Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Nicolae Nistor

Abstract

Because students in two Georgia middle schools, Grades 6 through 8, performed poorly in standardized mathematics testing during the 2016-17 school term, the district sought improvements by using the computer-assisted formative assessment tool iLearn. The purpose of this quantitative project study was to determine whether the use of iLearn predicted increased mathematics achievement and to support professional development sessions for teachers to improve their pedagogy. With the theoretical framework of mastery learning theory, the study addressed the effectiveness of iLearn as a formative assessment tool, hypothesizing a positive relationship between iLearn and end-of-grade (EOG) assessment scores; a moderating effect of students’ gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES); and a score difference between students who did and did not use iLearn. Based on a causal-comparative and correlational analysis using archived data from 1,582 students, results indicated that the use of iLearn significantly predicted EOG scores, explaining nearly a quarter of their variance. Ethnicity and SES significantly moderated the relationship between iLearn and EOG scores; however, their moderating effect was too small to count. Finally, iLearn participants had significantly higher EOG scores than nonparticipants, displaying a small to medium effect size. Results showed that iLearn may be used in educational practice as a formative assessment tool regardless of students’ gender, ethnicity, and SES. The project included a professional development plan for teachers who use iLearn in the classroom. This study may be used to increase achievement of middle school students in mathematics.

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