Mathematics--Study and teaching (Higher)

Almost twenty-one percent of the United States population spoke a language
other than English in 2011. Furthermore, there has been a dramatic increase in the
enrollment of students of Hispanic and other ethnic backgrounds in U.S. post-secondary
institutions between 1976 and 2013 (from 4% to 16%) (National Center for Education
Statistics NCES, 2016).
Until now, no systematic research has focused on the differential effects of selfefficacy
on academic achievement in monolingual and bilingual undergraduate college
students. The present study aimed to investigate this relationship, as well as contribute
additional insight on whether the academic self-efficacy of monolingual and bilingual
undergraduate college students plays a role in their academic success specifically in
science and math courses. Additionally, the findings of this research study were expected to provide data to inform the development of educational programs that might
specifically target monolinguals or bilinguals in enhancing students’ self-efficacy.
Seven instructors of foundational undergraduate science courses and math
courses at a southeastern university agreed to contribute to the study by asking their
students for their voluntary participation in the data collection. A total of 361 students
participated in the study. Overall, 256 (70.9%) participants reported being monolingual
and 105 (29.1%) reported being bilingual; 335 (92.8%) students were enrolled in
science courses and 26 (7.2%) were registered in math courses; 237 (65.7%) were
female students and 124 (34.3%) were male. Demographics, self-efficacy, and
sociolinguistic data were collected using the Self-Efficacy Research Study Online
Questionnaire. Final science and math grades were also collected from the instructors at
the end of the semester for all students who volunteered to participate in the study.
The findings of this research study revealed that the self-efficacy levels of
undergraduate college students in science and math predict their academic achievement
in these subjects. They also showed that the self-efficacy levels of bilingual participants
are higher than those of their monolingual counterparts. Findings also indicated that
when the relationship between final grade and self-efficacy was examined separately in
each linguistic group the correlation was significant and positive for monolinguals.

This study was designed to determine the effects of
requiring student completion and submission of homework
problem assignments, their correction and return, on a regular
basis, on community college student achievement in two
mathematics courses. These courses were introductory college
algebra (designated Mathematics X) and college algebra (designated
Mathematics Y). Additionally, student persistence
in the courses was studied. Implications of the study included the following:
1. Requiring homework problem assignments to be
completed and submitted on a regular basis as a teaching aid
is acceptable for the instructor who approves of this practice.
For the instructor who does not, any other teaching
tool currently in use is equally effective.
2. Proper placement in the mathematics sequence
may be the influential factor for persistence. This was indicated by the one statistically significant experimental
outcome.
Recommendations for further study included the
following:
1. Determination of methods to improve instruction
in community college mathematics courses.
2. Determination of improved placement techniques
for students in community college mathematics courses.
3. Determination of factors which increase persistence.
4. Determination of factors which will reduce the
large within-groups variance found in this study (which may
be the placement techniques mentioned above).