Describes studies involving students sponsored by A Better Chance, Inc. (ABC), a nonprofit search and referral service that identifies and places talented minority inner-city children. Results indicate that standardized tests do not necessarily predict ABC student success, and that ABC students can be productively directed toward mathematics and…

Overcoming the education obstacles facing women, minorities, and the disabled is discussed. A report published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) on the topic of bringing underrepresented groups back on track for careers in science, math, and engineering is examined. (KR)

Investigated the relationships among mathematics achievement, affect, and home background for Hong Kong students (n=1766) in grades 7-13. Achievement was most closely related to academic and nonacademic self-concepts and attitudes toward mathematics, and the latter was most influenced by self- and parental expectations. (LDR)

The math-related interests and academic-choice intentions of black college students (N=164) are explored. A social cognitive path model offered good overall fit to the data. Although racial identity contributed little to the model, self-efficacy and outcome expectations predicted interests, which predicted choice intentions across racial attitude…

The purpose of this study is to a) explore connections among number sense, mental computation performance and the written computation performance of elementary preservice school teachers; and b) explore the correlation among mental computation skills, computation skills, effect issues and number sense. The sample was composed of students in six…

Confronts a widespread prejudice about mathematical knowledge, that mathematics is "culture-free," by demonstrating alternative constructions of Euclidean geometrical ideas developed from the culture of Mozambique. As well as establishing the educational power of these constructions, the article illustrates the methodology of…

Various self-report test anxiety instruments were examined with attention given to their reliability and validity. Treatments directed toward test worry were more effective than treatments directed toward test emotionality. Self-reported test anxiety was found to decrease as a result of most treatment including pseudotherapy. (Author/CP)

This study examined whether sixth- and eighth-grade students' motivation, anxiety, and classroom learning environment in mathematics differed significantly according to the degree of implementation of technology in the mathematics classroom. Self-concept, involvement, affiliation, satisfaction, and parent participation are discussed in relation to…

Reports on the design considerations involved in the development of a series of interactive videodisc modules in pre-calculus mathematics. Topics discussed include math deficiencies and anxieties at the college level; videodisc and microcomputer technology; instructional design; learning theories; and the results of two field tests in secondary…

Before educators can address mathematics anxiety, they must recognize its presence and identify the complex factors that sustain it. The article discusses social and motivational factors that make it more prevalent among females, examines classroom interactions related to math anxiety, notes the consequences of math anxiety, and discusses…

Presents a survey of 78 pre- and in-service elementary teachers in a midwestern region to examine the relationship between mathematics anxiety, perceptual preference, and previous mathematics instructional experiences with workbooks and manipulatives. Results indicate that the variables significant in predicting mathematics anxiety were…

Describes the Taliesin Project, a current curriculum materials research and development effort whose main goals are (1) the development of a computer-aided classroom instructional tool for grades six through eight based on hypermedia technology, and (2) the development of a multidisciplinary curriculum to help develop stronger interests in…

Online discourse environments are increasingly popular both in distance education contexts and as adjuncts to face-to-face learning. For many participants such contexts are experienced as positive, community-supported learning opportunities, but this is not the case for everyone. Understanding more about the online and off-line factors that…

Findings from several research projects on the use of computer technology are reported which point to patterns of difference between boys and girls in education settings. Argues that sex differences emerge in relation to functions computers serve and organization of learning settings. (Author/SA)

Outlines and discusses four unique and major challenges facing the undergraduate statistics instructor. These are motivating students to study material they think is uninteresting, handling mathematics anxiety, dealing with performance extremes, and making the learning memorable. Offers solutions for each challenge. (MJP)