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The AMATYC Review Fall 2005, Vol.27, No.1 |
Identifying Students' Reasons
for Selecting a |
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Pat Kinney is a mathematics instructor at the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College in New Richmond, Wisconsin. He has a PhD in mathematics education from the University of Minnesota. Previously, he taught mathematics at the General College of the University of Minnesota. E-mail: pkinney@witc.edu |
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Douglas F. Robertson is a professor in the General College, the developmental education unit of the University of Minnesota, where he has taught mathematics and computing since 1974. E-mail: droberts@umn.edu |
| Students in this study were enrolled in either an Introductory Algebra or Intermediate Algebra class taught through computer-mediated instruction or lecture. In the rst year of the study, students were asked what they believed helped them learn mathematics in the instructional format in which they were enrolled. They were also asked what they would nd di cult about learning mathematics in the instructional format in which they were not enrolled. Based on studentsÕ written responses, a set of 12 survey items was developed. The items were administered at the end of the fall semester the following year. There was a signi cant dierence at the p = 0.05 level on nine of the twelve items when comparing results from computer-mediated and lecture students who were consistent in their preference for either computer-mediated or lecture instruction. Students who selected computer-mediated instruction indicated that the software should provide step-by-step instructions and allow the students to control the pace and to navigate backwards to review. They also viewed the software as a more visual way of learning than a teacher lecturing and indicated that software holds their attention better than a teacher lecturing. | |