Matching Items (3)
Description
This study empirically evaluated the effectiveness of the instructional design, learning tools, and role of the teacher in three versions of a semester-long, high-school remedial Algebra I course to determine what impact self-regulated learning skills and learning pattern training have on students' self-regulation, math achievement, and motivation. The 1st version was a business-as-usual traditional classroom teaching mathematics with direct instruction. The 2rd version of the course provided students with self-paced, individualized Algebra instruction with a web-based, intelligent tutor. The 3rd version of the course coupled self-paced, individualized instruction on the web-based, intelligent Algebra tutor coupled with a series of e-learning modules on self-regulated learning knowledge and skills that were distributed throughout the semester. A quasi-experimental, mixed methods evaluation design was used by assigning pre-registered, high-school remedial Algebra I class periods made up of an approximately equal number of students to one of the three study conditions or course versions: (a) the control course design, (b) web-based, intelligent tutor only course design, and (c) web-based, intelligent tutor + SRL e-learning modules course design. While no statistically significant differences on SRL skills, math achievement or motivation were found between the three conditions, effect-size estimates provide suggestive evidence that using the SRL e-learning modules based on ARCS motivation model (Keller, 2010) and Let Me Learn learning pattern instruction (Dawkins, Kottkamp, & Johnston, 2010) may help students regulate their learning and improve their study skills while using a web-based, intelligent Algebra tutor as evidenced by positive impacts on math achievement, motivation, and self-regulated learning skills. The study also explored predictive analyses using multiple regression and found that predictive models based on independent variables aligned to student demographics, learning mastery skills, and ARCS motivational factors are helpful in defining how to further refine course design and design learning evaluations that measure achievement, motivation, and self-regulated learning in web-based learning environments, including intelligent tutoring systems.
ContributorsBarrus, Angela (Author) / Atkinson, Robert K (Thesis advisor) / Van de Sande, Carla (Committee member) / Savenye, Wilhelmina (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
More Math Minutes is an action research study, set in a high school in the southwestern United States, designed to examine the effects of collaborative peer-group learning for low-performing Algebra I and low-performing Algebra II students. This study is grounded in Social Cognitive Theory and Constructivist Theory including Bandura’s self-efficacy theory and Vygotsky’s theory of proximal development. Participants are comprised of 20 low-performing Algebra I students as the peer-learners and 20 low-performing Algebra II students as the peer-teachers participating in a peer tutoring intervention. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected through pre- and post-self-efficacy questionnaires, pre- and post-mathematics knowledge assessments, semi-structured student interviews, photo-voice, and observations. A concurrent mixed methods design was used to analyze both types of data simultaneously. Results identified the experimental peer-teachers mathematical performance was impacted more than that of the peer-learners. Students were also more motivated to learn mathematics and to seek assistance from peers. The peer-teachers had a significant increase of self-efficacy for self-regulated learning and acknowledged learning occurred for both the peer-teachers and the peer-learners as a result of the peer instruction intervention.
ContributorsHerriman, Patricia Valles (Author) / Kulinna, Pamela (Thesis advisor) / Marsh, Josephine (Committee member) / Marble, Cindy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
The focus of the study was to identify secondary school students' difficulties with aspects of linearity and linear functions, and to assess their teachers' understanding of the nature of the difficulties experienced by their students. A cross-sectional study with 1561 Grades 8-10 students enrolled in mathematics courses from Pre-Algebra to Algebra II, and their 26 mathematics teachers was employed. All participants completed the Mini-Diagnostic Test (MDT) on aspects of linearity and linear functions, ranked the MDT problems by perceived difficulty, and commented on the nature of the difficulties. Interviews were conducted with 40 students and 20 teachers. A cluster analysis revealed the existence of two groups of students, Group 0 enrolled in courses below or at their grade level, and Group 1 enrolled in courses above their grade level. A factor analysis confirmed the importance of slope and the Cartesian connection for student understanding of linearity and linear functions. There was little variation in student performance on the MDT across grades. Student performance on the MDT increased with more advanced courses, mainly due to Group 1 student performance. The most difficult problems were those requiring identification of slope from the graph of a line. That difficulty persisted across grades, mathematics courses, and performance groups (Group 0, and 1). A comparison of student ranking of MDT problems by difficulty and their performance on the MDT, showed that students correctly identified the problems with the highest MDT mean scores as being least difficult for them. Only Group 1 students could identify some of the problems with lower MDT mean scores as being difficult. Teachers did not identify MDT problems that posed the greatest difficulty for their students. Student interviews confirmed difficulties with slope and the Cartesian connection. Teachers' descriptions of problem difficulty identified factors such as lack of familiarity with problem content or context, problem format and length. Teachers did not identify student difficulties with slope in a geometric context.
ContributorsPostelnicu, Valentina (Author) / Greenes, Carole (Thesis advisor) / Pambuccian, Victor (Committee member) / Sloane, Finbarr (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011