What is mathematics? What does it mean to be a mathematician? What should students understand about the nature of mathematical knowledge and inquiry? Research in the field of mathematics education has found that students often have naive views about the nature of mathematics. Some believe that mathematics is a body of unchanging knowledge, a…

College algebra students face one of the highest failure rates in the U.S. The purpose of this research project was to investigate the impact graphic calculators had on college students' final grade after completing a required college algebra course. Using constructivism as a theory and a quantitative, quasi-experimental approach, the researcher…

This research was carried out within a qualitative research paradigm. The objective was to observe, analyze and enrich pedagogical practice through the use of pedagogical learning strategies. The learning strategy was a participative and individualized lab carried out during a research project in a non-Traditional Laboratory (LnT). The primary aim…

Becoming a skillful prover is critical for success in advanced undergraduate and graduate mathematics courses. In this dissertation, I report my investigations of proof and the proving process in three separate studies. In the first study, I examined the amount of logic used in student-constructed proofs to help in the design of…

The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in the achievement rates of developmental mathematics students when a student success course was taken in combination with mathematics. The study investigated changes that occurred in the developmental mathematics completion rates of the learners by examining age and the course sequence of…

A new 12 item research questionnaire was developed specifically to assess collegiate mathematics students' concept image of domain and zeros of rational functions. The study was designed to validate Tall and Vinner's (1981) cognitive model. Support was found for the hypothesis that students' mathematical experience influences their growth, with…

Education is a major focal point of individual justice within a free society as well as a central point of human capital for the world. This study compared the cognitive and personal developmental levels of community college students enrolled in developmental-level mathematics courses to students enrolled in college-level mathematics courses. In…

This study examined the mathematics beliefs of students who attained mastery, as indicated by earning an A, in their introductory math class in fall, 2008. This study addressed the following research questions: do students who attain mastery in introductory college math courses differ in their math beliefs from students who pass introductory math…