http://hdl.handle.net/1957/21289 2013-05-21T20:05:40Z http://hdl.handle.net/1957/38635 Visualizers, visualizations, and visualizees : differences in meaning-making by scientific experts and novices from global visualizations of ocean data Stofer, Kathryn A. Data visualizations designed for academic scientists are not immediately meaningful to everyday scientists. Communicating between a specialized, expert audience and a general, novice public is non-trivial; it requires careful translation. However, more widely available visualization technologies and platforms, including new three-dimensional spherical display systems in schools and informal science education institutions, often use the same visualizations that experts use to communicate amongst themselves, resulting in a public which often fails to make significant meaning from the visualizations. This dissertation uses a pragmatic, bricolage framework, incorporating cognitivist, social constructivist, and sociocultural perspectives. I used semi-clinical interviews and eye-tracking to investigate academic scientific experts and novices as they attempted to make meaning from global visualizations of ocean data. Stimuli were fifteen visualizations, three topics with five versions of each visualization with different levels of scaffolding to improve communication: no scaffolding; changes to color scale; addition of geographic labels; revision of title and measurement unit; or all three forms. Laboratory interviews revealed that non-science major novices struggled with decoding almost every part of unscaffolded visualizations, while experts had difficulty only in understanding the time of year and season represented. Novices did not always use supporting elements such as the title and key, could not understand jargon in unscaffolded titles, conflated the meaning of the standard academic science “rainbow” color scale used across multiple topics, and could not always orient themselves geographically to the visualizations centered on the Pacific Ocean basin. However, their understanding improved on the scaffolded visualizations. Interviews in a public interpretive science center revealed further struggles with meaning-making; scores were lower than either laboratory participant group. Eye-tracking confirmed the differences between the participant groups at the level of visual search of visualizations, revealing that novices looked at the map portion of the visualizations less comprehensively than experts in the unscaffolded case. However, novice scan paths on the scaffolded visualizations more closely resembled experts’. Fixation durations started out significantly lower on scaffolded visualizations than unscaffolded, suggesting better comprehension of the scaffolded visualizations. Both participant groups’ fixation durations decreased over the course of repeated trials in the experiment, suggesting practice improved meaning-making. The fact that novices could make more academic scientific meaning from visualizations of data if exposed more often to meaningful, scaffolded visualizations in all formal and informal learning and communication settings leads to recommendations for exhibit design, visualization design, and instruction on using visualizations in meaning making about science topics. Graduation date: 2013; Access restricted to the OSU Community at author's request from May 20, 2013 - May 20, 2014 2013-04-29T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1957/38544 A case study on a diverse college algebra classroom : analyzing pedagogical strategies to enhance students' mathematics self-efficacy Furuto, Michael Shifting demographics show America rapidly diversifying, yet research indicates that an alarming number of diverse students continue to struggle to meet learning outcomes of collegiate mathematics curriculum. Consequently, recruitment and retention of diverse students in STEM majors is a pervasive issue. Using a sociocultural perspective, this study examined the effect of two pedagogies (traditional instruction and cooperative learning) in a diverse College Algebra course on enhancing students' mathematics self-efficacy. Particular attention was paid to investigating the role interaction and discourse play in facilitating learning, improving conceptual understanding, and empowering students to engage in future self-initiated communal learning. The goal was to develop an effective classroom model that cultivates advancement in knowledge and enculturation into the STEM community, culminating in a higher retention rate of diverse students in STEM disciplines. Results indicate that a hybrid model encompassing both traditional instruction and cooperative learning successfully enhances students' self-efficacy. Graduation date: 2013 2013-04-18T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1957/37216 The culture of undergraduate computer science education : its role in promoting equity within the discipline Howell, Kathy Although a concern for gender equity provided the framework for this research, the results of this study highlighted the fact that the question of equity should be broadened to include concern for the tier of talented women and men who currently choose not to persist in an undergraduate computer science major. This investigation captured the experience of three male and two female first year undergraduate computer science majors (and two instructors) over the course of their first two college terms. Sources of data included interviews, classroom observations, electronic mail journal comments, and casual conversation. Subtle elements of potential gender discrimination were a part of the rich data collected but the students did not mention such factors. Rather, in faithfully portraying the students' perspectives, this research presented the students' candid discussion of the function of more obvious factors in their experiences. Difficulties with concepts of mathematical proof and computer programming were significant factors in the students' experiences. Students not experienced with mathematical proof or computer programming failed to develop an understanding of the basic principles in the respective course. Student difficulties were matched by the struggles of teaching faculty as they looked for input to support improvement in their teaching. Many of the factors identified by the students were found in the general undergraduate experience. All of the students knew little about careers in computer science and were anxious to learn more. The female students wanted their career to involve work they enjoyed. The male students wanted assurances that they could compete and find financial security in their career. The students valued support they found in a variety of forms and were disappointed in the lack of support found in advising sessions. Students struggled with inadequate study skills to meet demanding course expectations. This research identified factors in the culture of undergraduate computer science education that impacted students' decisions to persist, or not persist, in the field. The results indicate changes and provide a basis for the design of interventions aimed at creating an environment that will equitably support all persons in pursuit of an undergraduate computer science degree. Graduation date: 1996 1996-05-08T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1957/37214 The relationships between Thai girls' and boys' attitudes and beliefs about mathematics and mathematics achievement, future mathematics coursework intentions, and career interests Katwibun, Duanghathai The intention of this study was to explore the relationships between Thai middle school girls' and boys' attitudes and beliefs about mathematics and mathematics achievement, future mathematics coursework intentions, and career interests. Participants in this study were 523 students who were enrolled in The Chiang Mai University Demonstration School during the first semester of the 1999 school year. In order to measure the students' attitudes and beliefs about mathematics, a questionnaire was developed from the Fennema-Sherman Attitudes Scale (Mulhern & Rae, 1998) and Indiana Mathematics Beliefs Scale (Kloosterman & Stage, 1992). Students' mathematics achievement was obtained from their final mathematics grades at the end of the semester. Students' future mathematics coursework intentions questionnaire was developed from Throndike-Christ's (1991) study. Finally, students' career interests questionnaire was rated according to Goldman and Hewitt's (1976) science/math continuum. The findings revealed that Thai middle school students had positive attitudes and beliefs about mathematics. The students had good mathematics achievement and demonstrated a moderate likelihood to take optional future mathematics coursework. Many students were interested in careers related to mathematics and science fields. Focusing on grade level, those students in higher grades expressed lower motivation, confidence in learning mathematics, and mathematics achievement. On the other hand, they showed stronger beliefs about mathematics as a male domain and the usefulness of mathematics and had stronger interests in careers related to mathematics and science fields than students in lower grades. Overall, no gender differences in motivation and confidence in learning mathematics surfaced. However, gender differences favoring boys were found in students' beliefs about mathematics as a male domain, the usefulness of mathematics, the importance of understanding concepts in mathematics, and increasing mathematical ability by effort. Boys also indicated more willingness to take optional mathematics coursework and displayed stronger interests in careers related to mathematics and science fields. The only gender difference favoring girls was mathematics achievement. The regression findings revealed that attitudes and beliefs about mathematics variables were predictive of students' mathematics achievement, future mathematics coursework intentions, and career interests. Graduation date: 2000 2000-03-09T00:00:00Z