Impact of Intelligent Tutoring Systems on Mathematics Achievement of Underachieving Students

The educational landscape has changed considerably in the past decade. The focus has shifted from using traditional teaching methods to integrating technology in today’s curricula. Much of the emphasis is on fostering 21st-century skills by using technology in new and innovative ways. Student engagement is a crucial component of learning. Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITSs) are computer software that uses artificial intelligence to provide adaptive, customized learning based on students’ needs. This quasi-experimental research study explored the effect of ITSs, such as ALEKS, on underachieving students’ mathematics achievement among 8th-grade students. This research study compared the results of pretest and posttest between teacher-led instructions versus ALEKS -led instructions from the two consecutive years. During the first year, only McGraw’s curriculum “Reveal” was used with no use of ALEKS. In the second year, the school implemented ALEKS as a supplemental tool in a math support class for fifty minutes every other day for a year to provide instruction to struggling students along with McGraw’s curriculum “Reveal.” On the contrary, the findings of this study revealed that students who received teacher-led instructions showed greater mathematics achievement than those who used ALEKS-led instructions. This research also explored the challenges posed by using ITS in the classroom.