The Educational Technology Center (ETC) was established by the National Institute of Education in October, 1983, in order to find ways of using the computer and other information technologies to teach science, mathematics, and computing more effectively. This report describes the ETC, presents its framework for research, and summarizes work on 11…

This study analyzed data from the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) taken by high school seniors between 1975 and 1986. Its purpose was to study trends in the numbers, test scores, and other characteristics of examinees planning to major in mathematics, science, and engineering, and to compare these data with comparable data from examinees planning…

The primary purpose of "National CrossTalk" is to stimulate informed discussion and debate of higher education issues. This issue contains the following articles: (1) A Legacy to Overcome: The University of Georgia Hopes to Become a More Desirable Destination for Black Students (Don Campbell); (2) Oklahoma's Brain Gain: A Comprehensive…

This study of rewards and recognition in the mathematical sciences in higher education utilized data gathered from site visits to 26 institutions, 3 open forums, and a survey of a sample of faculty and department chairs in mathematical sciences departments. Results found: (1) a substantial gap between what faculty think the reward structure should…

In an effort to balance common academic outcomes, as measured by common course finals, with faculty's individual teaching styles, Johnson County Community College (Kansas) mathematics faculty developed "core components" for 10 of the mathematics courses offered in Spring 1995. The core components were designed by faculty teaching each…

The purpose of this study was to find out whether students perform differently on algebra word problems that have certain key context features and entail proportional reasoning, relative to their level of logical reasoning and their degree of field dependence/independence. Field-independent students tend to restructure and break stimuli into parts…

Since nearly 10% of the students in the U.S. who receive doctorates in the mathematical sciences begin their undergraduate studies in two-year institutions, it is clear that these schools are a significant part of the mathematics educational pipeline. Yet, minority students enrolled in two-year colleges are one-fifth as likely to earn a bachelor's…

A discussion of mathematics curriculum and teaching methods based on the standards issued by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM) is presented. The standards emphasize the connectedness of each of the branches of mathematics and underline the relationship of each branch to…

The Formative Evaluation and Heuristic Research (FEHR) PRACTICUM, a computerized game, gives practical experience in such program evaluation tasks as problem definition, operationalizing objectives, field study, budgeting, proposal writing, data analysis, and interpretation--without the expense and time commitments required by most research. The…

The role of mathematics in the college curriculum and applications of mathematics in society are examined in this pamphlet produced by the NRC's Ad Hoc Committee on Applied Mathematics Training. It is suggested that the growing need for mathematicians in the physical, biological, and social sciences has changed the constituency of potential…

This paper discusses the author's personal experiences in developing and implementing a problem-based college mathematics course for liberal arts majors. This project was initiated in response to the realization that most students are dependent on "patterning" learning algorithms and have no expectation that self-initiated thinking is a…

A study followed 445 Wellesley College (Massachusetts) women students matriculating in 1991 through their college years to isolate factors associated with persistence in math and science. Data were gathered through three surveys (at orientation, at the end of the sophomore year, and before graduation) and in focus groups over the 4 years of the…

The teaching of mathematics from a multicultural perspective is discussed. The first two chapters present a rationale for a multicultural approach to teaching mathematics. The third chapter aims to show, through brief examples, how such an approach can be applied to any school curriculum. The remaining four chapters discuss, in greater detail,…

This volume examines the teaching of statistics in the whole range of education, but concentrates on primary and secondary schools. It is based upon selected topics from the Second International Congress on Teaching Statistics (ICOTS 2), convened in Canada in August 1986. The contents of this volume divide broadly into four parts: statistics in…

The College Board Computerized Placement Tests are intended for use by two- and four-year colleges in determining whether entering students are prepared for college-level work in English, reading, and mathematics, or whether they need developmental studies. Seventeen colleges and universities participated in pilot testing of the College Board…