Professional Documents
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Introduction:
Human is the most superior of all the animals created by God. With the ability to
think, human has all the natural curiosity and a strong desire to explore new things. Thus,
he undergoes the process of learning automatically, that he himself could not notice.
problems which he himself cannot solve. This results to the exposure of human to
technology and as the evolution of the human thinking continues, artificial intelligence
props up.
However, with all the gadgets produced by technology, human tends to rely much on
these that makes him either genius or very dependent to it, that without it, he becomes
invalid.
The first calculating aids, thousands of years ago, were counting devices such as the
abacus.
Pascal is the first true mechanical calculator that could add and subtract. In 1671, the
German mathematician and physicist Gottfried von Leibiz used similar concepts in a
calculator that can add and multiply. In 1894, the American inventor William Burroughs
received a patent for the first practical adding machine for business use.
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Mechanical calculators were outmoded in 1960’s and 1970’s by electronic units.
These new products were much faster and quieter and could perform calculations that are
circuits, electronic calculators decreased in size and at the same time increased in
capabilities.
academic, the researchers’ individual interest to it arouse that lead to the study of the
Mathematical skills of BSECE freshmen of FEU-East Asia College for A.Y. 2007-2008.
studies. Since their curriculum requires so many mathematical subjects to take, they treat
their calculators as their “buddy” whenever they enter math subject classes.
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With the researchers’ keen observation, they have spotted problems on how
mathematics, which should be mastered little by little, as they pass from one term to
another, but unfortunately, they are not and the other is the students’ search for instant
The researchers want to show their co-students the status and the truth about
calculator dependence in the school. Moreover, calculator has been a part of a students’
every life, but the hazards it gives to him have never been discussed clearly until now. In
this research, the researchers want to be an eye-opener to the people concerned with this
problem.
In this research paper, the researchers will start with the basics about calculator
and its functions. Then, the causes and effects of Calculator Dependence will also be
discussed.
They will be conducting surveys with the aid of a close ended questionnaire
which will be responded by sixty (60) BSECE freshmen of FEU- East Asia College for
the 3rd term of the Academic Year 2007-2008; divided equally to its four (4) sections
This research will be done from the start of the third term, HMODCO1 class up to
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Definition of Terms:
Algorithm • a precise rule (or set of rules) specifying how to solve some problem
Arithmetic • the art of adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing by the use of figures
intellectually
Dependence • the state of relying on or needing someone or something for aid, support,
or the like.
truncated essay
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CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
recognized studies. Thus, they consulted written and non-written sources for the readers
Foreign Literature:
According to Cowdery (2004), the majority of parents and teachers are saying that
calculator should not be introduced until children have learned their basic skills.
This argument also has shown some facts about the effects of early exposure of
children to calculator.
Firstly, one concern among those who pushes caution in the calculator
introduction is that the calculator availability will make the children believe that manual
Secondly, how will learning be improved by using calculator which will perform
correct order of mathematical operations when the child himself does not know the right
Lastly, because early calculator exposure leads to the lack of basic arithmetic
knowledge, learning advanced concepts will also be interfered for arithmetic is the
Therefore, the students should be taught not only how to use calculator but also
when is it appropriate to do so. Moreover, it would make more sense to simply not allow
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the use of calculators until the student has exhibited the ability to perform the proper
our human life?” calculator has created backlashes. First, it had made students dependent
on it making them improve their arithmetic skills inactively. Especially with graphic
calculator, the analytic discussion of any subject is truncated which makes the students
reduce their analytic skills because they just allow their calculators to get the extremas or
A student should learn to use this gadget to his greater advancement not to his
According to a professional math tutor who has been exposed to a wide variety of
students over a period of about fifteen years, as the calculator has become more and more
He claimed that he is also into technology but it does bother him whenever he
sees middle and high school students who do not have their multiplication table
memorized and unable to do single digit addition in their heads. These matters are often
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There were also instances where he has met parents complaining about their
child’s grades. According to them, their children do great in doing their home works but
they fail in tests. It’s because, according to him, the students use calculators to finish their
home works, however, when tests come where they are not allowed to use calculators;
they commit a lot of careless mistakes and/or are not able to accomplish the test in the
allotted time.
There are also students who do not have a strong sense for numbers. They merely
believe whatever the calculator displays whether an answer is reasonable or not. They
feel that calculators are more intelligent and quicker that’s why they trust whatever it
Therefore, he stated that dependence usually starts in the upper elementary school
level. He wanted to warn the parents to look after their children for the earlier this
drown to chalkboard lectures, they proposed the use of cool stuffs like calculators and
geoboards, hands-on, open-ended problems and exercises that encourage kids to discover
their own way to the right answer (new math). In general, the standards focus on how
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According to their studies, students will be better problem-solvers and will think
more. However, listening to the opponents’ voice, including concerned parents, it’s really
threatening when students dumped the most basic algorithms or first-graders turning to a
The advocates requested the people concerned to have more patience. Thomas
Romberg, one of the writers of the revolutionized 1989 mathematics standards claimed
that they still need to have a fair amount of research and teacher training which would
probably take 20 to 25 years to complete. However, parents whose 12-year-olds still can’t
count on their fingers don’t have patience to wait that long. (Romesh, 1997)
Local Literature
Evidences were shown that the infusion of technology with education will help
the students prepare for the entrance into an increasing technological work competence.
through technology and for the students to identify with mathematics. The
disidentification (a process that occurs when people stop caring about their performance
in an area or domain that formerly mattered a great deal) hypothesis outlines ways at
which students might actively choose to not participate in math after they are exposed to
The research of Fernandez (1997) implies that graphing calculators have the
potential to help the students bear with math. Dunham’s research on graphing calculator
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use among female proved that they improved in areas of confidence and spatial ability.
Synthesis:
According to the earlier studies conducted about calculator and its effect to the
education here in the Philippines and abroad, calculator have really brought about some
The students’ approach to mathematics has also been affected. Children who have
had early exposure to calculator tend to rely on it a lot and think that calculator are more
intelligent that them. They doubt with their answers whenever they do mathematical
calculations without mechanical aid. Moreover, their arithmetic skills develop inactively
abroad making even the parents of the students get involved because of the obvious effect
On the contrary, there was a study showing that the infusion of technology with
As of this moment, the researchers continue to study the issue and discuss the
factors concerning it. One of the factors they are focusing at is when should be the right
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CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This research aims to present facts about the present situation of calculator
In this chapter, the method, instrument, sampling design and statistical treatment
will be discussed so that the readers may know and put themselves into the process the
Research Method:
The researchers used the descriptive method to determine the effects of calculator
dependence to the mathematical skills of FEU – East Asia College BSECE freshmen for
This method aims to identify the trend of calculator dependence among students
in the academe.
The researchers chose this method because as part of the descriptive method, they
only used simple types of statistics for the readers’ better comprehension.
Research Instrument:
The researchers used a questionnaire to have the needed data materialized. They
used carefully constructed questions to get in return, honest and satisfying answers.
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Sampling Design:
The researchers used the simple random sampling. The FEU – East Asia College
population is too large to examine that’s why they only focused on the BSECE freshmen
for the 3rd term of the Academic Year 2007-2008. Moreover, this method allows them to
In accordance to the sampling rule, they gave each BSECE freshmen the equal
chance of inclusion to the research. They chose 15 students from each of the four sections
Statistical Treatment:
followed a formula where the quotient of the frequency over the total number of
respondents was multiplied by 100% that equates to the percentage of respondents who
P= f x 100%
n
where p = percentage
f = frequency
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CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS, PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Table #1
f p
User 60 100%
Non user 0 0%
Total 60 100%
Graph #1
As the table and graph show, 100% or all of the respondents use calculator.
Table #2
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Time of Calculator Introduction to the Respondents
f p
Preschool 5 8.33%
Elementary 24 40%
High School 30 50%
College 1 1.67%
Total 60 100%
Graph #2
50% of the respondents start using calculator during high school. It is followed by
elementary with 40%, preschool with 8.33%, and college with 1.67%
Table #3
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Frequency of Calculator Use among the Respondents
f p
Never 0 0%
Seldom 8 13.33%
Often 33 55%
Always 19 31.67%
Total 60 100%
Graph #3
Based on the result, only three frequencies of calculator usage were seen: always, often
and seldom. 55% of the respondents often use calculator; 31.67% always use calculator;
Table #4
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f p
4 5 8.33%
3 4 6.67%
2 18 30%
1 (highest) 33 55%
Total 60 100%
Graph #4
According to the data, 55% of the respondents answered 1 or the highest degree of
Table #5
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f p
Able 40 66.67%
Unable 20 33.33%
Total 60 100%
Graph #5
As you can see, respondents who are able to solve problems without calculator is 66.67%
Table #6
f p
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Confident 21 35%
Not confident 39 65%
Total 60 100%
Graph #6
The table shows that out of 60 BSECE freshmen, 65% are not confident to solve without
calculator and 35% of them claimed that they are confident enough to solve problems
without calculator.
Table #7
f p
Yes 7 11.67%
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No 53 88.33%
Total 60 100%
Graph #7
88.33% of the respondents cannot survive college without calculator while 11.67% can
Table #8
f p
Believers 33 55%
Non believers 27 45%
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Total 60 100%
Graph #8
Based on the result, 55% of the respondents believe that calculator improves their
Table #9
Respondents who believe that Calculator helps them Better Grades in Mathematical
Subjects
f p
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Believers 53 88.33%
Non believers 7 4.67%
Total 60 100%
Graph #9
Respondents who believe that calculator helps them get better grades in math subjects is
respondents.
Table #10
f p
Hate 11 18.33%
Do not hate 49 81.67%
Total 60 100%
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Graph #10
Respondents who don’t hate math subjects are 81.67% and those who do are 18.33%.
CHAPTER V
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Summary of Findings:
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The researchers conducted the research to determine the effects of calculator
dependence to the mathematical skills of FEU – East Asia College BSECE Freshmen for
the 3rd term of the academic year 2007-2008. In conducting the research, they used the
descriptive method, simple random sampling and questionnaire to gather the needed data
for the completion of the study. They consolidated the responses of 60 BSECE freshmen,
equally divided into 15 respondents from each of the four sections. The research was
After the result of the survey has been evaluated, the researchers found out that all
of the 60 respondents are using calculator. It has also been found out that the common
time of calculator introduction to the respondents was in high school which is according
to the 50% of the respondents. Also, according to the data, 55% of the respondents value
their calculator very much ranking it first in the level of importance. Given an example of
that they can solve it without calculator. However, when they were asked about their
confidence when it comes to solving problems without mechanical aid, 655 of them said
that they are not confident. 88.33% or 53 out of 60 respondents claimed that they cannot
survive college without calculator. 55% of them believe that calculator improves their
mathematical skills and 88.33% which is 53 out of 60 answered that calculator helps
And after the long process of studying and gathering of relevant information
about the topic, the researchers can now answer the raised questions in the beginning of
the study.
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As answered by the 55% or 33 out of 60 respondents, they value their calculators very
much giving it the rate of 1 which is the highest in the degree of importance
given.
Calculator dependence is the state of relying on calculator for the aid or support if
Early introduction of calculator use and lack of basic arithmetic knowledge cause
calculator dependence.
Calculator dependence makes the students believe that manual and mental calculations
perform basic mathematics decline; and makes the students loose their strong
Conclusion:
The researchers therefore conclude that the BSECE freshmen of FEU – East Asia
College for the 3rd term of the academic year 2007-2008 are calculator dependent.
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The main cause of this dependence is the early introduction of calculator use to
the students.
Makes students believe that manual and mental calculations are no longer
important
Makes the students loose their strong sense for numbers and confidence in
solving problems
Recommendations
Calculator must be introduced to the students in the right time. It is only when the
student has already exhibited the ability to perform basic mathematical calculations
without mechanical aids. The parents can do a great role in doing this. They must guide
their children in doing their homework. Their children might use the calculator to
complete their math home works and this will be the start of calculator dependence.
Moreover, the students must rely much on the calculator because in the end, they
will be the “looser”. They must use the calculator as an aid for them to solve some
problems but they must never let the calculator do all their tasks as a math student.
Depending much on the calculator will stop their own skill’s development inactively and
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The Government’s Department of Education must also pay attention to this
problem because its impact is directly affecting the students who will be the next leader
of the country.
Furthermore, the leaders of the academe can do the first move. They are the head
of the institution and they have the power to regulate the time of calculator introduction
to the students.
The problem propped up when the calculator which has the ability to perform
basic and complicated calculations was invented; what more when the continuously
discovering mind of human finds a more advance mechanical aid? Calculator must keep
students from benefiting one of the most important reasons learning math – to train and
APPENDIX I
Letter to the Respondents
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March 25, 2008
To the respondent:
We are here to inform you that our group is conducting a study on how calculator
dependence affects the mathematical skills of BSECE freshmen of FEU – East Asia
College for the A.Y. 2007-2008. In line with this, we have constructed a questionnaire for
you to answer that will solidify our study.
Your participation will be a great help to our group to come up with a successful
research paper. We are expecting you to answer the formulated questions sincerely and
honestly.
We assure you that all the answers that you will be giving will be confidentially
kept by our group.
At the end of our study, we are willing to inform you of whatever success and
achievement that we will be attaining if you wish so.
Respectfully yours,
Peña, Ruth
Reyes, Nadhine
Cruz, Reymart
Hilario, Alexis
APPENDIX II
THE FINAL QUESTIONNAIRE
Calculator Dependence: Its effect to the mathematical skills of FEU – East Asia College
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ECE Freshmen for the 3rd term of the Academic Year 2007-2008.
Personal Data (Optional)
Name: ____________________________________________________________
Section: _______________ Gender: __________________
Survey Questionnaire
Direction: Check the box that corresponds to your answer.
1. Are you using calculator?
Yes No
2. When did you start using calculator?
Preschool Elementary High School College
(Please specify grade or year level) _______________________________.
3. How often do you use calculator?
Never Seldom Often Always
4. Rate how useful calculator is to you. (1 is the highest).
4 3 2 1
5. Can you perform operations involving dissimilar fractions without calculator? Decide
by answering this: 5/16 – 3/19.
Yes No
6. Are you confident to solve problems without calculator?
Yes No
7. Do you think you can survive college without calculator?
Yes No
8. Do you think calculator improves your mathematical skills?
Yes No
9. Do you think calculator helps you get better grades in math subjects?
Yes No
10. Do you hate mathematical subjects?
Yes No
APPENDIX III
PRETESTING QUESTIONNAIRE
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Calculator Dependence: Its effects to the mathematical skills of FEU – East Asia College
BSECE Freshmen for the 3rd term of the Academic Year 2007-2008.
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Table #1
Yes No Total
Question #1 lllll-lllll-lllll-lllll 0 20
Table #2
Table #3
Table #4
Importance of Calculator
5 4 3 2 1 Total
Question #4 0 lll lllll lllll-l lllll-l 20
Table #5
Table #6
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Degree of Difficulty in Solving Math Problems without Calculator
Table #7
Yes No Total
Question #7 lllll-lllll-lllll-lllll 20
Table #8
Number of Respondents who believe that Calculator improves their Mathematical Skills
Yes No Total
Question #8 lllll-llll lllll-lllll-l 20
Table #9
Table #10
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REFERENCES
Books
Smith, R.T. (2002) Calculus: Multivariable (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw – Hill
Companies, Inc.
from http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1387588.aspx
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Anonymous. (n.d.). Review of the literature: Disidentification and the mathematics
http://www.mste.uiuc.edu/dildine/thesis/jpd2.html
http://www.district87.org/staff/cowderyt/CalculatorDebate/Literature
%20Review.html
http://www.epinions.com/content_1350410372
Online Periodical
Ratnesar, R. (1997). This is math?. Time magazine. Retrieved February 26,2008 from
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1561144-2,00.html
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