Eyyam,
R. & Yaratan, H. S. (2014). Impact
of use of technology in mathematics lessons on student achievement and
attitudes. Social Behavior & Personality: an international journal, 42,
31-42.
Summary
In this study, the authors
investigated students’ academic performance as a result of and attitudes toward
integrating technology in the classroom. Numerous studies have found that
integrating technology into the classroom has had a positive effect on both
students and teachers. The authors note
that, according to Smaldino et al. (2005), the benefits of integrating
technology in the classroom are two-fold.
Not only can it positively impact learning capabilities, but it also
increases student engagement and motivation.
The authors also note that the integration of technology helps teachers
provide feedback to students more quickly and implement individualized learning
opportunities with increased flexibility.
Furthermore, it can promote students to learn cooperatively by increase
collaboration amongst students. Using technology
also encourages students to think critically, fosters creativity, and improves
their problem solving abilities.
This study was conducted in a
private school in Cyprus (part of the Cyprus Turkish educational system). The authors noted that even though the Cyprus
Turkish educational system has recently been updated to include the integration
of instructional technology, most of the proposed procedures have not been
accepted by educators (thereby limiting the implementation of instructional
technology in classrooms). The authors
believe that it is important to explore the motivations behind educators’
resistance to utilizing technology in their curricula. However, the authors contend that before
exploring these motivations, it is important to know whether or not the use of
technology improves student achievement and attitudes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to
determine the effect of using educational technology on student achievement in
a mathematics classroom, as well as determining students’ attitudes regarding
such technology.
The study involved five seventh
grade mathematics classes. Three of the
classes were randomly selected as the experimental group and the remaining two
classes served as the control group. All
groups completed a pretest at the beginning of instruction and a posttest after
instruction. In the experimental groups,
teachers were provided with instructional technology for use in the classroom,
while the control groups were taught using traditional methods without the use
of technology. The lessons taught across
all groups were the same, with the exception of the inclusion or omission of
technology. The technology utilized in
the experimental group classrooms included laptops with multimedia, data projectors,
and PowerPoint slides that included videos, pictures, and animations.
The statistical analysis of this
study led showed that the experimental groups received higher scores in their
tests compared to control group.
Furthermore, results from surveys distributed to students showed that
many of the students preferred to be in a class where educational technology
was used. Students did indicate, however,
that they were not sure whether it would help them be more successful.
Reflection
I would be interested in seeing this
study be conducted at varying grade levels, including post-secondary
mathematics classrooms. I would also be
interested in seeing the results of a similar study involving different subject
areas. I predict that students in technology-integrated
classrooms would out-perform those in traditional classrooms, regardless of
grade level or subject area. We are in
an age where technology is a regular and daily part of life. Our younger students will never remember a
time when technology was absent in their lives.
It only makes sense to integrate technology into the classroom in some
manner to keep up with “real life”. I
believe that students will be more engaged when they are encouraged to use
familiar technology and will better learn how to problem solve and think critically
when asked to use technology that is new or unfamiliar.
Sometimes it can be difficult to
secure “buy in” from teachers to integrate technology into their
classrooms. This can be due to a variety
of reasons, such as low comfort level with technology themselves or a lack of
professional development centering on instructional technology. I don’t integrate technology into my
classrooms as much as I would like, mainly due to time constraints. The list of course objectives for each of my
courses dictate what I am able to accomplish in any given class period. I would like to see a reform of the curriculum
to include instructional technology. If
this could happen, I would feel much more at ease it into my classroom. I do believe it would have a positive impact
on my students and am currently looking at ways to utilize social media without
sacrificing large quantities of class time.
