Students’ Reactions to Reform Mathematics Pedagogy in a Postsecondary Remedial Mathematics Course

Abstract

IntroductionMany students in the United States who have desired to earn a postsecondary degree have found themselves underprepared for postsecondary mathematics and were required to take remedial mathematics courses (Fike & Fike, 2007; Alliance for Excellent Education [AEE], 2011; Radford et al., 2012). Unfortunately, mathematics has become a gatekeeper for college success (Massachusetts Community College Executive Office, 2006; Fike & Fike, 2007; Epper & Baker, 2009) since attrition rates for postsecondary remedial mathematics courses have often been reported around 50% (Phoenix, 1990; Ellington, 2005; Attewell et al., 2006; Fike & Fike, 2007; Bahr, 2008; Virginia College Community System [VCCS], 2011). Even though traditional lecture techniques provide little benefit to students in remedial mathematics courses (Boylan & Saxon, 1999, Trenholm, 2006), many instructors continue to present their material to passive, uninvolved students (Fry, Ketteridge, & Marshall, 2003; White-Clark, DiCarlo, & Gilchriest, 2008). In order to improve student success in mathematics courses, several mathematics education organizations including The National Council of Teacher of Mathematics (NCTM), The American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC), and the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) have recommended specific practices for mathematics teachers to use in their classrooms. For the purposes of this paper, the recommendations made by these organizations will be referred to as practices and include a shift toward active student learning through group work and exploration of mathematical phenomena before formal presentation of mathematical theorems.A quasi-experimental study was conducted at a small four-year southeast university in Spring 2012 through Spring 2013 that examined the effectiveness of using reform-oriented techniques in a remedial mathematics course (Intermediate Algebra). In Spring 2012, one course was taught in a reform-oriented manner; in Fall 2012 and Spring 2013, one course was taught each semester in a traditional didactic manner. At the end of each of the three courses, an anonymous free-response survey was issued to the students to gauge their reactions to the type of instruction they received in their respective courses. This article will present the findings of those surveys with a focus on the feedback given by students in the reform-oriented course; the feedback from students in the traditional lecture courses will serve as a backdrop by which to interpret the feedback obtained from the reform-oriented course.Review of LiteratureResearchers in the reform mathematics movement emphasize the importance of balancing conceptual understanding with procedural fluency. This balance can be maintained when students actively participate in the learning process by exploring mathematical concepts in groups with the help of technology and by discussing and justifying their findings with their classmates. As a result, students may develop problem solving abilities and also understand the reasoning behind the mathematical principles they are taught. Because of the countercultural recommendations made by reformists (Smith & Star, 2007), researchers have examined the effectiveness of reform pedagogical practices at various grade levels and through a variety of metrics.Research at the middle and secondary school level is worth considering since much of the content taught at this level is also included in postsecondary remedial mathematics courses (Bahr, 2008). Two relevant studies at the middle school level examined students' mathematical success in terms of statewide exams. Reys et al. (2003) found that middle school students who had used reform-based curricula for at least two years performed as well or better than matched comparison students on the Missouri Assessment Program mathematics exam. Thompson (2009) examined the instructional techniques used by middle school mathematics teachers and found that students whose teachers who used multiple reform techniques (including manipulatives and group-based projects) scored higher on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills than did students whose teachers used primarily traditional lecture techniques. …