In this paper we report on a case study of a university student (third year of Mathematics course). She was engaged in proving a statement of elementary number theory. We asked her to write the thoughts that accompanied her solving process. She was collaborative and her protocol is suitable to study the interrelation between affect and cognition.…

This paper is based on research work carried out in the Foundation Course in Mathematics at Goldsmiths College, University of London. The theme of the investigation was to investigate the hidden faces of cubes placed on a table. In order to do this, the following investigational teaching styles and learning strategies were adopted: investigate…

The Teacher Education and Mathematics project, funded by the Women's Educational Equity Act, developed curriculum materials to increase mathematical knowledge and confidence, increase the perception of mathematics as a female domain, reduce math anxiety, and develop skills in identifying and counteracting sex bias in mathematics instruction. To…

A project was designed to evaluate TEAM, a math anxiety reduction program for undergraduate students preparing to be elementary school teachers. The program consisted of two main components: (1) instruction intended to improve problem solving skills using the areas of patterns, probability, measurement, approximation, and estimation; and (2)…

This symposium includes five presentations of studies of mathematics attitudes at three educational levels: junior high, postsecondary, and graduate school. The studies have implications in the fields of mathematics education, educational research, academic advisement, and career counseling. The studies identify the extent of the problem of…

This article reports on a study that investigated the causes underlying a sample of eighteen third-year Australian pre-service primary teachers' negative beliefs and anxiety about mathematics. It was found that most of the participants' maths-anxiety could be attributed to their primary school experiences in learning mathematics. Situations such…

According to social cognitive theorists, people's judgments of their own capabilities to accomplish specific tasks strongly influence human motivation and behavior. Path analysis was used to test the influence of math self-efficacy and general mental ability on the math problem-solving performance of 329 high school students. A model that also…

Although women are entering male-dominated occupations at a greater rate, they still tend to avoid those occupations, as well as college majors that require math. Lack of an adequate math background, and thus lower math achievement, seems to effectively bar women from high level, technological, and male-dominated occupations. This study examined…

A multifactorial scale of attitudes toward statistics was developed, and factors related to attitudes toward statistics (objective and subjective mathematics background, anxiety, spatial ability, expectations, motivation, attitudes toward computers, teacher and course evaluation, sex and sex-role stereotypes, and major) were investigated for…

Results of a study made to determine the effect of male-female class ratio on female student class participation are reported. In spring 1980, an all-female section of an introductory math course was offered in addition to the other five mixed-sex sections at a midwestern university. It was found that women selecting the all-female section had…

Learning is a complex operation that involves a several factors. In studying the learning process, both the characteristics of the learner and the conditions of instruction must be considered. This study examined some of the factors that may influence the learning of mathematics. In particular, it sought to identify relationships among mathematics…

The effects of math anxiety and sex on computer anxiety, computer confidence, and computer liking were investigated with 161 junior high and high school language arts students; 119 community college mathematics students; and 76 college students residing in dormitories. The Computer Attitude Scale (Loyd and Gressard, 1984) was used to measure…

This study explored the relationship between students' high school mathematics courses and grades; the affective variables--mathematics anxiety, effectance motivation, and attitude toward success; and performance in the first quarter developmental studies algebra course. The study reports significant differences between males and females on…

Reducing math anxiety and building basic mathematical skills should not be treated as separate processes, but can and should be undertaken simultaneously. To do so requires a positive attitude on the part of the instructor; the establishment of an atmosphere in the classroom that encourages learning; and the instructor's awareness of different…

The contributions of acceptance of misconceptions about mathematics, mathematical self-concept, and arithmetic skills to mathematics anxiety and to statistics course performance were studied in 92 adult students aged 18 to 57 with a median age of 27, (16 males and 76 females). Results showed that acceptance of misconceptions and mathematical…