State mandated tests have taken center stage for assessing student learning and for holding teachers and students accountable for achieving adequate progress. What types of early knowledge predict performance on these tests, especially among low-income children who are at risk for poor performance? We report on a longitudinal study of 519…

A primary purpose of cognitive diagnosis models (CDMs) is to classify examinees based on their attribute patterns. The Q-matrix (Tatsuoka, 1985), a common component of all CDMs, specifies the relationship between the set of required dichotomous attributes and the test items. Since a Q-matrix is often developed by content-knowledge experts and can…

In the US, an estimated 25% of four-year college students and up to 80% of community college students suffer from a moderate to high degree of mathematics anxiety (MA) (Chang & Beilock, 2016). Many scholars have noted that mathematics anxiety can be regarded as a significant factor in determining a student's achievement and mathematics related…

Studies show that how students think of mathematics is related to their approach to learning and course performance; views that fall into one of two categories, fragmented or cohesive conceptions of math. Students who view mathematics as a complex system that can be used to explain the world around them (cohesive), often adopt deeper approaches to…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to understand what effective professional learning looks like and how it impacts teacher effectiveness related to mathematical knowledge for teaching. The three concepts related to this study are teacher's content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and professional learning. A conceptual framework…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the use of active learning in classroom instruction and student achievement, and to ascertain whether this relationship is influenced by classroom discipline problems. Is it the case that the more a teacher utilizes active learning strategies in the classroom, the more her…

This study was designed to investigate children's abilities to count and make quantitative comparisons. In addition, this study utilized reasoning questions (i.e., how did you know?). Thirty-four preschoolers, mean age 4.5 years old, participated in the study. According to the results, 89% of the children (n = 30) were able to do rote counting and…

In this article, we review four software packages for implementing propensity score analysis in R: "Matching, MatchIt, PSAgraphics," and "twang." After briefly discussing essential elements for propensity score analysis, we apply each package to a data set from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study in order to estimate the…

Emotional intelligence helps define who we are as people. It can shape our reactions to different situations and our daily interactions and activities. Emotional intelligence can also drive our response to stress and pressure. Pressure to succeed can be overwhelming, and in some cases debilitating. This is true for individuals as well as…

The purpose of this study was to examine eighth grade students' algebra achievement scores across various states, over years, and by students' demographics (including ethnicity/race, language spoken at home, SES factors, and academic resources). The questions guiding the study were, (a) What are the differences in eighth grade students' algebra…

This quantitative non-experimental dissertation explores the impact of disruptive innovation theory in the form of computer-enhanced instruction (CEI) upon mathematics achievement. It also examines both teacher and student perceptions of CEI implementation in high school mathematics classrooms and the impacts of CEI upon student mathematics…

Complex surveys are often used to estimate causal effects regarding the effects of interventions or exposures of interest. Propensity scores (Rosenbaum & Rubin, 1983) have emerged as one popular and effective tool for causal inference in non-experimental studies, as they can help ensure that groups being compared are similar with respect to a…

This study investigated the differences in conceptions of variable among the groups of students identified as having a mathematics learning disability (MLD), other low mathematics achievement (LMA) students and typical mathematics achievement (TMA) students. This was done by analyzing the responses of these students on items involving the…

As states have upgraded their commitment to pre-K education over the past two decades, questions have arisen. Critics argue that program effects are likely to fade out or disappear over time, while supporters contend that program effects are likely to persist under certain conditions. Using data from Tulsa Public Schools, three neighboring school…

The mathematical preparedness of science undergraduates has been a subject of debate for some time. This paper investigates the relationship between school mathematics attainment and degree outcomes in biology and chemistry across England, a much larger scale of analysis than has hitherto been reported in the literature. A unique dataset which…