An Application Example for The Teaching Fractions with the Developed Digital Fraction Transparency Material

The aim of the current study is to investigate the effects of digital teaching materials on 4th graders' academic achievement on fractions subject and attitudes towards mathematics and computers. The study was planned with a pretest and posttest control group design. The participants of the study were 60 students studying in a public elementary school in Karabağlar district of İzmir province. Through a pilot study, groups were selected to administer an academic achievement test to all fourth classes in the school. Initial analyses suggested A and E classes" achievement scores did not differ significantly; thus, these classes were included in the study. Class A with 32 students was randomly selected as the experimental group. 55% (n = 33) of the participants were male and 45% (n = 27) were female. The experimental group received technology-enhanced presentations, whereas the control group had traditional presentations from the same teacher. Participants had access to interactive digital materials within course hours on the classroom computer. The study took four weeks (16 course hours). Data were collected through fractions achievement test, mathematics attitude scale and computer attitude scale. Results revealed no significant differences between achievement and computer attitudes scores of the groups. However, the mathematics attitudes scores show significant differences between groups.

The Intergenerational Transmission of Mathematics Attitudes

Cold sweats, head shakes, and memories of hardship are the common reactions when adults are introduced to a high school mathematics teacher. These negative reactions contribute to an attitude towards mathematics that continues to permeate American society. Unfortunately, there is a growing concern that these negative attitudes may be passed from adults to susceptible youth resulting in a never-ending cycle of dislike towards mathematics. The current study aimed to investigate the ways in which students internalize the mathematics attitudes of their parents in light of mathematics capital theory. Instruments measuring self-efficacy beliefs in mathematics, as well as value placed on learning content were administered to all juniors, seniors, and their parents in a suburban school district. The survey data was analyzed to identify candidates for interviews. Interviews of eight parents and their children were conducted to explore the sources of the students’ self-efficacy beliefs. Findings revealed that the relationship between a parent and child’s belief systems is complex and varies according to the parent’s level of mathematics beliefs.

The Effects of Mathematics Preparation and Mathematics Attitudes on College Calculus Performance

Students’ attitudes toward mathematics and the strength of their mathematics preparation typically go hand in hand such that their specific effects are difficult to disentangle. Employing the method of propensity weighting of a continuous variable, we built hierarchical linear models in which mathematics attitudes and preparation are uncorrelated. Data used came from a national survey of U.S. college students taking introductory calculus ( N = 5,676). A 1-standard-deviation increase in mathematics preparation predicted a 4.72-point higher college calculus grade, whereas a 1-­standard-deviation increase in mathematics attitudes resulted in a 3.15-point gain. Thus, the effect of mathematics preparation was about 1.5 times that of mathematics attitudes. The two variables did not interact, nor was there any interaction between gender and these variables.

The Effects of Mathematics Preparation and Mathematics Attitudes on College Calculus Performance

Students’ attitudes toward mathematics and the strength of their mathematics preparation typically go hand in hand such that their specific effects are difficult to disentangle. Employing the method of propensity weighting of a continuous variable, we built hierarchical linear models in which mathematics attitudes and preparation are uncorrelated. Data used came from a national survey of U.S. college students taking introductory calculus (N = 5,676). A 1-standard-deviation increase in mathematics preparation predicted a 4.72-point higher college calculus grade, whereas a 1-­standard-deviation increase in mathematics attitudes resulted in a 3.15-point gain. Thus, the effect of mathematics preparation was about 1.5 times that of mathematics attitudes. The two variables did not interact, nor was there any interaction between gender and these variables.

Does Math-Anxiety Affect Senior School Students’ Mathematics Performance? Evidence from Ekiti State, Nigeria

This study identified mathematics anxiety and its effects on students’in performance in Mathematics among Senior School Students in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The sample consisted of 238 SSSII students and 25 math-teachers that were randomly and purposively selected respectively. A questionnaire adapted from the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitudes Scale (FSMAS) was used for the study. Descriptive statistics was used to answer the research questions while t-test was used to test the hypotheses. The study showed that mathematics anxiety exist among senior school students in the study area, which is characterized by feverish feelings in Mathematics class, difficulty in understanding math problem, failure to contribute in Mathematics class, truancy in Mathematics class among others. The study showed that there is a difference in the performance of Mathematics anxious and non-mathematics anxious students as revealed from the t-test. Also, the mean score of the math-anxious student and non-math anxious students were found to be 31.84% and 61.31% respectively. It is concluded from the study that Mathematics anxiety affects students’ performance in Mathematics. Concerned stakeholder should implement policies at secondary school level to extend the time of Mathematics class on time table, provide conducive environment and engage innovative teaching methods for the teaching of Mathematics.

Attitudinal and Mathematical Assessments as Measures of Student Success in a College General Chemistry II Course

This study reports results from administering unannounced attitudinal and mathematical assessments to 118 students, at the beginning of the term, in second-semester general chemistry classes (designed for science majors) at Eastern Michigan University. Testing was conducted during the 2010-2011 school year. The question to be answered was: which is more important in determining student course grades, attitudes toward chemistry and mathematics, or mathematical skill? The hypothesis was that attitudes and mathematical skill equally affect final course grade. A modified Wiebe instrument was selected to evaluate student attitudes toward chemistry and mathematics. To evaluate student mathematical skills, this study employed a mathematics assessment developed and performed at the University of Minnesota, and hence will be called the Minnesota Mathematics Assessment or MMA—a 20-question, multiple choice quiz designed for second-semester general chemistry students. Results were inter-correlated to determine what factors influenced student success. This study found a strong correlation between mathematics attitudes and chemistry attitudes, with a Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (r) of 0.50. Between course grade vs. either chemical attitudes or mathematics attitudes, the r values were 0.25 and 0.23 respectively, showing weak correlations. The correlation of course grade versus total MMA score gave an r value of 0.35, a moderate correlation. Comparison of the current study's MMA results with those of a previous Minnesota study demonstrates that the MMA is reproducible. The correlation coefficient found for course grade vs. total MMA score was comparable to that found in the Minnesota study. Analysis of the 20-question MMA data resulted in a 10-question subgroup whose r = 0.41. Although some gender attitude differences were found, these did not correlate with course grade.