Shandy Hauk

A Comparison of Web-Based and Paper-and-Pencil Homework on Student Performance in College Algebra.

Abstract College algebra fulfills general education requirements at many colleges in the United States. The study reported here investigated differences in mathematics achievement between undergraduates in college algebra classes using one of two homework methods: WeBWorK, an open-source system for web-based homework, or traditional paper-and-pencil homework. We assessed learning for 439 students in 19 college algebra classes at a large public university in the United States. Twelve classes used WeBWorK and seven had traditional paper-and-pencil homework. Analysis of covariance revealed no significant differences in algebra performance or achievement gain by homework group, ethnicity or gender when statistically controlling for previous mathematics achievement. Results support the conjecture that WeBWorK is at least as effective as traditionally graded paper-and-pencil homework for students learning college algebra in moderately sized lecture-based classes.

Preservice Elementary Teachers' Understanding of Logical Inference.

Abstract This article reports on the logical reasoning efforts of five prospective elementary school teachers as they responded to interview prompts involving nonsense, natural, and mathematical representations of conditional statements. The interview participants evinced various levels of reliance on personal relevance, linguistic contextualization, and time-dependent interpretation in working through reasoning tasks. Different kinds of affective and cognitive demands, dependent on personal history, may be needed for the depersonalization, decontextualization, and detemporalization required by abstract logico-deductive reasoning. Implications for college instruction with future elementary school teachers include suggestions for logical argument analysis activities aimed at enriching learners’ reasoning situation images.