The effect of a math emporium course redesign in developmental an

The University of Southern Mississippi The Aquila Digital Community Dissertations Fall 12-2010 The Effect of a Math Emporium Course Redesign in Developmental and Introductory Mathematics Courses on Student Achievement and Students' Attitudes Toward Mathematics at a Two-Year College Amy Renée Bishop University of Southern Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.edu/dissertations Part of the Curriculum and Instruction Commons, and the Science and Mathematics Education Commons Recommended Citation Bishop, Amy Renée, "The Effect of a Math Emporium Course Redesign in Developmental and Introductory Mathematics Courses on Student Achievement and Students' Attitudes Toward Mathematics at a Two- Year College" (2010).edu/dissertations/471 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact Joshua. The University of Southern Mississippi THE EFFECT OF A MATH EMPORIUM COURSE REDESIGN IN DEVELOPMENTAL AND INTRODUCTORY MATHEMATICS COURSES ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND STUDENTS‟ ATTITUDES TOWARD MATHEMATICS AT A TWO-YEAR COLLEGE by Amy Renée Bishop Abstract of a Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School of The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2010 ABSTRACT THE EFFECT OF A MATH EMPORIUM COURSE REDESIGN IN DEVELOPMENTAL AND INTRODUCTORY MATHEMATICS COURSES ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND STUDENTS‟ ATTITUDES TOWARD MATHEMATICS AT A TWO-YEAR COLLEGE by Amy Renée Bishop December 2010 The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of computer-based instruction on student mathematics achievement and students‟ attitudes toward mathematics in developmental and introductory mathematics courses, namely Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, and College Algebra, at a community college.

The researcher also examined the relationship between attitudes and achievement. The sample consisted of 112 students, and the study was conducted during the Spring 2010 semester at a community college in south Mississippi. The participants were enrolled in one of six classes taught by the researcher. The control group consisted of three classes (one Intermediate and two College Algebra sections) taught using traditional lecture instruction.

The treatment group was comprised of three classes (one Beginning, one Intermediate, and one College Algebra section) that were taught using computer- based instruction via the interactive online software MathXL. Both the control and treatment groups were taught the same objectives and received instruction two days a week for 75 minutes per day. Mathematics achievement was measured by a comprehensive final exam that ii served as a pre-test and post-test. Achievement data were collected prior to any treatment and at the end of the study.

Students‟ attitudes toward mathematics were measured both pre-survey and post-survey using the Attitudes Toward Mathematics Inventory (ATMI). Analyses of Covariance ANCOVA were used to determine whether there were significant differences in attitudes in the control and treatment groups and significant differences in achievement in the control and treatment groups, while controlling for pre- ATMI survey and pre-test scores. A correlation was used to determine whether there was a significant relationship between student achievement in mathematics and students‟ attitudes toward mathematics. Results of the statistical analysis on pre- and post-ATMI surveys indicated a statistically significant difference in students‟ attitudes toward mathematics between the control and treatment groups.

Students in the traditional lecture group had significantly higher attitudes than students in the computer-based classes. ANCOVA results of the pre- and post-tests showed no significant difference in achievement between the control and treatment groups. Results of the correlation showed a significant relationship between attitude and achievement in the traditional lecture control group. iii COPYRIGHT BY AMY RENÉE BISHOP 2010 The University of Southern Mississippi THE EFFECT OF A MATH EMPORIUM COURSE REDESIGN IN DEVELOPMENTAL AND INTRODUCTORY MATHEMATICS COURSES ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND STUDENTS‟ ATTITUDES TOWARD MATHEMATICS AT A TWO-YEAR COLLEGE by Amy Renée Bishop A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School of The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Approved: Jacob Clark Blickenstaff.

Director James Johnson. Dean of the Graduate School December 2010 DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to my family. To my amazing parents, thank you for your unconditional love and for cultivating my fascination with science, mathematics, art and music at an early age. Your love of wisdom and standard of academic excellence inspired my academic pursuits and gave me the drive to achieve my goals.

To my brother, Reuben, thank you for enduring the many hours of pretend school throughout our childhood in which you were the pupil in my imaginary classroom. To Kasey and my nephew, Raiden, thank you for your understanding as I sacrificed precious family time for this doctoral degree. Thank you all for sharing my pride and excitement in this endeavor. I would not be the person I am today without your love and support.

Your unwavering faith in me gives me the strength and confidence to accomplish anything. I am grateful to you all, and I love you very much. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my dissertation committee. I am grateful to Dr.

Jacob Clark Blickenstaff, chair of my doctoral committee, for his guidance, expertise, and kind words of encouragement throughout this process. I also want to express my sincere appreciation to Dr. Johnson, my methodologist, for his immediate feedback and assistance with analyzing my data. I want to express my deepest thanks to my other committee members, Dr.

Sherry Herron and Dr. Jiu Ding, for their guidance and support. To the faculty and staff of the Center for Science and Mathematics Education, thank you for your reassurance and help throughout this process. To my fellow graduate students who I met along the way, thank you for your friendship.

You all have helped to make my return to graduate school a wonderful experience. I am honored to have worked with you. I am grateful for the wonderful teachers I have had throughout my education. To my high school math teacher, Mrs.

Deborah Lowery, you helped me to excel in and enjoy mathematics. Since the eleventh grade, I aspired to be an exceptional math teacher like you. To my junior college math instructors, Mr. Tim Rayner and Mrs.

Sandra Wright, your dedication and passion for teaching kept me motivated in my pursuit of a mathematics degree in hopes of becoming a community college mathematics instructor. Cheryl Windham, thank you for being the best college English composition instructor and genuinely caring about me. To my wonderful professors at The University of Southern Mississippi, Dr. Jiu Ding, Dr.

Barry Piazza, Dr. Mylan Redfern, Dr. David Betounes, Dr. Jose Contreras, and Dr.

Wallace Pye, thank you for your standards of v academic excellence and rigor and for providing instruction of the highest quality. I am grateful to you all for giving me the tools to accomplish my educational goals. I am eternally grateful to my inner circle of friends. Without you, I would not have had the strength to persevere.

To my best friend, Tira, you have always gone above and beyond being a best friend, and I am eternally grateful to you. To my girls Stephanie, Connie, Kristina, Brigitte, Lori, and Krissy, thank you for unfaltering love and support. To my immensely talented guys and families of the Backroads Band: Ken, Stacy, Darryl, John, and Jeff, thank you for giving me the opportunity to channel my inner musician and have that musical outlet. Thank you all for “reminding me of the relative importance of a doctoral dissertation” as my daddy would say.

My deepest gratitude is extended to my Co-Lin family at the Simpson County Center of Copiah-Lincoln Community College. Thank you for your love and uplifting words of encouragement. To Allison, thank you for urging me to go back to school with you to pursue our doctoral degrees and for your support through the entire process. To Crace, thank you for your exceptional advice and always knowing exactly what to say in my times of crises in the way only you know how.

To Rhonda, thank you for your help with Phi Theta Kappa as I juggled my coursework and teaching eight classes. I am grateful to you all and will always treasure our friendship. John Dickerson and Dr. Dewayne Middleton, thank you for always going to bat for me.

To all of my dear colleagues in administration and staff, thank you for always showing your interest in the progress of my degree. I am so grateful to my dear friends on Faculty Row who provided comic relief with impeccable timing. I love you all! vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………. v LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………….

1 Statement of the Problem Purpose of the Study Research Questions and Hypotheses Assumptions Delimitations Definition of Terms Justification of the Study II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE……………………………………. 13 Active Learning Technology in Mathematics Education Computer Based Instruction and Achievement Attitudes and Achievement in Mathematics III. 32 Research Design Participants Instrumentation Procedure Data Analysis IV.

42 Descriptive Statistics Inferential Statistics Summary vii V. DISCUSSION…………………………………………………… 54 Summary Discussion of Major Findings Limitations Recommendations APPENDIXES……………………………………………………………………. 82 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Correlation between Attitudes and Achievement……………………….52 ix 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The declining number of students obtaining degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines while there is an increased demand for graduates with solid skills in math and science is a major issue in our society (Jacobs, 2005; Omdal et.

2006; Thiel, Peterman, & Brown, 2008). Many researchers attribute this problem to poor performance in math and science at the elementary and secondary school level (AAAS, 1990; Battista, 1999). Department of Education (2004) reported that more than 40% of four-year college students were placed in remedial courses, and over 60% of two-year college students tested into developmental courses. As these students enter college as freshmen, 22% of them are placed in developmental and remedial mathematics courses (Thiel, Peterman, & Brown).

Furthermore, less than half of the students who initially major in STEM disciplines actually graduate and receive a degree in a STEM field, according to Thiel, Peterman, & Brown. The “nation‟s report card” and international studies like the TIMSS show that the United States now has serious competition from other countries. How can educators improve student achievement in the STEM disciplines in order to produce more college graduates in the fields of math and science? College students‟ success is certainly dependent on many factors. Low achievement in pre-requisite, introductory college courses like College Algebra presents a major obstacle, often delaying the anticipated date of graduation.

Students who place in developmental math courses are delayed even longer and are less likely to graduate (USDE, 2004). Success in the core requirements in math and science is crucial for the 2 overall success of students having the goal of obtaining any undergraduate degree, but especially a degree in a STEM discipline. As a result, there have been calls for reform in the way math and science are taught (AAAS, 1993; NRC, 1996a). The fall semester of 2009 saw record enrollment at two-year and four-year institutions of higher learning across the nation (USDE, 2009).

Since approximately half of the students entering college will not be prepared for college-level work, and past trends have shown that a large number of these underprepared students fail the remedial classes making them more likely to drop out of college, it is crucial that educators try something new and better in the remedial courses if President Obama‟s goal of producing more college graduates is to have an honest chance (Carey, 2009). It is imperative that educators get on board with serious comprehensive reform and redesign efforts to transform developmental and introductory mathematics courses in order to battle the high attrition rates and improve student advancement toward a degree. In the recent past, math departments have tweaked their lecture courses, retaining the traditional lecture component while adding a computer lab component, with little or no success in boosting achievement or course completion.