This paper reports a study on retention of core concepts in differential and integral calculus by examining the knowledge of two pre-service mathematics students. The study is conducted using a mixed method approach and the obtained data were analyzed using theory of three worlds of mathematics. The results showed that having good understanding of…

In this paper, we report a pilot study on engaging a group of undergraduate students to explore the limits of sin(x)/x and tan(x)/x as x approaches to 0, with the use of non-graphic scientific calculators. By comparing the results in the pretest and the post-test, we found that the students had improvements in the tested items, which involved the…

This paper reports a study on retention of differential and integral calculus concepts of a second-year student of physical chemistry at a Danish university. The focus was on what knowledge the student retained 14 months after the course and on what effect beliefs about mathematics had on the retention. We argue that if a student can quickly…

Research suggests that students in certain contexts who are "metacognitively aware learners" demonstrate better academic performance (Shraw & Dennison, 1994; Md. Yunus & Ali, 2008). In this research, the metacognitive levels for two classes of differential equations students were studied. Students completed a survey adapted from…

Mathematical modeling and directed learning groups were employed in a terminal mathematics course to encourage university students to conceptualize real-world mathematics problems. Multiple assessments were utilized to determine whether students' conceptual development is enhanced by participating in directed learning groups conducted in a…

Introduction: When talking about knowledge itself, the way it is perceived, understood, learnt, remembered and thought, we are talking about metacognition. It is considered a crucial aspect in the development of reflective thought, autonomous learning and construction of knowledge. There exists several tools in literature to measure metacognitive…

This article discusses an activity designed to encourage writing to learn in mathematics. There were three stages of data collection. An assessment, requiring basic algebra only, was completed by 118 undergraduates from statistics and calculus courses. Students were given summaries of all participant responses, along with the correct answers.…

One goal of an undergraduate education in mathematics is to help students develop a productive disposition towards mathematics. A way of conceiving of this is as helping mathematical novices transition to more expert-like perceptions of mathematics. This conceptualization creates a need for a way to characterize students' perceptions of…

This work describes the design and evaluation of a proposal to use Classroom Response Systems (CRS), intended to promote participative classes of Mathematics at University. The proposal is based on Problem Based Learnig (PBL) and uses Robert's six hypotheses for mathematical teaching-learning. The results show that PBL is a relevant strategy to…

College students enrolling in the calculus sequence have a wide variance in their preparation and abilities, yet they are usually taught from the same lecture. We describe another pedagogical model of Individualized Additional Instruction (IAI) that assesses each student frequently and prescribes further instruction and homework based on the…

This teacher's guide is designed for use with the SMSG textbook "Calculus of Elementary Functions." It contains solutions to exercises found in Chapter 9, Integration Theory and Technique; Chapter 10, Simple Differential Equations; Appendix 5, Area and Integral; Appendix 6; Appendix 7, Continuity Theory; and Appendix 8, More About…

Reports results of a survey of demographics and work and study habits of college freshmen mathematics students. No statistically significant correlation was found between work hours and grade outcome. (Author/MKR)

This booklet contains 11 modules (290 multiple-choice items) designed for use in the first course of a three-course calculus sequence using the textbook "Calculus with Analytic Geometry" (Dennis G. Zill). In each module, relevant sections of the textbook are identified for users. It can, however, be used in conjunction with any calculus textbook.…

A study was conducted at California's Orange Coast College (OCC) to determine if students who completed college algebra at OCC or at another college prior to enrolling in the college's calculus for business, management, and social sciences (CBMSS) course performed significantly better than students who had not previously completed college algebra.…

In 1989, a survey was conducted of 1,003 two-year colleges and 997 four-year colleges to identify criteria used to place students into Calculus I and II, determine respondents' perceptions of the effectiveness of the placement procedures, and gather information on the first-year calculus curricula of the schools. Study findings, based on usable…