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Standards: Mexican-American students' attitudes.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

Following a year-long implementation of a standards-based middle school mathematics curriculum, students were surveyed. The survey revealed that positive attitudes toward mathematics prevailed in each of the six middle schools where the program was implemented.

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Accountability in the state of Texas has been "a fact of life" for school districts in the state since the mid-eighties. At that time, students were tested for basic skills. Students are now being assessed at a higher cognitive level on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills test. The test calls for students to respond to items that measure deeper understanding of mathematics concepts. The implication is that teachers in Texas have to teach for deeper conceptual understanding of mathematics. Standards-based curricula have the potential to offer the greatest opportunity to teach mathematics for deeper understanding (Senk & Thompson, 2003). There is general agreement that the quality of school mathematics programs must be improved to afford all students an opportunity to succeed in mathematics (Reys, Reys, Lapan, Holliday, & Wasman, 2003). The Connected Mathematics Program, a standards-based curriculum, is thought to develop student knowledge and understanding of mathematics, focusing on connections among the core ideas of mathematics, and applications outside of school (Ridgway, Zawojewski, Hoover, & Lambdin, 2003). Moreover, the curriculum is organized around interesting problem solving activities, designed to involve groups of students and encourages discourse and reflective writing about these ideas (Ridgway, et al, 2003). The curriculum incorporates practice with computation and symbolic manipulation into its units to build conceptual foundations for the skills (Ridgway, et al, 2003).

Questions remain whether a standards-based curriculum is beneficial for all students, teachers and situations (Chappell, 2003; Ridgway, et al, 2003). When examining how students interact with different curricula, it is important to examine affective factors (Chappell, 2003). Although some researchers (e.g., Garofalo, 1989; Schoenfeld, 1985; Underhill, 1988) have conducted studies on the affective domain, very few studies have been conducted with Latino(a) student populations (e.g., Telese, 1999) and there is limited research focusing on standards-based curriculum (Senk & Thompson, 2003). Research conducted with minority student populations has generally focused on cultural influences on the learning of mathematics (e.g. Khisty, 1995; McLeod, 1992; Orr, 1987). The purpose of the present study was to gain an understanding of Mexican-American students' attitudes towards mathematics after they have experienced a standards-based mathematics curriculum. The study sought answers to the following research question: What is the attitude toward mathematics of middle school, Mexican-American students upon experiencing a standards-based curriculum?

The Importance of Examining Beliefs and Attitudes

Research on the affective domain has maintained an active role...

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