Browsing by Author "Preciado-Babb, Armando Paulino"

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    A Phenomenological Case Study of Nigerian Graduate Students’ Experiences Using Mobile Learning Technologies in a Faculty of Education
    (2024-09-12) Amaechi, Emmanuel Chukwunenye; Jacobsen, Michele; MacGregor, Stephen; Preciado-Babb, Armando Paulino
    This study investigates the experiences of Nigerian graduate students using mobile learning technologies at a faculty of education at a University in Western Canada. and highlights the potentials of mobile technologies as tools to enhance teaching and learning. For this thesis research, I employed a phenomenological case study approach, to provide a comprehensive understanding of how mobile learning technologies are integrated into the academic lives of international graduate students from Nigeria, the benefits they derive, and the challenges they face. Data was collected through in-depth interviews to capture the nuanced experiences and perceptions of the participants. Data was analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis to generate findings and themes. The findings reveal that mobile learning technologies significantly enhance accessibility, allowing students to access educational content and resources anytime and from anywhere. Unfettered access provides flexibility that is crucial for students in balancing academic, professional, and personal commitments. The interactive and multimedia features of mobile learning platforms are shown to increase student engagement and motivation, fostering a more dynamic and engaging learning environment. Mobile learning supports personalized learning experiences, enabling students to learn at their own pace and according to their individual preferences. This study also identifies several challenges, including technical issues such as device compatibility with research tools such as NVivo. Some students identified their inability to use some mobile learning technology well because they were not adequately oriented on how to use it. These challenges underscore the need for a more inclusive infrastructure, continuous technical support, and effective orientation programs to help graduate students maximize the benefits of mobile learning technologies. The implications of these findings suggest that while mobile learning technologies can offer substantial benefits, the successful implementation of these technologies requires graduate students and programs to address the associated challenges. Recommendations for educators include integrating mobile learning into the curriculum in ways that complement existing teaching methods and to provide ongoing support for graduate students’ optimal use of technology for learning.
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    Enhancing High School Students’ Spatial Reasoning Through Geometry Transformation Instruction in Ghana
    (2023-08) Tay, Mawuli Kofi; Preciado-Babb, Armando Paulino; Koh, Kim Hong; Francis, Krista
    Spatial reasoning is a critical skill for learning mathematics, yet efforts to improve high school students' spatial reasoning skills within mathematics classrooms are limited or absent in Ghana. This study aimed to investigate the impact of using dynamic and static visualization approaches within the Experience-Language-Pictorial-Symbolic-Application (ELPSA) pedagogical framework to teach geometry transformation concepts and enhance students’ spatial reasoning skills and geometry transformation knowledge during a four-week intervention. Due to the mixed results regarding the type of visualizations, the study also aimed to compare the effects of dynamic versus static visualization. The study used a one group pretest-post-test design to compare the effects of dynamic versus static visualization instruction. Seventy-seven (77) students from a single school participated in the study and were purposively assigned to either the dynamic (n = 35) or static (n = 42) group. The intervention lasted for four weeks (16 hours), and the dynamic group received dynamic visualization instruction, while the static group received static visualization instruction. The students' spatial reasoning skills and geometry transformation knowledge were assessed using a spatial reasoning instruction and geometry transformation achievement test before and after the intervention. Although there were no significant differences between the groups, both visualization approaches significantly improved students' spatial reasoning skills, including mental rotation, spatial orientation, and spatial visualization, as well as their geometry transformation knowledge. Additionally, the study found a positive relationship between students' geometry transformation scores and their spatial reasoning scores, suggesting that an ELPSA pedagogical approach to visualization instructions can enhance students' spatial reasoning skills within the context of geometry transformation. Overall, these findings have important implications for mathematics educators and curriculum developers, as the findings provide conclusive evidence that targeted geometry transformation instruction within ELPSA pedagogical framework can enhance students' spatial reasoning skills, regardless of the type of visualization used to teach geometry transformation.
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    Pioneering STEM Education for Pre-Service Teachers
    (International Journal of Engineering Pedagogy, 2016-11-01) Francis, Krista; Friesen, Sharon; Preciado-Babb, Armando Paulino; Takeuchi, Miwa; Alonso-Yañez, Gabriela; Gereluk, Dianne T.
    While there have been numerous initiatives to promote and recruit students into postsecondary studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) around the world, traditional programs of studies for both K to 12 school and teacher education still lack an integrative approach to these disciplines. Addressing this concern, the Werklund School of Education of the University of Calgary started to offer a course in STEM education for the undergraduate Bachelor of Education program. The purpose of this article is to document the first iterations of this course. We draw from narratives of four instructors, including the coordinator of the course, and administrators who were actively involved in creation and approval of the course. We describe the course and its connection to the philosophy of the program, examine the context in which this course was conceived—including both national and provincial policy—and address some challenges and possibilities experienced by administrators, instructors and students during the creation and implementation of the course.
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    The Use of Story-Based Tasks in Post-Secondary Students’ Learning of Statistics
    (2020-01-23) Lemieux, Collette; Chapman, Olive; Koh, Kim H.; Preciado-Babb, Armando Paulino; Laflamme, Claude; Nicol, Cynthia C.
    The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of an intervention, which uses stories to explore statistics, on post-secondary students’ understanding of statistics and their beliefs about the usefulness of statistics, and what features of the stories support meaningful learning. A qualitative case study approach is used. In line with the case study approach, multiple data sources are used, which consist of student and instructor class artefacts, pre- and post-intervention written response items, and post-intervention interviews. The participants in the study are 20 students from a single first-year post-secondary business statistics course in which the intervention is implemented. Data analysis entails a thematic approach based primarily on open-coding to identify participants’ understanding of statistics, their beliefs about the usefulness of statistics, and what features of the intervention supported meaningful learning. The findings suggest that the intervention supported participants development of various types of understanding of selected topics in statistics, development of understanding of the usefulness of statistics, and personalization knowledge as part of the process of developing understanding. Further, the findings indicate that the intervention served to support positive beliefs about the usefulness of statistics. Finally, the findings suggest that the features of the intervention and, in particular, the stories that impact meaningful learning include the prompts embedded within the stories, the authentic real-world context presented in the stories, and the nature of the characters introduced in the stories. The study contributes to the field by providing an example of an innovative intervention that supports students’ learning of statistics and positive beliefs about the usefulness of statistics.