2
WGU C635 Task 3: Capstone Written Project
Chapters 1 - 3 |Latest Update with Complete
Solution
Jennifer Doyen
Western Governors University
C635 Task 3: Capstone Written Project Chapters 1 - 3
Shanna Childers
Mar 7, 2025
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study(B/C/D/E)................................................................................3
Research Topic Summarization (B) .............................................................................................3
K-6 Instructional Mathematical Problem and Significance (C) ...................................................4
Research Question(D) ..................................................................................................................5
Justification of the Need for this Study(E) ...................................................................................5
Chapter 2: Literature Review(F/G) ..................................................................................................6
Literature Review(F) ....................................................................................................................6
Literature Application(G) ...........................................................................................................13
Chapter 3: Methodology(H,I) .........................................................................................................14
Action Research Model(H1) ......................................................................................................14
Research Question(H2) ..............................................................................................................14
Participants(H3)..........................................................................................................................14
Data Collection(H4) ...................................................................................................................15
Security and Confidentiality(H5) ...............................................................................................17
Methodology Summarization(I) .................................................................................................17
References ......................................................................................................................................19
, 3
Chapter..1:..Introduction..to..the..Study(B/C/D/E)
Research..Topic..Summarization..(B)
In..this..action..research..study..of..my..sixth-
grade..mathematics..classroom,..I..am..going..investigate..the..use..of..calculators..and..whether..usin
g..them..on..application..type..word..problems..versus..paper..pencil..changes..their..individual..achie
vement...For..the..past..six..year..I..have..been..and..am..currently..employed..as..a..Junior..High..Mathe
matics..regular..education..teacher..full-
time...Prior..to..my..enrollment..to..WGU..to..earn..my..Master..of..Arts..in..Elementary..Mathematics.
.Education
(K-
6),..sixth..grade..mathematics..was..added..to..my..schedule...Previously..I..was..employed..as..a..self-
..contained..high..school..mathematics..teacher..for..students..with..cross-
categorical..disabilities...Soon..after..making..the..transition..from..special..education..to..regular..edu
cation,..I..realized..that..the..use..of..a..calculator..is..beneficial..in..both..settings..however,..more..prac
tice..and..allowed..in..the..special..education..classrooms...For..the..past..six-
years,..I..have..been..watching..the..impact..that..calculators..have..on..my..students,..and..now..experi
ence..and..knowledge..that..will..lead..me..through..this..course.
The..importance..of..this..study..is..to..prove..to..administration..that..using..calculators..as..ear
ly..as..sixth..grade..can..make..an..impact..in..their..understanding..of..mathematics...Moreover,..the..r
esearcher..would..like..to..present..the..data..to..the..state..assessment..team..she..is..a..part..of..to..demo
nstrate..to..them..how..adjusting..the..current..assessment..could..reflect..growth..more..accurately...Th
e..results..of..the..study..could..impact..teacher..evaluations..in..the..area..of..showing..student..growth.
.as..part..of..their..final..rating...The..literature..research..completed..by..the..researcher..was..remarka
bly..interesting..as..majority..of..it..proved..the..use..of..calculators..can..improve..students'..mathemat
ical..comprehension;..however,..there..is..so..much..doubt..around..it..still..in..society...According..to..
Kónya..and..Kovács..(2019),..“after..50..years,..when..calculators..are..more..widely..used..not..only..i
, 4
n..schools..but..in..everyday..life,..it..is..worth..redefining..its..role..as..an..education..tool..in..mathema
tical..education”..(p...181)...It..should..also..be..noted..that..currently,..standardized..tests..do..not..con
solidate
calculator..policies,..which..impacts..a..teacher's..decision..to..use..calculators..and/or..what..calculato
rs..to..use...Close..et..al..(2012),..states..that,..“in..both..phases,..the..students..with..calculators..achiev
ed..significantly..better..than..the..students..without..calculators”..(p...377).
K-6..Instructional..Mathematical..Problem..and..Significance..(C)
(1) Once..students..reach..middle..school,..sixth..grade..for..within..our..school..district,..the..
curriculum..moves..from..teaching..computation..skills..to..applying..those..skills..to..specific..topic
s..such..as..ratios..and..proportions,..expressions..and..equations,..geometry,..the..number..system,..a
nd..stats..and..probability...When..this..transition..happens,..we,..the..middle..school..teachers..at..No
komis..Junior..High..School,..noticed..that..a..considerable..number..of..students..failed..to..learn..th
ese..new..concepts..because..they..lacked..the..computational..skills..needed..to..solve..for..the..right.
.solutions.
(2) Calculator..use..in..the..classroom..has..been..questioned..by..educators..for..years...Living..
in..a..world..that..is..ever..changing..in..the..field..of..technology,..students..always..have..a..calculator..a
t..their..fingertips...To..help..students..find..greater..success,..we..should..teach..them..to..use..calculato
rs..to..find..computation..answers..when..embedded..in..application..type..math..problems...Students..
who..struggle..with..math..computation..skills,..typically..show..anxiety..during..assessments...While..
giving..students..a..summative..assessment,..will..the..use..of..a..scientific..calculator..help..students..s
how..growth...While
there..is..still..so..much..to..consider..we..do..know..that..Groves..(1994)..research..showed..that,..“children
with..long-term..experience..of..calculators..performed..better..than..children..without..such..experience
on..a..range..of..computation..and..estimation..tasks..and..some.."real..world"..problems;..exhibited..better
knowledge..of..number,..particularly..place..value,..decimals..and..negative..numbers;..made..more
appropriate..choices..of..calculating..device;..and..were..better..able..to..interpret..their..answers..when
WGU C635 Task 3: Capstone Written Project
Chapters 1 - 3 |Latest Update with Complete
Solution
Jennifer Doyen
Western Governors University
C635 Task 3: Capstone Written Project Chapters 1 - 3
Shanna Childers
Mar 7, 2025
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study(B/C/D/E)................................................................................3
Research Topic Summarization (B) .............................................................................................3
K-6 Instructional Mathematical Problem and Significance (C) ...................................................4
Research Question(D) ..................................................................................................................5
Justification of the Need for this Study(E) ...................................................................................5
Chapter 2: Literature Review(F/G) ..................................................................................................6
Literature Review(F) ....................................................................................................................6
Literature Application(G) ...........................................................................................................13
Chapter 3: Methodology(H,I) .........................................................................................................14
Action Research Model(H1) ......................................................................................................14
Research Question(H2) ..............................................................................................................14
Participants(H3)..........................................................................................................................14
Data Collection(H4) ...................................................................................................................15
Security and Confidentiality(H5) ...............................................................................................17
Methodology Summarization(I) .................................................................................................17
References ......................................................................................................................................19
, 3
Chapter..1:..Introduction..to..the..Study(B/C/D/E)
Research..Topic..Summarization..(B)
In..this..action..research..study..of..my..sixth-
grade..mathematics..classroom,..I..am..going..investigate..the..use..of..calculators..and..whether..usin
g..them..on..application..type..word..problems..versus..paper..pencil..changes..their..individual..achie
vement...For..the..past..six..year..I..have..been..and..am..currently..employed..as..a..Junior..High..Mathe
matics..regular..education..teacher..full-
time...Prior..to..my..enrollment..to..WGU..to..earn..my..Master..of..Arts..in..Elementary..Mathematics.
.Education
(K-
6),..sixth..grade..mathematics..was..added..to..my..schedule...Previously..I..was..employed..as..a..self-
..contained..high..school..mathematics..teacher..for..students..with..cross-
categorical..disabilities...Soon..after..making..the..transition..from..special..education..to..regular..edu
cation,..I..realized..that..the..use..of..a..calculator..is..beneficial..in..both..settings..however,..more..prac
tice..and..allowed..in..the..special..education..classrooms...For..the..past..six-
years,..I..have..been..watching..the..impact..that..calculators..have..on..my..students,..and..now..experi
ence..and..knowledge..that..will..lead..me..through..this..course.
The..importance..of..this..study..is..to..prove..to..administration..that..using..calculators..as..ear
ly..as..sixth..grade..can..make..an..impact..in..their..understanding..of..mathematics...Moreover,..the..r
esearcher..would..like..to..present..the..data..to..the..state..assessment..team..she..is..a..part..of..to..demo
nstrate..to..them..how..adjusting..the..current..assessment..could..reflect..growth..more..accurately...Th
e..results..of..the..study..could..impact..teacher..evaluations..in..the..area..of..showing..student..growth.
.as..part..of..their..final..rating...The..literature..research..completed..by..the..researcher..was..remarka
bly..interesting..as..majority..of..it..proved..the..use..of..calculators..can..improve..students'..mathemat
ical..comprehension;..however,..there..is..so..much..doubt..around..it..still..in..society...According..to..
Kónya..and..Kovács..(2019),..“after..50..years,..when..calculators..are..more..widely..used..not..only..i
, 4
n..schools..but..in..everyday..life,..it..is..worth..redefining..its..role..as..an..education..tool..in..mathema
tical..education”..(p...181)...It..should..also..be..noted..that..currently,..standardized..tests..do..not..con
solidate
calculator..policies,..which..impacts..a..teacher's..decision..to..use..calculators..and/or..what..calculato
rs..to..use...Close..et..al..(2012),..states..that,..“in..both..phases,..the..students..with..calculators..achiev
ed..significantly..better..than..the..students..without..calculators”..(p...377).
K-6..Instructional..Mathematical..Problem..and..Significance..(C)
(1) Once..students..reach..middle..school,..sixth..grade..for..within..our..school..district,..the..
curriculum..moves..from..teaching..computation..skills..to..applying..those..skills..to..specific..topic
s..such..as..ratios..and..proportions,..expressions..and..equations,..geometry,..the..number..system,..a
nd..stats..and..probability...When..this..transition..happens,..we,..the..middle..school..teachers..at..No
komis..Junior..High..School,..noticed..that..a..considerable..number..of..students..failed..to..learn..th
ese..new..concepts..because..they..lacked..the..computational..skills..needed..to..solve..for..the..right.
.solutions.
(2) Calculator..use..in..the..classroom..has..been..questioned..by..educators..for..years...Living..
in..a..world..that..is..ever..changing..in..the..field..of..technology,..students..always..have..a..calculator..a
t..their..fingertips...To..help..students..find..greater..success,..we..should..teach..them..to..use..calculato
rs..to..find..computation..answers..when..embedded..in..application..type..math..problems...Students..
who..struggle..with..math..computation..skills,..typically..show..anxiety..during..assessments...While..
giving..students..a..summative..assessment,..will..the..use..of..a..scientific..calculator..help..students..s
how..growth...While
there..is..still..so..much..to..consider..we..do..know..that..Groves..(1994)..research..showed..that,..“children
with..long-term..experience..of..calculators..performed..better..than..children..without..such..experience
on..a..range..of..computation..and..estimation..tasks..and..some.."real..world"..problems;..exhibited..better
knowledge..of..number,..particularly..place..value,..decimals..and..negative..numbers;..made..more
appropriate..choices..of..calculating..device;..and..were..better..able..to..interpret..their..answers..when
