyons, Ian M

2015-01-01

Recent work has demonstrated that math anxiety is more than just the product of poor math skills. Psychosocial factors may play a key role in understanding what it means to be math anxious, and hence may aid in attempts to sever the link between math anxiety and poor math performance. One such factor may be the extent to which individuals integrate math into their sense of self. We adapted a well-established measure of this degree of integration (i.e., self-other overlap) to assess individuals' self-math overlap. This non-verbal single-item measure showed that identifying oneself with math (having higher self-math overlap) was strongly associated with lower math anxiety (r = -0.610). We also expected that having higher self-math overlap would leave one especially susceptible to the threat of poor math performance to the self. We identified two competing hypotheses regarding how this plays out in terms of math anxiety. Those higher in self-math overlap might be more likely to worry about poor math performance, exacerbating the negative relation between math anxiety and math ability. Alternatively, those higher in self-math overlap might exhibit self-serving biases regarding their math ability, which would instead predict a decoupling of the relation between their perceived and actual math ability, and in turn the relation between their math ability and math anxiety. Results clearly favored the latter hypothesis: those higher in self-math overlap exhibited almost no relation between math anxiety and math ability, whereas those lower in self-math overlap showed a strong negative relation between math anxiety and math ability. This was partially explained by greater self-serving biases among those higher in self-math overlap. In sum, these results reveal that the degree to which one integrates math into one's self - self-math overlap - may provide insight into how the pernicious negative relation between math anxiety and math ability may be ameliorated.

STEM Mentor Breakfast at Debus Center

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-25

Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Janet Petro speaks to students during a Women in STEM mentoring breakfast inside the Debus Conference Center at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. STEM is science, technology, engineering and math. The special event gave students competing in NASA's 8th Annual Robotic Mining Competition the chance to learn from female NASA scientists, engineers and professionals about their careers and the paths they took to working at Kennedy. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could be used on NASA's Journey to Mars.

Science and Social Justice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gill, Kohl S.

2008-01-01

The author was born and raised in rural, northern Mississippi. He went to a local school, the North Pontotoc Attendance Center, from first grade on. The author was always interested in math and science, but, then, he was interested in most all subjects. The expected path that his friends and siblings had followed was clear: attend a junior college…

From the Classroom to Washington: Einsteins on Education Reform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, Kent H., Ed.; Byers, Elizabeth A., Ed.

2010-01-01

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars was delighted to host a group of current and former Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellows as they celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fellowship program. Outstanding math and science teachers in America's K-12 schools, the Einstein Fellows spend a year (or sometimes two) working on…

A Comparison of Constructivist and Traditional Instruction in Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alsup, John

2004-01-01

The researcher in this study theorized that preservice elementary teachers who had taken a semester-long mathematics course emphasizing a constructivist approach to instruction would realize a decreased level of math anxiety and gains in perceived teaching efficacy and autonomy over those who had taken a teacher-centered course based on a more…

Final report for the National Center for Intermodal Transportation for Economic Competitiveness : project title: student technology exchange program (STEP) for engineering/robotics in middle school students.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-05-05

Key outcomes or other achievements - This project highlighted the importance of math and science concepts within three of the six STEM-related career clusters as defined by the Mississippi Department of Education: Agriculture, Food and Natural Resour...

Bringing Mission to Practice: It's a Matter of Ethics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joseph, Thomas

2011-01-01

In an evening seminar held in the Illinois Math and Science Academy (IMSA) auditorium, Lisa Anderson-Shaw, Director of Clinical Ethics Consulting Service at the University of Illinois Medial Center, posed a scenario that inspired a thirty-minute discussion of contemporary bioethics, during which speaker and students untangled issues of patient…

Differentiating Instruction with Menus Grades 3-5: Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westphal, Laurie E.

2007-01-01

"Differentiating Instruction With Menus Grades 3-5" offers teachers everything they need to create a student-centered learning environment based on choice. Addressing the four main subject areas (language arts, math, science, and social studies) and the major concepts taught within these areas, these books provide a number of different types of…

Differentiating Instruction with Menus Grades 3-5: Social Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westphal, Laurie E.

2007-01-01

"Differentiating Instruction With Menus Grades 3-5" offers teachers everything they need to create a student-centered learning environment based on choice. Addressing the four main subject areas (language arts, math, science, and social studies) and the major concepts taught within these areas, these books provide a number of different types of…

Differentiating Instruction with Menus Grades 3-5: Language Arts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westphal, Laurie E.

2007-01-01

"Differentiating Instruction With Menus Grades 3-5" offers teachers everything they need to create a student-centered learning environment based on choice. Addressing the four main subject areas (language arts, math, science, and social studies) and the major concepts taught within these areas, these books provide a number of different types of…

NASA Langley/CNU Distance Learning Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caton, Randall; Pinelli, Thomas E.

NASA Langley Research Center and Christopher Newport University (CNU) provide, free to the public, distance learning programs that focus on math, science, and/or technology over a spectrum of education levels from K-adult. The effort started in 1997, and currently there are a suite of five distance-learning programs. This paper presents the major…

Hello Parents, Where Are You? A Teachers' Call for Involvement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lauderdale, Katherine Lynn, Ed.; Bonilla, Carlos A.

For many years, efforts to improve public schools centered on increased funding, teacher training, tougher curriculum (fewer electives, more math and science), and stiffer graduation requirements. But, from all of these attempts at reform, a basic concept became clear to the nation's educators: major reform of the public schools will not occur…

Big Ideas at the Center for Innovation in Education at Thomas College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prawat, Ted

2016-01-01

Schools and teachers are looking for innovative ways to teach the "big ideas" emerging in the core curricula, especially in STEAM fields (science technology, engineering, arts and math). As a result, learning environments that support digital learning and educational technology on various platforms and devices are taking on…

Motivating Teachers to Use Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Posamentier, Alfred S.; Jaye, Daniel

2007-01-01

The No Child Left Behind Act has brought great attention to the effectiveness of math and literacy program in U.S. Schools. Literacy instruction was the hot topic of the 1990s, but numeracy has taken center stage in current education debates. Although the importance of literacy skills in other subject areas is quite obvious, the connection between…

Using State or Study-Administered Achievement Tests in Impact Evaluations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olsen, Robert B.; Unlu, Fatih; Jaciw, Andrew P.

2010-01-01

This report, which has been prepared by Abt Associates for the Institute of Education Sciences' National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, takes an important first step in sorting out the implications of relying on state tests for general, student-level measures of reading and math achievement in evaluations of educational…

Characteristics of the Navy Laboratory Warfare Center Technical Workforce

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-29

Mathematics and Information Science (M&IS) Actuarial Science 1510 Computer Science 1550 Gen. Math & Statistics 1501 Mathematics 1520 Operations...Admin. Network Systems & Data Communication Analysts Actuaries Mathematicians Operations Research Analyst Statisticians Social Science (SS...workforce was sub-divided into six broad occupational groups: Life Science , Physical Science , Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science and Information

Sanford Maine Public Schools National Workplace Literacy Program. Performance Report. External Evaluator Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanford Public Schools, ME.

A joint enterprise by Sanford Public Schools of Sanford, Maine, and five partners established and operated a program of literacy, math, and reasoning/problem-solving skills instruction and support services at five work sites. The business partners were Sprague Electric Company; The Baker Company; Jagger Brothers, Inc.; Greenwood Center; and…

Pre-Service Teachers' Beliefs about Knowledge, Mathematics, and Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cady, Jo Ann; Rearden, Kristin

2007-01-01

This study examines the beliefs of K-8 preservice teachers during a content methods course. The goals of this course included exposing the preservice teachers to student-centered instructional methods for math and science and encouraging the development of lessons that would integrate mathematics and science. Prior research suggested that one must…

The Virtual Counseling Center: Its Niche, Resources, and Ongoing Research and Development Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horan, John J.

2010-01-01

Thomas Friedman's best sellers have raised awareness of our nation's need to remain competitive in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines. However, advances in these fields cannot occur without the proper cultivation of human potential. The usual costs of career assessment and planning systems preclude their scalability to…

Center for Applied Solar Physics

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-04-30

and store each image. This may seriously de- 2 Jefferics, J., Lites, B. W., and Skumanich , A., "Transfer of Line Radia- tion in a Magnetic Field...in 1952. He received a B.S. degree in mathe- JOHN W. O’BYRNE was born in matics and physics from Andrews Sydney, Australia, in 1959. He re

Summer Center for Climate, Energy, and Environmental Decision Making (SUCCEED)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klima, K.; Hoss, F.; Welle, P.; Larkin, S.

2013-12-01

Science, Technology, and Math (STEM) fields are responsible for more than half of our sustained economic expansion, and over the past 25 years the science and engineering workforce has remained at over 5% of all U.S. jobs. However, America lags behind other nations when it comes to STEM education; globally, American students rank 23th in math and 31st in science. While our youngest students show an interest in STEM subjects, roughly 40% of college students planning to major in STEM switch to other subjects. Women and minorities, 50% and 43% of school-age children, are disproportionally underrepresented in STEM fields (25% and 15%, respectively). Studies show that improved teacher curriculum combined with annual student-centered learning summer programs can promote and sustain student interest in STEM fields. Many STEM fields appear superficially simple, and yet can be truly complex and controversial topics. Carnegie Mellon University's Center for Climate and Energy Decision Making focuses on two such STEM fields: climate and energy. In 2011, we created SUCCEED: the Summer Center for Climate, Energy, and Environmental Decision Making. SUCCEED consisted of two pilot programs: a 2-day workshop for K-12 teacher professional development and a free 5-day summer school targeted at an age gap in the university's outreach, students entering 10th grade. In addition to teaching lessons climate, energy, and environment, the program aimed to highlight different STEM careers so students could better understand the breadth of choices available. SUCCEED, repeated in 2012, was wildly successful. A pre/post test demonstrated a significant increase in understanding of STEM topics. Furthermore, SUCCEED raised excitement for STEM; teachers were enthusiastic about accurate student-centered learning plans and students wanted to know more. To grow these efforts, an additional component has been added to the SUCCEED 2013 effort: online publicly available curricula. Using the curricula form 2011-2013 as base material, we have been developing online publically available Pennsylvania lesson plans meeting Next Generation Science Standards or Common Core Math Standards. The teacher curricula database will greatly increase our ability to correct misconceptions and fill gaps in lessons taught to thousands of students. This talk will share more about the SUCCEED program and the teacher curricula database efforts.

Intergenerational Effects of Parents' Math Anxiety on Children's Math Achievement and Anxiety.

PubMed

Maloney, Erin A; Ramirez, Gerardo; Gunderson, Elizabeth A; Levine, Susan C; Beilock, Sian L

2015-09-01

A large field study of children in first and second grade explored how parents' anxiety about math relates to their children's math achievement. The goal of the study was to better understand why some students perform worse in math than others. We tested whether parents' math anxiety predicts their children's math achievement across the school year. We found that when parents are more math anxious, their children learn significantly less math over the school year and have more math anxiety by the school year's end-but only if math-anxious parents report providing frequent help with math homework. Notably, when parents reported helping with math homework less often, children's math achievement and attitudes were not related to parents' math anxiety. Parents' math anxiety did not predict children's reading achievement, which suggests that the effects of parents' math anxiety are specific to children's math achievement. These findings provide evidence of a mechanism for intergenerational transmission of low math achievement and high math anxiety. © The Author(s) 2015.

Global Well-Posedness of the Incompressible Magnetohydrodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Yuan; Lei, Zhen

2018-06-01

This paper studies the Cauchy problem of the incompressible magnetohydro dynamic systems with or without viscosity ν. Under the assumption that the initial velocity field and the displacement of the initialmagnetic field froma non-zero constant are sufficiently small in certain weighted Sobolev spaces, the Cauchy problem is shown to be globally well-posed for all ν ≧ 0 and all spaces with dimension n ≧ 2. Such a result holds true uniformly in nonnegative viscosity parameters. The proof is based on the inherent strong null structure of the systems introduced by Lei (Commun Pure Appl Math 69(11):2072-2106, 2016) and the ghost weight technique introduced by Alinhac (Invent Math 145(3):597-618, 2001).

Parent-child math anxiety and math-gender stereotypes predict adolescents' math education outcomes

PubMed Central

Casad, Bettina J.; Hale, Patricia; Wachs, Faye L.

2015-01-01

Two studies examined social determinants of adolescents' math anxiety including parents' own math anxiety and children's endorsement of math-gender stereotypes. In Study 1, parent-child dyads were surveyed and the interaction between parent and child math anxiety was examined, with an eye to same- and other-gender dyads. Results indicate that parent's math anxiety interacts with daughters' and sons' anxiety to predict math self-efficacy, GPA, behavioral intentions, math attitudes, and math devaluing. Parents with lower math anxiety showed a positive relationship to children's math outcomes when children also had lower anxiety. The strongest relationships were found with same-gender dyads, particularly Mother-Daughter dyads. Study 2 showed that endorsement of math-gender stereotypes predicts math anxiety (and not vice versa) for performance beliefs and outcomes (self-efficacy and GPA). Further, math anxiety fully mediated the relationship between gender stereotypes and math self-efficacy for girls and boys, and for boys with GPA. These findings address gaps in the literature on the role of parents' math anxiety in the effects of children's math anxiety and math anxiety as a mechanism affecting performance. Results have implications for interventions on parents' math anxiety and dispelling gender stereotypes in math classrooms. PMID:26579000

Parent-child math anxiety and math-gender stereotypes predict adolescents' math education outcomes.

PubMed

Casad, Bettina J; Hale, Patricia; Wachs, Faye L

2015-01-01

Two studies examined social determinants of adolescents' math anxiety including parents' own math anxiety and children's endorsement of math-gender stereotypes. In Study 1, parent-child dyads were surveyed and the interaction between parent and child math anxiety was examined, with an eye to same- and other-gender dyads. Results indicate that parent's math anxiety interacts with daughters' and sons' anxiety to predict math self-efficacy, GPA, behavioral intentions, math attitudes, and math devaluing. Parents with lower math anxiety showed a positive relationship to children's math outcomes when children also had lower anxiety. The strongest relationships were found with same-gender dyads, particularly Mother-Daughter dyads. Study 2 showed that endorsement of math-gender stereotypes predicts math anxiety (and not vice versa) for performance beliefs and outcomes (self-efficacy and GPA). Further, math anxiety fully mediated the relationship between gender stereotypes and math self-efficacy for girls and boys, and for boys with GPA. These findings address gaps in the literature on the role of parents' math anxiety in the effects of children's math anxiety and math anxiety as a mechanism affecting performance. Results have implications for interventions on parents' math anxiety and dispelling gender stereotypes in math classrooms.

Training Undergraduate Physics Peer Tutors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nossal, S. M.; Jacob, A. T.

2004-05-01

The University of Wisconsin's Physics Peer Mentor Tutor Program matches upper level undergraduate physics students in small study groups with students studying introductory algebra-based physics. We work with students who are potentially at-risk for having academic trouble with the course. They include students with a low exam score, learning disabilities, no high school physics, weak math backgrounds, and/or on academic probation. We also work with students from groups under represented in the sciences and who may be feeling isolated or marginal on campus such as minority, returning adult, and international students. The tutors provide a supportive learning environment, extra practice problems, and an overview of key concepts. In so doing, they help our students to build confidence and problem solving skills applicable to physics and other areas of their academic careers. The Physics Peer Mentor Tutor Program is modeled after a similar program for chemistry created by the University of Wisconsin's Chemistry Learning Center. Both programs are now run in collaboration. The tutors are chosen for their academic strength and excellent communication skills. Our tutors are majoring in physics, math, and secondary-level science education. The tutors receive ongoing training and supervision throughout the year. They attend weekly discipline-specific meetings to discuss strategies for teaching the content currently being discussed in the physics course. They also participate in a weekly teaching seminar with science tutors from chemistry and biochemistry to discuss teaching methods, mentoring, and general information relating to the students with whom we work. We will describe an overview of the Physics Peer Mentor Tutor Program with a focus on the teacher training program for our undergraduate tutors.

Existence of small loops in a bifurcation diagram near degenerate eigenvalues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hmidi, Taoufik; Renault, Coralie

2017-10-01

In this paper, we study the global structure of a bifurcation diagram for rotating doubly connected patches near a degenerate case for incompressible Euler equations. We show that branches with the same symmetry merge, forming a small loop, provided that they are close enough. This gives an analytical proof for the numerical observations conducted in the recent work by de la Hoz et al (2016 SIAM J. Math. Anal. 48 1892-928).

Making the EZ Choice

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

Analytical Mechanics Associates, Inc. (AMA), of Hampton, Virginia, created the EZopt software application through Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding from NASA's Langley Research Center. The new software is a user-friendly tool kit that provides quick and logical solutions to complex optimal control problems. In its most basic form, EZopt converts process data into math equations and then proceeds to utilize those equations to solve problems within control systems. EZopt successfully proved its advantage when applied to short-term mission planning and onboard flight computer implementation. The technology has also solved multiple real-life engineering problems faced in numerous commercial operations. For instance, mechanical engineers use EZopt to solve control problems with robots, while chemical plants implement the application to overcome situations with batch reactors and temperature control. In the emerging field of commercial aerospace, EZopt is able to optimize trajectories for launch vehicles and perform potential space station- keeping tasks. Furthermore, the software also helps control electromagnetic devices in the automotive industry.

KSC-2014-3658

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-29

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Yves Lamothe of the NASA Technical Management Branch of Ground Systems Development and Operations Program speaks with guests at the Tom Joyner Family Reunion about ongoing work to convert the Kennedy Space Center into a 21st century spaceport. The Tom Joyner Family Reunion is designed to present uplifting programs, entertainment and information about growing, diverse communities. An annual event of the nationally-syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show, the many exhibits included NASA's participation focusing on encouraging young people to consider studies and careers in STEM -- science, technology, engineering and math. NASA's Education Division promoted the benefits of math and scientific learning along with career opportunities offered by the space agency. The activities took place at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Florida, during the Labor Day weekend. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

Affective and Motivational Factors Mediate the Relation between Math Skills and Use of Math in Everyday Life

PubMed Central

Jansen, Brenda R. J.; Schmitz, Eva A.; van der Maas, Han L. J.

2016-01-01

This study focused on the use of math in everyday life (the propensity to recognize and solve quantitative issues in real life situations). Data from a Dutch nation-wide research on math among adults (N = 521) were used to investigate the question whether math anxiety and perceived math competence mediated the relationship between math skills and use of math in everyday life, taken gender differences into account. Results showed that women reported higher math anxiety, lower perceived math competence, and lower use of math in everyday life, compared to men. Women's skills were estimated at a lower level than men's. For both women and men, higher skills were associated with higher perceived math competence, which in turn was associated with more use of math in everyday life. Only for women, math anxiety also mediated the relation between math skills and use of math in everyday life. PMID:27148122

STEM Mentor Breakfast at Debus Center

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-25

Barbara Brown, center at the table, strategic implementation manager with the Exploration Research and Technology Programs at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, talks to students during a Women in STEM breakfast inside the Debus Conference Center at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. STEM is science, technology, engineering and math. The special event gave students competing in NASA's 8th Annual Robotic Mining Competition the chance to learn from female NASA scientists, engineers and professionals about their careers and the paths they took to working at Kennedy. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could be used on NASA's Journey to Mars.

The influence of cardiorespiratory fitness on strategic, behavioral, and electrophysiological indices of arithmetic cognition in preadolescent children

PubMed Central

Moore, R. Davis; Drollette, Eric S.; Scudder, Mark R.; Bharij, Aashiv; Hillman, Charles H.

2014-01-01

The current study investigated the influence of cardiorespiratory fitness on arithmetic cognition in forty 9–10 year old children. Measures included a standardized mathematics achievement test to assess conceptual and computational knowledge, self-reported strategy selection, and an experimental arithmetic verification task (including small and large addition problems), which afforded the measurement of event-related brain potentials (ERPs). No differences in math achievement were observed as a function of fitness level, but all children performed better on math concepts relative to math computation. Higher fit children reported using retrieval more often to solve large arithmetic problems, relative to lower fit children. During the arithmetic verification task, higher fit children exhibited superior performance for large problems, as evidenced by greater d' scores, while all children exhibited decreased accuracy and longer reaction time for large relative to small problems, and incorrect relative to correct solutions. On the electrophysiological level, modulations of early (P1, N170) and late ERP components (P3, N400) were observed as a function of problem size and solution correctness. Higher fit children exhibited selective modulations for N170, P3, and N400 amplitude relative to lower fit children, suggesting that fitness influences symbolic encoding, attentional resource allocation and semantic processing during arithmetic tasks. The current study contributes to the fitness-cognition literature by demonstrating that the benefits of cardiorespiratory fitness extend to arithmetic cognition, which has important implications for the educational environment and the context of learning. PMID:24829556

Working memory, math performance, and math anxiety.

PubMed

Ashcraft, Mark H; Krause, Jeremy A

2007-04-01

The cognitive literature now shows how critically math performance depends on working memory, for any form of arithmetic and math that involves processes beyond simple memory retrieval. The psychometric literature is also very clear on the global consequences of mathematics anxiety. People who are highly math anxious avoid math: They avoid elective coursework in math, both in high school and college, they avoid college majors that emphasize math, and they avoid career paths that involve math. We go beyond these psychometric relationships to examine the cognitive consequences of math anxiety. We show how performance on a standardized math achievement test varies as a function of math anxiety, and that math anxiety compromises the functioning of working memory. High math anxiety works much like a dual task setting: Preoccupation with one's math fears and anxieties functions like a resource-demanding secondary task. We comment on developmental and educational factors related to math and working memory, and on factors that may contribute to the development of math anxiety.

Exploring the Technical Expression of Academic Knowledge: The Science-in-CTE Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pearson, Donna; Young, R. Brent; Richardson, George B.

2013-01-01

The Science-in-CTE pilot study tested a curriculum integration model that enhanced the science that oc-curs in CTE curricula. The study replicated the National Research Center for Career and Technical Ed-ucation's (NRCCTE) Math-in-CTE experimental research design (Stone, Alfeld, & Pearson, 2008) with applied science in secondary agricultural…

G.E.M.S. event

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-08

NASA Human Resources Specialist Ashley Speed speaks to a group of high school students from area schools during a Girls Excited about Math and Science event at Stennis Space Center on March 8, 2012. About 170 high school and elementary girls from area schools visited Stennis to participate in a day of activities designed to promote studies in science and mathematics.

Surveys of Enacted Curriculum: Tools and Services to Assist Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blank, Rolf K.

2005-01-01

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) partnered with Andrew Porter and John Smithson of Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) to develop an advanced, in depth approach to collecting and reporting data on the "enacted curriculum" in K-12 math and science, i.e. the actual subject content and instructional practices experienced…

Dome, Sweet Dome--Geodesic Structures Teach Math, Science, and Technology Principles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shackelford, Ray; Fitzgerald, Michael

2007-01-01

Today, geodesic domes are found on playgrounds, homes, over radar installations, storage facilities, at Disney's Epcot Center, and at World's Fairs. The inventor of the design, Buckminster Fuller, thought that geodesic domes could be used to cover large areas and even designed one to cover all of New York's Manhattan Island. This article details…

A Professional Development Program to Improve Math Skills among Preschool Children in Head Start

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brendefur, Jonathan; Strother, Sam; Thiede, Keith; Lane, Cristianne; Surges-Prokop, Mary Jo

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects on four-year-olds' knowledge of mathematics by introducing professional development and center-based mathematics activities around four mathematical domains to early educators' teaching in Head Start programs. Because of the need to provide necessary mathematical experiences to young children to…

Using Data: The Math's Not the Hard Part. Issue Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jerald, Craig D.

2006-01-01

This is the fifth in a series of issue briefs to be written for The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement during 2006. In this brief, author Craig Jerald highlights research collected in the July 2005 special issue of the "Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk" to argue for collecting and using data to…

"They're Not Keeping a Journal of Feelings": Literacy Initiatives and Career and Technical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kohnen, Angela M.

2015-01-01

Career and Technical Education (CTE) centers offer an opportunity for students to engage in authentic reading and writing activities. In many states, "embedding" English and math credits (i.e., allowing students to earn traditional core subject credits in the context of their CTE programs) has become a popular trend. This article reports…

G.E.M.S. event

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-08

High school students register for activities during a Girls Excited about Math and Science event at Stennis Space Center on March 8, 2012. The event attracted about 130 high school girls and 40 elementary girls from 18 Louisiana and Mississippi for a day of workshop and seminar presentations, a 'Dress for Success' fashion show and a tour of information technology facilities.

Intensive Intervention Practice Guide: Explicit Instruction in Reading Comprehension for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Braun, Gina; Austin, Christy; Ledbetter-Cho, Katherine

2017-01-01

The National Center for Leadership in Intensive Intervention (NCLII), a consortium funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), prepares special education leaders to become experts in research on intensive intervention for students with disabilities who have persistent and severe academic (e.g., reading and math) and behavioral…

An Exploratory Look at the Relationships among Math Skills, Motivational Factors and Activity Choice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edens, Kellah M.; Potter, Ellen F.

2013-01-01

This study of a preschool classroom of 4 year old children examines underlying skills of number sense such as counting and spatial skills and Spontaneous Focusing on Numerosity. It also investigates children's patterns of engaging in spontaneous mathematical activities in free-play activity centers in relation to behaviors associated with…

Honoring Progress: An Update on the NGA Center Honor States. Volume 1, Issue 1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shawe, Torrey, Ed.

2006-01-01

This bimonthly newsletter provides information about the progress of the Honor States Grant Program, a governor-led effort to improve college- and work-ready graduation rates. This issue explores science, technology, engineering, and math education (STEM), a priority for governors as they try to enhance workforce competitiveness in a global…

Developing STEM Leaders Through Space Science Education and Public Outreach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibbs, M. G.; Veenstra, D.

2012-08-01

Capitol College, located in Laurel, Maryland, established the Center for Space Science Education and Public Outreach with the mission to assist in educating future leaders in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). This presentation shares emerging best practices through innovative methods to create awareness regarding STEM outreach programs and activities related workforce development and career pathways.

Unexpected Answers: Case Study of a Student Teacher Derailing in a Math Lesson.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nilssen, Vivi; And Others

An analysis of a student teacher's lesson in multiplication for Norwegian second graders explored why the lesson did not succeed. Two interpretive frameworks were used to analyze the lesson: teaching as a complex cognitive activity and teaching as improvisation. The student teacher, Marte, believed in child-centered education and tried to create…

Mathematics anxiety: separating the math from the anxiety.

PubMed

Lyons, Ian M; Beilock, Sian L

2012-09-01

Anxiety about math is tied to low math grades and standardized test scores, yet not all math-anxious individuals perform equally poorly in math. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to separate neural activity during the anticipation of doing math from activity during math performance itself. For higher (but not lower) math-anxious individuals, increased activity in frontoparietal regions when simply anticipating doing math mitigated math-specific performance deficits. This network included bilateral inferior frontal junction, a region involved in cognitive control and reappraisal of negative emotional responses. Furthermore, the relation between frontoparietal anticipatory activity and highly math-anxious individuals' math deficits was fully mediated (or accounted for) by activity in caudate, nucleus accumbens, and hippocampus during math performance. These subcortical regions are important for coordinating task demands and motivational factors during skill execution. Individual differences in how math-anxious individuals recruit cognitive control resources prior to doing math and motivational resources during math performance predict the extent of their math deficits. This work suggests that educational interventions emphasizing control of negative emotional responses to math stimuli (rather than merely additional math training) will be most effective in revealing a population of mathematically competent individuals, who might otherwise go undiscovered.

Female teachers' math anxiety affects girls' math achievement.

PubMed

Beilock, Sian L; Gunderson, Elizabeth A; Ramirez, Gerardo; Levine, Susan C

2010-02-02

People's fear and anxiety about doing math--over and above actual math ability--can be an impediment to their math achievement. We show that when the math-anxious individuals are female elementary school teachers, their math anxiety carries negative consequences for the math achievement of their female students. Early elementary school teachers in the United States are almost exclusively female (>90%), and we provide evidence that these female teachers' anxieties relate to girls' math achievement via girls' beliefs about who is good at math. First- and second-grade female teachers completed measures of math anxiety. The math achievement of the students in these teachers' classrooms was also assessed. There was no relation between a teacher's math anxiety and her students' math achievement at the beginning of the school year. By the school year's end, however, the more anxious teachers were about math, the more likely girls (but not boys) were to endorse the commonly held stereotype that "boys are good at math, and girls are good at reading" and the lower these girls' math achievement. Indeed, by the end of the school year, girls who endorsed this stereotype had significantly worse math achievement than girls who did not and than boys overall. In early elementary school, where the teachers are almost all female, teachers' math anxiety carries consequences for girls' math achievement by influencing girls' beliefs about who is good at math.

Hinds Community College MSEIP program

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-06-24

Student Assistant Antoinette Davis (left) of Utica; Carmella Forsythe, 13, of Clinton; Terri Henderson, 14, of Clinton; Tyra Greer, 12, of Port Gibson; and Kala Battle, 14, of Edwards, answer curriculum questions about NASA's Return to Flight mission exhibit at StenniSphere, the visitor center at NASA's Stennis Space Center (SSC) near Bay St. Louis, Miss. The girls were on a field trip to StenniSphere with fellow participants in Hinds Community College's MSEIP (Minority Science Engineering Improvement Program) summer program. MSEIP encourages students to pursue and prepare for careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

Hinds Community College MSEIP program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

Student Assistant Antoinette Davis (left) of Utica; Carmella Forsythe, 13, of Clinton; Terri Henderson, 14, of Clinton; Tyra Greer, 12, of Port Gibson; and Kala Battle, 14, of Edwards, answer curriculum questions about NASA's Return to Flight mission exhibit at StenniSphere, the visitor center at NASA's Stennis Space Center (SSC) near Bay St. Louis, Miss. The girls were on a field trip to StenniSphere with fellow participants in Hinds Community College's MSEIP (Minority Science Engineering Improvement Program) summer program. MSEIP encourages students to pursue and prepare for careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

STEM Mentor Breakfast at Debus Center

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-25

Jonette Stecklein (in the blue shirt), a flight systems engineer from Johnson Space Center in Houston, talks to students during a Women in STEM mentoring breakfast inside the Debus Conference Center at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. STEM is science, technology, engineering and math. The special event gave students competing in NASA's 8th Annual Robotic Mining Competition the chance to learn from female NASA scientists, engineers and professionals about their careers and the paths they took to working at Kennedy. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could be used on NASA's Journey to Mars.

The Effects of Teachers' Gender-Stereotypical Expectations on the Development of the Math Gender Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Joseph P.; Lubienski, Sarah T.; Copur, Yasemin

2011-01-01

Scholars have identified mathematics gender gaps favoring males as early as kindergarten or first grade, particularly at the top of the achievement distribution (Penner & Paret, 2008; Rathbun, West & Germino-Hausken, 2004; Robinson & Lubienski, 2011). These relatively small achievement disparities precede larger differences in…

Teaching in an Open Classroom: Informal Checks, Diagnoses, and Learning Strategies for Beginning Reading and Math.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Langstaff, Nancy

This book, intended for use by inservice teachers, preservice teachers, and parents interested in open classrooms, contains three chapters. "Beginning Reading in an Open Classroom" discusses language development, sight vocabulary, visual discrimination, auditory discrimination, directional concepts, small muscle control, and measurement of…

How Small Is a Cell?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rau, Gerald

2004-01-01

In this article, the author talks about an inquiry-based activity involving yeast, wherein students learned about cell size. The activity allows students to employ math connections and to learn experimental techniques while practicing microscope skills. The activity can be adapted for students at all levels of biology. The author presents details…

Bringing Out Head Start Talents (BOHST). Talent Programming.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amundsen, Jane; And Others

Designed for preschoolers identified as talented by the Bringing Out Head Start Talents (BOHST) project, the small-group lessons contained in this manual focus on nine areas of talent programming and are presented in color-coded sections: creative, intellectual, leadership, art, music, reading, math, science, and psychomotor talent development.…

Improve Math Teaching with Incremental Improvements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Star, Jon R.

2016-01-01

Past educational reforms have failed because they didn't meet teachers where they were. They expected major changes in practices that may have been unrealistic for many teachers even under ideal professional learning conditions. Instead of promoting broad scale changes, improvement may be more likely if they are composed of small yet powerful…

Longitudinal mediators of achievement in mathematics and reading in typical and atypical development.

PubMed

Barnes, Marcia A; Raghubar, Kimberly P; English, Lianne; Williams, Jeffrey M; Taylor, Heather; Landry, Susan

2014-03-01

Longitudinal studies of neurodevelopmental disorders that are diagnosed at or before birth and are associated with specific learning difficulties at school-age provide one method for investigating developmental precursors of later-emerging academic disabilities. Spina bifida myelomeningocele (SBM) is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with particular problems in mathematics, in contrast to well-developed word reading. Children with SBM (n=30) and typically developing children (n=35) were used to determine whether cognitive abilities measured at 36 and 60 months of age mediated the effect of group on mathematical and reading achievement outcomes at 8.5 and 9.5 years of age. A series of multiple mediator models showed that: visual-spatial working memory at 36 months and phonological awareness at 60 months partially mediated the effect of group on math calculations, phonological awareness partially mediated the effect of group on small addition and subtraction problems on a test of math fluency, and visual-spatial working memory mediated the effect of group on a test of math problem solving. Groups did not differ on word reading, and phonological awareness was the only mediator for reading fluency and reading comprehension. The findings are discussed with reference to theories of mathematical development and disability and with respect to both common and differing cognitive correlates of math and reading. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

1997 NASA/MSFC Summer Teacher Enrichment Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

This is a report on the follow-up activities conducted for the 1997 NASA Summer Teacher Enrichment Program (STEP), which was held at the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) for the seventh consecutive year. The program was conducted as a six-week session with 17 sixth through twelfth grade math and science teachers from a six-state region (Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi and Missouri). The program began on June 8, 1997, and ended on July 25, 1997. The long-term objectives of the program are to: increase the nation's scientific and technical talent pool with a special emphasis on underrepresented groups, improve the quality of pre-college math and science education, improve math and science literacy, and improve NASA's and pre-college education's understandings of each other's operating environments and needs. Short-term measurable objectives for the MSFC STEP are to: improve the teachers' content and pedagogy knowledge in science and/or mathematics, integrate applications from the teachers' STEP laboratory experiences into science and math curricula, increase the teachers' use of instructional technology, enhance the teachers' leadership skills by requiring them to present workshops and/or inservice programs for other teachers, require the support of the participating teacher(s) by the local school administration through a written commitment, and create networks and partnerships within the education community, both pre-college and college. The follow-up activities for the 1997 STEP included the following: academic-year questionnaire, site visits, academic-year workshop, verification of commitment of support, and additional NASA support.

Project VISION (Very Intensive Scientific Intercurricular On-Site Education

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roig, Gustavo A.

1999-01-01

Project VISION (Very Intensive Scientific Intercurricular On-Site Education) is a joint effort among NASA/John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida International University, Universidad del Turabo, Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the Caguas/Gurabo Public Schools in Puerto Rico. The project's main mission is to institutionalize change among the elementary and middle school science and math teachers at participating schools so that their students receive continuously enriched instruction in the principles of science and math through the use of hands-on and minds-on experiments called learning modules. These leaming modules incorporate the national science and math education standards provided by the National Committee on Science Education Standards and Assessments and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, respectively. The use of learning modules that require hands-on and minds-on activities in a classroom setting garners great enthusiasm and motivation on the part of the target students for the understanding of the lesson's underlying math and science principles. With this enthusiasm and motivation, comes acceptance, attention, participation, discipline, acquiescence, and collaboration. Additionally, the use of hands-on activities may also require learning through a gamut of senses. Not only can the student use his/her eyes and ears during these activities, but most times, they can also use their senses of touch, smell, and taste, as well as intuition. Learning is, therefore, achieved using most or all the human senses. The combination of motivation/enthusiasm and the use of multiple senses creates an ideal environment conducive to leaming at a profound level.

Universals and Specifics of Math Self-Concept, Math Self-Efficacy, and Math Anxiety across 41 PISA 2003 Participating Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jihyun

2009-01-01

The overarching goal of the present study is to investigate the factorial structure of three closely related constructs: math self-concept, math self-efficacy, and math anxiety. The factorial structure consisting of three factors, each representing math self-concept, math self-efficacy, and math anxiety, is supported in all 41 countries employed…

Developing Elementary Math and Science Process Skills Through Engineering Design Instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strong, Matthew G.

This paper examines how elementary students can develop math and science process skills through an engineering design approach to instruction. The performance and development of individual process skills overall and by gender were also examined. The study, preceded by a pilot, took place in a grade four extracurricular engineering design program in a public, suburban school district. Students worked in pairs and small groups to design and construct airplane models from styrofoam, paper clips, and toothpicks. The development and performance of process skills were assessed through a student survey of learning gains, an engineering design packet rubric (student work), observation field notes, and focus group notes. The results indicate that students can significantly develop process skills, that female students may develop process skills through engineering design better than male students, and that engineering design is most helpful for developing the measuring, suggesting improvements, and observing process skills. The study suggests that a more regular engineering design program or curriculum could be beneficial for students' math and science abilities both in this school and for the elementary field as a whole.

The impact of maths support tutorials on mathematics confidence and academic performance in a cohort of HE Animal Science students

PubMed Central

Amory, Jonathan

2014-01-01

Students embarking on a bioscience degree course, such as Animal Science, often do not have sufficient experience in mathematics. However, mathematics forms an essential and integral part of any bioscience degree and is essential to enhance employability. This paper presents the findings of a project looking at the effect of mathematics tutorials on a cohort of first year animal science and management students. The results of a questionnaire, focus group discussions and academic performance analysis indicate that small group tutorials enhance students’ confidence in maths and improve students’ academic performance. Furthermore, student feedback on the tutorial programme provides a deeper insight into student experiences and the value students assign to the tutorials. PMID:25024925

The Interrelationships of Mathematical Precursors in Kindergarten

PubMed Central

Cirino, Paul T.

2011-01-01

This study evaluated the interrelations among cognitive precursors across quantitative, linguistic, and spatial attention domains that have been implicated for math achievement in young children. The dimensionality of the quantity precursors was evaluated in 286 Kindergarteners via latent variable techniques, and the contribution of precursors from each domain was established for small sums addition. Results showed a five factor structure for the quantity precursors with the major distinction between nonsymbolic and symbolic tasks. The overall model demonstrated good fit, and strong predictive power (R2 = 55%) for addition number combinations. Linguistic and spatial attention domains showed indirect relationships with outcomes, with their effects mediated by symbolic quantity measures. These results have implications for the measurement of mathematical precursors, and yield promise for predicting future math performance. PMID:21194711

The impact of maths support tutorials on mathematics confidence and academic performance in a cohort of HE Animal Science students.

PubMed

van Veggel, Nieky; Amory, Jonathan

2014-01-01

Students embarking on a bioscience degree course, such as Animal Science, often do not have sufficient experience in mathematics. However, mathematics forms an essential and integral part of any bioscience degree and is essential to enhance employability. This paper presents the findings of a project looking at the effect of mathematics tutorials on a cohort of first year animal science and management students. The results of a questionnaire, focus group discussions and academic performance analysis indicate that small group tutorials enhance students' confidence in maths and improve students' academic performance. Furthermore, student feedback on the tutorial programme provides a deeper insight into student experiences and the value students assign to the tutorials.

Mathematical models for space shuttle ground systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tory, E. G.

1985-01-01

Math models are a series of algorithms, comprised of algebraic equations and Boolean Logic. At Kennedy Space Center, math models for the Space Shuttle Systems are performed utilizing the Honeywell 66/80 digital computers, Modcomp II/45 Minicomputers and special purpose hardware simulators (MicroComputers). The Shuttle Ground Operations Simulator operating system provides the language formats, subroutines, queueing schemes, execution modes and support software to write, maintain and execute the models. The ground systems presented consist primarily of the Liquid Oxygen and Liquid Hydrogen Cryogenic Propellant Systems, as well as liquid oxygen External Tank Gaseous Oxygen Vent Hood/Arm and the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) High Bay Cells. The purpose of math modeling is to simulate the ground hardware systems and to provide an environment for testing in a benign mode. This capability allows the engineers to check out application software for loading and launching the vehicle, and to verify the Checkout, Control, & Monitor Subsystem within the Launch Processing System. It is also used to train operators and to predict system response and status in various configurations (normal operations, emergency and contingent operations), including untried configurations or those too dangerous to try under real conditions, i.e., failure modes.

On the relationship between math anxiety and math achievement in early elementary school: The role of problem solving strategies.

PubMed

Ramirez, Gerardo; Chang, Hyesang; Maloney, Erin A; Levine, Susan C; Beilock, Sian L

2016-01-01

Even at young ages, children self-report experiencing math anxiety, which negatively relates to their math achievement. Leveraging a large dataset of first and second grade students' math achievement scores, math problem solving strategies, and math attitudes, we explored the possibility that children's math anxiety (i.e., a fear or apprehension about math) negatively relates to their use of more advanced problem solving strategies, which in turn relates to their math achievement. Our results confirm our hypothesis and, moreover, demonstrate that the relation between math anxiety and math problem solving strategies is strongest in children with the highest working memory capacity. Ironically, children who have the highest cognitive capacity avoid using advanced problem solving strategies when they are high in math anxiety and, as a result, underperform in math compared with their lower working memory peers. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Is Math Anxiety Always Bad for Math Learning? The Role of Math Motivation.

PubMed

Wang, Zhe; Lukowski, Sarah L; Hart, Sara A; Lyons, Ian M; Thompson, Lee A; Kovas, Yulia; Mazzocco, Michèle M M; Plomin, Robert; Petrill, Stephen A

2015-12-01

The linear relations between math anxiety and math cognition have been frequently studied. However, the relations between anxiety and performance on complex cognitive tasks have been repeatedly demonstrated to follow a curvilinear fashion. In the current studies, we aimed to address the lack of attention given to the possibility of such complex interplay between emotion and cognition in the math-learning literature by exploring the relations among math anxiety, math motivation, and math cognition. In two samples-young adolescent twins and adult college students-results showed inverted-U relations between math anxiety and math performance in participants with high intrinsic math motivation and modest negative associations between math anxiety and math performance in participants with low intrinsic math motivation. However, this pattern was not observed in tasks assessing participants' nonsymbolic and symbolic number-estimation ability. These findings may help advance the understanding of mathematics-learning processes and provide important insights for treatment programs that target improving mathematics-learning experiences and mathematical skills. © The Author(s) 2015.

Principals in Partnership with Math Coaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grant, Catherine Miles; Davenport, Linda Ruiz

2009-01-01

One of the most promising developments in math education is the fact that many districts are hiring math coaches--also called math resource teachers, math facilitators, math lead teachers, or math specialists--to assist elementary-level teachers with math instruction. What must not be lost, however, is that principals play an essential role in…

When math hurts: math anxiety predicts pain network activation in anticipation of doing math.

PubMed

Lyons, Ian M; Beilock, Sian L

2012-01-01

Math can be difficult, and for those with high levels of mathematics-anxiety (HMAs), math is associated with tension, apprehension, and fear. But what underlies the feelings of dread effected by math anxiety? Are HMAs' feelings about math merely psychological epiphenomena, or is their anxiety grounded in simulation of a concrete, visceral sensation - such as pain - about which they have every right to feel anxious? We show that, when anticipating an upcoming math-task, the higher one's math anxiety, the more one increases activity in regions associated with visceral threat detection, and often the experience of pain itself (bilateral dorso-posterior insula). Interestingly, this relation was not seen during math performance, suggesting that it is not that math itself hurts; rather, the anticipation of math is painful. Our data suggest that pain network activation underlies the intuition that simply anticipating a dreaded event can feel painful. These results may also provide a potential neural mechanism to explain why HMAs tend to avoid math and math-related situations, which in turn can bias HMAs away from taking math classes or even entire math-related career paths.

Is Mathematical Anxiety Always Bad for Math Learning: The Role of Math Motivation

PubMed Central

Wang, Zhe; Lukowski, Sarah L.; Hart, Sara Ann; Lyons, Ian M.; Thompson, Lee A.; Kovas, Yulia; Mazzocco, Michèle M.; Plomin, Robert; Petrill, Stephen A.

2015-01-01

The linear relations between math anxiety and math cognition have been frequently studied. However, the relations between anxiety and performance on complex cognitive tasks have been repeatedly demonstrated to follow a curvilinear fashion. Given the lack of attention to the possibility of such complex interplay between emotion and cognition in the math learning literature, the current study aimed to address this gap via exploring the relations between math anxiety, math motivation, and math cognition. The current study consisted of two samples. One sample included 262 pairs of young adolescent twins and the other included 237 adult college students. Participants self-reported their math anxiety and math motivation. Math cognition was assessed using a comprehensive battery of mathematics tasks. In both samples, results showed inverted-U relations between math anxiety and math performance in students with high intrinsic math motivation, and modest negative associations between math anxiety and math performance in students with low intrinsic math motivation. However, this pattern was not observed in tasks assessing student’s nonsymbolic and symbolic number estimation. These findings may help advance our understanding of mathematics learning processes and may provide important insights for treatment programs that target improving mathematics learning experiences and mathematical skills. PMID:26518438

When approximate number acuity predicts math performance: The moderating role of math anxiety

PubMed Central

Libertus, Melissa E.

2018-01-01

Separate lines of research suggest that people who are better at estimating numerical quantities using the approximate number system (ANS) have better math performance, and that people with high levels of math anxiety have worse math performance. Only a handful of studies have examined both ANS acuity and math anxiety in the same participants and those studies report contradictory results. To address these inconsistencies, in the current study 87 undergraduate students completed assessments of ANS acuity, math anxiety, and three different measures of math. We considered moderation models to examine the interplay of ANS acuity and math anxiety on different aspects of math performance. Math anxiety and ANS acuity were both unique significant predictors of the ability to automatically recall basic number facts. ANS acuity was also a unique significant predictor of the ability to solve applied math problems, and this relation was further qualified by a significant interaction with math anxiety: the positive association between ANS acuity and applied problem solving was only present in students with high math anxiety. Our findings suggest that ANS acuity and math anxiety are differentially related to various aspects of math and should be considered together when examining their respective influences on math ability. Our findings also raise the possibility that good ANS acuity serves as a protective factor for highly math-anxious students on certain types of math assessments. PMID:29718939

Math anxiety and math performance in children: The mediating roles of working memory and math self-concept.

PubMed

Justicia-Galiano, M José; Martín-Puga, M Eva; Linares, Rocío; Pelegrina, Santiago

2017-12-01

Numerous studies, most of them involving adolescents and adults, have evidenced a moderate negative relationship between math anxiety and math performance. There are, however, a limited number of studies that have addressed the mechanisms underlying this relation. This study aimed to investigate the role of two possible mediational mechanisms between math anxiety and math performance. Specifically, we sought to test the simultaneous mediating role of working memory and math self-concept. A total of 167 children aged 8-12 years participated in this study. Children completed a set of questionnaires used to assess math and trait anxiety, math self-concept as well as measures of math fluency and math problem-solving. Teachers were asked to rate each student's math achievement. As measures of working memory, two backward span tasks were administered to the children. A series of multiple mediation analyses were conducted. Results indicated that both mediators (working memory and math self-concept) contributed to explaining the relationship between math anxiety and math achievement. Results suggest that working memory and self-concept could be worth considering when designing interventions aimed at helping students with math anxiety. Longitudinal designs could also be used to better understand the mediational mechanisms that may explain the relationship between math anxiety and math performance. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

When approximate number acuity predicts math performance: The moderating role of math anxiety.

PubMed

Braham, Emily J; Libertus, Melissa E

2018-01-01

Separate lines of research suggest that people who are better at estimating numerical quantities using the approximate number system (ANS) have better math performance, and that people with high levels of math anxiety have worse math performance. Only a handful of studies have examined both ANS acuity and math anxiety in the same participants and those studies report contradictory results. To address these inconsistencies, in the current study 87 undergraduate students completed assessments of ANS acuity, math anxiety, and three different measures of math. We considered moderation models to examine the interplay of ANS acuity and math anxiety on different aspects of math performance. Math anxiety and ANS acuity were both unique significant predictors of the ability to automatically recall basic number facts. ANS acuity was also a unique significant predictor of the ability to solve applied math problems, and this relation was further qualified by a significant interaction with math anxiety: the positive association between ANS acuity and applied problem solving was only present in students with high math anxiety. Our findings suggest that ANS acuity and math anxiety are differentially related to various aspects of math and should be considered together when examining their respective influences on math ability. Our findings also raise the possibility that good ANS acuity serves as a protective factor for highly math-anxious students on certain types of math assessments.

Middle school students' attitudes toward math and STEM career interests: A 4-year follow-up study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, Madalyn R.

The purpose of the current study is to examine middle school students' attitudes toward math, intent to pursue STEM-related education and occupations, and STEM interest from middle school to high school. The data used in this study are from a larger, on-going National Science Foundation (NSF) grant-funded study that is investigating middle school students' disengagement while using the Assistments system (Baker, Heffernan & San Pedro, 2012), a computer-based math tutoring system. The NSF grant study aims to explore how disengagement with STEM material can aid in the prediction of students' college enrollment as well as how it may interact with other factors affecting students' career choices (San Pedro, Baker, Bowers, Heffernan, 2013). Participants are students from urban and suburban schools in Massachusetts measured first in middle school and again four years later. Measures at Time 1 included: various items related to attitudes toward mathematics, occupations they could see themselves doing as adults, and the Brief Self-Control Scale (Tangney, Baumeister, & Luzio Boone, 2004). Measures at Time 2 included: items requesting the students' current mathematics and science courses and intended majors or occupations following high school graduation. Exploratory factor analysis, multiple regression and logistic regression analyses were used to test the following four hypotheses: I. There will be several distinct factors that emerge to provide information about middle school students' attitudes toward math; II. Students' attitudes toward math will correlate positively and significantly with students' intent to pursue STEM-related careers at Time 1 with a medium effect; III. Middle school attitudes toward mathematics will relate positively and significantly to level of high school mathematics and science courses with a medium effect; IV. Middle school intent to pursue STEM will correlate positively and significantly with high school intent to pursue STEM majors/careers with a medium effect. Results supported a 2-factor model of Attitudes toward Mathematics consisting of Math Self-Concept and Attitudes toward Assistments. Other significant findings include: a positive relationship between students' Attitudes toward Assistments and level of math class taken in high school; a positive relationship between students' Math Self-Concept and Self Control; a positive relationship between Self Control and students' endorsement of STEM careers while in middle school, and discrepancy between male and female students' endorsement of STEM careers as early as middle school. Although many of the study's primary hypotheses were not supported, the present study provides a framework and baseline for several important considerations. Limitations, including those related to the present study's small sample size, and future implications of the present study, which add to career development literature in STEM, are discussed in regard to both research and practice. Keywords: career development, middle school, attitudes, math, STEM, self-concept

Walking the Path Together from High School to STEM Majors and Careers: Utilizing Community Engagement and a Focus on Teaching to Increase Opportunities for URM Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finkel, Liza

2017-02-01

Despite decades of efforts to increase the participation of women and people from underrepresented minority groups (URM) in science and math majors and careers, and despite the increasing diversification of the US population as a whole (Planty et al in National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC, 2008), participation in STEM majors and STEM careers (including STEM teaching) remains stubbornly male and white (Landivar in American Community Survey Reports, ACS-24, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 2013; National Science Foundation and National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics in Special Report NSF 15-311, Arlington, VA, 2015). This paper describes a project with two central goals: (1) to provide opportunities for URM high school students to engage in authentic science and math inquiry with the support of skilled college undergraduate mentors in the hope that these experiences will encourage these high school students to choose and persist in pursuing careers in STEM fields and, even if they do not choose those careers, to feel confident making complex, science or math-based decisions in their everyday lives and (2) to help the mentors (young people, mostly STEM majors) see teaching as a vital, intellectually challenging career that can provide them the opportunity to work for social justice in their communities. While it is unlikely that any one experience will help young people overcome the long odds that face them as they consider either path, our analysis suggests that projects of this kind can make a meaningful contribution to the effort.

Intensive Intervention Practice Guide: Intensifying Check-In Check-Out for Students with or At-Risk for Emotional or Behavioral Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kunemund, Rachel; Majeika, Caitlyn; De La Cruz, Veronica Mellado; Wilkinson, Sarah

2016-01-01

The National Center for Leadership in Intensive Intervention (NCLII), a consortium funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), prepares special education leaders to become experts in research on intensive intervention for students with disabilities who have persistent and severe academic (e.g., reading and math) and behavioral…

NASA Administrator Bolden Volunteers with the DC Cares Program

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-12-14

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden spent time volunteering with DC Cares at the Park View Recreation Center in Washington, DC for their Santa's Workshop program, Monday, Dec. 14, 2009. Mr. Bolden spoke with students about his experience as a former NASA astronaut and current NASA Administrator, encouraging them to study math and science and to stay in school. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Student Achievement since 2005: On State Tests and State-Level NAEP

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Education Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick Review, 2010

2010-01-01

This article reports on a new study released by the Center on Education Policy (CEP) of states with five years of comparable test data which finds that student achievement in reading and math rose between 2005 and 2009 on state tests as well as on National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). The report also finds overlapping achievement gains…

Educating Tomorrow's Men: Perceived School Support, Negative Youth Experiences, and Bravado Attitudes in African American Adolescent Males

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corprew, Charles S., III; Cunningham, Michael

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the association between negative youth experiences and bravado attitudes in African American urban males. In addition, an examination of positive factors, such as school social support, was examined to understand potential resilient pathways. Data were collected at two sites, a science and math center (n =…

Essential Conditions for Technology-Supported, Student-Centered Learning: An Analysis of Student Experiences with Math Out Loud Using the ISTE Standards for Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dondlinger, Mary Jo; McLeod, Julie; Vasinda, Sheri

2016-01-01

This article explores links between student experiences with technology-rich mathematics instruction and the ISTE Standards for Students. Research methods applied constructivist grounded theory to analyze data from student interviews against the ISTE Standards for Students to identify which elements of the design of this learning environment…

On the Public-Private School Achievement Debate. Faculty Research Working Papers Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Paul E.; Llaudet, Elena

2006-01-01

On July 14, 2006, the U. S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released a study that compared the performance in reading and math of 4th and 8th-graders attending private and public schools. Using information from a nationwide, representative sample of public and private school students collected in 2003 as…

Academic Growth Expectations for Students with Emotional and Behavior Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ysseldyke, Jim; Scerra, Carmine; Stickney, Eric; Beckler, Amanda; Dituri, Joan; Ellis, Karen

2017-01-01

Computer adaptive assessments were used to monitor the academic status and growth of students with emotional behavior disorders (EBD) in reading (N = 321) and math (N = 322) in a regional service center serving 56 school districts. A cohort sequential model was used to compare that performance to the status and growth of a national user base of…

STEM Starts Early: Grounding Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education in Early Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McClure, Elisabeth R.; Guernsey, Lisa; Clements, Douglas H.; Bales, Susan Nall; Nichols, Jennifer; Kendall-Taylor, Nat; Levine, Michael H.

2017-01-01

Tomorrow's inventors and scientists are today's curious young children--as long as those children are given ample chances to explore and are guided by adults equipped to support them. "STEM Starts Early" is the culmination of a deep inquiry by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and New America embarked on an exploratory…

The NCES Private-Public School Study: Findings Are Other than They Seem

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Paul E.; Llaudet, Elena

2007-01-01

On July 14, 2006, the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released a study that compared the performance in reading and math of 4th and 8th graders attending private and public schools. According to the NCES study, students attending private schools performed better than students attending public schools.…

STEM Starts Early: Grounding Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education in Early Childhood. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McClure, Elisabeth R.; Guernsey, Lisa; Clements, Douglas H.; Bales, Susan Nall; Nichols, Jennifer; Kendall-Taylor, Nat; Levine, Michael H.

2017-01-01

Tomorrow's inventors and scientists are today's curious young children--as long as those children are given ample chances to explore and are guided by adults equipped to support them. "STEM Starts Early" is the culmination of a deep inquiry by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and New America embarked on an exploratory…

Students' Agency in an In-Class Computer-Centered Developmental Mathematics Classroom: The Best Laid Plans of Math and (Wo)men

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aly, Geillan Dahab

2016-01-01

Community colleges are tasked with helping all students regardless of their academic background to receive a degree, certificate, or other form of education. Many of these students need support in learning the mathematical content necessary to take college-level courses. Since a large proportion of students in these developmental classes are…

A Microworld-Based Role-Playing Game Development Approach to Engaging Students in Interactive, Enjoyable, and Effective Mathematics Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Sheng-Yuan; Chang, Shao-Chen; Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Chen, Pei-Ying

2018-01-01

In traditional teacher-centered mathematics instruction, students might show low learning motivation owing to the lack of applied contexts. Game-based learning has been recognized as a potential approach to addressing this issue; however, without proper alignment between the gaming and math-applied contexts, the benefits of game-based learning…

Summer Educational Program for the Children of Migrant Agricultural Workers, 1976. [North Dakota].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Dakota State Dept. of Public Instruction, Bismarck.

During the summer of 1976, North Dakota's 10 migrant centers enrolled more than 2,500 migrant children, ranging from a few days to 18 years of age. All students were entered in the Migrant Student Record Transfer System. A basic remedial program emphasizing instruction in reading, language arts, and math with some time devoted to science and…

Measurement of math beliefs and their associations with math behaviors in college students.

PubMed

Hendy, Helen M; Schorschinsky, Nancy; Wade, Barbara

2014-12-01

Our purpose in the present study was to expand understanding of math beliefs in college students by developing 3 new psychometrically tested scales as guided by expectancy-value theory, self-efficacy theory, and health belief model. Additionally, we identified which math beliefs (and which theory) best explained variance in math behaviors and performance by college students and which students were most likely to have problematic math beliefs. Study participants included 368 college math students who completed questionnaires to report math behaviors (attending class, doing homework, reading textbooks, asking for help) and used a 5-point rating scale to indicate a variety of math beliefs. For a subset of 84 students, math professors provided final math grades. Factor analyses produced a 10-item Math Value Scale with 2 subscales (Class Devaluation, No Future Value), a 7-item single-dimension Math Confidence Scale, and an 11-item Math Barriers Scale with 2 subscales (Math Anxiety, Discouraging Words). Hierarchical multiple regression revealed that high levels of the newly discovered class devaluation belief (guided by expectancy-value theory) were most consistently associated with poor math behaviors in college students, with high math anxiety (guided by health belief model) and low math confidence (guided by self-efficacy theory) also found to be significant. Analyses of covariance revealed that younger and male students were at increased risk for class devaluation and older students were at increased risk for poor math confidence. (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

When Math Hurts: Math Anxiety Predicts Pain Network Activation in Anticipation of Doing Math

PubMed Central

Lyons, Ian M.; Beilock, Sian L.

2012-01-01

Math can be difficult, and for those with high levels of mathematics-anxiety (HMAs), math is associated with tension, apprehension, and fear. But what underlies the feelings of dread effected by math anxiety? Are HMAs’ feelings about math merely psychological epiphenomena, or is their anxiety grounded in simulation of a concrete, visceral sensation – such as pain – about which they have every right to feel anxious? We show that, when anticipating an upcoming math-task, the higher one’s math anxiety, the more one increases activity in regions associated with visceral threat detection, and often the experience of pain itself (bilateral dorso-posterior insula). Interestingly, this relation was not seen during math performance, suggesting that it is not that math itself hurts; rather, the anticipation of math is painful. Our data suggest that pain network activation underlies the intuition that simply anticipating a dreaded event can feel painful. These results may also provide a potential neural mechanism to explain why HMAs tend to avoid math and math-related situations, which in turn can bias HMAs away from taking math classes or even entire math-related career paths. PMID:23118929

STEM Mentor Breakfast at Debus Center

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-25

Kim Stratton, at left, with Caterpillar, talks to students during a Women in STEM breakfast inside the Debus Conference Center at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. STEM is science, technology, engineering and math. The special event gave students competing in NASA's 8th Annual Robotic Mining Competition the chance to learn from female NASA scientists, engineers and professionals about their careers and the paths they took to working at Kennedy. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could be used on NASA's Journey to Mars.

STEM Mentor Breakfast at Debus Center

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-25

Gioia Massa, at left, a NASA payload scientist, talks to students during a Women in STEM breakfast inside the Debus Conference Center at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. STEM is science, technology, engineering and math. The special event gave students competing in NASA's 8th Annual Robotic Mining Competition the chance to learn from female NASA scientists, engineers and professionals about their careers and the paths they took to working at Kennedy. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could be used on NASA's Journey to Mars.

Students Participate in Rocket Launch Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Filled with anticipation, students from three Huntsville area high schools: Randolph, Sparkman, and Johnson High Schools, counted down to launch the rockets they designed and built at the Army test site on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The projected two-mile high launch culminated more than a year's work and demonstrated the student team's ability to meet the challenge set by the Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Student Launch Initiative (SLI) program to apply science and math to experience, judgment, and common sense, and proved to NASA officials that they have successfully built reusable launch vehicles (RLVs), another challenge set by NASA's SLI program. MSFC's SLI program is an educational effort that aims to motivate students to pursue careers in science, math, and engineering. It provides them with hands-on, practical aerospace experience. In this picture, three Sparkman High School students pose with their rocket.

Students Participate in Rocket Launch Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Filled with anticipation, students from three Huntsville area high schools: Randolph, Sparkman and Johnson High Schools, counted down to launch the rockets they designed and built at the Army test site on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The projected two-mile high launch culminated more than a year's work and demonstrated the student team's ability to meet the challenge set by the Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Student Launch Initiative (SLI) program to apply science and math to experience, judgment, and common sense, and proved to NASA officials that they have successfully built reusable launch vehicles (RLVs), another challenge set by NASA's SLI program. MSFC's SLI program is an educational effort that aims to motivate students to pursue careers in science, math, and engineering. It provides them with hands-on, practical aerospace experience. In this picture, two Johnson High School students pose with their rocket.

Research on an expert system for database operation of simulation-emulation math models. Volume 1, Phase 1: Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kawamura, K.; Beale, G. O.; Schaffer, J. D.; Hsieh, B. J.; Padalkar, S.; Rodriguez-Moscoso, J. J.

1985-01-01

The results of the first phase of Research on an Expert System for Database Operation of Simulation/Emulation Math Models, is described. Techniques from artificial intelligence (AI) were to bear on task domains of interest to NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. One such domain is simulation of spacecraft attitude control systems. Two related software systems were developed to and delivered to NASA. One was a generic simulation model for spacecraft attitude control, written in FORTRAN. The second was an expert system which understands the usage of a class of spacecraft attitude control simulation software and can assist the user in running the software. This NASA Expert Simulation System (NESS), written in LISP, contains general knowledge about digital simulation, specific knowledge about the simulation software, and self knowledge.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-04-27

Filled with anticipation, students from three Huntsville area high schools: Randolph, Sparkman, and Johnson High Schools, counted down to launch the rockets they designed and built at the Army test site on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The projected two-mile high launch culminated more than a year's work and demonstrated the student team's ability to meet the challenge set by the Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Student Launch Initiative (SLI) program to apply science and math to experience, judgment, and common sense, and proved to NASA officials that they have successfully built reusable launch vehicles (RLVs), another challenge set by NASA's SLI program. MSFC's SLI program is an educational effort that aims to motivate students to pursue careers in science, math, and engineering. It provides them with hands-on, practical aerospace experience. In this picture, three Sparkman High School students pose with their rocket.

KSC-2014-3648

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-29

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – During the Tom Joyner Family Reunion, Ken Fullwood of Booz-Allen-Hamilton, left, and Yves Lamothe of the NASA Technical Management Branch of the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program talk to guests about ongoing work to convert the Kennedy Space Center into a 21st century spaceport. The Tom Joyner Family Reunion is designed to present uplifting programs, entertainment and information about growing, diverse communities. An annual event of the nationally-syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show, the many exhibits included NASA's participation focusing on encouraging young people to consider studies and careers in STEM -- science, technology, engineering and math. NASA's Education Division promoted the benefits of math and scientific learning along with career opportunities offered by the space agency. The activities took place at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Florida, during the Labor Day weekend. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-04-27

Filled with anticipation, students from three Huntsville area high schools: Randolph, Sparkman, and Johnson High Schools, counted down to launch the rockets they designed and built at the Army test site on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The projected two-mile high launch culminated more than a year's work and demonstrated the student team's ability to meet the challenge set by the Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Student Launch Initiative program to apply science and math to experience, judgment, and common sense, and proved to NASA officials that they have successfully built reusable launch vehicles (RLVs), another challenge set by NASA's SLI program. MSFC's SLI program is an educational effort that aims to motivate students to pursue careers in science, math, and engineering. It provides hands-on, practical aerospace experience. In this picture, a rocket built by Johnson High School students soars to it projected designation.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-04-27

Filled with anticipation, students from three Huntsville area high schools: Randolph, Sparkman and Johnson High Schools, counted down to launch the rockets they designed and built at the Army test site on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The projected two-mile high launch culminated more than a year's work and demonstrated the student team's ability to meet the challenge set by the Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Student Launch Initiative (SLI) program to apply science and math to experience, judgment, and common sense, and proved to NASA officials that they have successfully built reusable launch vehicles (RLVs), another challenge set by NASA's SLI program. MSFC's SLI program is an educational effort that aims to motivate students to pursue careers in science, math, and engineering. It provides them with hands-on, practical aerospace experience. In this picture, two Johnson High School students pose with their rocket.

Microgravity nucleation and particle coagulation experiments support

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lilleleht, L. U.; Ferguson, F. T.; Stephens, J. R.

1988-01-01

Researchers at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center have embarked on a program to study the formation and growth of cosmic grains. This includes experiments on the homogeneous nucleation of refractory vapors of materials such as magnesium, lead, tin, and silicon oxides. As part of this program, the Chemical Engineering Department of the University of Virginia has undertaken to develop a math model for these experiments, to assist in the design and construction of the apparatus, and to analyze the data once the experiments have begun. Status Reports 1 and 2 addressed the design of the apparatus and the development of math models for temperature and concentration fields. The bulk of this report discusses the continued refinement of these models, and the assembly and testing of the nucleation chamber along with its ancillary equipment, which began in the spring of 1988.

Using the Process and Excitement of Science and Technology to Empower Teachers and Engage their Students

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crannell, Carol Jo

2002-01-01

Students United with NASA Becoming Enthusiastic About Math and Science (SUNBEAMS) is a Partnership between NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). It empowers teachers and inspires students with the process and excitement of science and technology. SUNBEAMS is being developed as a model urban intervention program for sixth grade teachers and their students. The teachers come to Goddard for five weeks during the summer. They partner with Goddard mentors and work much the same way that summer students do. In addition, the teachers are responsible for developing lesson plans that they pilot at their schools and post on the SUNBEAMS web site. During the school year, each teacher brings one class to Goddard for a full week of total immersion in math and science.

A latent profile analysis of math achievement, numerosity, and math anxiety in twins

PubMed Central

Hart, Sara A.; Logan, Jessica A.R.; Thompson, Lee; Kovas, Yulia; McLoughlin, Gráinne; Petrill, Stephen A.

2015-01-01

Underperformance in math is a problem with increasing prevalence, complex etiology, and severe repercussions. This study examined the etiological heterogeneity of math performance in a sample of 264 pairs of 12-year-old twins assessed on measures of math achievement, numerosity and math anxiety. Latent profile analysis indicated five groupings of individuals representing different patterns of math achievement, numerosity and math anxiety, coupled with differing degrees of familial transmission. These results suggest that there may be distinct profiles of math achievement, numerosity and anxiety; particularly for students who struggle in math. PMID:26957650

A latent profile analysis of math achievement, numerosity, and math anxiety in twins.

PubMed

Hart, Sara A; Logan, Jessica A R; Thompson, Lee; Kovas, Yulia; McLoughlin, Gráinne; Petrill, Stephen A

2016-02-01

Underperformance in math is a problem with increasing prevalence, complex etiology, and severe repercussions. This study examined the etiological heterogeneity of math performance in a sample of 264 pairs of 12-year-old twins assessed on measures of math achievement, numerosity and math anxiety. Latent profile analysis indicated five groupings of individuals representing different patterns of math achievement, numerosity and math anxiety, coupled with differing degrees of familial transmission. These results suggest that there may be distinct profiles of math achievement, numerosity and anxiety; particularly for students who struggle in math.

The Effects of the Elevate Math Summer Program on Math Achievement and Algebra Readiness. REL 2015-096

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snipes, Jason; Huang, Chun-Wei; Jaquet, Karina; Finkelstein, Neal

2015-01-01

The Effects of the Elevate Math summer program on math achievement and algebra readiness: This randomized trial examined the effects of the Elevate Math summer program on math achievement and algebra readiness, as well as math interest and self-efficacy, among rising 8th grade students in California's Silicon Valley. The Elevate Math summer math…

Another Path to Belonging: A Case Study of Middle School Students' Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Marissa; Emery, Alyssa; Sanders, Megan; Anderman, Lynley H.

2016-01-01

This qualitative study explored students' experiences in a small, early-college secondary school in the United States that intentionally aims to create a culture promoting accelerated academic achievement, particularly in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Past research in the fields of both educational and…

The Achievement Impacts of Arkansas Open-Enrollment Charter Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mills, Jonathan N.

2013-01-01

This article examines the impacts of Arkansas charter schools on the academic achievement of participating students. Our findings are that charter schools have small but statistically significant, negative impacts on student achievements for both math and literacy. Such negative effects, however, tend to decline with the number of years of charter…

Exploring the Solar System? Let the Math Teachers Help!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Charles, Karen; Canales, J. D.; Smith, Angela; Zimmerman, Natalie

2012-01-01

Scale measurement and ratio and proportion are topics that fall clearly in the middle-grades mathematics curriculum in Texas. So does the solar system. In their experience, the authors have found that students have trouble manipulating, much less comprehending, very large numbers and very small numbers. These concepts can be brought into students'…

Salamander Saver

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ilseman, Kelly; Hoffmann, Kristine

2016-01-01

On a spring morning in Maine, traps made of nets rise above vernal pools in a small wetland, ready to collect salamanders. The traps were designed by groups of rural and urban high school students from Maine and Massachusetts participating in the University of Maine Upward Bound Math Science Program (UBMS) at the university campus in Orono, Maine.…

The Effect of Cooperative Learning on Middle School Math Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Remillard, Heather A.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore cooperative learning and the impact on middle school students overall academic achievement. The study included 47 students from a small private school, ranging from grades sixth through eighth. The researcher examined student perception of cooperative learning, implementation process and the overall impact…

Using Research-Based Instruction to Improve Math Outcomes with Underprepared Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pearce, Lee R.; Pearce, Kristi L.; Siewert, Daluss J.

2017-01-01

The authors used a mixed-methods research design to evaluate a multi-tiered system of supports model to address the disturbing failure rates of underprepared college students placed in developmental mathematics at a small state university. While qualitative data gathered from using Participatory Action Research methods directed the two-year…

Time and resource limits on working memory: cross-age consistency in counting span performance.

PubMed

Ransdell, Sarah; Hecht, Steven

2003-12-01

This longitudinal study separated resource demand effects from those of retention interval in a counting span task among 100 children tested in grade 2 and again in grades 3 and 4. A last card large counting span condition had an equivalent memory load to a last card small, but the last card large required holding the count over a longer retention interval. In all three waves of assessment, the last card large condition was found to be less accurate than the last card small. A model predicting reading comprehension showed that age was a significant predictor when entered first accounting for 26% of the variance, but counting span accounted for a further 22% of the variance. Span at Wave 1 accounted for significant unique variance at Wave 2 and at Wave 3. Results were similar for math calculation with age accounting for 31% of the variance and counting span accounting for a further 34% of the variance. Span at Wave 1 explained unique variance in math at Wave 2 and at Wave 3.

STEM Mentor Breakfast at Debus Center

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-25

Hortense Diggs, at right, the deputy director of the Communication and Public Engagement Directorate at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, talks to students during a Women in STEM breakfast inside the Debus Conference Center at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. STEM is science, technology, engineering and math. The special event gave students competing in NASA's 8th Annual Robotic Mining Competition the chance to learn from female NASA scientists, engineers and professionals about their careers and the paths they took to working at Kennedy. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could be used on NASA's Journey to Mars.

Report on enhancing young scholars in science and technology the Center for Excellence in Education

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

The present stock and flow of highly talented young persons engaged in the global discovery and application of science and technology are critical to the future pace of innovation. Historically, the world`s largest reservoirs of scientists and engineers have been in the Western economies. Overtime, however, Asia has begun to build equivalent pools of scientists and engineers among their university graduates. According to 1993 data from the National Science Foundation and the UNESCO World Science Report, Germany leads all economies with a 67% ratio of science and engineering degrees to total first university degrees compared to the United States withmore » a distant fifth place at 32% behind Italy, Mexico and Poland. If the nation is to keep its scientific and technological prowess, it must capture its very best talent in the science and technology fields. The question is then raised as to the source within the United States of the science and technology talent pool. While between 1978 and 1991 there was an overall decline in male participation in undergraduate (-9%) and graduate degrees (-12%), the number of women receiving undergraduate (+8%) and graduate degrees (+34%) rose dramatically. These numbers are encouraging for women`s participation overall, however, women earn only a small percentage of physical science and engineering degrees. Why are there so few women in mathematics, engineering, and the physical sciences? The answers are complex and begin early in a woman`s exposure to science and mathematics. This report presents results on a study of careers of alumni from the Research Science Institute. Investigations were concerned with the timing of decision processes concerned with the sciences and math and factors that influenced people to turn away from or proceed with careers in science and math.« less

Identifying Maths Anxiety in Student Nurses and Focusing Remedial Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bull, Heather

2009-01-01

Maths anxiety interferes with maths cognition and thereby increases the risk of maths errors. To initiate strategies for preventing anxiety-related errors progressing into nursing practice, this study explored the hypothesis that student nurses experience high maths anxiety in association with poor maths performance, and that high maths anxiety is…

Math Anxiety in Second and Third Graders and Its Relation to Mathematics Achievement

PubMed Central

Wu, Sarah S.; Barth, Maria; Amin, Hitha; Malcarne, Vanessa; Menon, Vinod

2012-01-01

Although the detrimental effects of math anxiety in adults are well understood, few studies have examined how it affects younger children who are beginning to learn math in a formal academic setting. Here, we examine the relationship between math anxiety and math achievement in second and third graders. In response to the need for a grade-appropriate measure of assessing math anxiety in this group we first describe the development of Scale for Early Mathematics Anxiety (SEMA), a new measure for assessing math anxiety in second and third graders that is based on the Math Anxiety Rating Scale. We demonstrate the construct validity and reliability of the SEMA and use it to characterize the effect of math anxiety on standardized measures of math abilities, as assessed using the Mathematical Reasoning and Numerical Operations subtests of the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-II). Math achievement, as measured by the WIAT-II Math Composite score, was significantly and negatively correlated with SEMA but not with trait anxiety scores. Additional analyses showed that SEMA scores were strongly correlated with Mathematical Reasoning scores, which involves more complex verbal problem solving. SEMA scores were weakly correlated with Numerical Operations which assesses basic computation skills, suggesting that math anxiety has a pronounced effect on more demanding calculations. We also found that math anxiety has an equally detrimental impact on math achievement regardless of whether children have an anxiety related to numbers or to the situational and social experience of doing math. Critically, these effects were unrelated to trait anxiety, providing the first evidence that the specific effects of math anxiety can be detected in the earliest stages of formal math learning in school. Our findings provide new insights into the developmental origins of math anxiety, and further underscore the need to remediate math anxiety and its deleterious effects on math achievement in young children. PMID:22701105

Math anxiety in second and third graders and its relation to mathematics achievement.

PubMed

Wu, Sarah S; Barth, Maria; Amin, Hitha; Malcarne, Vanessa; Menon, Vinod

2012-01-01

Although the detrimental effects of math anxiety in adults are well understood, few studies have examined how it affects younger children who are beginning to learn math in a formal academic setting. Here, we examine the relationship between math anxiety and math achievement in second and third graders. In response to the need for a grade-appropriate measure of assessing math anxiety in this group we first describe the development of Scale for Early Mathematics Anxiety (SEMA), a new measure for assessing math anxiety in second and third graders that is based on the Math Anxiety Rating Scale. We demonstrate the construct validity and reliability of the SEMA and use it to characterize the effect of math anxiety on standardized measures of math abilities, as assessed using the Mathematical Reasoning and Numerical Operations subtests of the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-II). Math achievement, as measured by the WIAT-II Math Composite score, was significantly and negatively correlated with SEMA but not with trait anxiety scores. Additional analyses showed that SEMA scores were strongly correlated with Mathematical Reasoning scores, which involves more complex verbal problem solving. SEMA scores were weakly correlated with Numerical Operations which assesses basic computation skills, suggesting that math anxiety has a pronounced effect on more demanding calculations. We also found that math anxiety has an equally detrimental impact on math achievement regardless of whether children have an anxiety related to numbers or to the situational and social experience of doing math. Critically, these effects were unrelated to trait anxiety, providing the first evidence that the specific effects of math anxiety can be detected in the earliest stages of formal math learning in school. Our findings provide new insights into the developmental origins of math anxiety, and further underscore the need to remediate math anxiety and its deleterious effects on math achievement in young children.

Math anxiety differentially affects WAIS-IV arithmetic performance in undergraduates.

PubMed

Buelow, Melissa T; Frakey, Laura L

2013-06-01

Previous research has shown that math anxiety can influence the math performance level; however, to date, it is unknown whether math anxiety influences performance on working memory tasks during neuropsychological evaluation. In the present study, 172 undergraduate students completed measures of math achievement (the Math Computation subtest from the Wide Range Achievement Test-IV), math anxiety (the Math Anxiety Rating Scale-Revised), general test anxiety (from the Adult Manifest Anxiety Scale-College version), and the three Working Memory Index tasks from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV Edition (WAIS-IV; Digit Span [DS], Arithmetic, Letter-Number Sequencing [LNS]). Results indicated that math anxiety predicted performance on Arithmetic, but not DS or LNS, above and beyond the effects of gender, general test anxiety, and math performance level. Our findings suggest that math anxiety can negatively influence WAIS-IV working memory subtest scores. Implications for clinical practice include the utilization of LNS in individuals expressing high math anxiety.

Relationships Among Teacher Preparedness and Instructional Approaches to Secondary Student Achievement in STEM: A Secondary Analysis of TIMSS Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller-Ricks, Karen A.

Educational reform efforts in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) place emphasis on teachers as conduits for student achievement. The purpose of this study was to use TIMSS 2011 data to examine relationships between Science-Technology-Society (STS) instructional practices (student-centered instruction established to promote learning through real-world applications) teacher preparedness, and student achievement and identify variations of achievement between and among eighth-grade science and math classes. The research was framed by both Harper's Anti-Deficit Achievement Theory and Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory (BEST). 501 U.S. schools contributed to the TIMSS 2011 data from both the teacher questionnaires and student booklets. Chi-Square, Spearman Correlation, and 2-level hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) were used to analyze data about teachers' preparedness to teach science and math, frequency of using STS instructional practices, and student achievement. The chi-square null hypothesis for math teachers was rejected, providing the assumption that there was an association between the frequency of using STS instruction in math and teacher preparedness. However, the chi-square null hypothesis for science teachers failed to be rejected, providing the assumption that there was no significant association between the frequency of using STS instruction in science and science teacher preparedness. The Spearman Correlation revealed statistically positively significant differences between STS instruction and science achievement, as well as between teacher preparedness and science achievement. The HLM results suggested that 33% of the variance of mathematics achievement was at the individual level and 66% was at the group level. The results for science teachers suggested that 54% of the variance of science achievement was at the individual level and 46% of the variance was at the group level. The data findings support the conclusion that secondary STEM teachers who are more prepared to teach within the STEM content domains and implement STS instructional practices into lessons have higher achievement scores.

Self-Regulation and Math Attitudes: Effects on Academic Performance in Developmental Math Courses at a Community College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Otts, Cynthia D.

2010-01-01

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship among math attitudes, self-regulated learning, and course outcomes in developmental math. Math attitudes involved perceived usefulness of math and math anxiety. Self-regulated learning represented the ability of students to control cognitive, metacognitive, and behavioral aspects of…

College Math Assessment: SAT Scores vs. College Math Placement Scores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foley-Peres, Kathleen; Poirier, Dawn

2008-01-01

Many colleges and university's use SAT math scores or math placement tests to place students in the appropriate math course. This study compares the use of math placement scores and SAT scores for 188 freshman students. The student's grades and faculty observations were analyzed to determine if the SAT scores and/or college math assessment scores…

Mathematical learning instruction and teacher motivation factors affecting science technology engineering and math (STEM) major choices in 4-year colleges and universities: Multilevel structural equation modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Ahlam

2011-12-01

Using the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002/06, this study examined the effects of the selected mathematical learning and teacher motivation factors on graduates' science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) related major choices in 4-year colleges and universities, as mediated by math performance and math self-efficacy. Using multilevel structural equation modeling, I analyzed: (1) the association between mathematical learning instruction factors (i.e., computer, individual, and lecture-based learning activities in mathematics) and students' STEM major choices in 4-year colleges and universities as mediated by math performance and math self-efficacy and (2) the association between school factor, teacher motivation and students' STEM major choices in 4-year colleges and universities via mediators of math performance and math self-efficacy. The results revealed that among the selected learning experience factors, computer-based learning activities in math classrooms yielded the most positive effects on math self-efficacy, which significantly predicted the increase in the proportion of students' STEM major choice as mediated by math self-efficacy. Further, when controlling for base-year math Item Response Theory (IRT) scores, a positive relationship between individual-based learning activities in math classrooms and the first follow-up math IRT scores emerged, which related to the high proportion of students' STEM major choices. The results also indicated that individual and lecture-based learning activities in math yielded positive effects on math self-efficacy, which related to STEM major choice. Concerning between-school levels, teacher motivation yielded positive effects on the first follow up math IRT score, when controlling for base year IRT score. The results from this study inform educators, parents, and policy makers on how mathematics instruction can improve student math performance and encourage more students to prepare for STEM careers. Students should receive all possible opportunities to use computers to enhance their math self-efficacy, be encouraged to review math materials, and concentrate on listening to math teachers' lectures. While all selected math-learning activities should be embraced in math instruction, computer and individual-based learning activities, which reflect student-driven learning, should be emphasized in the high school instruction. Likewise, students should be encouraged to frequently engage in individual-based learning activities to improve their math performance.

KSC-2011-3475

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-05-12

Cape Canaveral, Fla. -- Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana speaks to the students after they participated in hands-on projects in Kennedy’s Space Life Sciences Laboratory (SLSL). High-school students from two Orlando, Fla., schools travelled to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to participate in National Lab Day activities. During the event, about 80 students, toured various facilities and engaged in educational hands-on activities. National Lab Day is a partnership between federal agencies, foundations, professional societies and organizations devoted to promoting science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, hands-on discovery-based laboratory experiences for students. Photo Credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

Is math anxiety in the secondary classroom limiting physics mastery? A study of math anxiety and physics performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mercer, Gary J.

This quantitative study examined the relationship between secondary students with math anxiety and physics performance in an inquiry-based constructivist classroom. The Revised Math Anxiety Rating Scale was used to evaluate math anxiety levels. The results were then compared to the performance on a physics standardized final examination. A simple correlation was performed, followed by a multivariate regression analysis to examine effects based on gender and prior math background. The correlation showed statistical significance between math anxiety and physics performance. The regression analysis showed statistical significance for math anxiety, physics performance, and prior math background, but did not show statistical significance for math anxiety, physics performance, and gender.

Schoolbook Texts: Behavioral Achievement Priming in Math and Language.

PubMed

Engeser, Stefan; Baumann, Nicola; Baum, Ingrid

2016-01-01

Prior research found reliable and considerably strong effects of semantic achievement primes on subsequent performance. In order to simulate a more natural priming condition to better understand the practical relevance of semantic achievement priming effects, running texts of schoolbook excerpts with and without achievement primes were used as priming stimuli. Additionally, we manipulated the achievement context; some subjects received no feedback about their achievement and others received feedback according to a social or individual reference norm. As expected, we found a reliable (albeit small) positive behavioral priming effect of semantic achievement primes on achievement in math (Experiment 1) and language tasks (Experiment 2). Feedback moderated the behavioral priming effect less consistently than we expected. The implication that achievement primes in schoolbooks can foster performance is discussed along with general theoretical implications.

Schoolbook Texts: Behavioral Achievement Priming in Math and Language

PubMed Central

Engeser, Stefan; Baumann, Nicola; Baum, Ingrid

2016-01-01

Prior research found reliable and considerably strong effects of semantic achievement primes on subsequent performance. In order to simulate a more natural priming condition to better understand the practical relevance of semantic achievement priming effects, running texts of schoolbook excerpts with and without achievement primes were used as priming stimuli. Additionally, we manipulated the achievement context; some subjects received no feedback about their achievement and others received feedback according to a social or individual reference norm. As expected, we found a reliable (albeit small) positive behavioral priming effect of semantic achievement primes on achievement in math (Experiment 1) and language tasks (Experiment 2). Feedback moderated the behavioral priming effect less consistently than we expected. The implication that achievement primes in schoolbooks can foster performance is discussed along with general theoretical implications. PMID:26938446

Implicit constitutive models with a thermodynamic basis: a study of stress concentration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bridges, C.; Rajagopal, K. R.

2015-02-01

Motivated by the recent generalization of the class of elastic bodies by Rajagopal (Appl Math 48:279-319, 2003), there have been several recent studies that have been carried out within the context of this new class. Rajagopal and Srinivasa (Proc R Soc Ser A 463:357-367, 2007, Proc R Soc Ser A: Math Phys Eng Sci 465:493-500, 2009) provided a thermodynamic basis for such models and appealing to the idea that rate of entropy production ought to be maximized they developed nonlinear rate equations of the form where T is the Cauchy stress and D is the stretching tensor as well as , where S is the Piola-Kirchhoff stress tensor and E is the Green-St. Venant strain tensor. We follow a similar procedure by utilizing the Gibb's potential and the left stretch tensor V from the Polar Decomposition of the deformation gradient, and we show that when the displacement gradient is small one arrives at constitutive relations of the form . This is, of course, in stark contrast to traditional elasticity wherein one obtains a single model, Hooke's law, when the displacement gradient is small. By solving a classical boundary value problem, with a particular form for f( T), we show that when the stresses are small, the strains are also small which is in agreement with traditional elasticity. However, within the context of our model, when the stress blows up the strains remain small, unlike the implications of Hooke's law. We use this model to study boundary value problems in annular domains to illustrate its efficacy.

Math practice and its influence on math skills and executive functions in adolescents with mild to borderline intellectual disability.

PubMed

Jansen, Brenda R J; De Lange, Eva; Van der Molen, Mariët J

2013-05-01

Adolescents with mild to borderline intellectual disability (MBID) often complete schooling without mastering basic math skills, even though basic math is essential for math-related challenges in everyday life. Limited attention to cognitive skills and low executive functioning (EF) may cause this delay. We aimed to improve math skills in an MBID-sample using computerized math training. Also, it was investigated whether EF and math performance were related and whether computerized math training had beneficial effects on EF. The sample consisted of a total of 58 adolescents (12-15 years) from special education. Participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group or a treatment as usual (TAU) group. In the experimental condition, participants received 5 weeks of training. Math performance and EF were assessed before and after the training period. Math performance improved equally in both groups. However, frequently practicing participants improved more than participants in the control group. Visuo-spatial memory skills were positively related to addition and subtraction skills. Transfer effects from math training to EF were absent. It is concluded that math skills may increase if a reasonable effort in practicing math skills is made. The relation between visuo-spatial memory skills provides opportunities for improving math performance. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Math anxiety in Thai early adolescents: a cognitive-behavioral perspective.

PubMed

Wangsiriwech, Tawatchai; Pisitsungkagarn, Kullaya; Jarukasemthawee, Somboon

2017-08-29

With its high prevalence and debilitating impact on students, math anxiety is well studied within the educational context. However, the problem has yet to be examined from the psychological perspective, which is necessary in order to produce a more comprehensive perspective and to pave the way for therapeutic intervention. The current study, therefore, was conducted to identify cognitive and behavioral factors relevant to the occurrence and maintenance of math anxiety. Data were collected from 300 grade 9 students (150 females and 150 males) from public and private schools in Bangkok, Thailand. Participants responded to the measures of math anxiety, negative math beliefs, negative math appraisals and math avoidance. Structural equation modeling was conducted. Model fit indices obtained consistently suggested the good fitness of the model to the data [e.g. χ2/df = 0.42, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.00]. Negative math beliefs, negative math appraisals and math avoidance had a significant direct effect on math anxiety. Additionally, the indirect effect of negative math appraisal was observed between negative math beliefs and math anxiety. In summary, the proposed model accounted for 84.5% of the variance in the anxiety. The findings are discussed with particular focus on implications for therapeutic intervention for math anxiety.

Does Math Self-Efficacy Mediate the Effect of the Perceived Classroom Environment on Standardized Math Test Performance?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fast, Lisa A.; Lewis, James L.; Bryant, Michael J.; Bocian, Kathleen A.; Cardullo, Richard A.; Rettig, Michael; Hammond, Kimberly A.

2010-01-01

We examined the effect of the perceived classroom environment on math self-efficacy and the effect of math self-efficacy on standardized math test performance. Upper elementary school students (N = 1,163) provided self-reports of their perceived math self-efficacy and the degree to which their math classroom environment was mastery oriented,…

The role of expressive writing in math anxiety.

PubMed

Park, Daeun; Ramirez, Gerardo; Beilock, Sian L

2014-06-01

Math anxiety is a negative affective reaction to situations involving math. Previous work demonstrates that math anxiety can negatively impact math problem solving by creating performance-related worries that disrupt the working memory needed for the task at hand. By leveraging knowledge about the mechanism underlying the math anxiety-performance relationship, we tested the effectiveness of a short expressive writing intervention that has been shown to reduce intrusive thoughts and improve working memory availability. Students (N = 80) varying in math anxiety were asked to sit quietly (control group) prior to completing difficulty-matched math and word problems or to write about their thoughts and feelings regarding the exam they were about to take (expressive writing group). For the control group, high math-anxious individuals (HMAs) performed significantly worse on the math problems than low math-anxious students (LMAs). In the expressive writing group, however, this difference in math performance across HMAs and LMAs was significantly reduced. Among HMAs, the use of words related to anxiety, cause, and insight in their writing was positively related to math performance. Expressive writing boosts the performance of anxious students in math-testing situations. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Formal and Informal Measures of Reading and Math Achievement as a Function of Early Childhood Program Participation among Kindergarten through Eighth Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haas, Lory E.

2011-01-01

Three main purposes provided the foundation for this study. The first purpose was to investigate academic achievement through analyses of data obtained through formal and informal assessments among kindergarten through eighth grade students who participated in a Head Start program, center-based care program, or home-based care prior to school…

Software Accelerates Computing Time for Complex Math

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2014-01-01

Ames Research Center awarded Newark, Delaware-based EM Photonics Inc. SBIR funding to utilize graphic processing unit (GPU) technology- traditionally used for computer video games-to develop high-computing software called CULA. The software gives users the ability to run complex algorithms on personal computers with greater speed. As a result of the NASA collaboration, the number of employees at the company has increased 10 percent.

LEGO "Build The Future" Activity

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-11-03

LEGOs are seen assembled by students as part of a “Build the Future” activity inside a tent that was set up on the launch viewing area at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010. NASA and The LEGO Group signed a Space Act Agreement to spark children's interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Professional Development as a Catalyst for Change in the Community College Science Classroom: How Active Learning Pedagogy Impacts Teaching Practices as Well as Faculty and Student Perceptions of Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harmon, Melissa Cameron

2017-01-01

Active learning, an engaging, student-centered, evidence-based pedagogy, has been shown to improve student satisfaction, engagement, and achievement in college classrooms. There have been numerous calls to reform teaching practices, especially in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); however, the utilization of active learning is…

2000 FIRST Robotics Competition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Purman, Richard

2000-01-01

The New Horizons Regional Education Center (NHREC) in Hampton, VA sought and received NASA funding to support its participation in the 2000 FIRST Robotics competition. FIRST, Inc. (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an organization which encourages the application of creative science, math, and computer science principles to solve real-world engineering problems. The FIRST competition is an international engineering contest featuring high school, government, and business partnerships.

KSC-03pd0458

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-02-02

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Former astronaut Sally Ride talks to young women at the Sally Ride Science Festival, held at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla. The event promotes science, math and technology as future career paths for girls. Breakout sessions afforded closer interaction between Ride and festival attendees. Since it followed the tragic loss of the Columbia astronauts, a large poster was presented which attendees could sign as tribute..

Real Estate Course Outlines--Principles, Appraisal, Finance, Law, Math, Property Management, Investments, Marketing, Brokerage.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lyon, Robert

This series of course outlines was developed by the Texas Real Estate Research Center to help instructors in developing courses in compliance with the Texas Real Estate License Act Section 7(a). The outlines are general in nature and designed to serve as the basis for the development of a comprehensive course outline based on the texts and…

KSC-03PD-0458

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Former astronaut Sally Ride talks to young women at the Sally Ride Science Festival, held at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla. The event promotes science, math and technology as future career paths for girls. Breakout sessions afforded closer interaction between Ride and festival attendees. Since it followed the tragic loss of the Columbia astronauts, a large poster was presented which attendees could sign as tribute..

Online Assessment in Mathematics and Writing: Reports from the NAEP Technology-Based Assessment Project, Research and Development Series. NCES 2005-457

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandene, Brent; Horkay, Nancy; Bennett, Randy Elliot; Allen, Nancy; Braswell, James; Kaplan, Bruce; Oranje, Andreas

2005-01-01

This publication presents the reports from two studies, Math Online (MOL) and Writing Online (WOL), part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Technology-Based Assessment (TBA) project. Funded by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the Technology-Based Assessment project is intended to explore the use of new…

"Ground Control to Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students...": Space Camp Provides Lessons in Science, Math, Teamwork, and Fun

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perkins, Becky

2007-01-01

In this article, the author describes the Space Camp at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, where deaf and hard of hearing students can pilot spaceships, conduct experiments, and dodge meteorites. Each year in the spring, students from schools all over the United States attend a one-week, hands-on learning experience in…

Math and Science Scholars (MASS) Program: A Model Program for the Recruitment and Retention of Preservice Mathematics and Science Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Timothy P.; Milam, Jennifer L.; Stuessy, Carol L.; Blount, Kit Price; Bentz, Adrienne

2006-01-01

The shortage of certified teachers in mathematics and science in Texas classrooms is a major concern and mirrors national tends. Dramatic increases in shortages of teachers have stimulated the design of new certification programs that recruit and place teachers in classrooms as quickly as possible (Texas Center for Educational Research, 1999).…

Does It Matter if I Take My Mathematics Test on Computer? A Second Empirical Study of Mode Effects in NAEP

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, Randy Elliot; Braswell, James; Oranje, Andreas; Sandene, Brent; Kaplan, Bruce; Yan, Fred

2008-01-01

This article describes selected results from the Math Online (MOL) study, one of three field investigations sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to explore the use of new technology in NAEP. Of particular interest in the MOL study was the comparability of scores from paper- and computer-based tests. A nationally…

Modeling Zombie Outbreaks: A Problem-Based Approach to Improving Mathematics One Brain at a Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Matthew; Powell, James A.

2016-01-01

A great deal of educational literature has focused on problem-based learning (PBL) in mathematics at the primary and secondary level, but arguably there is an even greater need for PBL in college math courses. We present a project centered around the Humans versus Zombies moderated tag game played on the Utah State University campus. We discuss…

The Center for Nonlinear Phenomena and Magnetic Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-09-30

ORGANIZATION Howard University REPORT NUMBER ComSERCIWashington DC 20059 AFOSR- ,, ? 9 v 5 4 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10... University . Visualization - Improved Marching Cubes. January 27, 1992: Dr. Gerald Chachere, Math Dept., Howard University . "An algorithm for box...James Gates, Physics Department, Howard University . "Introduction to Strings Part I". February 5, 1992: Dr. James Gates, Physics Department, Howard

Understanding the Home Math Environment and Its Role in Predicting Parent Report of Children's Math Skills.

PubMed

Hart, Sara A; Ganley, Colleen M; Purpura, David J

2016-01-01

There is a growing literature concerning the role of the home math environment in children's math development. In this study, we examined the relation between these constructs by specifically addressing three goals. The first goal was to identify the measurement structure of the home math environment through a series of confirmatory factor analyses. The second goal was to examine the role of the home math environment in predicting parent report of children's math skills. The third goal was to test a series of potential alternative explanations for the relation between the home math environment and parent report of children's skills, specifically the direct and indirect role of household income, parent math anxiety, and parent math ability as measured by their approximate number system performance. A final sample of 339 parents of children aged 3 through 8 drawn from Mechanical Turk answered a questionnaire online. The best fitting model of the home math environment was a bifactor model with a general factor representing the general home math environment, and three specific factors representing the direct numeracy environment, the indirect numeracy environment, and the spatial environment. When examining the association of the home math environment factors to parent report of child skills, the general home math environment factor and the spatial environment were the only significant predictors. Parents who reported doing more general math activities in the home reported having children with higher math skills, whereas parents who reported doing more spatial activities reported having children with lower math skills.

Math anxiety and its relationship with basic arithmetic skills among primary school children.

PubMed

Sorvo, Riikka; Koponen, Tuire; Viholainen, Helena; Aro, Tuija; Räikkönen, Eija; Peura, Pilvi; Dowker, Ann; Aro, Mikko

2017-09-01

Children have been found to report and demonstrate math anxiety as early as the first grade. However, previous results concerning the relationship between math anxiety and performance are contradictory, with some studies establishing a correlation between them while others do not. These contradictory results might be related to varying operationalizations of math anxiety. In this study, we aimed to examine the prevalence of math anxiety and its relationship with basic arithmetic skills in primary school children, with explicit focus on two aspects of math anxiety: anxiety about failure in mathematics and anxiety in math-related situations. The participants comprised 1,327 children at grades 2-5. Math anxiety was assessed using six items, and basic arithmetic skills were assessed using three assessment tasks. Around one-third of the participants reported anxiety about being unable to do math, one-fifth about having to answer teachers' questions, and one tenth about having to do math. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that anxiety about math-related situations and anxiety about failure in mathematics are separable aspects of math anxiety. Structural equation modelling suggested that anxiety about math-related situations was more strongly associated with arithmetic fluency than anxiety about failure. Anxiety about math-related situations was most common among second graders and least common among fifth graders. As math anxiety, particularly about math-related situations, was related to arithmetic fluency even as early as the second grade, children's negative feelings and math anxiety should be identified and addressed from the early primary school years. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

Understanding the Home Math Environment and Its Role in Predicting Parent Report of Children’s Math Skills

PubMed Central

Ganley, Colleen M.; Purpura, David J.

2016-01-01

There is a growing literature concerning the role of the home math environment in children’s math development. In this study, we examined the relation between these constructs by specifically addressing three goals. The first goal was to identify the measurement structure of the home math environment through a series of confirmatory factor analyses. The second goal was to examine the role of the home math environment in predicting parent report of children’s math skills. The third goal was to test a series of potential alternative explanations for the relation between the home math environment and parent report of children’s skills, specifically the direct and indirect role of household income, parent math anxiety, and parent math ability as measured by their approximate number system performance. A final sample of 339 parents of children aged 3 through 8 drawn from Mechanical Turk answered a questionnaire online. The best fitting model of the home math environment was a bifactor model with a general factor representing the general home math environment, and three specific factors representing the direct numeracy environment, the indirect numeracy environment, and the spatial environment. When examining the association of the home math environment factors to parent report of child skills, the general home math environment factor and the spatial environment were the only significant predictors. Parents who reported doing more general math activities in the home reported having children with higher math skills, whereas parents who reported doing more spatial activities reported having children with lower math skills. PMID:28005925

Enjoying mathematics or feeling competent in mathematics? Reciprocal effects on mathematics achievement and perceived math effort expenditure.

PubMed

Pinxten, Maarten; Marsh, Herbert W; De Fraine, Bieke; Van Den Noortgate, Wim; Van Damme, Jan

2014-03-01

The multidimensionality of the academic self-concept in terms of domain specificity has been well established in previous studies, whereas its multidimensionality in terms of motivational functions (the so-called affect-competence separation) needs further examination. This study aims at exploring differential effects of enjoyment and competence beliefs on two external validity criteria in the field of mathematics. Data analysed in this study were part of a large-scale longitudinal research project. Following a five-wave design, math enjoyment, math competence beliefs, math achievement, and perceived math effort expenditure measures were repeatedly collected from a cohort of 4,724 pupils in Grades 3-7. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test the internal factor structure of the math self-concept. Additionally, a series of nested models was tested using structural equation modelling to examine longitudinal reciprocal interrelations between math competence beliefs and math enjoyment on the one hand and math achievement and perceived math effort expenditure on the other. Our results showed that CFA models with separate factors for math enjoyment and math competence beliefs fit the data substantially better than models without it. Furthermore, differential relationships between both constructs and the two educational outcomes were observed. Math competence beliefs had positive effects on math achievement and negative effects on perceived math effort expenditure. Math enjoyment had (mild) positive effects on subsequent perceived effort expenditure and math competence beliefs. This study provides further support for the affect-competence separation. Theoretical issues regarding adequate conceptualization and practical consequences for practitioners are discussed. © 2013 The British Psychological Society.

Neural correlates of math anxiety - an overview and implications.

PubMed

Artemenko, Christina; Daroczy, Gabriella; Nuerk, Hans-Christoph

2015-01-01

Math anxiety is a common phenomenon which can have a negative impact on numerical and arithmetic performance. However, so far little is known about the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms. This mini review provides an overview of studies investigating the neural correlates of math anxiety which provide several hints regarding its influence on math performance: while behavioral studies mostly observe an influence of math anxiety on difficult math tasks, neurophysiological studies show that processing efficiency is already affected in basic number processing. Overall, the neurocognitive literature suggests that (i) math anxiety elicits emotion- and pain-related activation during and before math activities, (ii) that the negative emotional response to math anxiety impairs processing efficiency, and (iii) that math deficits triggered by math anxiety may be compensated for by modulating the cognitive control or emotional regulation network. However, activation differs strongly between studies, depending on tasks, paradigms, and samples. We conclude that neural correlates can help to understand and explore the processes underlying math anxiety, but the data are not very consistent yet.

Neural correlates of math anxiety – an overview and implications

PubMed Central

Artemenko, Christina; Daroczy, Gabriella; Nuerk, Hans-Christoph

2015-01-01

Math anxiety is a common phenomenon which can have a negative impact on numerical and arithmetic performance. However, so far little is known about the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms. This mini review provides an overview of studies investigating the neural correlates of math anxiety which provide several hints regarding its influence on math performance: while behavioral studies mostly observe an influence of math anxiety on difficult math tasks, neurophysiological studies show that processing efficiency is already affected in basic number processing. Overall, the neurocognitive literature suggests that (i) math anxiety elicits emotion- and pain-related activation during and before math activities, (ii) that the negative emotional response to math anxiety impairs processing efficiency, and (iii) that math deficits triggered by math anxiety may be compensated for by modulating the cognitive control or emotional regulation network. However, activation differs strongly between studies, depending on tasks, paradigms, and samples. We conclude that neural correlates can help to understand and explore the processes underlying math anxiety, but the data are not very consistent yet. PMID:26388824

The Sum of All Fears: The Effects of Math Anxiety on Math Achievement in Fifth Grade Students and the Implications for School Counselors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruff, Sarah E.; Boes, Susan R.

2014-01-01

Low math achievement is a recurring weakness in many students. Math anxiety is a persistent and significant theme to math avoidance and low achievement. Causes for math anxiety include social, cognitive, and academic factors. Interventions to reduce math anxiety are limited as they exclude the expert skills of professional school counselors to…

A Study of Perceptions of Math Mindset, Math Anxiety, and View of Math by Young Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hocker, Tami

2017-01-01

This study's purpose was to determine whether instruction in growth math mindset led to change in perceptions of 18-22-year-old at-risk students in math mindset, math anxiety, and view of math. The experimental curriculum was created by the researcher with the guidance of experts in mathematics and education and focused on the impact of brain…

Errors in Multi-Digit Arithmetic and Behavioral Inattention in Children With Math Difficulties

PubMed Central

Raghubar, Kimberly; Cirino, Paul; Barnes, Marcia; Ewing-Cobbs, Linda; Fletcher, Jack; Fuchs, Lynn

2009-01-01

Errors in written multi-digit computation were investigated in children with math difficulties. Third-and fourth-grade children (n = 291) with coexisting math and reading difficulties, math difficulties, reading difficulties, or no learning difficulties were compared. A second analysis compared those with severe math learning difficulties, low average achievement in math, and no learning difficulties. Math fact errors were related to the severity of the math difficulties, not to reading status. Contrary to predictions, children with poorer reading, regardless of math achievement, committed more visually based errors. Operation switch errors were not systematically related to group membership. Teacher ratings of behavioral inattention were related to accuracy, math fact errors, and procedural bugs. The findings are discussed with respect to hypotheses about the cognitive origins of arithmetic errors and in relation to current discussions about how to conceptualize math disabilities. PMID:19380494

Using a physics experiment in a lecture setting to engage biology students with the concepts of Poiseuille's law.

PubMed

Breckler, Jennifer L; Christensen, Tina; Sun, Wendy

2013-06-01

Biology students enrolled in a typical undergraduate physiology course encounter Poiseuille's law, a physics equation that describes the properties governing the flow of blood through the circulation. According to the equation, a small change in vessel radius has an exponential effect on resistance, resulting in a larger than expected change in blood flow. To help engage students in this important concept, we performed a physics experiment as a lecture demonstration to mimic the original research by the 19th-century French scientist. We tested its impact as a research project and found that students who viewed the demonstration reacted very positively and showed an immediate increase in test performance, while the control group was able to independently "catch up" at the fourth week posttest. We further examined whether students' math skills mapped to learning gains. The students with lower math scores who viewed the demonstration had slightly more improvement in test performance than those students who did not view the demonstration. Our data suggest that watching a lecture demonstration may be of even greater benefit to biology students with lower math achievement.

Using a Physics Experiment in a Lecture Setting to Engage Biology Students with the Concepts of Poiseuille's Law

PubMed Central

Breckler, Jennifer L.; Christensen, Tina; Sun, Wendy

2013-01-01

Biology students enrolled in a typical undergraduate physiology course encounter Poiseuille's law, a physics equation that describes the properties governing the flow of blood through the circulation. According to the equation, a small change in vessel radius has an exponential effect on resistance, resulting in a larger than expected change in blood flow. To help engage students in this important concept, we performed a physics experiment as a lecture demonstration to mimic the original research by the 19th-century French scientist. We tested its impact as a research project and found that students who viewed the demonstration reacted very positively and showed an immediate increase in test performance, while the control group was able to independently “catch up” at the fourth week posttest. We further examined whether students’ math skills mapped to learning gains. The students with lower math scores who viewed the demonstration had slightly more improvement in test performance than those students who did not view the demonstration. Our data suggest that watching a lecture demonstration may be of even greater benefit to biology students with lower math achievement. PMID:23737633

Good Questions: Great Ways to Differentiate Mathematics Instruction in the Standards-Based Classroom. Third Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Small, Marian

2017-01-01

Now in its Third Edition--expanded with over 100 new tasks and questions--this bestselling resource helps experienced and novice teachers to effectively and efficiently differentiate mathematics instruction in grades K-8. Math education expert Marian Small shows teachers how to get started and become expert at using two powerful and universal…

Cross-Cultural Study of Cognitive and Metacognitive Processes during Math Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cozza, Barbara; Oreshkina, Maria

2013-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was: (a) to explore the cognitive and metacognitive processes of mathematics problem-solving discourse of 10-year-old students in Russia, Spain, Hungary, and the United States; and (b) to explore the patterns of social interactions during small group work. Data were analyzed using a cognitive/metacognitive…

eWorkbooks for Mathematics: Mapping the Independent Learning Experiences of Elementary Students with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaczorowski, Tara; Raimondi, Sharon

2014-01-01

In this paper, we describe a small case study exploring how four elementary students with mathematics learning disabilities utilized mobile technology (the eWorkbook) during core math instruction in a general education setting. The lead author designed the eWorkbook intervention to provide a flexible learning experience optimized for diverse…

Research and Teaching: From Gatekeeper to Gateway: Improving Student Success in an Introductory Biology Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Amy N.; McNair, Delores E.; Lucas, Jonathan C.; Land, Kirkwood M.

2017-01-01

Introductory science, math, and engineering courses often have problems related to student engagement, achievement, and course completion. To begin examining these issues in greater depth, this pilot study compared student engagement, achievement, and course completion in a small and large section of an introductory biology class. Results based on…

Jump as Far as You Can [Problem Solvers: Solutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yigit, Melike; Bofferding, Laura; Warnock, Miranda

2014-01-01

The How Far Do You Think You Can Jump? activity (see EJ1174770) was completed in three different contexts: an after-school mathematics enrichment program at Woodland and Country Schools in Weston, Massachusetts; a small-group pull-out of second graders at Wren Elementary in Piedmont, South Carolina; and a family math night in Lafayette, Indiana.…

Understanding the Gender Gap in Mathematics Achievement: The Role of Self-Efficacy and Stereotype Threat

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwery, Denise; Hulac, David; Schweinle, Amy

2016-01-01

This literature review provides school psychologists with an understanding of the important issues related to the gender gap in mathematics achievement. The extant literature suggests that girls tend to receive lower scores than boys on standardized math tests, but in general these differences tend to be small. However, girls have better classroom…

Building Kindergartners' Number Sense: A Randomized Controlled Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jordan, Nancy C.; Glutting, Joseph; Dyson, Nancy; Hassinger-Das, Brenna; Irwin, Casey

2012-01-01

Math achievement in elementary school is mediated by performance and growth in number sense during kindergarten. The aim of the present study was to test the effectiveness of a targeted small-group number sense intervention for high-risk kindergartners from low-income communities. Children were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups (n = 44 in each…

Estimation of heat loss from a cylindrical cavity receiver based on simultaneous energy and exergy analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madadi, Vahid; Tavakoli, Touraj; Rahimi, Amir

2015-03-01

This study undertakes the experimental and theoretical investigation of heat losses from a cylindrical cavity receiver employed in a solar parabolic dish collector. Simultaneous energy and exergy equations are used for a thermal performance analysis of the system. The effects of wind speed and its direction on convection loss has also been investigated. The effects of operational parameters, such as heat transfer fluid mass flow rate and wind speed, and structural parameters, such as receiver geometry and inclination, are investigated. The portion of radiative heat loss is less than 10%. An empirical and simplified correlation for estimating the dimensionless convective heat transfer coefficient in terms of the Re mathrm {Re} number and the average receiver wall temperature is proposed. This correlation is applicable for a wind speed range of 0.10.1 to 10 m/s. Moreover, the proposed correlation for Nu mathrm {Nu} number is validated using experimental data obtained through the experiments carried out with a conical receiver with two aperture diameters. The coefficient of determination R2 and the normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) parameters were calculated, and the results show that there is a good agreement between predicted results and experimental data. R2 is greater than 0.950.95 and the NRMSE parameters is less than 0.060.06 in this analysis.

Northland science discovery. Final report, February 15, 1995--February 14, 1997

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sigford, A.

1997-09-01

This is a final report on the US Department of Energy`s grant of $39,900 to the PLUS Center at The College of St. Scholastica for a PREP program called Northland Science Discovery (NSD). This report includes an overview of the past year`s progress toward achieving the goals established for the project, a description of the results of these efforts and their relationship to the project goals, and appendices documenting program activities, accomplishments, and expenditures. The goal of Northland Science Discovery is to provide science and math enrichment activities for students traditionally underrepresented in science (girls, minorities, low-income, and rural children).more » The program works toward this goal by providing a four-week residential, research-based, science and math youth camp which serves approximately 25 students per year. NSD has been held each summer since 1992. This program also has an academic-year component consisting of reunions.« less

Students Participate in Rocket Launch Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Filled with anticipation, students from three Huntsville area high schools: Randolph, Sparkman, and Johnson High Schools, counted down to launch the rockets they designed and built at the Army test site on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The projected two-mile high launch culminated more than a year's work and demonstrated the student team's ability to meet the challenge set by the Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Student Launch Initiative (SLI) program to apply science and math to experience, judgment, and common sense, and proved to NASA officials that they have successfully built reusable launch vehicles (RLVs), another challenge set by NASA's SLI program. MSFC's SLI program is an educational effort that aims to motivate students to pursue careers in science, math, and engineering. It provides hands-on, practical aerospace experience. In this picture, Randolph High School students are assembling their rocket in preparation for launch.

Students Participate in Rocket Launch Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Filled with anticipation, students from three Huntsville area high schools: Randolph, Sparkman, and Johnson High Schools, counted down to launch the rockets they designed and built at the Army test site on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The projected two-mile high launch culminated more than a year's work and demonstrated the student team's ability to meet the challenge set by the Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Student Launch Initiative program to apply science and math to experience, judgment, and common sense, and proved to NASA officials that they have successfully built reusable launch vehicles (RLVs), another challenge set by NASA's SLI program. MSFC's SLI program is an educational effort that aims to motivate students to pursue careers in science, math, and engineering. It provides hands-on, practical aerospace experience. In this picture, a rocket built by Johnson High School students soars to it projected designation.

KSC-2011-7248

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Education specialists at a joint exhibit from NASA's Kennedy Space Center and Glenn Research Center discuss the advancements the agency has made in aeronautics with the nationwide attendees of the Tom Joyner Family Reunion. The event was held in the Exhibit Hall of the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee, Fla., and hosted by nationally syndicated radio personality Tom Joyner during the extended Labor Day weekend Sept. 1-4. Besides offering attendees the opportunity to visit tourist attractions in the Orlando area, the reunion gave NASA an avenue to tout the benefits of math and scientific learning, as well as the many educational opportunities offered by the space agency. For more information on NASA's education initiatives, visit http://www.nasa.gov/education. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

KSC-2011-6756

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Education specialists at a joint exhibit from NASA's Kennedy Space Center and Glenn Research Center discuss the advancements the agency has made in aeronautics with the nationwide attendees of the Tom Joyner Family Reunion. The event was held in the Exhibit Hall of the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee, Fla., and hosted by nationally syndicated radio personality Tom Joyner during the extended Labor Day weekend Sept. 1-4. Besides offering attendees the opportunity to visit tourist attractions in the Orlando area, the reunion gave NASA an avenue to tout the benefits of math and scientific learning, as well as the many educational opportunities offered by the space agency. For more information on NASA's education initiatives, visit http://www.nasa.gov/education. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

Maternal perinatal mental health and offspring academic achievement at age 16: the mediating role of childhood executive function.

PubMed

Pearson, Rebecca M; Bornstein, Marc H; Cordero, Miguel; Scerif, Gaia; Mahedy, Liam; Evans, Jonathan; Abioye, Abu; Stein, Alan

2016-04-01

Elucidating risk pathways for under-achieving at school can inform strategies to reduce the number of adolescents leaving school without passing grades in core subjects. Maternal depression can compromise the quality of parental care and is associated with multiple negative child outcomes. However, only a few small studies have investigated the association between perinatal maternal depression and poor academic achievement in adolescence. The pathways to explain the risks are also unclear. Prospective observational data from 5,801 parents and adolescents taking part in a large UK population cohort (Avon-Longitudinal-Study-of-Parents-and-Children) were used to test associations between maternal and paternal depression and anxiety in the perinatal period, executive function (EF) at age 8, and academic achievement at the end of compulsory school at age 16. Adolescents of postnatally depressed mothers were 1.5 times (1.19, 1.94, p = .001) as likely as adolescents of nondepressed mothers to fail to achieve a 'pass' grade in math; antenatal anxiety was also an independent predictor of poor math. Disruption in different components of EF explained small but significant proportions of these associations: attentional control explained 16% (4%, 27%, p < .001) of the association with postnatal depression, and working memory explained 17% (13%, 30%, p = .003) of the association with antenatal anxiety. A similar pattern was seen for language grades, but associations were confounded by maternal education. There was no evidence that paternal factors were independently associated with impaired child EF or adolescent exams. Maternal postnatal depression and antenatal anxiety are risk factors for adolescents underachieving in math. Preventing, identifying, and treating maternal mental health in the perinatal period could, therefore, potentially increase adolescents' academic achievement. Different aspects of EF partially mediated these associations. Further work is needed, but if these pathways are causal, improving EF could reduce underachievement in math. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Technology as a Tool for Understanding: a Pipeline of Curriculum-based Programs for Grades 4 to high school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuster, G.

2006-05-01

New NASA-funded educational initiatives make for a pipeline of products meeting the needs of today's educators in inner city schools, for NASA Explorer Schools and across the nation. Three projects include training and include: 1) WDLC [Weather Data Learning Center] , a math achievement program with data entry, inquiry-based investigations, and the application of math using weather maps and imagery for Grade 4; 2) Project 3D-VIEW, where students in Grades 5 and 6 become experts in air, life, water, land and Earth systems using 3D technologies requiring 3D glasses. A formal literacy and math piece are included, and 1200 teachers will be provided training and materials free beginning in Fall 2006, and 3) Signals of Spring, where students in Grades 7 to 8, or high school, use NASA data to explain the movement of dozens of birds, land and marine animals that are tracked by satellite. Comprehensive content in life and Earth science is taught with curricular activities, interactive mapping, image interpretation, and online journals and common misconceptions are dispelled. Scientist involvement and support for a project is essential for students who are developing process skills and performing science activities. Current research partners include Columbia University's Teachers College and Stanford University's School of Education.

Effects of methylphenidate on acute math performance in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Grizenko, Natalie; Cai, Emmy; Jolicoeur, Claude; Ter-Stepanian, Mariam; Joober, Ridha

2013-11-01

Examine the short-term (acute) effects of methylphenidate (MPH) on math performance in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and what factors predict improvement in math performance. One hundred ninety-eight children with ADHD participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover MPH trial. Math response to MPH was determined through administration of math problems adjusted to their academic level during the Restricted Academic Situation Scale (RASS). Student t tests were conducted to assess change in math performance with psychostimulants. Correlation between change on the RASS and change on the math performance was also examined. Linear regression was performed to determine predictor variables. Children with ADHD improved significantly in their math with MPH (P < 0.001). The degree of improvement on the RASS (which evaluates motor activity and orientation to task) and on math performance on MPH was highly correlated. A child's age at baseline and Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT)-Numerical Operations standard scores at baseline accounted for 15% of variances for acute math improvement. MPH improves acute math performance in children with ADHD. Younger children with lower math scores (as assessed by the WIAT) improved most on math scores when given psychostimulants. NCT00483106.

Informal science educators network project Association of Science-Technology Centers Incorporated. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1997-05-09

Funding from the Department of Energy and the Annenberg/CPB Math and Science Project have helped the Association of Science-technology Centers Incorporated (ASTC) to establish and sustain an on-line community of informal science educators nationwide. The Project, called the Informal Science Educators Network Project (ISEN), is composed primarily of informal science educators and exhibit developers from science centers, museums, zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, parks, and nature centers. Although museum-based professionals represent the majority of subscribers to ISEN, also involved are some classroom teachers and teacher educators from colleges and universities. Common to all ISEN participants is a commitment to school andmore » science education reform. Specifically, funding from the Department of Energy helped to boot strap the effort, providing Barrier Reduction Vouchers to 123 educators that enabled them participate in ISEN. Among the major accomplishments of the Project are these: (1) assistance to 123 informal science educators to attend Internet training sessions held in connection with the Project and/or purchase hardware and software that linked them to the Internet; (2) Internet training for 153 informal science educators; (3) development of a listserv which currently has over 180 subscribers--an all-time high; (4) opportunity to participate in four web chats involving informal science educators with noted researchers; (5) development of two sites on the World Wide Web linking informal science educators to Internet resources; (6) creation of an on-line collection of over 40 articles related to inquiry-based teaching and science education reform. In order to continue the momentum of the Project, ASTC has requested from the Annenberg/CPB Math and Science project a no/cost extension through December 1997.« less

Math anxiety and exposure to statistics in messages about genetically modified foods: effects of numeracy, math self-efficacy, and form of presentation.

PubMed

Silk, Kami J; Parrott, Roxanne L

2014-01-01

Health risks are often communicated to the lay public in statistical formats even though low math skills, or innumeracy, have been found to be prevalent among lay individuals. Although numeracy has been a topic of much research investigation, the role of math self-efficacy and math anxiety on health and risk communication processing has received scant attention from health communication researchers. To advance theoretical and applied understanding regarding health message processing, the authors consider the role of math anxiety, including the effects of math self-efficacy, numeracy, and form of presenting statistics on math anxiety, and the potential effects for comprehension, yielding, and behavioral intentions. The authors also examine math anxiety in a health risk context through an evaluation of the effects of exposure to a message about genetically modified foods on levels of math anxiety. Participants (N = 323) were randomly assigned to read a message that varied the presentation of statistical evidence about potential risks associated with genetically modified foods. Findings reveal that exposure increased levels of math anxiety, with increases in math anxiety limiting yielding. Moreover, math anxiety impaired comprehension but was mediated by perceivers' math confidence and skills. Last, math anxiety facilitated behavioral intentions. Participants who received a text-based message with percentages were more likely to yield than participants who received either a bar graph with percentages or a combined form. Implications are discussed as they relate to math competence and its role in processing health and risk messages.

Motivation and Math Anxiety for Ability Grouped College Math Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Helming, Luralyn

2013-01-01

The author studied how math anxiety, motivation, and ability group interact to affect performance in college math courses. This clarified the effects of math anxiety and ability grouping on performance. It clarified the interrelationships between math anxiety, motivation, and ability grouping by considering them in a single analysis. It introduces…

All Students Need Advanced Mathematics. Math Works

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Achieve, Inc., 2013

2013-01-01

This fact sheet explains that to thrive in today's world, all students will need to graduate with very strong math skills. That can only mean one thing: advanced math courses are now essential math courses. Highlights of this paper include: (1) Advanced math equals college success; (2) Advanced math equals career opportunity; and (3) Advanced math…

Math Anxiety, Working Memory, and Math Achievement in Early Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramirez, Gerardo; Gunderson, Elizabeth A.; Levine, Susan C.; Beilock, Sian L.

2013-01-01

Although math anxiety is associated with poor mathematical knowledge and low course grades (Ashcraft & Krause, 2007), research establishing a connection between math anxiety and math achievement has generally been conducted with young adults, ignoring the emergence of math anxiety in young children. In the current study, we explored whether…

A Real Fear

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruffins, Paul

2007-01-01

For years, mainstream thinking about math anxiety assumed that people fear math because they are bad at it. However, a growing body of research shows a much more complicated relationship between math ability and anxiety. It is true that people who fear math have a tendency to avoid math-related classes, which decreases their math competence.…

Math Anxiety Is Related to Some, but Not All, Experiences with Math

PubMed Central

O'Leary, Krystle; Fitzpatrick, Cheryll L.; Hallett, Darcy

2017-01-01

Math anxiety has been defined as unpleasant feelings of tension and anxiety that hinder the ability to deal with numbers and math in a variety of situations. Although many studies have looked at situational and demographic factors associated with math anxiety, little research has looked at the self-reported experiences with math that are associated with math anxiety. The present study used a mixed-methods design and surveyed 131 undergraduate students about their experiences with math through elementary school, junior high, and high school, while also assessing math anxiety, general anxiety, and test anxiety. Some reported experiences (e.g., support in high school, giving students plenty of examples) were significantly related to the level of math anxiety, even after controlling for general and test anxiety, but many other factors originally thought to be related to math anxiety did not demonstrate a relation in this study. Overall, this study addresses a gap in the literature and provides some suggestive specifics of the kinds of past experiences that are related to math anxiety and those that are not. PMID:29375410

Mothers, Intrinsic Math Motivation, Arithmetic Skills, and Math Anxiety in Elementary School

PubMed Central

Daches Cohen, Lital; Rubinsten, Orly

2017-01-01

Math anxiety is influenced by environmental, cognitive, and personal factors. Yet, the concurrent relationships between these factors have not been examined. To this end, the current study investigated how the math anxiety of 30 sixth graders is affected by: (a) mother’s math anxiety and maternal behaviors (environmental factors); (b) children’s arithmetic skills (cognitive factors); and (c) intrinsic math motivation (personal factor). A rigorous assessment of children’s math anxiety was made by using both explicit and implicit measures. The results indicated that accessible self-representations of math anxiety, as reflected by the explicit self-report questionnaire, were strongly affected by arithmetic skills. However, unconscious cognitive constructs of math anxiety, as reflected by the numerical dot-probe task, were strongly affected by environmental factors, such as maternal behaviors and mothers’ attitudes toward math. Furthermore, the present study provided preliminary evidence of intergenerational transmission of math anxiety. The conclusions are that in order to better understand the etiology of math anxiety, multiple facets of parenting and children’s skills should be taken into consideration. Implications for researchers, parents, and educators are discussed. PMID:29180973

Math Anxiety Is Related to Some, but Not All, Experiences with Math.

PubMed

O'Leary, Krystle; Fitzpatrick, Cheryll L; Hallett, Darcy

2017-01-01

Math anxiety has been defined as unpleasant feelings of tension and anxiety that hinder the ability to deal with numbers and math in a variety of situations. Although many studies have looked at situational and demographic factors associated with math anxiety, little research has looked at the self-reported experiences with math that are associated with math anxiety. The present study used a mixed-methods design and surveyed 131 undergraduate students about their experiences with math through elementary school, junior high, and high school, while also assessing math anxiety, general anxiety, and test anxiety. Some reported experiences (e.g., support in high school, giving students plenty of examples) were significantly related to the level of math anxiety, even after controlling for general and test anxiety, but many other factors originally thought to be related to math anxiety did not demonstrate a relation in this study. Overall, this study addresses a gap in the literature and provides some suggestive specifics of the kinds of past experiences that are related to math anxiety and those that are not.

Mothers, Intrinsic Math Motivation, Arithmetic Skills, and Math Anxiety in Elementary School.

PubMed

Daches Cohen, Lital; Rubinsten, Orly

2017-01-01

Math anxiety is influenced by environmental, cognitive, and personal factors. Yet, the concurrent relationships between these factors have not been examined. To this end, the current study investigated how the math anxiety of 30 sixth graders is affected by: (a) mother's math anxiety and maternal behaviors (environmental factors); (b) children's arithmetic skills (cognitive factors); and (c) intrinsic math motivation (personal factor). A rigorous assessment of children's math anxiety was made by using both explicit and implicit measures. The results indicated that accessible self-representations of math anxiety, as reflected by the explicit self-report questionnaire, were strongly affected by arithmetic skills. However, unconscious cognitive constructs of math anxiety, as reflected by the numerical dot-probe task, were strongly affected by environmental factors, such as maternal behaviors and mothers' attitudes toward math. Furthermore, the present study provided preliminary evidence of intergenerational transmission of math anxiety. The conclusions are that in order to better understand the etiology of math anxiety, multiple facets of parenting and children's skills should be taken into consideration. Implications for researchers, parents, and educators are discussed.

Neurocognitive and Behavioral Predictors of Math Performance in Children with and without ADHD

PubMed Central

Antonini, Tanya N.; O’Brien, Kathleen M.; Narad, Megan E.; Langberg, Joshua M.; Tamm, Leanne; Epstein, Jeff N.

2014-01-01

Objective: This study examined neurocognitive and behavioral predictors of math performance in children with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Method: Neurocognitive and behavioral variables were examined as predictors of 1) standardized mathematics achievement scores,2) productivity on an analog math task, and 3) accuracy on an analog math task. Results: Children with ADHD had lower achievement scores but did not significantly differ from controls on math productivity or accuracy. N-back accuracy and parent-rated attention predicted math achievement. N-back accuracy and observed attention predicted math productivity. Alerting scores on the Attentional Network Task predicted math accuracy. Mediation analyses indicated that n-back accuracy significantly mediated the relationship between diagnostic group and math achievement. Conclusion: Neurocognition, rather than behavior, may account for the deficits in math achievement exhibited by many children with ADHD. PMID:24071774

Neurocognitive and Behavioral Predictors of Math Performance in Children With and Without ADHD.

PubMed

Antonini, Tanya N; Kingery, Kathleen M; Narad, Megan E; Langberg, Joshua M; Tamm, Leanne; Epstein, Jeffery N

2016-02-01

This study examined neurocognitive and behavioral predictors of math performance in children with and without ADHD. Neurocognitive and behavioral variables were examined as predictors of (a) standardized mathematics achievement scores, (b) productivity on an analog math task, and (c) accuracy on an analog math task. Children with ADHD had lower achievement scores but did not significantly differ from controls on math productivity or accuracy. N-back accuracy and parent-rated attention predicted math achievement. N-back accuracy and observed attention predicted math productivity. Alerting scores on the attentional network task predicted math accuracy. Mediation analyses indicated that n-back accuracy significantly mediated the relationship between diagnostic group and math achievement. Neurocognition, rather than behavior, may account for the deficits in math achievement exhibited by many children with ADHD. © The Author(s) 2013.

Math-gender stereotypes in elementary school children.

PubMed

Cvencek, Dario; Meltzoff, Andrew N; Greenwald, Anthony G

2011-01-01

A total of 247 American children between 6 and 10 years of age (126 girls and 121 boys) completed Implicit Association Tests and explicit self-report measures assessing the association of (a) me with male (gender identity), (b) male with math (math-gender stereotype), and (c) me with math (math self-concept). Two findings emerged. First, as early as second grade, the children demonstrated the American cultural stereotype that math is for boys on both implicit and explicit measures. Second, elementary school boys identified with math more strongly than did girls on both implicit and self-report measures. The findings suggest that the math-gender stereotype is acquired early and influences emerging math self-concepts prior to ages at which there are actual differences in math achievement. © 2011 The Authors. Child Development © 2011 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Number-specific and general cognitive markers of preschoolers' math ability profiles.

PubMed

Gray, Sarah A; Reeve, Robert A

2016-07-01

Different number-specific and general cognitive markers have been claimed to underlie preschoolers' math ability. It is unclear, however, whether similar/different cognitive markers, or combinations of them, are associated with different patterns of emerging math abilities (i.e., different patterns of strength and weakness). To examine this question, 103 preschoolers (40-60 months of age) completed six math tasks (count sequence, object counting, give a number, naming numbers, ordinal relations, and arithmetic), three number-specific markers of math ability (dot enumeration, magnitude comparison, and spontaneous focusing on numerosity), and four general markers (working memory, response inhibition, attention, and vocabulary). A three-step latent profile modeling procedure identified five math ability profiles that differed in their patterns of math strengths and weaknesses; specifically, the profiles were characterized by (a) excellent math ability on all math tasks, (b) good arithmetic ability, (c) good math ability but relatively poor count sequence recitation ability, (d) average ability on all math tasks, and (e) poor ability on all math tasks. After controlling for age, only dot enumeration and spontaneous focusing on numerosity were associated with the math ability profiles, whereas vocabulary was also marginally significant, and these markers were differentially associated with different profiles; that is, different cognitive markers were associated with different patterns of strengths and weaknesses in math abilities. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the development of math cognition. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Worrying Thoughts Limit Working Memory Capacity in Math Anxiety

PubMed Central

Shi, Zhan; Liu, Peiru

2016-01-01

Sixty-one high-math-anxious persons and sixty-one low-math-anxious persons completed a modified working memory capacity task, designed to measure working memory capacity under a dysfunctional math-related context and working memory capacity under a valence-neutral context. Participants were required to perform simple tasks with emotionally benign material (i.e., lists of letters) over short intervals while simultaneously reading and making judgments about sentences describing dysfunctional math-related thoughts or sentences describing emotionally-neutral facts about the world. Working memory capacity for letters under the dysfunctional math-related context, relative to working memory capacity performance under the valence-neutral context, was poorer overall in the high-math-anxious group compared with the low-math-anxious group. The findings show a particular difficulty employing working memory in math-related contexts in high-math-anxious participants. Theories that can provide reasonable interpretations for these findings and interventions that can reduce anxiety-induced worrying intrusive thoughts or improve working memory capacity for math anxiety are discussed. PMID:27788235

The role of early language abilities on math skills among Chinese children.

PubMed

Zhang, Juan; Fan, Xitao; Cheung, Sum Kwing; Meng, Yaxuan; Cai, Zhihui; Hu, Bi Ying

2017-01-01

The present study investigated the role of early language abilities in the development of math skills among Chinese K-3 students. About 2000 children in China, who were on average aged 6 years, were assessed for both informal math (e.g., basic number concepts such as counting objects) and formal math (calculations including addition and subtraction) skills, language abilities and nonverbal intelligence. Correlation analysis showed that language abilities were more strongly associated with informal than formal math skills, and regression analyses revealed that children's language abilities could uniquely predict both informal and formal math skills with age, gender, and nonverbal intelligence controlled. Mediation analyses demonstrated that the relationship between children's language abilities and formal math skills was partially mediated by informal math skills. The current findings indicate 1) Children's language abilities are of strong predictive values for both informal and formal math skills; 2) Language abilities impacts formal math skills partially through the mediation of informal math skills.

The role of early language abilities on math skills among Chinese children

PubMed Central

Fan, Xitao; Cheung, Sum Kwing; Cai, Zhihui; Hu, Bi Ying

2017-01-01

Background The present study investigated the role of early language abilities in the development of math skills among Chinese K-3 students. About 2000 children in China, who were on average aged 6 years, were assessed for both informal math (e.g., basic number concepts such as counting objects) and formal math (calculations including addition and subtraction) skills, language abilities and nonverbal intelligence. Methodology Correlation analysis showed that language abilities were more strongly associated with informal than formal math skills, and regression analyses revealed that children’s language abilities could uniquely predict both informal and formal math skills with age, gender, and nonverbal intelligence controlled. Mediation analyses demonstrated that the relationship between children’s language abilities and formal math skills was partially mediated by informal math skills. Results The current findings indicate 1) Children’s language abilities are of strong predictive values for both informal and formal math skills; 2) Language abilities impacts formal math skills partially through the mediation of informal math skills. PMID:28749950

Worrying Thoughts Limit Working Memory Capacity in Math Anxiety.

PubMed

Shi, Zhan; Liu, Peiru

2016-01-01

Sixty-one high-math-anxious persons and sixty-one low-math-anxious persons completed a modified working memory capacity task, designed to measure working memory capacity under a dysfunctional math-related context and working memory capacity under a valence-neutral context. Participants were required to perform simple tasks with emotionally benign material (i.e., lists of letters) over short intervals while simultaneously reading and making judgments about sentences describing dysfunctional math-related thoughts or sentences describing emotionally-neutral facts about the world. Working memory capacity for letters under the dysfunctional math-related context, relative to working memory capacity performance under the valence-neutral context, was poorer overall in the high-math-anxious group compared with the low-math-anxious group. The findings show a particular difficulty employing working memory in math-related contexts in high-math-anxious participants. Theories that can provide reasonable interpretations for these findings and interventions that can reduce anxiety-induced worrying intrusive thoughts or improve working memory capacity for math anxiety are discussed.

Nurses' maths: researching a practical approach.

PubMed

Wilson, Ann

To compare a new practical maths test with a written maths test. The tests were undertaken by qualified nurses training for intravenous drug administration, a skill dependent on maths accuracy. The literature showed that the higher education institutes (HEIs) that provide nurse training use traditional maths tests, a practical way of testing maths had not been described. Fifty five nurses undertook two maths tests based on intravenous drug calculations. One was a traditional written test. The second was a new type of test using a simulated clinical environment. All participants were also interviewed one week later to ascertain their thoughts and feelings about the tests. There was a significant improvement in maths test scores for those nurses who took the practical maths test first. It is suggested that this is because it improved their conceptualisation skills and thus helped them to achieve accuracy in their calculations. Written maths tests are not the best way to help and support nurses in acquiring and improving their maths skills and should be replaced by a more practical approach.

Yeast for Mathematicians: A Ferment of Discovery and Model Competition to Describe Data.

PubMed

Lewis, Matthew; Powell, James

2017-02-01

In addition to the memorization, algorithmic skills and vocabulary which are the default focus in many mathematics classrooms, professional mathematicians are expected to creatively apply known techniques, construct new mathematical approaches and communicate with and about mathematics. We propose that students can learn these professional, higher-level skills through Laboratory Experiences in Mathematical Biology which put students in the role of mathematics researcher creating mathematics to describe and understand biological data. Here we introduce a laboratory experience centered on yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) growing in a small capped flask with a jar to collect carbon dioxide created during yeast growth and respiration. The lab requires no specialized equipment and can easily be run in the context of a college math class. Students collect data and develop mathematical models to explain the data. To help place instructors in the role of mentor/collaborator (as opposed to jury/judge), we facilitate the lab using model competition judged via Bayesian Information Criterion. This article includes details about the class activity conducted, student examples and pedagogical strategies for success.

How to improve essential skills in introductory physics through brief, spaced, online practice.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heckler, Andrew; Mikula, Brendon

2017-01-01

We developed and implemented a set of online ``essential skills'' tasks to help students achieve and retain a core level of mastery and fluency in basic skills necessary for their coursework. The task design is based on our research on student understanding and difficulties as well as three well-established cognitive principles: 1) spaced practice, to promote retention, 2) interleaved practice, to promote the ability to recognize when the learned skill is needed, and 3) mastery practice mastery practice, to promote a base level of performance. We report on training on a variety of skills with vector math. Students spent a relatively small amount of time, 10-20 minutes in practice each week, answering relevant questions online until a mastery level was achieved. Results indicate significant and often dramatic gains, often with average gains of over one standard deviation. Notably, these large gains are retained at least several months after the final practice session, including for less-prepared students. Funding for this research was provided by the Center for Emergent Materials: an NSF MRSEC under Award Number DMR-1420451.

Reciprocal Relations among Motivational Frameworks, Math Anxiety, and Math Achievement in Early Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gunderson, Elizabeth A.; Park, Daeun; Maloney, Erin A.; Beilock, Sian L.; Levine, Susan C.

2018-01-01

School-entry math achievement is a strong predictor of math achievement through high school. We asked whether reciprocal relations among math achievement, math anxiety, and entity motivational frameworks (believing that ability is fixed and a focus on performance) can help explain these persistent individual differences. We assessed 1st and 2nd…

A Latent Profile Analysis of Math Achievement, Numerosity, and Math Anxiety in Twins

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hart, Sara A.; Logan, Jessica A. R.; Thompson, Lee; Kovas, Yulia; McLoughlin, Gráinne; Petrill, Stephen A.

2016-01-01

Underperformance in math is a problem with increasing prevalence, complex etiology, and severe repercussions. This study examined the etiological heterogeneity of math performance in a sample of 264 pairs of 12-year-old twins assessed on measures of math achievement, numerosity, and math anxiety. Latent profile analysis indicated 5 groupings of…

Singapore Math: Problem-Solving Secrets from the World's Math Leader

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hogan, Bob

2005-01-01

Using this four CD-ROM disc set, teachers can have their very own math problem solving mentor as a leading expert in Singapore Math guides them through a lively presentation, working through math problems and explaining how Singapore has become the world's leading method in math. The expert's explanation of how to use Singapore's model-drawing…

A Longitudinal Analysis of Sex Differences in Math and Spatial Skills in Primary School Age Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lachance, Jennifer A.; Mazzocco, Michele M. M.

2006-01-01

We report on a longitudinal study designed to assess possible sex differences in math achievement, math ability, and math-related tasks during the primary school age years. Participants included over 200 children from one public school district. Annual assessments included measures of math ability, math calculation achievement scores, rapid naming…

Math at home adds up to achievement in school.

PubMed

Berkowitz, Talia; Schaeffer, Marjorie W; Maloney, Erin A; Peterson, Lori; Gregor, Courtney; Levine, Susan C; Beilock, Sian L

2015-10-09

With a randomized field experiment of 587 first-graders, we tested an educational intervention designed to promote interactions between children and parents relating to math. We predicted that increasing math activities at home would increase children's math achievement at school. We tested this prediction by having children engage in math story time with their parents. The intervention, short numerical story problems delivered through an iPad app, significantly increased children's math achievement across the school year compared to a reading (control) group, especially for children whose parents are habitually anxious about math. Brief, high-quality parent-child interactions about math at home help break the intergenerational cycle of low math achievement. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Choke or thrive? The relation between salivary cortisol and math performance depends on individual differences in working memory and math-anxiety.

PubMed

Mattarella-Micke, Andrew; Mateo, Jill; Kozak, Megan N; Foster, Katherine; Beilock, Sian L

2011-08-01

In the current study, we explored how a person's physiological arousal relates to their performance in a challenging math situation as a function of individual differences in working memory (WM) capacity and math-anxiety. Participants completed demanding math problems before and after which salivary cortisol, an index of arousal, was measured. The performance of lower WM individuals did not depend on cortisol concentration or math-anxiety. For higher WM individuals high in math-anxiety, the higher their concentration of salivary cortisol following the math task, the worse their performance. In contrast, for higher WM individuals lower in math-anxiety, the higher their salivary cortisol concentrations, the better their performance. For individuals who have the capacity to perform at a high-level (higher WMs), whether physiological arousal will lead an individual to choke or thrive depends on math-anxiety. 2011 APA, all rights reserved

Math Anxiety and Math Ability in Early Primary School Years.

PubMed

Krinzinger, Helga; Kaufmann, Liane; Willmes, Klaus

2009-06-01

Mathematical learning disabilities (MLDs) are often associated with math anxiety, yet until now, very little is known about the causal relations between calculation ability and math anxiety during early primary school years. The main aim of this study was to longitudinally investigate the relationship between calculation ability, self-reported evaluation of mathematics, and math anxiety in 140 primary school children between the end of first grade and the middle of third grade. Structural equation modeling revealed a strong influence of calculation ability and math anxiety on the evaluation of mathematics but no effect of math anxiety on calculation ability or vice versa-contrasting with the frequent clinical reports of math anxiety even in very young MLD children. To summarize, our study is a first step toward a better understanding of the link between math anxiety and math performance in early primary school years performance during typical and atypical courses of development.

Promotive and Corrosive Factors in African American Students' Math Beliefs and Achievement.

PubMed

Diemer, Matthew A; Marchand, Aixa D; McKellar, Sarah E; Malanchuk, Oksana

2016-06-01

Framed by expectancy-value theory (which posits that beliefs about and the subjective valuation of a domain predict achievement and decision-making in that domain), this study examined the relationships among teacher differential treatment and relevant math instruction on African American students' self-concept of math ability, math task value, and math achievement. These questions were examined by applying structural equation modeling to 618 African American youth (45.6 % female) followed from 7th to 11th grade in the Maryland Adolescent Development in Context Study. While controlling for gender and prior math achievement, relevant math instruction promoted and teacher differential treatment corroded students' math beliefs and achievement over time. Further, teacher discrimination undermined students' perceptions of their teachers, a mediating process under-examined in previous inquiry. These findings suggest policy and practice levers to narrow opportunity gaps, as well as foster math achievement and science, technology, engineering and math success.

Math Anxiety and Math Ability in Early Primary School Years

PubMed Central

Krinzinger, Helga; Kaufmann, Liane; Willmes, Klaus

2010-01-01

Mathematical learning disabilities (MLDs) are often associated with math anxiety, yet until now, very little is known about the causal relations between calculation ability and math anxiety during early primary school years. The main aim of this study was to longitudinally investigate the relationship between calculation ability, self-reported evaluation of mathematics, and math anxiety in 140 primary school children between the end of first grade and the middle of third grade. Structural equation modeling revealed a strong influence of calculation ability and math anxiety on the evaluation of mathematics but no effect of math anxiety on calculation ability or vice versa—contrasting with the frequent clinical reports of math anxiety even in very young MLD children. To summarize, our study is a first step toward a better understanding of the link between math anxiety and math performance in early primary school years performance during typical and atypical courses of development. PMID:20401159

A Policymaker's Primer on Testing and Assessment. Assessment Policy. Info Brief. Number 42

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laitsch, Dan

2005-01-01

Standardized testing plays an increasingly important role in the lives of today's students and educators. The U.S. No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires assessment in math and literacy in grades 3-8 and 10 and, as of 2007-08, in science once in grades 3-5, 6-9, and 10-12. Based on National Center for Education Statistics enrollment projections,…

KSC-03pd0459

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-02-02

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Sally Ride Science Festival, held at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla., former astronaut Sally Ride talks to young women about their future. The event promotes science, math and technology as future career paths for girls. Breakout sessions afforded closer interaction between Ride and festival attendees. Since it followed the tragic loss of the Columbia astronauts, a large poster was presented which attendees could sign as tribute.

KSC-03PD-0459

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Sally Ride Science Festival, held at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla., former astronaut Sally Ride talks to young women about their future. The event promotes science, math and technology as future career paths for girls. Breakout sessions afforded closer interaction between Ride and festival attendees. Since it followed the tragic loss of the Columbia astronauts, a large poster was presented which attendees could sign as tribute.

Contention Bounds for Combinations of Computation Graphs and Network Topologies

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-08-08

member of STARnet, a Semiconductor Research Corporation program sponsored by MARCO and DARPA, and ASPIRE Lab industrial sponsors and affiliates Intel...Google, Nokia, NVIDIA , Oracle, MathWorks and Samsung. Also funded by U.S. DOE Office of Science, Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research...DARPA Award Number HR0011-12-2- 0016, the Center for Future Architecture Research, a mem- ber of STARnet, a Semiconductor Research Corporation

Walking the Path Together from High School to STEM Majors and Careers: Utilizing Community Engagement and a Focus on Teaching to Increase Opportunities for URM Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finkel, Liza

2017-01-01

Despite decades of efforts to increase the participation of women and people from underrepresented minority groups (URM) in science and math majors and careers, and despite the increasing diversification of the US population as a whole (Planty et al. in National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of…

A Correlation of Community College Math Readiness and Student Success

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Jayna Nicole

Although traditional college students are more prepared for college-level math based on college admissions tests, little data have been collected on nontraditional adult learners. The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between math placement tests and community college students' success in math courses and persistence to degree or certificate completion. Guided by Tinto's theory of departure and student retention, the research questions addressed relationships and predictability of math Computer-adaptive Placement Assessment and Support System (COMPASS) test scores and students' performance in math courses, persistence in college, and degree completion. After conducting correlation and regression analyses, no significant relationships were identified between COMPASS Math test scores and students' performance (n = 234) in math courses, persistence in college, or degree completion. However, independent t test and chi-squared analyses of the achievements of college students who tested into Basic Math (n = 138) vs. Introduction to Algebra (n = 96) yielded statistically significant differences in persistence (p = .039), degree completion (p < .001), performance (p = .008), and progress ( p = .001), indicating students who tested into Introduction to Algebra were more successful and persisted more often to degree completion. In order to improve instructional methods for Basic Math courses, a 3-day professional development workshop was developed for math faculty focusing on current, best practices in remedial math instruction. Implications for social change include providing math faculty with the knowledge and skills to develop new instructional methods for remedial math courses. A change in instructional methods may improve community college students' math competencies and degree achievement.

The Influence of Experiencing Success in Math on Math Anxiety, Perceived Math Competence, and Math Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jansen, Brenda R. J.; Louwerse, Jolien; Straatemeier, Marthe; Van der Ven, Sanne H. G.; Klinkenberg, Sharon; Van der Maas, Han L. J.

2013-01-01

It was investigated whether children would experience less math anxiety and feel more competent when they, independent of ability level, experienced high success rates in math. Comparable success rates were achieved by adapting problem difficulty to individuals' ability levels with a computer-adaptive program. A total of 207 children (grades 3-6)…

Math Practice and Its Influence on Math Skills and Executive Functions in Adolescents with Mild to Borderline Intellectual Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jansen, Brenda R. J.; De Lange, Eva; Van der Molen, Mariet J.

2013-01-01

Adolescents with mild to borderline intellectual disability (MBID) often complete schooling without mastering basic math skills, even though basic math is essential for math-related challenges in everyday life. Limited attention to cognitive skills and low executive functioning (EF) may cause this delay. We aimed to improve math skills in an…

Students' Mathematics Self-Efficacy, Anxiety, and Course Level at a Community College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spaniol, Scott R.

2017-01-01

Research suggests that student success in mathematics is positively correlated to math self-efficacy and negatively correlated to math anxiety. At a Hispanic serving community college in the Midwest, developmental math students had a lower pass rate than did college-level math students, but the role of math self-efficacy and math anxiety on these…

Turning Negatives into Positives: The Role of an Instructional Math Course on Preservice Teachers' Math Beliefs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Looney, Lisa; Perry, David; Steck, Andy

2017-01-01

Teachers' beliefs about mathematics can play a role in their teaching effectiveness (Bandura, 1993). Negative attitudes toward math (e.g., math anxiety) or low self-efficacy beliefs for teaching math can act as barriers to the teaching process, impacting the achievement and math beliefs of students (Beilock, Gunderson, Ramirez, & Levine, 2010;…

On the Leaky Math Pipeline: Comparing Implicit Math-Gender Stereotypes and Math Withdrawal in Female and Male Children and Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steffens, Melanie C.; Jelenec, Petra; Noack, Peter

2010-01-01

Many models assume that habitual human behavior is guided by spontaneous, automatic, or implicit processes rather than by deliberate, rule-based, or explicit processes. Thus, math-ability self-concepts and math performance could be related to implicit math-gender stereotypes in addition to explicit stereotypes. Two studies assessed at what age…

Three brief assessments of math achievement.

PubMed

Steiner, Eric T; Ashcraft, Mark H

2012-12-01

Because of wide disparities in college students' math knowledge-that is, their math achievement-studies of cognitive processing in math tasks also need to assess their individual level of math achievement. For many research settings, however, using existing math achievement tests is either too costly or too time consuming. To solve this dilemma, we present three brief tests of math achievement here, two drawn from the Wide Range Achievement Test and one composed of noncopyrighted items. All three correlated substantially with the full achievement test and with math anxiety, our original focus, and all show acceptable to excellent reliability. When lengthy testing is not feasible, one of these brief tests can be substituted.

Mathematics achievement and anxiety and their relation to internalizing and externalizing behaviors.

PubMed

Wu, Sarah S; Willcutt, Erik G; Escovar, Emily; Menon, Vinod

2014-01-01

Although behavioral difficulties are well documented in reading disabilities, little is known about the relationship between math ability and internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Here, we use standardized measures to investigate the relation among early math ability, math anxiety, and internalizing and externalizing behaviors in a group of 366 second and third graders. Math achievement was significantly correlated with attentional difficulties and social problems but not with internalizing symptoms. The relation between math achievement and externalizing behavioral problems was stronger in girls than in boys. Math achievement was not correlated with trait anxiety but was negatively correlated with math anxiety. Critically, math anxiety differed significantly between children classified as math learning disabled (MLD), low achieving (LA), and typically developing (TD), with math anxiety significantly higher in the MLD and LA groups compared to the TD group. Our findings suggest that, even in nonclinical samples, math difficulties at the earliest stages of formal math learning are associated with attentional difficulties and domain-specific anxiety. These findings underscore the need for further examination of the shared cognitive, neural, and genetic influences underlying problem solving and nonverbal learning difficulties and accompanying internalizing and externalizing behaviors. © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2013.

Mathematics Achievement and Anxiety and Their Relation to Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors

PubMed Central

Wu, Sarah S.; Willcutt, Erik G.; Escovar, Emily; Menon, Vinod

2013-01-01

Although behavioral difficulties are well documented in reading disabilities, little is known about the relationship between math ability and internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Here, we use standardized measures to investigate the relation among early math ability, math anxiety, and internalizing and externalizing behaviors in a group of 366 second and third graders. Math achievement was significantly correlated with attentional difficulties and social problems but not with internalizing symptoms. The relation between math achievement and externalizing behavioral problems was stronger in girls than in boys. Math achievement was not correlated with trait anxiety but was negatively correlated with math anxiety. Critically, math anxiety differed significantly between children classified as math learning disabled (MLD), low achieving (LA), and typically developing (TD), with math anxiety significantly higher in the MLD and LA groups compared to the TD group. Our findings suggest that, even in nonclinical samples, math difficulties at the earliest stages of formal math learning are associated with attentional difficulties and domain-specific anxiety. These findings underscore the need for further examination of the shared cognitive, neural, and genetic influences underlying problem solving and nonverbal learning difficulties and accompanying internalizing and externalizing behaviors. PMID:23313869

1300935

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-08-15

VINCENT VIDAURRI, CENTER, A TECHNICAL SPECIALIST WITH TELEDYNE BROWN ENGINEERING SUPPORTING MISSION OPERATIONS AT THE MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER, PROVIDES DETAILS ABOUT A MOCK-UP OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION SCIENCE LAB TO A GROUP OF AREA TEACHERS AS PART OF "BACK-2-SCHOOL DAY." TEAM REDSTONE -- WHICH INCLUDES THE MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER AND U.S. ARMY ORGANIZATIONS ON REDSTONE ARSENAL -- INVITED 50 TEACHERS TO TOUR REDSTONE ARSENAL AUG. 15, GIVING THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN OF AND SEE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO THEM AND THEIR STUDENTS. THE TOUR FOCUSED ON SITES AVAILABLE FOR FIELD TRIPS FOR STUDENTS STUDYING MATH, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING. STOPS INCLUDED MARSHALL'S PAYLOAD OPERATIONS INTEGRATION CENTER AND THE HIGH SCHOOLS UNITED WITH NASA TO CREATE HARDWARE LAB, OR HUNCH, BOTH LOCATED IN BUILDING 4663. THE PROGRAM GIVES HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS THE CHANCE TO WORK WITH NASA ENGINEERS TO DESIGN AND BUILD HARDWARE FOR USE ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. THE TEACHERS ALSO VISITED THE ARMY AVIATION & MISSILE RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT & ENGINEERING CENTER AND THE REDSTONE TEST CENTER

From access to success in science: An academic-student affairs intervention for undergraduate freshmen biology students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aldridge, Jacqueline Nouvelle

The first year experience is known to present an array of challenges for traditional college students. In particular, freshmen who major in a STEM discipline have their own unique set of challenges when they transition from high school science and math to college science and math; especially chemistry. As a result, students may encounter negative experiences which lower academic and social confidence. This project was designed as a pilot study intervention for a small group of freshmen biology students who were considered academically at-risk due their math SAT scores. The study occurred during the fall semester involving an enhanced active learning component based on the Peer-led Team Learning (PLTL) general chemistry supplemental pedagogy model, and a biology-focused First Year Experience (FYE). PLTL workshops took place in freshmen residence halls, creating a live-n-learn community environment. Mid-term and final chemistry grades and final math grades were collected to measure academic progress. Self-reporting surveys and journals were used to encourage participants to reconstruct their experiences and perceptions of the study. Descriptive analysis was performed to measure statistical significance between midterm and final grade performance, and a general inductive qualitative method was used to determine academic and social confidence as well as experiences and perceptions of the project. Findings of this project revealed a statistically significant improvement between chemistry midterm and final grades of the sample participants. Although academic confidence did not increase, results reveal that social confidence progressed as the majority of students developed a value for studying in groups.

[Differential diagnosis of primary and secondary mathematical learning disability – indications from the dyscalculia test Basis-Math 4–8].

PubMed

Krinzinger, Helga

2016-09-01

Studies in children with AD(H)D without mathematical learning disability (MLD) as well as studies on the effects of methylphenidate on arithmetic have shown that most deficits in mathematics and most error types commonly described as specific to developmental dyscalculia (e. g., finger-counting, fact-retrieval deficit, complex counting, difficulties with carry/borrow procedures, self-corrections) cannot be classified as such and should thus not be used for the differential diagnosis of primary dyscalculia and secondary MLD. This article proposes using the overall score in the dyscalculia test Basis-Math 4-8 (Moser Opitz et al., 2010) as well as implausible subtraction errors as a marker for dyscalculia and the number of self-corrections made during the test as a cognitive marker for attention deficits. Hierarchical cluster analyses were calculated in a sample of 51 clinically referred children with normal IQ and suspicion of MLD, using IQ, years of schooling, overall score of the Basis-Math 4–8 and number of self-corrections in this test as variables. The results revealed a subgroup with primary dyscalculia as well as three subgroups with secondary MLD (two with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, one with depression and one small subgroup with high IQ). In conclusion, the Basis-Math 4–8 (Moser Opitz et al., 2010) can offer substantial information for the differential diagnosis of dyscalculia and secondary deficits in mathematics due to attention problems and enable optimization of treatment decisions for the different groups.

Teacher-student relationship quality and academic achievement in elementary school: A longitudinal examination of gender differences.

PubMed

Hajovsky, Daniel B; Mason, Benjamin A; McCune, Luke A

2017-08-01

Multiple group longitudinal cross-lagged panel models were implemented to understand the directional influences between teacher-student closeness and conflict and measured math and reading achievement across elementary grades and gender groups using the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development longitudinal sample (N=1133). Specifically, after testing multiple group longitudinal measurement invariance to ensure consistent measurement across genders and time, and tests of equivalence of the latent parameters, we were interested in whether longitudinal changes in teacher-rated closeness and conflict explained longitudinal changes in achievement, and vice versa, and whether those longitudinal influences varied by gender. Latent teacher-student closeness decreased for both genders over time (Cohen's d=-0.15 to -0.32), but latent conflict increased for males (Cohen's d=0.16). There was also increased heterogeneity in teacher-student relationship quality for males relative to females. Math and reading achievement had medium reciprocal effects (β=0.12 to 0.23), and previous math achievement had small to medium effects on subsequent teacher-student closeness (β=0.08 to 0.11) and conflict (β=-0.07 to -0.09). Teacher-student conflict and closeness did not influence subsequent levels of math or reading achievement once previous levels were controlled. Further, these influences were consistent across gender groups despite latent differences in teacher-student closeness and conflict with teachers reporting closer relationships with female students and more conflictual relationships with male students. Copyright © 2017 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High School Size and White Student College Readiness: A Statewide, Multiyear Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Robin L.; Combs, Julie P.; Slate, John R.

2014-01-01

We analyzed 5 years of Texas statewide data on high school size and college readiness in English Language Arts, math, and in both subjects for White students. Using Greeney and Slate's (2012) criteria, large-size high schools had over 1,500 students, medium-size high schools had 401 to 1,500 students, and small-size high schools had enrollments…

Teaching Leadership to All: The Educational Challenge of Our Times

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fish, Ted

2011-01-01

A hundred years ago, if people had asked a group of competent and talented educators whether any child--regardless of race, class, or gender--could one day learn to read Shakespeare, write scientific papers, or do algebraic math, all but the most visionary would have answered, "No." Only a small segment of the population was deemed capable of…

Does Differentiated Instruction Raise Student Performance in Mathematics: An Action Research Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James, Shondra Denise

2013-01-01

Differentiated instruction has become a trend in education across the country as a way of addressing the needs of all students. In this study, data were analyzed from a research site that used differentiated instruction in math as a way of raising performance within a small sampling of second grade students. The success of the intervention…

Leveraging the Power of Peer-Led Learning: Investigating Effects on STEM Performance in Urban High Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Ally S.; Bonner, Sarah M.; Everson, Howard T.; Somers, Jennifer A.

2015-01-01

The Peer Enabled Restructured Classroom (PERC) is an instructional innovation developed to address gaps in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in urban high schools. The PERC model changes instruction from teacher led to peer led by bringing peer students into the classroom to lead small-group work. Our study sought to provide…

Instructional Coaching in a Small District: A Mixed Methods Study of Teachers' Concerns

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayfield, Melissa J.

2016-01-01

This study utilized a convergent parallel mixed methods design to study teachers' concerns during implementation of instructional coaching for math in a rural PK-12 district in north Texas over a three-year time period. Five campuses were included in the study: one high school (grades 9-12), one middle school (grades 6-8), and three elementary…

The Black-White Test Score Gap through Third Grade. NBER Working Paper No. 11049

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fryer, Roland G.; Levitt, Steven D.

2005-01-01

This paper describes basic facts regarding the black-white test score gap over the first four years of school. Black children enter school substantially behind their white counterparts in reading and math, but including a small number of covariates erases the gap. Over the first four years of school, however, blacks lose substantial ground…

School Disruption on the Small Scale: Can Micro-Schools Break Out of an Elite Niche?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Justin C.

2017-01-01

NuVu is an off-the-grid, independent "micro-school" in Massachusetts, whose 60 students are stretching the boundaries of what constitutes education in America. Instead of switching between subject-driven classes that teach a common curriculum, they follow a fluid schedule in two-week blocks, and apply math, reading, problem-solving, and…

Microgravity Outreach with Math Teachers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Pat Doty (right) of NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) demonstrates the greater bounce to the ounce of metal made from a supercooled bulk metallic glass alloy that NASA is studying in space experiments. The metal plates at the bottom of the plexiglass tubes are made of three different types of metal. Bulk metallic glass is more resilient and, as a result, the dropped ball bearing bounces higher. Experiments in space allow scientists to study fundamental properties that carnot be observed on Earth. This demonstration was at the April 200 conference of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) in Chicago. photo credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)

Microgravity Outreach with Math Teachers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Pat Doty (right) of NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) demonstrates the greater bounce to the ounce of metal made from a supercooled bulk metallic glass alloy that NASA is studying in space expepriments. The metal plates at the bottom of plexiglass tubes are made of three different types of metal. Bulk mettalic glass is more resilient and, as a result, the dropped ball bearing bounces higher. Experiments in space allow scientists to study fundamental properties that carnot be observed on Earth. This demonstration was at the April 2000 conference of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) in Chicago. Photo credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)

Microgravity Outreach with Math Teachers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Pat Doty (right) of NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) demonstrates the greater bounce to the ounce of metal made from a supercooled bulk metallic glass alloy that NASA is studying in space experiments. The metal plates at the bottom of the plexiglass tubes are made of three different types of metal. Bulk metallic glass is more resilient and, as a result, the dropped ball bearing bounces higher. Experiments in space allow scientists to study fundamental properties that carnot be observed on Earth. This demonstration was at the April 2000 conference of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics in Chicago. Photo credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)

2017 Robotic Mining Competition

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-23

NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana welcomes participants to the agency's 8th Annual Robotic Mining Competition at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. More than 40 student teams from colleges and universities around the U.S. will use their mining robots to dig in a supersized sandbox filled with BP-1, or simulated Martian soil, and participate in other competition requirements. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could be used on NASA's Journey to Mars.

The ABCs of Math: A Genetic Analysis of Mathematics and Its Links With Reading Ability and General Cognitive Ability

PubMed Central

Hart, Sara A.; Petrill, Stephen A.; Thompson, Lee A.; Plomin, Robert

2009-01-01

The goal of this first major report from the Western Reserve Reading Project Math component is to explore the etiology of the relationship among tester-administered measures of mathematics ability, reading ability, and general cognitive ability. Data are available on 314 pairs of monozygotic and same-sex dizygotic twins analyzed across 5 waves of assessment. Univariate analyses provide a range of estimates of genetic (h2 = .00 –.63) and shared (c2 = .15–.52) environmental influences across math calculation, fluency, and problem solving measures. Multivariate analyses indicate genetic overlap between math problem solving with general cognitive ability and reading decoding, whereas math fluency shares significant genetic overlap with reading fluency and general cognitive ability. Further, math fluency has unique genetic influences. In general, math ability has shared environmental overlap with general cognitive ability and decoding. These results indicate that aspects of math that include problem solving have different genetic and environmental influences than math calculation. Moreover, math fluency, a timed measure of calculation, is the only measured math ability with unique genetic influences. PMID:20157630

Spectral monodromy of non-self-adjoint operators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phan, Quang Sang

2014-01-01

In the present paper, we build a combinatorial invariant, called the "spectral monodromy" from the spectrum of a single (non-self-adjoint) h-pseudodifferential operator with two degrees of freedom in the semi-classical limit. Our inspiration comes from the quantum monodromy defined for the joint spectrum of an integrable system of n commuting self-adjoint h-pseudodifferential operators, given by S. Vu Ngoc ["Quantum monodromy in integrable systems," Commun. Math. Phys. 203(2), 465-479 (1999)]. The first simple case that we treat in this work is a normal operator. In this case, the discrete spectrum can be identified with the joint spectrum of an integrable quantum system. The second more complex case we propose is a small perturbation of a self-adjoint operator with a classical integrability property. We show that the discrete spectrum (in a small band around the real axis) also has a combinatorial monodromy. The main difficulty in this case is that we do not know the description of the spectrum everywhere, but only in a Cantor type set. In addition, we also show that the corresponding monodromy can be identified with the classical monodromy, defined by J. Duistermaat ["On global action-angle coordinates," Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 33(6), 687-706 (1980)].

Evaluation of American Indian Science and Engineering Society Intertribal Middle School Science and Math Bowl Project

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

AISES, None

The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) has been funded under a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant (Grant Award No. DE-SC0004058) to host an Intertribal Middle-School Science and Math Bowl (IMSSMB) comprised of teams made up of a majority of American Indian students from Bureau of Indian Education-funded schools and public schools. The intent of the AISES middle school science and math bowl is to increase participation of American Indian students at the DOE-sponsored National Science Bowl. Although national in its recruitment scope, the AISES Intertribal Science and Math Bowl is considered a “regional” science bowl, equivalent tomore » the other 50 regional science bowls which are geographically limited to states. Most regional bowls do not have American Indian student teams competing, hence the AISES bowl is meant to encourage American Indian student teams to increase their science knowledge in order to participate at the national level. The AISES competition brings together teams from various American Indian communities across the nation. Each team is provided with funds for travel to and from the event, as well as for lodging and meals. In 2011 and 2012, there were 10 teams participating; in 2013, the number of teams participating doubled to 20. Each Science and Math Bowl team is comprised of four middle school — grades 6 through 8 — students, one alternate, and a teacher who serves as advisor and coach — although in at least two cases, the coach was not a teacher, but was the Indian Education Coordinator. Each team member must have at least a 3.0 GPA. Furthermore, the majority of students in each team must be comprised of American Indian, Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian students. Under the current DOE grant, AISES sponsored three annual middle school science bowl competitions over the years 2011, 2012 and 2013. The science and math bowls have been held in late March concurrently with the National American Indian Science and Engineering Fair (NAISEF) and EXPO at the Albuquerque, NM Convention Center. Albuquerque is also the home of the AISES national office. The AISES staff also recruits volunteers to assist with implementation of the science and math bowl event. In 2011, there were 7 volunteers; in 2012, 15 volunteers, and in 2013, 19 volunteers. Volunteers are recruited from a variety of local sources, including Sandia Laboratories, Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute students, Department of Defense, as well as family members of AISES staff. For AISES, the goals of the Intertribal Middle School Science and Math Bowl project are to have more Native students learn science, for them to gain confidence in competing, and to reward their effort in order to motivate them to pursue studies in the sciences and engineering. For DOE, the goals of the project are to get more Native students to compete at the National Science Bowl, held in Washington, DC.« less

An Investigation of Boys' and Girls' Emotional Experience of Math, Their Math Performance, and the Relation between These Variables

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erturan, Selin; Jansen, Brenda

2015-01-01

Gender differences in children's emotional experience of math, their math performance, and the relation between these variables were investigated in two studies. In Study 1, test anxiety, math anxiety, and math performance (whole-number computation) were measured in 134 children in grades 3-8 (ages 7-15 years). In Study 2, perceived math…

Trajectories of Self-Perceived Math Ability, Utility Value and Interest across Middle School as Predictors of High School Math Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petersen, Jennifer Lee; Hyde, Janet Shibley

2017-01-01

Although many studies have documented developmental change in mathematics motivation, little is known about how these trends predict math performance. A sample of 288 participants from the United States reported their perceived math ability, math utility value and math interest in 5th, 7th and 9th grades. Latent growth curve models estimated…

The Physics Learning Program at UW-Madison: Strategies for Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nossal, S. M.; Watson, L. E.; Jacob, A. T.; Reading, J. A.

2005-05-01

The Physics Learning Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison provides a supportive learning environment for introductory physics students potentially at-risk for having academic trouble or for feeling isolated at the University. Physics is a gateway course for many undergraduate science majors such as biology, physics, geophysics, atmospheric science, and astronomy, and for pre-health professions. Many students struggle with their physics courses due to factors including large class sizes, isolation and lack of study partners, and/or lack of confidence in mathematical problem solving skills. Our students include those with learning disabilities, no high school physics, weak math backgrounds, and/or on academic probation. We also work with students who may be feeling isolated, such as students from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, first generation college students, returning adults, international students, and students from small rural schools. Many of our students are also part of retention programs such as the TRIO program, the Academic Advancement Program, the McNair Scholars Program, and the McBurney Disability Resource Center. The Physics Learning Program's Peer Mentor Tutor program is run in conjunction with similar programs for chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin. We will discuss strategies we use for creating an inclusive learning environment that engages students in their learning. Such strategies include small group instruction, ongoing training of the tutors, teaching problem solving skills, and creating a welcoming atmosphere.

A longitudinal analysis of sex differences in math and spatial skills in primary school age children☆

PubMed Central

Lachance, Jennifer A.; Mazzocco, Michèle M.M.

2009-01-01

We report on a longitudinal study designed to assess possible sex differences in math achievement, math ability, and math-related tasks during the primary school age years. Participants included over 200 children from one public school district. Annual assessments included measures of math ability, math calculation achievement scores, rapid naming and decoding tasks, visual perception tests, visual motor tasks, and reading skills. During select years of the study we also administered tests of counting and math facts skills. We examined whether girls or boys were overrepresented among the bottom or top performers on any of these tasks, relative to their peers, and whether growth rates or predictors of math-related skills differed for boys and girls. Our findings support the notion that sex differences in math are minimal or nonexistent on standardized psychometric tests routinely given in assessments of primary school age children. There was no persistent finding suggesting a male or female advantage in math performance overall, during any single year of the study, or in any one area of math or spatial skills. Growth rates for all skills, and early correlates of later math performance, were comparable for boys and girls. The findings fail to support either persistent or emerging sex differences on non-specialized math ability measures during the primary school age years. PMID:20463851

The influence of math anxiety on symbolic and non-symbolic magnitude processing.

PubMed

Dietrich, Julia F; Huber, Stefan; Moeller, Korbinian; Klein, Elise

2015-01-01

Deficits in basic numerical abilities have been investigated repeatedly as potential risk factors of math anxiety. Previous research suggested that also a deficient approximate number system (ANS), which is discussed as being the foundation for later math abilities, underlies math anxiety. However, these studies examined this hypothesis by investigating ANS acuity using a symbolic number comparison task. Recent evidence questions the view that ANS acuity can be assessed using a symbolic number comparison task. To investigate whether there is an association between math anxiety and ANS acuity, we employed both a symbolic number comparison task and a non-symbolic dot comparison task, which is currently the standard task to assess ANS acuity. We replicated previous findings regarding the association between math anxiety and the symbolic distance effect for response times. High math anxious individuals showed a larger distance effect than less math anxious individuals. However, our results revealed no association between math anxiety and ANS acuity assessed using a non-symbolic dot comparison task. Thus, our results did not provide evidence for the hypothesis that a deficient ANS underlies math anxiety. Therefore, we propose that a deficient ANS does not constitute a risk factor for the development of math anxiety. Moreover, our results suggest that previous interpretations regarding the interaction of math anxiety and the symbolic distance effect have to be updated. We suggest that impaired number comparison processes in high math anxious individuals might account for the results rather than deficient ANS representations. Finally, impaired number comparison processes might constitute a risk factor for the development of math anxiety. Implications for current models regarding the origins of math anxiety are discussed.

The influence of math anxiety on symbolic and non-symbolic magnitude processing

PubMed Central

Dietrich, Julia F.; Huber, Stefan; Moeller, Korbinian; Klein, Elise

2015-01-01

Deficits in basic numerical abilities have been investigated repeatedly as potential risk factors of math anxiety. Previous research suggested that also a deficient approximate number system (ANS), which is discussed as being the foundation for later math abilities, underlies math anxiety. However, these studies examined this hypothesis by investigating ANS acuity using a symbolic number comparison task. Recent evidence questions the view that ANS acuity can be assessed using a symbolic number comparison task. To investigate whether there is an association between math anxiety and ANS acuity, we employed both a symbolic number comparison task and a non-symbolic dot comparison task, which is currently the standard task to assess ANS acuity. We replicated previous findings regarding the association between math anxiety and the symbolic distance effect for response times. High math anxious individuals showed a larger distance effect than less math anxious individuals. However, our results revealed no association between math anxiety and ANS acuity assessed using a non-symbolic dot comparison task. Thus, our results did not provide evidence for the hypothesis that a deficient ANS underlies math anxiety. Therefore, we propose that a deficient ANS does not constitute a risk factor for the development of math anxiety. Moreover, our results suggest that previous interpretations regarding the interaction of math anxiety and the symbolic distance effect have to be updated. We suggest that impaired number comparison processes in high math anxious individuals might account for the results rather than deficient ANS representations. Finally, impaired number comparison processes might constitute a risk factor for the development of math anxiety. Implications for current models regarding the origins of math anxiety are discussed. PMID:26579012

Approximate Arithmetic Training Improves Informal Math Performance in Low Achieving Preschoolers

PubMed Central

Szkudlarek, Emily; Brannon, Elizabeth M.

2018-01-01

Recent studies suggest that practice with approximate and non-symbolic arithmetic problems improves the math performance of adults, school aged children, and preschoolers. However, the relative effectiveness of approximate arithmetic training compared to available educational games, and the type of math skills that approximate arithmetic targets are unknown. The present study was designed to (1) compare the effectiveness of approximate arithmetic training to two commercially available numeral and letter identification tablet applications and (2) to examine the specific type of math skills that benefit from approximate arithmetic training. Preschool children (n = 158) were pseudo-randomly assigned to one of three conditions: approximate arithmetic, letter identification, or numeral identification. All children were trained for 10 short sessions and given pre and post tests of informal and formal math, executive function, short term memory, vocabulary, alphabet knowledge, and number word knowledge. We found a significant interaction between initial math performance and training condition, such that children with low pretest math performance benefited from approximate arithmetic training, and children with high pretest math performance benefited from symbol identification training. This effect was restricted to informal, and not formal, math problems. There were also effects of gender, socio-economic status, and age on post-test informal math score after intervention. A median split on pretest math ability indicated that children in the low half of math scores in the approximate arithmetic training condition performed significantly better than children in the letter identification training condition on post-test informal math problems when controlling for pretest, age, gender, and socio-economic status. Our results support the conclusion that approximate arithmetic training may be especially effective for children with low math skills, and that approximate arithmetic training improves early informal, but not formal, math skills. PMID:29867624

Approximate Arithmetic Training Improves Informal Math Performance in Low Achieving Preschoolers.

PubMed

Szkudlarek, Emily; Brannon, Elizabeth M

2018-01-01

Recent studies suggest that practice with approximate and non-symbolic arithmetic problems improves the math performance of adults, school aged children, and preschoolers. However, the relative effectiveness of approximate arithmetic training compared to available educational games, and the type of math skills that approximate arithmetic targets are unknown. The present study was designed to (1) compare the effectiveness of approximate arithmetic training to two commercially available numeral and letter identification tablet applications and (2) to examine the specific type of math skills that benefit from approximate arithmetic training. Preschool children ( n = 158) were pseudo-randomly assigned to one of three conditions: approximate arithmetic, letter identification, or numeral identification. All children were trained for 10 short sessions and given pre and post tests of informal and formal math, executive function, short term memory, vocabulary, alphabet knowledge, and number word knowledge. We found a significant interaction between initial math performance and training condition, such that children with low pretest math performance benefited from approximate arithmetic training, and children with high pretest math performance benefited from symbol identification training. This effect was restricted to informal, and not formal, math problems. There were also effects of gender, socio-economic status, and age on post-test informal math score after intervention. A median split on pretest math ability indicated that children in the low half of math scores in the approximate arithmetic training condition performed significantly better than children in the letter identification training condition on post-test informal math problems when controlling for pretest, age, gender, and socio-economic status. Our results support the conclusion that approximate arithmetic training may be especially effective for children with low math skills, and that approximate arithmetic training improves early informal, but not formal, math skills.

Effects of Math Anxiety and Perfectionism on Timed versus Untimed Math Testing in Mathematically Gifted Sixth Graders

PubMed Central

Tsui, Joanne M.; Mazzocco, Michèle M. M.

2009-01-01

This study was designed to examine the effects of math anxiety and perfectionism on math performance, under timed testing conditions, among mathematically gifted sixth graders. We found that participants had worse math performance during timed versus untimed testing, but this difference was statistically significant only when the timed condition preceded the untimed condition. We also found that children with higher levels of either math anxiety or perfectionism had a smaller performance discrepancy during timed versus untimed testing, relative to children with lower levels of math anxiety or perfectionism. There were no statistically significant gender differences in overall test performance, nor in levels of math anxiety or perfectionism; however, the difference between performance on timed and untimed math testing was statistically significant for girls, but not for boys. Implications for educators are discussed. PMID:20084180

A descriptive study of high school Latino and Caucasian students' values about math, perceived math achievement and STEM career choice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez Flecha, Samuel

The purpose of this study was to examine high school students' math values, perceived math achievement, and STEM career choice. Participants (N=515) were rural high school students from the U.S. Northwest. Data was collected by administering the "To Do or Not to Do:" STEM pilot survey. Most participants (n=294) were Latinos, followed by Caucasians (n=142). Fifty-three percent of the students rated their math achievement as C or below. Of high math students, 57% were male. Females were 53% of low math students. Caucasians (61%) rated themselves as high in math in a greater proportion than Latinos (39%). Latinos (58%) rated themselves as low in math in a greater proportion than Caucasians (39%). Math Values play a significant role in students' perceived math achievement. Internal math values (r =.68, R2 =.46, p =.001) influenced perceived math achievement regardless of gender (males: r =.70, R2 =.49, p =.001; females: r =.65, R2 =.43, p =.001), for Latinos (r =.66, R2 =.44, p =.001), and Caucasians (r =.72, R2 =.51, p =.001). External math values (r =.53, R2 =.28, p =.001) influenced perceived math achievement regardless of gender (males: r =.54, R2 =.30, p =.001; females: r =.49, R2 =.24, p =.001), for Latinos (r =.47, R2 =.22, p =.001), and Caucasians (r =.58, R2 =.33, p =.001). Most high-math students indicated an awareness of being good at math at around 11 years old. Low-math students said that they realized that math was difficult for them at approximately 13 years of age. The influence of parents, teachers, and peers may vary at different academic stages. Approximately half of the participants said there was not a person who had significantly impacted their career choice; only a minority said their parents and teachers were influencing them to a STEM career. Parents and teachers are the most influential relationships in students' career choice. More exposure to STEM role models and in a variety of professions is needed. Possible strategies to impact students' career choice, future directions and recommendations are provided. In sum, positive experiences in STEM can favorably contribute to students' sense of competence and satisfaction.

Cognitive consistency and math-gender stereotypes in Singaporean children.

PubMed

Cvencek, Dario; Meltzoff, Andrew N; Kapur, Manu

2014-01-01

In social psychology, cognitive consistency is a powerful principle for organizing psychological concepts. There have been few tests of cognitive consistency in children and no research about cognitive consistency in children from Asian cultures, who pose an interesting developmental case. A sample of 172 Singaporean elementary school children completed implicit and explicit measures of math-gender stereotype (male=math), gender identity (me=male), and math self-concept (me=math). Results showed strong evidence for cognitive consistency; the strength of children's math-gender stereotypes, together with their gender identity, significantly predicted their math self-concepts. Cognitive consistency may be culturally universal and a key mechanism for developmental change in social cognition. We also discovered that Singaporean children's math-gender stereotypes increased as a function of age and that boys identified with math more strongly than did girls despite Singaporean girls' excelling in math. The results reveal both cultural universals and cultural variation in developing social cognition. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Attentional bias in high math-anxious individuals: evidence from an emotional Stroop task

PubMed Central

Suárez-Pellicioni, Macarena; Núñez-Peña, Maria Isabel; Colomé, Àngels

2015-01-01

Attentional bias toward threatening or emotional information is considered a cognitive marker of anxiety, and it has been described in various clinical and subclinical populations. This study used an emotional Stroop task to investigate whether math anxiety is characterized by an attentional bias toward math-related words. Two previous studies failed to observe such an effect in math-anxious individuals, although the authors acknowledged certain methodological limitations that the present study seeks to avoid. Twenty high math-anxious (HMA) and 20 low math-anxious (LMA) individuals were presented with an emotional Stroop task including math-related and neutral words. Participants in the two groups did not differ in trait anxiety or depression. We found that the HMA group showed slower response times to math-related words than to neutral words, as well as a greater attentional bias (math-related – neutral difference score) than the LMA one, which constitutes the first demonstration of an attentional bias toward math-related words in HMA individuals. PMID:26539137

Can Low-Cost Online Summer Math Programs Improve Student Preparation for College-Level Math? Evidence from Randomized Experiments at Three Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chingos, Matthew M.; Griffiths, Rebecca J.; Mulhern, Christine

2017-01-01

Every year many students enter college without the math preparation needed to succeed in their desired programs of study. Many of these students struggle to catch up, especially those who are required to take remedial math courses before entering college-level math. Increasing the number of students who begin at the appropriate level of math has…

Growth Texture and Mechanism of Zinc Nanowires Produced by Mechanical Elongation of Nanocontacts.

PubMed

Yamabe, Kammu; Kizuka, Tokushi

2018-01-01

Two zinc nanotips were brought into contact and elongated inside a transmission electron microscope, thereby growing single-crystal nanowires. The growth dynamics was observed in situ via a lattice imaging method. The preferential crystal growth directions were identified as [101-0], [112-0], [101-2-], and [0001]. Of these, the nanowires grown along the [101-0] and [112-0] directions accounted for 75% of the total and were surrounded by low-energy side surfaces, i.e., {0001}, {101-1}, and {101-0}. On the basis of these features, models of the nanowire morphology were proposed. In either growth direction, the tensile force aligned parallel to the direction along which slip events corresponding to the predominant slip system were unlikely to occur. This led to a high tensile stress for extracting atoms from the growth region, i.e., the promotion of nanowire growth.

Robotic Mining Competition - Opening Ceremony

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-05-15

NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana welcomes college and university teams to NASA's 9th Robotic Mining Competition, May 15, during the opening ceremony in the RobotPits in the Educator Resource Center at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. More than 40 student teams from colleges and universities around the U.S. will use their mining robots to dig in a supersized sandbox filled with BP-1, or simulated Martian soil, gravel and rocks, and participate in other competition requirements. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could be used on NASA's deep space missions.

Child care subsidies and the school readiness of children of immigrants.

PubMed

Johnson, Anna D; Han, Wen-Jui; Ruhm, Christopher J; Waldfogel, Jane

2014-01-01

This study is the first to test whether receipt of a federal child care subsidy is associated with children of immigrants' school readiness skills. Using nationally representative data (n ≈ 2,900), this study estimates the associations between subsidy receipt at age 4 and kindergarten cognitive and social outcomes, for children of immigrant versus native-born parents. Among children of immigrants, subsidized center-based care (vs. subsidized and unsubsidized home-based care) was positively linked with reading. Among children of native-born parents, those in subsidized center care displayed poorer math skills than those in unsubsidized centers, and more externalizing problems than those in unsubsidized home-based care. © 2014 The Authors. Child Development © 2014 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Robotic Mining Competition Awards Ceremony

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-26

Inside the Apollo-Saturn V Center at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, Pat Simpkins, director of the Engineering Directorate at Kennedy Space Center, speaks to the teams during the award ceremony for NASA's 8th Annual Robotic Mining Competition. More than 40 student teams from colleges and universities around the U.S. used their uniquely-designed mining robots to dig in a supersized sandbox filled with BP-1, or simulated Martian soil, and participated in other competition requirements, May 22-26, at the visitor complex. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could be used on NASA's Journey to Mars.

Addressing Math Anxiety in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finlayson, Maureen

2014-01-01

In today's educational systems, students of all levels of education experience math anxiety. Furthermore, math anxiety is frequently linked to poor achievement in mathematics. The purpose of this study is to examine the causes of math anxiety and to explore strategies which pre-service teachers have identified to overcome math anxiety. The…

The Effects of Math Anxiety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrews, Amanda; Brown, Jennifer

2015-01-01

Math anxiety is a reoccurring problem for many students, and the effects of this anxiety on college students are increasing. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between pre-enrollment math anxiety, standardized test scores, math placement scores, and academic success during freshman math coursework (i.e., pre-algebra, college…

Some Recent Results on Graph Matching,

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-06-01

V. CHVATAL, Tough graphs and Hamiltonian circuits, Discrete Math . 5, 1973, 215-228. [El] J. EDMONDS, Paths, trees and flowers, Canad. J. Math. 17...Theory, Ann. Discrete Math . 29, North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1986. [N] D. NADDEF, Rank of maximum matchings in a graph, Math. Programming 22, 52-70. [NP...Optimization, Ann. Discrete Math . 16, North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1982, 241-260. [P1] M.D. PLUMMER, On n-extendable graphs, Discrete Math . 31, 1980, 201-210

Advanced Math Course Taking: Effects on Math Achievement and College Enrollment

PubMed Central

Byun, Soo-yong; Irvin, Matthew J.; Bell, Bethany A.

2014-01-01

Using data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002–2006 (ELS:02/06), this study investigated the effects of advanced math course taking on math achievement and college enrollment and how such effects varied by socioeconomic status (SES) and race/ethnicity. Results from propensity score matching and sensitivity analyses showed that advanced math course taking had positive effects on math achievement and college enrollment. Results also demonstrated that the effect of advanced math course taking on math achievement was greater for low SES students than for high SES students, but smaller for Black students than for White students. No interaction effects were found for college enrollment. Limitations, policy implications, and future research directions are discussed. PMID:26508803

How is anxiety related to math performance in young students? A longitudinal study of Grade 2 to Grade 3 children.

PubMed

Cargnelutti, Elisa; Tomasetto, Carlo; Passolunghi, Maria Chiara

2017-06-01

Both general and math-specific anxiety are related to proficiency in mathematics. However, it is not clear when math anxiety arises in young children, nor how it relates to early math performance. This study therefore investigated the early association between math anxiety and math performance in Grades 2 and 3, by accounting for general anxiety and by further inspecting the prevalent directionality of the anxiety-performance link. Results revealed that this link was significant in Grade 3, with a prevalent direction from math anxiety to performance, rather than the reverse. Longitudinal analyses also showed an indirect effect of math anxiety in Grade 2 on subsequent math performance in Grade 3. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of monitoring anxiety from the early stages of schooling in order to promote proficient academic performance.

A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies of Mathematics Difficulty.

PubMed

Nelson, Gena; Powell, Sarah R

2017-06-01

Some students may be diagnosed with a learning disability in mathematics or dyscalculia, whereas other students may demonstrate below-grade-level mathematics performance without a disability diagnosis. In the literature, researchers often identify students in both groups as experiencing math difficulty. To understand the performance of students with math difficulty, we examined 35 studies that reported longitudinal results of mathematics achievement (i.e., mathematics performance measured across at least a 12-month span). Our primary goal was to conduct a systematic review of these studies and to understand whether the growth of students with math difficulty was comparable or stagnant when compared with that of students without math difficulty. We also analyzed whether identification of math difficulty was predictive of mathematics achievement in later grades and whether a diagnosis of math difficulty was stable across grade levels. Results indicate that students with math difficulty demonstrate growth on mathematics measures, but this growth still leads to lower performance than that of students without math difficulty. Identification of math difficulty is strongly related to math performance in subsequent grades, and this diagnosis is often stable. Collectively, this literature indicates that students with math difficulty continue to struggle with mathematics in later grades.

Simple arithmetic: not so simple for highly math anxious individuals.

PubMed

Chang, Hyesang; Sprute, Lisa; Maloney, Erin A; Beilock, Sian L; Berman, Marc G

2017-12-01

Fluency with simple arithmetic, typically achieved in early elementary school, is thought to be one of the building blocks of mathematical competence. Behavioral studies with adults indicate that math anxiety (feelings of tension or apprehension about math) is associated with poor performance on cognitively demanding math problems. However, it remains unclear whether there are fundamental differences in how high and low math anxious individuals approach overlearned simple arithmetic problems that are less reliant on cognitive control. The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the neural correlates of simple arithmetic performance across high and low math anxious individuals. We implemented a partial least squares analysis, a data-driven, multivariate analysis method to measure distributed patterns of whole-brain activity associated with performance. Despite overall high simple arithmetic performance across high and low math anxious individuals, performance was differentially dependent on the fronto-parietal attentional network as a function of math anxiety. Specifically, low-compared to high-math anxious individuals perform better when they activate this network less-a potential indication of more automatic problem-solving. These findings suggest that low and high math anxious individuals approach even the most fundamental math problems differently. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press.

Simple arithmetic: not so simple for highly math anxious individuals

PubMed Central

Sprute, Lisa; Maloney, Erin A; Beilock, Sian L; Berman, Marc G

2017-01-01

Abstract Fluency with simple arithmetic, typically achieved in early elementary school, is thought to be one of the building blocks of mathematical competence. Behavioral studies with adults indicate that math anxiety (feelings of tension or apprehension about math) is associated with poor performance on cognitively demanding math problems. However, it remains unclear whether there are fundamental differences in how high and low math anxious individuals approach overlearned simple arithmetic problems that are less reliant on cognitive control. The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the neural correlates of simple arithmetic performance across high and low math anxious individuals. We implemented a partial least squares analysis, a data-driven, multivariate analysis method to measure distributed patterns of whole-brain activity associated with performance. Despite overall high simple arithmetic performance across high and low math anxious individuals, performance was differentially dependent on the fronto-parietal attentional network as a function of math anxiety. Specifically, low—compared to high—math anxious individuals perform better when they activate this network less—a potential indication of more automatic problem-solving. These findings suggest that low and high math anxious individuals approach even the most fundamental math problems differently. PMID:29140499

BFACF-style algorithms for polygons in the body-centered and face-centered cubic lattices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janse van Rensburg, E. J.; Rechnitzer, A.

2011-04-01

In this paper, the elementary moves of the BFACF-algorithm (Aragão de Carvalho and Caracciolo 1983 Phys. Rev. B 27 1635-45, Aragão de Carvalho and Caracciolo 1983 Nucl. Phys. B 215 209-48, Berg and Foester 1981 Phys. Lett. B 106 323-6) for lattice polygons are generalized to elementary moves of BFACF-style algorithms for lattice polygons in the body-centered (BCC) and face-centered (FCC) cubic lattices. We prove that the ergodicity classes of these new elementary moves coincide with the knot types of unrooted polygons in the BCC and FCC lattices and so expand a similar result for the cubic lattice (see Janse van Rensburg and Whittington (1991 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 24 5553-67)). Implementations of these algorithms for knotted polygons using the GAS algorithm produce estimates of the minimal length of knotted polygons in the BCC and FCC lattices.

Effects of 8th Grade Algebra on High School Course-Taking and Math Achievement: Evidence from Changing Practices in a Large Urban District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rickles, Jordan; Phillips, Meredith; Yamashiro, Kyo

2014-01-01

Between 1990 and 2012, the percentage of 13-year-olds (most of whom are 8th graders) taking algebra more than doubled, from 15% to 34% (National Center for Education Statistics, 2013). Yet recent education policy changes suggest that this movement to encourage algebra-taking in 8th grade has begun to reverse course. Existing research suggests that…

KSC-03pd0463

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-02-02

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Sally Ride Science Festival, held at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla., young women gather to sign a large poster in tribute to the Columbia astronauts who were lost in the Shuttle's explosion the day before. The Sally Ride event promotes science, math and technology as future career paths for girls. Former astronaut Sally Ride addressed the girls, while breakout sessions afforded closer interaction between Ride and festival attendees.

KSC-03pd0462

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-02-02

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Sally Ride Science Festival, held at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla., young women gather to sign a large poster in tribute to the Columbia astronauts who were lost in the Shuttle's explosion the day before. The Sally Ride event promotes science, math and technology as future career paths for girls. Former astronaut Sally Ride addressed the girls, while breakout sessions afforded closer interaction between Ride and festival attendees.

KSC-03pd0461

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-02-02

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Sally Ride Science Festival, held at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla., young women gather to sign a large poster in tribute to the Columbia astronauts who were lost in the Shuttle's explosion the day before. The Sally Ride event promotes science, math and technology as future career paths for girls. Former astronaut Sally Ride addressed the girls, while breakout sessions afforded closer interaction between Ride and festival attendees.

Summer of Innovation Kick Off

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-06-09

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, center, listens as NASA astronaut Leland Melvin welcomes teachers and middle school students to the kick off of NASA's Summer of Innovation program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., Thursday, June 10, 2010. Through the program, NASA will engage thousands of middle school students and teachers in stimulating math and science-based education programs with the goal of increasing the number of future scientists, mathematicians, and engineers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

KSC-03PD-0463

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Sally Ride Science Festival, held at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla., young women gather to sign a large poster in tribute to the Columbia astronauts who were lost in the Shuttle's explosion the day before. The Sally Ride event promotes science, math and technology as future career paths for girls. Former astronaut Sally Ride addressed the girls, while breakout sessions afforded closer interaction between Ride and festival attendees.

KSC-03PD-0462

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Sally Ride Science Festival, held at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla., young women gather to sign a large poster in tribute to the Columbia astronauts who were lost in the Shuttle's explosion the day before. The Sally Ride event promotes science, math and technology as future career paths for girls. Former astronaut Sally Ride addressed the girls, while breakout sessions afforded closer interaction between Ride and festival attendees.

KSC-03PD-0460

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Exhibits draw crowds of young women attending the Sally Ride Science Festival, held at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla. The event promotes science, math and technology as future career paths for girls. Former astronaut Sally Ride addressed the girls, while breakout sessions afforded closer interaction between Ride and festival attendees. Since it followed the tragic loss of the Columbia astronauts, a large poster was presented which attendees could sign as tribute.

KSC-03PD-0461

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Sally Ride Science Festival, held at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla., young women gather to sign a large poster in tribute to the Columbia astronauts who were lost in the Shuttle's explosion the day before. The Sally Ride event promotes science, math and technology as future career paths for girls. Former astronaut Sally Ride addressed the girls, while breakout sessions afforded closer interaction between Ride and festival attendees.

Goal Orientation Framing and Its Influence on Performance

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

first-person shooter computer games Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. During the simulation, participants were...working understanding of social expectations and norms (Duda & Nicholis, 1992). It is true that obese people, drug addicts and abusive parents exist in...Monterey Student Activity Center. B. MEASURES Performance was assessed in two tests, a math test and a first-person shooter game . It was the intent of

FIRST 2002, 2003, 2004 Robotics Competition(s)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Purman, Richard

2004-01-01

The New Horizons Regional Education Center (NHREC) in Hampton, VA sought and received NASA funding to support its participation in the 2002, 2003, and 2004 FIRST Robotics Competitions. FIRST, Inc. (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an organization which encourages the application of creative science, math, and computer science principles to solve real-world engineering problems. The FIRST competition is an international engineering contest featuring high school, government, and business partnerships.

Alabama's Education Coalition Focuses on Supporting the State's Math, Science and Technology Initiative and on Building Distance Learning Programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Denson, R. L.

2003-12-01

The Alabama Math Science Technology Educational Coalition (AMSTEC) was formed as a non-profit after a 1998 NASA Linking Leaders program brought in education and corporate leaders to address systemic education reform in Alabama public schools. AMSTEC was instrumental in the creation of the Alabama Math Science Technology Initiative (AMSTI), a K-12 program designed using data from national and international research and local teacher survey. In the face of dwindling government support in a state ranked last in education funding, AMSTEC believes that its best hope for improved STEM education lies in strengthening its community/industry partnerships and building upon the Department of Education's newly created AMSTI program. NASA's GLOBE program is the primary earth science education component being integrated into AMSTI. AMSTI is structured to provide teachers with (1) the materials, equipment, technology and supplies necessary to deliver high quality, inquiry-based instruction; (2) professional development linked directly to the educational resources with the intent of strengthening content knowledge, instructional strategies, and use of assessment tools; and (3) on-site support and mentoring throughout the year in the interest of achieving these goals. Roles for community partners to support these objectives far exceed that of mere funding - especially in the area of mentoring and professional development. Currently, AMSTEC consists of 100+ members including classroom teachers and district officers, education department representatives from higher educational institutions, policy makers and administrators, and government and industry representatives. AMSTEC remains partially tied to NASA fiscally and is administratively housed by the National Space Science and Technology Center's Earth System Science Center. AMSTEC's partnership emphasis is focused on increasing corporate and industry participation to support the implementation of AMSTI and its hub-site-based program. Future foci for AMSTEC are development and implementation of distance learning programs across Alabama's K-12 public schools.

Remediation of Childhood Math Anxiety and Associated Neural Circuits through Cognitive Tutoring

PubMed Central

Iuculano, Teresa; Chen, Lang

2015-01-01

Math anxiety is a negative emotional reaction that is characterized by feelings of stress and anxiety in situations involving mathematical problem solving. High math-anxious individuals tend to avoid situations involving mathematics and are less likely to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math-related careers than those with low math anxiety. Math anxiety during childhood, in particular, has adverse long-term consequences for academic and professional success. Identifying cognitive interventions and brain mechanisms by which math anxiety can be ameliorated in children is therefore critical. Here we investigate whether an intensive 8 week one-to-one cognitive tutoring program designed to improve mathematical skills reduces childhood math anxiety, and we identify the neurobiological mechanisms by which math anxiety can be reduced in affected children. Forty-six children in grade 3, a critical early-onset period for math anxiety, participated in the cognitive tutoring program. High math-anxious children showed a significant reduction in math anxiety after tutoring. Remarkably, tutoring remediated aberrant functional responses and connectivity in emotion-related circuits anchored in the basolateral amygdala. Crucially, children with greater tutoring-induced decreases in amygdala reactivity had larger reductions in math anxiety. Our study demonstrates that sustained exposure to mathematical stimuli can reduce math anxiety and highlights the key role of the amygdala in this process. Our findings are consistent with models of exposure-based therapy for anxiety disorders and have the potential to inform the early treatment of a disability that, if left untreated in childhood, can lead to significant lifelong educational and socioeconomic consequences in affected individuals. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Math anxiety during early childhood has adverse long-term consequences for academic and professional success. It is therefore important to identify ways to alleviate math anxiety in young children. Surprisingly, there have been no studies of cognitive interventions and the underlying neurobiological mechanisms by which math anxiety can be ameliorated in young children. Here, we demonstrate that intensive 8 week one-to-one cognitive tutoring not only reduces math anxiety but also remarkably remediates aberrant functional responses and connectivity in emotion-related circuits anchored in the amygdala. Our findings are likely to propel new ways of thinking about early treatment of a disability that has significant implications for improving each individual's academic and professional chances of success in today's technological society that increasingly demands strong quantitative skills. PMID:26354922

Motivated Forgetting in Early Mathematics: A Proof-of-Concept Study

PubMed Central

Ramirez, Gerardo

2017-01-01

Educators assume that students are motivated to retain what they are taught. Yet, students commonly report that they forget most of what they learn, especially in mathematics. In the current study I ask whether students may be motivated to forget mathematics because of academic experiences threaten the self-perceptions they are committed to maintaining. Using a large dataset of 1st and 2nd grade children (N = 812), I hypothesize that math anxiety creates negative experiences in the classroom that threaten children’s positive math self-perceptions, which in turn spurs a motivation to forget mathematics. I argue that this motivation to forget is activated during the winter break, which in turn reduces the extent to which children grow in achievement across the school year. Children were assessed for math self-perceptions, math anxiety and math achievement in the fall before going into winter break. During the spring, children’s math achievement was measured once again. A math achievement growth score was devised from a regression model of fall math achievement predicting spring achievement. Results show that children with higher math self-perceptions showed reduced growth in math achievement across the school year as a function of math anxiety. Children with lower math interest self-perceptions did not show this relationship. Results serve as a proof-of-concept for a scientific account of motivated forgetting within the context of education. PMID:29255439

Motivated Forgetting in Early Mathematics: A Proof-of-Concept Study.

PubMed

Ramirez, Gerardo

2017-01-01

Educators assume that students are motivated to retain what they are taught. Yet, students commonly report that they forget most of what they learn, especially in mathematics. In the current study I ask whether students may be motivated to forget mathematics because of academic experiences threaten the self-perceptions they are committed to maintaining. Using a large dataset of 1st and 2nd grade children ( N = 812), I hypothesize that math anxiety creates negative experiences in the classroom that threaten children's positive math self-perceptions, which in turn spurs a motivation to forget mathematics. I argue that this motivation to forget is activated during the winter break, which in turn reduces the extent to which children grow in achievement across the school year. Children were assessed for math self-perceptions, math anxiety and math achievement in the fall before going into winter break. During the spring, children's math achievement was measured once again. A math achievement growth score was devised from a regression model of fall math achievement predicting spring achievement. Results show that children with higher math self-perceptions showed reduced growth in math achievement across the school year as a function of math anxiety. Children with lower math interest self-perceptions did not show this relationship. Results serve as a proof-of-concept for a scientific account of motivated forgetting within the context of education.

Helping Students Get Past Math Anxiety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scarpello, Gary

2007-01-01

Math anxiety can begin as early as the fourth grade and peaks in middle school and high school. It can be caused by past classroom experiences, parental influences, and remembering poor past math performance. Math anxiety can cause students to avoid challenging math courses and may limit their career choices. It is important for teachers, parents…

Incremental Beliefs of Ability, Achievement Emotions and Learning of Singapore Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luo, Wenshu; Lee, Kerry; Ng, Pak Tee; Ong, Joanne Xiao Wei

2014-01-01

This study investigated the relationships of students' incremental beliefs of math ability to their achievement emotions, classroom engagement and math achievement. A sample of 273 secondary students in Singapore were administered measures of incremental beliefs of math ability, math enjoyment, pride, boredom and anxiety, as well as math classroom…

Adults' Views on Mathematics Education: A Midwest Sample

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brez, Caitlin C.; Allen, Jessica J.

2016-01-01

Currently, few studies have addressed public opinions regarding math education. The current study surveyed adults in a Midwestern town in the United States to assess opinions regarding math and math education. Overall, we found that adults believe that math is useful and that math education is important. We found that parents who currently have a…

The Effectiveness of Using STAR Math to Improve PSSA Math Scores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holub, Sherry L.

2017-01-01

This is a quantitative study examining whether STAR Math, a student monitoring system, can improve PSSA Math scores. The experimental school used STAR Math during the 2015-2016 school year in grouping students for remediation and intervention. The control school used traditional curriculum measures to group students for remediation and…