Examines advanced students' course taking procedures and their senior year mathematics participation. Concludes that students who took early algebra demonstrated a substantially higher participation rate in advanced mathematics in the later grades of high school than students who did not. (Contains 25 references.) (ASK)

Reported is a study of types of errors exhibited by students of intermediate algebra at the college level and the effect the time of day instruction has on students' performance. Results indicated that two types of errors, conceptual and prerequisite, and that student performance is better in the morning. (MDH)

An algebra test administered to (n=18) first-year college students found a disregard for negative numbers, ineffective use of counterexamples, misapplication of rules, and a lack of a good grasp of relevant mathematical terminology. (12 references) (MKR)

Discusses a technique for graphically composing functions. Describes three-step composition procedures in two- and three-dimensional rectangular coordinate systems. Provides three examples. (YP)

Describes learning difficulties students may have with the basic notions of linear algebra and three phases of abstraction. Discusses results of a program based on the abstraction process. (YP)

Assessed was the level of thinking of 140 students who had been placed in developmental algebra as entering college freshmen. Scores on the Group Assessment of Logical Thinking, Scholastic Aptitude Tests, college placement tests; high school grade point average, and developmental algebra final grade were analyzed. Group characteristics are…

Reports on a study to determine if having students write about the work required in doing three types of exercises from elementary algebraic fractions would affect the students' error patterns on quizzes. The study involved six developmental studies in elementary algebra classes. (PK)

Tests of (n=105) ninth-grade algebra students involving the addition and multiplication of monomials found that common, systematic errors made when multiplying monomials were related logically to the symbolism used and the algebraic convention of using an implicit 1 as an exponent. (16 references) (MKR)

Describes a research methodology known as the teaching experiment and details an example of a teaching experiment aimed at the development of a process-oriented algebra curriculum. Addresses other possible variations of the teaching experiment, emphasizing the cooperation of teachers and researchers. (TW)

Describes the relationship between language concepts and the basic patterns of mathematical expressions. Suggests ways to improve the reading comprehension, writing ability, and reasoning skills of school and college students by integrating language topics into the mathematics curriculum. Discusses the use of language concepts in algebraic…