EFFECTS ON LEARNING MOTIVATION AND RETENTION FROM INTEGRATING AN INTERACTIVE RESPONSE SYSTEM INTO FOURTH GRADE MATHEMATICS TEACHING

This quasi-experimental study explored the effect of an interactive response system (IRS) on the mathematical learning achievements of fourth grade students. Participants included an experimental group that integrated the IRS into a mathematics classroom and a control group that used traditional teaching methods. One of the authors taught the experimental group, and the control group was a randomly chosen class. The content of the course was the eighth edition of the mathematics textbook for the 2015 academic year, covering the learning units of “Addition of Fractions and Multiplication of Fractions by Integers” and “Estimation.” Four research tools were used: the IRS itself, a mathematics learning achievement test, student mathematical learning diaries, and a teaching and observation diary kept by the teacher. According to the results, integrating IRS real-time feedback had a significant positive effect on learning retention. Suggestions are subsequently provided for elementary school teachers and future researchers.