The effects of gender and ethnicity on students' perceptions of small-group learning in collegiate mathematics courses

<p>Qualitative studies of students' perceptions on small-group work are limited, and few offer insights on the perceptions of women and minority students, for whom quantitative research suggests that small-group work is most beneficial. The aim of this research project is to conduct a qualitative analysis on the perceptions of women and minority students on their small-group learning experiences in collegiate mathematics courses. We conducted a Likert-scale survey of 114 Eastern Michigan University undergraduate students who were enrolled in a cross section of mathematics courses. The data were analyzed using statistical measures such as the frequency and modes of each response, as well as by utilizing a chi-squared test in MATLAB to test for statistical significance between the differences among students' responses with a 95% confidence interval. The survey analysis examines the roles gender and ethnicity play in how students feel about their experiences in small-group learning environments, the factors that shape these perceptions, and the resulting impacts on their perceived ability to understand the material. While students' perceptions of small-group work in collegiate mathematics courses were generally positive among all groups of students surveyed, some differences were found in their perceptions of group work based on gender and ethnicity.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Mathematics

Year dc:date.available

2017

Author dc:creator

• Potts, Layla

Contributors dc:contributor

• Roxanne Katus, Ph.D., Chair
• Tanweer Shapla, Ph.D.
• Khairul Islam, Ph.D.

• Chi-squared Test; Gender and ethnicity in small-group learning; Likert-scale analysis; Small-group learning in collegiate mathematics
• Education
• Mathematics

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.emich.edu/theses/775

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.emich.edu:theses-2154