The effects of a constructivist instructional model on the achievement and attitude of college students enrolled in intermediate algebra

This study was designed to investigate the effects of a constructivist instructional model on the achievement and attitude of college students enrolled in intermediate algebra.

The study was conducted with four class sections and 41 students enrolled in developmental intermediate algebra at Roane State Community College. Two instructors each taught two classes: one class utilizing the traditional lecture format and the other utilizing a constructivist instructional model designed by the researcher. The design allowed for a comparison of the two different treatments at the Roane County branch campus and at the Oak Ridge branch campus. The null hypotheses tested were that there were no significant differences between the following the mean achievement scores of the constructivist model group and the lecture format group at each site, and the median attitude scores of the constructivist model group and the lecture format group at each site.

The students in all four sections were given a pretreatment achievement test and attitude survey to determine if the initial achievement levels and mathematics attitudes were comparable. Pretreatment measures of both achievement and attitude were comparable for the two Roane County treatment sections and for the two Oak Ridge treatment sections.

Since pretreatment achievement and attitudes were comparable, posttreatment measures of achievement and attitude were analyzed to test the hypotheses. The results indicated that students who were taught from a constructivist perspective experienced achievement not significantly different from those students who were taught with a traditional lecture format. The largest gain in achievement occurred in the Oak Ridge constructivist model group. In addition, students who were taught from a constructivist perspective had posttreatment attitudes that were not significantly different from those who were taught with the traditional lecture format. The only decrease in mean attitude occurred in the Roane County lecture section.

This experiment established the practicability of this particular constructivist instructional methodology. In light of the present reform movement in mathematics education, which is calling for adoption of a constructivist pedagogy, the constructivist model should be considered by developmental mathematics educators as a worthy alternative to the lecture format.