It is well documented that students are struggling in developmental and introductory mathematics courses at community colleges across the nation. However, the reasons that these students struggle are not as well known. While numerous researchers have investigated the effects of inquiry-based learning on K-12 students, the research on this topic at the community college level is lacking. For my dissertation work, I have collected attitudinal surveys, observational data, and final exams from eight sections of a developmental mathematics course and nine sections of College Algebra at a large Texas community college. Approximately half of the instructors involved in the study incorporated some level of inquiry-based teaching strategies in their classrooms (referred to in this dissertation as “student-led” sections) while the remaining instructors employed a more direct strategy (referred to as “lecture” sections). Using this data, I investigated the relationships between teaching methods and attitudes, teaching methods and content knowledge, and attitudes and content knowledge. The evidence showed that IBL teaching strategies have a greater effect on students’ attitudes for students enrolled in a developmental mathematics course than those enrolled in College Algebra. IBL teaching strategies had no positive effects on developmental students’ performance on a skills-based final exam, but student-led sections performed just as well as lecture sections. In College Algebra, participants in student-led sections scored significantly higher than lecture sections on two out of five objectives: write the equation of a line in slope-intercept form (p<0.001) and use properties of logarithms to write an expression as a single logarithm (p<0.01). Lecture sections scored significantly higher than student-led sections on one objective: write the equation of an exponential function given two data points (p<0.05). However, the wording of the problems for this objective differed between lecture and student-led sections. Finally, when comparing the eight Basic Math Skills objectives with the 17 attitudinal variables, 1.4% of pairs were significantly correlated on the pre-survey and 15.4% of pairs were significantly correlated on the post-survey. Of the five College Algebra objectives and 17 attitudinal variables, 16.5% of pairs were significantly correlated on the pre-survey and 7.1% of pairs were significantly correlated on the post-survey. / text

Thesis (D.A.)--Illinois State University, 2002. / Title from title page screen, viewed November 29, 2005. Dissertation Committee: Thomas Shilgalis (chair), Kenneth Berk, Patricia Klass, Beverly Rich, Charles Vanden Eynden. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60-61) and abstract. Also available in print.

Within the CCC system, mathematics has been identified as the most considerable barrier to persistence, transfer, and degree completion (Cooper et al., 2022). Recent research corroborated the notion that mathematics serves as a gatekeeper for Black and Latinx students; historically, this subject has impeded students of color from accessing educational opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM; Joseph et al., 2021). Consequently, mathematics has evolved into a racialized impediment for students and, by extension, STEM graduates. Recognizing mathematics’ critical role in shaping students’ future prospects, the state legislature introduced California Assembly Bill 705 (AB 705; California Assembly Bill 705 [AB 705], 2017) to provide an intervention implemented in the fall of 2019. The purpose of this study was to examine how Black and Latinx working-class STEM students interpret and derive meaning from their mathematics trajectories, as well as the strategies they develop to navigate transfer-level mathematics environments in post-AB 705 (2017) contexts. Utilizing critical race theory (CRT) as a framework, the research documented students’ counter-narratives with the aim of enhancing transfer rates and STEM transfer readiness for students of color in STEM fields. Additionally, the study established connections between the policy and existing research on STEM momentum and transfer success through the voices of students of color. Five self-identified Black and Latinx students who enrolled at a CCC in the fall of 2019 or later and transferred to either a UC or CSU in the fall of 2023 as a STEM major were interviewed. Additionally, all participating students received the California Promise Grant (California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, 2017) at some point in their CCC careers, which served as a proxy for their socioeconomic status. To further provide context, one STEM counselor and one CCC math instructor with at least 5 years of experience supporting Black and Latinx working-class STEM students were interviewed. The counter-narratives reveal systemic flaws in the education system, from secondary education through community college. Their stories identified systemic barriers primarily in secondary education that hinder the recognition and development of working-class Black and Latinx students’ potential. Additionally, as the student participants transitioned to college, structural racism and classism continued to create barriers to success in transfer-level math courses in community colleges. Concurrently, student narratives highlighted the pivotal aspects at community colleges that contribute to their success, including supportive academic environments, culturally responsive teaching, and inclusive communities, thereby highlighting the barriers and challenges that arise when such aspects are absent in transfer-level math and the STEM pipeline.

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