A principal components model of simcalc mathworlds

Abstract

This study examines changes in student knowledge through a pretest/posttest assessment using data from an experimental research project on the effects of dynamic software on student outcomes in 7th-grade classrooms. Through a principal components analysis, we found that students who used the software had test results that clustered concepts differently than students who did not, grouping together test questions involving various representations of rate and proportionality. Students who did not use the software had test results that grouped test questions together based on surface features and proximity. We present a model showing how increased access to dynamic software leads to an increased ability to fuse concepts, where students add to their mental models and link various representations of the same mathematical concepts together. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.