Instructional Strategies Used By Effective Mathematics Teachers In Adventist Elementary Schools

294 Pages·2017·2.49 MB·English

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Dissertations Graduate Research
2017
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Anna Adkins
Andrews University, [email protected]
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations
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Adkins, Anna, "Instructional Strategies Used By Effective Mathematics Teachers In Adventist Elementary
Schools In Florida: An MQI Analysis" (2017). Dissertations. 1641.
https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations/1641
This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @
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ABSTRACT

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES USED BY EFFECTIVE
MATHEMATICS TEACHERS IN ADVENTIST
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN FLORIDA:
AN MQI ANALYSIS

by

Anna Adkins

Chair: Shirley Freed
ABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH

Dissertation

Andrews University
School of Education

Title: INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES USED BY EFFECTIVE MATHEMATICS
TEACHERS IN ADVENTIST ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN FLORIDA: AN
MQI ANALYSIS

Name of researcher: Anna Adkins
Name and degree of faculty chair: Shirley Freed, PhD.
Date completed: October 2017

The Problem
Teaching mathematics can be a difficult task. United States students on
comparative international mathematics assessments consistently rank near the test
averages. On a national assessment, commonly called the Nation’s Report Card, more
than half of American students rank as ‘not proficient’ in mathematics. The purpose of
this study was to describe the strategies used by teachers with at least average
mathematical knowledge for teaching. This was evidenced by their scores on the
Mathematical Knowledge Test for Teaching (MKT). In addition to teacher knowledge,
the study sample was selected from among schools where the five-year average was
above the average curve equivalent mean. The research question was “In what ways do
teachers of high achieving mathematics students deliver mathematics instruction?”

Method
The methodology employed was a case study. The research analyzed videos of
eight mathematics teachers using the Mathematics Quality of Instruction (MQI), to
analyze the quality and the usage of the instructional strategies. The MQI provided a
framework to view and analyze instruction in 14 mathematics lessons in grades 1 – 8.
The MQI is divided into four dimensions: Richness of the Mathematics, Working with
Students and Mathematics, Teacher Error and Imprecisions, and Common Core-Aligned
Student Practices. Each dimension is further divided into instructional strategies. The
Richness of the Mathematics dimension has six instructional strategies: Linking Between
Representations, Teacher Provided Explanations, Mathematical Sense-Making, Multiple
Procedures or Solutions, Patterns and Generalizations, and Mathematical Language.
Working with Students and Mathematics has two strategies: Remediation of Student
Errors and Difficulties and Teacher Uses Student Mathematical Contributions. Teacher
Errors and Imprecisions has three parts: Mathematical Imprecision in Language or
Notation, Content Errors, and Lack of Clarity in Presentations of Mathematical Content.
Common Core-Aligned Student Practices has five strategies: Students Provide
Explanations, Student Mathematical Questioning and Reasoning, Students Communicate
about the Mathematics of the Segment, Task Cognitive Demand, and Students Work with
Contextualized Problems. The lessons were videotaped and then 7.5-minute segments
were coded using the MQI framework.
Results
These teachers know their mathematics. Of the 80 segments analyzed only 3%
contained any errors and all instruction was clear. Of the four MQI dimensions, the
teachers excelled in the Richness of the Mathematics dimension. Most of the strategies in
this section were used a large majority of the time. When utilizing Working with Students
and the Mathematics, the teachers used student comments and provided correction to
student errors when needed. Common Core-Aligned Student Practices was the least used
dimension. While students did communicate mathematically, the level of their
communication tended to be procedural. There were a few instances of students making
conjectures or conclusions based on patterns or mathematical reasoning.
The five strategies that were used more than 80% of the time were Mathematical
Language (90%), Teacher Uses Student Mathematical Contributions (90%), Students
Communicate about the Mathematics (85%), Mathematical Sense-Making (83%), and
Teacher Provided Explanations (80%).
The least used strategies were Multiple Procedures or Solutions (45%) and
Student Mathematical Questioning (45%). Remediation of Student Errors was used in
51% of the segments, likely because students made few errors. Linking Between
Representations, Patterns and Generalizations, Students Provide Explanations, and
Students Work with Contextualized Problems were found in 61% of the segments.
There was higher quality of usage in grades one and two for the Richness of the
Mathematics dimension. Teachers in grades three-five used both Working with Students
and Mathematics strategies more often than the other grades. The quality of strategy
usage by grade showed that in all strategies, grades one and two had a higher quality of
usage than the other grades.

Conclusions
This study was conducted to identify the strategies used by effective math
teachers in the Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. These teachers have
evident knowledge and are skillful in explaining and providing examples of the
mathematical content. Their instruction was clear and precise. A relative weakness of the
study teachers was their ability to guide students to generalize and reason
mathematically. The ability to express oneself mathematically will increase student
understanding and develop students who are successful in elementary school mathematics
and beyond.
Andrews University

School of Education

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES USED BY EFFECTIVE
MATHEMATICS TEACHERS IN ADVENTIST
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN FLORIDA:
AN MQI ANALYSIS

A Dissertation
Presented in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Philosophy

by
Anna Adkins
October 2017
© Copyright by Anna Adkins 2017

All Rights Reserved
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES USED BY EFFECTIVE
MATHEMATICS TEACHERS IN ADVENTIST
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN FLORIDA:
AN MQI ANALYSIS

A dissertation
presented in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree
Doctor of Philosophy

by

Anna Adkins

APPROVAL BY THE COMMITTEE:
_________________________________ ______________________________
Chair: Shirley Freed Dean, School of Education
Robson Marinho
_________________________________
Member: Janet Ledesma

_________________________________
Member: Bordes Henry Saturne

_________________________________ ______________________________
External: Dennis Lundgren Date approved
DEDICATION

This work is dedicated to Cherise Anne Adkins (September 9, 1980 – September
13, 2000).
“She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies…

And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!”
(Lord Byron, 2012, p. 612)

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