Scholarship & Research
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Item The effects of inquiry-based teaching in the middle school science classroom(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2023) Furr, Brandon Duke; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: C. John GravesCut Bank Middle School 8th-grade students were introduced to inquiry-based learning through inquiry-based teaching. Students had been reliant on receiving information though lecture style learning with some hands-on activities. This project examined the usage of inquiry- based teaching instead of lecture style. This project was done over two units where treatment groups received inquiry-based teaching while the non-treatment group received lecture style teaching. The periods rotated on the style of instruction they received. The treatment groups had full inquiry-based lessons and the non-treatment group received lecture style instruction and then the activities to follow. Students took a pre- and post-test from each unit. The tests were used to show normalized gains during the unit and to compare to the other classes. Observations of student attitudes and behavior towards inquiry-based learning were recorded in a journal. At the end of units and the end of the study students were given surveys to give feedback about their style of learning choice and effort put in during the units. The treatment groups got scores that were lower than the non-treatment group. The conclusion of this study was that balancing inquiry-based teaching and lecture teaching would be best for students and help improve their understanding of science.Item Implications of reflection on student efficacy and growth in middle school science(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2023) Kessler, Shawn; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: C. John GravesStudents are often asked to reflect on their work. Upon finishing a project, students reflect on their experiences and outcomes, focusing on the learning and content of the unit. However, reflection should be a continuous process and include students becoming aware of their learning approaches. If this aspect of reflection was included while learning was taking place, students could become more aware of how they learn and in turn become more confident in how they approach different topics. The goal of this type of reflection would be to increase student efficacy and increase student growth. To test this hypothesis, students first completed a science self-efficacy test. This established a basis for student confidence in science. To establish overall knowledge of the content, students attempted the summative assessment test before beginning the unit. For each task in the unit, students completed a pre and post-test. Associated with each was a reflection process. Students took a brief survey identifying their study habits and confidence levels. Confidence levels were recorded to determine efficacy growth throughout the unit. Data collected for the research showed a weak positive correlation between student self-efficacy and normalized gains. The qualitative analysis resulted in students becoming more detailed in their reflections as the unit progressed. The conclusion was reached that self-efficacy is not a good indicator of performance, however the act of persistent reflection throughout a unit result in overall academic growth.Item Nature journaling in the middle school science classroom(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2023) Leonard, Megan; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: C. John GravesNature journaling is a practice of collecting observations and questions on the pages of a notebook by using pictures, words, and numbers. The purpose of this study was to determine how implementing the use of nature journals in a middle school science classroom affects students' attitudes towards science and nature. Participating students were given a survey prior to the treatment period to determine baseline attitudes towards science and nature. Students were then instructed on best practices to complete a nature journal entry. Over the treatment period, students were taken outside on school grounds to complete one of the three repeating prompts. By the end of the treatment period, a total of nine prompts were completed. Students were then given the survey an additional time to determine if attitudes changed regarding science and nature. Open-response questions were included in the post-treatment survey to gauge each student's experience with nature journaling. The results of the study indicate that nature journaling can have a positive effect on students' attitudes towards science and nature.Item Integrating universal design for learning in online math education: the Desmos experience(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2023) Wiehe, Blake Skyler; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Nick LuxThe Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework is a modern neuroscientific approach to creating learning experiences that are highly accessible and engaging for all students. Despite the growing evidence supporting the theory of UDL, the literature significantly lacks examples of the practical application of UDL principles in curricular resources. This study was designed to investigate an online math learning platform that claims to be developed according to the UDL Guidelines. The purpose of this study is to illustrate the practical application of various UDL Guidelines within the Desmos middle school math platform. The UDL Guidelines served as the basis for this analysis, mapping the data collection and analysis according to the checkpoints that substantiate the nine UDL Guidelines. Through the analysis of six randomly chosen Desmos units from sixth through eighth grade, the results suggest that Desmos substantiates their claim to UDL-alignment through a host of interactive, customizable, and highly relevant learning experiences. The Desmos platform lacks certain features like layout customization, hyperlinked vocabulary support, and activation of background knowledge that could further bolster its alignment to the UDL Guidelines. However, the alignment examples discovered offer a window into UDL-aligned design thinking that can serve as inspiration for external curriculum developers and educators looking to create their own UDL learning experiences. This study was a pilot attempt at characterizing UDL design thinking found within an existing curriculum. Future studies analyzing other curricular resources for UDL alignment are warranted, along with further investigations into the impact of those platforms on student achievement.Item Impacts of the identify and interpret strategy in a summer school program on improving students' scientific explanations(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2022) Nelson, Mary Kathleen; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: C. John GravesDuring the pandemic, students did not have as many opportunities to engage in authentic experiences using critical science and engineering practices (SEPs). At-risk students were enrolled in a summer school program designed to give students experiences to practice using and improving the SEPs of planning and carrying out investigations, analyzing and interpreting data, and constructing scientific explanations. The purpose of this study was to look at whether the Identify and Interpret (I2) strategy students were taught to analyze and interpret qualitative and quantitative data would also help improve students' scientific explanations, specifically in the areas of evidence and reasoning. After receiving initial instruction on both the claim, evidence, reasoning (CER) framework and I2 strategy, students engaged in multiple investigations that gave them opportunities to practice gathering data, making graphs, and using the I2 strategy. Students wrote six scientific explanations using the CER framework, and rubrics were used to score student explanations in claim, evidence, and reasoning. Graphs and data tables where students used the I2 strategy were reviewed to see how relevant the students' "what I see" (WIS) or "what it means" (WIM) statements were and if the students used the WIS or WIM statements in their scientific explanations. The results suggest that when students thoughtfully engaged in the Identify and Interpret strategy, students typically scored higher in their evidence and reasoning scores, especially in the evidence score, than students that did not. By making connections between the "what I see" statements as evidence and the "what it means" statements as reasoning and encouraging students to use them in writing explanations, the I2 strategy has the potential to increase student scores for evidence and reasoning. The study also showed the strategy was not as impactful as it could have been for all students, which could be attributed to poor graphing skills, not explaining the relationship between variables in their WIM statements, and lack of content knowledge to help provide appropriate reasoning in the WIM statements and explanations.Item Use of claim, evidence, reasoning, writing in a middle school science classroom(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2022) Patton, Jessica A.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: C. John GravesThe implementation of this action research focused on students' ability to write scientific explanations after science investigations. This research was conducted in a 6th grade Earth Science classroom in the spring of 2022. Prior to the research, I noticed students struggling with written reflections and explanations of the science concepts. Prior to the treatment, students' reflections were unclear, and connections to the science concepts were missing or incomplete. I implemented the instruction of the CER (claim, evidence, reasoning) framework to help improve my students' scientific reasoning skills and confidence while writing scientific explanations. The results showed overall improvements in students' ability to write scientific explanations and use evidence in their writing. It was concluded that the implementation of the CER framework positively impacted students' writing abilities in the classroom.Item The effects of teaching science fiction in conjunction with science content(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2022) Sanches, Laura J.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: C. John GravesThe purpose of this action research was to determine if teaching a science fiction novel in conjunction with science content leads to better retention. This was tested by having seventh grade students read the novel Maximum Ride by James Patterson in their English Language Arts class at the same time that they were studying genetics and evolution in their life science class. Data was collected both quantitatively through pre and posttests as well as a final exam. Qualitative data was collected by student surveys. After the research had concluded, the quantitative data was inconclusive as to if there was an advantage in reading the novel while learning the content. However, both students and teachers saw an increase in attitude and learning during the treatment units.Item Effects of explicit study strategies on academic success and perceived academic anxiety in a middle school science classroom(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2022) McGlumphy, Carolyn Ann; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: C. John GravesEffective study strategies are not innate, but rather are learned behaviors. By middle school students are expected to create and use study materials independently, however they often have not been directly taught such strategies. This study investigated whether explicitly teaching study strategies affected summative assessment scores. This study also investigated whether the strategies had an effect on student attitudes towards assessments, confidence and feelings of academic anxiety. Throughout the study, students learned four different study strategies through scaffolded lessons and were asked to use them to prepare for quizzes. Student attitudes and academic anxiety were analyzed using pre and post-treatment surveys and anxiety questionnaires. The results indicated that the effective use of study strategies increase assessment scores, confidence and organizational skills, as well as decrease feelings of academic anxiety.Item The effects of the 5E learning model in the middle school classroom(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2022) Zavesky, Katy Ming-Chien Hwang; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: C. John GravesSeventh graders continually need to be engaged and motivated to work in class. The main research question was "what are the effects of the 5E Learning Model on academic achievement and attitude in middle school classroom?" Students were split into four classes which engaged in traditional learning and 5E Learning Models. Pre- and post-treatment assessments, surveys, interviews and teacher observations were used as data collection instruments. Data were processed using both quantitative and qualitative analysis strategies. The results suggested that students' attitudes of science improved with the 5E Learning Model through student short answer responses and small group interviews. There was no conclusive quantitative data relating to the 5E Learning Model and academic achievement. Through qualitative responses, students' attitude and engagement towards science improved with the 5E Learning Model.Item Legends, lines, learning: GIS map focused curriculum and its effect on student learning and engagement(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2022) Hodge, Katherine Waller; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: C. John GravesThough maps have been part of classroom curricula for thousands of years, digital mapping resources are a new tool for teachers. However, how effective are digital maps, like GIS, at teaching students historical as well as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) information? In this study, five 7th and 8th grade level classrooms in Montana and Wyoming were given a curriculum with GIS maps to pilot. The results have shown that students learn very well with GIS maps and absorbed the information. The data showed that student confidence with STEM and digital learning platforms increased. Additionally, the qualitative data from the teachers showed that ArcGIS is a user-friendly platform they enjoyed using as a teaching tool. These results indicate that digital maps, like physical maps, are valuable teaching tools from which students benefit.