Investigated women's (N=35) aptitude for and changes in skills during an engineering training program and the relationship between academic/demographic information and cognitive skills to success in the program. Compares results with those of studies of male undergraduates. Includes results of mathematics anxiety and conservation of horizontality…

This study examined teacher leadership behavior in the high school mathematics classroom according to Kouzes and Posner's conceptual framework of credible, exemplary leadership. Data were gathered from 13 mathematics teachers, and 445 high school mathematics students from two suburban high schools. This study found that students did not perceive…

Investigated superiority of instructional strategies (factor-label method, proportionality, use of analogies, use of diagrams) in teaching problem-solving related to mole concept, gas laws, stoichiometry, and molarity. Also investigated effectiveness of strategies for students (N=609) with different verbal-visual preferences, proportional…

Describes an evaluation of the mathematical skills and learning capabilities of students immediately prior to taking Open University foundation courses in technology, the design of questionnaires used in the surveys, and strategies for designing instructional materials for students with a weak preparation in mathematics and technology. (EAO)

Describes the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale for Adolescents (MARS-A). Discusses psychometric data that relate to reliability and construct validity of the MARS-A scale. Results showed the association between high mathematics anxiety scale scores and low grade average in mathematics courses reported on two samples of students. (Author/JAC)

College students (n=204) who had difficulties in both foreign language and math (FLD/MD), only math difficulties, or only foreign language difficulties (FLD) were studied. The students with FLD showed a pattern of deficits on subtests measuring grammar and spelling, long-term memory, and visual phonology. More males were referred for FLD.…

Describes study that was conducted to determine whether instruction in computer programing using Logo would be more effective than other activities in decreasing mathematics anxiety scores among eighth grade students. Treatment of experimental and control groups is explained, implications for teachers are discussed, and future research is…

Stimulated recall was used to examine the affective experiences of (n=32) fourth and fifth graders engaged in mathematics seatwork. Students' affect was found to be primarily negative and achievement related. Anger was the most prevalent affective response. (42 references) (MKR)

Discusses factors identified by graduate students in elementary education as impairing their mathematics learning or contributing to a negative attitude toward mathematics. Presents key questions to provide insight into a math instructor's focus on teaching style. Provides an example of mathematics instruction in a meaningful context, and tips for…

The relation between learning environment (perceptions of classroom goal structure and teachers' instructional discourse) and students' reported use of avoidance strategies (self-handicapping, avoidance of help seeking) and preference to avoid novelty in mathematics was examined. High incidence of motivational support was uniquely characteristic…

Poor performance in mathematics among students, at a variety of grade levels, has been attributed, in part, to mathematics anxiety (Bulmahn & Young, 1982; Kelly & Tomhave, 1985; Hadfield & McNeil, 1994). Some investigators have related this phenomenon to gender effects (Cooper & Robinson, 1989) mathematics self-concept and test anxiety (Bandalos…

This paper reviews the literature on factors affecting students' performance in undergraduate statistics courses for the social sciences. Statistics anxiety and attitude have been linked to one's performance in statistics classes. Math factors, such as anxiety and attitude, may have an impact on performance in statistics classes, but the…

Perhaps the most dramatic failure in postsecondary education has been in the teaching of mathematical skills. The different functions of the right and left hemispheres of the brain require different approaches to education. Due to their emphasis on language and verbal processing, schools have failed to give adequate stimulation to the right side…

Females' underperformance in mathematics is discussed as a function of negative expectancies by parents, teachers, and peers. These negative expectancies of significant others lead to negative self-expectancies and negative attitudes about mathematics on the part of female students. These negative expectancies and attitudes lead to lower…

This document is a "methodological annex" to volume I of the Women in Science and Technology in Australia (WISTA) final research report. The 10 discussion papers that make up this document deal with the 10 core factors of influence that formed one main axis of the study's theoretical framework for inquiry. A diagram illustrates this…