Exploration of Undergraduate Students’ Attitudes toward Mathematics in Elementary Algebra Course

Abstract

This action research paper explores if and how the integration of weekly writing assignments in an Elementary Algebra course affects college students' attitudes toward mathematics. This paper also addresses the main factors that college students believe are responsible for the change in their attitudes toward mathematics due to the integration of weekly writing assignments. The study takes place in a developmental mathematics course in a community college located in the Western United States. The findings suggest the incorporation of weekly writing assignments have the potential to improve college students' negative attitudes toward mathematics. Findings also suggest that college students became independent problem solvers and active learners due to the integration of weekly writing assignments in the Elementary Algebra course. Moreover, it was noted that college students were able to figure out their own mistakes and keep a record of their progress, and thus became more confident in mathematics in general as a result of doing weekly writing in mathematics.