The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), has made an effort to increase the use of technology and the use of calculators into the classroom and curriculum. As a result, many studies and articles have been written on the subject of calculator use in the classroom. A review of over 600 studies revealed that it is not curricula that…

Using the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study Data (TIMSS) 2015 dataset, this study examines 30 different contextual indicators to determine significant predictors of girls' mathematics achievement globally. The study design employs three nested levels in the hierarchical linear model (individual, classroom, and nation) to…

Measurement invariance is crucial for making valid comparisons across different groups (Kline, 2016; Vandenberg, 2002). To address the challenges associated with invariance testing such as large sample size requirements, the complexity of the model, etc., applied researchers have incorporated parcels. Parcels have been shown to alleviate skewness,…

Cognitive diagnostic models can uncover students' mastery of multiple fine-grained skill attributes or problem-solving processes. A number of studies have applied cognitive diagnostic models to detect students' knowledge mastery in mathematics and language testing. However, few studies focus on cognitive diagnostic assessment in K-12 science…

Lebanon has been participating in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study assessment (TIMSS) since 2003, however, data indicate a continuous decline in performance of Grade 8 students. The purpose of this study is to examine the factors critical to the achievement of Lebanese Grade 8 students and investigate the reasons for their…

More than ever before, countries are relying on their experts in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields to find solutions to serious global problems, such as climate change, hunger, and disease. Unfortunately, the growing demand for these experts is outpacing supply. At each stage in the educational pipeline from the…

This study used mixed methods to investigate the relationships between parental leave policy components and academic achievement measured by TIMSS and PIRLS. Qualitative document analysis was used to analyze the policy documents and available literature on all the parental leave policies that had been implemented early enough to potentially affect…

This dissertation aims to investigate the effect size measures of differential item functioning (DIF) detection in the context of cognitive diagnostic models (CDMs). A variety of DIF detection techniques have been developed in the context of CDMs. However, most of the DIF detection procedures focus on the null hypothesis significance test. Few…

The purpose of this study is to explore elementary educators' perceptions regarding what it means to conceptually understand mathematics, the emphasis teachers place on utilizing evidence-based teaching processes, as identified as effective by National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and how these perceptions influence their…

Teaching science concepts for conceptual understanding has its challenges. Promoting conceptual change in the science classroom can be difficult because most concepts are complicated and counter-intuitive. This dissertation research aimed to determine the effect of teaching for conceptual understanding models on pre-service teachers' conceptual…

A primary purpose of cognitive diagnosis models (CDMs) is to classify examinees based on their attribute patterns. The Q-matrix (Tatsuoka, 1985), a common component of all CDMs, specifies the relationship between the set of required dichotomous attributes and the test items. Since a Q-matrix is often developed by content-knowledge experts and can…

The purpose of this study was to identify the beliefs of preservice mathematics teachers with regards to the nature of mathematics, the learning of mathematics, and student achievement in mathematics. Past research indicates that teacher beliefs affect the way they teach as well as influence the students they instruct (Schoenfeld 1992; Thompson…

This three-article dissertation considers the pedagogical practices for developing statistically literate students and teaching data-driven decision-making with the goal of preparing students for civic engagement and improving student achievement. The first article discusses a critical review of the literature on data-driven decision-making…

Data mining has been successfully used by financial and retail companies since the mid-1960's to create predictive models and reveal unexpected relationships. However, it remains underutilized as a tool in educational research. Large-scale standardized assessment programs such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)…

This qualitative case study examines the professional development practice of Lesson Study as a vehicle for teacher learning. Through observing the participation and analyzing interviews of a group of United States middle school mathematics educators as they engaged in Lesson Study, this study examines teachers' learning with respect to (a)…