<p> With millions invested in educational technology, what is its impact on student achievement and engagement? This question formed the basis for a review of the current literature on the impact of iPads and other instructional technology on student academic growth and motivation in public schools. The research supports technology&rsquo;s positive impact on student achievement and engagement, but more research is needed in order to better understand how iPad use impacts students in the early elementary mathematics classroom. </p><p> This dissertation study examines the effects of an iPad-based math intervention, as compared to a traditional paper-pencil approach, on second graders&rsquo; achievement and engagement in mathematics. The students were assigned to treatment and control groups in matched pairs based on sex and pre-test scores. Then students engaged in a four-week math intervention, using either the iPad or paper-pencil. At the end of each intervention, students completed quantitative posttests given by their classroom teachers. Students then switched treatment and control groups for a second four-week math intervention. Quantitative pre-post assessments include Bridges math unit tests, easyCBM math tests, and a Likert-scale engagement measure. After the two interventions were completed, qualitative focus group data were collected from the teachers involved in the study, giving a more complete view of student engagement.</p><p> With finite intervention time and resources, schools need to know how to best improve student achievement and engagement in mathematics. This study fills a documented research gap and will help inform school decisions regarding instructional technology in the early elementary math classroom. </p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to examine Kuwaiti mathematical elementary teachers&rsquo; perceptions about their ability to integrate M-learning (mobile learning) into their current teaching practices and the major barriers hindering teachers&rsquo; ability to create an M-learning environment. Furthermore, this study sought to understand teachers&rsquo; perceptions about their ability to create a collaborative cloud-computing learning environment that corresponds with the 21st century skills and possibly explain their readiness for future reformation of education in Kuwait. </p><p> Using an Internet-based format to this study quantitative and qualitative data, the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) and barriers survey gleaned quantitative information about how mathematics teachers and a head of a mathematics department (n = 562) viewed use of technology as well as the barriers they faced in integrating it into the classroom. Also, qualitative data were collected using a survey of open-ended questions to provide context to survey answers and better understand the barriers and affordance experienced by the participants. Moreover, a 21st century open-ended questionnaire was employed to collect qualitative information from mathematics teachers and head of the departments (n = 21) in regard the their ability to construct a 21st century learning environment based on collaboration and constructivist perspective utilizing a cloud-computing technology. </p><p> Quantitative analysis was utilized to examine elementary mathematics teachers&rsquo; perceptions using the TPACK survey, and the validity and reliability of the TPACK subscales were computed by administering the confirmatory factor analysis. Factors that were elicited were specified as: all seven subscales encompassed in the TPACK survey significantly fit model of factor structures, and the TPACK survey was reliable and valid. In addition, descriptive analysis such as the TPACK subscale means and standard deviations were computed via the SPSS software. </p><p> Qualitative content analysis was used to understand teachers&rsquo; perceptions about their ability to integrate mobile technology, perceptions of the primary barriers and affordance that limited their ability, and their perceptions of their ability to integrate collaborative cloud computing and create a 21st century learning environment based on the constructivist perspective. When analyzed, the self-reported open-ended survey yielded the following specific themes: (a) teachers perceived themselves high in their ability to integrate mobile technology; (b) the primary barriers based on teachers&rsquo; perceptions were budget constraints, IT limitations, time constraints, and administrative support; and (c) teachers perceived themselves high in their ability to integrate collaborative cloud computing to construct a 21st century learning environment based on the constructivist perspective. This study finding could be implemented to create a new modern mathematics elementary curriculum that resolves the current curriculum issues. Future research is recommended in the direction of creating a new mathematical curriculum based on administrators&rsquo;, parents&rsquo;, and students&rsquo; perspectives.</p>

<p> Providing students with necessary intervention in the instruction of mathematics can be accomplished through the use of digital resources. Schools reaching a one-to-one (one device for every student) status have the ability to implement a digital intervention on a broad scale. For the purpose of this study, mixed methods research afforded an in-depth investigation into the impact of Khan Academy (digital intervention) embedded in a one-to-one program on student achievement, student perseverance with math, and teacher pedagogy within rural schools. The theoretical framework of educational technology integration known as Theoretical, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge (TPACK) was woven into this study to answer the guiding research questions. While using Khan Academy in a one-to-one setting, participating students were tested twice a year utilizing the Measurement of Academic Progress (MAP) testing procedure provided by the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA). The testing data provided quantitative data for the study. In addition, interviews of teachers and administrators were conducted to reveal themes related to teacher pedagogy and student perseverance with mathematical problems. An analysis of MAP scores revealed that 9th- and 10th-grade high school students utilizing Khan Academy in a one-to-one program demonstrated significantly more growth when compared to national norms. The study involved 227 9th-grade and 114 10th-grade students from three rural high schools in the Pacific Northwest. Results from an analysis of means illustrated that each grade level demonstrated significantly greater growth when compared to national norms. When examined at the school level, each of the three sites once again exceeded growth norms. Further analysis of the interviews revealed a pedagogical shift directly related to the use of Khan Academy embedded in a one-to-one program. Themes related to the success of the program include the ability of Khan Academy to fill individual gaps and practice skills to mastery, the importance of student and teacher buy-in, and the ability for students to have daily, individual access to devices. Furthermore, the interviews revealed teachers and principals did not agree on whether Khan Academy impacts student perseverance; however, a theme related to Khan Academy&rsquo;s ability to impact confidence with math did emerge. This study fills gaps in the existing literature regarding the academic and pedagogical impact of Khan Academy on teaching and learning. In addition, this study addresses a gap in the literature regarding rural schools&rsquo; use of a digital mathematical intervention program as a means of blended learning. Implications for educational policy can result from this study given the current political climate surrounding one-to-one and blended learning deployments. This study demonstrates that when one-to-one deployments are paired with the use of Khan Academy, student achievement can be positively impacted.</p>

<p> The flipped classroom is an emerging teaching practice in which teachers employ a variety of methods to offload direct instruction prior to class and use class time to engage students in active learning. Despite its rapid rise in popularity over the past five years, there are relatively few studies on the efficacy of the flipped classroom teaching model. Of these studies, few use control groups to measure changes is student learning and even fewer use iterative analysis to determine the impact that successive implementation has on the efficacy of the flipped classroom model. This study addresses this gap by measuring the efficacy of a flipped classroom against a traditionally-taught class in two successive semesters. Results showed that the flipped classroom teaching method increased student learning during the second semester of the study. It also found that successive implementation of the flipped classroom was more effective at producing gains in measures of student learning outcomes than a class taught traditionally. Finally, the findings from this study were used to develop recommendations for educators interested in implementing the flipped classroom teaching model.</p>

<p> This study focused on student achievement in remedial math through online and traditional delivery modes at Northwest Mississippi Community College. Student participants were interviewed through a semi-structured interview process to determine perceived influences and challenges that affected success in remedial math courses. The perceived influences and challenges that emerged from interview data were used to comparatively analyze online and traditional classroom modality of instruction. The acquired interview data provided for a systematic process to determine if there was a significant difference in student achievement in remedial math based on modality of instruction. A grounded theory methodology was used as a construct for this comparative study. </p><p> The population for consideration was freshmen and sophomore students who attempted a remedial math course online and/or in a traditional classroom format. Participants were interviewed in a face-to-face setting. The study was guided by two research questions: 1.) what are the perceived influences that aided in your academic success in remedial math taken online or in a traditional classroom format at Northwest Mississippi Community College? 2.) What are the challenges that hindered your academic success in remedial math courses online or in traditional classroom format at Northwest Mississippi Community College? </p><p> According to the perceptions of the participants in the study, there was no significant difference in student achievement in remedial math online compared with traditional classroom instruction based on influences that aided in success. Furthermore, there was not a significant difference in challenges that hindered academic success among students who attempted remedial math online and in the traditional classroom.</p><p>

This study adapted the knowledge engineering process from expert systems research and used it to acquire the combined knowledge of a mathematics student and a mathematics teacher. The knowledge base acquired was used to inform the design of a hypercard learning environment dealing with linear and quadratic functions. The researcher, who is also a mathematics teacher, acted as both knowledge engineer and expert. In the role of knowledge engineer, she conducted sixteen sessions with a student-expert. The purpose of the knowledge engineering sessions was to acquire an explicit representation of the student's expertise. The student's expertise was her view of mathematical concepts as she understood them. The teacher also made explicit her understanding of the same mathematical concepts discussed by the student. A graphical representation of the knowledge of both student and teacher was developed. This knowledge base informed the design of a hypercard learning environment on functions. Three major implications for teaching and learning emerged from the research. First, the teacher as knowledge engineer is a compelling new way to conceptualize the teacher's role. In the role of knowledge engineer, the teacher develops an understanding of the student's knowledge base which can inform curriculum. Second, recognizing the student as expert allows the student to be a more active participant in the learning process. Finally, hypercard is an appropriate and promising application for the development of knowledge based systems which will encourage the active participation of teachers and students in the development of curriculum.

This dissertation presents a unified framework to teach critical thinking and problem solving in a sixth grade computer classroom. In the context of this framework, problem solving is viewed as a critical thinking skill that also incorporates application of other critical thinking skills. Through a review of literature of critical thinking, problem solving, writing, Logo, simulations, and other related areas of study, we derive instructional principles important to consider when formulating a pedagogy to teach critical thinking/problem solving in a 6th grade computer classroom. We then present a rationale for a unified framework to teach critical thinking/problem solving and describe the said framework, titled, TACTICS (Tools ((to)) Assimilate Critical Thinking in Classroom Subjects). A process approach is advocated that includes an emphasis on the development of metacognition and an inquisitive spirit, the application of a general problem solving approach, and the use of specific heuristics. Through conscious use of critical thinking skills when applying problem solving strategies, students can learn to strengthen critical thinking and problem solving skills and come to see how the same general skills are used in a variety of circumstances. Eight instructional principles are suggested to teach critical thinking skills and to promote their generalization to other subject areas. These are supported by four problem solving tools designed to aid students in connecting their problem solving experiences in one area to their work in other subject areas. These tools are: Polya Four-Step General Problem Solving Approach, The Heuristic Bank, Student and Teacher-Made Reference Manuals and Students' Journals. A curriculum resource book is included that demonstrates how the use of the TACTICS model can build critical thinking and problem solving skills when studying Logo, when writing or when using a simulation. Included are examples of curriculum unit and instructions for teachers to design their own curriculum units in their subject areas.

Mathematics permeates almost every aspect of human life and it is a skill much needed by the increasingly complex technological world. It is necessary that this essential skill must be properly developed among students to prepare them for future academic and professional careers. An assessment of the research-based instructional strategies blending with old traditional methods with the modern technological development is a must. Due to the complexity of mathematics learning and the varied learning styles of learners, an integration of appropriate multiple instructional strategies into mathematics education will positively impact mathematical achievement of students. The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of the use of Integrated Technologies Instructional Method (ITIM) as a supplement to the traditional lecture method on mathematics achievement of the Integral Calculus students at the College of Engineering, University of Ha'il, Saudi Arabia. The ITIM includes the four instructional strategies such as the use of the Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, the collaborative learning, the bilingual support and the study support. Different types of academic supports have been used to examine their effects on students achievement in mathematics. Mathematics, the bedrock of science and engineering, is considered a very important indicator of a student's academic success in professional higher education. Undergraduate engineering students' low achievement in the first year mathematics is an issue demands much attention. The study was undertaken to address students' weak background in mathematics and particularly their high failure rates in this particular course. A total of 218 undergraduate engineering students, comprising of both the experimental and the control groups, were involved in this experimental design study. The control group was taught by the traditional lecture method whereas the experimental group was exposed to the ITIM as a supplement to the traditional lecture method. Apart from the effects of the use of ITIM, students' performance in the previous courses (covariates) such as mathematics, computer, and the English language were compared with their final grades of the Integral Calculus course. The final grades of students were taken as the dependent variable and the ITIM and students' scores in the previous courses as the independent variables. It has been noticed from the literature review that the application of only one instructional strategy does not address the needs of the diverse learning styles of students. A mixed mode method, quantitative and qualitative, was used to collect and analyse data. The quantitative data instruments included students' final exam grades and the student questionnaires. Interviews with students were used as qualitative tools of data collection. An independent t-test, ANOVA, univariate analysis and the stepwise multiple regression analysis were performed to determine the overall statistical significance. The study concluded that there was a statistically significant difference in the performance of the experimental group of students' in terms of their end-of-course grades compared to that of the control group. The regression model revealed significance of covariates on the dependent variable. However, no significant relationship was found between the mathematics achievement and attitudes towards the use of ITIM. The study was an attempt to demonstrate the suitability of the instructional strategies on the bilingual Arab undergraduate engineering students; however, they can probably be applicable to other bilingual students.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T16:57:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Sergio Vicente Alencar.pdf: 4042349 bytes, checksum: c062eb6b102c607024c176085dae9756 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-10-15 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The purpose of this work is the development of a workshop using the GeoGebra for teachers who teach mathematics in elementary education, so that they can develop their own strategies for teaching and learning with the use of this software. Therefore, the work was guided by the following research question: What guidelines are needed for an initial GeoGebra s workshop, structured according to Rabardel´s Instrumental Genesis, enable mathematics teachers of primary school develop their own teaching and learning strategies using this software? The theoretical support searches, through the processes of instrumentation and instrumentalization, an interaction of the subjects participating in the researches with the artifact, in this case, the GeoGebra, so to turn it into an instrument. As research methodology, the Design Experiments was used; its goal is to conduct a formative evaluation to test and refine educational projects. Three workshops were held with mathematics teachers of the public schools of São Paulo, and, at the end of each workshop, the activities were analyzed and proposed changes up for the other, so as to minimize the obstacles, allowing a progressive improvement of the research process. At the end of the study, it is concluded that more important than the activities conducted were the questions made to teachers, leading them to "think about mathematics", creating and testing their hypotheses, facilitating thereby the occurrence of the Rabardel´s Instrumental Genesis / O objetivo deste trabalho é o desenvolvimento de uma oficina com o uso do GeoGebra para professores que lecionam Matemática no ensino básico, de tal forma que possam elaborar estratégias próprias de ensino e aprendizagem com o uso desse software. Para tanto, o trabalho foi norteado pela seguinte questão de pesquisa: quais orientações são necessárias para que uma oficina inicial de GeoGebra, estruturada de acordo com a Gênese Instrumental de Rabardel, possibilite aos professores de Matemática da escola básica elaborarem estratégias próprias de ensino e aprendizagem com o uso desse software? O suporte teórico utilizado busca, por meio dos processos de instrumentação e instrumentalização, uma interação dos sujeitos participantes das pesquisas com o artefato, neste caso o GeoGebra, de tal forma a transformá-lo em um instrumento. Como metodologia de pesquisa utilizou-se o Design Experiments, cujo objetivo é realizar uma avaliação formativa para testar e refinar projetos educacionais. Foram realizadas três oficinas com professores de Matemática da rede estadual de São Paulo e, ao término de cada oficina, as atividades eram analisadas e propunham-se mudanças para as demais, de forma a minimizar os obstáculos, permitindo um progressivo aprimoramento do processo de investigação. Ao final do trabalho, conclui-se que, mais importante do que as atividades realizadas, foram os questionamentos realizados aos professores, levando-os a pensarem sobre a Matemática , criando e testando suas hipóteses, facilitando, dessa forma, a ocorrência da Gênese Instrumental de Rabardel

The use of technology in Kindergarten to grade 12 classrooms provides opportunities for teachers to employ mathematical rigor, to integrate problem solving strategies and to extend mathematical ways of knowing (Drier, Dawson, & Garofalo, 1999). The presentation consists of two parts. One investigation maps secondary mathematics technology lessons and materials to the elementary school mathematics standards and converts the mathematics concepts to manageable elementary school lessons. The other investigation analyzes pre-service teacher lessons written using ASSURE instructional design format. The major aims of this paper are to present two teacher preparation practices, one for secondary mathematics pre-service teachers (converting secondary materials to elementary materials) and the other for elementary mathematics pre-service teachers (writing lessons using the ASSURE model).