Award Date

1-1-1999

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

First Committee Member

Juli K. Dixon

Second Committee Member

Martha Young

Number of Pages

141

Abstract

This study was designed to measure the effects of a reform oriented computer assisted instructional environment R-CAI on community college students' procedural skill acquisition and conceptual understanDing Also examined were the effects of a computerized instructional environment on students' attitudes toward mathematics; The R-CAI involved the use of Prentice Hall's Interactive Mathematics with lessons created to provide opportunities for students to learn within "real world" contexts. Using these activities, students collected information, analyzed data and applied mathematical concepts; After controlling for initial differences, it was concluded that students taught by the R-CAI environment significantly outperformed students taught by the Traditional Algebra (TA) instructional environment on the Conceptual Tests demonstrating their ability to apply the mathematics within a context. Additionally, the focus on applied mathematical concepts yielded equivalent results on the Procedural Skill Test, hence, procedural skill was not sacrificed for the conceptual understanding gain. The R-CAI students still maintained the same level of procedural skill while surpassing the Traditional Algebra students in conceptual understanding; Lastly, students' attitudes toward mathematics were measured at the beginning and end of the semester. Statistically, the students in the R-CAI environment reported a significant increase in mathematical confidence and a significant decrease in mathematical anxiety at the end of the semester as compared to their initial attitudes toward mathematics. The students in the TA environment yielded no significant difference in attitude toward mathematics.

Keywords

Algebra; Community College Students; Computer-assisted Instruction; Computerized; Effects; Instruction; Intermediate; Intermediate Algebra; Situated Learning

Controlled Subject

Mathematics--Study and teaching; Education, Higher; Community colleges

File Format

pdf

File Size

3420.16 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

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