"A Cluster Randomized Study of Heuristic Teaching vs. Intelligent Tutoring for Community College Students with Disabilities in Algebra" is an investigation of the effectiveness of two intervention strategies for problem solving on the performance of community college students with disabilities in an Elementary Algebra I course and persistence in STEM coursework and degree programs. A heuristic math teaching method with an embedded content independent metacognitive strategy (HMTM) and a computer based individualized student intervention (ITS) will be compared. The University of Hawai`i Community Colleges will participate in the research study with Honolulu Community College and Windward Community College targeted for initial selection; these two schools currently participate in the NSF-funded Pacific Alliance for Students with Disabilities in STEM. The design involves using a cluster-randomized trial with a control group and repeated measures. The study will be conducted with 32 Elementary Algebra I classes and 128 SWD, focusing on the following three research questions:
RQ 1. To what extent does HMTM, as a single intervention component, improve student a): Algebra I course completion rate and b) persistence in the STEM related course work?
RQ 2. To what extent does use of ITS (specifically Cognitive Tutor), as a single intervention component,improve the two areas of student outcomes (successful completion of Algebra I and persistence in STEM)?
RQ 3. To what extent do the use of HMTM and ITS in combination, improve the two areas of student outcomes?
An independent evaluation of the project will be conducted by Dr. Crystal Mills, who is Professor and Chair of the University of Hawai`i's Master of Social Work program and an Emeritus Professor of Social Work at Eastern Michigan University.
The following dissemination strategies will be utilized: 1. A replication manual detailing project methods and results, based on the summative and formative findings, will be prepared and comprehensively disseminated on the project website. 2. Manuscripts will be published in professional journals. 3. The methodology and findings will be presented at national professional conferences. 4. Findings will be posted on the project website and presented at the Annual Meeting of the NSF investigators.
The Pathways to STEM project was conducted to investigate whether instructors’ use of heuristics math teaching method (HMTM) and/or students’ use of intellectual tutoring system (ITS) can significantly increase the course outcomes and persistence in the STEM related courses of students with disabilities and other struggling learners, who are enrolled in elementary algebra courses at community colleges. HMTM (Woodward, Monroe, & Baxter, 2001) is an instructor intervention and an embedded content independent metacognitive strategy, which is general to support particular content but transferable to content of other lessons. ITS is a computer based individualized student intervention based on the Zone of Proximal Development and an embedded content dependent metacognitive strategy used with specific content and not necessarily transferrable to other content. In this project Cognitive Tutor (Carnegie Learning, Inc.) was used. From Fall 2011 to Spring 2014, the project had 638 participants: 34 students in the ITS group; 363 students in the HMTM group; 14 students in the both intervention group; and 227 students in the comparison group. There are 105 students with disabilities: 16 in the ITS group, 54 in the HMTM group, 2 in the both intervention group, and 33 in the comparison group. As a result, the study found that the use of ITS was significantly effective to increase the intention to take other STEM courses of both SWD and all struggling learners. A majority of SWD and all participants reported that they enjoyed using the ITS program and found it helpful for being more engaged in learning and completing the elementary algebra courses. They also said using the program motivated them to take other STEM courses after the math class and want to use the program again. In addition, the study found that the instructors' use of HMTM significantly increased all struggling learners' course completion rate and grades. Students observed and positively commented on the HMTM and both intervention groups’ instructors’ qualitatively different teaching styles. The instructors also perceived the positive impacts of using HMTM on the students’ active and independent learning, engagement, and learning and retaining concepts and skills. Throughout the study, the postsecondary instructors came to acknowledge the needs of students with disabilities and other struggling learners and practiced modifying their classes to better address their needs. Therefore, the study findings are likely to make an impact on the base of knowledge and pedagogical methods (i.e., HMTM or ITS) in teaching elementary algebra or other subjects to postsecondary SWD and struggling learners. This study may motivate postsecondary institutes to consider modifying their classroom settings for blended learning as equipping computers and computer-based learning software to be available during instruction. It is also likely to encourage postsecondary instructors or the public to consider utilizing an ITS (intelligent tutoring system) based learning program, which provide immediate and customized instruction and feedback to students. The study findings can inform service providers, educators, and researchers in the field of postsecondary education of how to acknowledge and better address diverse needs of students with disabilities and other struggling learners in STEM fields and in general.
