Mathematics Self-Efficacy of College Freshman

Abstract

Students lack the ability to identify factors that limit their success [in mathematics].Students' ability to learn and succeed in mathematics has been a concern of educators for many years, especially since mathematics seems to be a determinate of not only choice of a college major but also serves as a determinant in the acquisition of a college degree. Trusty and Niles (2003) assert that high school students earning high school credit in rigorous math courses have a much greater likelihood of success in acquiring a bachelor's degree than students not completing such a course. Related research has been conducted in an attempt to establish a relationship between success in mathematics courses and success in college. For example, several studies (Campbell & Hackett, 1986; Hackett, Betz, O'Halloran, & Romac, 1990) have determined that previous mathematics performance and perceived ability are both key elements for success in mathematics. Furthermore, research (Dorner & Hutton, 2002; Moreno & Muller, 1999; Hagedorn, Siadet, Fogel, Nora, & Pascarella, 1999) indicates that, although many courses aide students in the completion of a college degree, mathematics is the subject most essential to students' choices in determining college majors and ultimately to success in attaining a college degree.The number of students enrolling in colleges and universities, and consequently in developmental courses such as developmental mathematics, has continued to increase over the past 30 years to a level where 3 out of 10 first-time freshman students are enrolled in such a course (Breneman & Haarlow, 1998; Smittle, 2003). With the number of students requiring developmental courses growing yearly, many colleges and universities are continuing to invest money in these courses by creating additional courses, hiring new faculty, and sometimes creating new departments for developmental studies. As a result of colleges spending valuable resources on developmental coursework, many in the faculty and surrounding community want assurance that the funding for developmental courses is not wasteful. In addition, Arendale (2003) notes that both legislatures and boards of higher education desire to make institutions more accountable for remediation of students. Therefore, creating quality instruction in developmental courses has become a priority at many institutions.At its core, developmental education should attempt to expand the academic skills of students. Hence, relationships between the students enrolled in developmental courses and cognitive factors such as self-efficacy need to be established. Research (Breneman & Haarlow, 1998; Higbee & Thomas, 1999; Stanley & Murphy, 1997; Wheland, Konet, & Butler, 2003) indicates that, for developmental mathematics students, academic self-concepts, attitudes toward success in mathematics, confidence in ability to learn mathematics, mathematics anxiety, self-efficacy, and locus of control are all variables that affect student goals, performances, and attainments in mathematics. Higbee and Thomas opine that for educators to be effective, they must have an understanding of how students cognitively process information.Wheland, Konet, and Butler (2003) suggest that many students attribute poor performances in mathematics not to themselves, but to factors out of their control. Such factors include instructors, time and day of class, and instructional style. At the same time, students lack the ability to identify factors that limit their success. Furthermore, Higbee and Thomas (1999) assert that correlations between mathematics anxiety, test anxiety, and lack of confidence in one's ability to complete mathematical tasks do exist and may possibly indicate that student achievement is not only related to external factors, such as the faculty member and their instructional style, but also to student attitudes toward mathematics. Furthermore, because of the mandatory enrollment associated with developmental classes, previous research (Bassarear, 1986; FIigbee & Thomas, 1999) indicates that there is a stigma associated with being labeled as a remedial math student. …

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