Improving grade 7 students’ achievement in initial algebra through a technology-based intervention.

Abstract

Digital technology plays an increasingly important role in daily life, mathematics education and algebra education in particular. To investigate the effect of a technology-rich intervention related to initial algebra on the achievement of 12–13 year old Indonesian students, we set up an experiment. The experimental group’s intervention focused on equations in one variable and is characterized by an alternated use of paper-and-pencil and digital work, and by the intertwining of word problems and bare algebra problems. The control group was taught in a regular way without digital tools. Students from eight classes in four schools took part in a pre-test and a post-test. The results showed that the experimental group’s (n=131) gain score was significantly higher than the control group’s (n=119) score, with a medium effect size. Also, a school factor was found to affect student achievement. The qualitative analysis of student written and digital work during the teaching experiment corroborated the quantitative results. Both results confirm the effectiveness of this type of technology-rich intervention for enhancing student achievement in algebra.