Matching Items (2)
Filtering by
- Resource Type: Text
Description
This is a report of a study that investigated the thinking of a high-achieving precalculus student when responding to tasks that required him to define linear formulas to relate covarying quantities. Two interviews were conducted for analysis. A team of us in the mathematics education department at Arizona State University initially identified mental actions that we conjectured were needed for constructing meaningful linear formulas. This guided the development of tasks for the sequence of clinical interviews with one high-performing precalculus student. Analysis of the interview data revealed that in instances when the subject engaged in meaning making that led to him imagining and identifying the relevant quantities and how they change together, he was able to give accurate definitions of variables and was usually able to define a formula to relate the two quantities of interest. However, we found that the student sometimes had difficulty imagining how the two quantities of interest were changing together. At other times he exhibited a weak understanding of the operation of subtraction and the idea of constant rate of change. He did not appear to conceptualize subtraction as a quantitative comparison. His inability to conceptualize a constant rate of change as a proportional relationship between the changes in two quantities also presented an obstacle in his developing a meaningful formula that relied on this understanding. The results further stress the need to develop a student's ability to engage in mental operations that involve covarying quantities and a more robust understanding of constant rate of change since these abilities and understanding are critical for student success in future courses in mathematics.
ContributorsKlinger, Tana Paige (Author) / Carlson, Marilyn (Thesis director) / Thompson, Pat (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
This project analyzes the large array of managerial leadership research in congruence with the wide field of workplace communication to attempt to determine the importance of refining communication channels between managers and employees as well as articulate the core competencies a manager should exhibit when practicing exemplary communication in their respective work environment. The preliminary sections of this thesis will establish the currently existing foundations utilized and narrow the wide range of research available to applicable information regarding positive workplace communication, influencing factors in a feedback loop from the employee’s perspective, as well as leadership aspects and actions a manager can alter or initiate to improve their workplace’s environment through communicational refinement. This research is supplemented with a survey that was administered to Arizona State University student leaders who were involved in coordinating the Regional Business Conference on the Polytechnic campus. The survey data is designed to either confirm or contradict the findings of the literature. The objective of this project is to synthesize an overview of a manager’s responsibilities and recommend actions to tailor and improve workplace communication
ContributorsWhelan-Gonzales, Luke Andrew (Author) / Schmitz, Troy (Thesis director) / Pegg, TJ (Committee member) / Historical, Philosophical & Religious Studies (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05