Studying Mathematics in High School and College: Summer Bridge Program Student Beliefs
Conference Paper
Overview
Research
Identity
Additional Document Info
Other
View All
Overview
abstract
2017 IEEE. Prospective engineering students often have difficulty with study expectations when transitioning from high school to college. Mathematics is particularly challenging for those who have been successful in high school without needing to study. Engineering mathematics college courses tend to cover twice the volume of material in 60% of the class time of high school mathematics courses. Thus, the need for outside study time is increased drastically, and the time to absorb and practice concepts and skills is reduced. Surveys from students in a summer precalculus program revealed that they understood that their strategies for success in mathematics should change as they transitioned to college. However, they often failed to begin the change while participating in the summer program designed to increase their algebra and precalculus skills in preparation for engineering calculus. The research questions for this study are: 1) For prospective engineering students in a summer precalculus bridge program, how did their expectations of college mathematics study compare with their expectations of high school mathematics study? 2) How well do prospective engineering students in a summer precalculus bridge program begin to change their study habits in preparation for engineering college mathematics?
