Date of Award
2004
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Fischler School of Education and Human Services
Advisor
E. Robert Erbe
Committee Member
Marcelo Castro
Committee Member
Maryellen Maher
Keywords
achievement tests, attitudes toward mathematics, basic skills, classroom attitudes, classroom grades, collaborative learning, computer assisted instruction, constructivist learning, constructivist pedagogy, cooperative learning, grade-level basic skills, high school students, learning styles, mathematics, motivation, peer-assisted instruction, posttest scores, pretest scores, proficiency scores, questionnaire, state exit exam, student motivation, student preferences, student achievement, students, 11th grade students, 12th grade students
Abstract
This applied dissertation was designed to enable 11th and 12th grade students to perform at the state-mandated levels of proficiency in basic skills in mathematics on the state exit exam. Students who were repeating the test did not meet standards on the mathematics subtest after multiple attempts, did not meet the predetermined passing score on an in class achievement test in mathematics, and obtained classroom grades, in mathematics, below the 75% mark. In addition, based on teacher observation, high school students did not demonstrate sufficient motivation to master grade-level basic skills concepts in mathematics.
The writer developed a program using constructivist pedagogy to address the issues associated with below proficiency scores in basic skills in mathematics on the state exit exam. Topics focused on collaborative learning, cooperative learning, and computer assisted instruction for a 16-week period. Students used peer-assisted instruction each Tuesday of the program, cooperative groups once a month, and computer-assisted instruction each Thursday of the program. Furthermore, a self-made questionnaire was administered at the end of the program to determine if students prefer the peer-assisted learning approach and to determine their attitude towards learning mathematics using constructivist-learning methods.
An analysis of the data revealed that students enjoyed using constructivist methods to learn and posttest scores improved over pretest scores. However, classroom grades were not significantly changed and classroom attitudes about math were not affected.