Get the Math: The Impact of Online Videos and Games on Students’ Algebraic Reasoning

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Abstract

An embedded assessment approach was used to evaluate the educational impact of Get the Math, a multimedia project that employs online videos and interactive, game-like challenges to engage middle and high school students in meaningful algebraic problem solving. Students (N = 112) completed three online modules (concerning proportional reasoning, linear relationships, and quadratic functions), plus corresponding pretest tasks, recording their work on accompanying worksheets. Worksheet responses were analyzed via detailed coding scheme reflecting the mathematical completeness and sophistication of their algebraic reasoning. Results indicated that, while working on each of the modules, students produced significantly more complete and sophisticated solutions than they had in the pretest (p < .001). Thus, Get the Math succeeded in prompting more sophisticated algebraic reasoning performance than students exhibited previously. Implications are discussed with regard to both learning from media and embedded assessment as a methodology for research and classroom assessment.

Author

• Shalom M. Fisch, MediaKidz Research and Consulting