Comparing Traditional and Modern Teaching Methods in Mathematics Education: Effects on Undergraduate Students’ Achievement and Motivation

Abstract

This study explored the influence of teaching methodology and education level on college students’ mathematical achievement and motivation. We predicted the scores on respective measures to be higher for students in the modern teaching method as compared to the traditional teaching method, and that scores would increase with the level of mathematics education. Forty-three undergraduate students from a private liberal arts college participated in the experiment. A pretest-posttest design was used to examine mathematical achievement; the Mathematics Motivation Questionnaire was administered following the intervention to measure motivation. Interestingly, teaching method had little to no effect on student achievement, F(1, 37) = 2.00, p = .17, partial η2 = .05, and motivation, Wilks’ Lambda = .86, F(1, 41) = 1.25, p = .30, though the advanced and intermediate students scored significantly higher on the posttest, F(2, 37) = 3.96, p = .03, partial η2 = .18, and the motivation subscores of self-regulation, self-efficacy, and utility value, Wilks’ Lambda = .59, F(2, 40) = 2.16, p = .03, than the introductory students. Implications include instruction oriented toward motivating students on their mathematical abilities, encouraging connection and recall to previously learned concepts, and continued assessment of long-term influences of teaching methodology on success outcomes.