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Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6500-7321
AccessType
Open Access Dissertation
Document Type
dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Degree Program
Education
Year Degree Awarded
2024
Month Degree Awarded
February
First Advisor
Sandra Madden
Subject Categories
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning | Science and Mathematics Education
Abstract
Self-efficacy is strongly correlated with academic success, persistence within a major, and career choice. Calculus courses have been shown to be a weak point in the STEM pipeline, where attrition after completing a calculus course is higher than any other factor or time point. The purpose of this study is to examine how academic and interpersonal experiences within a large calculus course impact mathematical self-efficacy. Furthermore, this study aims to determine whether differences in mathematical self-efficacy are impacted by the identity factors of gender, race, or major. This study employed a mixed-method approach with triangulation design. Analyses revealed significant differences in mathematical self-efficacy between identity subgroups at the beginning of the course, and perpetuated differences by the end of the course supporting prior research showing that women and URM students tend to leave STEM at higher rates. Interviews and qualitative data illuminate why these trends may have occurred.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/36496198
Recommended Citation
Calden, Adena, "IMPLICATIONS AND IMPACTS OF MATHEMATICAL SELF-EFFICACY IN A LARGE CALCULUS CLASS: SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR GENDER, RACE, AND MAJOR" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations. 3037.
https://doi.org/10.7275/36496198
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_2/3037
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.