Master of Education Research Theses
Date of Successful Defense
6-28-2011
Date Degree Awarded
6-2011
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Education (M.Ed.)
School/Department
Education
Advisor
Eddie K. Baumann, Ph.D.
Keywords
calculators, attitudes
Abstract
This thesis explored the history of calculator usage in mathematics classrooms in the United States since 1975 with a focus on the attitudes of parents, educators, and national organizations. The influence of historical events, people, organizations, research, and trends was explored in depth. Studying the changes that calculators have brought to mathematics curriculum and how educators have reacted in the past will help to explain why math curriculum and school systems have adopted the attitudes and policies about calculators that they currently hold. This study found similar attitudes and reactions by parents and educators toward calculator usage in contrast to the opinions and mandates of organizations such as the NCTM, the College Board, and local school board administrations. Parents and educators were strikingly more hesitant and concerned regarding the effects of calculators than educational institutions. The results will be useful for future curriculum decisions in mathematics classrooms.
DOI
10.15385/tmed.2011.1
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Banks, Sarah, "A Historical Analysis of Attitudes Toward the Use of Calculators in Junior High and High School Math Classrooms in the United States Since 1975" (2011). Master of Education Research Theses. 31.
https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/education_theses/31
