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This action research study was conducted in a middle school math classroom at an urban charter school in northern California. The sample included 80 eighth graders across four periods. Demographically, 76% identified as Hispanic or Latinx, 14% as African-American, 3% as Asian, 6% as multi-racial, and 1% as Caucasian. About 23% were English Language Learners (ELLs) and 17% had Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 plans. The study aimed to show the usefulness and importance of math in students' lives, improve their attitudes, and increase class participation. The purpose was to improve student participation and attitudes by introducing personalized real-world math problems and math application research journals. There were two cycles of inquiry during Unit 5 (Functions and Volume) and Unit 6 (Associations in Data) of the eighth-grade math curriculum, using mixed methods such as surveys, personalized problems, and math application research journals. Self-rating pre-surveys were given before the first cycle to assess current participation and attitudes, with follow-up surveys between units and after the second cycle. Participation was defined as how often students volunteered to answer questions and stayed on task. Attitude was defined as how much they liked and enjoyed math. Math problems were personalized to include students’ names, interests, hobbies, and experiences while maintaining the content and rigor. These problems were used for Do Nows, direct instruction examples, and independent practice throughout the units. At the end of each unit, students researched math applications in their lives and future aspirations, reflecting and journaling about their findings to assess comprehension, thoughts, and feelings. Between units, another survey measured changes in participation and attitudes to determine the impact of personalized problems versus research journals. The second cycle followed the same timeline as the first, with a final survey at the end to measure overall changes and impacts. The goal was to increase students' interest in math by showing its relevance to their lives. The research questions were:
The purpose was to integrate real-world math problems that resonate with students' interests and experiences, alongside student-conducted research on real-life math applications, aiming to enhance both participation in math class and overall attitudes towards math. |
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