Author : Kathleen Marie Knott
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 128 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (575 download)
Book Synopsis Differences in Student Affect by Course and Gender in Two Middle School Classes by : Kathleen Marie Knott
Download or read book Differences in Student Affect by Course and Gender in Two Middle School Classes written by Kathleen Marie Knott and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With new reforms in mathematics curriculum, it is important to study and compare the effects of the reform with traditional mathematics. This study examined student affect in two middle school mathematics courses: traditional Algebra and reform-oriented Integrated. The two classes of students were surveyed twice over the course of their eighth-grade school year. A group of eight students were interviewed at the end of the year. Statistical tests were run to compare students' responses with respect to course and gender and to test for shifts over the course of the school year. There were no significant gender differences reported on any of the survey items. There were also no perceived differences between male and female students' responses to the interview questions. The differences seemed to be more prevalent across course and achievement level. Overall, students in both classes reported a negative shift in their beliefs and attitudes about mathematics. The integrated mathematics students tended to view their class as more problem-centered and less fact-based than the Algebra students. By the end of the year, the Algebra students, both male and female, enjoyed problem solving more than the integrated students. This study highlights the comparisons of students' beliefs and attitudes about mathematics across gender and course over the span of their eighth-grade year.