Date of Award
1990
Document Type
Practicum
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Center for the Advancement of Education
Advisor
Judith Kurzawski
Committee Member
Dr. Muriel L. Lundy
Keywords
activities, basic skills, calculators, communication, community, competition, computers, elementary mathematics, fourth grade, manipulatives, math anxiety, math games, mental math, minority, motivation, multiplication, patterns, problem solving, problems, projects, questionnaires, resources, self-confidence, software, student attitude, student teacher, surveys, systematic review, teamwork, word problems
Abstract
The writer designed and implemented a math program to increase motivation and self-confidence of fourth grade students in math achievement. The writer's objectives were to increase the number of students displaying mastery of the timetables, increase the number of students making a gain on a math post-test, and increase the number of students liking mathematics.
The writer administers math attitude questionnaires and math pretests on basic math skills to determine the student's attitude toward math and to determine the student's performance level, mental math activities, math games, design contests, in-class competitions, grade-level competitions, computers, calculators, systematic reviews, student-teacher interaction, and projects or use to help increase students' interest and to increase fourth-grade math achievement.
The results of the practicum were positive. Analysis of the data revealed that with the appropriate teacher effort, students would be motivated and have the confidence in mathematics. The results indicate that the use of mental math activities, competitions, calculators, computers, systematic review, math games, and game designs help build students' self-confidence, motivate students to learn math, improve their test scores, and change the students' attitude towards mathematics.