The effects of computer-assisted instruction on middle school mathematics achievement

Success in mathematics is central to a good education in the modern world. The better educated a society the more successful the society. The United States is behind the world in mathematics education and must do everything to develop effective pedagogies for its instructions. Proponents of computer technology in education argue that it makes learning easier, more efficient, and more motivating (Schacter & Fagnano, 1999). Skeptics argue that there is a lack of experimental data obtained under rigorous scientific standards. Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) is an educational medium in which a computer delivers instructional content or activities. Many studies have been completed attempting to determine the effects of computer-assisted instruction on academic achievement. Frank Brown (2000) found a 17% increase in achievement in mathematics during a study in North Carolina. A recent study by Traynor (2003) found that utilizing computer-assisted instruction improved instruction over only using traditional methods. Traynor found a significant increase in academic achievement. For this study, a cause-effect linkage was suspected between the use of computer-assisted instruction software and achievement in mathematics. A study was required to prove or disprove this relationship in which one can manipulate the variable of computer-assisted instruction. A quasi-experimental study was used with a two-group, pre-test post-test design. The control group was taught by traditionally accepted teaching methods throughout the study. The experimental group received the same traditional teaching methods plus one hour a week of computer assisted instruction in the form of Orchard software. The differences between the scores on the post-test and pre-test were calculated and the means of the differences from the experimental group and the control group were compared using a t-test. The results of the data analysis indicated that the use of computer-assisted instruction in addition to traditional teaching methods is more effective than traditional teaching methods alone. No difference was found between the genders of the subjects in the change of their academic achievement as measured by the difference from the pre-test to the post-test.

[1]  N. Roberts,et al.  A Practical Guide to Computers in Education , 1985 .

[2]  J. Sansoni.  [Mastery learning]. , 1980, Professioni infermieristiche.

[3]  L. Brazen.  Educational Research , 1959, Nature.

[4]  T. Hoffer,et al.  High School Seniors' Instructional Experiences in Science and Mathematics. National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988. Statistical Analysis Report. , 1996 .

[5]  M. White.  The Motivational Effects of Types of Computer Feedback on Children' s Learning and Retention Of Relational Concepts , 2007 .

[6]  B. F. Skinner,et al.  Reflections on a Decade of Teaching Machines , 1963, Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education.

[7]  Padma G. Anand,et al.  Using computer-assisted instruction to personalize arithmetic materials for elementary school children , 1987 .

[8]  Harold H. Wenglinsky.  Does It Compute? The Relationship between Educational Technology and Student Achievement in Mathematics. , 1998 .

[9]  Patrick Suppes,et al.  THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ALTERNATIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MEDIA: A SURVEY* , 1973 .

[10]  Ellen R. Bialo,et al.  Report on the effectiveness of technology in schools , 1994 .

[11]  Samuel Richmond.  Report to the President on the Use of Technology to Strengthen K-12 Education in the United States , 1998 .

[12]  Mable B. Kinzie,et al.  Learner Control and Achievement in Science Computer-Assisted Instruction. , 1988 .

[13]  Samuel Hicken,et al.  Learner control modes and incentive variations in computer-delivered instruction , 1992 .

[14]  James H. Block,et al.  1: Mastery Learning , 1976 .

[15]  Abbas Johari.  Effects of Inductive Multimedia Programs Including Graphs on Creation of Linear Function and Variable Conceptualization. , 1998 .

[16]  Edwin P. Christmann,et al.  A Meta-Analytic Comparison of the Effects of Computer-Assisted Instruction on Elementary Students' , 2003 .

[17]  M. Bravo.  National Education Association of the United States , 1936 .

[18]  Auckland Uniservices,et al.  A Review of the Literature on Computer-Assisted Learning , Particularly Integrated Learning Systems , and Outcomes with Respect to Literacy and Numeracy Report to the Ministry of Education , 2005 .

[19]  Herbert J. Walberg,et al.  Comparative Effects of Computer-Assisted Instruction: A Synthesis of Reviews , 1987 .

[20]  Sylvia Weir,et al.  The Computer in Schools: Machine as Humanizer , 1989 .

[21]  R. Clark.  Reconsidering Research on Learning from Media , 1983 .

[22]  Patrick L. Traynor.  Effects of computer-assisted-instruction on different learners. , 2003 .

[23]  Donald L. Alderman.  Evaluation of the TICCIT computer-assisted instructional system in the community college , 1979, SCOU.

[24]  Hermann Astleitner,et al.  A Model for Motivationally Adaptive Computer-Assisted Instruction , 1995 .

[25]  Robert V. High.  Some Variables in Relation to Students' Choice of Statistics Classes: Traditional versus Computer-Supported Instruction. , 1998 .

[26]  Mark Warschauer,et al.  Computer Learning Networks and Student Empowerment. , 1996 .

[27]  Lloyd P. Rieber,et al.  Animation, incidental learning, and continuing motivation , 1991 .

[28]  Claire M. Fletcher-Flinn,et al.  The Efficacy of Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI): A Meta-Analysis , 1995 .

[29]  Patrick Suppes,et al.  Evaluation of Three Computer-Assisted Instruction Programs. , 1969 .

[30]  Harold F. O'Neil,et al.  Meta-analytic studies of findings on computer-based instruction. , 1994 .

[31]  Edwin P. Christmann,et al.  The comparative effectiveness of CAI on collegiate academic performance , 2000, J. Comput. High. Educ..

[32]  Daniel E. Kinnaman.  What's the Research Telling Us?. , 1990 .

[33]  Edwin P. Christmann,et al.  Microcomputer-Based Computer-Assisted Instruction within Differing Subject Areas: A Statistical Deduction , 1997 .

[34]  Elizabeth Shellard,et al.  What Principals Need to Know about Teaching Math. , 2002 .

[35]  John Schacter,et al.  Does Computer Technology Improve Student Learning and Achievement? How, When, and under What Conditions? , 1999 .

[36]  Edward L. Vockell.  Instructional Principles behind Computer Use. , 1990 .

[37]  R C Atkinson,et al.  Computerized instruction and the learning process. , 1968, The American psychologist.

[38]  Phillip B. Waldrop.  Behavior Reinforcement Strategies for Computer-Assisted Instruction: Programming for Success. , 1984 .

[39]  B. Lazerick.  Third international mathematics and science study , 1997 .

[40]  Catrina Williams.  Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994-99. Stats in Brief. , 2000 .

[41]  B. Bloom.  The 2 Sigma Problem: The Search for Methods of Group Instruction as Effective as One-to-One Tutoring , 1984 .

[42]  Frank Brown.  Computer Assisted Instruction in Mathematics Can Improve Students' Test Scores: A Study. , 2000 .

[43]  Jack V. Powell,et al.  A comparison of student outcomes with and without teacher facilitated computer-based instruction , 2003, Comput. Educ..