RESEARCH PROPOSAL

 

 

Encouraging Mature Calculator Usage in Pre-Service Elementary Teachers

 

By

 

Sally Kleinknecht

 

 

Purpose

 

            The purpose of this quasi-experimental study is to describe the effects of a multi-faceted program of critical thinking skills integrated into the curriculum for the class, “Mathematics for Elementary Teachers,” on the student’s ability to estimate and reflect critically on their computed and/or calculator results. This research will be guided by the following questions:

 

  1. What is the confidence level of students regarding their own estimation skills?

 

  1. What role does the calculator play in the student’s ability to estimate or in his confidence in estimating?

 

  1. Will emphasizing critical thinking skills and his reflection on results increase the student’s confidence in his ability to estimate and in his ability to problem solve?

 

  1. Will emphasizing critical thinking skills and his reflection on results change the student’s attitude about calculators from an “infallible answer-machine” to a “useful, but sometimes fallible, tool”?

 

Rationale

 

            The use of technology in the schools will only increase in years to come. Since calculators have been introduced in the schools (in the 1970’s), the teaching of math computation has changed significantly. More and more students are relying on the calculator to compute for them without using critical thinking skills instead of using the calculator as a tool to help them with their critical thinking skills. “The calculator must be right” is the philosophy of many students who fail to analyze for themselves if a calculated answer is reasonable. Calculator usage begins in elementary school, and therefore elementary school is the place to begin teaching students how to use the calculator effectively and at the same time increasing their confidence in their own thinking skills. To have the greatest impact on elementary students, one must begin with the training of elementary teachers. If pre-service elementary teachers are encouraged to use the calculator as a tool and are given skills to increase their own confidence in their problem solving skills, then they will hopefully pass that information onto their students. Albert Einstein said, “The important thing is not to stop questioning.” I think it is extremely important, not only in math, but in every other area, to not only encourage students, but also to train students, to never stop questioning – especially when it comes to technology. This study is examining one way in which these goals might be accomplished through the training and challenging of pre-service elementary teachers.

 

Methods

 

            This research will be conducted using two sections of Math 104 (Mathematics for Elementary Teachers) taught by the same teacher: one as an experimental group and one as a control group. The student’s math SAT scores (or USI’s math assessment scores) will be used as a co-variance to “equalize” the classes since random sampling of the students cannot be utilized.  Estimation and calculation skills along with computational skills are taught in the textbook in chapters 4 – 7. A pre-test at the beginning of chapter 4 will be administered to both classes to determine confidence levels of computational skills, attitudes, and calculator usage. The experimental group will be given the following treatment:

  • Extra teaching and practice on computational and problem-solving skills (with and without a calculator).
  • Quizzes two to three times a week with correct problems randomly marked wrong to increase reflection and critical thinking skills.
  • Prepared debate on the pros and cons of calculator usage in elementary schools.

At the end of chapter 7, both groups will be given a post-test and a calculator test where the students will be asked individually to estimate answers on a particular calculator that is pre-programmed to give the wrong answer. This added experiment will give further data to determine if the above treatment was beneficial in increasing the student’s confidence in their own skills when confronted with an authority (the calculator).

 

Protections

 

            The researcher will abide by the ethical standards set up at the University of Southern Indiana concerning research conducted in the classroom. The research will be carried out under the Math Department at USI and any informed consent statements needed for the research will be gathered. Data will be recorded and results written so that the students will not be identified by name.

 

Dissemination of Results

 

            If the results of the research are significant, the study will be submitted to the Arithmetic Teacher and may be presented to the USI elementary education math faculty.