INVESTIGATING TEACHER PERCEPTIONS AND USE OF MATHEMATICS APPS IN K-8 CLASSROOMS

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of teacher-related factors (attitudes, demographics, lesson plan purpose, and strategies) on student learning performance with mathematics apps in elementary school classrooms. Eighteen teachers (8 male, 10 female) and 408 students from grades 4 to 8 participated in the study. Ten unique constructive-based mathematics apps were used from the Explore Learning collection focussing on fractions, decimals, percent, probability, equations, adding and subtraction integers and stem and leaf plots. Overall, student learning performance increased significantly, from 18 to 35% after using mathematics apps for 20 to 90 minutes. Ninety-five to 100% of teachers were satisfied with their app-based lessons and confident about using apps. Teachers were also very positive about the design, engagement and learning value of apps. Positive attitudes toward the learning (but not design or engagement) value of an app were significantly correlated with learning performance. Teacher age was not significantly correlated with student learning performance; however, gender was. Learning performance was significantly higher for students who had female teachers. Teachers used apps primarily to help students explore new concepts. Mathematics apps used for review or homework (but not for learning new concepts) were significantly associated with higher gains in student performance. Student gains in performance increased when teachers created their own learning materials as opposed to using pre-designed app materials. A teacher-led strategy (as opposed to using apps in pairs) resulted in significantly lower learning performance with mathematics apps. The practical implications of this research and future directions were discussed.