Developmental Mathematics Classrooms: Learning Environment, Academic Self-Efficacy, And Gender
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Date
2015
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Mathematics and Science Education Program
Program
Doctor of Education
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This item is made available by Morgan State University for personal, educational, and research purposes in accordance with Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Other uses may require permission from the copyright owner.
Abstract
The state of developmental mathematics has been a growing issue for many developmental education programs at community colleges. Developmental mathematics has been viewed as a barrier to the success of students who fail to persist into required college-level mathematics courses. Variables such as students' perceptions of the learning environment and academic self-efficacy have been found to be strong predictors of student outcomes. Therefore, the researcher used quantitative methods to examine the relationships between community college students' perceptions of the learning environment in developmental mathematics classrooms and their ratings of their academic self-efficacy. Gender differences in students' perceptions of the classroom environment and academic self-efficacy were also studied. The participants in the study consisted of a random sample of 89 students selected from three levels of developmental mathematics courses: Basic Mathematics (Level1), Introductory Algebra (Level 2), and Intermediate Algebra (Level 3). The results revealed that there was a significant relationship between students' perceptions of the learning environment in developmental mathematics classrooms and their academic self-efficacy. Gender differences in students' perceptions of the learning environment were found among students in Level 1 developmental mathematics classes. However, no gender differences were found in students' academic self-efficacy for any level of developmental mathematics.