The Influence of Teaching Methods on Matthew Steven Haas ...

The Influence of Teaching Methods on Student Achievement on Virginia's End of Course Standards of Learning Test for Algebra I

Matthew Steven Haas Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Doctor of Education In

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Travis W. Twiford, Chair Mary E. Yakimowski-Srebnick

Steven M. Janosik Louis O. Tonelson

Stephen Parson

September 9, 2002 Virginia Beach, Virginia Key Words: Algebra, Instructional Practices, Teaching Methods, Achievement

The Influence of Teaching Methods on Student Achievement on Virginia's End of Course Standards of Learning Test for Algebra I

by Matthew Steven Haas Travis W. Twiford, Chair

(Abstract) Given Virginia's Standards of Learning (SOL)(1995) mandates, Virginia's Algebra I teachers and school leaders should utilize research for teaching methods; further, the relationship between teaching methods and student achievement on Virginia's End of Course SOL Test for Algebra I deserves investigation, since Virginia's students must pass this test to earn verified credit toward high school graduation. Replicating Marcucci's (1980) methodology for meta-analysis, the present study focuses on research with methods for teaching secondary level algebra from 1980 to 2001. From a sample of 34 studies with 62 effect sizes, six categories for teaching methods and corresponding effect sizes were derived for "good" studies: direct instruction (.67), problem-based learning (.44), technology aided instruction (.41), cooperative learning (.26), manipulatives, models, and multiple representations (.23), and communication and study skills (.16). Using results from the meta-analysis and review of literature and extensive content validation, a 51-item questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of .89 was developed. The questionnaire was posted as a web-site to survey selected Algebra I teachers in Region VII to ascertain how frequently they use research-based teaching methods and to determine the influence of teaching methods on their students' achievement on the spring, 2002, Algebra I SOL Test.

Ninety-eight percent of teachers surveyed responded. The 53 participating Algebra I teachers, representing 1,538 students, produced a passing mean scale score of 438.01 (SD = 32.67). Teachers indicated they used all teaching method categories more than half the time with mean usage frequencies ranging from 2.56 to 3.75 times out of five class sessions. Teaching method categories were then entered into a blockwise multiple regression analysis, ranked according to the strength of their correlations to teachers' mean scale SOL test scores. Teaching method usage shared 9.7% of variance with participating teachers' scores.

Meta- and regression analysis results suggest that Algebra I teachers should emphasize direct instruction, technology aided instruction, and problem-based learning. These three teaching method categories ranked highest in both analyses. The questionnaire developed here could be used with a larger sample for research into the influence of teaching methods on individual reporting categories on the Algebra I SOL test.

DEDICATION Sheri and Mark, this work is for you. I love you right up to the moon ? and back.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dr. Travis Twiford, thank you for being a constant source of encouragement and friendship. You are an advisor in every best sense of the word and a blessing to me on this arduous journey. Dr. Mary Yakimowski, thank you for teaching me what I know about research and mentoring me. You inspired me to pursue this topic and gave me the confidence and tools I needed to do it. Dr. Steven Janosik, thank you for your well-timed and enlightening doses of reality. Your encouraging insights made me rethink my work for the better, and you always found a way to phrase them positively. Dr. Louis Tonelson, thank you for being my principal. I have always looked up to you, and you never fail to make me a better person. Dr. Stephen Parson, thank you for your timing, candor, and sense of humor. I have learned that a comment or question from you is always the right one at the right time; and, it is always an improvement. I want to thank Dr. Robert Marcucci for allowing me to replicate his meta-analysis methodology for my review of literature. By spending a few minutes with me on the phone and giving his blessing for my study, Dr. Marcucci laid the foundation for my research. I must also thank the following people who made the study possible. Mr. Terry Hawthorne loaned me his talents in converting my questionnaire into an active server page. Dr. Skip Wilson and his spring, 2002, EDCI 4744 & 5744 students validated my questionnaire. Virginia Beach City Public Schools allowed me to work with fifteen math teachers to obtain reliability data for the scale; and, these fifteen teachers volunteered to participate. Mrs. Sheri Haas listened to countless renditions and aspects of this study and edited it. I cannot thank the participating superintendents, principals, and teachers of Region VII of the Commonwealth enough for trusting me and working with me to complete this research. Your

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willingness to participate speaks highly of your dedication to students and your interest in educational research.

Mr. Henry Blessing and Mrs. Susan Blessing gave me a place to stay and plenty of love during my orientation to residency and at every step of the way through this process.

My mother and father, James and Joan Haas, made me the type of person who can finish a job with ethics, with attention to detail, and with concern for other people, whether someone is watching or not. Knowing, as I always have, that my parents would love me through success or failure, made me willing to take this risk and to see it through.

My wife Sheri and my son Mark gave up their time with me and put up with me. They have been patient beyond reason and have supported me in every way and unconditionally. Of all the blessings I have, my wife and son are the greatest.

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