SME 954: Design and Methods in Mathematics Education Research

Fall 2009

Tuesdays, 4:10 – 7:00, 123 NKD

 

Instructor:        Professor Jennifer Kaplan                   Office:             A443 Wells Hall

Phone:             432-2354                                             Email:              kaplan@stt.msu.edu

                         

Course Website:          http://www.angel.msu.edu

Office Hours: by appointment           

Course Content: A survey of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed research methods used in mathematics education

 

Required Texts:

 

  1. Creswell, J.W. (2009). Research design, Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches, 3rd edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  2. American Psychological Association (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th Edition. Washington, DC: Author. (If you own the 5th edition, that is fine, but be aware that a 6th edition exists.)

 

Recommended Texts: You are strongly encouraged to acquire at least one of the following references. A few copies of each are available in the MSU Bookstore. The first two references are also available at a 20% discount to NCTM members if ordered directly from them.

 

  1. Kilpatrick, J., Martin, W. G., and Schifter D. (Eds.) (2003). A research companion to Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
  2. Lester, F., Ed. (2008). Handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning, 2nd edition. Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
  3. English, L. D., Ed. (2002). Handbook of international research in mathematics education. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. (Erlbaum was sold a few years ago. This book and the following one are now available directly from Routledge.)
  4. Kelly, A. E., and Lesh, R. A. (2000). Handbook of research design in mathematics and science education. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
  5. Shavelson, R. J. and L. Towne, Eds. (2002). Scientific research in education. Washington, DC, National Academy Press. (This is available on-line through the MSU library.)

 

In addition, the following publication is strongly recommended for all graduate students who do not yet own a text about writing strong arguments:

 

Booth, W. C., Colomb, G. G., & Williams, J. M. (2008). The Craft of Research, Third Edition (3rd ed.). University Of Chicago Press.  

 

 

 

Course goals: There are four main, overlapping goals for this course:

 

  1. To help students understand the components and processes associated with qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research in education, particularly as used in mathematics education;
  2. To help students understand issues (including historical and political ones) associated with research design, data collection, and data analysis in educational research.
  3. To help students develop abilities to analyze and critique research proposals and articles, including research questions, designs, analyses, results and conclusions;
  4. To support each studentÕs progress on development of a research project proposal, e.g. for a practicum, masterÕs thesis or dissertation.

 

Attendance: Much of the learning in this course will be enhanced by active participation in class discussion and in-class activities. Thus, students are expected to attend every class. If you are unable to attend, please let your instructors know as soon as possible so we may discuss possible ways of making up the work.

 

Assessment and Grading:

There are two major assignments for this course: the development of a practicum proposal and a self-designed mini reading course. Each is designed to help students make progress on one or more of the goals of the course. Descriptions are provided on the following page of the syllabus. There are also two smaller assignments: a data analysis project and consultant work with the TE 802 students.

 

Weekly discussion questions on the assigned readings are due at 5:00 pm on Monday, the day before the class meeting. You should pose 2 or 3 questions based on the assigned readings.  The instructor will use the questions to focus the class discussion. Previous experience indicates that questions that most successfully generate discussion tend to be integrative and/or reflective.

On weeks in which there are no major writing assignments students will be assigned a 1 – 2 page assignment to be turned in on the day on which the class meets. These will be reviewed and returned to the student with comments.

Finally, you will also be graded on participation in discussions during class.

Research Project Proposal Development     175 points

Self-Designed Mini Reading Course               75 points

Other short written assignments                     50 points

Weekly Discussion Questions                         25 points

Data Analysis Project                                     25 points

Consultant Work with TE 802 Students          25 points

Contributions to class discussions                  25 points

 

Writing Note: Unless otherwise specified, written work should be single-spaced, in 12 pt. Times New Roman Font, with one-inch margins and should be in an editable format, such as .doc, .docx or .rtf rather than .pdf. Tables and figures should be included within the body of the text as close as possible to the first mention of the table or figure. Otherwise, the APA style guide should be followed.

Brief Descriptions of Major Assignments:

 

Research Project Proposal Development: Three stages, 175 points possible

 

Stage 1: Write a short paper about a scholarly topic of interest, some questions you have about the topic, and why you are interested in this topic; list at least 10 related references. The Stage 1 paper is expected to be 2 – 3 pages of text plus references (5 page max). This assignment is due on September 29 and is worth 25 points. Feedback for this assignment will include suggestions for members of the studentÕs practicum committee.

 

Stage 2: Write a coherent paper about a topic and specific research question(s) of interest; include a rationale, purpose, literature review, and research questions. A copy of the completed DSME research practicum committee member form should be submitted with the Stage 2 paper. The Stage 2 paper is expected to be about 8 – 12 pages and will be accompanied by a 15 – 20 minute class presentation. It is due on November 3 and is worth 75 points.

 

Stage 3, due at the end of the semester: Complete a coherent draft of a practicum proposal. Include a rationale, purpose, the specific research question of interest, synopsis of the literature review, and proposed research design and methods for study. List all citations referenced and include three appendices: 1. a draft of the protocol, instrument or survey, 2. a draft of the consent form and 3. proof that you have presented the proposal to your practicum committee. The Stage 3 paper is expected to be 6 – 10 pages, not including references or appendices and will include a poster presentation. This assignment is worth 75 points.

 

Self-Designed Mini Reading Course: 75 points

 

You will select a topic related to design or methods and create your own mini reading course on that topic. You have considerable latitude in the topic, but it should be something that is related to the research proposal that you are developing this semester or which goes beyond the design and methods discussed in SME 954. Propose a topic by the end of September and once the topic is approved, create a list of 6-8 articles or book chapters related to your topic. Then write short summaries for each of the articles/chapters you read. You will prepare a 15 – 20 minute class presentation of the mini-course as well as a paper due on November 24.

 

Data Analysis Project: 25 points

 

You will be given a set of qualitative data collected from students to analyze using a grounded theory approach. You will prepare the analysis section of a paper based on your analysis of the data provided. The paper should be about 3 – 6 pages and will be due on October 20.

 

Consultant Work with TE 802 Student: 25 points

 

The pre-service secondary mathematics teachers in the Teacher Preparation Program design, conduct, and report on a small research project during their Internship year. This project is their first exposure to educational research. For this assignment, you (in collaboration with a few of your classmates) will provide feedback and advice to a group of pre-service teachers as they plan and carry out their ÒResearchable QuestionÓ project.

 

Disclaimer:  The instructor reserves the right to make any changes she considers academically advisable.  Changes will be announced in class and posted on the class website.  It is your responsibility to keep up with any changed policies.

Official Stuff (from SME 927 syllabus Fall 2007 – Ralph Putnam)

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism. The UniversityÕs policy concerning academic integrity is covered in the Spartan Life booklet, General Student Regulations. According to the handbook,  ÒÉno student shall claim or submit the work of another as oneÕs own.  For more information about this and other scholarship issues, please consult the Spartan Life handbook: http://www.vps.msu.edu/SpLife/

The principles of truth and honesty are fundamental to the educational process and the academic integrity of the University; therefore, no student shall:

1.01 claim or submit the academic work of another as one's own.

1.02 procure, provide, accept or use any materials containing questions or answers to any examination or assignment without proper authorization.

1.03 complete or attempt to complete any assignment or examination for another individual without proper authorization.

1.04 allow any examination or assignment to be completed for oneself, in part or in total, by another without proper authorization.

1.05 alter, tamper with, appropriate, destroy or otherwise interfere with the research, resources, or other academic work of another person.

1.06 fabricate or falsify data or results.

Additional resources and information about what constitutes plagiarism may be found at http://www.msu.edu/unit/ombud/plagiarism.html

 

Student disabilities. Students with disabilities should contact the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities to establish reasonable accommodations. For an appointment with a counselor, they should call 353-9642 (voice) or 355-1293 (TTY). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References:

American Statistical Association (2007). Using Statistics Effectively in Mathematics Education Research. [Online], www.amstat.org/research_grants/pdfs/SMERReport.pdf

Atweh, B. (2004). Understanding for Changing and Changing for Understanding. In Researching the Socio-Political Dimensions of Mathematics Education (pp. 187-205). 

Borgatti, S. Introduction to Grounded Theory. [On line] Available at http://www.analytictech.com/mb870/introtoGT.htm

Carlson, M. (1998). A cross-sectional investigation of the development of the function concept. In Schoenfeld, A., Kaput, J. & E. Dubinsky (Eds.), Research in Collegiate Mathematics Education, 7, 114 – 162.

Carlson, M. P., & Bloom, I. (2005). The Cyclic Nature of Problem Solving: An Emergent Multidimensional Problem-Solving Framework. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 58(1), 45 – 75.

Clements, D.H. & Sarama, J. (2008). Experimental evaluation of the effects of a research-based preschool mathematics curriculum. American Educational Research Journal, 45(2), 443 – 494.

delMas, R., Garfield, J., Ooms, A., and Chance, B. (2007). Assessing Students' Conceptual Understanding After a First Course in Statistics. Statistics Education Research Journal, 6(2). http://www.stat.auckland.ac.nz/~iase/serj/SERJ6(2)_delMas.pdf

Dick, B. (2005). Grounded theory: a thumbnail sketch. [On line] Available at http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/arp/grounded.html

Earley, M.A. (2007). StudentsÕ expectations of Introductory Statistics Instructors. Statistics Education Research Journal, 6(1), 51 – 66. http://www.stat.auckland.ac.nz/~iase/serj

Empson, S. B. (1999). Equal Sharing and Shared Meaning: The Development of Fraction Concepts in a First-Grade Classroom. Cognition and Instruction, 17(3), 283 – 342.

Estrada, A., & Batanero, C. (2008). Explaining teachersÕ attitudes towards statistics. In C. Batanero, G. Burrill, C. Reading & A. Rossman (Eds.), Joint ICMI/IASE Study: Statistics Education in School Mathematics: Challenges for Teaching and Teacher Education. Proceedings of the ICMI Study 18 and 2008 IASE Round Table Conference.

Estrada, A., Batanero, C., Fortuny, J.M., & Diaz, C. (2005). In A. Mariotti (Ed.), Proceedings of the Third Conerence of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education. Bellaria (Italy). ERME. CD-ROM.

Ferrini-Mundy, J. (1987). Spatial Training for Calculus Students: Sex Differences in

Achievement and in Visualization Ability. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 18, 126 – 140.

Fuchs, L.S., Fuchs, D., Finelli, R., Courey, S.J., Hamlett, C.L., Sones, E.M., & Hope, S.K. (2006).  Teaching third graders about real-life mathematical problem solving: A randomized controlled study.  The Elementary School Journal, 106 (4), 293 – 311.

Hiebert, J., Stigler, J.W., Jacobs, J.K., Givvin, K.B., Garnier, H., Smith, M.. Hollingsworth, H., Manaster, A., Wearne, D. & Gallimore, R. (2005). Mathematics teaching in the United States today (and tomorrow): Results from the TIMSS 1999 video study. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 27(2), 111 – 132.

Hunting, R. P. (1997). Clinical interview methods in mathematics education research and practice. The Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 16(2), 145 – 165.

Mokros, J. & Russell, S.J. (1995). ChildrenÕs concepts of average and representativeness. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 2 (1), 20 – 39.

Pimm, D. (2004). Discourse analysis and mathematics education: An anniversary of sorts. Proceedings of the 10th International Congress on Mathematical Education http://www.icme10.dk/proceedings/pages/regular_pdf/RL_David_Pimm.pdf.

Schoenfeld, A. (2000). Purposes and Methods of Research in Mathematics Education. Notices of the American Mathematical Society, 47(6), 2 – 10.

Swars, S. L. (2005). Examining perceptions of mathematics teaching effectiveness among elementary preservice teachers with differing levels of mathematics teacher efficacy. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 32(2), 139 – 147.

Tarr, J. E., Reys, R., Reys, B., Chavez, O., Shih, J., Osterlind, S. (2008). The impact of middle grades mathematics curricula and the classroom learning environment on student achievement. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 39(3), 247 – 280.

Watson, J.M. & Moritz, J.B. (1999). The beginning of statistical inference: Comparing two data sets. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 37(2), 145 – 168.

Zazkis, R., & Hazzan, O. (1998). Interviewing in mathematics education research: Choosing the questions. The Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 17(4), 429 – 439.