Calculator Access, Use, and Type in Relation to Performance on the SAT I: Reasoning Test in Mathematics

The Effect of Calculator Use on College Students’ Mathematical Performance

“…The researchers were able to confirm his findings, however, that age, sex, GPA, liking of STEM areas, quality of high school mathematics instruction, and ease with computers did not predict performance on the DT. Our results also suggest more than just small differences in mathematical performance when calculators are used as contrasted with the results found by Scheuneman et al (2002) and especially Bridgeman et al (1995) on the SAT.…”

“…Hanson, Brown, Levine, and Garcia (2001) compared the difference between standard calculators that were provided by the experimenter vs. those brought by 8th grade students, and found that performance was significantly higher for the group of students who used their own calculators as opposed to those who were given calculators with which they were not familiar. Bridgeman, Harvey, and Braswell (1995) did not find that SAT test-takers benefited from using calculators, but Scheuneman, Camara, Cascallar, Wendler, and Lawrence (2002) found small but significant differences in performance (i.e., 73 points higher with calculators). Collins and Mittag (2005) did not find that the mathematical performance of undergraduate students in statistics classes improved with the use of calculators.…”

Exploration of the Validity of Gender Differences in Mathematics Assessment Using Differential Bundle Functioning

“…However, girls were more likely to use calculators in the classroom and during examinations than boys. In fact, the use of calculators was associated with higher performance (Scheuneman et al, 2002). Hence, it seemed that allowing calculators to be used in a test appeared more favorable to girls than boys.…”

Calculator Use on the GRE® revised General Test Quantitative Reasoning Measure

“…During a 1996 and 1997 administration of the SAT (2 and 3 years after a calculator was allowed on the test), examinees were asked whether and what kind (four‐function, scientific, graphing, other) of calculator they brought to the test and in how many questions did they use the calculator (none, a few, about a third, about half, most). Scheuneman, Camara, Cascallar, Wendler, & Lawrence , see also Wendler, Zeller, & Allspach, ) analyzed this data (from more than 200,000 examinees). Results showed that almost all examinees brought a calculator, but only 15% used it for most of the items.…”