The effects of multimedia-based instructional technology on Algebra I problem-solving skills of ninth through twelfth grade students with learning disabilities

This study explored the effects of multimedia-based instructional technology on Algebra I problem-solving skills of ninth through twelfth grade students with learning disabilities. It also explored how multimedia computer technology could be a potential supplemental teaching aid that teachers could use in addition to traditional classroom instruction. It focused particular attention on how students with learning disability perceived mathematics in grades ninth through twelfth.; All participants completed the following instruments: The Mathematics Perception Questionnaire; the Multimedia Demographic Questionnaire; and the High School Subject Test: Algebra I Form B 1988 edition, initially developed by American Testronics and revised and copyrighted by American College Testing (ACT) in 1990. The study used a 2 x 2 x 4 (type of instruction by gender by grade) pretest-posttest factorial design. Ninety participants from two schools were assigned to two nonequivalent groups: a multimedia instructional technology group and a regular classroom instruction group. The sample was composed of male and female students with learning disabilities in grades ninth through twelve.; To obtain a descriptive picture of the data, univariate and bivariate analysis of the data were employed. The Mathematics Perception Questionnaire yielded a Cronbach's alpha of .7969. The independent variables in this study were gender, method of instruction (multimedia vs. regular classroom instruction), and grade levels (9, 10, 11, and 12). The dependent variables in this study were: a summed Algebra I Problem-Solving Skills posttest composite variable, a summed Algebra I Problem-Solving Skills pretest covariate and a composite mean mathematics perception variable.; Two independent samples t tests were performed to assess differences in mathematics perception by gender and then by method of instruction (multimedia group vs. regular classroom instruction group). A One Way ANOVA was employed to measure differences in mathematics perception between grade levels. The results of the two independent samples t tests showed no statistically significant differences in perceived level of mathematics difficulty for either method of instruction or gender. The results of the One-Way ANOVA also showed no significant differences in perceived level of mathematics difficulty by grade level.; A 2 x 2 x 4 ANCOVA factorial design was performed to assess differences on the summed post-test measure of Algebra I Problem-Solving Skills with group, gender and grade as the individual factors and the summed pretest measure as the covariate. None of the main effects (method of instruction, gender, and grade) were statistically significant at the .05 level. None of the interaction effects were statistically significant at the .05 level. Implications and recommendations for future investigations were also discussed.