Date of Award:

8-2021

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

School of Teacher Education and Leadership

Committee Chair(s)

Patricia Moyer-Packenham

Committee

Patricia Moyer-Packenham

Committee

Sylvia Read

Committee

Jessica Shumway

Committee

Kady Schneiter

Committee

Katherine Vela

Abstract

The misalignment between the mathematics taught in high school and the mathematics expected at colleges and universities has created a difficult transition for high school students in the U.S. from high school to college level mathematics. Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) have been used to help high school students transition from the mathematics taught in high school to the mathematics expected at colleges and universities across the country. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between high school students’ performance in Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS) Placement, Preparation, and Learning (PPL) Modules and performance on the ALEKS College Mathematics Placement Exam.

This study used a quasi-experimental nonequivalent research design. The participants in this study were 100 students from five high schools in a single school district. Students were in two groups: the ALEKS Group, who completed the ALEKS PreCalculus Learning Modules, and the Non-ALEKS Group, who did not complete the modules. The analysis included a 2x2 mixed ANOVA to measure how assignment of the modules affected exam scores. A logistic regression was used to assess differences between the two groups in placing into college algebra. A multiple linear regression was used to identify factors that influenced growth on the ALEKS Mathematics Placement Exam.

There was a statistically significant difference in exam scores between the ALEKS Group and the Non-ALEKS Group which indicated that assignment to the ALEKS PPL PreCalculus Learning Modules did increase performance on the ALEKS College Mathematics Placement Exam. Conversely, assignment to the ALEKS PPL PreCalculus Modules did not increase students’ likelihood of placing into College Algebra.

The factors that influenced student outcomes on the ALEKS Mathematics Placement exam for those students assigned to the ALEKS Group included the amount of time spent taking the exam in May and the number of modules mastered. These results show that schools could implement ITS into their current mathematics classrooms and help students increase their scores on the ALEKS Mathematics Placement Exam, which has the potential to decrease the number of remedial courses students need to take in college.

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