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Eric.ed.gov – Closing the Gap: An Overview of the Literature on College Persistence and Underrepresented Populations

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Access to and persistence through higher education can significantly impact occupational stability and mental wellness in the United States (U.S.), with higher levels of education contributing to increased employability and wellness. Empirical research suggests that college attendance improves verbal communication, moral reasoning, and critical thinking skills (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005) and has been linked to lower unemployment rates, greater job satisfaction, lower reliance on public assistance programs, lower rates of obesity, and other health and wellness outcomes (Baum, Ma, & Payea, 2013). Furthermore, attaining a college degree is a key factor in improving one’s earnings and long-term financial stability. For example, recent research found that among full-time employed young adults between the ages of 25 and 34, those with a bachelor’s degree earned more, on average, than… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Enjoyment and Value: Math Attitudes of Business and Elementary Education Majors.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This investigation compared the attitudes of business and elementary education majors on the enjoyment and value of mathematics. Fifty elementary education majors and 58 business majors participated. The mathematics attitude questionnaire contained two sections of questions: eight questions on the enjoyment of mathematics and eight questions on the value of mathematics. The attitude of enjoyment was not significantly different between the business and elementary majors. However, elementary education majors valued mathematics significantly higher than did the business majors. It was also found that both the elementary education and business majors value mathematics to a significantly higher degree than they enjoy mathematics. No significant differences were found between male and female business majors’ enjoyment and value scores. (Author/YP) Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – Math Avoidance: A Barrier to American Indian Science Education and Science Careers.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: For American Indian students, math anxiety and math avoidance are the most serious obstacles to general education and to the choice of scientific careers. Indian students interviewed generally exhibited fear and loathing of mathematics and a major lack of basic skills which were caused by a missing or negative impression of the mathematics capabilities of Native Americans, a generally negative image of mathematicians and scientists, dislike and fear of math forms without visible application to daily life and which require abstraction as a major tool, a perception of math courses and requirements as rigid, and a self-perception, often fostered by school couselors, of hopeless inadequacy in math skills. Because most of the students interviewed had attended public schools the implication is that public school math and science… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Computer Anxiety: Relationship to Math Anxiety and Holland Types.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Although the number of computers in the school system is increasing, many schools are not using computers to their capacity. One reason for this may be computer anxiety on the part of the teacher. A review of the computer anxiety literature reveals little information on the subject, and findings from previous studies suggest that basic controlled research is needed. A study was undertaken to measure computer anxiety in a college population and to determine the relationship of computer anxiety to personality types and math anxiety. Undergraduates (N=59) completed Oetting’s Computer Anxiety Scale (COMPAS), A Questionnaire About Computers, the Math Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS), and the Vocational Preference Inventory to determine Holland types. Demographic data revealed that subjects had limited access to computers and only a minimal amount… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Predicting Transition to Postsecondary Programs of GED® Earners in a College Setting

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This applied dissertation was designed to identify the characteristics of students enrolled in a GED® preparation program who transitioned to postsecondary programs at the same institution after passing the GED® test. The characteristics studied included age; gender; ethnicity; prematriculation scores in reading, language, and math in the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE); and hours spent preparing for the GED® test in an open-entry, open-exit remedial laboratory environment. Through the use of binary logistic regressions to answer the research questions, a prediction model was constructed. The variables that are able to predict an increased likelihood of transition to postsecondary programs were being between the ages of 16 and 24 at the time of enrollment in the GED® program and having an ethnicity category of Asian, White/Caucasian, Hispanic,… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Evaluating the Impact of Remedial Education in Florida Community Colleges: A Quasi-Experimental Regression Discontinuity Design. NCPR Brief

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The conceptual foundation for remedial education is straightforward: students are tested to determine whether they meet a given level of academic proficiency for college-level classes. For those who do not meet this level, deficiencies in skills are addressed through some form of supplementary instruction, most often remedial courses. The study summarized in this Brief employs a quasi-experimental design to examine remedial enrollment and outcomes of community college students throughout the state of Florida. Results of the study suggest that as a means for addressing the needs of under-prepared students, remediation has both benefits and drawbacks. After controlling for noncompliance and endogenous sorting around the placement test cutoff score, students on the margin of requiring math remediation were slightly more likely to persist to their second year. Similarly,… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – American Higher Education: Journalistic and Policy Perspectives from “National CrossTalk”

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In the first decade of the 21st century, the nation, the states, and colleges and universities began to grapple with the challenges of globalization, changing demography, the implications of the digital era, and of a less expansive public sector. Although not a transformative period for higher education, the decade saw significant innovations in teaching and learning, intense policy ferment, and debates over the future of colleges and universities and their roles and responsibilities in American society. Parts one and two of this book describe several of the most interesting and significant developments in higher education, and in public policy, reported by leading journalists in the field of higher education. In part three, observers of American higher education comment on critical issues facing colleges and universities, the states… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – “Informed Self-Placement” at American River College: A Case Study. National Center Report Number #07-2

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: “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 Web-based testing and information site that allows students, or potential students, to gauge their level of math proficiency prior to talking with a counselor or enrolling in classes. Math faculty members and administrators are hopeful that self-placement, as an alternative to traditional placement, will provide students with concrete knowledge and experience about math standards, since self-placement includes actual self-assessment instruments (tests), developed and approved by the college’s math faculty. American River’s experience in math self-placement is noteworthy in its potential to… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Oregon MESA: Improving Grades in Science and Mathematics

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Oregon Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) focuses its afterschool programs with middle and high school students on inventions that address key problems in developing countries, such as sustainable lighting, water transportation, water filtration, and prosthetics. With the support of a grant from the Oregon Community Foundation, MESA expanded its afterschool program to four Salem-Keizer Public Schools middle schools in the 2014/15 and 2015/16 school years. The goal of this expansion was to help underrepresented minority and low income students achieve scholastic success, leadership skills, and social support for college enrollment through (1) afterschool STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs led by teachers from the school served; (2) science and technology competitions; (3) family involvement and advocacy; and (4) mentorship by local college students. At the request… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Open Distribution of Virtual Containers as a Key Framework for Open Educational Resources and STEAM Subjects

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This paper presents how virtual containers enhance the implementation of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) subjects as Open Educational Resources (OER). The publication initially summarizes the limitations of delivering open rich learning contents and corresponding assignments to students in college level STEAM areas. The role that virtual containers can play in current distant education is then discussed, starting by reviewing related teaching efforts around the use of legacy virtual machines. We then focus on the superseding container technology and how it can bridge the gap between online students, humble computing resources, teachers and IT specificities. As a practical example, we present an experience carried out at the online School of Engineering & Technology at Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR). Within the context of a… Continue Reading