A study was undertaken at a large, ethnically diverse community college in California to identify instructor and course factors associated with grade variability and grade differences by gender and race/ethnicity in mathematics courses. The study used a statistical procedure called hierarchical linear models (HLM) to analyze the relationship…

In 1990, a study was conducted at Columbia College (CC) to determine whether a predictor variable could be constructed for student nonsuccess in beginning mathematics courses. For the purposes of the study, nonsuccess was defined as earning a grade of D, F, or No Credit either at the time of withdrawal from the course or as a final grade. The…

NCES (1996) reported that almost one-third of all students entering colleges and universities are unprepared for college coursework and therefore required to enroll in developmental courses. This study focused on developmental and regular mathematics courses at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Using final mathematics grades from the…

A study was conducted to assess faculty and student preferences regarding the goals and content of Saddleback College's (California) liberal arts mathematics course. Following a review of the literature, an extensive list of course goals, content areas, and prior student preparation needs was formed into a questionnaire, which was administered to…

This study investigated the effects of two modes of instruction; the experiencing mathematics instructional method, and the direct instruction expository method, and two levels of mathematics anxiety, high and low, on mathematics achievement. The final sample consisted of 160 students enrolled in a remedial arithmetic course in a four-year college…

Structural covariance models that would explain the correlations observed among mathematics achievement and participation measures and related cognitive and affective variables were developed. A sample of college calculus students (N=268; 124 females and 144 males) was administered a battery of cognitive tests (including measures of spatial-visual…

To gather information for its response to the issue whether to allow the use of hand-held calculators on standardized mathematics tests, the staff at Educational Testing Service (ETS), under the sponsorship of the College Board, developed a questionnaire to poll teachers of college-level mathematics about calculator and microcomputer use in…

Language syntax is discussed, followed by an overview of algbraic syntax. Evaluating algebraic expressions was chosen as the means to investigate the psychological basis of syntactic skills. Subjects' ability to perform evaluative tasks appropriately using standard algebraic notation was ascertained; then similar tasks were presented using a…

The academic success of students enrolled in remedial English and mathematics programs was compared at two large state universities, California State University, Northridge, and San Diego State University. The sample consisted of three successive freshmen classes, those entering in fall semesters 1981, 1982, and 1983. The remedial English programs…

This document deals with the observation of students in a direct translation scheme in the solution of word problems in a university freshman-level Intermediate Algebra class. It is felt that since successful problem solvers of algebraic equations often have as much difficulty in solving word problems as do other students in the classes, the…

The purpose of this study was to uncover information about and gain a greater insight into the extent to which students who are successful in a basic algebra course: l) demonstrate a reversibility of reasoning processes when solving algebraic problems; 2) demonstrate a flexibility of reasoning processes when solving algebraic problems; 3)…

The research described here seeks to characterize the "managerial" aspects of expert and novice problem-solving behavior, and to describe the impact of managerial or "executive" actions on success or failure in problem solving. A framework for analyzing protocols of problem-solving sessions based on "episodes" of…

Minorities have for some time faced underrepresentation in the technical professions. However, recent statistics indicate that many more minorities are enrolled in higher education than ever before. This report centers on identifying the particular difficulties that bilingual Hispanic students majoring in technical subjects have in performing…

Conducted during the 1979-80 school year, this study gathered statistical information as to the success of the developmental mathematics program at Arkansas State University (ASU). The investigation focused on a comparison between Foundation Mathematics students who took Basic Mathematics as a follow-up course and pupils who enrolled in Basic…

In order to make recommendations for improvement of the mathematics laboratory at Mira Costa College, questionnaires were mailed to 100 community colleges. Of the 40 responding, 17% had completely self-paced labs, 20% combined open labs with individualized instruction, 20% had no lab instruction, and the remainder had a variety of offerings.…