WHITLOWE R. GREEN COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Doctoral Proposal Defense Announcement
A Bivariate Analysis of the Relationship Between Middle School Students’ Use of Technology and
Mathematics Achievement.
(Spring, 2015)
Thomas J. Kinlaw III, B.A., Texas Southern University;
M.A., Prairie View A&M University
Chair of Dissertation Committee: Dr. Patricia Hoffman-Miller
Teaching and learning is subjected to external influences and these external influences are
responsible for addressing issues in an educational context, particularly in a P-12 environment.
Nowhere has education been more influenced than by computer technology and educational
software. The changing role of information technology affects teaching styles and instructional
methodologies in urban and rural school districts throughout the United States. Technology has a
significant impact on how social media and educational technology is integrated in all aspects of
student performance influencing how and when students access and complete in-school and out of
school assignments.
This study focuses on the “National Council of Teachers of Mathematics” principles
pertaining to the use of technology in teaching mathematics in a classroom environment and will
seek to determine if there is a link between technology and the increase in mathematics scores in
middle schools in a rural southeastern school district in Texas.
The researcher proposes to explore changes imposed by technology on the development
and acquisition of mathematical skills in a rural school district in southeast Texas. The researcher
will attempt to determine whether the use of technology significantly impacts student academic
achievement in mathematics. The research will determine whether or not a direct relationship
exists in the use of technology as it relates to increasing math scores in middle schools in a rural
area of Texas. The research uses quantitative research to explore the use of computer technology
in teaching and the acquisition of mathematic skills by middle school students.
The following research questions and hypothesis are:
1. How frequently is technology used in mathematics classrooms weekly?
2. How often do mathematics teachers participate in professional development regarding
technology?
3. What is the relationship between the frequency of technology use in mathematics classes
and student achievement in mathematics?
4. What is the relationship between specific types of technology in mathematics classrooms
and student achievement in mathematics?
The researcher proposes a correlational method in which individuals are randomly assigned
to two or more groups where they receive treatment or no treatment. This study uses a quantitative
research design in which the researcher can examine the scientific and digital data in detail. This
method is more appropriate than qualitative methods as results can be tested from different ways.
The quantitative research methods employed by this research are descriptive in nature. The
research incorporates a quantitative research method where the independent variable is student
achievement in mathematics in a southeastern rural school district in Texas and the dependent
variables are frequency and specific types of technology, and professional development of
mathematics teachers in technology.
References
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). New Directions for Elementary School
Mathematics. 2000 Yearbook of the NCTM, edited by Paul R. Trafton. Reston, Va.:
NCTM, 2000
Date: March 9, 2015
Department: Educational Leadership and Counseling
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Location/Room: 220 Delco
Dissertation Chair:
Patricia Hoffman-Miller, Ph.D.
Dissertation Committee Members: William H. Parker, Ph.D.
Samuel S. Sampson, Ph.D.
Kelvin Kirby, Ph.D.
Bennie L. Graves, Ph.D.