How curriculum choice affects student understanding and confidence : a comparison of business calculus reform models /
This study was designed to explore the relationship between student understanding of calculus and confidence in that understanding in relation to different calculus reform models. Students in two sections of business calculus courses at a state university in Texas were asked to rate how confident t...
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| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
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[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
1996.
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| Online Access: | http://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=739623391&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=2945&RQT=309&VName=PQD |
| Summary: | This study was designed to explore the relationship between student understanding of calculus and confidence in that understanding in relation to different calculus reform models. Students in two sections of business calculus courses at a state university in Texas were asked to rate how confident they were in their responses on three different exams during the semester of instruction. In addition to the confidence ratings, accuracy scores were assigned to each response. This set of data was used to answer two broad research questions. The first question was: How does the type of curriculum experienced affect student understanding (both conceptually and procedurally) of differentiation and integration and confidence in that understanding? The second question examined how this relation might change throughout the course of instruction. It was found that accuracy, and hence to some degree understanding, was necessary in order for students to be confident in their work on each exam. It was also found, however, that showing signs of understanding did not necessarily imply confidence in that understanding. Students exposed to a more radical reform model were not only more confident in their understanding of differentiation, but were also more accurate on conceptual questions. This was not the case on integration items. Students exposed to the reform model were not as confident, nor as accurate on either procedural or conceptual items on the exams. However, the time devoted to integration during the course of the semester was very limited, and thus, inferences about student understanding of integration were influenced by this lack of time. Lastly, it was determined that confidence in ability on mathematical tasks for college students changed very little over the course of the semester. For the most part, students that began the course confident, or not confident, in their abilities remained so throughout the semester. Students whose confidence did change usually felt less confident in their understanding at the end of the semester than at the beginning. |
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| Item Description: | Vita. "Major Subject: Curruculum and Instruction". |
| Physical Description: | x, 184 leaves ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilms Inc. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references: pages 151-156. |