The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to investigate the effect of using Twitter by high school mathematics students learning linear equations in Algebra 1. This quasi-experimental study used ninth grade Algebra 1 classes that were learning linear equations for 18 school days. First, the nonequivalent control group design, a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design, was used in this quasi-experimental study. The research hypotheses were tested using a factorial analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with the pretest on linear equations score as the covariate. The control group had three classes (n = 73) and the experimental group had three classes (n = 78). The experimental group received tweets on a daily basis as students learned linear equations. The tweets contained mathematical content, classroom logistics, or both. Lastly, the control group received the same information in class. The quantitative findings of this quasi-experimental study show that overall Twitter, content tweets, logistics tweets, and tweets containing both (content and logistics) did not have a statistically significant effect on the mean linear equations posttest score. Second, this quasi-experimental study looked at students’ performance on various subtopics throughout the unit. The ANCOVA showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the control group and the experimental groups in most of the quizzes. However, statistically significant differences were found in Quiz #2 and Quiz #4 among the logistics groups. Third, the experimental group took a 10-item survey. The purpose of survey was to understand the students’ opinion of using Twitter as they learned course content in Algebra 1. It can be concluded from the results of that survey that students had, for the most part, a positive attitude towards using Twitter as part of learning mathematics in high school. In conclusion, the use of Twitter is not likely to show an increase in students’ mean posttest linear equations score. However, the findings of the survey conducted after the study did show that the use of Twitter might be able to increase student motivation. The results of this quasi-experimental study made major contributions to the literature by investigating the effects of using Twitter in high school Algebra 1.

Low socio-economic status (SES) students are less likely to gain access to the gatekeeper mathematics courses necessary for high school graduation and entrance to college. This study examined the effects of a constructivist-based fraction intervention on mathematics achievement, self-efficacy beliefs, and Algebra One enrollment of mathematically at risk low SES sixth grade students. Students' fifth grade mathematics CST and sixth grade fraction benchmark scores served as covariates in each analysis. Achievement was measured by the students' scores on their seventh grade fraction benchmark and mathematics California Standards Test (CST). A Fraction Self-Efficacy Survey measured students' beliefs. The sixth grade fraction intervention was a one week, 35 hour program. The experiment included 45 students who attended the intervention and 43 matched students who served as the comparison group. Teacher effects were controlled. The scores of students in the treatment group were significantly higher on both their seventh grade fraction benchmark (p < 0.001) and mathematics CST (p < 0.001). Students in the treatment group scored higher in overall self-efficacy beliefs than students in the comparison group and, although there was a trend towards significance (p = 0.065), the difference was not statistically significant. Additionally, logistic regression was used to determine that students' self-efficacy beliefs partially mediated the relationship between participation in the fraction intervention and their enrollment in Algebra One. Students who attended the intervention were three times as likely to enroll in Algebra One as their matched peers.