Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Keywords:
Tablet, Intervention, Math, Elementary, Math Facts, Computing, Mobile Devices, Retention, Apps
Objectives
Research Problem
Worldwide, tablets are being purchased in staggering numbers. Tablets have gone from selling
3.3 million units in the second quarter of 2010, to most recently selling 65.9 million units in the
last quarter of 2015. (Statista, 2016) As school districts continue to invest millions of dollars
into tablet technology, (Morrow, 2014) the question remains: Do tablets enhance student
learning? The purpose of this study will be to explore the effects of using tablets and related
applications to practice math facts on elementary school students’ retention and recall of math
facts.
Research Question
This quantitative research study will explore both the nature and direction of the impacts that
tablets and related applications have on student retention and recall of math facts and
addresses the following questions:
1) Are there differences in the retention and recall test scores between elementary school students
who use tablets and related applications to practice math facts, and students who use traditional
methods to practice math facts?
2) What is the nature of the direction of test score results between the two groups (ie., which group
showed higher retention and recall)?
For the purposes of this study “retention and recall” will refer to math fact questions answered
correctly per minute.
The term “tablet” refers to any and all mobile computing devices that are controlled by means of
a touch screen (Merriam-Webster).
“Math facts” refers to a collection of related multiplication and division facts, made from the
same numbers. For the purposes of this study, only students’ retention and recall of
multiplication facts will be examined.
Perspectives
Research Literature Review
This research literature review examines the use of mobile learning platforms and related
software to gauge how these may affect the achievement of students, with an emphasis on
mathematics applications employed on tablet devices. Studies completed in this area indicate a
number of considerations for exploring implementation strategies. Of primary importance is the
measurable benefit achieved from implementing emerging technology. Second, student and
teacher comfort with the use of technology impacts how the technology will be internalized as a
viable educational instrument. Third, how the technology will be deployed from an infrastructure
and educational perspective. From these considerations, there is impetus to develop a study
that studies the effectiveness of mobile platforms and software supporting student achievement.
Of particular interest is the effect of specific applications and their ability to enhance student
achievement in mathematics core concepts.
With the diverse nature of the modern classroom, multiple strategies are required in order to
differentiate the instruction that this population needs to grow academically. Musti-Rao and Plati
(Musti-Rao, Shobana & Plati, Erin 2015, p. 435) support the use of mobile devices as a tool to
reinforce math facts in the classroom. Petty (Petty. 2007. p. 24) takes this a step further,
indicating that technology use enhances teaching and curricular delivery. In support of
differentiation, technology use allows for “self-pacing, immediate feedback, and breaking down
complex processes into small steps, may be even more beneficial for struggling students”.
(Zhang, M., Trussell, R. P., Gallegos, B., & Asam, R. R., 2015, p. 38). This points to using
technology for supporting differentiated instruction. Thus, technology can be seen as a real
possibility for effective student support in curricular delivery.
A factor in technology implementation in the classroom is student and teacher expertise with the
technology and recognition of how and when the technology is best utilized. “… both students
and teachers stressed the potentially negative impact of touchpads on learning, particularly
because this novel technology can distract a class”. (Karsenti, T., & Fievez, A. 2013, p. 40). One
must be cautious and ensure that a plan is in place to utilize the technology strategically.
Teachers must be prepared from a professional development perspective to make the wisest
use of the technology (Karsenti, T., & Fievez, A. 2013, p. 40). One must ensure that selected
technological devices and applications are appropriate for the specific application being
considered.
Instructional deployment of mobile learning devices and related educational software highlight a
number of variables to consider including availability of the technology, the student:device ratio,
whether they will be used as concept presentation, remediation, or support. These
considerations point to a requirement to investigate which intervention or instructional model
that best serves the needs of the student (Burns, M. K., Kanive, R., DeGrande, M. 2012, p. 188)
(Chang, W.-L., Yuan, Y., Lee, C.-Y., Chen, M.-H., & Huang, W.-G. 2013, p. 170). Whichever
model is selected, the technology must be used as an aid to the teaching-learning process and
not as the primary mode of instructional delivery (Petty, Daniel D. 2007, p. 24).
Methods
Research Design
Given the two research questions guiding this study, and the aforementioned context, a
matching pretest-posttest control group design will be used to gather quantitative data
for analysis. Although study participants will be randomly selected, random assignment of
participants to either the control or treatment groups is not practical due to prior enrolment in a
class. For the study, students’ pretest scores will serve as the basis for matching participants
across the two groups and will allow us to ensure relative similarity between the two groups on
student retention and recall of math facts. (Mertler, 2015, p. 130-131)
Data Sources
Participants
Students in Vancouver School Board elementary schools will be the participants in the
study. Initially, the superintendents of school districts selected via simple random sampling will
be contacted via e-mail in order to obtain permission to contact school principals directly. From
the sampled districts, a cluster sampling procedure will be used to select schools to participate
in the study. Once permission from principals has been secured, envelopes containing a cover
letter (See APPENDIX A), instructions and all materials necessary for completing the study will
be sent to the principals to be forwarded to teaching staff in grades 4 through 6 of the particular
school. The estimated sample size will be several hundred students. Information and consent
forms (see APPENDIX B) for child participation must be submitted to the school board authority
for approval prior to distribution to the students’ caregivers for their information and consent.
Instrumentation
Data will be collected through two original instruments, titled the Elementary Math Facts Pretest
(“EMF Pretest”) and Elementary Math Facts Posttest (“EMF Posttest”), each respectively
consisting of 100 multiplication questions. (See APPENDIX C and D).
Procedures
Teachers will be instructed to provide each student in their class with a copy of the EMF Pretest.
Students must fill in their randomly assigned number, record their starting time, respond to each
of the 64 items, and record their finishing time. For students in younger grades, teachers will be
provided with suggestions for facilitating recording this information (ie., putting students’
randomly assigned number on sheets for them, all beginning /ending at a stipulated time).
Teachers will then be asked to supplement their students’ daily math instruction with 15-minutes
of math fact practice for a period of two weeks. For classes assigned to the control group, this
practice will take the form of traditional methods, as defined above. For classes assigned to the
treatment group, this practice will take the form of accessing math fact practice activities on IXL
using a tablet. At the end of the two week period, teacher respondents will be instructed to
provide each student in their class with a copy of the EMF Posttest, following the same
procedures as the EMF Pretest. Teacher respondents will return both the EMF Pretest and EMF
Posttest along with a covering letter indicating their District, School and Grade in a self-
addressed, postage paid envelope.
Results/Conclusion
Results
The research hypotheses focused on whether elementary students, using tablets for math fact
practice would realize a benefit from this type of assistive learning technique. The null
hypothesis stated no measurable benefit, while the directional alternative hypothesis stated that
students would have significantly higher test results in the treatment group than students in the
control group.
The research literature review concluded with a direction that supported the alternative
hypothesis, though to varying degrees and utilized in a variety of educational settings and
applications. The weakness of the supporting results in the research literature indicate that if the
study is to realize a significant advantage for the treatment group as stated in the alternative
hypothesis, then further study involving a larger population and an experimental design with
random selection and assignment is recommended to assist with verification and extend the
generalizability of the study.
Internal Validity
Using a cluster sampling technique is convenient in this case, but a true random selection and
assignment process would ensure equivalence of groups and be highly recommended for future
studies. There is no provision for statistical regression in the study. Since all students in the
groups are taken as presented, there may be considerations relating to differential selection of
participants. Class and school dynamics, teaching methods, and socio-economics for the school
areas will have a bearing on the testing and results. Since the study will take place in an urban
school board and no previous study was conducted to establish stability of the student
population, attrition may be a factor if a particular school population proves to have transient
tendencies. The instrumentation used must be applied across all groups without prejudice. If the
students are accustomed to a particular style or vocabulary of testing, this may alter their results
if the instrumentation is notably different from what they are used to. Since there will be two
tests administered, this may affect student achievement positively or negatively in both the
control and treatment groups, indicating testing sensitization.
External Validity
Since existing classes are used for the control and treatment groups in this study, there are
concerns with respect to population validity. The socio-economic makeup of the groups would
have to be detailed and be similar across groups in order to present a generalizable outcome to
apply to a similar population. The personological validity is a factor in both this study and in
applying this to other groups. Some students may prefer this intervention while others may
prefer tactile learning aids. This was not controlled or studied in this case. Students exposed to
this treatment may be artificially motivated, especially over a short study time period. This
ecological factor must be considered in future similar studies.
During the study, no information will be gathered which will individually identify you or any of
your students. Both you and your students will be identified only by randomly assigned
numbers. The findings of this research will not be used or shared in any way that will
compromise you or any of your students’ privacy.
While you participation would be greatly appreciated, it is entirely voluntary. Should you choose
to participate, have the right to withdraw your class’ participation at any time or prohibit the
inclusion of any of the measures listed above.
If you have any questions about this research study, please contact Professor S. Cho at [xxx-
xxx-xxxx]. If you have any concerns about the conduct of this study, pleasecontact the UBC
Office of Research Ethics.
Laurel Evans, Director, Research Ethics
UBC Office of Research Ethics
#102, Technology Enterprise Facility III
6190 Agronomy Road
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3
Ph: 604-827-5113
Email: laurel.evans@ors.ubc.ca
Burns, M. K., Kanive, R., DeGrande, M. (2012). Effect of a Computer-Delivered Math Fact
Intervention as a Supplemental Intervention for Math in Third and Fourth Grades.
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Chang, W.-L., Yuan, Y., Lee, C.-Y., Chen, M.-H., & Huang, W.-G. (2013). Using Magic Board as
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