Looking at Both Sides of the Equation: Do Student Background Variables Explain Math Performance?

Abstract

Consistently high failure rates in the college algebra course in a predominantly Hispanic university prompted this study. A cohort of 1,362 students completed a survey addressing students’ entry-level knowledge, educational expectation and motivation indicators, attitudes toward math, and family support for education. The lack of significant differences between ethnic groups in the variables measured may indicate a need to shift researchers’ attention from student background variables toward the teaching component of the teaching-learning equation.