EFFECTS OF A MATH-ENHANCED CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACH ON THE MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT OF AGRICULTURAL POWER AND TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to empirically test the hypothesis that students who participated in a contextualized, mathematics-enhanced high school agricultural power and technology curriculum and aligned instructional approach would develop a deeper and more sustained understanding of selected mathematical concepts than those students who participated in the traditional curriculum and instruction. This study included teachers and students from 38 high schools in the state of Oklahoma (18 experimental classrooms; 20 control classrooms). Students were enrolled in an agricultural power and technology course in the spring of 2004. The total number of students participating was 447 (206 experimental; 241 control). The experimental design employed was a posttest only control group design. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the study’s null hypothesis. The math-enhanced agricultural power and technology curriculum and aligned instructional approach did significantly affect (p < .05) a student’s need for postsecondary mathematics remediation as measured by a mathematics placement test used to determine a student’s need for remediation at the postsecondary level. A one-year replication of the study is recommended.