ALEKS Constructs as Predictors of High School Mathematics Achievement for Struggling Students

The purpose of this study was to determine what factors of the Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS), an ITS, are predictive of struggling learners’ performance in a blended-learning Algebra 1 course at an inner-city technical high school located in the northeastern U.S. Three variables (student retention, engagement time, and the ratio of topics mastered to topics practiced) were used to predict the degree of association on the criterion variable (mathematics competencies), as measured by final course progress grades in algebra, and the Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test (PSATm) math scores. A correlational predictive design was applied to assess the data of a purposive sample of 265 struggling students at the study site; multiple regression analysis was also used to investigate the predictability of these variables. Findings suggest that engagement time and the ratio of mastered to practiced topics were significant predictors of final course progress grades. Nevertheless, these factors were not significant contributors in predicting PSATm score. Retention was identified as the only statistically significant predictor of PSATm score. Accordingly, the following broad research questions were addressed: RQ1: Is engagement time, retention, and the ratio of topics mastered to topics practiced (in ALEKS) for students identified as at risk for failure in mathematics predictive of final Algebra 1 course progress grades? RQ2: Is engagement time, retention, and the ratio of topics mastered to topics practiced (in ALEKS) for students identified as at risk for failure in mathematics predictive of PSAT math scores? Accordingly, the following alternative hypotheses were tested: Ha1: Engagement time, retention, and the ratio of topics mastered to topics practiced (in ALEK) will be significant predictors of final Algebra 1 course progress grades, α ≤ 0.05. Ha2: Engagement time, retention, and the ratio of topics mastered to topics practiced (in ALEK) will be significant predictors of PSAT math scores, α ≤ 0.05. The null hypotheses were the following: H01: Engagement time, retention, and the ratio of topics mastered to topics practiced (in ALEK) will not be significant predictors of final Algebra 1 course progress grades, α ≤ 0.05. H02: Engagement time, retention, and the ratio of topics mastered to topics practiced (in ALEK) will not be significant predictors of PSAT math scores, α ≤ 0.05.