Exploring the Impact of the Corequisite Classroom Climate on Students’ Attitudes Toward Mathematics

Abstract

Many postsecondary institutions across the United States have adopted the corequisite model of academic support to facilitate student learning and the successful completion of introductory mathematics courses within students’ first year of college enrollment. While research have highlighted the benefits of corequisites in terms of academic outcomes, there is little qualitative research on the impact of this model of academic support on students beyond course grades. Through student narratives, this study documents how one university implemented their College Algebra corequisite and investigates the impact of the classroom climate of a corequisite course on students’ attitudes toward mathematics. This study shows that though the classroom climate positively impacted the participants’ attitudes toward mathematics in general, the climate of the corequisite specifically had a greater impact on their beliefs about mathematics and perceptions of themselves as learners of mathematics. However, there were some identified drawbacks to the corequisite course including time-consuming coursework and occasionally unproductive group collaboration. These findings highlight the potential for corequisites to foster positive attitudes toward mathematics, yet it also demonstrated a need for greater intention in the course development to ensure a coherent course structure where course activities and assessments give way to meaningful and productive student engagement.