Date

8-9-2024

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)

Chair

Janice Kooken

Keywords

whole group instruction, small group learning, mathematical resilience, progressive classroom

Disciplines

Education

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental study was to determine the effect of small group learning during the core mathematics block on 5th-grade students’ mathematical resilience, compared to a control group. Student collaboration and mathematical discourse decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a drop in math proficiency levels in the United States. Approximately 80 5th-grade students from the southwest United States were divided into two sample groups of about 40 each. These groups were assessed using the Upper Elementary Mathematics Resilience Scale. One group primarily experienced teacher-centered whole group instruction, while the other group spent half of their daily core learning block in student-centered small group instruction. Differences between the two groups were analyzed using ANCOVA on the two measures of the Mathematical Resilience Scale: value and growth mindset. The ANCOVA tested for differences in the post-test, using the pre-test as the covariate. Data for the value subscale showed a statistically significant change between the groups, though the direction of the change was unexpected. Data for the growth subscale did not reach appropriate levels of significance. For future research, it is recommended that the scale be administered at the beginning of the school year instead of the end, and that the sample size be increased in both groups.

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