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Implications Of Differentiated Instruction On Student Attitudes, Valorie L. Zonnefeld

Master of Education Program Theses

This research examines the implications of a differentiated curriculum on four general factors of student attitudes: motivation, enjoyment of mathematics, value of mathematics, and self-confidence. It is quasi-experimental by design. The sample included the 73 students enrolled in the Algebra I course at Western Christian High School in Hull, Iowa. During the third quarter of the school year, students with eligible grades were allowed to contract out of portions of the regular assignment. Attitudes were measured before and after the quarter using the Attitudes Towards Mathematics Inventory (Tapia, 1996). A t-test was used to compare student attitudes. There were significant …