ERIC Number: ED515986
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 162
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: ISBN-978-1-1094-5227-3
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Mathematics Anxiety of Bilingual Community College Students
Iossi, Laura Hillerbrand
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Florida International University
Math anxiety levels and performance outcomes were compared for bilingual and monolingual community college Intermediate Algebra students attending a culturally diverse urban commuter college. Participants (N = 618, 250 men, 368 women; 361 monolingual, 257 bilingual) completed the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS) and a demographics instrument. Bilingual and monolingual students reported comparable mean AMAS scores (20.6 and 20.7, respectively) and comparable proportions of math anxious individuals (50% and 48%, respectively). Factor analysis of AMAS scores, using principal component analysis by varimax rotation, yielded similar two-factor structures for both populations--assessment and learning content--accounting for 65.6% of the trace for bilingual AMAS scores. Statistically significant predictor variables for levels of math anxiety for the bilingual participants included (a) preparatory course enrollment (beta = 0.236, p = 0.041) with those enrolled in prior preparatory courses scoring higher, (b) education major (beta = 0.285, p = 0.018) with education majors scoring higher, and (c) business major (beta = 0.252, p = 0.032) with business majors scoring higher. One statistically significant predictor variable emerged for monolingual students, gender (beta = -0.085, p = 0.001) with females ranking higher. Age, income, race, ethnicity, U.S. origin, science or health science majors did not emerge as statistically significant predictor variables for either group. Similarities between monolingual and bilingual participants included statistically significant negative linear correlations between AMAS scores and course grades for both bilingual (r = -0.178, p = 0.017) and monolingual participants (r = -0.203, p = 0.001). Differences included a statistically significant linear correlation between AMAS scores and final exam grades for monolingual participants only (r = -0.253, p less than 0.0009) despite no statistically significant difference in the strength the linear relationship of the AMAS scores and the final exam scores between groups, z = 1.35, p = 0.1756. The findings show that bilingual and monolingual students report math anxiety similarly and that math anxiety has similar associations with performance measures, despite differences between predictor variables. One of the first studies on the math anxiety of bilingual community college students, the results suggest recommendations for researchers and practitioners. [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.]
Descriptors: Education Majors, Community Colleges, Commuter Colleges, Predictor Variables, Monolingualism, Factor Analysis, Algebra, Two Year College Students, College Mathematics, Scores, Higher Education, Mathematics Instruction, Outcomes of Education, Mathematics Achievement, Comparative Analysis, Student Evaluation, Measures (Individuals), Age Differences, Gender Differences, Racial Differences, Ethnicity, Income, Correlation, Majors (Students), Factor Structure, Introductory Courses, Bilingual Students
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A