Date of Award
Fall 1996
Document Type
Dissertation - Restricted
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Education
First Advisor
Bogenschild, Erika
Second Advisor
Collins, Peter
Third Advisor
Ivanoff, John
Abstract
A number of reports by national commissions have encouraged changes in the mathematics curriculum, including how mathematics is taught. An emphasis is being placed on active modes of learning, and small group cooperative learning has been suggested as one way to facilitate more active student learning. While classroom research on cooperative learning has been plentiful, relatively little research about cooperative learning in mathematics has been aimed at the college level. The little research that has been done in college mathematics classrooms generally used students from large universities or community colleges. Thus there is a great need for research on the effectiveness of cooperative learning techniques in the small private liberal arts college. This study examines whether beginning algebra classes in small private liberal arts colleges taught using cooperative and individualistic learning techniques, are significantly different in student achievement, mathematical self-concept, and five different beliefs about mathematics.