The Ways In Which K 8 Students’ Participation In A Gk 12 Program Affects Achievement In And Beliefs About Mathematics

To evaluate the effectiveness of a program whose goal is to increase the number and diversity of students enrolled in upper-level mathematics courses, an analysis was conducted comparing the standardized achievement test scores of program participants to similar nonparticipants. Results indicate that significant gains occur when students participate in the program for two years. In addition, program participants were surveyed to measure students’ confidence about their abilities in mathematics, students’ beliefs about mathematics as a male domain, and students’ perceptions of their teacher’s beliefs about their ability to learn mathematics. Analyses indicate that at least one significant mean difference occurred for all three between subject factors (gender, ethnicity, school type) for all three measures of attitudes and beliefs about mathematics.