To better understand the effect of student background, work load, and attitudes on performance in intermediate algebra, a study was conducted in summer 1990 among students at a central Texas community college using pre- and post-course questionnaires completed by 124 of 157 students in 8 sections of intermediate algebra. Respondents were…

Since 1971, nearly four million adults have qualified for a high school equivalency credential based on General Educational Development (GED) test results. During Spring 1980 two major studies were undertaken by the GED Testing Service: (1) the U.S. High School Norming Study involving the administration of the GED Tests to a representative sample…

One of the most ambitious attempts to assess students' understanding of mathematics was carried out in England between 1974 and 1979. The results of this study indicate that there is a need in an overall assessment program to evaluate students' algebraic understanding as well as to measure their achievement in algebraic manipulations and problem…

This document contains the course syllabus and 12 independent practice modules for an introductory college algebra course designed to develop student proficiency in the basic algebraic skills. This course is designed as the first of a two-semester sequence. Topics include operations with signed numbers; simple operations on monomials and…

Replication of the Second International Mathematics Study (SIMS) in Ontario, Canada, is described and assessed. The curriculum and testing program covers numerical methods, geometry, and algebra. Whereas classical studies focused on mean scores of a system's students and on percentages of teachers for opportunity to learn (OTL), SIMS aggregates…

This report covers the levels of basic skills (verbal and computational skills and elementary algebra skills) among freshmen admitted to New Jersey's public colleges and universities during 1988. These levels of proficiency are estimated from results of the New Jersey College Basic Skills Placement Test. Designed both to assist colleges in the…

This report examines mathematical graphing utilities or function plotters for use in introductory algebra classes of more advanced courses. Each product selected for inclusion in this report is able to construct the graph of a given equation on the screen and serves as a utility which may be used by the student for an open-ended exploration of a…

The use of a basic skills testing program to identify and remediate academic weaknesses of adult reentry graduate students (mean age 30.1 years) was studied longitudinally. The entering masters' level students majoring in business administration were studied in fall 1980 and again after the spring/summer registration of 1984. Through assessment…

Developed during the 1976-77 school year to assist Washington grade 7-8 teachers in small school districts with the improvement of curriculum and instruction, this learning-objective-based curriculum suggests activities, monitoring procedures and resources for mathematics. Introductory materials describe the organization of Small School materials,…

This document contains materials developed by a project to provide a competency-based curriculum guide for laser technology at the community college level. An abstract of the final report is included. Next, the 17 job competencies determined as necessary to meet the job description of laser technician are listed. A career ladder and qualifications…

Utilizing word problems relevant to the data processing field, this workbook presents a concept-oriented approach to competency development in ten areas of basic mathematics: (1) the expression of numbers as figures and words; (2) the multiplication, addition, and division of whole numbers, fractions, and decimals; (3) ratios and proportions; (4)…

A study of 159 students assigned to remedial algebra courses was initiated at Queensborough Community College to determine levels of improvement in algebraic skills and the effects of regular, programmed, and modular teaching methods. All students studied the same material with the following differences: (1) regular instruction used no programmed…

This volume provides an outline of critical high school equivalency skills in mathematics, a test scoring procedure designed to assess these skills, and a guide to the use of 12 publications which would be useful in instruction. The volume is intended for use by teachers of students who are preparing to take the Test of General Educational…

This paper reports that the student population enrolled in remedial mathematics is rapidly increasing, while funding for these classes in Florida is declining. The Math Department at the Winter Park Campus (WPC) of Florida's Valencia Community College (VCC) has developed a curriculum that offers a variety of instructional formats to its remedial…

This volume of the 27th International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education Conference presents the following research reports: (1) Text Talk, Body Talk, Table Talk: A Design of Ratio and Proportion as Classroom Parallel Events (Dor Abrahamson); (2) Generalizing the Context and Generalising the Calculation (Janet Ainley); (3) Interview…