Frameworks for Research in Mathematics and Science Education (3 Credits) Professor Office Hours Email Class Location Class Meeting Day * This is the preferred method of communication. Richard Lamb Wednesday 3 to 4 PM or via email*. richard.lamb@wsu.edu Clev 312/ Pharm Sci Bldg 118/ Engin Comp Sci 120/ AMS TriCities-TBD Wednesday 5:45 PM to 8:30 PM COURSE DESCRIPTION This course will explore the various research paradigms related to the STEM disciplines. This course is reading and writing intensive. Increasingly attention is focused on P-20 outcomes in mathematics and science; a shift is occurring creating greater emphasis on engineering and technology and means to integrate mathematics and science. We will study the historical frameworks, current research frameworks, and research methods in STEM education. This course will include significant readings from peer-reviewed journals, books, and other sources. Meetings will be supported through AMS. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK The College of Education contributes to the theory and practice of the broad field of education, and dedicates itself to understanding and respecting learners in diverse cultural contexts. We facilitate engaged learning and ethical leadership in schools and clinical settings. We seek collaboration with diverse constituencies, recognizing our local and global responsibilities to communities, environments, and future generations. The connections to the conceptual framework in this course include emphases on understanding and respecting learners in diverse cultural contexts as related to literacy; engaged learning and ethical leadership as related to literacy; and collaboration with other teachers, school communities, and environments as related to literacy. COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES This course is designed to provide a brief overview of key areas related to frameworks for research in STEM disciplines. By the completion of this course, students are expected to: a. Develop an understanding of the role of theoretical frameworks in research design, data analysis, and representation of findings. b. Be able to critique and apply multiple theoretical frameworks for research in STEM disciplines and educational contexts. c. Develop skills and knowledge to write a grant proposal, dissertation proposal, or peer review journal article.
NATURE OF COURSE DELIVERY This course will be a combination of lecture and student presentation of articles and research. This class will have a significant component of student led work and discussion. Email and Phone Responses The instructor will make every effort to respond to emails and phone calls within 24 to 48 hours not including weekends or holidays. Emails received on Friday after 5:00 PM or during the weekend will be responded to during the following workday (Monday). Please plan accordingly. Texts There is multiple required texts for course and one recommended text for the course. In addition, student led assigned readings will be required. Texts can be purchased from the Bookie or online. Required Text Abbott, E. A. (2006). Flatland: A romance of many dimensions. Oxford University Press. Anafara, V., & Mertz, N., (2006). Theoretical Frameworks in Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. ($60.00 New on Amazon). Bell, P. (2010). Confronting Theory, The Psychology of Cultural Studies, Chicago, IL: Intellect, The Chicago University Press. ($33.00 New on Amazon). Recommended Text American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6 th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. ($29.00 New on Amazon). Grades Grade Percent Grade Percent A 100 93 C+ 79 77 A- 92 90 C 76 73 B+ 89 87 C- 72 70 B 82 80 D 69 60 B- 79-77 F 59 or Below Assignments An individual presentation lasting the length of the class and associate paper will be assigned based upon your area of interest. Topics will be at the student s discretion with suitable input from the instructor. As research, and by extension literature searches are considered a learning component of this course, students are expected to locate and bring copies of the required reading to class either electronically or in hard copy and provide the class with a citation prior to their presentation. Written and Oral Assignments Individual Presentations: - 30% The specific theoretical framework used for discussion is up to the individual student. Your talk and activity relating to your framework will be approximately 120 minutes and should focus on the historical development
of your framework, its application in the STEM disciplines, its use in a study, and an activity. During the discussion, you, as the discussant must represent the most radical variation of the theoretical framework and maintain it throughout the discussion. This assignment is related to learning outcome a, b, and c. Student Led Article Discussion: 20% You will be asked to present a research article exemplifying a theoretical framework in your choice of STEM discipline. You will select the article, give a copy to the instructor with citation one week prior, and send it to the class. The person leading the discussion is responsible for giving a summary of the article and providing a critique of the article specifically focused on discussion of how the theoretical framework produces the results and analysis. This assignment is related to learning outcome a, b, and c. Final Project -50% You will be asked to write a short critique and or discussion (approximately 4,500 to 5,000 words) of your theoretical framework and its relationship to research questions, and research design. The first part should be an explanation of your theoretical framework to another professional educator (not at the Ph.D. level) such as a teacher. The second part of the paper should be identification of your theoretical framework and write-up as you would do for your dissertation. You should use examples from class readings and other readings within the STEM discipline literature base. This assignment is related to learning outcome a, b, and c. Attendance Attendance at all classes, for the entire class period is a course expectation. Successful completion of this course requires attendance at all classes. As discussion is a large portion of the class, it is expected you will read the articles prior to the class. Student facilitators will act as guides for the discussion. Please note it is the job of the facilitator to guide the discussion of the paper not present the paper. Each paper will be discussed for a sufficient period to make the points necessary for learning. Class participation in the discussion is an expectation. Please notify the instructor ahead of time if you must miss class and work with peers for missed materials. WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY POLICIES AND RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS Disability Accommodation: Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented disability. All accommodations must be approved through your WSU Disability Services office. If you have a disability and need accommodations, we recommend that you begin the process as soon as possible. All accommodations must be approved through Disability Services. For more information, contact a Disability Specialist on your home campus. - Spokane: http:/ /students/current/studentaffairs/disability/index.html - Pullman: http://accesscenter.wsu.edu - Tri-Cities: http://www.tricity.wsu.edu/disability/index.html - Vancouver: http://studentaffairs.vancouver.wsu.edu/student-resource-center/disability-services Academic Integrity: Washington State University, a community dedicated to the advancement of knowledge, expects all students to behave in a manner consistent with its high standards of scholarship and conduct. Students are expected to uphold these standards both on and off campus.
WAC 509-25-300 As an institution of higher education, Washington State University is committed to principles of truth and academic honesty. All members of the university community share the responsibility for maintaining and supporting these principles. When a student enrolls in Washington State University, the student assumes an obligation to pursue academic endeavors in a manner consistent with the standards of academic integrity adopted by the University. To maintain the academic integrity of the community, the University cannot tolerate acts of academic dishonesty including any forms of cheating, plagiarism, or fabrication. Washington State University reserves the right and the power to discipline or to exclude students who engage in academic dishonesty. To that end, the University has established rules defining prohibited academic dishonesty and the process followed when such behavior is alleged. These rules incorporate Washington State University s Academic Integrity Policy, the University-wide document establishing policies and procedures to foster academic integrity. This policy is applicable to undergraduate and graduate students alike, as it pertains to dishonesty in course work and related academic pursuits. In cases of dishonesty in research and original scholarship, the University s Policy and Procedural Guidelines for Misconduct in Research and Scholarship may take precedence over the policies and procedures contained herein.note: Plagiarism is a violation of academic integrity. Students sometimes do not realize what constitutes plagiarism. Please read the information at http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/library-instruction/plagiarism. Emergency Procedures: Washington State University has made an emergency notification system available for faculty, students, and staff. Please register at mywsu with emergency contact information (cell, email, text, etc). You may have been prompted to complete emergency contact information when registering for classes on RONet. In the event of a Building Evacuation, a map at each classroom entrance shows the evacuation point for each building. Please refer to it. Finally, in case of class cancellation campus-wide, please check local media, the appropriate WSU web page and/or http://www.flashalert.net/. Individual class cancellations may be made at the discretion of the instructor Students should make the best decision for their personal circumstances, taking safety into account. Audio, video, digital, commercial note-taking and other recordings during class: Copyright 2013, Richard Lamb, as to this syllabus, all lectures, and course-related written materials. During this course, students are prohibited from making audio, video, digital, or other recordings during class, or selling notes to or being paid for taking notes by any person or commercial firm without the express written permission of the faculty member teaching this course.
CLASS SCHEDULE Week Topic Assignment Jan 13 Introduction to the course. Definition of Theoretical Frameworks versus Conceptual Framework 20 Research Agendas: Identifying Priority Problems and Developing Useful Theoretical Perspectives in Science. 27 Research Agendas: Identifying Priority Problems and Developing Useful Theoretical Perspectives in Mathematics. Anderson, C. W. (2007). Perspectives on science learning. Handbook of research on science education, 3-30. Boaler, J. (2000). Multiple perspectives on mathematics teaching and learning (Vol. 1). Greenwood Publishing Group, 2-16. Theoretical Frameworks Feb 3 Theoretical Frameworks, Research Questions, Analysis, and Theoretical Frameworks Results 10 Student Led Discussion Theoretical Frameworks 17 Student Led Discussion Theoretical Frameworks 24 Student Led Discussion Confronting Theory Mar 2 Student Led Discussion Confronting Theory 9 Student Led Discussion Confronting Theory 16 Spring Break No Class 23 Student Led Discussion Confronting Theory 30 Project Presentations (2 Hours) Confronting Theory Apr 6 Project Presentations (2 Hours) Confronting Theory 13 Project Presentations (2 Hours) Flatland 20 Project Presentations (2 Hours) Flatland 27 Project Presentations (2 Hours) Flatland May 4 Final Exams All Work Due None Additional Resources Boaler, J. (2000). Multiple perspectives on mathematics teaching and learning (Vol. 1). Greenwood Publishing Group, 2-16. Anderson, C. W. (2007). Perspectives on science learning. Handbook of research on science education, 3-30. Research Article Rubric and Guidelines: These guidelines are taken from Educational Researcher Guidelines for Authors at http://www.aera.net/tabid/12609/default.aspx. Feature Articles present important new research results of broad significance. Feature articles should include an abstract, an introductory paragraph, up to five figures or tables, and up to 40 references, with text totaling no more than 4,500 to 5,000 words.
Typescript Manuscripts should be typed for 8½ 11 paper, in upper and lower case, double-spaced, with 1 margins on all sides. They should be in compatible MS Word format. Subheads should be used at reasonable intervals to break the monotony of text. Words and symbols to be italicized must be clearly indicated, by either italic type or underlining. Abbreviations and acronyms should be spelled out at first mention unless found as entries in their abbreviated form in Merriam-Webster s Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary (e.g., IQ needs no explanation). Pages should be numbered consecutively. Notes and references Notes are for explanations or amplifications of textual material. They should be typed as normal text at the end of the text section of the manuscript rather than as part of the footnote or endnote feature of a computer program and should be numbered consecutively throughout the article. A reference list contains only references that are cited in the text. Its accuracy and completeness are the responsibility of the author(s). Reference each publicly available dataset with its title, author, date, and a persistent Web identifier such as a digital object identifier (DOI), a handle, or a uniform resource name (URN). APA style for references are expected. Tables, figures, and illustrations The purpose of tables and figures is to present data to the reader in a clear and unambiguous manner. The author should not describe the data in the text in such detail that illustration or text is redundant. Figures and tables should be keyed to the text. Tables should each start on a new page and be placed at the end of the manuscript (after the references). Tables will be typeset. Figure captions should be typed on a separate page (and should not appear in full on the original figures). Student Led Article Discussion Rubric and Guidelines Description Student demonstrates full knowledge of the article, by summarizing the article, leading students through questioning, and maintains flow of conversation for full 15-min or more. Student demonstrates moderate knowledge of the article, by providing minimal summarization of the article, leading students through some questioning, and maintains flow of conversation for 10-15 min. Student demonstrates minimal knowledge of the article, does not summarize the article, leading students through minimal questioning, and maintains flow of conversation for 5-10 min. Student demonstrates little to no knowledge of the article, does not summarize the article, does not lead students, asks few questioning, and does not maintain flow of conversation. Student does not lead discussion. Score 5 Points 4 Points 3 Points 1 2 Points 0 Points
Student Presentation Evaluation Rubric Subject / Problem Is there a clear focus for the presentation? Does the presentation provide study rationale? Does the presentation provide a model, theoretical framework, or philosophy of the study? Design or Procedure Empirical Studies Does the presentation clearly describe the methodology (theory of method)? Does the presentation clearly describe the research methods, design, and study context? Does the presentation address the methodology, procedure, and design assessing the appropriateness for the study? Non-Empirical Studies (e.g., conceptual or position papers, reviews of literature) Does the presentation clearly describe the approach used to develop the argument or conduct the review? Are the ideological/philosophical positions of the author and sources made clear? Does the presentation include the appropriate range of literature? Contribution Does the presentation provide conclusions that contribute valuable insights into teaching/learning/researching? Does the presentation discuss the author s implications for teaching/learning/researching science or mathematics education and evaluate their usefulness? Score Each category will be assessed based on the scores below: 5 Highly evident: Proposal provides clear, substantive, and coherent evidence of all criteria 4 Evident: Proposal adequately describes all criteria in the category. 3 Mostly evident: Proposal adequately describes 2 out of 3 criteria in the category 2 Somewhat evident: Proposal adequately describes 1 out of 3 criteria in the category 1 Not evident Proposal does not adequately describe any of the criteria in the category