This article studies the efficacy of ALEKS Preparation, Placement and Learning (PPL) in assessing the likelihood of a student succeeding in a first-semester calculus course. Proctored ALEKS PPL assessments were taken by all students enrolled in Calculus 1 during five semesters in which all students took a tightly coordinated course that included…

This research examines the application of students' computational thinking (CT) in solving numerical method problems through computer software. Data collection involved observing their learning process and conducting tests to evaluate their CT skills within the context of the root approach material using Newton-Raphson method. The results indicate…

The purpose of this quantitative ex post facto study is to determine if and to what extent is there a statistically significant difference in math aptitude, as measured by SAT-Math scores, between African American male and female public high school students enrolled in a STEM program versus those enrolled in a non-STEM program in a high school of…

Research indicates that teachers may hold biases against multilingual learners (MLs). However, there is limited research regarding how teachers notice MLs' mathematical thinking. Given the complexity of teacher noticing and multilinguality, the lead researchers developed the Equitably Attending to and Interpreting a Student's Mathematical Thinking…

Mathematics education researchers have highlighted that preservice secondary mathematics teachers (PSTs) need opportunities to learn how their content knowledge is contextualized during instruction. Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) subdomains provide a way to understand mathematics discipline-specific knowledge that is unique to the…

This paper extends work in the areas of quantitative reasoning and covariational reasoning at the undergraduate level. Task-based interviews were used to examine third-semester calculus students' reasoning about partial derivatives in five tasks, two of which are situated in a mathematics context. The other three tasks are situated in real-world…

Mathematics plays a crucial role in engineering education. Students who are good at math are often advised to consider engineering as a career. In this study, engineers, mathematics teachers, and engineering professors were asked about the type of mathematics representative of engineering, whether the engineering problems created by math…

This paper presents a case study that reflects on teaching an economic unit, Cost-benefit analysis (CBA), to a diverse undergraduate student body at the researcher's institution. CBA is an applied economic technique that attempts to assess the economic efficiency of proposed public policies through the systematic prediction of social costs and…

Math classes do not usually offer students an opportunity to learn about the diversity within the field of mathematics. As a result, students tend to hold inaccurate, negative perspectives about diversity in the world of mathematics and many may not feel a sense of belonging in the classroom when they do not see themselves reflected in the…

In this study, a sample (N = 55) of preservice elementary teachers were asked what it takes to be good at math and whether or not they seem themselves as 'do-ers' of math. An examination of their responses to both a Likert Scale and corresponding open-ended questions revealed five key themes: "having a good attitude, being a good student,…

This research explores the use of guided notes in a post-secondary calculus course and the extent to which use enhanced students' success in a first year calculus course. Guided notes have been previously shown to be perceived as helpful to learning by students, and one study showed that the use of guided notes improved pass rates in a first year…

The purpose of this study was to identify improvements in Self Efficacy and self-regulated through GeoGebra Based Teaching seen from the level of students' initial mathematical abilities. The research method used was a mixed-method with a sequential explanatory strategy, while the research design was an untreated control group design with pretest…

Improving STEM retention is a major focus of universities and studies have shown calculus to be a barrier for STEM intending students. Prior to this study, local data indicated students did not pursue STEM fields because they were not passing calculus. The goal of this study is to report on factors related to student success in first-semester…

Every year we join in on the celebration of high school students all over the country graduating and preparing for the next phase of their adult life, whether starting their careers or entering college. Some students who choose to continue their educational journeys by enrolling in college are shocked to discover that they are not as prepared as…

Students who score within the bottom quartile on cognitive measures of math aptitude have been identified as at-risk for low performance in chemistry courses, with less attention as to "why" such differential performance persists. At-risk students struggle most differentially on assessment items related to the mole concept and…