Advertisement

Mathematics Education Research Journal

, Volume 26, Issue 4, pp 833–852 | Cite as

Google, Mathletics and Khan Academy: students’ self-initiated use of online mathematical resources

  • Tracey Muir
Original Article
First Online:

Abstract

Today’s students increasingly engage in online environments, with ready access to digital resources and mobile technologies. While much of this activity is socially motivated, the internet is also a source of knowledge for students and frequently accessed for school assignments, projects and assessment purposes. As mathematics continues to be an area in which many students experience difficulties, it is not surprising that a recent Google search produced 57,600,000 results for ‘help with mathematics’. Current research, however, is limited in terms of documenting students’ use of such resources, particularly when they are self-initiated and often accessed in an out of classroom environment. This paper reports on a study that investigated the use of mathematical online resources accessed by students in Grades 5–9, with a particular focus on evaluating the effectiveness of Khan Academy, an online tutorial site. Data collected through surveys and interviews showed that while students did access online sites, particularly in the later years of schooling, they varied in both their reasons for doing so and their perceptions of how useful these sites were. The findings add to the limited research in this area and have practical implications for students and teachers, including the potential to challenge the traditional role of the teacher.

Keywords

Online resources Online tutorials Technology Adolescents Engagement Mathematics 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

References

  1. ACARA (2012). Australian curriculum: Mathematics. Retrieved from: http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Mathematics/Content-structure
  2. Attard, C. (2010). Students’ experiences of mathematics during the transition from primary to secondary school. In L. Sparrow, B. Kissane & C. Hurst (Eds.), Shaping the future of mathematics education (Proceedings of the 33rd annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, pp. 53–60). Fremantle, WA: MERGA.Google Scholar
  3. Attard, C. (2011). The influence of teachers on student engagement with mathematics in the middle years. Paper presented at the AAMT23/MERGA 34 combined conference, 7–9 July 2011, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.Google Scholar
  4. Attard, C. (2013). Introducing iPads into primary mathematics pedagogies: An exploration of two teachers’ experiences. In V. Steinle, L. Ball, & C. Bardini (Eds.), Mathematics education: Yesterday, today and tomorrow (Proceedings of the 36th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, pp. 58–65). Melbourne, VIC: MERGA.Google Scholar
  5. Attard, C., & Curry, C. (2012). Exploring the use of iPads to engage young students with mathematics. In J. Dindyal, L. P. Cheng, & S. F. Ng (Eds.), Mathematics education: Expanding horizons (Proceedings of the 35 th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (pp. 75–82). Singapore: MERGA.Google Scholar
  6. Beatty, R., & Geiger, V. (2010). Technology, communication and collaboration: Rethinking communities of inquiry, learning and practice. In C. Hoyles & J. B. Lagrange (Eds.), Mathematics education and technology—rethinking the terrain (pp. 251–284). New York, NY: Springer.Google Scholar
  7. Bergman, J., & Sams, A. (2012). Flip your classroom: reach every student in every class every day. Washington, DC: International Society for Technology in Education.Google Scholar
  8. Beswick, K., & Muir, T. (2011). Interactive whiteboards as potential catalysts of pedagogical change in secondary mathematics teaching. Paper presented at the AAMT23/MERGA 34 combined conference, 7–9 July 2011, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.Google Scholar
  9. Bobis, J., Higgens, J., Cavanagh, M., & Roche, A. (2012). Professional knowledge of practising teachers of mathematics. In B. Perry, T. Lowrie, R. Logan, A. MacDonald, & J. Greenless (Eds.), Research in mathematics education in Australasia 2008–2011 (pp. 313–340). Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense.Google Scholar
  10. Civil, M. (2006). Working towards equity in mathematics education: A focus on learners, teachers, and parents. In S. Alatorre, J.L. Cortina, M. Sáiz, & A. Méndez (Eds.), Proceedings of the Twenty Eighth Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (Vol. 1, 30–50). Mérida, Mexico: Universidad Pedagógica NacionalGoogle Scholar
  11. Fitzallen, N. (2008). Validation of an assessment instrument developed for eliciting student prior learning in graphing and data analysis. In M. Goos, R. Brown, & K. Makar (Eds.), Navigating currents and charting directions (Proceedings of the 31st annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (pp. 203–209). Brisbane, Qld: MERGA.Google Scholar
  12. Galbraith, P., Goos, M., Renshaw, P., & Geiger, V. (2000). Emergent properties of teaching-learning in technology-enriched classrooms. (Short communication). In J. Bana & A. Chapman (Eds.), Mathematics education beyond 2000 (p.690). Sydney: MERGA.Google Scholar
  13. Geiger, V. (2005). Master, servant, partner and extension of self: A finer grained view of this taxonomy. In P. Clarkson, A. Downton, D. Gronn, M. Horne, A. McDonough, R. Pierce, & A. Roche (Eds.), Building connections: theory, research and practice (Proceedings of the 28 th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, Melbourne (pp. 369–376). Sydney: MERGA.Google Scholar
  14. Goos, M., & Bennison, A. (2008). Surveying the technology landscape: teachers’ use of technology in secondary mathematics classrooms. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 20(3), 102–130.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  15. Hamdan, N., McKnight, P., McKnight, K., & Arfstrom, K. (2013). A review of flipped learning. Retrieved from the Flipped Learning Network, 19/3/2014, http://flippedlearning.org/cms/lib07/VA01923112/Centricity/Domain/41/LitReview_FlippedLearning.pdf
  16. Highfield, K., & Goodwin, K. (2013). Apps for mathematics learning: A review of ‘educational’ apps from the iTunes app store. In V. Steinle, L. Ball, & C. Bardini (Eds.), Mathematics education: Yesterday, today and tomorrow (Proceedings of the 36 th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (pp. 378–385). Melbourne, VIC: MERGA.Google Scholar
  17. Hurst, C., Armstrong, T., & Young, M. (2011). Making a difference for Indigenous children. Paper presented at the AAMT23/MERGA 34 combined conference, 7–9 July 2011, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.Google Scholar
  18. Ingram, N. (2013). Mathematical engagement skills. In V. Steinle, L. Ball, & C. Bardini (Eds.), Mathematics education: Yesterday, today and tomorrow (Proceedings of the 36 th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (pp. 402–409). Melbourne, VIC: MERGA.Google Scholar
  19. Kissane, B., & Kemp, M. (2008). Some calculus affordances of a graphics calculator. Australian Senior Mathematics Journal, 22(2), 15–27.Google Scholar
  20. Kronholtz, J. (2012). Bell curve to the right. Education Next (Spring 2012),17-22.Google Scholar
  22. MCEETYA (2008). Melbourne declaration of the educational goals for young Australians.Google Scholar
  23. Muir, T. (2009). At home with numeracy: Empowering parents to be active participants in their child's numeracy development. In R. Hunter, B. Bicknell, & T. Burgess (Eds.), Crossing divides (Proceedings of the 32nd annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (pp. 395–402). Wellington, NZ: MERGA.Google Scholar
  24. Muir, T. (2011). Join the club: Engaging parents in mathematics education. Paper presented at the AAMT23/MERGA 34 combined conference, 7–9 July 2011, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.Google Scholar
  25. Muir, T. (2013). Helpwithmaths.com: Students’ use of online mathematical resources. In V. Steinle, L. Ball, & C. Bardini (Eds.), Mathematics education: Yesterday, today and tomorrow (Proceedings of the 36th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, pp. 522–529). Melbourne, VIC: MERGA.Google Scholar
  26. Munns, G., & Martin, A. J. (2006). It’s all about MeE: A motivation and engagement framework. Annual Conference of the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE, 2005). UWS Parramatta Campus, NSW.Google Scholar
  27. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) (2000). Principles and standards for school mathematics. Available: http://www.nctm.org/standards/content.aspx?id=3444
  28. NSW Department of Education and Training (2005). Students - middle years. Retrieved from http://www.dec.nsw.gov.au/about-us/statistics-and-research/public-reviews-and-enquiries/
  29. Pritchard, R. (2004). Investigating parental attitudes and beliefs in mathematics education. In I. Putt, R. Faragher, & M. McLean (Eds.), Mathematics education for the third millenium: Towards 2010 (Proceedings of the 27 th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, Townsville (pp. 478–485). Sydney: MERGA.Google Scholar
  30. Skemp, R. (1978). Relational understanding and instrumental understanding. Arithmetic Teacher, 26(3), 9–15.Google Scholar
  31. Srivastava, P. (2009). A practical iterative framework for qualitative data analysis. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 8(1), 76–84.Google Scholar
  32. Sullivan, P., & Gunningham, S. (2011). A strategy for supporting students who have fallen behind in the learning of mathematics. Paper presented at the AAMT23/MERGA 34 combined conference, 7–9 July 2011, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, AustraliaGoogle Scholar
  33. Sullivan, P. A., Mousley, J., & Zevenbergen, R. L. (2005). Increasing access to mathematical thinking. Gazette of the Australian Mathematical Society, 32(2), 105–109.Google Scholar
  34. Sullivan, P., Tobias, S., & McDonough, A. (2006). Perhaps the decision of some students not to engage in learning mathematics in school is deliberate. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 62(1), 81–99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  35. Thompson, C. (2011). How Khan Academy is changing the rules of education. Retrieved from: http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/07/ff_khan/.Google Scholar
  36. Tucker, B. (2012). The flipped classroom. Education Next Winter, 2012, 82–83.Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, Inc. 2014

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Faculty of EducationUniversity of TasmaniaLauncestonAustralia

Personalised recommendations

Cite article

Buy options