O U T C O M E S F O R M A T H E M A T I C A L L I T E R A C Y : D O A T T I T U D E S A B O U T

M A T H C H A N G E ?

M A RT H A B . M A KO W S K I & E R I N W I L D I N G - M A RT I N

N OV E M B E R 1 9 , 2 0 1 5

A M AT YC 2 0 1 5

S E SS I O N S 0 2 3

MATHEMATICAL LITERACY AT PARKLAND COLLEGE

E R I N W I L D I N G - M A RT I N

E M A RT I N @ PA R K L A N D . E D U

ALGEBRA AT PARKLAND• Approximately 67-75% of incoming

freshmen place into developmental math

• Success rates of about 50% in beginning, intermediate, and college algebra

• Approximately 75% of developmental math students are on a non-STEM path!

OLD COURSE SEQUENCE

Pre-Algebra

Beginning Algebra

Intermediate Algebra

Gen Ed Math or Intro to

Stat

College Algebra or Pre-

Calculus

REDESIGN GOALS

• Create a new track for gen-ed bound students

– Keep core algebra content, add data literacy

– De-emphasize by-hand algebraic simplification

– Add more applications, exploration, and writing

– Use technology

COURSE SEQUENCE – FIRST REVISION

Pre-Algebra

Math Literacy

Intro to Statistics or Gen Ed Math

Beginning Algebra

Intermediate Algebra

College Algebra or

Pre-Calculus

COURSE SEQUENCE – CURRENT VERSION

Pre-Algebra Math Literacy

Intro to Statistics or Gen Ed Math

Intermediate Algebra

College Algebra or

Pre-Calculus

http://dm-live.wikispaces.com/

MATH LITERACY DESIGN

• Alternate but still challenging path

• Math in context, focus on numeracy, data analysis, and functions

• Develop critical thinking and conceptual understanding

THIS CLASS IS DIFFERENT!• Little to no lecture

• Group work, active participation required

• Reading, writing, technology

• Online skills work outside of class

PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS• Collaboration as a tool for problem

solving and thinking.

• Keep calm and carry on: Mathematicians don’t know how to solve every problem immediately. They just know how to start thinking about it.

PRODUCTIVE STRUGGLE• Real problems don’t follow cookie-cutter

patterns; they take work

• Take responsibility

• Persistence will pay off

GROUP STRUCTURE

• Assigning groups– 3-4 students per group

– Mix of abilities

• Full participation required– Students may not opt out of group work

– Points given for quality participation

• Assignments– Daily lessons

– Unit projects

OUTCOMES: DO

ATTITUDES CHANGE?

M A RT H A M A KO W S K IU N I V E R S I T Y O F I L L I N O I S AT U R B A N A - C H A M PA I G N

M M A KO W S 2 @ I L L I N O I S . E D U

QUESTION• Do Mathematical Literacy students

change their attitudes towards math while taking the class?

SURVEY STRUCTURE

• Surveyed twice:

– First week of the semester

– Once during the last two weeks of the semester

• Asked about:

– Math attitudes (pre and post)

– Preferred learning methods (pre and post)

– Nature of mathematics (pre and post)

– Demographics (pre)

– A few other things…

SURVEY SAMPLE• 96 students took the pre-survey

• 67 took the post survey (69.8% retention)

Race Male Female Total

White 23(25.0

)29

(31.5)

52(56.5

)

Black 19(20.7

)10

(10.9)

29(31.5

)

Hispanic 0 (0.0) 5 (5.4) 5 (5.4)

Asian 0 (0.0) 5 (5.4) 5 (5.4)

Other 1 (1.1) 0 (0.0) 1 (1.1)

Total 43(46.7

)49

(53.3)

92

MEASURED ATTITUDES• Mathematical attitudes measured along 4

dimensions:

– Motivation (9 items)

– Value (8 items)

– Confidence (15 items)

– Enjoyment (8 items)

• Attitudes were measured with 5 point Likert scale items

– 5 = Strongly Agree

– 4 = Agree

– 3 = Neither agree nor disagree

– 2 = Disagree

– 1 = Strongly disagree

MATH ATTITUDES

Motivation Enjoyment Value Confidence0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

Pre-survey mean Post-survey mean

THOSE KIND OF LOOK LIKE SMALL CHANGES…

0.1

.2.3

.4.5

Density

1 2 3 4 5post_confid_sc

0.1

.2.3

.4.5

Density

1 2 3 4 5pre_confid_sc

Attitude Scale NPre-survey mean

Post-survey mean

Average difference (s.e.)

p-value (diff ≠ 0)

Motivation 60 2.822 2.926 0.104 (0.063) 0.1068

Enjoyment 59 2.919 3.100 0.180 (0.071) 0.0143

Value 54 3.734 3.831 0.097 (0.059) 0.1063

Confidence 49 2.869 3.052 0.182 (0.085) 0.0366

MATH ATTITUDES - DETAILS

Attitude Scale

N*

Pre-survey mean

Post-survey mean

Average difference (s.e.)

p-value (diff ≠ 0)

Motivation 60 2.822 2.926

0.104 (0.063) 0.1068

Enjoyment 59 2.919 3.100

0.180 (0.071) 0.0143

Value 54 3.734 3.8310.097

(0.059) 0.1063

Confidence 49 2.869 3.052

0.182 (0.085) 0.0366

Attitude Scale

N

Pre-survey mean

Post-survey mean

Average difference (s.e.)

p-value (diff ≠ 0)

Motivation 60 2.822 2.9260.104

(0.063) 0.1068

Enjoyment 59 2.919 3.100

0.180 (0.071) 0.0143

Value 54 3.734 3.8310.097

(0.059) 0.1063

Confidence 49 2.869 3.052

0.182 (0.085) 0.0366 So, significant, POSITIVE attitude changes

for enjoyment and confidence! Positive attitude shifts for motivation and value, although not significant.

ATTITUDES: ADDITIONAL RESULTS

Men had a significantly higher shift in motivation compared to their female counterparts.

There were no significant differences in attitudes on the pre-survey between the students who took both surveys (almost-completers) to those who only took the first one (non-completers).

WHICH ATTITUDES CHANGED?

Motivation Enjoyment Value Confidence0.00

20.00

40.00

60.00

80.00

100.00

120.00

Negative Change No Change Positive Change

WHOSE ATTITUDES CHANGED?

• 21 of the 67 students who took both surveys increased their attitude on three or four of the scales (31.3%)

• 6 students decreased their attitudes on three or four of the scales (9.0%)

• Some students did not change their attitudes on some of the subscales.

NATURE OF MATH/LEARNING

N

Pre-survey mean

Post-survey mean

Average diff (s.e.)

p-value

Learning mathematics is mostly memorizing facts 63 3.000 2.937 -0.063

(0.128) 0.621

There is only one way to solve a mathematics problem

66 2.379 1.955 -0.424 (0.143)

0.004

I enjoy working in small groups in math class 64 3.656 3.719 0.063

(0.126) 0.621

I learn mathematics best when I get to work in a group

66 3.515 3.455 -0.061 (0.151) 0.689

I learn mathematics best when I work by myself. 66 2.833 2.894 0.061

(0.140) 0.666

The math I learn in school rarely helps me when I use math in my daily life.

64 3.125 2.891 -0.234 (0.117) 0.050

NATURE OF MATH/LEARNING

N

Pre-survey mean

Post-survey mean

Average diff (s.e.)

p-value

Learning mathematics is mostly memorizing facts 63 3.000 2.937 -0.063

(0.128) 0.621

There is only one way to solve a mathematics problem

66 2.379 1.955 -0.424 (0.143) 0.004

I enjoy working in small groups in math class 64 3.656 3.719 0.063

(0.126) 0.621

I learn mathematics best when I get to work in a group

66 3.515 3.455 -0.061 (0.151) 0.689

I learn mathematics best when I work by myself.

66 2.833 2.894 0.061 (0.140) 0.666

The math I learn in school rarely helps me when I use math in my daily life.

64 3.125 2.891 -0.234 (0.117) 0.050

THANK YOU!

Come see our other talks!

Student Experiences in a Problem-Centered Developmental Math

Class

Research Session

Thursday, Nov 197:00-9:50 pm

Martha Makowski

mmakows2@Illinois.edu

Making Math Literacy Work: Managing

Groups and Student Expectations

S139

Saturday, November 2110:45 – 11:35

Erin Wilding-Martin & Brian Mercer

emartin@parkland.edu

GENDER DIFFERENCES

Attitude Scale N: Male N: FemaleAverage difference (s.e.) p-value (diff≠0)

Motivation 22 38 0.283 (0.127) 0.030

Enjoyment 24 35 0.276 (0.142) 0.057

Value 21 33 0.211 (0.119) 0.082

Confidence 22 27 0.148 (0.171) 0.392

COMPLETERS VS. NON-COMPLETERS

N: Pre-survey

only* N: Both pre- & post-survey* Average difference (s.e.) p-value (diff ≠0)

Motivation 28 62 0.261 (0.175) 0.1391 Enjoyment 27 63 0.236 (0.170) 0.1682 Value 24 61 0.052 (0.144) 0.7194 Confidence 25 57 0.363 (0.198) 0.0707

* Each subscale was composed of multiple items for which a student needed complete data in order to have a valid subscale score. As a result, the sample size for each subscale varies depending on how many individuals had complete data on that subscale.

COURSE EVALUATION ITEMS

• There were also a few evaluation items on both the pre-post surveys asking about previous math class experiences and about how they like the class. The first three questions were on the pre-survey; the rest were on the post-survey.

• Here, low scores (1 or 2) correspond with “Agree” and high scores (4 or 5) correspond with “Disagree.”

Item statement N Average Item Score (s.d.)In my previous math classes, the teacher usually lectured for most of the class period.

95 2.337 (1.058)

In my previous math classes, we worked in groups almost every day.

93 3.699 (1.101)

I liked how my previous math classes were taught. 94 2.660 (1.103)This course made me think about mathematics differently than I had before

67 2.388 (0.953)

I enjoyed this course more than most of my prior math classes.

65 2.415 (1.044)

I found the format of this class frustrating 67 3.254 (1.078)I would take another mathematics class that was taught the way this one was.

67 2.761 (1.715)

In this class, the teacher usually lectured for most of the class period.

66 4.076 (0.950)

In this class, we worked in groups almost every day. 67 1.299 (0.551)I like how this math clas was taught. 67 3.149 (4.797)

SOME OTHER SURVEY DEMOGRAPHICS

• The differences between those who only took the pre-survey and who took both surveys is note-worthy in that the students who don’t make it to the end are more likely to be male or black.

• I’m not sure if these are significant differences—trying to program the correctly into the stats program I am using is taking longer than some of the other tests I have done.

Race Total %White 4 (13.8) 4 (13.8) (27.6)Black 15 (51.7) 6 (20.7) (72.4)Hispanic 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) (0.0)Asian 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) (0.0)Other 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) (0.0)Total 19 (65.5) 10 (34.5)

Total %White 19 (30.2) 25 (39.7) (69.8)Black 4 (6.3) 4 (6.3) (12.7)Hispanic 0 (0.0) 5 (7.9) (7.9)Asian 0 (0.0) 5 (7.9) (7.9)Other 1 (1.6) 0 (0.0) (1.6)Total 24 (38.1) 39 (61.9)

Male (%) Female (%)

Male (%) Female (%)Took both surveys

Took pre-survey only

The table below compares the demographics of those who took only the pre-survey (with the assumption that this group closely overlaps with the students in the class who did not complete it) and those who took both surveys (assuming this group closely matches those who did complete the class).