Described is the mathematics achievement of 391 elementary education majors at the University of Arizona. Students were administered two subtests of the California Achievement Test: the Mathematics Computation Subtest and the Mathematics Concepts and Application Subtest. The CAT was administered in a non-standard manner. Students were allowed…

Success in performing the medical calculations required of nurses demands a competency in basic mathematical skills. This competency cannot be assumed of a number of college students and the nursing student is not an exception to this trend. A test was designed to assess basic mathematical competency and administered to two groups of sophomore…

In 1981 a study was conducted at Kings River Community College to determine whether there were student characteristics that could help predict success in a college-level calculus course (Math Analysis I). Subjects for the study included all students enrolled in Math Analysis I in fall 1979 or fall 1980. Student records were examined to establish…

The reasons that cause women to take significantly fewer mathematics courses than men are investigated. The subjects consisted of 377 female college freshmen enrolled at a small, private women's liberal arts college in the Midwest. All subjects were tested as part of the college's regular placement testing program prior to the Fall semester of the…

Despite the fact that increasingly large percentages of Hispanic individuals are being admitted into college programs, the academic success of the students admitted is considerably lower than their non-minority peers. This study focused on the examination of possible causes for the differences in academic performance at the college level for…

This study investigated differences between the mathematics achievement of students receiving homework assignments and those not receiving homework. Thirty college students were divided into two equal groups. One group was given homework by the instructor, and the other group was not given any homework during the course. As predicted, the…

College students may be influenced by a variety of factors when choosing a major. Mathematics anxiety has received substantial attention, but has not been considered as a factor in choice of college major. The relationship between mathematics anxiety and the academic majors chosen by new freshmen prior to enrollment was investigated for a group of…

Presented is an abstract of a study done to try to determine a set of variables which are capable of accounting for a significant amount of variation in algebra achievement in each of two instructional formats. Tables representing final grade distributions, initial comparison of groups, and comparability of volunteer subgroup variables are…

This paper reports on two related instructional intervention projects: one completed and the other ongoing. The first involved a "Tutored-Videotaped-Instruction" (TVI) strategy in a three-course calculus sequence; the second, an NSF-funded project using microcomputers, television, tutoring, testing, and related technologies and methods…

Between the spring of 1970 and the summer of 1974, 1,747 students enrolled in Math X, a multilevel PSI (Personalized System of Instruction) type of open-ended mathematics instruction system at Antelope Valley College. Results of a study designed to evaluate the course by comparing it with the more conventional mathematics lecture course indicated…

A letter and a questionnaire (provided in appendixes) were mailed to 122 2-year colleges in the North Central Accrediting region in an attempt to identify the common denominators and institutional differences related to the general education mathematics program in the 2-year college. Of 96 questionnaires returned, 86 were included in the study.…

The LOGO Turtles, originally developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Artificial Intelligence Laboratory for teaching concepts in elementary geometry to primary-age children, can also be used in teaching higher-level mathematics. In the exercises described here, the turtle was programed to traverse curved surfaces. Both geometric and…

As a part of the two-year process of revising the basic mathematics course at the Open University (Britain), an in-depth survey of students completing the first unit of the course was conducted. A sample of 120 students was divided into three groups of 40; group members received a questionnaire concerning concepts covered, a questionnaire about…

The effectiveness of a basic college mathematics course consisting of lecture-discussion classroom procedures and homework assignments from a traditional text was compared to the effectiveness of a course designed to combat low grade achievement and a high dropout rate by allowing for individual differences. The revised course consisted of…

Describes a Hebrew University program for academically disadvantaged students, focusing on a workshop component which emphasizes learning skills and study strategies. An evaluation of the workshop indicates that it leads to improved achievement in several academic fields (including the natural sciences). (DH)