Author: Joseph L. MoranPublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Educational tests and measurements
Languages : en
Pages : 174
Book Description
The problem addressed in this dissertation is the low mathematics scores on state tests that leads to school districts having difficulty meeting overall student achievement requirements for accreditation purposes. The purpose of this study was to compare the progress on an interim common assessment of students who were enrolled in a MATH 180 remedial online course with the progress of those who were not enrolled in the course at a Midwest, suburban middle school. This dissertation was a culmination of research that involved the collection of quantitative data to measure the potential outcomes of one treatment. Three specific categories of students were identified to compare to the control group: gender, race, and socioeconomic status. If the data collected were found to be significant, online learning may serve as an asset for school districts struggling to maintain their accreditation. Further, a new approach that moved students along the continuum of learning at a faster pact than the traditional methods would also be beneficial not only for accreditation purposes but also for student success. The data collected were found to be inconclusive in two areas regarding the program's effectiveness to improve students' proficiency levels. Neither gender nor socioeconomic status (as measured by free/reduced lunch status) showed any significant difference from the general population; however, when considering race, Hispanic students did generate a mean score growth higher than those in the control group, indicating the program did have positive effects in this area. While online learning may prove to be an asset for school districts struggling to maintain their accreditation, and in this dissertation proved to be an asset for Hispanic students, the data ultimately did not support that being true for the intervention, MATH 180, with respect to gender and socioeconomic status in the school of study. Future studies may consider implementing other online learning platforms to support student learning as well as extending the duration of the study and the scope of the participants.
