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Implementation of ACT Practice and
Test-Taking Strategies into the Math Classroom and
Its Effects on Self Efficacy and Achievement
Investigator: Nate Speidel
Introduction
Many of my students seem ill-prepared for the high stakes, standardized format of college entrance exams. I believe that some students lack confidence in their ability to approach standardized test questions. A lack of solid instruction and negligence in college entrance exam preparation has resulted in unacceptable scores at my school. Additionally, there has been a shortage of intentionality and supplemental aid to help ensure standardized test-taking success. The familiarity with assessment types, confidence and overall school culture in achievement, and psychological state of readiness may play a role in standardized test results.
Purpose of Research
In this study I will explore methods to improve math ACT self-efficacy and testing achievement by exposing Algebra II students to ACT math questions and standardized test-taking strategies. Factors such as time management, eliminating choices, and question presentation will be addressed throughout the process; open discussion will be encouraged in order to familiarize students to the question types and reduce intimidation of ACT testing. Through these methods, I hope to see an improvement in student’s sense of self-efficacy in and achievement on the math section of the ACT exam.
Research Questions/Hypothesis
Research Question: Does incorporating ACT practice and test-taking strategies into my existing Algebra II math curriculum improve self-efficacy and test results on the official ACT exam?
Hypotheses: The incorporation of ACT questions and exposure to test-taking strategies into the existing math curriculum will improve test-taking confidence and overall math section ACT scores.
Literature Review
According to Montgomery and Lilly (2011), college and university entrance exam scores carry a heavier weight in college admissions than expected, often influencing the likelihood of acceptance and scholarship. Institutions of higher education are placing an ever-growing dependence upon standardized reasoning ability examination scores. “In the extreme case, admission is based solely on each student’s score on a college entrance exam” (Liu & Neilson, 2011, p. 2). An increased focus on preparing students for post-secondary school success continues, and consequently, more and more states have begun to use college admissions and placements programs as a medium to ensure accurate assessment of college readiness (ACT, 2009).
Coaching
Coaching can be defined as “instructions given in preparation for taking a test that are designed to elicit maximum performance by the coached examinee” (Montgomery & Lilly, 2011, p. 2) and may involve test familiarization, practice, instruction in test-taking strategy, and highly focused content teaching. Coaching emerged almost simultaneously with the use of college entry examinations in the United States in the late 1940s; these services were widely utilized from the start (Montgomery & Lilly, 2011). It would appear that college-entry coaching is not going away any time soon as commercial test preparation enrollment continues to grow (Briggs, 2001). Given the great varieties in coaching methods, each has assumed its supporters and critics.
Supplying clarification for the inconsistency between these two academic camps is a systematic review of 10 studies that assessed the effectiveness of coaching on college entrance exams; seven of the 10 studies examined classroom-based coaching. Though not all findings were consistent, the overall consensus confirmed that coaching does significantly improve scores, especially math scores (Montgomery & Lilly, 2011). It is important to note that the increases in scores were more significant with long coaching programs of more than eight hours than those conducted for less than eight hours, or short coaching programs (Montgomery & Lilly, 2011). Findings suggest that improvement of scores is a function of time spent on coaching efforts.
Self-Efficacy
According to Nicolaidou and Philippou (n.d.), self-efficacy “signifies a person’s beliefs concerning her or his ability to successfully perform a given task or behavior” (p. 3). Bandura (1986), in her social cognitive theory, asserted that “self efficacy is a major determinant of the choices that individuals make, the effort they expend, and emotional reactions they experience” (p. 3) toward these goals. Parjares (1996) agreed, “Students’ self-efficacy beliefs help determine what students will do with the knowledge and skills they possess. As a consequence, academic performances are highly influenced and predicted by students’ perceptions of what they believe they can accomplish” (p. 325).
School Culture
An overall healthy school and mathematics culture seems to be the most complete solution to the charge given by the ACT (2005) article, “Crisis at the Core,” which stated that “improving college readiness is crucial to the development of a diverse and talented labor force that is able to maintain and increase U.S. economic competitiveness through the world” (p. 1).
Research Methods
Sample/Technique
This coming August will mark my fourth year as a high school math teacher. Working in a relatively small, private high school of approximately 100 students, I am able to interact with almost all students grades 9-12. For the study, however, participants will be comprised of 20 juniors in my Algebra II class; this is an optimal group since the official ACT exam is first administered to students in the spring semester of their junior year.
Data Collection Instruments
Given all necessary criteria are met, I will begin the study by using a Likert-scale survey (see Appendix D) to measure current student perception of their attitude toward and degree of ACT readiness. These results will establish a reference for comparative analysis alongside an identical post-survey given at the end of the third nine-weeks. Though improving students’ performance on the college entry exam is the ultimate standard in this study, such a survey will assess the equally important student confidence level, attitude of readiness, and self-efficacy in ACT testing.
Shortly after the pre-survey, I will administer a mock ACT exam (see Appendix E) given under similar conditions and guidelines as the official exam. The exams will be evaluated and receive an ACT score from 5-36. Once students’ scores have been returned, I will help with the interpretation and identification of content-specific strengths and weaknesses. The interpretation of results is not a major aspect of the study; however, I believe it is important for students to understand how the exam is scored and what their individual scores mean. Completion of the ACT practice test will hopefully give students a more experiential perspective of the ACT and serve as an important source for comparative statistics later in the study.
Between the pre- and post-assessments there will be relatively little data collection. ACT practice questions (see Appendix F) will be incorporated into in-class review 2-3 times weekly as well as 2-5 questions at the end of each chapter test. ACT test-taking tips, strategies, and general math content established by the ACT may be infused within class discussion (see Appendix G, H, and I, respectively). Finally, informal observation documented in a researcher journal will be used to record any notable student activity as well as my reflections about the research, student engagement, and perceived effectiveness of the intervention.
A Likert-scale post-survey (see Appendix D) will be used to measure potential change in student perception of ACT readiness at the end of the third quarter, just prior to the official ACT exam. The official exam will default to the jurisdiction of ACT and their specified guidelines.
The final method for collecting data will be a semi-structured questionnaire (see Appendix J). Inductive analysis will be used to produce a more holistic perspective on students’ experience. Comparative analysis with respect to the quantitative methods described above will help to ensure accuracy and provides an opportunity for closure on the study.
Human Protection Issues
Informed Consent
A parent/guardian consent form will be used to obtain permission to use student survey responses, ACT scores, and reflection data in the analysis for this study. A student assent form will also be used to inform the students of the same methods and gain their assent. See parent/guardian consent and student assent forms in Appendix A and Appendix B, respectively.
The pre- and post-surveys (see Appendix D) will include student names for the purpose of matching pre-study and post-study responses. The mock and official ACT exams will also include student names for the purpose of matching pre-study and post-study scores. Responses to ACT-practice test questions included on chapter tests (see Appendix F) will include names of students due to grading purposes. However, the questionnaires (Apendix J) will be kept anonymous. Once data have been collected from the surveys and exams, the documents will be kept in a locked cabinet. Electronic data will be kept on a password-protected computer. Upon completion and defense of the research project, all surveys and tests will be destroyed.
Timeline of the Study
My action research project will take place over the third quarter of the 2011-12 school year. Data will be analyzed and conclusions will be drawn in the months to follow.
References
ACT. (2005). Crisis at the core: Preparing all students for college and work. Retrieved from http://www.act.org/research/policymakers/ reports/crisis.html
ACT. (2009). Statewide administration of the ACT: A key component in improving student access to college and work. Case study. Retrieved from http://www.act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/coil_benefits.pdf
ACT. (2011). The condition of college & career readiness, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.act.org/research/policymakers/cccr11/
Allalouf, A., & Ben-Shakhar, G. (1998). The effect of coaching on the predictive validity of scholastic aptitude tests. Journal of Educational Measurement, 35(1),31-47. doi:10.1111/j.1745-3984.1998.tb00526.x
American Association of State Colleges and Universities. (2005, July). Improving alignment, advancing students-demands and opportunities for states, systems, and campuses. Perspectives. Retrieved from http://www.aascu.org/uploadedFiles/AASCU/Content/Root/PolicyAndAdvocacy/PolicyPublications/05_perspectives%282%29.pdf
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thoughts and actions: a social cognitive theory. Englwood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York, NY: Freeman.
Blackwell, L. S., Trzesniewski, K. H., & Dweck, C. (2007). Implicit theories of intelligence predict achievement across an adolescent transition: A longitudinal study and an intervention. Child Development, 78(1), 246-263. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.00995.x
Briggs, D. (2001). The effect of admissions test preparation: Evidence from NELS:88, Chance, 14(1), 10–21.
Brooks, D. (2011, June 30). Smells like school spirit. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/01/opinion/ 01brooks.html
Croft, M., & Waltman, K. (2005, April). The impact of school-level accountability on local test preparation practices. Paper presented at the meeting of National Council on Measurement in Education, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Dweck, C. S., & Leggett, E. L. (1988). A social–cognitive approach to motivation and personality. Psychological Review, 95(2), 256–273.
Hackett, G., & Bentz, N. E. (1989). An exploration of the mathematics self-efficacy/mathematics performance correspondence. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 202(3), 261-273.
Lai, E. R., & Waltman, K. (2008). Test preparation: Examining teacher perceptions and practices. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 27(2),28-45. doi:10.1111/j.1745-3992.2008.00120.x
Liu, L., & Neilson, W. S. (2011). High scores but low skills. Economics of Education Review, 30(3), 507-516. doi:10.1016/j.econedurev.2010.12.004
Mehrens, W. A., & Kaminski, J. (1989). Methods for improving standardized test scores: Fruitful, fruitless, or fraudulent? Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 8(1),14-22. doi:10.1111/j.1745-3992.1989.tb00304.x
Montgomery, P., & Lilly, J. (2011). Systematic reviews of the effects of preparatory courses on university entrance examinations in high school-age students. International Journal of Social Welfare. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2397.2011.00812.x
Moore, W. P. (1994). Appropriate test preparation: Can we reach a consensus? Educational Assessment, 2(1), 51.
Nicolaidou, M., & Philippou, G. (n.d.). Attitudes toward mathematics, self-efficacy, and achievement in problem solving. Thematic Group 2, European Research in Mathematics Education lll. Retrieved http://www.dm.unipi.it/~didattica/CERME3/proceedings/Groups/TG2/TG2_nicolaidou_cerme3.pdf
Pajares, F. (1996). Self-efficacy beliefs and mathematical problem-solving of gifted students. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 21(4), 325.
Schraw G., Horn C., Thorndike-Christ T., & Bruning R. (1995). Academic goal orientations and student classroom achievement. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 20(3), 359-368.
Zimmerman, B. (2000). Self-efficacy: An essential motive to learn. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 82-91. doi:10.1006/ceps.1999.1016
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Appendices
Appendix A
Research Parent/Guardian Consent Form
Implementation of ACT Practice and
Test-Taking Strategies into the Math Classroom and
Its Effects on Self Efficacy and Achievement
Nate Speidel
Invitation to Participate
Your child is invited to participate in a study of methods to improve both confidence and achievement on the math section of the ACT. This college entrance exam is an important part of ensuring student opportunity and success at the next academic level. The study is being conducted by Nate Speidel, mathematics instructor at Shiloh Christian School, and a graduate student at Minot State University.
Basis for Subject Selection
Your child has been selected because he/she is I my Algebra II class. This class has been chosen because they will be taking the official ACT exam during the same year as Algebra II. If everyone agrees to participate there will be 20 students who meet the criteria for the study.
Purpose of the Research
I am currently completing work toward my Masters of Arts in Teaching: Mathematics degree through Minot State University. For my final degree requirement, I am conducting an action research project during quarter 3, January 16th through March 16th, to determine if the incorporation of math ACT questions and test-taking strategies during in-class review and chapter tests increases students’ perception of math ACT readiness and/or helps to improve scores on the math section of the ACT exam.
Specific Procedures
Students in this Algebra II class will cover the normal Algebra II curriculum while completing practice ACT questions occasionally throughout the class. At the beginning of the study, your student will complete a survey to assess his/her current attitude toward the math section of the ACT. Throughout the quarter, students will attempt ACT practice questions during in-class review and tests. These questions will be used to familiarize students with the question format as well as prompt discussion about test-taking strategies and important math content covered on the ACT. At the end of the quarter, students will complete a survey again to assess their attitudes toward the math section of the ACT. Survey responses, test scores, and my observations will be analyzed to determine any effects. None of the students in my class will be identified in the results. Mrs. Mitzel, principle of Shiloh Christian School, has approved this research study.