disstertations & theses review

7/31/2019 Disstertations & Theses Review

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Introduction

Mathematics has become the red headed stepchild of academic subjects. It is rare tofind a student saying, I cant wait for math class! or Im so excited to go to math class

today! Many students have the opposite opinion. It has become a stereotype for mathclasses to consist of taking an immense amount of notes from the board, take quizzesand tests, and maybe a project here or there. The field of education has dramaticallychanged in just the last 1o years and it seems that teachers of other subjects haveembraced the changes and implemented them into their classroom. What some mathteachers dont realize is that these changes apply to them as well! The changes I amreferring to are the implementation of technology in the classroom. The use oftechnology can help increase the motivation of students to learn and can possibly helpchange the reputation that math has received over the years. While I have beeninformed of numerous technologies in my studies that can be incorporated in mathclassrooms, I know that technology is always changing and improving so I wanted to do

some more research on using technology in math classrooms.

Article #1

Garrett, Rita K. (2011) How Does Teacher-Directed, Internet-Enhanced MathInstruction Improve Math Scores? P.h. D. Dissertation, Fielding Graduate University.Retrieved on May 17, 2012 from "Dissertations and Theses (ProQuest) Full text: UMINumber: 3491018. http://search.proquest.com/pqdtft/docview/

918120340/136C3204E184203433B/74?accountid=13965.

SummaryThe purpose of this study was to determine the impact that using math sites on theinternet daily had on the scores of 67 third grade students. The students were separatedinto four groups: one test group and three control groups. The test group (17 students)each received a laptop to use everyday in class. The test group teacher was technologytrained. The control groups did not have access to laptops everyday and did not have ateacher that was technology trained. This study took place for an entire year. Theresearcher used the students Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) scores to monitortheir achievement. The results of the study showed that the test groups mean MAPscores did increase from their Winter test to their Spring test. However, the results didnot support that a teacher who is technology trained and who used laptops on a dailybasis would result in students understanding concepts more. Overall, the study showeda greater change in scores from the test group than with the control group.
http://search.proquest.com/pqdtft/docview/918120340/136C3204E184203433B/74?accountid=13965http://search.proquest.com/pqdtft/docview/918120340/136C3204E184203433B/74?accountid=13965http://search.proquest.com/pqdtft/docview/918120340/136C3204E184203433B/74?accountid=13965http://search.proquest.com/pqdtft/docview/918120340/136C3204E184203433B/74?accountid=13965


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EvaluationThe main focus during my undergraduate and now my graduate program has beenincorporating technology in the classroom. Oddly enough, I have not done any researchnor studied bringing in laptops for each student and using the internet every day. Ifound this study to be very intriguing and informative. I was not surprised to see the use

of MAP scores to measure achievement as these scores are broken down into areas ofmath and the students take these multiple times throughout a school year. I had mixedreactions to the findings in this study. What didnt surprise me was that the group thatreceived the computers showed more increase in achievement than the other groups.What seemed surprising to me was that the results did not show a positive correlationbetween having a technology trained teacher and students understanding conceptsmore. It would be my opinion that a teacher trained in technology would be able toincorporate the technology in the classroom more effectively than a teacher that wasnttrained.

Article #2

Brown, Martha Jean Ware. (2012) Teachers and Students Perceptions RegardingTechnology-Assisted Instruction in 10th-Grade Mathematics Classrooms. P.h. D.Study, Walden University. Retrieved on May 17, 2012 from "Dissertations andTheses (ProQuest) Full text: UMI Number: 3494890. http://search.proquest.com/pqdtft/docview/922584724/136C3204E184203433B/12?accountid=13965

SummaryThis study was conducted to gain information on students and teachers perspectives onincorporating technology in traditional instructional methods as a way to help students

achieve higher scores on the state test. This study included thirty-five 10th gradestudents enrolled in a remedial math class as well as eleven 10th grade teachers. Theresearcher conducted several interviews with the teachers and used their lesson plans tocollect data on their feelings about technology in the classroom. The students wereasked to make journal entries on their feelings on technology, which also provided theresearcher with data. The results of this study showed that both teachers and studentsfelt that using technology in the classroom was an advantage, students performance onhomework was higher with the use of technology, and students gained more positiveattitudes towards learning when they used technology. The study also providesseveralrecommendations for action. A few recommendations given were providingmore professional development for teachers on integrating technology and integratetechnology into the curriculum for all the schools in that district.
http://search.proquest.com/pqdtft/docview/922584724/136C3204E184203433B/12?accountid=13965http://search.proquest.com/pqdtft/docview/922584724/136C3204E184203433B/12?accountid=13965http://search.proquest.com/pqdtft/docview/922584724/136C3204E184203433B/12?accountid=13965http://search.proquest.com/pqdtft/docview/922584724/136C3204E184203433B/12?accountid=13965http://search.proquest.com/pqdtft/docview/922584724/136C3204E184203433B/12?accountid=13965http://search.proquest.com/pqdtft/docview/922584724/136C3204E184203433B/12?accountid=13965http://search.proquest.com/pqdtft/docview/922584724/136C3204E184203433B/12?accountid=13965


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EvaluationI found this study to be intriguing since it focused on the opinions and feelings of theteachers and students rather than just academic success. If students are not willing orexcited about using the technology, that could effect their achievement. Also, if theteachers do not want to implement the calculators or feel that they are not helpful, then

that can affect their attitudes towards it which the students can pick up on. Also it cancause them to not implement correctly or effectively. This study also providesinformation on previous research that prove the effectiveness of using technology inmath classrooms.

Article #3

Queener, Raymond C. (2011) Effecs of Laptop Initiatives on Student Achievement inMathematics. P.h. D Dissertation, University of Minnesota. Retrieved on May 17, 2012from "Dissertations and Theses (ProQuest) Full text: UMI Number: 3457213 http://

search.proquest.com/docview/874157284/136D56BCF6940D753BA/1?accountid=13965

SummaryThe purpose of this study was to find the effects laptops had on the success in math of8th grade students. This study included two laptop initiatives where each student wasissued a laptop or a laptop cart was available in their classroom where there was onelaptop per three students. The researchers used students scores from the NorthwestEvaluation Association (NWEA) Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) math test intheir analysis. (2006-2009 scores) The researchers analyzed the data using not only thetest scores but also the participants demographic characteristics.The students who wereissued their own laptops achieved higher scores than those only with access to thelaptop cart. Overall, this study found that technology use in the classroom had a positiveeffect on students achievement in math.

EvaluationPersonally, Ive never used laptops in a math classroom or have seen it implemented. Ithink it is a great idea, especially in high school, and et research available proves that itis effective. This study helped show that while having any access to laptops is moreeffective than not, it is much more effective if each student has access to their ownlaptop. I can already come up with a number of ways laptops can be used in high schoolmath classes and several different activities that can be done. Students feel comfortablewith technology, which can not be said about how they feel about math. If we bring insomething that the students feel comfortable with, it could help build their confidenceand interest level in math.
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