Computer Based Instruction and The

Computer Based Instruction and the

Mathematics Learner

Sabrina Thomas

CI 5040

April 27, 2010

Dr. C. Dean

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a computer-based instructional program, specifically Cornerstone, in order to see if student’s knowledge of number sense improved. In addition to the effectiveness of the computer program, I was also evaluating whether or not using computer-based instruction would improve the attitudes and the participation of the students. Over a period of five weeks, the students took a pretest, worked through a series of lessons, and then took a posttest. During this time I conducted interviews and did observations in the classroom and the computer lab. After all of the data was collected and analyzed, it was determined that Cornerstone was not effective in improving student learning. Neither did it improve the attitudes and participation of the students. After reading this study, teachers will have a better idea of what to take into consideration before implementing computer-based instruction.

I have been teaching school for fifteen years. Up until this year, I have been in the classroom teaching fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. This year I am teaching Title One Math. This is a new program at my school. It is up to me to establish this program from the ground up. Overall, I feel like the program is showing promise. Feedback from classroom teachers indicates they are happy with Title One Math and feel like it is benefiting students. Currently, there are very few Title One Math programs in North Carolina. While that does give me the freedom to establish the program as I see fit, it also puts a tremendous amount of responsibility on my shoulders to develop an effective program that will truly benefit students.

Working with struggling students can be challenging. Often times, students experiencing difficulties become very unmotivated and lose confidence in their ability to learn content. With this in mind, I have set out to see how technology can possibly help struggling students perform better and hopefully feel better about themselves as math students. Two particular fourth grade students have been quite a challenge this year. I feel that both of these students have the capacity to learn, but their attitudes and behaviors are significant stumbling blocks for both of them. They are both weak in basic math concepts, and any remediation they receive is met with a lack of effort and no motivation to learn. It is my hope that using technology to offer remediation may spark a new interest in learning for both of these students while at the same time strengthening their number sense knowledge.

Research Questions

I have developed a research question followed by two sub questions to be the focus of my study. These questions will provide me with data I can usein order to evaluate the effectiveness of computer-based instruction and how computer-based instruction affects two particular students. My focus question is: How does instruction using the computer-based program, Cornerstone, impact students’ performance in the area of number sense? I will also explore the following sub questions:

How does using Cornerstone affect classroom participation?
How does using Cornerstone affect attitudes about math?

For the purposes of this action research project, attitude will be defined as how a student feels about math, specifically does the student like math. Participation will be defined as classroom behaviors that affect learning including, (but not limited to): asking questions, using manipulatives appropriately, being actively engaged and participating in classroom discussions.

Literature Review

Effectiveness of Technology

Technology has become an integral part of our society. Schools are no exception. The schools that I have worked in have had at least a couple of computers in each classroom for student use, and every school has housed at least one computer lab. Educators have a responsibility to know what kind of impact technology will have on students. The question is no longer will students be exposed to technology, but instead how can that technology be most effectively used (McCollister, Burts, Wright, & Hildreth, 1986).

Students are using technology in a variety of ways including: surfing the web, creating presentations, using graphics, and word processing. In addition, students are using computer-assisted instruction in order to master specific learning objectives (Traynor, 2003). The challenge facing educators today is knowing the effectiveness of computer assisted instruction. If instructional time is going to be used in order for students to complete computer-based instructional programs, then educators need to have confidence that those programs will be effective, which means increasing student achievement and conceptual understanding (HannafinFoshay, 2008; Drickney, 2006). Unfortunately for educators, very few studies have been done to measure the effectiveness of computer-based instruction (McCollister et al., 1986; Traynor, 2003; Neill & Matthews, 2009).

While more research needs to done in order to determine the effectiveness of computer-based instruction, teachers should not shy away from using technology in the classroom. In fact, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics is advocating the use of technology in order to teach math more effectively. “The Technology Principle,” states: “Mathematics instructional programs should use technology to help all students understand mathematics and should prepare them to use mathematics in an increasingly technological world” (Drickey, 2006, p 109). Not only can teachers use technology to help students show greater achievement and gain a deeper understanding of concepts, the use of technology can also increase student motivation to learn.

Improving Students’ Motivation and Attitudes About Learning

All teachers I know have had the experience of working with students that have no motivation to learn. Finding ways to get these reluctant students engaged and excited about their own learning can be very difficult. Technology could be one way to motivate these students. Early on, advocates believed that using computer-based instruction would increase student motivation to learn (HannafinFoshay, 2008). Five specific components that increase motivation for learning have been identified. These components include: personalizing information, animation, challenging and curious practice activities, a fantasy setting, and learner choice (Traynor, 2003). Using technology not only increases students’ motivation to learn, it can also improve a student’s attitude about learning. According to Hannafin and Foshay (2008), students tend to have a more positive attitude about learning in classrooms that use computer-based instruction. Teachers need to make sure they are not using technology only because it gets students excited. We must make sure that any use of technology is appropriate.

Appropriate Use of Technology

“While some would argue that the introduction of technology into schools changed education, others would suggest that the appearance of the classroom changed, but many of the activities remain the same” (Donovan, Hartley, & Strudler, 2007, p 263). Teachers need to look at how they are using technology in their teaching, and make sure that this statement does not apply to their specific classroom. One difficulty facing teachers as they work to implement technology into student learning is knowing what is appropriate use of technology whichleads to greater student performance in the area of mathematics ( Suth, Johnston, & Douds, 2008). Many computer-based instructional programs have been labeled as “drill and kill,” focusing only on low-level skills and rote application of algorithms with little to no teaching incorporated into the program (HannafinFoshay, 2008). Hannafin and Foshay (2008) claim that until computers are used to support less directive and more student-centered learning environments, any impact on learning in the K-12 arena will be minimal if at all. One of my goals of this action research project is to see if using Cornerstone gives students a more positive experience than Hannafin and Foshay point out. Whether it is using technology, using manipulatives, or even using calculators, teachers must always make sure that any component used in the classroom is appropriate for the students.

Components of Effective Computer-based Instructional Programs

Some researchers are beginning to see success with computer-based instruction that focuses on one specific skill or concept (Traynor, 2003; HannafinFoshay, 2008). Programs that are showing promise share some common elements. First of all, pre and posttests are essential in order to ensure that the student is working at the appropriate level (Fuchs, Fuchs, Hamlet, Powell, Capizzi, & Seethaler, 2006; Ross & Bruce, 2009). Another important component that seems to make computer-based instruction more successful is completion of all lessons. Studies in which students completed all of the lessons as opposed to completing only some of the lessons showed more success (Ross & Bruce, 2009; Traynor, 2003). Finally, students need to have the ability to complete the lessons at their own pace and not move to the next lesson until they have mastered the current lesson (HannafinFoshay, 2008; Traynor, 2003; Ross & Bruce, 2009). Many school districts are spending large sums of money to purchase technology to support learning. Schools and teachers must work together to ensure that technology purchased will meet the intended need and will be effective (LeTendre, Wurtzel, & Bouckris, 1999; Gulley, 2009). Many computer-based programs are available. Before making decisions about what programs to implement, research must be done to make sure those programs will be effective.

Methods

Context

Elk Knob School (pseudonym) is located in a rural county in North Carolina, serving 383 students. Three percent of the school population isminority students. The majority of the population of this school is low socio-economic status, with approximately fifty percent of the population on free or reduced lunch. Due to the high number of students receiving free and reduced lunch, Elk Knob is a Title One school. Being identified as a Title One school gives the school additional funding in order to offer more services and support to low income students.

Title One Math is a new program at Elk Knob School for the 2009-2010 school year. Students are identified for Title One Math services based on the following criteria: scoring a level Ior a level II on the North Carolina End of Grade test, receiving previous Title One services, repeating a grade, and receiving a teacher recommendation. Each criterion is assigned a point value. Students receiving the highest number of points receive Title One services. Students receiving Exceptional Children’s services are not usually placed into a Title One program. Exceptions are made whenever a grade level has a small number of students in need of Title One services so spaces are available. It is the goal of Elk Knob School to serve as many children as possible so “double dipping” is avoided if it will result in one child receiving two services and another child receiving no services.

Participants

I have selected two students for this action research project. Both students are served by the Exceptional Children’s program, specifically identified as learning disabled in Math. I selected these students because I work with them together in a small group. That made it an ideal situation to conduct a case study with both of these students. Another reason I selected them was because I was hopeful that working through the Cornerstone program would truly help them close some gaps that they both have in their number sense knowledge. I felt that if using Cornerstone proved successful, these two students would definitely benefit academically from this experience.

Both of these students exhibit behaviors that negatively affect their learning. Unlike other students I work with, Beth (pseudonym) and Kyle (pseudonym) are very unmotivated. It is difficult to get either one of them to verbally participate in class. Both students have learned that if they sit and do nothing, eventually someone will give them the answer or do the work for them. When direct classroom instruction is taking place, neither student is engaged. While the other students will be listening to what I’m saying and asking questions, Beth will often have her head down. Kyle will copy anything I write on the board, but oftentimes has no idea what it means. Most fourth graders always have their hand up to answer questions and genuinely enjoy attention from their teachers. Both Kyle and Beth go out of their way to be invisible. I have had situations when I know Beth knows the answer to a very simple question and she still refuses to answer me. Kyle, on the other hand, just shouts out the first number he thinks of without giving any real thought to the question. In a few instances, the question did not even call for a numerical answer. Both of these students need remediation in basic math skills. When compared to the other fourth graders I work with, Kyle and Beth are performing significantly below their peers.

Beth is a fourth grader. She was retained in Kindergarten. Beth is a very defiant child. Her mother tries her best to be a supportive parent, but she doesn’t really know how to handle Beth’s defiance.

Kyle is also a fourth grader. He has attended several different schools in the same county. This is his second year at Elk Knob School. His father tries to be supportive, but is very limited in his own academic abilities, and is very honest about his inability to help Kyle at home.

Title One services are delivered through two modes at Elk Knob: inclusion and pull-out. I see each group of students twice a week regardless of whether it is inclusion or pull-out. When providing services through pull-out, I serve no more than five students at a time. Fourth graders are served through pull out. Because Kyle and Beth are so much lower than their peers, they are served with only one other student allowing me to provide more intensive remediation and one-on-one help.

Due to the fact that I serve these students in a small group and focus on remediation, I have had to make only minor modifications in my teaching in order to conduct this study. Usually the skills I am working on compliments what the teacher is currently covering in the classroom. Based on the limitations with what is available in Cornerstone, I will not be able to do that with this study. I have discussed this with the classroom teacher, and since both of these students are so weak in the area of number sense, we both felt like this would be time well spent for them.

Data Collection

Throughout this project I collected three types of data. I conducted survey and interviews with the students. The classroom teacher completed a survey about each student. I observed both students in the computer lab working on Cornerstone and in the regular fourth grade math class. The purpose of the interviews, surveys, and classroom observations was to evaluate the students’ attitudes and motivation about math and to gain insight into their classroom participation. In order to measure student learning, the students completed pretests, lesson quizzes and posttests all designed by Cornerstone. The Cornerstone program is set up so that the teacher can print reports showing student scores on the tests and quizzes.

Surveys and Interviews. The first step in the research process consisted of surveys and interviews. I conducted surveys with Beth and Kyle to gain insights into their attitudes about math (see Appendix A). The fourth grade teacher completed a survey about each student and what behaviors she observed in each student during the regular math class (see Appendix B). Based on the survey results I then conducted interviews with Beth and Kyle in order to get more detailed answers from each student (see Appendix C).

Finally, I conducted post interviews with Beth and Kyle(see Appendix D). Some of the questions during this interview were about their experiences in the computer lab as well as what they felt they had learned from using Cornerstone. Other questions dealt with their attitudes about math to see if any changes had taken place.

Testing. Before using Cornerstone, Kyle and Beth took a pretest designed by Cornerstone in order to assess their number sense math skills. The pretest consisted of twelve multiple choice questions. Each student received a score based on the percentage of questions answered correctly. After the pretest, each student worked through a series of lessons at their own pace. After completing each lesson, the students will took a quiz on that lesson’s particular content. If the student did not score at least 80%, they had to repeat that lesson and quiz. The program was set up so that the student would have two opportunities to show mastery on the quiz. After completing the four number sense lessons and quizzes, each student then took the posttest designed by Cornerstone in order to measure any improvement in their number sense math skills. The posttest followed the same format of the pretest and consisted of twelve multiple choice questions.