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Mathematics Education Research Journal

, Volume 26, Issue 2, pp 215–236 | Cite as

Student perceptions of drill-and-practice mathematics software in primary education

  • Els Kuiper
  • Martie de Pater-Sneep
Original Article
First Online:

Abstract

Drill-and-practice mathematics software offers teachers a relatively simple way to use technology in the classroom. One of the reasons to use the software may be that it motivates children, working on the computer being more “fun” than doing regular school work. However, students’ own perceptions of such software are seldom studied. This article reports on a study on the opinions of Grade 5 and 6 students regarding two mathematics drill-and-practice software packages. In total, 329 students from ten Dutch primary schools took part in the study. The results show that a majority of the students preferred to work in their exercise book, for various reasons. Especially the rigid structure of the software is mentioned as a negative aspect by students. The elaborate arguments students used illustrate the importance of taking their opinions into account already at the primary level. Students’ perceptions also show that the idea of ICT as naturally motivating for students may need modification.

Keywords

ICT Mathematics Primary education Student interspacing perceptions Software design 
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Copyright information

© Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, Inc. 2013

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of Child Development and EducationUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
  2. 2.Centre for Educational Consultancy Centraal NederlandVeenendaalThe Netherlands

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