Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Keith Wright

Abstract

To promote learner-centered mathematics instruction and improve student outcomes, district leaders sought to implement research-based instructional strategies in the 2018-2019 school year. These strategies were being implemented at Elementary School A but not at Elementary School B during the following school year. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate the implementation and outcomes of research-based instructional strategies such as hands-on activities, small group investigations, problem-solving tasks, and classroom discourse for district students in Grades 2–5. Weimer’s learner-centered teaching principles served as the theoretical framework for the study. Quantitative methods were used to test whether a difference in mathematical achievement, as measured by the Math Inventory, exists between students at Elementary School A and Elementary School B. Open-ended interviews and typological analyses were used to explore the ways in which teachers implemented research-based instructional strategies at Elementary School A. ANCOVA results yielded a nonsignificant difference (α = .01) between Elementary School A and Elementary School B for all grades, F(1,137) = .43, p = .51; F(1,129) = .24, p = .63; F(1,135) = 1.27, p = .26; F(1,125) = 4.76, p = .03. The most salient qualitative theme, for all grades, was lacking implementation fidelity, which may explain the nonsignificant findings. A policy recommendation is that district leaders develop and implement standard operating procedures for assessing and measuring implementation fidelity. Results from this study could alter the way in which teachers deliver mathematics instruction across the district with the potential to improve mathematics achievement for all students.

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