An investigation of the effects of altering the spacing and the number of in-service workshop sessions on teacher use of mathematical games in the classroom

The purpose of this study was to test the nature of the relationship between the workshop variables (1) spacing of sessions, and (2) number of sessions, and the teachers' use of mathematical games following an in-service workshop on the use of mathematical games in the classroom. Nine hours of in-service on mathematical games were provided to three treatment groups as follows: (1) Group A attended three consecutive weekly three-hour sessions, (2) Group B attended three bi-weekly three-hour sessions, and (3) Group C attended six consecutive weekly one and one-half hour sessions. The following questions were investigated: 1. Will the three treatment groups differ in their reported usage of mathematical games? Specifically, will the spacing of sessions result in a significant difference between Group A and Group B; will the number of sessions result in a significant difference between Group A and Group C, and will the combination of number and spacing of sessions result in a significant difference between Group B and Group C? 2. Will there be any interaction between treatment and time when considering the dependent variable of reported number of games used? Twenty-nine intermediate teachers in the Diocese of Galveston-Houston were the subjects for this study. Eight teachers comprised Group A (three consecutive weekly three-hour sessions), eight teachers comprised Group B (three bi-weekly three-hour sessions), and thirteen teachers comprised Group C (six consecutive weekly one and one-half hour sessions). Data regarding the teachers' reported use of mathematical games in the classroom were collected using a survey form constructed by the investigator and checked for validity. Pre and post-workshop survey forms differed only in the dates included on each of the forms. The following steps outline the overall sequence of events which took place in this study. 1. Approximately one week before the first workshop began the participants were mailed the pre-workshop survey form. They were asked to complete the survey for the dates indicated and to return the forms by mail. 2. Participants returned the completed forms. 3. Participants attended the in-service workshop sessions according to their scheduled times. All workshop sessions were conducted by the investigator. The instructional materials included in the workshops had previously been field-tested and revised. 4. Approximately three weeks after the completion of the last workshop, the participants were mailed the post-workshop survey form. They were asked to complete the survey for the dates indicated and to return the forms by mail. 5. Participants returned the completed forms. The data were analyzed using a Two-Way Analysis of Variance for unequal cell sizes (using unweighted means). Results of the analysis of data led to the following conclusions. [...]