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The Use Or Non-Use of Calculators Affects on Student's Ability to Perform Basic Mathematics Problems Old Dominion University ODU Digital Commons OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers STEM Education & Professional Studies 2008 The Use or Non-Use of Calculators Affects on Student's Ability to Perform Basic Mathematics Problems Christina Miles Old Dominion University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/ots_masters_projects Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Miles, Christina, "The Use or Non-Use of Calculators Affects on Student's Ability to Perform Basic Mathematics Problems" (2008). OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers. 89. https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/ots_masters_projects/89 This Master's Project is brought to you for free and open access by the STEM Education & Professional Studies at ODU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers by an authorized administrator of ODU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE USE OR NON-USE OF CALCULATORS AFFECTS ON STUDENT’S ABILITY TO PERFORM BASIC MATHEMATICS PROBLEMS A RESEARCH PAPER PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION STUDIES AT OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE BY CHRISTINA GORDON MILES AUGUST 2008 ii APPROVAL PAGE This research paper was prepared by Christina Gordon Miles under the direction of Dr. John Ritz at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. It was submitted to the Graduate Program Director as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science. APPROVAL BY: _____________________________ Date _______________________ Dr. John M. Ritz Advisor and Graduate Program Director iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to especially thank my husband, Captain Paul E. Miles, pilot extraordinaire, in both fighter jets and a Boeing 717, for his review and critique of this manuscript. His many hours of reading, rereading, reviewing and suggestions helped make this thesis possible and presentable. He helped keep me going when pain made me want to quit. I must also thank my daughter, Beth Ellen, for being there by my side, doing her homework and also attending classes with me, to ease my mind about her safety. Without her encouragement I could not continue. I need to thank God for the doctors and medicine that has kept me alive to be with my family and continue with this paper. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. John M. Ritz for the many hours he has spent in reviewing and keeping me focused on the goals of this study. Without his help and guidance, I would not be able to complete this course. Christina Gordon Miles iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Approval Page .................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgments ............................................................................................ iii List of Tables ................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION.............................................................................. 1 Statement of Problem................................................................. 2 Research Goals........................................................................... 2 Background and Significance..................................................... 3 Limitations................................................................................. 7 Assumptions............................................................................... 8 Procedures.................................................................................. 8 Definition of Terms.................................................................... 9 Overview of Chapters................................................................. 9 II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ............................................................ 11 Teacher Led Mathematics Curricula........................................... 13 Student Led Mathematics Curricula............................................ 14 Calculators Effect on Mathematics Skills.................................... 15 Summary.................................................................................... 18 v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page III. METHODS AND PROCEDURES................................................... 20 Population.................................................................................. 20 Research Variables..................................................................... 21 Instrument Design...................................................................... 21 Method of Data Collection.......................................................... 22 Statistical Analysis..................................................................... 23 Summary.................................................................................... 23 IV. FINDINGS ...................................................................................... 24 Introduction................................................................................ 24 Response Rate............................................................................ 25 Report of Data............................................................................ 25 Summary.................................................................................... 32 V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ........ 33 Summary.................................................................................... 33 Conclusions................................................................................ 34 Recommendations...................................................................... 37 REFERENCES ................................................................................................. 38 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page APPENDICES ...........................................................................................................42 Appendix A. Mathematics Computation Worksheet ..........................43 Appendix B. Cover Letter to Teacher.................................................45 Appendix C. Raw Data from Survey ..................................................47 vii TABLE OF TABLES Page TABLE 1. Questions 1 through 4 Responses Without the Calculator ................ 26 TABLE 2. Questions 1 through 4 Responses With the Calculator ..................... 27 TABLE 3. Questions 5 through 7 Responses Without the Calculator ................ 28 TABLE 4. Questions 5 through 7 Responses With the Calculator ..................... 28 TABLE 5. Questions 8 through 10 Responses Without the Calculator............... 29 TABLE 6. Questions 8 through 10 Responses With the Calculator ................... 30 TABLE 7. Question Responses Comparisons.................................................... 31 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Mathematics is one of the most demanding and difficult subjects for a student to master (Devlin, 1996). Mathematics is taught every year from the beginning of elementary education through post-secondary education and in graduate education. Basic mathematic skills are essential to everyday life. From shopping to traveling, “math problems” exist in every aspect of daily living. However, the emphasis placed on mathematics in education and the pervasive nature of mathematics in everyday life are not enough to motivate some students to learn, master, and retain its concepts. Family and Consumer Science education, commonly known in secondary schools as Teen Living, goes beyond the cooking, cleaning, and sewing of traditional Home Economics courses to expose students to subject areas that are directly applicable to a successful life. Although traditional Home Economics classes no longer appear in secondary schools, classes such as Teen Living remain popular, and are used by educators to emphasize and reinforce the practicality of core subjects, especially mathematics. Teen Living classes involve studying food preparation, money management, business skills, shopping, interior decorating, child rearing, and numerous other topics. Mastering these subjects requires a solid foundation and good basic knowledge of mathematical concepts. Despite the requirement that students take a mathematics class each year throughout their educational careers, the mastery of mathematics skills in the United States is diminishing (United States Department of Education, 2007). There are several 2 likely reasons why students are not mastering the foundations of mathematics, with mathematics teaching methods at the center of this debate. Beyond methodology however, technological innovations such as calculators have enabled students to solve mathematical problems without fully mastering the concepts involved. Allowing the use of a calculator during mathematics class reduces the need for the student to learn traditional, and perhaps fundamental mathematical skills, such as the multiplication tables. This researcher will attempt to determine whether or not the use of calculators during mathematics class has negatively influenced the development of basic mathematics skills in eighth grade students, and whether this negative impact has any effect on the students’ abilities to perform the everyday tasks taught during Teen Living classes. Statement of Problem The purpose of this study was to determine if the use or non-use of calculators in eighth grade mathematics classes affects a student’s ability to solve basic mathematics equations in the Teen Living
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