COGNITIVE REASONING SKILLS AND CLASSROOM SETTINGS: A MULTI-LEVEL EXAMINATION OF STUDENT AND TEACHER FACTORS IN MATH ACHIEVEMENT

Open Access
- Author:
- Knipe, Hilary L.
- Graduate Program:
- Educational Theory and Policy
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- October 28, 2008
- Committee Members:
- David Alexander Gamson, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
David Alexander Gamson, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Katerina Bodovski, Committee Member
Paul Joseph Eslinger, Committee Member
Clancy Blair, Committee Member - Keywords:
- achievement
executive function
elementary school mathematics
cognitive development
math learning
reasoning - Abstract:
- Through examination of math teaching and learning in middle elementary school, this dissertation explores two facets at the core of schooling: the processes of individual student learning and instructional practices. Paper one explores change in math achievement, the impacts of executive function (EF) or general reasoning on change in achievement, and the extent to which conceptual and reasoning based instruction relates to EF and achievement in third and fourth grades over the course of a school year. Although the positive relationship between EF and math achievement at single points in development is widely recognized and heavily researched, little work has focused on the effects of EF on growth in math achievement, particularly in elementary school. In the best-fitting model of growth, with both linear and quadratic factors, student behavior and Raven’s scores predicted achievement but not change in achievement, while school attended and the tower task (a test of planning and strategy) relate to achievement and change in achievement. Preliminary analyses suggest that instruction that differs in amounts of reasoning and conceptually based activity may affect change in achievement and interact with cognitive abilities in predicting growth in math achievement. Because engagement and student behavior are integral to academic success, further exploration of the characteristics of classrooms and instruction that foster engagement and productive student behavior is an essential pursuit. The second paper aims to answer the broad question of which aspects of classroom settings and instruction are important for improving student engagement and behavior. This research contributes to existing knowledge by examining the relationships among activity settings (individual, small group, full class), teacher behaviors, instructional characteristics, and student behaviors in the context of math instruction in third and fourth grades. Evidence from these analyses shows that there is substantial variation in the ways teachers divide class time into individual, small group and full class activity as well as in the ways they interact with students. Teacher behaviors are consistently associated with student behavior whereas activity settings and level of conceptual instruction are not. Implications and further research are discussed.