Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 3 of 3
Full-Text Articles in Education
Parts Of The Whole: Quantitative Literacy On A Desert Island, Dorothy Wallace
Parts Of The Whole: Quantitative Literacy On A Desert Island, Dorothy Wallace
Numeracy
Some of the specific institutional problems faced by quantitative reasoning courses, programs and requirements arise from the fragile intellectual position of “quantitative reasoning” as an idea, or meme. The process of isolation and reintroduction explains both the proliferation of living species and the way in which some difficult ideas take their place in a culture. Using evolutionary explanations as metaphor and the Copernican revolution as an example of a difficult idea, we draw lessons that can be applied to the “quantitative reasoning” meme, including the function of the National Numeracy Network as an island of protected discourse favoring the growth …
Improving University Students' Perception Of Mathematics And Mathematics Ability, Shelly L. Wismath, Alyson Worrall
Improving University Students' Perception Of Mathematics And Mathematics Ability, Shelly L. Wismath, Alyson Worrall
Numeracy
Although mathematical and quantitative reasoning skills are an essential part of adult life in our society, many students arrive at post-secondary education without such skills. Taking a standard mathematics course such as calculus may do little to improve those skills. Using a modification of the Tapia & Marsh questionnaire, we surveyed 62 students taking a broad quantitative reasoning course designed to develop quantitative skills, with respect to two broad attitudinal areas: students’ perception of their own ability, confidence and anxiety, and their perception of the value of mathematics in their studies and their lives. Pre- to post-course comparisons were done …
Development Of The Quantitative Reasoning Items On The National Survey Of Student Engagement, Amber D. Dumford, Louis M. Rocconi
Development Of The Quantitative Reasoning Items On The National Survey Of Student Engagement, Amber D. Dumford, Louis M. Rocconi
Numeracy
As society’s needs for quantitative skills become more prevalent, college graduates require quantitative skills regardless of their career choices. Therefore, it is important that institutions assess students’ engagement in quantitative activities during college. This study chronicles the process taken by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to develop items that measure students’ participation in quantitative reasoning (QR) activities. On the whole, findings across the quantitative and qualitative analyses suggest good overall properties for the developed QR items. The items show great promise to explore and evaluate the frequency with which college students participate in QR-related activities. Each year, hundreds …