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A Formative Analysis of the Use of Blogging
in Secondary School Mathematics
Robin Kay
Professor
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Oshawa, Canada
robin.kay@uoit.ca
Tracy Murray
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Oshawa, Canada
Tracy.Murray@uoit.ca
Abstract: Reports worldwide indicate that students are having difficulty with mathematics, specifically
with their ability to communicate and problem-solve. This study investigated the impact of blogging in
grade nine classrooms on mathematical knowledge, communication and learning performance. A mixed
methodology including survey data, open-ended questions, performance tests, and blog analysis was used.
Twenty-seven participants (18 males, 7 females, 2 no response), 13-16 years old, participated in the study.
The results indicated that students had positive attitudes toward blogging in mathematics class. However,
only 30% of students rated blogging as a useful learning activity. Communication within the blog was
relatively limited over six weeks, however, learning performance increased for all three units covered
(slope, linear relationship, optimizations). Suggestions for improving the effectiveness of blogging are
provided.
Introduction
Today’s mathematics classroom must prepare students for their future roles in society, as mathematics is a
fundamental skill needed in our daily lives (Jordan, Glutting & Ramineni, 2010; Ku et al., 2014). However, reports
all over the world indicate that students are having difficulty with mathematics (EQAO, 2014; Mullis, Martin, Foy
& Arora, 2012; OECD, 2012). A limited ability to problem-solve, communicate and link mathematics to authentic
tasks may be partially explained by the way students are encouraged to learn. According to Skemp (2006), there are
at least two types of learning in mathematics: instrumental and relational learning. Instrumental learning is the
memorization of facts and procedures, whereas relational learning involves selecting different strategies and skills to
solve new, complex problems (Skemp, 2006). Although instrumental learning has the potential to increase self-
confidence, as students can often get the correct answer more quickly, it does not allow students to develop a deeper
understanding of the mathematical content (Baxter, Woodward & Olsen, 2005; Kostos & Shin, 2010). Some
evidence suggests that students who follow an instrumental learning regime are less able to problem solve and think
mathematically as they have not developed sufficient mathematical learning strategies and have limited
opportunities for communication in the classroom (Kostos & Shin, 2010; Richhart et al., 2011).
Technology has the potential to support and enhance mathematical communication within the classroom
and help build relational learning skills (Cheung & Slavin, 2013; Ellison & Wu, 2008). Blogs are one type of
educational technology that can promote written communication, foster interaction, and stimulate collaborative
learning to increase relational learning (Ciobanu, 2013; Deng & Yuen, 2011). Blogging is defined as online journals
or diaries that are logs (weblogs) of thoughts and reflections (MacBride & Luehmann, 2008). Writing in
mathematics has been studied as a tool to decrease math anxiety and increase mathematical learning and
communication (e.g., Koirala, 2002; Kostos & Shin, 2010). Blogging allows students to participate and share their
thinking at any time, from anywhere and at their own learning pace, thereby increasing overall student interactions
(Alterman & Larusson, 2013; Ciobanu, 2013). Blogging allows both peer-to-peer and peer-to-teacher interactions,
thus increasing mathematical communication (Davi, Frydenberg & Gulati, 2007; Yang & Chang, 2012).
The majority of research on blogging in the mathematics classroom has occurred in post-secondary
educational settings (Alterman & Larusson, 2013; Deng & Yuen, 2011; Ellison & Wu, 2008) with only one study in
a secondary school environment (McBride & Luehmann, 2008). Although higher education studies have identified
benefits and challenges of blogging with respect to student learning, the results cannot be readily generalized to
secondary school students as their learning environment and needs are very different from students in post-
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secondary settings. In addition, no research could be found examining the differential impact of blogging on
different ability groups.
The current study investigates the use of blogging in grade nine to support communication of mathematical
thinking. Specifically, the goal of the research was to explore student attitudes toward blogging, and the potential of
blogging to improve mathematical confidence, and learning performance.
Method
Participants
The teacher in this study had taught for five years in total, and grade nine mathematics for two years. She
noted that she was comfortable teaching mathematics but was always looking for new ways to teach. She was
comfortable with using technology in her classroom, but she had little experience with blogging.
Two-seven students (18 males, 7 females, 2 no response), 13 to 16 years old, selected from one class in a
large urban secondary school, participated in this study. The school had a population of about 1640 students, with
approximately 400 enrolled in grade 9. Five percent of the school population had English as a second language
(ESL) and 17.4% were identified as special needs (Cowley & Easton, 2014). The average income for families at
this school was $80,300 (Cowley & Easton, 2014).
Data Collection
Four types of data were collected including survey data in the form of Likert questions, qualitative open-
ended questions, performance tests, and blog analysis. The Likert questions provided a quantitative overview of
student’s attitudes (6 times, r=0.78) toward blogging in mathematics. The open-ended questions (3 items) allowed
students to provide additional information in their own words about what they liked and disliked about learning
mathematics and blogging in the mathematics classroom. The performance tests (3 units, 3 pre- and post-measures)
provided a quantitative assessment of student’s knowledge before and after the use of blogging for specific
mathematical units. The final component to of data collection was a quantitative assessment of student blog entries
written by students.
Procedure
For each unit, students were given time in class to view the blog questions and then post an initial response.
The amount of time students received in class for blogging varied between 10-30 minutes, depending on access to
laptops and technology. Each unit had two blog questions, one open-ended and one closed question. In total six
blog questions were analyzed for the study over three units. Students were then expected to log on to the blogging
site at least one more time during the week to engage in conversations with their peers to try to solve the assigned
questions. In addition to blogging, students received direct instruction about the mathematics concepts addressed in
each unit. Table 1 provides the details and approximate timing for each data collection step in this study.
Table 1 – Overview of the Procedure
Step Procedure Time
1 All students completed the Unit 1 Pre-Knowledge Test. Week 1
2 All students completed Unit 1 Blogging Activity. Week 1 & 2
3 All students completed Unit 1 Post-Knowledge Test. Week 2
4 Class discussion about effective and ineffective blog posts. Week 3
5 All students completed the Unit 2 Pre-Knowledge Test. Week 4
6 All students completed the Unit 2 Blogging Activity. Week 4 & 5
7 All students completed the Unit 2 Post-Knowledge Test. Week 5
8 All students completed the Unit 3 Pre-Knowledge Test. Week 6
9 All students completed the Unit 3 Blogging Activity. Week 6 & 7
10 All students completed the Unit 3 Post-Knowledge Test. Week 7
11 Students completed the Attitudes Toward Blogging Survey. Week 8
Results
Attitudes toward Blogging
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Table 2 displays a summary of students’ overall attitudes toward blogging in the mathematics class based
on the post-study survey. A majority of students reported that the blogging site was easy to use and that they
enjoyed blogging, however, a minority of students found blogging to be a useful learning resource or used it
regularly.
Table 2 – Student Attitudes toward Blogging Results (n=22)
Items Mean (SD)Disagree/
Strongly
Disagree
Neutral Agree/
Strongly
Agree
The blogging site was easy to access. 3.8 (0.9) 4% 33% 59%
The blogging site was easy to navigate. 3.8 (1.0) 11% 22% 63%
I was confident sharing my ideas on the blog. 3.7 (1.1) 11% 22% 63%
I enjoyed using the blogging site in math. 3.5 (1.3) 19% 33% 59%
The blog was a useful learning resource. 3.2 (1.2) 22% 41% 33%
I used the blog regularly on my own time. 2.1 (1.1) 70% 19% 7%
The open-ended qualitative responses indicated that students had a positive attitude toward blogging in
mathematics class. Students (n=13 out of 22) commented that they enjoyed collaborating with their peers and the
teacher. A number of students (n=7) also liked how blogging was different from other class work.
Mathematics Communication
In total, students made 138 blog posts during the study. Fifty-three posts were made during the slope unit,
45 posts were made during the linear relationships unit, and 40 posts were made during the measurement-
optimization unit. Students made slightly more blog posts on closed than open questions. The mean number of
posts per student was 5.1 (SD= 2.2). This mean indicates students did not respond to every blogging question, as
there were six in total. However, three of the six blog discussions had strong peer-to-peer interactions. Students
were able to help each other progress through their work on different questions.
Learning Performance
Table 3 shows the mean scores on all knowledge tests. The scores between the pre- and post- knowledge
tests for the slope and measurement-optimization units increased and were statistically significant. According to
Cohen (1988, 1992) these changes were large. There was no significant difference between pre- and post-test score
for the unit on linear relationships. It is worthwhile noting that the mean pre-test score for linear relationships unit
appears to be higher than the means of the other two units.
Table 10 – Students Mean Scores on the Knowledge Tests
Unit Topic Pre-
Mean (SD)
Post-
Mean (SD)
Nt value Cohen’s d
Slope 0.6 (1.0) 3.0 (1.1) 25 10.1* 2.3
Linear Relationships 1.3 (1.2) 1.6 (1.4) 25 1.5 0.3
Measurement-Opt. 0.7 (1.0) 2.5 (1.3) 27 9.4* 1.6
*p < .005
Discussion
Approximately six out of ten students claimed that they enjoyed blogging in mathematics class. This result
is consistent with previous literature, where using technology for self-expression was identified as a deeply engaging
part of young adult lives (Ellison & Wu, 2008). It is worth noting that four out of ten students were either neutral or
did not like using blogs. This lack of interest may reflect the limited frequency in which students used the blog and
the decision of most students not to use it on their own time. One possible explanation for limited use outside the
class was that the topic of the blogs, mathematics questions, is not necessarily one that students would choose to
participate in in everyday life.
Only one third of the students rated the blogging site as a useful learning resource. This result does not
match previous research where higher education students built common knowledge through the social interactions
on the blog and believed learning was being supported (Alterman & Larusson, 2013; MacBride & Luehmann, 2008).
There are at least two possible explanations for these dissonant results. First, blogging interactions among peers and
the instructor in this study was relatively limited, therefore students may not have seen the real learning benefits.
Second, it is conceivable that students viewed blogging as an in-class learning activity as opposed to a resource that
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they would consult and use later on. The potential for blogging being a useful activity is reflected by students’
positive comments about collaboration. Students who used the blog noted that they liked how they could see other
students’ perspectives and they could build relationships with their classmates.
The majority of students in this study did not respond to all six blog questions, with the average number of
posts per person less than six over eight weeks. Learning through blogging can only be accomplished with student
interactions (Deng & Yuen, 2011). Students in this study may have needed more time to build their blogging skills
before they could increase the amount of posts made. Future studies may need to examine the type of questions,
teacher prompts and posts that are effective at eliciting student responses.
Test scores for students increased significantly from the pre- to post- test for two out of the three
mathematics units. Blogging involves writing and collaborating, and previous research has shown how writing and
collaborating in the mathematics classroom can increase understanding and thinking (Albert, 2000; Fawcett &
Garton, 2005; Kostos & McCrone, 2005 Shin, 2010). However, the fact that most students did not rate blogging as
a useful learning resource suggests that increases in knowledge were largely due to other teaching strategies used
including direct teaching, classroom group work, and manipulatives.
Summary and Future Research
This study produced three key findings. First, the majority of students had positive attitudes toward
blogging in mathematics class, as they enjoyed that it was different from other class work and its collaborative
nature. However, a minority of students viewed the blogging as a useful learning activity. Second, mathematical
communication was relatively limited over the course of the study, possibly due to the absence of a strict blogging
routine and the quality of teacher questions and prompts. Third, learning performance increased significantly,
however the change was likely due to other teaching strategies used. While blogging has been a successful strategy
used in higher education, its effectiveness in a secondary school mathematics classroom was minimal. It is
speculated that more structure, organization, and scaffolding is required for younger students and teachers
inexperienced with blogging.
This study incorporated four methods of data collection including Likert-scales, open-ended questions,
formal tests, and blog analysis. However, a number of methodological limitations need to be addressed in future
research. It was difficult to understand why students did or did not participate in the blogging activities and the
impact of blogging on learning. Although open-ended questions provided some insight, interviews or focus groups
may provide more in-depth data on why students did not post or respond to prompts and how mathematical
knowledge was impacted.
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