Drawing from research and observations at Lansing Community College (Michigan) (LCC), this paper argues that typical arithmetic courses do little to prepare students to master algebra, and proposes an alternative set of arithmetic skills as actual prerequisites to algebra. The first section offers a description of the algebra sequence at LCC,…

This study explored the relationship between students' high school mathematics courses and grades; the affective variables--mathematics anxiety, effectance motivation, and attitude toward success; and performance in the first quarter developmental studies algebra course. The study reports significant differences between males and females on…