Nowadays high school students are very connected with the outside world and use technology daily. When they come to the classroom, they expect the same to happen. The internet, social media, YouTube videos, blogs, and popular apps are part of their lives and must be part of their education now. Being a teacher in these modern times requires teachers to learn how to incorporate this new technology into lesson plans.
Even though it can be challenging to find ways to incorporate technology and real-life applications in math lessons, I believe they are both needed and are an essential part of the learning process. As stated by Gibbons (2010), it is evident that online assignments make “students feel more comfortable with the content and their writing,” it encourages them and keeps them more engaged. Students also feel more at home when working on online assignments and are more eager to read if the text is online (Gibson, 2010, p.39).
This literature review will begin with a synopsis of the theoretical concept and framework other authors have designed in the past, with the purpose of better explaining the focus area of my research question. I further present a summary of the work other researchers have done regarding the use of technology in the classroom and studies about how individualized learning can reduce math anxiety. Lastly, this literature review includes a list of possible interventions and ends with a concluding paragraph.
In 1998, when the use of technology in the classroom and the society was just starting to bloom, the authors Kearsley and Shneiderman were part of a big group of educators and researchers who were studying the effects of incorporating technology in the classroom and evaluating its influence on student motivation. They developed a theory called: “Engagement Theory: A Framework for Technology-Based Teaching and Learning,” in which they state that the use of technology “can facilitate engagement in ways which are difficult to achieve otherwise” (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1998, p.20). Since then, numerous authors and educators have studied the positive effects the incorporation of technology has on student engagement and motivation.
Another insightful theoretical framework came from the author Picciano, who with the “Blending with Pedagogical Purpose Model” who suggests educators to coherently use a combination of resources such as reflections, blogs videos, technology, discussion boards, assignments, and meetings to successfully support students’ learning process (Picciano, 2017, as cited in Quezada, 2020).
As I continued my literature research about mathematics education and the impact of technology and interactive activities on student engagement, I came across many insightful articles. One that stood out to me is called Mathematics Education in a Time of Crisis by Alf Coles. This study is part of the theme “Mathematics and the living world” developed by a group of teachers who contribute to the Philosophy of Mathematics Education Journal (POME). I found this article to be very relatable to my research because, in it, the author considers that mathematical classrooms must be sites of engagement. He explores five aspects, initially proposed by scholar Mark Boylan, that support the development of engaging classes. They are Enchantment, embodiment, emotionality, ensemble, and expansiveness (Cole, 2018).
Many authors have evaluated the role of technology when teaching mathematics. Goos (2010), wrote about the benefits of moving past the old practices of memorizing and repeating previously learned steps. She examined how using technology can encourage students to go into a more reflective process of problem-solving and could foster more in-depth knowledge (Goos, 2010). The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) states that when technology is used strategically and adequately in the classroom, it has the “ability to increase the performance level of students in the learning of mathematics” (as cited in Watson, 2015, p.17).
Furthermore, academics like Peters, Krugers, and Fitzpatrick (2018) have examined previous research to evidence the current lack of creativity in the mathematics curriculum. Also, they evaluate the most effective ways to use digital technologies in the classroom and the importance of individualized learning. They also talk about what is needed from the school leadership team to fund digital resources and be able to provide the staff with plenty of opportunities to access resources and professional development. The authors also include a very helpful list of several digital technology ideas that have been successfully introduced into the mathematics curriculum in Australia (Peters, Krugers, and Fitzpatrick, 2018).
In addition to having helpful, diverse and efficient technology in the classroom, I believe that another crucial part for student success is being able to inspire students and keep them motivated. Fencl and Scheel (2005), evaluate how self-efficacy, which is the motivation and determination to do well and be successful, can be a crucial component for students when learning math and how it can help them do better in class. With this research, they found that the incorporation of interactive, creative activities into the curriculum made students more engaged and more responsive. It also increased their confidence and their interest in the class (Fencl and Scheel 2005).
The following section summarizes a list of possible interventions some educators and academics have conducted to evaluate the positive impact the incorporation of technology and real-life application activities in the mathematics classroom has had for students, their engagement, and motivation.
In her Master’s Thesis, Watson (2015) studied how the incorporation of technology and innovative resources into the math classroom helps students improve significantly academic performance. However, she also states school directives must offer plenty of professional development opportunities for teachers, so they are well equipped and have a better understanding of how to use the resources available efficiently (Watson, 2015).
While technology and innovative activities to increase student motivation are the main focus of my study, I am well aware they are not the only factors influencing the level of engagement we as teachers get from our students. Even educators who have access to the latest classroom technology and are digitally cultured can have unmotivated students in their classrooms. Alrajeh and Shindel (2020), studied the factors that can influence the level of engagement students have when learning math and found that engagement and motivation among the students, increase when teachers take time to build a positive relationship with the students and provide them with a supportive classroom environment.
Another critical aspect that can affect student engagement and motivation, and that is worth considering is math anxiety. Math anxiety is important because it can negatively affect learning, students’ attitudes towards math, and their behavior in and outside of the classroom. Rancer, Durbin, and Lin (2013) studied students that were part of a math course and measured their level of perceived difficulty associated with the concepts or topics covered in the class. They found that students’ understanding of a topic decreases significantly if they think it is too difficult (Rancer, Durbin, and Lin, 2013).
Reading research articles about methods to improve mathematics education and completing this literature review has helped confirm my ideas about the use of technology and interactive activities in the classroom to enhance student engagement and motivation. Many authors have studied the effects of technology in the school and have found that, when used adequately, technology can significantly improve academic performance and engagement. Though the use of technology plays a significant role in student motivation, it is also essential to consider the influence other factors such as math anxiety and teacher-student relationship can have on students.
With my curriculum research project, I hope to provide a guide of how to successfully incorporate the use of technology and digital resources into the lesson plans to make the process of learning math more fun and interactive for the students, improving this way not just student engagement and motivation, but also academic performance. The lesson plans designed will aid individualized learning and will also be remote-learning friendly.