A study of the impact of instructional approach on community college students’ problem solving and metacognitive abilities in the developmental mathematics course, Introductory Algebra

<p>The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the cognitive, metacognitive, affective and instructional constructs that influence students’ problem solving development in a community college <em>Introductory Algebra</em> course. The study addressed the lack of success that developmental mathematics students in a community college have in the <em>Introductory Algebra</em> course and in subsequent curriculum mathematics courses. Research suggests that the prevalent procedural-oriented instructional methodology used in most mathematics classrooms may be contributing to the lack of student success. The community college students (N = 140) in this study were enrolled in an <em>Introductory Algebra </em>course. The study investigated the relationships among the constructs self-regulation, students’ problem solving development, and instructional methods used in the <em>Introductory Algebra</em> course. A correlational design established the quantitative relationships among the constructs. The aim of this study was to heighten the awareness of both the cognitive and non-cognitive aspects of adult student learning, as well as, the importance of attending to the students’ conceptual understanding of mathematics.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Year dc:date.available

2012

Author dc:creator

• Landry, Sandra T

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Germain-McCarthy
• Dr. Janz
• Dr. Thoreson

• Adult education, mathematics, developmental education, community college, conceptual approach, algebra
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Education

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1547

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarworks.uno.edu:td-2642