Discusses computer methods for finding roots of polynomials. The program provided finds rational roots and prints the roots as rational numbers. (PK)

Examined attribution patterns of 132 Japanese-American and 63 Anglo-American university students who completed Mathematics Attribution Scale, achievement motivation, anxiety, and self-esteem measures. Compared to Anglo-Americans, Japanese-Americans attributed their success in algebra more to external causes and attributed their failure in algebra…

Argues that reasons for teaching geometry before second-year algebra include higher student achievement and attitude and better abstract thinking. (PK)

Presents examples of visual representations helpful in understanding number relationships and the algebraic statements of these relationships. Suggests that these representations can be used by teachers to aid students in discovering number relationships and in acquiring meaning for given mathematical statements. (PK)

Reviews for three software packages are given. These include "Equation Math," consisting of three programs for exploring graphs of the equations; "Recycling Logic," instructing students in the basics of reasoning; and "Turboplot-3D," intended for university-level mathematics, physics, engineering, and computer courses. (PK)

Offers practical tips on teaching secondary mathematics topics. The ideas are classroom-tested approaches that offer new slants on familiar subjects. The topics discussed include the interpretation of mathematical symbolism in concrete terms, ellipses, and vectors. (PK)

Describes a remedial college course in intermediate algebra designed to improve student success rate. Suggests that the course was easy and inexpensive to implement and required a minimum of reorganization. (PK)

College students were asked to write equations using one of two sets of notational systems. Results indicate that the use of more explicit notation did not help problem-solving performance. (Author/PK)

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)

Examines the relationship between student self-perception/attitude variables and final grades in selected College of DuPage (IL) mathematics courses. Finds nearly 55 percent of the students with neutral or negative attitudes toward mathematics; over 70 percent rating their ability average or poor; and no statistically significant relationship…

To help students develop measurement skills using metric units, an activity on making a box is described, with a worksheet for students. A second article discusses graphing elementary functions with a real domain, while a third article describes computer-assisted practice in graphing sine and cosine functions. (MNS)

A study of approximately 600 University of Arkansas remedial algebra students divided into seven control and seven experimental group sections substantially confirms John Saxon's findings that mathematics achievement can be improved by using Saxon's incremental approach to mathematics instruction. (JBM)

Success in general education settings is an increasingly important goal for all students, including those identified as having mild disabilities (Cobb Morocco, 2001). The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 introduces higher performance standards for all students in the general education curriculum. This situation has become especially…

This book is a teacher's resource guide designed to help students gain the range of math skills they need to succeed in life, work, and on standardized tests; overcome math anxiety; discover math as interesting and purposeful; and develop good number sense. Topics covered in this book include whole numbers; decimals and money; fractions, ratios,…

The various difficulties and cognitive obstacles that students face when they are introduced to algebra are well documented and described in the relevant bibliography. If it is possible, in order to avoid these difficulties, we have adopted the functional approach widening the meaning of algebraic thinking. In this paper, which is part of wider…