The Effect of Calculator Use on College Students’ Mathematical Performance

Abstract

This experiment tested the effect that calculator use had on 200 randomly assigned college students' mathematical performance. The purposes of the current experiment were twofold: to measure the level of mathematical preparation of current college students, and to test whether calculators improve mathematical performance in such students as it does in precollege students. There was a significant difference in math performance between the two groups, with the calculator group outperforming the no-calculator group. The dozen demographic variables measured did not significantly predict performance. The improved mathematical improvement may not be due to calculators being easy but rather to the effect of learning experiences. Classroom policies concerning the use of calculators need to be evaluated and possibly changed.

Test Format and Calculator Use in the Testing of Basic Math Skills for Principles of Economics: Experimental Evidence

“…The impact from a calculator and multiple choice is similar. This contrasts the results of Bridgeman et al (1995), Boyle and Farreras (2015), and Schwarz et al (2002) which found no impact of calculator use on algebraic word problems. There is no significant interactive effect from having multiple choice and using a calculator.…”

“…They find no effect on algebraic word problems or problems about finding the area of a triangle. Boyle and Farreras (2015) find that college-level psychology students who are given a calculator on a simple math assessment performed better on basic multiplication, addition, and subtraction questions with no difference in performance on algebraic word problems. Scheuneman et al (2002) find that students with better math skills are more likely to use a calculator and therefore score better on the SAT math.…”

“…Research has found that students’ performance on a BMA or quiz has a statistically significant positive correlation with performance in principles of economics (Ballard & Johnson, 2004; Douglas & Sulock, 1995; Fennell & Foster, 2019; Hafer & Hafer, 2002; Schuhmann et al, 2005). It has also been found that test format and calculator use have a significant impact on college students’ ability to correctly answer basic math questions (Boyle & Farreras, 2015; Bridgeman, 1992; Chan and Kennedy, 2006; Frederiksen, 1984; Katz et al, 2000; Koop, 1982).…”

“…Questions were specifically chosen to have very simple calculations so that a calculator should not be necessary. In this way, these questions differ from questions used by many of the papers that make up our literature review, which use complicated numbers (Boyle & Farreras, 2015; Bridgeman, 1992; Bridgeman et al, 1995) and are more similar to the low-difficulty questions used in Katz et al (2000). Students have 30 min to complete the assessment.…”

“…Calculator use can have a significant impact on college students’ ability to correctly answer basic math questions (Boyle & Farreras, 2015; Koop, 1982). Boyle and Farreras (2015) find that having a calculator has a significant positive effect on the proportion of students who correctly answer certain questions when evaluating college students on basic math skills. Schwarz et al (2002) find that the type of calculator that students use matters when assessing Algebra I knowledge in high school students.…”