Analysis of student beliefs in a tertiary preparatory mathematics course

Does students' confidence in their ability in mathematics matter?

“…i.e. their believed ability in particular mathematics topics, were assessed at Loughborough University (Armstrong andCroft, 1999, andCroft, 2005), Curtin University of Technology in Australia (Frid et al, 1997) and at the University of Southern Queensland (Carmichael and Taylor, 2005). These studies were used to determine students' needs for additional support.…”

The mathematics self-efficacy of rural central Appalachian undergraduate females.

“…Hackett and Betz (1989) suggested that a student's assessment of her ability is important when it comes to mathematics career choice. Researchers found that although females perform as well as or better than males in mathematics, they tend to be less confident in their abilities (Betz & Hackett, 1981;Carmichael & Taylor, 2005;Lloyd, Walsh, & Yailagh, 2005). Even though females may have the same mathematics grades and test scores as their male counterparts, males are more likely to view themselves as more mathematically capable (Correll, 2001).…”

“…Lloyd, Walsh, and Yailagh (2005) Hyde, and Linn (2010) found that although males and females performed similarly in mathematics, males had more positive attitudes toward mathematics. In another study involving adult students in an Australian tertiary preparatory course conducted by Carmichael and Taylor (2005) found that female academic performance was not significantly different from male students' performance even though females reported lower levels of confidence.…”

“…Furthermore, students with higher self-concepts in mathematics or science are more likely to enroll in mathematics and science courses in high school and to believe that they will pursue careers in mathematics or science. Additionally, students have been found to be more precise in their assessment of mathematics confidence when the material on which they base their judgment is familiar (Carmichael & Taylor, 2005).…”

Yes we can achieve in mathematics and why we don't : African American female eleventh and twelfth grade students in a career and technical setting.

“…In this study of 194 third graders and 279 junior high school students, it was found that "girls rated their ability lower and expected to do less well on the examination than did boys" (p. 367). Similarly, in a recent study investigating the effects of motivation on performance in a tertiary preparatory mathematics course, Carmichael and Taylor (2005) once again asserted that females reported less confidence in their mathematical ability versus males. Also, findings reported by Chen and Zimmerman (2007) in their cross-national study regarding seventh and eighth grade mathematics students self-efficacy beliefs indicate that, " [A ]merican girls reported exerting significantly more effort than did American boys, but American boys reported significantly higher ~elf-evaluation judgments than did American girls" (pp.…”