Technology in High School Classrooms and Preparation for College Mathematics
Open Access
- Author:
- Walter, Leanne Esther
- Area of Honors:
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Mary Kathleen Heid, Thesis Supervisor
Mary Kathleen Heid, Thesis Supervisor
Andrea Vujan McCloskey, Faculty Reader
Mary Kathleen Heid, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- technology
mathematics education
college-level mathematics
confidence
performance
conceptual
procedural - Abstract:
- Mathematics education has been influenced greatly by recent technological innovations. This research examines the correlation between technology students identify as having been used in their high school mathematics classrooms and self-reported performance and confidence of calculus students at the university level. In this thesis, students’ experience with technology in high school is divided into three groups, those who used mathematical technology primarily for procedural purposes, those who used mathematical technology conceptually, and those who only minimally used technology. To examine the differences between these three groups and their reported performance and confidence at the university level, a survey was designed to question students on their experiences and perceived differences in ability and confidence in mathematics at the university level. Using the data from the survey, participants were assigned scores for technology use in high school, self-reported confidence, and performance. Correlations between technology use in high school and self-reported confidence or performance were calculated and an ANOVA was performed on the three groups of technology users and their scores in the areas of confidence and performance. The results show there are instances when the technology in high school could be beneficial to university students and other instances when perhaps it is not. Much more research needs to be done, however, to give any weight to the findings in this study.