What Students Have to Say Middle School Students Experiences in Mathematics Classes
WHAT STUDENTS HAVE TO SAY: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES LEARNING MATHEMATICS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL MATHEMATICS CLASSES by Marc C. Brown
SHIRLAN M. JENKINS, Ed.D., Faculty Mentor and Chair LINDA M. CRAWFORD, Ph.D., Committee Member TINA R. BROWN, Ph.D., Committee Member
Barbara Butts Williams, Ph.D., Dean, School of Education
A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy
Capella University December 2012
© Marc Brown, 2012
Abstract The central research question of the study asks: how do middle school students experience learning mathematics in middle school mathematics class? The additional research questions that guide the study ask: what are some of the barriers to learning mathematics in middle school mathematics class and what causes students to understand certain mathematics concepts in middle school mathematics class? The purpose of the study is to discover and understand middle school students’ experiences learning mathematics in middle school mathematics classes. Qualitative methods are utilized, and a basic design is employed that uses the interview, document collection, and field notes in order to gather data. The results of the study show repetitive themes communicated by the participants related to how hard middle school mathematics is, how students have to work on mathematics problems by themselves, the fast pace at which middle school students have to work, student disruptions in the mathematics classroom, students playing and talking in the mathematics classroom, and that there are many skills, tools, and resources within the middle school mathematics class that help middle school students learn mathematics. It is concluded that learning mathematics in middle school mathematics classes can be an intimidating experience especially in light of the fact that some of the teachers give little help and that the pace at which some teachers move may be a
SHIRLAN M. JENKINS, Ed.D., Faculty Mentor and Chair LINDA M. CRAWFORD, Ph.D., Committee Member TINA R. BROWN, Ph.D., Committee Member
Barbara Butts Williams, Ph.D., Dean, School of Education
A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy
Capella University December 2012
© Marc Brown, 2012
Abstract The central research question of the study asks: how do middle school students experience learning mathematics in middle school mathematics class? The additional research questions that guide the study ask: what are some of the barriers to learning mathematics in middle school mathematics class and what causes students to understand certain mathematics concepts in middle school mathematics class? The purpose of the study is to discover and understand middle school students’ experiences learning mathematics in middle school mathematics classes. Qualitative methods are utilized, and a basic design is employed that uses the interview, document collection, and field notes in order to gather data. The results of the study show repetitive themes communicated by the participants related to how hard middle school mathematics is, how students have to work on mathematics problems by themselves, the fast pace at which middle school students have to work, student disruptions in the mathematics classroom, students playing and talking in the mathematics classroom, and that there are many skills, tools, and resources within the middle school mathematics class that help middle school students learn mathematics. It is concluded that learning mathematics in middle school mathematics classes can be an intimidating experience especially in light of the fact that some of the teachers give little help and that the pace at which some teachers move may be a
References: Hsu, C. & Sandford, B. A. (2007). The Delphi technique: Making sense of consensus. Practical Assessment Research & Evaluation, 12(10). Retrieved on April 2, 2011 from: http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=12&n=10 Hufton N., Elliot J., & Illushin L