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…

Mainstreaming as a strategy for equality has been widely adopted by the international community. Mainstreaming of adult mathematics education entails that gender, ethnicity, social class and other difference defining categories are included consciously and explicitly in all activities. A growing body of research explore how pluralism and…

When U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spelling announced in March the final report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel, created by President Bush two years ago to address concerns that many students lack essential skills to become engineers and scientists, she highlighted the importance of algebra. "The panel's research showed that…

This study was undertaken in order to better understand prospective elementary school teachers' motivations for working with fractions before and after taking a course designed to deepen their understanding of mathematics, as well as what instructional practices might be related to any changes detected in their motivations. Eighty-five education…

The universal emphasis in mathematics education on teaching and learning for understanding can require substantial paradigmatic shifts for many elementary school teachers. Consequently, a pressing goal of teacher preparation programs should be the facilitation of these changes during program experiences. This longitudinal, mixed methods study…

The objective of this study was to evaluate "biomathtutor" by (i) investigating the impact of "biomathtutor" on the mathematics skills competencies of bioscience undergraduates, and (ii) assessing students' and tutors' reactions to "biomathtutor", identifying whether and how tutors might integrate it into their curricula and blend it with more…

A number of studies have highlighted that anxiety, confidence and enjoyment are influential factors on students' participation in mathematics, and in particular girls' participation. This paper, based upon data collected as part of a PhD thesis, examines the effect of these influences on pupil choices within different types of secondary schools in…

Fractions and algebra are critically important components of the mathematics education of the youth. Unfortunately, however, students have typically struggled in these areas. For this reason, teachers and researchers have focused their attention on these topics for at least the past century. This article discusses what research shows regarding…

Discusses the fear and anxiety of mathematics that has existed for decades. Proposes that mathematics is not just a construction of knowledge but also a construction of attitudes and beliefs. (ASK)

For years, mainstream thinking about math anxiety assumed that people fear math because they are bad at it. However, a growing body of research shows a much more complicated relationship between math ability and anxiety. It is true that people who fear math have a tendency to avoid math-related classes, which decreases their math competence.…

The number of students continuing with their mathematics education post GCSE level has declined in recent years and hence students entering Engineering degrees are reducing. The University of Birmingham recognized this problem and introduced the Suite of Technology programme (STP) which no longer requires students to have A-level mathematics.…

The culture of the young may, in fact, be a harbinger enticing us to follow a pathway from which will emerge the re-conceptualized educational practices of this new century. The culture of those older will, no doubt, strive to maintain the more golden aspects of their now historical learning experiences. One of the tasks of all educators, but…

Development of mathematical problem solving skills is an age old problem in mathematics. This paper details the design of a component of a first year university mathematics course in which group work and mathematical communication skills, especially writing skills, are used as a tool to develop non-routine problem solving skills. In this design…

This study reports findings from an elementary teacher education initiative advanced between a department of mathematics and a school of education in a large, state-supported university. The design incorporated the interconnectedness of teacher candidates' conceptions related to mathematics, teaching, and learning and sought to explore how…

The current study investigated the discreet task completion hypothesis presented by C. H. Skinner (2002) by investigating how the rate of interspersing affects performance on and preferences for academic assignments. Specifically, 70 sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students were presented with four assignment pairs of multiplication problems.…