Short-term service-learning experiences such as alternative breaks are increasing in popularity due to the focus on service in higher education and the institution's responsibility to ensure students are graduating with the skills needed to succeed in an increasingly competitive, global economy and contribute to a democratic society as citizens…

Distinguishing between sources of variability in mathematics performance may contribute to a more comprehensive theory of mathematics skills. Research has examined student differences based upon scores on achievement tests, which provide overall proficiency, but may not provide the detailed information for identifying and remediating difficulties.…

The Real Engagement in Active Problem Solving (REAPS) model was developed in 2004 by C. June Maker and colleagues as an intervention for gifted students to develop creative problem solving ability through the use of real-world problems. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the REAPS model on developing students' general…

Past research has shown that students have difficulty developing a robust conception of function. However, little prior research has been performed dealing with student knowledge of function composition, a potentially powerful mathematical concept. This dissertation reports the results of an investigation into student understanding and use of…

The underachievement of students in the US is a growing and significant problem. When guided by the K-12 Service-Learning Standards for Quality Practice, research has shown service-learning results in increased academic achievement among middle and high school students. This study focused on identifying the impact of service learning interventions…

This exploratory and descriptive research intended to examine ways to engage a vulnerable young adult population in environmental and ecological education and in community planning and public participation processes. A goal was to understand how to be more inclusive in the decision-making process at the community level based on ethical principles…

The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between teacher discourse around social norms, student mathematical roles, and student mathematical explanations in the classroom. Mathematical explanations are important for learning mathematics and professional organizations encourage their use in the classroom. This study sought to…

Middle school reading teachers in a south Texas school district were surveyed to obtain a clearer understanding of one-to-one mobile device usage in the middle school reading classroom specifically regarding collaborative and active learning environments. The theoretical framework reviewed emerging learning theories that have steered effective…

Preparing early childhood providers (ECP) to effectively meet the needs of socioculturally and linguistically diverse children and families is necessary in early childhood personnel preparation and professional development programs (Rueda & Stillman, 2012). However, research shows that many providers continue to have difficulty engaging…

This quantitative study used a web-based questionnaire to assess the attitudes and perceptions of online and hybrid faculty towards student-centered asynchronous virtual teamwork (AVT) using the technology acceptance model (TAM) of Davis (1989). AVT is online student participation in a team approach to problem-solving culminating in a written…

Proficiency in mathematics across the United States has become an area of concern as performance on state accountability tests continues to demonstrate that less than 50% of students in 4th and 8th grade are proficient in mathematics (NCES, 2013). With such large numbers of students lacking proficiency in mathematics, systematic interventions that…

The purpose of this investigation was to identify strategies used by effective instructors of developmental mathematics, and to discover the perceptions developmental mathematics students have about these strategies. While there are research projects focusing solely on developmental mathematics achievement, this study fills a need by incorporating…

Given the teacher-as-technician view and the instrumentalist values that pervade professional schools, practices, and policy decisions (Kinsella & Pitman, 2012a; Zeichner, 2012) with regard to teacher qualification, evidence-based practices, and scripted curricula, there is growing concern that something of fundamental importance and moral…

Halmos (1980) once described problems and their solutions as "the heart of mathematics". Following this line of thinking, one might naturally ask: "What, then, is the heart of problems?" In this work, I attempt to answer this question using techniques from statistics, information visualization, and machine learning. I begin the…

The purpose of this dissertation study was to explore the experiences of high school physics students who were solving complex, ill-structured problems, in an effort to better understand how self-regulatory behavior mediated the project experience. Consistent with Voss, Green, Post, and Penner's (1983) conception of an ill-structured problem in…