The Impact of Electronic Calculators on Educational Performance

Abstract

Thirty-four empirical studies at the elementary, secondary, and college level were reviewed concerning the impacts of electronic calculators on mathematics-related achievement and attitudes. The dominant research design was pretest-post test with the principal analytic procedure being ANOVA. In the typical study, an experimental group (usually one or more classes) was allowed to use calculators during their mathematics instruction whereas students in the control group were not. Results showed support for the computational benefits due to calculator use, especially when the calculators were also allowed on criterion tests. However, support for conceptual benefits was minimal. Hypothesized changes in general attitudes toward mathematics for those using calculators was unsupported, although effects on immediate and task-specific, affective measures were found. Interpretation of the results of many of the studies was hampered by defective research designs including assignment of students to conditions, contamination of treatment with control groups, control of the teacher variable, and the lack of use of calculators on the posttests.