This study investigated the effectiveness of using minicalculators to teach the basic concepts of average at the fourth grade level. The two purposes of this study were: to investigate the possibility that using minicalculators in connection with a unit on averages (arithmetic mean) will facilitate students' acquisition of an understanding of the average of a set of numbers and their abilities to use this knowledge in new situations. / To conduct the study, the researcher used two intact fourth grade classes in one elementary school as the population sample. These classes were assigned randomly to either a calculator group or non-calculator group. A computational pretest (covering the four basic arithmetic operations) was administered to both groups a week before the instruction began. Data from this pretest were used to determine if there was any bias with regards to the mathematical abilities of the two groups. Each group received seven days of instruction by a graduate student in mathematics education. Students in the calculator group solved the problems using a minicalculator. Students in the non-calculator group solved the problems using written computational procedures (paper and pencil). A posttest and a transfer test on averages were administered to each group on the two days following the instructional period. These tests were also given as retention tests after a period of one month. / Mann-Whitney U Test analysis showed significant differences (at .05 level of significance) favoring the calculator group over the non-calculator group on a test of the basic concepts in average (posttest). No significant differences between both groups were observed on the retention posttest, the transfer test and the retention transfer test. As a further investigation of the results of this study, the researcher analyzed the errors made by the students in both groups on the posttest, transfer test and the retention tests. / The conclusions of this study were: (1) The minicalculator was an advantage in avoiding computational errors on all the tests administered to students in the calculator group. (2) The use of minicalculators does not help students in retaining the process required to solve two-step average problems and in applying this knowledge in new situations. (3) The written computational procedures (paper and pencil) seemed to be an advantage in retaining the process required to solve the average problems and in retaining how to apply this knowledge in new situations. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-07, Section: A, page: 2980. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74217 |
| Contributors | ABO-ELKHAIR, MEDHAT EL-SAYED MAHROUS., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 104 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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