Date of Award
2002
Document Type
Practicum
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
Mary Lynn Vogel
Keywords
ACT, anxiety, assessment, Bethel College, college mathematics, course grades, elementary education, final grades, high school preparation, high scoring students, hypothesis testing, independent samples t-test, low scoring students, mathematics achievement, mathematics test, MAT201M, Math for Elementary Teachers, mean comparison, remediation, research hypothesis, research question, statistical significance, student performance, t-statistic, years of math courses
Abstract
The problem under investigation was that some Bethel College students had difficulty passing the initial math courses for elementary education majors. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between the final grades for the course Math for Elementary Teachers (MAT201M) of Bethel College elementary education students who had high scores as compared to low scores on the ACT mathematics test. The research question was, "Is there a significant difference between the final grades for MAT201M of students who had high scores on the ACT mathematics test as compared to students who had low scores on the ACT mathematics test?" The research hypothesis was, "There is a significant difference between the final grades for MAT201M of students who had high scores on the ACT mathematics test as compared to students who had low scores on the ACT mathematics test."
The literature review included information about the ACT and more specifically, the ACT Mathematics Test. High school preparation and the demands of college mathematics was explored as well as the development of anxiety toward the study of math.
The sample included students who entered Bethel College in 1998, 1999, 2000, or 2001, provided ACT scores for admission to Bethel College, and completed MAT201M. High scoring and low scoring groups were identified as those with the top and bottom 25% of the ACT mathematical test scores, respectively. The mean final course grade was computed for both the high and low scoring groups.
When a t-test for independent samples was used to test the data a statistically significant difference resulted between the means. Comparison of the sample means produced a calculated t statistic of 10.29, with a calculated critical t of 1.98 and a E of 2.93, at the .05 level of significance.
It was recommended that a process for remediation of low scoring students be developed and that a means for assessing the results of remediation be developed. It was further recommended that prospective students be urged to complete three to four years of high level math courses in high school to be better prepared for college level math classes.