Should Standard Calculators Be Provided in Testing Situations? An Investigation of Performance and Preference Differences

Test makers are struggling with the issue of whether to provide a standard calculator for all participants or allow students to bring in their own calculators. A within-subjects design was used to examine (a) effects of calculator type (own calculator vs. standard calculator) on student performance and (b) differential impacts of calculator type for children from a variety of backgrounds. Fifty Grade 8 students completed a set of National Assessment of Educational Progress problems and a set of timed computation tests with their own calculators and comparable sets of problems with a standard calculator. Performance on mathematical items (i.e., time, accuracy) and the ways in which students used the calculators (e.g., number of keys pressed, calculator difficulties) were not affected by calculator type. No performance advantages associated with calculator type were related to student background characteristics (e.g., socioeconomic status, ethnicity, sex, math ability). However, calculator preference depended on the complexity of the student's own calculator relative to the standard one.