For a sample of 59 male and 26 female students in continuing education at a private university, analyses indicated that (a) scores on a basic algebra test (either in a traditional multiple-choice format in which each item is accompanied by a reinforcing illustrative example) employed for placement of students in an intermediate algebra course were promising predictors of success in this course ( rs = .67 and .66, respectively, p < .05) and (b) affective measures representing the constructs of mathematics anxiety and locus of control appeared to have little, if any, predictive validity.
