The purpose of this study was to determine social processes of sex differentiation for undergraduate and graduate students in mathematics and how those processes relate to educational inequity. To gather data relevant to those processes, 168 in-depth interviews were conducted with male and female students majoring in mathematics and with faculty…

This study looks at the correlates of mathematics anxiety in female college freshmen through an examination of the following: (1) the correlation between mathematics anxiety and mathematics achievement; (2) the correlation between anxiety and attitudes; (3) the correlation between the number of mathematics courses taken in high school and anxiety;…

A 30-item survey was developed to assess several dimensions of attitudes about calculators. Reliability and validity data were gathered on students in a college statistics course. Based on N = 135, coefficient alpha was .874. Factor analyses identified 3 interpretable factors: trustworthiness of calculators, usefulness, and educational value.…

This paper explores the role of instructional scaffolding in the development of undergraduate students' understanding of mathematical proof during a one-year discrete mathematics course. We describe here the framework adapted for the analysis of whole-class discussion and examine how the teacher scaffolded students' thinking. Results suggest that…

In this paper, we discuss the (potentially positive) pedagogical role of intrinsic limitations of computational descriptions for mathematical concepts, with special focus on the concept of derivative. Our claim is that, in a suitable approach, those limitations can act for the enrichment of learners' concept images. We report a case study with a…

This study compared the performances of college mathematics students on mathematics problems stated in three different contexts: in arithmetical form, in the form of algebraic expressions to be simplified, and in the form of practical situations stated in words. Both single-step and multi-step problems were used. For all three contexts, there were…

The relationships among intelligence, field dependence, sex role, and mathematics background and achievement were examined in a study involving 287 college students. Number of math courses taken and intelligence were the best predictors of math achievement, although other variables also influenced achievement. (TJH)

A mathematician's work consists of proving theorems, calculating, and making mathematics understandable. An assistant for all three components is a Computer Algebra System. We describe and discuss various CAS-assisted processes for proving theorems, and discuss the constraints which can appear regarding efficiency, confidence in the result and…

In the Fall 2001 semester, we taught a "Web-enhanced" version of the undergraduate course "Statistical Methods" ("STAT 2000") at Utah State University. The course used the electronic textbook CyberStats in addition to "face-to-face" teaching. This paper gives insight in our experiences in teaching this…

Effective teaching in an undergraduate mathematics course was measured by students' achievement ratings of instructors using four different instruments. The 799 students rated teaching assistants and full-time faculty in a similar fashion, both in terms of the level of ratings and the framework used in making judgments. (Author/GDC)

Observations and interviews with (n=16) undergraduate mathematics and mathematics education majors learning to do formal mathematical proofs found three major sources of students' difficulties: concept understanding, mathematical language and notation, and getting started on a proof. (25 references) (MKR)

Large lecture classes can often be quite impersonal. Creating a teaching team, consisting of the instructor, graduate assistants, and a few undergraduates, is one of the ways the University of Arizona has adopted in order to make the large lecture class more personal. As members of the Department of Mathematics we train the undergraduates, who are…

This article advances a view of Computer Algebra Systems (CAS) as powerful inquiry-based learning tools. Through an in-depth exploration of the "Emptying the Bowl" activity, upper level mathematics students test their own mathematical hypotheses, thoughtfully analyse and manipulate computer-generated output, and answer questions…

In a previous paper, we showed the importance of using low-level commands of a CAS in order to enhance the students' conceptual insight into mathematics. In this paper, we wish to emphasise a different use of a CAS, which makes possible the exploration of new topics, when the necessary theoretical results have still not been acquired, and avoids…

We developed, piloted, and evaluated a successful model for integrating other disciplinary perspectives while learning a specific discipline. Faculty who taught first-year biology and mathematics courses produced examples of how these disciplines complement each other. These faculty presented students with the connecting threads that integrate…