I thought this should have said Assignment 5, but what the heck.
My literature review:
I have been able to locate research at the community college level and am reading it voraciously now. A more comprehensive literature review with my update next week.
My research questions have included the following:
1. How effective a learning tool is the Hawkes online math program for students in remedial math programs?
2. Is there a positive or negative correlation between the time that students spend on the program working on problems and the final grade the students receive in the math class? How similar or different is it between each teacher?
3. To what degree does the instructor impact the effectiveness of the Hawkes online math program?
4. Do students beileve the program helpful in learning remedial math?
5. What features of the Hawkes learning math program are helpful or hurtful in learning remedial math?
6. Does the Hawkes learning math program incorporate any of the ideas relevant to andragogy?
7. Does the instructor incorporate any of the ideas relevant to andragogy?
8. What comfort level do students have with learning technology?
9. Does using the Hawkes learning math program increase student confidence in their ability to learn math?
10. Is there a relationship between the instructor and the usage of the program?
11. Do all students have equal technology access to the program?
Discussing and refining the research questions:
Working at a community college, I spoke with instructors who are familiar with and have used the program for some years. In our discussions, we separated the questions into three categories: 1. Student to computer program; 2. Instructor to computer program; 3. Instructor to student.
For student to computer program, technology access and technology literacy emerged as important considerations that should be accounted for in the research. In these discussions, positive and negative qualities (as they saw them) emerged that need to be considered. From these discussion, these qualities (to a certain extent) emerge from andragogy and the lack of correlation between the online program and the textbook (from the same company).
For Instructor to computer program, some teachers require that the assignments be completed for a grade on their homework while others do not. Some instructors take their students to a computer lab to demonstrate how the program works - others do not. The emphasis the teacher places on the program (or does not place) may have a strong impact on the data obtained.
For Instructor to student, a concern that emerged is that the instruction in the classroom may not always correlate with what the online program covers. This can cause frustration on the part of the student that my be directed at the program instead of the instructor. Additionally, the environment set by the instructor can have a positive or negative effect with their experience with the program.
Finally finding some research for my literature review on this, I find that most of the research is focused on the qualities of the online programs themselves. This will be helpful in designing my research questions, in particular with the instrument that I will develop to measure the effectiveness of particular qualities of the Hawkes learning math program. Another article discusses the role of the teacher setting the example for students as being important for the students to use technology - albeit, this is an older study.
When reviewing the discussions above, I had to determine what could be measured and what could not. This forced me to limit my research questions and confine them to the students and the program. This would be especially true, since I need the permission of the instructors to access student data and to give students the survey in their classes.
After this work, I feel good about my selection of research topic, and will continue to keep my research topic, but the questions I will attempt to answer will attempt to consider other influences that can impact its success or lack thereof.
Research Topic: Understanding the role of online instruction and assessment tools in remedial mathematics classes at the Community College level.
Per my discussion above, I want to use the following research questions:
1. Student to computer program:
a. Is there a correlation between the time spent in the Hawkes learning math system and the final average a student receives in a remedial math class?
b. What features are beneficial in learning remedial math?
c. What comfort level do students have with using technology?
d. What is the level of access students have to technology?
For the students using the program, it is likely that the more the students use the program, the better grade they will recieve. The total time spent on the program and their grades are records that each teacher retains, and can be easily accessed. For the features of the program, specific qualities in the program will be listed on a survey and compared with a Likert scale from 1-5 (1 being low, 5 being high). A similar Likert scale will also be used to measure students' comfort level with technology. For technology access, several categories will be offered, including other if none of the choices apply.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Assignment 4, Weekly Update
The following is only the beginning of my final draft for my literature review. Articles included in the works cited section below have yet to be included, but will be added within the next few days.
Literature Review
Working with community college students in remedial math is a critical part of their academic success. Nurses, electricians, plumbers and other important professions critical to the local economic infrastructure are often trained at the community college level. Proficiency of mathematics to a certain level is not only an academic requirement, but an integral component of the profession they pursue. Often, students in community colleges having math skills that are deficient for their tasks and must retake math taught in middle and high school. Given how critical these skills are and the difficulties they present to students, it is important to understand what these difficulties are, how technology can help fill the achievement gap, and determine what needs still need to be met.
This literature review will focus on the following issues:
1. Identifying needs of Community College students to improve remedial math skills.2. Technology learning tools that provide for a new type learning environment and how they address the learning needs identified above.3. Factors that limit access or diminish the success of students in achieving their goals in learning remedial math.
Though the first part of the literature review does not relate directly to technology, it lays the foundation to identify and discuss needs of community college students to determine what needs exist, and the degree to which the current technology is meeting them. The second part considers the different applications of technology for community college students and how they relate to assisting students in achieving their educational goals. The third part identifies limitations to the technology, which includes access, usage, and the failure of technology to adequately address the identified needs of students.
Identify Needs of Community College Students:
Many papers have been written and studies performed to determine the needs of community college students to best determine their educational needs that promote the likelihood of their academic success. In conducting the literature review, correlations between the research will be compared to each other. Additionally, the needs of adults of community college students will be compared with the ideas of Andragogy to see if the considerations for the adult learner either emerged from the studies or were effectively incorporated or considered as factors of adult students’ successes or shortcomings.
The term Andragogy was originally used by Alexander Kapp (a German educator) in 1833, and was developed into a theory of adult education by an American educator, Malcolm Knowles during the latter 20th century. Knowles theories can be summarized with four postulates:
1. Adults need to be involved in the planning and evaluation of their instruction (Self-concept and Motivation to learn).2. Experience (including mistakes) provides the basis for learning activities (Experience).3. Adults are most interested in learning subjects that have immediate relevance to their job or personal life (Readiness to learn).4. Adult learning is problem-centered rather than content-oriented (Orientation to learning). (Knowles, 1984)
The studies and articles that follow will be analyzed to determine if these features of andragogy emerged or were considerations for students.
A report written by Gemignani (1977) discussed the remedial math program at Indiana State University in Indianapolis. From the Spring 72-73 semester to the Spring 75-76 semester, the number of students needing remedial math increased. Not having the funds to create additional sections, class size increased in these six sections. To accommodate the increase, an increase of student tutoring was made available to students. Additionally, the curriculum was changed in the Math 111 (remedial math course), though the same textbook continued to be used during both semesters being compared. The result: the number of students receiving credit for the course dropped from 59% down to less than 45% - a more than 14% decrease. Additionally, it was determined that the students who failed math were also likely to drop out of school.
From the study, Gemignani (1977) concluded that although students needed to understand the math to be successful students, he believed that it was not the role of the university to provide these programs; additionally, Gemignani (1977) further concluded that devoting funds towards remedial work detracts funding from the mission of the college towards a quality higher education.
Such commentary is sobering and raises questions about the role of colleges. If a college accepts students with such deficiencies, is it obligated to provide a quality remedial program to assist students in overcoming them? Half-hearted efforts to accommodate these only resulted in many students dropping out, being likely indebted and with poor grades on transcripts. An unwillingness to accommodate these needs should lead such like-minded institutions to re-examine their admission policies and deny acceptance of students they are not willing to accommodate. Since community colleges have open enrollment, it is important to highlight that institutions must be willing to understand their students’ needs and be prepared to serve them.
Additionally, none of the concepts of andragogy emerged from the article or were considered by its author as important consideration for student success or failure.
Works Cited
Dahlke, Richard (1974).Determining the best predictors of success and of time of completion or dropout in an individualized course in arithemetic as a community college. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education. Vol. 5, No. 4, pp. 213-223.
Gemignani, Michael (1977).Remedial mathematics: An administrator's viewpoint. The American Mathematical Monthly. Vol. 84, No. 6, pp. 481-484.
Gleason, Barbara (2000).Remediation phase-out at CUNY: The "Equity versus Excellence" controversy. College of Composition and Communication. Vol. 51, No. 3, pp. 488-491.
Hare, Angela (1997).Software reviews. The College Mathematics Journal. Vol. 28, No. 2, pp. 140-144.
Knowles, M. (1984). Andragogy in Action. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Kramer, Pamela (1990). Mismeasuring women: A critique of research on computer ability and avoidance. Signs. Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 158-172.
Purvis, Teresa (1995). The wo-year community college: Into the 21st century. College Composition and Communication. Vol. 46, No. 4, pp. 557-565.
Shaw, Kathleen (1997).Remedial education as ideolotical battleground: Emerging remedial education policies in the community college. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. Vol. 19. No. 3, pp. 284-296
Tobias, Sheila (1987).Math Anxiety. Science, New Series. Vol. 237, No. 4822, p. 1556.
Literature Review
Working with community college students in remedial math is a critical part of their academic success. Nurses, electricians, plumbers and other important professions critical to the local economic infrastructure are often trained at the community college level. Proficiency of mathematics to a certain level is not only an academic requirement, but an integral component of the profession they pursue. Often, students in community colleges having math skills that are deficient for their tasks and must retake math taught in middle and high school. Given how critical these skills are and the difficulties they present to students, it is important to understand what these difficulties are, how technology can help fill the achievement gap, and determine what needs still need to be met.
This literature review will focus on the following issues:
1. Identifying needs of Community College students to improve remedial math skills.2. Technology learning tools that provide for a new type learning environment and how they address the learning needs identified above.3. Factors that limit access or diminish the success of students in achieving their goals in learning remedial math.
Though the first part of the literature review does not relate directly to technology, it lays the foundation to identify and discuss needs of community college students to determine what needs exist, and the degree to which the current technology is meeting them. The second part considers the different applications of technology for community college students and how they relate to assisting students in achieving their educational goals. The third part identifies limitations to the technology, which includes access, usage, and the failure of technology to adequately address the identified needs of students.
Identify Needs of Community College Students:
Many papers have been written and studies performed to determine the needs of community college students to best determine their educational needs that promote the likelihood of their academic success. In conducting the literature review, correlations between the research will be compared to each other. Additionally, the needs of adults of community college students will be compared with the ideas of Andragogy to see if the considerations for the adult learner either emerged from the studies or were effectively incorporated or considered as factors of adult students’ successes or shortcomings.
The term Andragogy was originally used by Alexander Kapp (a German educator) in 1833, and was developed into a theory of adult education by an American educator, Malcolm Knowles during the latter 20th century. Knowles theories can be summarized with four postulates:
1. Adults need to be involved in the planning and evaluation of their instruction (Self-concept and Motivation to learn).2. Experience (including mistakes) provides the basis for learning activities (Experience).3. Adults are most interested in learning subjects that have immediate relevance to their job or personal life (Readiness to learn).4. Adult learning is problem-centered rather than content-oriented (Orientation to learning). (Knowles, 1984)
The studies and articles that follow will be analyzed to determine if these features of andragogy emerged or were considerations for students.
A report written by Gemignani (1977) discussed the remedial math program at Indiana State University in Indianapolis. From the Spring 72-73 semester to the Spring 75-76 semester, the number of students needing remedial math increased. Not having the funds to create additional sections, class size increased in these six sections. To accommodate the increase, an increase of student tutoring was made available to students. Additionally, the curriculum was changed in the Math 111 (remedial math course), though the same textbook continued to be used during both semesters being compared. The result: the number of students receiving credit for the course dropped from 59% down to less than 45% - a more than 14% decrease. Additionally, it was determined that the students who failed math were also likely to drop out of school.
From the study, Gemignani (1977) concluded that although students needed to understand the math to be successful students, he believed that it was not the role of the university to provide these programs; additionally, Gemignani (1977) further concluded that devoting funds towards remedial work detracts funding from the mission of the college towards a quality higher education.
Such commentary is sobering and raises questions about the role of colleges. If a college accepts students with such deficiencies, is it obligated to provide a quality remedial program to assist students in overcoming them? Half-hearted efforts to accommodate these only resulted in many students dropping out, being likely indebted and with poor grades on transcripts. An unwillingness to accommodate these needs should lead such like-minded institutions to re-examine their admission policies and deny acceptance of students they are not willing to accommodate. Since community colleges have open enrollment, it is important to highlight that institutions must be willing to understand their students’ needs and be prepared to serve them.
Additionally, none of the concepts of andragogy emerged from the article or were considered by its author as important consideration for student success or failure.
Works Cited
Dahlke, Richard (1974).Determining the best predictors of success and of time of completion or dropout in an individualized course in arithemetic as a community college. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education. Vol. 5, No. 4, pp. 213-223.
Gemignani, Michael (1977).Remedial mathematics: An administrator's viewpoint. The American Mathematical Monthly. Vol. 84, No. 6, pp. 481-484.
Gleason, Barbara (2000).Remediation phase-out at CUNY: The "Equity versus Excellence" controversy. College of Composition and Communication. Vol. 51, No. 3, pp. 488-491.
Hare, Angela (1997).Software reviews. The College Mathematics Journal. Vol. 28, No. 2, pp. 140-144.
Knowles, M. (1984). Andragogy in Action. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Kramer, Pamela (1990). Mismeasuring women: A critique of research on computer ability and avoidance. Signs. Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 158-172.
Purvis, Teresa (1995). The wo-year community college: Into the 21st century. College Composition and Communication. Vol. 46, No. 4, pp. 557-565.
Shaw, Kathleen (1997).Remedial education as ideolotical battleground: Emerging remedial education policies in the community college. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. Vol. 19. No. 3, pp. 284-296
Tobias, Sheila (1987).Math Anxiety. Science, New Series. Vol. 237, No. 4822, p. 1556.
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