A Study of the Relationship Between Teacher Characteristics and Student Performance in High School Geometry

3 Chapter IIntroduction.4 The Geometry Course.5 Research Questions.6 Chapter IILiterature Review.7 Teacher Experience.8 Teacher Education.9 Teacher Certification.10 Teacher Race and Gender.11 Chapter IIIMethods.13 Sample.13 Data Collection.14 Data Analysis.15 Chapter IVResults.18 Teacher Experience.18 Teacher Education.19 Teacher Certification.21 Teacher Race and Gender.21 Chapter VConclusions.24 Limitations.24 Discussion.25 Opportunities for Future Study.26 References.28 Appendices.31 Appendix A: Statement of Informed Consent.31 Appendix B: September 2012 Geometry pre-assessment.32 Appendix C: June 2013 Geometry Regents Exam.39 Appendix D: Teacher Questionnaire.52 TEACHER CHARACTERISTICS AND STUDENT PERFORMANCE 3 Abstract The purpose of this thesis is to investigate whether teacher characteristics, such as years of experience, degree level, degree type, certification type, race, or gender, impact student performance in high school geometry. Research has shown that each student’s mathematical understanding and problem solving ability is primarily shaped by the teaching experiences they encounter in school (Mewborn, 2007). It is hypothesized that there are teacher characteristics that are associated with student growth, which is defined as the numerical score increase from pre-assessment to post-assessment. Teacher characteristic and student assessment data were collected from geometry teachers in a suburban western New York State school district; the data was then analyzed using statistics software to identify any statistically significant relationships between teacher characteristics and student growth means. Through empirical testing, it was found that a geometry teacher’s years of experience, degree level, certification type, and gender all have an impact on student performance in high school geometry.The purpose of this thesis is to investigate whether teacher characteristics, such as years of experience, degree level, degree type, certification type, race, or gender, impact student performance in high school geometry. Research has shown that each student’s mathematical understanding and problem solving ability is primarily shaped by the teaching experiences they encounter in school (Mewborn, 2007). It is hypothesized that there are teacher characteristics that are associated with student growth, which is defined as the numerical score increase from pre-assessment to post-assessment. Teacher characteristic and student assessment data were collected from geometry teachers in a suburban western New York State school district; the data was then analyzed using statistics software to identify any statistically significant relationships between teacher characteristics and student growth means. Through empirical testing, it was found that a geometry teacher’s years of experience, degree level, certification type, and gender all have an impact on student performance in high school geometry. TEACHER CHARACTERISTICS AND STUDENT PERFORMANCE 4 Chapter IIntroduction The purpose of this thesis is to investigate whether objective teacher characteristics impact student performance in high school geometry. Objective teacher characteristics, such as years of teaching experience, gender, age, certification type, and education level, to name a few, are different than subjective teacher characteristics, such as pedagogical practices, teaching methods, and classroom management policies. There may be a relationship between, for example, the number of years of teaching experience and student performance in a high school mathematics course such as geometry. The goal of this research is to distinguish between various teacher characteristics and the effect that such characteristics may have on student geometry performance in a suburban Western New York school district. This is important because research has shown that each student’s mathematical understanding and problem solving ability is primarily shaped by the teaching experiences they encounter in school (Mewborn, 2007). However, attempts in mathematics education research to understand the complexity of variables that influence teachers’ instructional practices, and how these variables impact student performance, have been largely inconclusive (Mewborn, 2007). Current descriptive research suggests that poor student performance in some core high school courses predicts a failure to graduate from high school (Clotfelter, Ladd, & Vigdor, 2009). Therefore, more research is needed to better understand what teacher characteristics affect student performance. If teacher credentials, experience, and teacher demographics impact how a student performs in high school geometry, then this research may inform policymakers and school administrators about teacher characteristics that are linked with higher student performance. One implication of this research is that it may help to guide a school district administrator to more informed hiring decisions. This and other similar research in the future TEACHER CHARACTERISTICS AND STUDENT PERFORMANCE 5 may be able to provide school districts with the information that is necessary to more confidently hire teachers based on having a certain characteristic (i.e. holding a Master’s degree in mathematics, having more than ten years of teaching experience, prior experience teaching a geometry course, etc.) or on the basis that a specific teacher characteristic is not associated with better student performance. It would be unfortunate, for example, for a school district to exclude all potential candidates for employment based on whether they meet a certain requirement or accomplishment if research has not found that characteristic to have a significant impact on student performance. As an overall goal, school district leaders, building administrators, teachers, and other school personnel should desire for their students to be as successful as possible and to reach their individual potential. It is known that quality teachers impact student performance (Ackerman, Heafner, & Bartz, 2006; Rivkin, Hanushek, & Kain, 2005) and by knowing which teacher characteristics positively or negatively affect students’ performance in geometry, school districts may be more informed about hiring quality teachers for one of the required Carnegie units for high school graduation. The Geometry Course Geometry is a course that is set apart from other mathematics courses at the high school level. Because many students begin to take the SAT test in tenth grade, or shortly thereafter, geometry is frequently placed in the high school mathematics curriculum between Algebra I and Algebra II with Trigonometry. This sequence is believed by policymakers to allow students to gain a core mathematical background and earn a higher score on the SAT. Geometry provides students an opportunity to make conjectures about various geometric situations and to prove, both formally and informally, that their conclusion follows logically from their hypothesis. Geometry is meant to lead students to an understanding that reasoning and proof are fundamental TEACHER CHARACTERISTICS AND STUDENT PERFORMANCE 6 aspects of mathematics and something that distinguishes it from the other sciences, including other mathematics courses (New York State Education Department, 2011). Research Questions This research is focused on the relationship between teacher characteristics and student performance in a geometry course. It is hypothesized that there are teacher characteristics that are associated with student performance and growth. Growth is defined in this research as the number of points that students increase their scores from the pre-assessment, given in September 2012, to the post-assessment, given in June 2013. The