Factors Related to Success and Failure in Developmental Mathematics in the Community College

Abstract

This study identified variables that were related to success and failure in developmental mathematics in eight Illinois community colleges. A discriminant analysis identified the following variables as discriminators in the total population (N = 513): numerical skills, instructional method, age, self-assessment of knowledge of mathematics and attitude toward mathematics. In the traditional instruction group (N = 250), self-assessment of knowledge of mathematics, age, and numerical skills were discriminators, while in the nontraditional instruction group (N = 263,), numerical skills, age, and self-assessment of attitude toward mathematics discriminated between success and failure. Finally, the educational implications of the results are discussed, and a composite description of the successful developmental mathematics student is presented.

Attitudes and Student Perceptions: Their Measure and Relationship to Performance in Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, College Algebra, and Technical Mathematics

“…The percent of variance ranged from 14 percent in the elementary algebra group to more than 30 percent in the college algebra group. These results are consistent with results obtained by other studies (Edwards, 1972;Eldersveld, 1983;Hogrebe, 1983). However, it should be noted that this study was able to explain higher levels of variance using only noncognitlve variables.…”

“…Stones, Beckmann, and Stephens (1980) concluded that attitude was a factor useful in explaining differences in competency. Eldersveld (1983) found that numerical skills, age, self-assessment of attitude toward mathematics, and instructional method were among the better predictors of success in developmental mathematics.…”

A systematic review of secondary students’ attitudes towards mathematics and its relations with mathematics achievement

“…One of the goals of improving mathematics attitudes is to promote academic achievement, thus the relations between the two phenomena has long been proposed and studied (Ethington & Wolfle, 1984Lester et al, 1989;Ma & Xu, 2004;Nicolaidou & Philippou, 2003;Sherman, 1982;Suydam & Weaver, 1975). However, the existing research has not consistently found strong relations among mathematics attitudes and mathematics achievement: some researchers have claimed there is no causal relation between the two constructs (Quinn & Jadav, 1987), some suggest the correlation is weak (Aiken, 1970(Aiken, , 1976Ma & Kishor, 1997), while others indicate a relatively strong correlation (Eldersveld, 1983;Kloosterman, 1991;Ma & Xu, 2004;Minato, 1983;Nicolaidou & Philippou, 2003;Yenilmez & Duman, 2008). Given the divergent definitions and measurement practices identified in this review, the inconsistent evidence could be due to researchers' use of disparate instruments (Ma & Kishor, 1997).…”