Fifth Grade Students’ Understanding of Ratio and Proportion in an Engineering Robotics Program

Araceli Martinez Ortiz

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Conference: 2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Vancouver, BC
Publication Date: June 26, 2011
Start Date: June 26, 2011
End Date: June 29, 2011
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: Robot Mania!
Tagged Division: K-12 & Pre-College Engineering
Page Count: 21
Page Numbers: 22.713.1 - 22.713.21
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--17994
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/17994
Download Count: 749

Paper Authors

biography

Araceli Martinez Ortiz Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

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Araceli currently serves as the Director for Educator Quality at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Her background includes over seven years of leadership experience in curriculum development, teaching, and policy development in public education and teacher education programs in Michigan, Massachusetts, and Texas. Her area of specialization is science, technology, engineering and math education. Her Ph.D. is in engineering education from Tufts University.

Prior to her transition to the Educational field, Araceli built a career as an engineer and business manager in the pharmaceutical, automotive and computer software industries after earning a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Master’s Degree in Engineering Management.

Her research interests include the studying the role of engineering education as a curricular and instructional strategy to support students’ mathematics and science learning with a special focus on students from traditionally underserved populations and understanding challenges and solutions for improving minority students’ career readiness and college success.

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Abstract

Fifth Grade Students’ Understanding of Ratio and Proportion in an Engineering Robotics Program The research described in this study explores the impact of utilizing a LEGO-‐robotics integrated engineering and mathematics program to support fifth grade students’ learning of ratios and proportion in an extracurricular program. One of the research questions guiding this research study was “ how do students’ test results compare for students learning ratio and proportion concepts within the LEGO-‐robotics integrated engineering and mathematics program versus when using a non-‐engineering textbook-‐based mathematics program?” A mixed method repeated measures experiment with a control group was conducted. The subjects were 30 fifth grade students from a large urban school district who participated in one of two intervention programs, a LEGO-‐robotics integrated engineering and mathematics program (experimental) versus a non-‐engineering textbook-‐based mathematics program (control). The understanding of ratio and proportion through numerical computation was measured using the Intra-‐Mathematical Proportional Reasoning Test (Intra-‐Prop). The understanding of ratio and proportion in general-‐context mathematical word problems was measured using the Extra-‐Mathematical Proportional Reasoning Test in a General Context (Extra-‐Prop) and the understanding of ratio and proportion in a LEGO engineering context was measured using a mathematical tool called Extra-‐Mathematical Proportional Reasoning Test in an Engineering Context (Engin-‐Prop). Students’ understanding of select basic engineering and mathematics definitions was measured using the Background and Definitions Test (Definitions Test). Data collected included classroom video, student interviews and written mathematical assessments of ratio and proportion problems in the four forms defined above, using repeated measures across three time periods-‐ prior to the beginning of the intervention programs, after the conclusion of the intervention program and ten weeks after the conclusion of the intervention program. The results of this study indicated that all students were able to make significant progressin learning new concepts of ratio and proportion as a result of participating in theintervention program learning experiences. Experimental students’ performance on theIntra-Prop was not significantly higher than that of the control students’ performance.However, experimental students’ performance on the Extra-Prop, Engin-Prop, andDefinitions tests was significantly higher than that of the control students, indicating thatstudents that learn about ratio and proportion in an engineering related context improve intheir understanding significantly and retain their learning for a longer period of timewhen they encounter these situations in an extra-mathematical context versus in an intra-mathematical context. In addition, and of special note to practitioners, is the fact thatstudents in the experimental group were able to learn at least as much and as well (if notmore) the mathematics content of ratio and proportion as compared to the control groupof students, and in addition, within the same amount of time, control group studentslearned and retained engineering and related ratio and proportion mathematics concepts.

Citation
Format

Ortiz, A. M. (2011, June), Fifth Grade Students’ Understanding of Ratio and Proportion in an Engineering Robotics Program Paper presented at 2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Vancouver, BC. 10.18260/1-2--17994

TY  - CPAPER
AB  -                  Fifth  Grade  Students’  Understanding  of  Ratio  and                   Proportion  in  an  Engineering  Robotics  Program  The  research  described  in  this  study  explores  the  impact  of  utilizing  a  LEGO-‐robotics  integrated  engineering  and  mathematics  program  to  support  fifth  grade  students’  learning  of  ratios  and  proportion  in  an  extracurricular  program.  One  of  the  research  questions  guiding  this  research  study  was  “  how  do  students’  test  results  compare  for  students  learning  ratio  and  proportion  concepts  within  the  LEGO-‐robotics  integrated  engineering  and  mathematics  program  versus  when  using  a  non-‐engineering  textbook-‐based  mathematics  program?”              A  mixed  method  repeated  measures  experiment  with  a  control  group  was  conducted.  The  subjects  were  30  fifth  grade  students  from  a  large  urban  school  district  who  participated  in  one  of  two  intervention  programs,  a  LEGO-‐robotics  integrated  engineering  and  mathematics  program  (experimental)  versus  a  non-‐engineering  textbook-‐based  mathematics  program  (control).  The  understanding  of  ratio  and  proportion  through  numerical  computation  was  measured  using  the  Intra-‐Mathematical  Proportional  Reasoning  Test  (Intra-‐Prop).  The  understanding  of  ratio  and  proportion  in  general-‐context  mathematical  word  problems  was  measured  using  the  Extra-‐Mathematical  Proportional  Reasoning  Test  in  a  General  Context  (Extra-‐Prop)  and  the  understanding  of  ratio  and  proportion  in  a  LEGO  engineering  context  was  measured  using  a  mathematical  tool  called  Extra-‐Mathematical  Proportional  Reasoning  Test  in  an  Engineering  Context  (Engin-‐Prop).  Students’  understanding  of  select  basic  engineering  and  mathematics  definitions  was  measured  using  the  Background  and  Definitions  Test  (Definitions  Test).  Data  collected  included  classroom  video,  student  interviews  and  written  mathematical  assessments  of  ratio  and  proportion  problems  in  the  four  forms  defined  above,  using  repeated  measures  across  three  time  periods-‐  prior  to  the  beginning  of  the  intervention  programs,  after  the  conclusion  of  the  intervention  program  and  ten  weeks  after  the  conclusion  of  the  intervention  program.  The results of this study indicated that all students were able to make significant progressin learning new concepts of ratio and proportion as a result of participating in theintervention program learning experiences. Experimental students’ performance on theIntra-Prop was not significantly higher than that of the control students’ performance.However, experimental students’ performance on the Extra-Prop, Engin-Prop, andDefinitions tests was significantly higher than that of the control students, indicating thatstudents that learn about ratio and proportion in an engineering related context improve intheir understanding significantly and retain their learning for a longer period of timewhen they encounter these situations in an extra-mathematical context versus in an intra-mathematical context. In addition, and of special note to practitioners, is the fact thatstudents in the experimental group were able to learn at least as much and as well (if notmore) the mathematics content of ratio and proportion as compared to the control groupof students, and in addition, within the same amount of time, control group studentslearned and retained engineering and related ratio and proportion mathematics concepts.
AU  - Araceli Martinez Ortiz
CY  - Vancouver, BC
DA  - 2011/06/26
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Fifth Grade Students’ Understanding of Ratio and Proportion in an Engineering Robotics Program
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/17994
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--17994
ER  -