Extent of use and obstacles faced by teachers in the integration of the graphing calculator into Algebra I classes: Survey of Illinois high schools mathematics teachers

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent Illinois high school Algebra I teachers used graphing calculators and what factors impacted this use. Surveys were mailed to all 579 non-Chicago area, public high schools in Illinois. Surveys were returned by 337 of the 579 schools for a 58.2% school response rate. From these 337 schools, a total of 879 teacher surveys were completed and returned.; Graphing calculators were used by 67.9% of the Algebra I teachers surveyed. Algebra I teachers were more likely to use graphing calculators for comparing representations and for demonstrations than any other purpose. Of those teachers who do use graphing calculators in their Algebra I classes, 65.2% either never or seldom allowed graphing calculators to be used on tests. The extent of graphing calculator use was significantly related to certain teacher characteristics: school size, gender, experience, education level, membership in professional organizations, and training. A significant finding was that social isolation in smaller schools was a major factor for not implementing graphing calculators in their Algebra I classrooms. Teachers in these schools were less likely to have mathematics teachers to network with internally and were less likely to network externally through memberships in state or national mathematics organizations.; Algebra I teachers reported several factors that influenced their use of graphing calculators. The factors that most influence their use were personal beliefs, offers something different to do, workshops and other teachers. The factors that Algebra I teachers gave as those most limiting their use of graphing calculators were emphasis on basics, cost/availability, not enough time, lack of training, and lack of materials. The most significant of these findings was that teachers' personal beliefs about teaching and learning provided the greatest influence on whether they used graphing calculators in their Algebra I classes.