Does Calculator Use and Test Format Mask Weakness in Basic Math Ability? Experimtal Evidence in Principles of Economics

Results from an experiment in Fall 2013 of 971 incoming students at George Washington University are reported. In this experiment after students were given an assessment to ensure they had the necessary Algebra I skills to... [ view full abstract ]

Results from an experiment in Fall 2013 of 971 incoming students at George Washington University are reported. In this experiment after students were given an assessment to ensure they had the necessary Algebra I skills to take a Principles of Economics course, they were randomly allocated to a treatment or control group to test if there was a significant impact of test format, calculator use and type, and the interaction of calculator use/ type and test format on students scores. The results from this experiment do suggest that each treatment had a significant impact on students’ scores, with much variation depending on the type of question asked.