Type of Document	Thesis
Author	Remillard, Katherine Suzanne
URN	etd-07072004-160354
Title	Issues of Equitable Access: Graphing Calculators in Secondary Mathematics Education
Degree	Master of Science
Department	Middle and Secondary Education, Department of
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Elizabeth Jakubowski Committee Chair Alysia Roehrig Committee Member Maria Fernandez Committee Member
Keywords	School Enrollment Free and Reduced Lunch Minorities Demographics Digital Divide Training
Date of Defense	2004-06-24
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract The purpose of the research was to study graphing calculator technology access issues for high school mathematics students. The level of graphing calculator access at a school was studied in relation to the percent of students deemed eligible for free and reduced lunch (FRL), the percent of minority students, and the school enrollment. To address the research questions, two questionnaires were designed by the researcher: the Mathematics Department Chair Questionnaire and the Teacher Questionnaire. The population consisted of public school mathematics department chairs and mathematics teachers that instruct with graphing calculator technology in an 11 county region in North Florida. Out of 27 schools in the region, 17 participated for a 63% school response rate. Statistical analysis did not reveal any correlation between the ratio of students to graphing calculators at a school and the percent of students eligible for FRL, percent of minority students or school enrollment. Furthermore no correlation was evident between the three aforementioned demographic characteristics and the percent of full-time math teachers that used graphing calculators for instruction, or the percent of courses offered in which graphing calculator instruction is used. The majority of teachers, regardless of the demographics of their student population, used the graphing calculator for instruction between 0-10 times per school year. Differences in graphing calculator instructional activities by math course based on demographic characteristics of the student body were not noted. However, the data also suggested that teachers at schools serving a high minority or high FRL population may not be making use of graphing calculator technology because of lack of access to classroom sets and lack of training. Additionally, 100% of mathematics department chairs serving high minority student populations rated graphing calculator technology implementation as a low priority or not a priority at all. Moreover, no teacher from a school with a high percentage of students eligible for FRL had participated in graphing calculator training within the last five years. Future research is needed to determine whether or not there are differences in graphing calculator access for students of varying demographics within individual schools.
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