Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 1-1-2011 Administering and Implementing the Singapore Mathematics Curriculum at a Learning Center Hannah Colette Reaume Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Curriculum and Instruction Commons, and the Science and Mathematics Education Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University COLLEGE OF EDUCATION This is to certify that the doctoral study by Hannah Reaume has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Tom Cavanagh, Committee Chairperson, Education Faculty Dr. Kathleen Maury, Committee Member, Education Faculty Dr. Karen Hunt, University Reviewer, Education Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2013 Abstract Administering and Implementing the Singapore Mathematics Curriculum at a Learning Center by Hannah Colette Reaume MA, Piedmont College, 2009 BS, Piedmont College, 2008 Doctoral Study Submitted in Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Teacher Leadership Walden University December 2013 Abstract A learning center in the southeastern part of the United States used the Singapore mathematics curriculum (SMC) to support student learning of a wide range of mathematics skills. However, a study had yet to be conducted to gain an understanding about the administration and implementation of the program. This case study was conceptually based on constructivist pedagogical theory, where learning is constructed between the teacher and students. The research questions explored how the learning center staff administered and implemented the SMC. Data for this study were collected through multiple in-depth interviews and observations of 2 educators at the learning center. These data were analyzed through typological and inductive analyses in order to discover the underlying meaning of the data. The typologies for this study were bar modeling, textbooks, workbooks, teacher edition, activities, and games. The findings that were derived from these analyses focused on 10 themes, which became the basis of a professional development training project. These themes focused on bar modeling, manipulatives, and stages of learning: concrete, pictorial, and abstract, place value, number bonds, visualization, mastery, and games. The project will support positive social change by increasing educators’ insight into how to administer and implement the SMC in order to improve student mathematics achievement. Administering and Implementing the Singapore Mathematics Curriculum at a Learning Center by Hannah Colette Reaume MA, Piedmont College, 2009 BS, Piedmont College, 2008 Doctoral Study Submitted in Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Teacher Leadership Walden University December 2013 UMI Number: 3605560 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI 3605560 Published by ProQuest LLC (2013). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. 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Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 - 1346 Table of Contents Section 1: The Problem ........................................................................................................1 Definition of the Problem ..............................................................................................1 Rationale ........................................................................................................................2 Definitions......................................................................................................................2 Significance....................................................................................................................3 Guiding/Research Question ...........................................................................................3 Review of the Literature ................................................................................................4 Conceptual Framework ........................................................................................... 5 The Broader Problem .............................................................................................. 5 SMC ..................................................................................................................... 6 The Study’s Contribution to the Literature ........................................................... 10 Typologies............................................................................................................. 10 Implications..................................................................................................................13 Summary ......................................................................................................................14 Section 2: The Methodology ..............................................................................................15 Research Design and Approach ...................................................................................15 Participants ...................................................................................................................15 Data Collection ............................................................................................................18 Interviews .............................................................................................................. 18 Observations ......................................................................................................... 19 Data Analysis ...............................................................................................................23 i Findings................................................................................................................. 25 The Project as an Outcome ..........................................................................................30 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................32 Section 3: The Project ........................................................................................................33 Review of the Literature ..............................................................................................33 Literature to Support Themes ............................................................................... 33 Professional Development Training ..................................................................... 39 Project Description.......................................................................................................40 Project Evaluation ........................................................................................................41 Project Implications .....................................................................................................44 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................44 Section 4: Reflections and Conclusions .............................................................................45 Project Strengths ..........................................................................................................45 Project’s Limitations ....................................................................................................46 Recommendations for Ways to Address Problems Differently ...................................46 Scholarship ...................................................................................................................47 Project Development and Evaluation ...........................................................................47 Leadership and Change ................................................................................................48 Analysis of Self as Scholar ..........................................................................................48 Analysis of Self as Practitioner ....................................................................................49 Analysis of Self as Project Developer .........................................................................50 Overall Reflection on the Importance of the Work and What was Learned ................50 ii Implications, Applications, and Directions for Future Research .................................51 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................51 References ..........................................................................................................................52