Chapter 1

Statement of the Problem

Introduction

The institution that is the target of this study has been experiencing dismal

performances from students on the end of sessions’ mathematics examinations conducted

approximately every three months. It was concluded in a recent Cayman Island Schools’

Inspectorate inspection in 2006 that the performance of students in Mathematics in the

school was below average overall in relation to world standards. This was a fact that the

Education Standards and Assessment Units report on Mathematics in Government Primary

and Secondary Schools of the Cayman Islands (ESAU, 2007, p.2) confirmed. ESAU (2007)

stated that “students have little knowledge and understanding of geometry and statistics, and their

measuring skills are weak” .It was stated in the report that areas such as estimation and geometry

are often left until the end of the year and are frequently missed out due to shortage of time. Another

critical point that ESAU (2007) noted was the very little use of ICT in the teaching of mathematics.It

was noted in the report that not enough use was made of the existing ICT resources.

The current set of year ten students were all placed in the school based on their

scores on a common standardized test. Teachers continue to complain of students’ apathy

towards mathematics and a corresponding decrease in students’ performance in the subject.

In an effort to improve the incidents of learner apathy and poor performance of students in

this critical subject, new and innovative ways for the students to be more engaged in

schoolwork particularly in mathematics need to be explored. The implications of this effort

are far reaching as mathematics helps to facilitate the development of higher level thinking

and problem-solving techniques in students. These techniques are critical to the success of

citizens in this technologically-driven society. (PPM Campaign Manifesto 2005).

 Mathematics is a fundamental subject in any developing society. It is the corner

stone upon which civilisation as we know it today is built. Its importance cannot be

overemphasized. Most employers, Universities and Colleges require as a rule English and

Mathematics among the core subjects. Only in rare cases is Mathematics not required.

One of the guiding principles of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Mathematics

Syllabus (2008) is that Mathematics taught in Caribbean Schools should be relevant to the

existing and anticipated needs of Caribbean Society related to the abilities and interest of

Caribbean Students and aligned with the philosophy of the educational system. This

principle is the use of Mathematics as a problem-solving tool. It is also the springboard for

providing specific mathematical techniques in the future careers of students (e.g., in

agriculture and in commercial and technical fields) (Caribbean Examination Council-

Syllabus, 2008).

Literature suggests that academic achievement in specific subject areas is

determined, in part, by students’ attitude towards these subjects (Brodies, 1964; Mabee &

Duke 1960). The link between students’ attitude towards the Interactive Whiteboard Test

and their math performance was measured using a test on Coordinate Geometry.

Statistics on Caymanian students’ mathematics performance

A detailed analysis of Mathematics students’ performance in the Caribbean

Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations for the period 2002-2008, indicates

that over 60% of the students from the secondary school who sat the CSEC Mathematics

examinations attained a pass at the grade III level and below. Having examined some

Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Reports on Mathematics Reports (2000-2008), the

writer was alarmed at the poor performance of the Mathematics candidates during the
period at the general proficiency level. Only 10% of the students obtained grade I at the

general proficiency level in 2006 and did so again in 2007.Even more alarming were the

cases of students who were not allowed to sit the annual CSEC mathematics examinations

because of low performance on internal assessment.

ESAU (2007) stated that “The middle and lower ability students make too little progress

during their secondary years. By the time they reach the end of their schooling many students are not

entered for an exam which gives them access to a higher grade pass at CXC, GCSE or IGCSE. Take

for example, in 2006, 64% of the students at the main government high school were not entered for

such an exam” (p.6).

With the results of the CSEC examination being so dismal, the researcher decided

to examine the CSEC results for students in the Cayman Islands, especially because the

stakeholders have claimed the low levels of numeracy and the increasing shortages of

suitably qualified Caymanians for certain mathematics based careers and jobs. THIS

SENTENCE IS NOT MEANINGFUL TO ME. (A New Curriculum for schools in the

Cayman Islands Overview Aims and Guiding principles, 2007; Cayman Islands School’s

Inspectorate, 2006). Table 1.1 shows the results of the analysis. Although the results

generally show pass rates that were higher than 50% except in 2008, however, the results

may be deceptive. This researcher is aware of the fact that only those students who score

above 60% on the mock or internal exams are allowed by the school to sit the CSEC

Mathematics examinations. This is similar to what happens in many schools in Jamaica. In

first world countries, such practices are not allowed. All the students in a given year group

are allowed to sit any external examinations regardless of their achievement on mock or

internal exams. The result of this selective process that the Caymanians practise gives

almost guaranteed or consistent positive results. Hence, bearing in mind the selected few as
 a factor, the table indicates the appearance of steady progress or success in the teaching and

learning of mathematics. The average percentage pass at the Grades I-III levels for

Caymanian students in Mathematics from 2002-2008 was 66%.

Table 1.1

Caymanian student’s real and extrapolated performance on CXC Mathematics 2002-2008

%
Year Cayman’s % % %
Cayman’s Cayman’s
Cayman’s extrapolated
Eligible number Cayman’s passes at
eligible passes if ALL
Cohort actually percentage grades I-III
cohort the eligible
entered after that were
actually cohort was
selection not selected
entered entered
2000 235 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
2002 246 83 34 66 60 20
2003 221 46 21 79 96 20
2004 228 84 37 63 75 28
2005 241 63 24 76 60 16
2006 298 85 29 71 80 23
2007 288 125 43 57 62 22
2008 336 105 31 69 28 9
AVG. 262 84 31 69 66 20

Table 1.1 shows the percentage of Cayman’s cohort writing the general

proficiency of CSEC mathematics over the period 2002 to 2008 as well as the percentage

pass for Caymanian and Caribbean students in these examinations. The results appear to be

within a normal statistic distribution. The difference between the eligible cohort and those

who were selected to sit the exams shows that the results might be deceptive, considering

that students are usually selected to sit the exams based on their scores on internal exams

and the difference between the eligible cohort and those who wrote the exams. It would

seem that apparently those who were not selected might be those who did not show
sufficient mastery of the key concepts required to sit the external examinations. Thus, we

may conclude that such results should actually be higher and that had the full cohort done

the exams the results might have been different. With such a large percentage of students

not sitting the examinations, it is not surprising that the Island has a very small percentage

of students pursuing further studies in mathematics and a general shortage of locals skilled

in certain areas which require the use of skills learned in mathematics. Some of these areas

include: surveying, teaching, accountancy, building contractors, meteorology, electrical and

mechanical engineering. Many of the highly skilled workers in the Cayman Islands are

mostly expatriates (Statistics Office, Cayman Islands Government, 2005-2006).

The Caymanian Government is on a drive to boost the education of the locals with the

intention of reducing their need form expatriates as soon as possible. To that end the Govt

has invested heavily in resources that may help to produce citizens who can occupy job and

career positions in the future. (National Consensus on the future of Education, 2005).

Table 1.1 also shows a more detailed comparison of the Grade 12 Caymanian

final year students who sit the CSEC examinations taking into account the number of

students who were not allowed to sit the examinations at year 12 due to the selection

process. Table 1.1 shows that an average of 262 students was present in the final year

classes who were all supposed to sit this major external examination after five years in high

school. Unfortunately, an average of 31% or those who attained the 60% requirement on

the internal examinations was actually entered for the years 2002 to 2008. Hence, an

average of 69% or nearly 70% of the students did not sit the CSEC mathematics

examination at the end of year 12. Of the selected 31%, 66% of those students attained

passes of grades III and above. The researcher then factored in the entire cohort that should
have sat the examinations and extrapolated what the real results would have been, if there

was no screening of candidates. The extrapolated results in Table 1.1 shows average passes

of 20%.These overall results, when viewed from this perspective appeared unsatisfactory

when compared with the overall results from the Caribbean. In a report on the status of

mathematics in the researched high school, it was found that “The standards of achievement

in mathematics were below-average overall, although some do well. Results in external

examinations at the end of Year 12 are lower than those expected internationally for the age

group” (Bowerman, 2006, p.17).

Table 1.2

Percentages of Caymanian and Caribbean students writing /passing CSEC for the years
2002-2008

Year Cayman Cayman Cayman % Cayman Caribbean Caribbean

Eligible Cohort passing in % examinees %

Cohort writing grades extrapo- passing
exam I-III lated
__________________________________________________________________________
2002 246 34 60 20 73, 419 39
2003 221 21 96 20 76, 005 40
2004 228 37 75 28 84, 786 35
2005 241 24 60 16 88, 559 39
2006 298 29 80 23 86, 479 35
2007 288 43 62 22 86, 835 34
2008 336 31 28 9 57,000 37
_______________________________________________________________________
Ave 66 37
_______________________________________________________________________

Table 1.2 shows that the average passes for Caymanian students obtaining grades

I-III was 66%, while the Caribbean average was 37%. Hence, even though students were

selected to do the examinations, the school still had an average of 34% students from the

selected group failing the exams or obtaining grades IV-V during the seven years. If this
group of students who failed the CSEC mathematics examinations were not selected via the

mock exams, the extrapolated results would even be lower. Thus it can be seen why the

Government and other stakeholders were concerned about the levels of numeracy and lack

of suitable Caymanians to fill certain mathematically related jobs or jobs that had

mathematics as a requirement (A New Curriculum for Schools, 2007, p.10).

The major aim of the CXC Mathematics Syllabus (2008) is to make Mathematics

relevant to the existing and anticipated needs of Caribbean society, related to the abilities

and interest of Caribbean students and aligned with the philosophy of the educational

system. It is also evident that citizens of Caribbean countries need to be able to use

mathematics in many forms of decision making such as shopping, commercial activities and

as a prerequisite to further studies (CXC Mathematics Syllabus, 2008).

Mathematics is one of the core subjects that needed to fulfil that broad objective

of the syllabus, which also reflects the general objectives of the Caymanian society.

Mathematics is primarily concerned with its use as a problem-solving tool, a means of

communication and helping students to develop positive attitudes, such as open-

mindedness, self-reliance, persistence, the ability think critically and a spirit of enquiry

(CXC Mathematics Syllabus, 2008).

The overall unsatisfactory performance of the Caymanian students in the CSEC

Mathematics examinations is a cause for concern. The study of Mathematics is very

important, as it is the subject area in which students are taught about problem-solving.

Knowledge and understanding of mathematics concepts fosters the quality of human lives

because they impact on how humans think and function as citizens in any society. A

thorough understanding of mathematics not only prepares students to become worthwhile

citizens but also enables them to develop their thinking skills that will enable them to

function effectively in any career of their choice (Chan,2008).

The dismal Mathematics performance of the students suggests that they are likely

to be less likely to think logically and critically as well as qualify for further studies in

certain necessary and technical fields. Perhaps, that is the reason why Caymanians depend

so heavily on expatriates in the highly skilled areas such edicalaccounting, land surveying,

electrical and mechanical engineering, medicine and banking. This is because it is becoming

increasing difficult to put their own people in such positions due to the unavailability of

their own citizens in such fields . As a result, the Caymanian government might have to

increase the number of expatriates to fill the gap in the job market. This may lead to more

expenses on part of their government as sourcing and recruiting expatriates is an expensive

and a time-consuming process.

High school students are not learning Mathematics the way they should because

their errors and misinterpretations in the previous years are still evident in the CSEC

Reports of 2000-2008. Interestingly, some of these errors have been written about in the

CSEC reports in the past tenfive years, yet no progress has been made. In 2004, the students

who sat the CSEC in Mathematics found it difficult to plot a straight line given the points

and a gradient. They also demonstrated an inability to write down the equation of the line.

Students’ lack of knowledge was on the relation of these concepts. They demonstrated their

inability to show clear and mathematically correct responses to the questions asked (CSEC

Report, 2004).
 In the report National Consensus on the Future of Education in the Cayman

Islands (2005) grave concerns were raised:

The government received tough messages from the stakeholders in our education

system...evidence exists that suggest that too many of their students were

leaving high school with very few recognised qualifications and in several

cases, very poor standards of literacy and numeracy” (National

Consensus on the Future of Education in the Cayman Islands, 2005,

p.4).

Several prominent groups in the Caymanian society that insisted that the areas

that should be given more emphasis are in information and communication technology

(ICT) and critical thinking skills were later cited in the report. The ability to think critically

is one of the benefits of good mathematics teaching and learning (CXC Mathematics

Syllabus, 2008). It is because of this basic requirement for such an important subject that it

is imperative that alternative ways of teaching this subject in the most effective and efficient

way possible are investigated.

To this end, the Caymanian government launched a range of activities to

change the way in which teaching and learning takes place in the Cayman Islands.

These included: numerous professional development seminars with educators who

were experts in their particular subject area especially Mathematics and the

exploration of the use of other components of ICT in teaching and learning (Survey of

ICT and Education in the Caribbean Volume II: Country Reports, 2009).

Interactive whiteboard and teaching

 Research is constantly providing new methods for educators to use and technologies

have been developed to provide many kinds of tools ideally suited for the classrooms. One

such tool is the Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) a component of the new initiative to

incorporate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into education .The IWB

provides teachers with a variety of teaching strategies that the traditional whiteboard does

not offer. This makes it possible to appeal to the different learning styles that student’s

exhibit, namely: visual, auditory, tactile and kinaesthetic, and to offer a variety of materials

for students to interact with ( Radcliff,2004).Several studies have supported the use of IWB

in the classroom(Armstrong, Barnes et al., 2005;Beeland, 2002; Gerard, 1999; Glover &

Miller, 2001; Greiffenhagen,2000; Oleksiw, 2005; Presig, 2000;Wall, Higgins, & Smith,

2005).

SMART Technologies Incorporated published a White Paper on Interactive

Whiteboards and Learning: A review of Classroom Cases Studies and Research Literature

(2004) which reported that when teachers use the IWB, students get a chance to become

more engaged in lessons. This may result in improved performance of students in the

particular subject area that they are taught. In addition, students may also become actively

involved in their own learning, encouraging more retention and comprehension of facts.

Learners’ attitudes towards mathematics

It has been suggested that the attitudes which students hold towards specific

subject areas are related to their academic performance in these subjects. (Brodie, 1994;

McBee & Duke, 1990). Evans (1985) has cited the work of Jordan (1986) who reported

coefficients ranging from +0.21 for English and Geography to +0.33 for Mathematics. Kahn
(1969) and Williams (1970) also obtained significant relationships between students’

attitude scores and measures of academic performance.

Learners’ attitudes to the interactive whiteboard (IWB)

The IWB is seen as the use of computer technology as a means of improving

students’ engagement and attitudes towards school subjects. Reviews of research on

students’ attitudes towards the IWB shown positive increases in students’ attitudes or

learner engagement towards the IWB (Arkansas, Kasimatis & Gialamas, 2009;Chin-Seng &

Wen-Bin,2010;Eskil,Ozan& Balkar,2010; Kahvec,2010; Reed, Drivers & Kirsches,

2010;Rohaan,Taconis & Jochens,2010).

Interactive whiteboards and students’ mathematics performance

Many researches exist that champion the use of IWB to improve students’

performance in mathematics and other subjects.The literature also says that when IWBs are

used correctly,they can improve the performance of students in mathematics (Moss, Jewitt,

Amstrong, Cardini & Castle, 2007; Swan, Schenker & Kratwski, 2008; Paino, 2009).

However, there are other studies that have reported no statistically significant improvement

in students’ performance when exposed to the IWBs (e.g., Higgins,

Falzon,Hall,Moseley,Smith,Smith,Wall,2005;Moss,Jewitt, Amstrong, Cardini & Castle,

2007).

Gender differences in students’ mathematics performance

The role of gender in mathematics students’ performance has been

highlighted in several studies .It has been reported that under the correct

circumstances instances of one gender outperforming the other does occur ( Brandell

& Staberg, 2008; Goos, Brown & Makar, 2008; Kahveci, 2010; Mondejar-Jimenez,
2010; Ocak,2008; Panmuk, 2009). However, studies exist that show no relationship

between students’ gender and their performance in mathematics (Duatepe-Paksu &

Ubuz, 2009; Faroog & Shah,2008).

Socioeconomic background differences in students’ mathematics performance

Research exists that on the relationship between the learners’ socioeconomic

background (SEB) and performance in mathematics (Abedi & Lord, 2001; Trusty, Plata &

Kok-Mun Ng, 2000; Williams, 1997). This is important because, this allows for

administrators to plan for situations that would have been disadvantageous to students from

a lower SEB.

Socioeconomic background and students’ attitudes towards the use of the interactive

whiteboard

Although there is little recent research on how students’ socio-economic

background (SEB) relates to the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) by

girls, there are older studies which suggest it can be a significant factor. Volman and van

Eck (2001) cite two studies from the mid-1990s, one from the UK, one from the USA,

which looked at the combined effect of the SEB and gender on young people’s attitudes

towards computers. Both studies found that while lower socio-economic status was related

to lower levels of interest in computers for both genders, this was truer of girls than boys. A

possible explanation offered for this is the prevalence of traditional gender roles found in

lower-SES households and the extent to which parents encourage girls and boys to use the

computer. Sanders (2005) similarly noted that higher parental educational achievement is

correlated with greater encouragement of girls in the use of ICT.

Rationale for the study

A review of the CXC-CSEC mathematics reports from 20002000 to 2002008

revealed that there were many topics that Caribbean students found very challenging and

continued to perform poorly on. Coordinate geometry was one of these topics and it

appeared every year in the compulsory section of paper 2 as well as in the multiple-choice

paper (paper 1). The downward trend of the passes on this particular question gives a cause

for concern. The CXC-CSEC markers

Table 1.3 shows the maximum possible points, and the mean of Caribbean

students’ performance on the coordinate geometry question of paper two in the general

proficiency of CXC-CSEC mathematics examinations over the period 2004-2008.The data

show graduala gradual decline in students’ performance on coordinate geometry with slight

increases in 2002 and 2009 exams.

Table 1.3
Maximum possible point and the mean percentages of Caribbean students’ performance on
the Coordinate Geometry question of paper two in the general proficiency of CXC-CSEC
mathematics over the period 2004-2008
Year Maximum points Mean percentages

2004 10 3.39

2005 11 3.46

2006 11 2.49

2007 12 2.05

2008 12 1.70

2009 15 2.50
 Further support for the topic, coordinate geometry, comes from the fact that

Graphs as well as other aspects of coordinate geometry are often encountered in everyday

life such as in the Maps, Road Construction, and Architecture,Building, structural

engineering and even more recently the development and use of Global Positioning Systems

(GPS). In fact the GIS Lounge and DM Geographics, LLC (2009) defines coordinate

geometry as a method of defining geometric features through the input of bearing and

distance measurements. Coordinate Geometry (COGO) functions are typically used by land

surveyors to enter traverses around spatial features such as parcels of land, calculating

precise locations and boundaries, measuring distances and bearings from reference points,

and to define curves using a point location, radius, arc-length, and so on.

The Cayman Islands are always undergoing development in every aspect of

society. In addition, the recent devastating impact of hurricane Ivan in 2004 on the Cayman

Islands and the extensive damage to its basic infrastructure INCOMPLETE STATEMENT.

The continuous rebuilding coupled with other Such developments require the presence of

engineers in nearly every field. This is a gap which the Caymanians are finding difficult to

fill as evidenced by the fact that over 45% of the Islands 49,000 inhabitants are expatriates

(Government website Survey Department, 2005-2006).

. A resource and recruitment officer in the Cayman Islands laments the lack of

local suitably qualified and skilled workers. Many careers and jobs that the Government in

the Cayman Islands offer are in fields that are linked to Coordinate Geometry. Examples

are: Architecture, Carpentery, Engineering, Artist /Graphic Designers, Math Teacher,

Woodworking, Furniture Design, Landscaper, Interior Designer, Stage Crew/Set Design,

Fashion Designers (for a theatre performance). In fact, this researcher was recruited along
with dozens of teachers in 2006 to fill teaching vacancies in Mathematics and other areas.

All the teachers recruited would have had a pass in CSEC Mathematics of which Coordinate

Geometry was a component. or something).Coordinate Geometry is an intricate and

integral part of almost any engineering course or training (Nopiah, Asshaari & Yaacob,

2009).. Hence, it is very important for individuals to master this aspect of mathematics

especially in a fast-paced world of ours today. Yet, the CSEC (2001-2008) reports showed

that many students are performing poorly in Coordinate Geometry. The Coordinate

Geometry strand was also chosen because as far as this researcher knows, no studies exist

on Caymanian students’ mathematics performance in Coordinate Geometry.

Another justification for selecting this Thisresearch topic was also selected because,

although a vast number of research had been conducted internationally ( Aubrey Dahl, 2008;

Fennema & Carpenter,1981;Hayward et al., 2003; Selwyn & Bullon, 2000;

Higgins,Falzon,Hall,Mosley&Smith,2005; Lee & Lockheed,1990; Passey, 2004; Riodan, 1990;

SMART Technologies, 2008; Somekh et al. 2007; Thomas-Brantley, 1988; Waite et al.,2006;

Zvoch, 2002) to investigate the relationships among the independent variables of this study

namely, gender, SEB, attitudes towards the interactive whiteboard (IWB), and the

performance of students in mathematics. The findings were generally conflicting. In

addition, the researcher was unable to locate any local studies that had investigated the
relationships among the independent variables of this study and the performance of

Caymanian students in mathematics.

Most of the existing research has been conducted on the relationships among

students’ , gender, SEB, attitudes towards mathematics, science and computermost recently

technology in education and their performance in math, science and technology education.

Research on the use of the IWB is still relatively young, but new researches are adding to

the growing body of knowledge.

Although many studies are available on the effects of the IWB on students’ attitude,

gender, SEB and performance on mathematics, the researcher is unaware of any studies

done or published on the relationships among the attitudes towards the IWB, gender, and

SEB, and Caymanian year 10 students’ performance in coordinate geometry. This

researcher is also unaware of any studies that have been done that explored these variables

simultaneously. The results of some of this research have been conflicting. For example,

.Balanskat, Balmier and Kefala (2006) provided evidence from 17 studies on the impact of

the interactive whiteboard on teaching and learning. They cited instances of improvements

in students’ attitudes, performance and some relationships between these variables and

students’ SEB. However, they pointed out that some studies, while showing overall

improvements in students’ attitudes, did not report a corresponding gain in their academic

performance.

Miller (2006) showed that the use of the interactive whiteboard (IWB) initially

improved students’ attitudes but did not necessarily improve teaching and learning

especially in the teaching of mathematics. The most recent report for the Secondary

National Strategy in England suggested that many teachers tended not to use the interactive
capabilities of the whiteboard and that instead, they rely on presentation style

resources”(Miller,2006,p.1). Miller (2006) suggested that teachers triangulate their work at

the board, on the desk to create an impact in the pupils head. If teachers continue to use the

IWBs like this, it would then become very similar to using a multimedia projector or

overhead because the main feature of the Whiteboard is that it is interactive; this is key for

engaging learners via the wider variety of modalities, namely visual, auditory and tactile.

Because several variables are interacting in a learning environment, this

researcher is of the opinion that it is not sufficient to show that there is a strong statistically

significant correlation between one independent variable and academic performance. One

must also investigate the relationships among several independent variables that are

interacting in a learning environment and academic performance. With this in mind, the

researcher sought studies that simultaneously investigated the relationships among students’

gender, SEB, attitudes towards the IWB, and students’ mathematics performance. The

researcher was unable to locate any local or international studies that explored these

variables simultaneously. In light of these facts, the researcher is of the opinion that it is

both beneficial and important to investigate how these factors are related to selected

Caymanian Grade 10 students’ performance in Coordinate Geometry.

It is hoped that the exploration of this aspect of the IWB will help to improve

students’ attitudes, motivation and attainment in mathematics especially among Caymanian

students who have shown some degree of apathy towards education in the past few years.

Another reason is to fulfil the mandate of the Cayman Education Department, and by

extension the Caymans Island Government. Hence, one of the main justifications for this
 study was to find out if the performance of Caymanian grade 10 students taught coordinate

geometry with the lecture method (which included the use of the overhead projector) and

IWB would be significantly better than that of their counterparts taught using only the

lecture method.

Objectives of the Study

The objectives of the study were to find out if there are significant

(a) differences in the experimental and comparison group students’ (a) pretest and (b)

posttest attitudes to the use of the interactive whiteboards (IWBs) in teaching of maths;

(b) differences in the coordinate geometry (a) pretest and (b) posttest scores of the

experimental and comparison group students;

(c) differences in the students’ posttest scores on the coordinate geometry test based on their

gender, socioeconomic background (SEB) treatment and posttest attitudes to the use of

the IWBs in the teaching of mathematics; and

(d) relationships among the students’ gender, SEB, treatment and posttest attitudes to the use

of the IWBs in the teaching of mathematics and their posttest performance on the

coordinate geometry test.

Research Questions

1. Are there any significant differences in the experimental and comparison group

students’ (a) pretest and (b) posttest attitudes to the use of the interactive whiteboards in

teaching of maths?

2. Are there any significant differences in the coordinate geometry (a) pretest and (b)

posttest scores of the experimental and comparision group students?

 3. Are there any significant differences in the students’ posttest scores on the coordinate

geometry test based on their gender, socioeconomic background (SEB) treatment and

posttest attitudes to the use of the whiteboards in the teaching of mathematics?

4. Are there any significant relationships among the students’ gender, SEB, treatment and

posttest attitudes to the use of the whiteboards in the teaching of mathematics and their

posttest performance on the coordinate geometry test?

Significance of the study

The findings in this study are likely to

1. make teachers and educators more aware of the extent to which there are statistically

significant relationships among the variables (gender, attitudes towards IWB, and SEB)

and the performance in coordinate geometry of grade 10 students in the Cayman Islands

or not;

2. make teachers better able to adapt their lesson to the needs of their students;

3. enable educators and politicians to make more informed decision as to the

appropriateness or use of IWB in classrooms; and

4. add to the body of information already in existence and provide a foundation for further

research on the topic especially in light of the fact that the researcher had not located any

study done on this topic.

Operational d

efinitions of key terms

Computer Technology in Education-

Interactive Whiteboard
 Interactive whiteboards (IWBs) are touch-sensitive new generation boards

that computers control that are connected to digital projectors. They

resemble traditional whiteboards and may be wall-mounted or placed on

stands. These boards have electronic sensors embedded in them thus

giving them the functionality of a very large, but flat and rectangular

mouse. They may be connected by Universal Serial Bus (USB)

and monitor cables to computers or the by Bluetooth technology. Images

on the screens are projected onto the whiteboards and there are

special pens that the user may use to write digitally on the screen or interact

with materials as with a mouse. Some boards may allow the use of fingers.

They are also capable of capturing screen images and video. Special

software from the manufactures allows users to maximise their full

features.

Mathematics performance

For the purpose of this study, academic performance referred to a

measure of how well students were performing in school.

Mathematics performance, one of the components of the broader

domain of academic performance, referred to students’

performance in school mathematics. Mathematics performance

scores were obtained from a statistics and probability test

constructed WERE THEY NOT FROM THE

COORDINATE GEOMETRY TEST” by the researcher, validated by the

 researcher’s supervisor and approved by the class teachers. In this study,

the generally accepted past mark of 50% is considered as satisfactory

performance.

Gender

In this study, gender refers to the sex of the students attending the school

in this sample. The institution at which this study was conducted

was co- educational.

Socioeconomic background (SEB)

According to Slavin (1997), SEB is regarded by many sociologists as a

measure of one’s position in society based on his/her level of income,

occupation, and education. In this study the SEB of the students was

determined by considering the occupational status of the

students’ parents or guardians. Students of parents/guardians who were

professionals were categorized as coming from a high SEB while

those whose parents/guardians were non-professionals were regarded as

coming from a low SEB.

Attitudes to or engagement with the IWB

This refers to the users’ general feelings to the use and interaction with IWB in

the teaching and learning process. For purposes of this study, students

were taught coordinate geometry using the IWB.They were allowed to not only to

view materials on the board but also to interact with it during lessons. Their

attitudes towards it werewas measured using an attitudes to IWB test.