Blocking the Compulsion to Calculate in Mathematics Learning

• In Event: Poster Session 1
  In Poster Session: Research in Mathematics Teaching and Learning

Abstract

As many students struggle with math, it is important to understand how to improve their mathematical skills. We investigated how compulsion to calculate (CTC) and blocking CTC affected student learning in math. Two studies were run, one with conceptual and the other with procedural explanations, both allowing for CTC and blocking CTC. In the experiment using conceptual explanations, blocking CTC proved beneficial for students with low prior knowledge in math, to the point where they performed similarly to students with high prior knowledge. With procedural explanations, low prior knowledge students performed poorly compared to high prior knowledge. To help increase math learning, it is vital to understand how students with different levels of prior math knowledge approach problem-solving.

Authors

• Alyssa Lawson, California State University - Los Angeles

• Arineh Mirinjian

• Ji Son