Many American middle school students have negative perceptions of mathematics that could be impacting math achievement. Previous studies have examined the impact of cooperative learning on mathematics achievement and not on attitudes. The purpose of this quasi-experimental quantitative study was to measure the effect of Student Teams Achievement Division (STAD) instruction, a type of cooperative learning strategy, on the math perceptions of middle school students. Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory was chosen as the theoretical framework for this study because it attempts to explain how students exert control over the quality of their experiences through their social interactions. Sandman's Mathematics Attitude Inventory (MAI) was used to measure middle school students' math perceptions. This study used a pre-test-post-test design to answer the research question. Participants were divided into two groups--a control group and a treatment group--based upon their homeroom assignment. The control group was taught using traditional teaching methods with little peer interaction. The treatment group was taught the same skills using STAD. Differences in student math perception scores were analyzed using independent samples t-test. Results indicated that STAD failed to have a significant effect on student math perceptions. Implications for positive social change include stimulating school district to reexamine STAD effectiveness, modifying cooperative learning professional development, and enhancing program to improve middle students' perception of mathematics. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]