MED 610 - Syllabus

Course Syllabus

COURSE: MED 610

TITLE: Survey of Research in Mathematics Education

CREDIT: 3 credits

INSTRUCTOR: Shandy Hauk, hauk@unco.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Graduates only. The goals of this course are to synthesize and re-conceptualize past research, suggest areas of research most useful to advancing the field and provide implications for classroom practice.

This course will survey a range of formal to semi-formal educational research models. It includes study of ontological and epistemological perspectives, qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods design, and ethical issues in mathematics education research.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: By the end of the course the student will be able to:

• critically evaluate the nature and applications of a variety of designs in mathematics education research and practice;

• demonstrate competence in comparing and contrasting a variety of specific methodological frameworks used for research;

• demonstrate competence in identifying a variety of learning and instructional theories/perspectives in mathematics education research;

• pursue direct applications of research techniques;

• identify and assess the basic procedures for the dissemination of research.

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Creswell, John W. (2003) Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (2nd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

ISBN: 0-761924426

THE FOLLOWING BOOK IS AVAILABLE ELECTRONICALLY through the UNC Library subscription to NetBooks:
Kelly, A. E. & Lesh, R. A. (Eds.) (2000). Handbook of Research Design in Mathematics and Science Education. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

American Psychological Association (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th Edition.) Washington, DC: American Psychological Association (APA).

ISBN: 1557987912

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2000). Principles and standards for school mathematics. Reston, VA: Author.

RECOMMENDED TEXT:

Blackburn, S. (1994). The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press.

(or something else like this one; sometimes even more than one is helpful!)

COURSE CONTENT:

The content of the course will be guided by the primary texts and readings provided in class from conference proceedings and journals. Course assignments include readings, summary and review of readings, a short mixed-methods research proposal in mathematics or science teaching and learning, exercises on interviewing, and several activities centered on the synthesis of educational philosophy, research design, socio-cultural concerns, and research ethics. The workload expectation for the course is a approximately 220 hours, including class meeting time.

In-class participation is 30% of the course grade. Contributions to discussion should be thoughtful and substantive (i.e., more than simple “I agree” types of responses). Class member contributions can include any of (but are not limited to) the following: responses to others’ comments, direct responses to the questions, raising a new question or issue, attempts to synthesize opinions of classmates and reframe discussion in terms of current or past professional readings, or providing an example from personal experience that fits with the topic and is to the point.

Supplemental readings from the research literature will be provided by the instructor and by class participants. Supplemental readings will include, on average, at least one research article per week. For most research articles, students will write a Summary and Review (S&R) essay. A list of grounding questions for the S&R essay assignments is provided by the instructor. All S&R essays will be compiled into an annotated bibliography by teams of students in the last week of the course.

Synthesis Activities will include questions similar in tenor and difficulty to graduate comprehensive examination items and will be graded according to a rubric provided by the instructor. As part of Synthesis Activities, class participants may collect and will analyze, interpret, and defend conclusions based on actual qualitative and quantitative data.

Two types of Interview Activities will be included in the course: (1) whole-class discussion of two interview transcripts provided to the class; (2) arranging for, conducting, and analyzing the results from a task-based interview using a published interview protocol chosen by participant(s) on Interview Teams.

Proposal Activities include: (1) completing an on-line workshop on ethical research activity through the NIH; (2) writing and submitting for approval an Institutional Review Board proposal; (3) writing a draft research proposal including a literature review covering at least five reliable sources, explication and justification of research design, and clear delineation of study limitations.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Class activities will be graded on the following weighted system.

Class Participation 30% of course grade

Summary & Review Essays 20%

Interview Activities 10%

Synthesis Activities 20%

Proposal Activities 20%

COURSE GRADES:

Course grades will be assigned on the following basis:

A 90% - 100%

B 80% - 89%

C 70% - 79%

D 60% - 69%

F below 60%

DISABILITY STATEMENT: Students who believe that they may need accommodation in this class are encouraged to contact Disability Support Services by phone/TTY at (970) 351-2289 or through the web at http://www.unco.edu/DSS/home.asp as soon as possible to ensure that accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.

ACADEMIC CONDUCT: All members of the University of Northern Colorado community are entrusted with the responsibility to uphold and promote five fundamental values: Honesty, Trust, Respect, Fairness, and Responsibility. These core elements foster an atmosphere, inside and outside of the classroom, which serves as a foundation and guides the UNC community’s academic, professional, and personal growth. Endorsement of these core elements by students, faculty, staff, administration, and trustees strengthens the integrity and value of our academic climate. In order to support academic excellence, the University expects students to conduct themselves in accordance with certain generally accepted norms of scholarship and professional behaviors. Because of this expectation, the University does not condone any form of academic misconduct. Academic misconduct includes but is not limited to plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, and knowingly or recklessly encouraging or making possible any act of plagiarism, cheating, or fabrication. Academic misconduct is an unacceptable activity in scholarship and is in conflict with academic and professional ethics and morals. Further information on University of Northern Colorado academic policies and procedures is available in the on-line Student Handbook: http://www.unco.edu/dos/handbook/links.htm

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Required readings may be assigned from sources like the following, depending on course content and class-participants’ areas of focus.

Books

Abraham, F. D. & Gilgen, A. R. (1995). Chaos theory in psychology. Greenwood Press.

American Association for the Advancement of Science. (1993). Benchmarks for science literacy. New York: Oxford University Press.

Anderson, J. A. (1995). An introduction to neural networks. Cambridge, MA: Bradford.

Cairns, R., Bergman, L. & Kagan, J. (1998). Methods and models for studying the individual. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Cohen, S. & Reese, H. (Eds.). (1994). Life-span developmental psychology: Methodological considerations. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Cozby, P., Worden, P. & Kee, D. (1989). Research methods in human development. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Pub. Co.

Driscoll, M. (2000) Psychology of learning for instruction. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Ericsson, K. & Sanstrom, K. L. (1988). Knowing children: Participant observations with minors. Newbury Park: Sage.

Gabel, D. L., Ed. (1994), Handbook of research on science teaching and learning. New York: Macmillan.

Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. New York: Teachers College.

Gliner, J. & Morgan, G. (2000). Research methods in applied settings. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Grouws, D. A. (Ed.) (1992), Handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning. New York: Macmillan.

Hutchins, E. (1995). Cognition in the wild. Cambridge: MIT Press.

Jaeger, R. M. (Ed.) (1988). Complementary methods for research in education. Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association.

Keeves, J. P. (Ed.) (1997). Educational research, methodology, and measurement: An international handbook. Tarrytown, NY: Elsevier Science, Ltd.

Lawrenz, F., K. Cochran, J. Krajcik, and P. Simpson, Eds. (1992). Research matters…to the science teacher, NARST Monograph, No. 5.

McGilly, K. (Ed.) (1994), Classroom lessons: Integrating cognitive theory and classroom practice. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Mertens, D. A. (2005). Research and evaluation in education and psychology: Integrating diversity with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods (2nd edition). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2000). Principles and standards for school mathematics. Reston, VA: Author.

National Research Council. (1996). National science education standards. Washington, D. C.: National Academy Press.

Pellegrini, A. D. (1996). Observing children in their natural worlds: A methodological primer. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Richardson, V. R. (Ed.) (2001). Handbook of research on teaching (4th Ed.) Washington, DC; American Educational Research Association.

Stevenson, J. & Skuse, D. (1995). Handbook of research methods with children. New York: Chapman & Hall.

Strauss, A., and Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Treagust, D., R. Duit, and B. Fraser, Eds. (1995). Improving teaching and learning in science and mathematics, New York: Teachers College Press.

Articles/manuscripts

Bickel, R. & Howley, C. (2003, March) [PDF file]. Elementary math achievement for rural development: Effects of contextual factors intrinsic to the modern world. Appalachian Center for Learning, Assessment, and Instruction in Mathematics (ACCLAIM) Working Paper No. 15.

Bowen, C. (1994). Think-aloud methods in chemistry education. Journal of Chemical Education, 71(3), 184-190.

Bunce, D., Gabel, D., Herron, J. D., and Jones, L. L., (1994). Chemical education research, Journal of Chemical Education, 71, 850-852.

Chall, J. S. & Jacobs, V. A. (Spring, 2003). Poor children's fourth-grade slump. American Educator. Retrieved 23 October 2004 from http://www.aft.org/pubs-reports/american_educator/spring2003/chall.html

Davis, R. B., & Simmt, E. (2003) [PDF file]. Understanding learning systems: Mathematics education and complexity science. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 34, 137-167.

Durand-Guerrier, V. (2003) [PDF file]. Which notion of implication is the right one? From logical considerations to a didactic perspective. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 53, 5 – 34.

Firestone, W. A. (1987). Meaning in method: The rhetoric of quantitative and qualitative research. Educational Researcher, 16, 16-21.

Greene, J. C., Caracelli, V. J. & Graham, W. F. (1989). Toward a conceptual framework for mixed-method evaluation designs. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 11, 255-274.

Gutstein, E., Lipman, P., Hernandez, P. & de los Reyes, R. (1997) [PDF file]. Culturally relevant mathematics teaching in a Mexican American context. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 28, 709-737.

Hauk, S. (2005) [PDF file]. Mathematical autobiography among college learners in the United States. Adults Learning Mathematics International Journal 1(1), 36-56.

Lipka, J. & Adams, B. (2004, January) [PDF file]. Culturally based math education as a way to improve Alaska Native students’ math performance. Appalachian Center for Learning, Assessment, and Instruction in Mathematics (ACCLAIM) Working Paper No. 20.

Martin, L., LaCroix, L., & Fownes, L. (2005) [PDf file]. Folding back and the growth of mathematical understanding in workplace training. Adults Learning Mathematics International Journal 1(1), 19-35.

McGinn, M.K. and Roth, W.-M. (1999). Preparing students for competent scientific practice: Implications of recent research in science and technology studies. Educational Researcher, 28(3), 14-24.

Murrell, P. C. (1994). In search of responsive teaching for African American males: An investigation of students’ experiences of middle school mathematics curriculum. Journal of Negro Education, 64, 556 – 569.

Niaz, M. (1987). The role of cognitive factors in the teaching of science. Research in Science & Technological Education, 5(1), 7-16.

Pajares, F., Kranzler, J. (1995). The role of self-efficacy and general mental ability in mathematical problem-solving: A path analysis. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association in San Francisco, CA.

Phelps, A.J. (1994). Qualitative methodologies in chemical education research. Journal of Chemical Education, 71(3), 191-194.

Selden, A and Selden, J (2003). Validations of proofs considered as texts: Can undergraduates tell whether an argument proves a theorem? Journal for Research in Mathematics Education,34, 4-36.

Schoenfeld, A. H. (2000). Purposes and methods of research in mathematics education, Notices of the American Mathematical Society 47, 6, 641-649, PDF file available on-line, accessed 28 June 2002 at http://www.ams.org/notices/200006/fea-schoenfeld.pdf

Skott, J. (2004). The forced autonomy of teachers. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 55, 227-257.

Solano-Flores, G., & Nelson-Barber, S. (2001). On the cultural validity of science assessments. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 38(5), 553-573.

White, D. Y. (2003). Promoting productive mathematical classroom discourse with diverse students. Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 22, 37-53.

Yackel, E., Rasmussen, C., & King, K. (2000). Social and sociomathematical norms in an advanced undergraduate mathematics course. Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 19, 275-287.

WEBSITES

SOFTWARE

Adobe Acrobat Reader (free download for reading PDF files)

http://www.adobe.com/

ORGANIZATIONS

American Educational Research Association

http://www.aera.net/

ERIC – Educational Resources Information Center (a searchable database)

www.eric.ed.gov

National Association for Research in Science Teaching

http://www.educ.sfa.ca/narstsite

National Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education

http://www.ercise.org/

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

www.nctm.org

National Science Teaching Association

http://www.nsta.org/

Special Interest Group of the Mathematical Association of America on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education (SIGMAA on RUME)

http://www.rume.org/

ETHICAL STANDARDS

American Educational Research Association (1992). Ethical standards of the American Educational Research Association. Educational Researcher, 23-26.

American Psychological Association Ethical Standards:

http://www.apa.org/ethics/code.html

CONTENT STANDARDS

National Mathematics Standards

http://standards.nctm.org/

National Science Standards

http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html/

PHILOSOPHICAL DICTIONARIES/ENCYCLOPEDIAS

Free On Line Dictionary of Philosophy

http://lgxserve.ciseca.uniba.it/lei/folop/index.html

A Dictionary of Philosophical Terms and Names

www.philosophypages.com/dy/