Examined the relationships between individual psychological characteristic, social contextual levels of family and culture, and mathematics performance in young adolescents. Found that scholastic ability perception is associated with the mathematics performance of students and that, at different levels of the social context, young adolescents'…

Explores possible reasons for the gender differences in mathematics problem-solving strategies found in primary-grade students in the study by E. Fennema and others and considers implications of the findings for mathematics instruction. (SLD)

Considers implications of the findings of the study by E. Fennema and others that boys in the primary grades use different mathematics problem-solving strategies than girls and suggests that equitable mathematics instruction may require specific attention to gender differences and underachieving groups. (SLD)

Presents remarks adapted from the presidential address of the 1999 annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Argues that the mathematics classroom teacher must create an environment that supports students' interests and mathematical growth at many different levels, and suggests ways to accomplish this. Considers…

Tells a number of stories about young people, including the author's own children, who find a second chance through two-year community colleges. Touts community colleges as one of the few places in this increasingly stratified society where persons of various ages and from a variety of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds come together.…

Background: The internal/external frame of reference (I/E) model by Marsh (1986) assumes intra-individual dimensional comparisons in which students compare their own achievements in one subject with their achievements in other subjects. These comparison processes should lead to negative paths from achievement in one subject (e.g. maths) on…

This study examined how students with a minimum background of Calculus IV (n=17) differ from other college students (n=17) on personality traits as determined by the 16 PF, fifth edition. Significant differences were found on Factor A (Warmth), Factor B (Reasoning), Factor F (Liveliness) and Factor H (Social Boldness). Gender differences were also…

According to the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) which compared student performance in mathematics and science in 41 countries in 1995, fourth grade students in the United States perform only slightly above the international average in mathematics. The study showed that most U.S. students are mastering basic arithmetic;…

The purpose of this study was to assess the role of H. Gardner's (1983) theory of multiple intelligences in determining levels of statistics anxiety by correlating each of his dimensions of intelligence with six components of statistics anxiety. Participants were 90 graduate students from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds enrolled in 4…

This book presents the findings of 12 years of research. The data gathered and analyzed from almost 700 samples of children's' graphics show how powerful patterns of cognition (schema) in the early years of development gradually evolves into recognizable forms of writing and mathematics. The goal was to chart the progress of children's thinking…

Analyzes students' productions, taking affective and social factors into account. Uses the technique of virtual monologue to reproduce the student's voice in order to describe as vividly as possible what might be going on in the student's mind during such situations. (AIM)

Nine freshmen in a ninth-grade accelerated algebra class were asked to solve five nonroutine combinatorial problems. The four mathematically gifted students were successful in discovering and verbalizing the generality that characterized the solutions to the five problems, whereas the five nongifted students were unable to discover the hidden…

Tracks 1,110 adolescents identified as mathematically precocious with plans for a math-science undergraduate major. Participants' high school educational experiences, abilities, and interests predicted whether their attained undergraduate degrees were within math-science or nonmath-nonscience areas. More women than men eventually completed…

This article proposes a two-factor theory of mathematics disabilities based on the premise that weak cognitive representations lead to poorer retrieval of information from long term memory. Comparison of children with math disabilities alone (MD) and those with both math and reading disabilities (MD/RD) suggests that weak phonological processing…

Examined the learning strategies of two children at the extremes of mathematical achievement to determine how those strategies facilitated or hindered their understanding of mathematics. Examined findings in relation to curriculums that often dictate the sequence of learning through which all children will pass without taking into consideration…