supporting scholarly exchange about communication across the curriculum
Content Area:
Communication Across the Curriculum
Electronic Communication Across the Curriculum
Writing to Learn vs. Writing in the Disciplines
Discipline:
Welcome to the WAC Clearinghouse Theses and Dissertations Page. The theses are displayed below. If you'd like us to add a new thesis or dissertation to our list, please contact Kevin Eric De Pew.
This study combined qualitative and quantitative approaches with a dominant qualitative emphasis that focused on college students' reasoning skills and proof writing abilities in relation to their van Hiele levels (VHL) in geometry. Twelve students enrolled in a Modern Geometry class were included in the quantitative Approach. A two-tailed t-test at the 0.05 significant level was used to analyze the difference between students' scores on a Van Hiele Geometry pretest and posttest. Two qualitative case studies were employed to explore two different subjects' (VHL I and VHL III) development of reasoning and proof-writing ability. The data was interpreted in the context of specific and unique proof schemes..Quantitative results showed no significant differences between scores on the VHL pretest and posttest for participants in the college geometry class. Future recommendations include using a larger sample size, and considering other teaching styles (such as teaching with technology) that may affect the research results..Qualitative results showed that the VHL I student improved to level V and the VHL III student remained at the same level. However, both of them improved their reasoning skills and their ability to construct their own proofs. This evidence supported the notion that even VHL I students may be capable of identifying hypotheses and drawing their own conclusions. However, the researcher only investigated two participants' learning behaviors for one semester. A longitudinal study following students over several semesters may reveal more about the development of their proof schemes and proof-writing processes.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of journal writing on the attitudes and beliefs about mathematics and on the mathematics achievement of college students enrolled in an applications-based college mathematics course. The attitudes, beliefs and achievement of journal writing subjects were compared to those of non-journal writing subjects, and relationships between quality of writing and achievement in the course were investigated.
Data from a Beliefs Survey were used to investigate changes in attitudes and beliefs about mathematics and the learning of mathematics, and results from a common final examination were used to compare subjects' achievement in the course. Performance on journal writing tasks which required subjects to document solution steps, summarize concepts, skills, and strategies under study and explain concepts to others were evaluated and those scores were related to achievement in the course.
This study showed that weekly structured journal writing in a college mathematics course is effective in enabling students to achieve greater success in learning mathematics. Students in the journal writing sections achieved significantly higher grades on the course final examination than did students in the non-journal writing section. Beliefs and attitudes about mathematics and the learning of mathematics improved significantly for students in the journal writing sections, but not for those in the non-journal writing section. Writing performances on the more complex writing tasks, explaining mathematical concepts and documenting solutions to multiple step problems, improved as students completed more writing assignments.
Achievement in the course was shown to be related to the quality of performance on complex writing tasks and to positive changes in attitude toward mathematics. Stepwise regression showed that change in attitude, and performance on the journal task of explaining concepts to others and documenting solution steps relate significantly to achievement in mathematics. It seems reasonable to conclude that incorporating structured complex writing assignments into course requirements will enable greater achievement in the learning of mathematics.
This dissertation examined the effects on learner attitude and achievement of using a cognitive apprenticeship Approach to teach college-level algebra. College Algebra was chosen because similar studies such as Treisman's Workshop model have focused on Calculus rather than students who are considered by many institutions 'remedial' learners. The cognitive apprenticeship Approach included emphasis on a language-intensive classroom in which learners were encouraged to think, talk, write, and reflect on their learning of mathematical concepts. It incorporated inquiry teaching (focusing on interactive questioning of learners) and the use of writing Across the curriculum strategies. The study reviewed the literature with regard to the effect of the 'traditional' Approach to mathematics instruction, especially on minorities and women, and identified alternative approaches including the one selected. Results of the study indicated no significant differences in either attitude or achievement; however, some aspects of the data suggested that the experimental group may have started at a lower point but were comparable in achievement by the end of the study. The study also examined the results of interviews with participants as an assessment of learner attitudes. Included are common themes of the interviews as they related to the components of Collin's cognitive apprenticeship model. Finally, the study included, as a special case, students enrolled in a pre-college level algebra course and offered some observations about the benefits of the method for this group.
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of journal writing on students in entry level college algebra. Current trends encourage writing Across the curriculum, and research indicates that writing in the mathematics classroom can benefit the participants by giving them the opportunity to articulate their ideas, improve analytical and problem solving skills, and improve their attitude toward mathematics. This study included twenty-one entry level college algebra students writing weekly in an out-of-class assignment. Analyses looked at the effects of writing on attitude and performance scores gathered before and after the treatment period. Gender, first language, and classroom format were considered in the analyses. The results of this study indicated that while writing did not significantly affect participant attitude, performance was improved by the addition of the writing assignment. No difference was found for groups based on gender, first language, or classroom format.
The purpose of this developmental dissertation was to create an undergraduate, college-level course in teaching problem-solving through writing, to provide mathematics pre-service secondary school teachers with the knowledge and strategies that will better prepare them to respond appropriately to the challenges of the contemporary mathematics classroom at the high school level. Mathematics education in the United States is weak in preparing teachers to teach problem-solving. Consequently students in the United States are behind in problem-solving when compared with students in other countries. Writing is a viable method for teaching the mathematical skill of problem-solving. Using writing to teach other subjects is called "Writing to Learn." Writing to Learn sets the stage for "Language Across the Curriculum" as a source of innovative techniques in teaching mathematics in conjunction with other disciplines. Many teachers are aware of writing as a catalyst for learning: however they lack the staff development training needed to successfully implement the process at the high school level. Teacher training is necessary for the implementation of Writing to Learn in the mathematics classroom. An undergraduate-level course in problem-solving through writing was developed, which is responsive to the recommendations of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM, 1991) Standards for Teaching Mathematics and the Mathematical Association of America's report (Leitzel, 1991) which includes recommendations for the mathematical preparation of teachers of mathematics. The goal of the course was to improve the teaching and learning of problem-solving in the mathematics classroom through the use of writing strategies. The lessons centered around method objectives and content objectives in behavioral form. The unique features of the course included: (1) the use of writing strategies such as collaborative learning, peer editing, presentations, projects, and journal writing to teach problem-solving in the mathematics classroom; (2) field experiences to observe other teachers; and (3) the use of the writing process in problem-solving. There are no "sure" methodologies for teaching problem- solving. However, it is evident that the methods now being used are not working. Thus, fresh approaches to problem-solving such as the use of writing strategies which emphasize thinking through problems are welcomed changes in the teaching of problem-solving. The effectiveness of this course could revolutionize the way problem-solving is taught throughout the United States.
An important topic in mathematics education research currently and in the recent past relates mathematics and communication. Identified as one of the National Council of Teachers' of Mathematics curriculum standards in 1989, communication in mathematics has been highlighted as an important goal for all students. The ability to communicate mathematically is seen as crucial in fostering the development of competent problem-solvers capable of inquiry and the conveyance of thoughts. These capabilities are seen as critical in today's world as well as in the future. The related areas of communication including reading, writing, speaking, and listening both Across the curriculum and in mathematics were reviewed. These seemingly discrete components were unified in a model of the role of communication in the mathematics learning process. This model was built upon the child as a communicative being at the core of the learning process that involves the communication of cognitive and affective elements through various channels to a communicative audience. A segment of the model was examined by investigating the relationship between increased communication through journal writing and sharing and mathematics achievement and attitude. The first part of the study included a pretest, instruction in standard cubic units, and a posttest in six fifth grade classrooms. Instruction in three experimental classes differed from that in control classes by being accompanied by journal writing and sharing. Two classes participated in the second part of the study that followed the same procedures for instruction in common fractions. An attitudinal measure was administered to students in all six classes. Five students from each of the six classes were interviewed. Major conclusions included: there was no significant difference between groups in achievement in standard cubic units; there was a significant difference between groups in achievement in common fractions for those students who had engaged in journal writing and sharing for a longer period of time; interview results pointed to meaningful differences between groups in affective variables connected to mathematics and communication.
Teachers-in-training for elementary and middle school education often exhibit high levels of anxiety and low self-confidence in teaching mathematics. The objective of this study was to design a training program that made mathematics exciting, enjoyable, and clearly understandable so that preservice teachers could communicate positive feelings about mathematics to their students. Building on extensive research regarding the different ways in which people process spatial and numeric information and the relationship between visual-spatial thinking and mathematics, a multi-modal Approach in teaching and writing Across the curriculum was created that uses pictures, numbers, and words to facilitate comprehension and retention of basic mathematical concepts. The dissertation consists of two main parts. The first part is a teacher's guide called 'Pic-Jour Math' which incorporates pictorial journal writing into its multi-modal presentation of the essential numerical equations taught at the elementary and middle school levels. The second part consists of a study of preservice teachers to test the impact of using pictures in the journal writing processes. The study compared the attitudes of teachers-in-training who used journal forms that included pictures, words and numbers versus those that used journal forms with words and numbers alone. The effect of using pictorial diagrams on math anxiety, perceived ability to teach mathematics, level of self-confidence in mathematics, ability to have a clear sense of task, to write a focused introduction, create a smooth transition of thought between steps, offer evidence to support every major point, generate a clear logical order, use a proper choice of words, express oneself succinctly, avoid repetition, convey ideas comfortably, coordinate the modes, and clarify ideas through the writing process was assessed. Results of the study indicated a marked change in attitudes when pictorial note-taking was incorporated in the journal writing process. With all forms of journal writing, math anxiety decreased and self-confidence and perceived ability to teach in math increased. With the added dimension of pictures, teachers-in-training believed that they were able to express themselves more easily, were better able to execute their task, and were more metacognitively aware.
In the 1980's, the concept of 'Writing Across the Curriculum' began to grow in academia. As with any new educational idea or method of instruction, I feel we must test its worth before charging ahead. Logically, it makes sense that if writing, in all subject areas, develops reasoning skills, and improves thinking and problem solving, then teachers would want to use that method. If that method can not be supported, in tangible ways, as a superior method, then what reason is there to replace existing methods? The goal of this project was to develop tangible support for the concept of 'Writing Across the Curriculum.' The following paper is a discussion of an empirical study that tested whether the use of writing methods, developed in the English classroom, could be used to teach mathematics in such a way that higher scores on tests would be evident. This study involved sixth graders in a middle school setting, studying double-digit division and story problems. In addition to the author's study, other empirical studies that tested writing's use in teaching mathematics are discussed.
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