Self-beliefs of success for college calculus students

Abstract

Calculus is often viewed as one of the gateway courses for STEM majors. It is important for STEM educators to understand not only what demographic and prior academic factors contribute to the success of students taking this course, but also the students' perception of their own academic capabilities. In this paper we will present findings from a survey of over 200 Calculus I students at a large research-intensive university. The survey included questions on academic self-efficacy, academic engagement, learning climate, class enjoyment, anxiety, and other emotional factors. In analyzing the survey results, significant differences were found among students enrolled in different colleges at the university. Specifically, students who studied at the College of Technology, the College of Natural Science and Math, College of Engineering, or other colleges demonstrated significantly different expectations on their success in Calculus. The survey results also indicated an interaction effect of students' grade level of the association between the colleges they are in and their expectation of their final score in the course.