| Since the publication of Crossroads in Mathematics: Standards for Introductory College Mathematics before Calculus researchers have suggested the use of a constructivist based instruction that views mathematics as both an individual and collective activity. Although constructivist based instruction has been an area of focus of mathematics education since 1990, college professors continue to use traditional instruction in pre-calculus mathematics classrooms. Responding to the concern for improving student performance, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) developed guidelines for school mathematics. However, research has shown that although mathematics teachers are aware of the NCTM guidelines, implementation has not followed. One approach to implementation of reform has been constructivist based instruction, an alternative pedagogy to traditional instruction. Studies have highlighted advantages of constructivist based instruction in relation to positively impacting attitudes and feelings toward mathematics, but studies focused on mathematics achievement have not been undertaken. Thus, the purpose of this study was to describe the effect of constructivist instruction on the mathematics achievement of intermediate algebra students at a private college in Arizona. Achievement was measured using two teacher developed tests. The study was guided by the following research question: What is the effect of constructivist based instruction on the mathematics achievement of intermediate algebra students? This study compared students from 1999-2002 who were taught with traditional instruction and students taught after 2002 who were taught with constructivist instruction. A parametric t-test for unpaired independent samples was used to analyze the data for significant differences. The results indicated that, overall, the mathematics achievement of the treatment group was not significantly higher than that of the comparison group. It was concluded that the adoption of a constructivist methodology does not negatively impact test scores. |
