A Study of the Interrelationship Among Mathematics Teachers' Use of Technology for Preparation, Administration, and Classroom Instruction and Student Achievement

Download or read book A Study of the Interrelationship Among Mathematics Teachers' Use of Technology for Preparation, Administration, and Classroom Instruction and Student Achievement written by Lynnae J. Smith and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study investigated the relationship between student achievement and how mathematics teachers use technology. The productiveness and accessibility of technology has prompted many school systems to require teachers to integrate technology into the classroom. Integration of technology has become a key standard of best practices. Some schools are investing in one-to-one computing by providing each student with a personal device such as a laptop or a tablet. Nevertheless, the methods in which students are taught in the classroom have not changed considerably (Heitink, Voogt, Verplanken, van Braak, & Fisser, 2016; Mishra & Koehler, 2006). This research is a secondary data analysis using the student and teacher data from the United States for the 2011 Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), collected by International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). This study looked at teachers' comfort level with technology particularly for preparation, administration and classroom instruction, their access to technical support, and the quality of support received, such as professional development, and whether these factors impacted student performance. Five Hierarchical Linear Models (HLM) were fitted to investigate whether any of these determinants were statistically significant for impact on student performance. Only teachers' use of technology for administrative purposes was statistically significant, and this had a negative correlation value. Control variables were added to the HLM models to account for the school contextual situations and student backgrounds that have been found to impact student learning. The control variables that were statistically significant in relation to student performance in all five models included student gender, birth year, and their father's highest level of education. The school level variable, percent of disadvantaged students, in a school was also statistically significant. Findings suggest the use of technology by teachers does not improve student performance. The results of this study demonstrate the need for: a) school leaders to monitor how teachers are using technology and whether constructivist teaching methods are being practiced by teachers, particularly in schools with a high percentage of disadvantaged students, b) technology coaches to work with teachers to improve teachers' self-efficacy with technology, and to plan professional development as needed, c) technology use to be included in the instructional planning phases and not as an afterthought, and d) teacher preparation programs to continue to update their curricula to include activities that focus on all aspects of technology use for pre-service teachers.