The purpose of this study was to use differential item functioning (DIF) and latent mixture model analyses to explore factors that explain performance differences on a large-scale mathematics assessment between examinees allowed to use a calculator or who were afforded item presentation accommodations versus those who did not receive the same…

As an undergraduate in the 1960s, the author mostly used a slide rule for calculations and a Marchant-brand motor-operated mechanical calculator for statistics. This was after an elementary education replete with learning multiplication tables and taking speed and accuracy tests in arithmetic. Times have changed and assuming even basic calculation…

When teaching mathematics with technology, the author does so in the belief that technology enables students to experience mathematical ideas in a way that might not otherwise be possible. However, teachers must be careful: Sometimes technology does not produce results in the way that they or their students expect. Rather than allowing unexpected…

In two experiments, we studied how people's strategy choices emerge through an initial and then a more considered evaluation of available strategies. The experiments employed a computer-based paradigm where participants solved multiplication problems using mental and calculator solutions. In addition to recording responses and solution times, we…

Teaching mathematics using graphic calculators has been an issue of didactic discussions for years. Finding ways in which graphic calculators can enrich the development process of creative activity in mathematically gifted students between the ages of 16-17 is the focus of this article. Research was conducted using graphic calculators with…

Considering the range of changes in the instruction and learning of statistics, several questions emerge regarding how those changes influence students' attitudes. Equally, other questions emerge to reflect that statistics is a fundamental course in the university academic programs because of its relevance to the professional development of the…

This study investigates the relationship between the use of graphing calculators employed as Type II technology and student achievement, as determined by assessing students' problem solving skills associated with the concept of function, at the college algebra and pre-calculus level. In addition, this study explores the integration of graphing…

Many students and adults feel that algebra is merely the shuffling of symbols. The three interrelated concepts of variable, expression, and equation are central to beginning algebra, and in recent years, helping students understand the idea of a variable has been emphasized. Although graphing calculators help students solve equations, it is also…

Students need to learn how to use technology in a meaningful way to become literate. Teachers should take advantage of technology and what it has to offer. Technology can motivate students and can help them visualize mathematics problems. It can enable them to work on more complex tasks that often involve real-life applications of mathematics. It…

The study documents the extent to which high school teachers reflect on their need to revise and extend their mathematical and practicing knowledge. In this context, teachers worked on a set of tasks as a part of an inquiring community that promoted the use of different computational tools in problem solving approaches. Results indicated that the…

The key questions are: is it true that persons with Down's syndrome can study mathematics only at a very elementary level? Might it be possible that their difficulties are mainly restricted to some fields, such as numeracy and mental computation, but do not encompass the entire domain of mathematics? Is the use of a calculator recommended? Is…

Most mathematical functions can be represented in numerous ways. The main representations typically addressed in school, often referred to as "the big three," are graphical, algebraic, and numerical representations, but there are others as well (e.g., diagrams, words, simulations). These different types of representations "often illuminate…

This case study documents the struggles and successes encountered by a pre-calculus teacher while using Classroom Connectivity Technology (CCT) daily in her community college mathematics course. CCT refers to a wireless communication system that connects a teacher's computer with an individual student's handheld calculator and has been associated…

Although growing numbers of secondary school mathematics teachers and students use calculators to study graphs, they mainly rely on paper-and-pencil when manipulating algebraic symbols. However, the Computer Algebra Systems (CAS) on computers or handheld calculators create new possibilities for teaching and learning algebraic manipulation. This…

Middle school mathematics classrooms are changing. The curriculum has changed as well. Instead of an annual return to previously encountered topics, many middle school students encounter mathematics of a varying nature, characterized in "Principles and Standards for School Mathematics" (NCTM 2000) as the five Content Standards of Number and…