{"id":{"repo_id":"montana-tech","oai_identifier":"oai:scholarworks.umt.edu:etd-1761"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/montana-tech/oai:scholarworks.umt.edu:etd-1761","repository":{"repo_id":"montana-tech","name":"Montana Technology","base_url":"https://scholarworks.umt.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Performance, Placement, and Persistence: An Exploratory Study of the First Year Math Experience at The University of Montana","abstract":"This quantitative study investigates a number of parameters associated with the first-year student’s math experience at The University of Montana: performance in the course and mathematics placement in the fall of 2005. The study sample is comprised of 1,044 first-year students who enroll in one of six selected 100-level math courses offered by the Department of Mathematical Sciences, ranging from intermediate algebra to calculus. Average grade earned by first-year students varies from a low of 1.72 in intermediate algebra to a high of 3.37 in applied calculus. The study finds that a first-year student’s ACT or SAT math score is only weakly associated with his performance in a first-year mathematics course. Twenty percent of students elect to take the optional university-administered placement test; the association is stronger between their score on this test and performance in a first semester math course. In general, students who comply with their recommendation earn a higher average grade than those who enroll in a course above their placement; students who enroll in a course below their recommended placement do even better. The exception to this pattern is the compliance findings for intermediate algebra. The study identified a sub-sample of 348 first-year students who had also enrolled in one of two English composition courses during their first-year in attendance at The University. Using a triage analysis technique developed for this study, three distinct groups were identified: Category 1 students who succeed in both their first-year mathematics and composition courses, Category 2 students who are unsuccessful in both courses, and Category 3 students who successfully complete one course but not the other. The study finds that 70% of first-year students in the sample are in Category 1, 9% in Category 2, and 21% in Category 3. Category 3 was further subdivided in order to identify the percentage of students who did not succeed in mathematics but did in English composition (Category 3M – 18% of the total first-year population) and the percentage of students who succeed in mathematics but not composition (Category 3E – 3%). The study concludes with recommendations for improving the performance of first-year students in mathematics, and an estimate of the resulting improvement in persistence and retention.","abstract_html":"This quantitative study investigates a number of parameters associated with the first-year student’s math experience at The University of Montana: performance in the course and mathematics placement in the fall of 2005. The study sample is comprised of 1,044 first-year students who enroll in one of six selected 100-level math courses offered by the Department of Mathematical Sciences, ranging from intermediate algebra to calculus. Average grade earned by first-year students varies from a low of 1.72 in intermediate algebra to a high of 3.37 in applied calculus. The study finds that a first-year student’s ACT or SAT math score is only weakly associated with his performance in a first-year mathematics course. Twenty percent of students elect to take the optional university-administered placement test; the association is stronger between their score on this test and performance in a first semester math course. In general, students who comply with their recommendation earn a higher average grade than those who enroll in a course above their placement; students who enroll in a course below their recommended placement do even better. The exception to this pattern is the compliance findings for intermediate algebra. The study identified a sub-sample of 348 first-year students who had also enrolled in one of two English composition courses during their first-year in attendance at The University. Using a triage analysis technique developed for this study, three distinct groups were identified: Category 1 students who succeed in both their first-year mathematics and composition courses, Category 2 students who are unsuccessful in both courses, and Category 3 students who successfully complete one course but not the other. The study finds that 70% of first-year students in the sample are in Category 1, 9% in Category 2, and 21% in Category 3. Category 3 was further subdivided in order to identify the percentage of students who did not succeed in mathematics but did in English composition (Category 3M – 18% of the total first-year population) and the percentage of students who succeed in mathematics but not composition (Category 3E – 3%). The study concludes with recommendations for improving the performance of first-year students in mathematics, and an estimate of the resulting improvement in persistence and retention.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["O'Hare, Sharon Beth"],"institution":"University of Montana","degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2007,"date_issued":"2007-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2007-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:13:53Z","subjects":["college mathematics","developmental mathematics","mathematics performance","mathematics placement testing","persistence","retention","triage"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/742","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["O'Hare, Sharon Beth"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["University of Montana"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["college mathematics","developmental mathematics","mathematics performance","mathematics placement testing","persistence","retention","triage"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/742"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This quantitative study investigates a number of parameters associated with the first-year student’s math experience at The University of Montana: performance in the course and mathematics placement in the fall of 2005. The study sample is comprised of 1,044 first-year students who enroll in one of six selected 100-level math courses offered by the Department of Mathematical Sciences, ranging from intermediate algebra to calculus. Average grade earned by first-year students varies from a low of 1.72 in intermediate algebra to a high of 3.37 in applied calculus. The study finds that a first-year student’s ACT or SAT math score is only weakly associated with his performance in a first-year mathematics course. Twenty percent of students elect to take the optional university-administered placement test; the association is stronger between their score on this test and performance in a first semester math course. In general, students who comply with their recommendation earn a higher average grade than those who enroll in a course above their placement; students who enroll in a course below their recommended placement do even better. The exception to this pattern is the compliance findings for intermediate algebra. The study identified a sub-sample of 348 first-year students who had also enrolled in one of two English composition courses during their first-year in attendance at The University. Using a triage analysis technique developed for this study, three distinct groups were identified: Category 1 students who succeed in both their first-year mathematics and composition courses, Category 2 students who are unsuccessful in both courses, and Category 3 students who successfully complete one course but not the other. The study finds that 70% of first-year students in the sample are in Category 1, 9% in Category 2, and 21% in Category 3. Category 3 was further subdivided in order to identify the percentage of students who did not succeed in mathematics but did in English composition (Category 3M – 18% of the total first-year population) and the percentage of students who succeed in mathematics but not composition (Category 3E – 3%). The study concludes with recommendations for improving the performance of first-year students in mathematics, and an estimate of the resulting improvement in persistence and retention."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Performance, Placement, and Persistence: An Exploratory Study of the First Year Math Experience at The University of Montana"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["O'Hare, Sharon Beth"],"dc:description.abstract":["This quantitative study investigates a number of parameters associated with the first-year student’s math experience at The University of Montana: performance in the course and mathematics placement in the fall of 2005. The study sample is comprised of 1,044 first-year students who enroll in one of six selected 100-level math courses offered by the Department of Mathematical Sciences, ranging from intermediate algebra to calculus. Average grade earned by first-year students varies from a low of 1.72 in intermediate algebra to a high of 3.37 in applied calculus. The study finds that a first-year student’s ACT or SAT math score is only weakly associated with his performance in a first-year mathematics course. Twenty percent of students elect to take the optional university-administered placement test; the association is stronger between their score on this test and performance in a first semester math course. In general, students who comply with their recommendation earn a higher average grade than those who enroll in a course above their placement; students who enroll in a course below their recommended placement do even better. The exception to this pattern is the compliance findings for intermediate algebra. The study identified a sub-sample of 348 first-year students who had also enrolled in one of two English composition courses during their first-year in attendance at The University. Using a triage analysis technique developed for this study, three distinct groups were identified: Category 1 students who succeed in both their first-year mathematics and composition courses, Category 2 students who are unsuccessful in both courses, and Category 3 students who successfully complete one course but not the other. The study finds that 70% of first-year students in the sample are in Category 1, 9% in Category 2, and 21% in Category 3. Category 3 was further subdivided in order to identify the percentage of students who did not succeed in mathematics but did in English composition (Category 3M – 18% of the total first-year population) and the percentage of students who succeed in mathematics but not composition (Category 3E – 3%). The study concludes with recommendations for improving the performance of first-year students in mathematics, and an estimate of the resulting improvement in persistence and retention."],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/742"],"dc:publisher":["University of Montana"],"dc:subject":["college mathematics","developmental mathematics","mathematics performance","mathematics placement testing","persistence","retention","triage"],"dc:title":["Performance, Placement, and Persistence: An Exploratory Study of the First Year Math Experience at The University of Montana"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:13:53Z"}