Assessing Student Openness to Inquiry-Based Learning in Precalculus

Abstract

The authors have completed a 2-year quasi-experimental study on the use of inquiry-based learning (IBL) in precalculus. This study included six traditional lecture-style courses and seven modified Moore method courses taught by three instructors. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were used to investigate the attitudes and beliefs of the students in each section. In this article, we provide a summary of those results with a particular focus on the Openness to IBL survey we developed for assessing student preferences for either student-centered or teacher-centered instruction. Although the majority of the students exhibited a strong preference for direct instruction, students whose scores favored student-centered approaches according to the survey also tended to perform better on the final exam, indicating that a key element to success in an IBL course may be students’ perceptions of the method.

Keywords:

• Precalculus
• modified Moore method
• inquiry-based learning

FUNDING

The authors would like to thank the Educational Advancement Foundation for supporting this research.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Thomas Cooper

Thomas Cooper is Associate Professor at UNG-Dahlonega. He received a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education at the University of Georgia in 2008. He is interested in the teaching and learning of mathematics at all levels, but he is especially interested in research on introductory level undergraduate courses.

Brad Bailey

Brad Bailey is a professor who first became interested in mathematics while he was a student at Armstrong in Savannah, GA. He earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics at Auburn University before joining the faculty at UNG. He enjoys living in Dahlonega for many reasons, but one of his favorite features of the area is the hilly terrain, which can make for challenging and exciting runs. Running, spending time with his family, as well as teaching and doing mathematics are all some of his favorite pastimes.

Karen Briggs

Karen Briggs is Professor of Mathematics at UNG-Dahlonega. She earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics in 2003 from the University of California, San Diego, specializing in enumerative and algebraic combinatorics. Her most recent scholarly endeavors have been in the areas of mathematics education and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Karen was an MAA Project NExT Fellow (Sepia Dot), and is excited to serve as the Georgia Director of the Southeastern section of the MAA. When she is not teaching, Karen enjoys spending time with her husband and two energetic children, with whom she particularly enjoys watching movies, swimming, and playing board games.

John Holliday

John Holliday earned his Bachelors of Science degree in both Mathematics and Computer Science in the Spring of 1997. In the Fall of 1997 he enrolled at Auburn University where he earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics specializing in Graph Theory in the Spring of 2004. John spent a year at the University of Tennessee at Martin before coming to the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega in 2005. He resides outside of Dahlonega and enjoys spending time outdoors with his son.