Developing an Instrument to Assess Teachers’ Knowledge of the Nature of Mathematical Modeling and Their Attitude toward Such Modeling
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Ohio University / OhioLINK
2016
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| Online Access: | http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1458581416 |
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-ohiou14585814162021-08-03T06:35:04Z Developing an Instrument to Assess Teachers’ Knowledge of the Nature of Mathematical Modeling and Their Attitude toward Such Modeling Asempapa, Reuben S. Mathematics Education Mathematics Educational Tests and Measurements Education Teaching Teacher Education mathematical modeling modeling process content knowledge attitude MMKS MMAS teachers of mathematics scale development validity reliability attitude scale knowledge scale assess Mathematical modeling as an educational endeavor is growing in importance. Associated with this development is the increasing inclusion of mathematical modeling in school curriculum in the United States. Because teachers’ content knowledge and attitude influence what and how they teach, and because modeling is a relatively new topic in the curriculum, instruments are needed to assess teachers’ knowledge and attitude related to mathematical modeling. To meet this need, the author developed two scales for K–12 teachers of mathematics to assess teachers’ knowledge of the nature of mathematical modeling and their attitude toward such modeling.The researcher employed survey research design in this study. The research comprised five phases: item writing, experts’ reviews, cognitive interviews, a pilot study, and a field test. The researcher wrote an initial set of items. Then, 10 experts provided qualitative and quantitative data to inform item revision. The appropriateness of the items were judged by cognitive interviewees. Items were omitted and others revised based on the experts’ reviews, feedback from the cognitive interviewees, and results from the pilot study. This provided content validity for the study. Teachers in nine school districts from a large Midwestern state participated in the Web-based survey during the field test. The Mathematical Modeling Knowledge Scale (MMKS) was designed to measure teachers’ knowledge of the nature of mathematical modeling, and the Mathematical Modeling Attitude Scale (MMAS), to assess their attitude toward such modeling.The field test average MMKS score of 9.51 on a scale of 0–12 indicated satisfactory teacher knowledge of the nature of mathematical modeling. The teachers’ average MMAS score of 4.82, on a 1–6 Likert scale, showed a slightly positive attitude toward mathematical modeling. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between the two scores. Psychometric analyses provided reliability and construct validity evidence for the MMKS and MMAS. The Cronbach’s alpha measures of internal consistency were MMKS = .84 and MMAS = .91. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a one-factor model for the MMKS (comparative fit index [CFI] = .97; Tucker Lewis index [TLI] = .96; root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = .05; and standardized root mean square residual [SRMR] = .04) and a four-factor model for the MMAS (CFI = .90; TLI = .90; RMSEA = .07; and SRMR = .05).The scales are valid and reliable tools for mathematics teacher educators and researchers in the teaching of mathematical modeling. Most of the teachers surveyed have misconceptions about mathematical modeling and the mathematical modeling process. Specifically, they did not understand that mathematical modeling situations are authentic real-world scenarios. The term mathematical modeling was new to most of the teachers, and they expressed scant experience in teaching and learning mathematical modeling. The study results support the need for increased instruction in mathematical modeling for both pre-service and in-service teachers of mathematics. 2016-07-08 English text Ohio University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1458581416 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1458581416 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: some rights reserved. It is licensed for use under a Creative Commons license. Specific terms and permissions are available from this document's record in the OhioLINK ETD Center. |
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NDLTD |
| language |
English |
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NDLTD |
| topic |
Mathematics Education Mathematics Educational Tests and Measurements Education Teaching Teacher Education mathematical modeling modeling process content knowledge attitude MMKS MMAS teachers of mathematics scale development validity reliability attitude scale knowledge scale assess |
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Mathematics Education Mathematics Educational Tests and Measurements Education Teaching Teacher Education mathematical modeling modeling process content knowledge attitude MMKS MMAS teachers of mathematics scale development validity reliability attitude scale knowledge scale assess Asempapa, Reuben S. Developing an Instrument to Assess Teachers’ Knowledge of the Nature of Mathematical Modeling and Their Attitude toward Such Modeling |
| author |
Asempapa, Reuben S. |
| author_facet |
Asempapa, Reuben S. |
| author_sort |
Asempapa, Reuben S. |
| title |
Developing an Instrument to Assess Teachers’ Knowledge of the Nature of Mathematical Modeling and Their Attitude toward Such Modeling |
| title_short |
Developing an Instrument to Assess Teachers’ Knowledge of the Nature of Mathematical Modeling and Their Attitude toward Such Modeling |
| title_full |
Developing an Instrument to Assess Teachers’ Knowledge of the Nature of Mathematical Modeling and Their Attitude toward Such Modeling |
| title_fullStr |
Developing an Instrument to Assess Teachers’ Knowledge of the Nature of Mathematical Modeling and Their Attitude toward Such Modeling |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Developing an Instrument to Assess Teachers’ Knowledge of the Nature of Mathematical Modeling and Their Attitude toward Such Modeling |
| title_sort |
developing an instrument to assess teachers’ knowledge of the nature of mathematical modeling and their attitude toward such modeling |
| publisher |
Ohio University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2016 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1458581416 |
| work_keys_str_mv |
AT asempapareubens developinganinstrumenttoassessteachersknowledgeofthenatureofmathematicalmodelingandtheirattitudetowardsuchmodeling |
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1719439603251806208 |