A dissertation completed at
The Center for Education, Widener University,
One University Place, Chester, PA 19013 		 
A MEASURE AND ANALYSIS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF REFORM STANDARDS IN MATHEMATICS AT TWO-YEAR COLLEGES
Ruth Dilts Collins, Ed. D.
August 1998

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edited 12/20/00

 


ABSTRACT

This research studied the extent to which two-year colleges nationwide are offering mathematics content and mathematics methods course work intended for preservice teachers. In addition, this research has determined the extent to which the existing courses model the professional standards for reform in mathematics education as set forth in documents from three national mathematical organizations.

Recent educational reform efforts in mathematics have been developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), and the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC). An integral part of the multifaceted approach for successfully implementing reform is the preservice instructional component for teachers in mathematics. As more than half of college students nationwide begin their postsecondary education at two-year colleges (National Center for Educational Statistics [NCES], 1996), it is imperative that courses offered to preservice teachers at two-year schools be adjusted to meet specified standards.

Responses to questions concerned with standards knowledge, funding, and technology inclusion provided background information on course structure. Responses to questions on the topics of 1) methodologies employed, 2) assessment techniques used, and 3) technology inclusion completed the portrait of preservice teacher mathematics reform as it exists today at two-year colleges.

From a nationwide database of 579 two-year public and private postsecondary institutions offering education majors, twenty-two percent of the schools were randomly iii chosen. An electronic survey was made available to instructors contacted through their college's e- mail system. Those schools without electronic mail capabilities were contacted through standard mailings to preserve the integrity of the sample group. Courses in mathematics developed specifically for preservice teachers were: 1) less likely to use the lecture format, 2) more likely to incorporate discovery learning through group activities, 3) more likely to stress the communications standards, and 4) more likely to include alternative assessment measures of written essays and graded group work. An alpha level of .05 was used for all statistical tests. Few courses in mathematics methods were found in the sample population.

Preservice mathematics classes were observed in order to add detail to the survey data and to enrich and develop the portrait of faculty members teaching mathematics content course work for preservice teachers at two-year colleges. Classroom observations of three college mathematics teachers closely matched their survey responses in both areas of standards implementation and classroom atmosphere.

Appendixes include a transcription of observed mathematics classes, outlines of reform standards proposed by NCTM, AMATYC and the MAA, a copy of the survey document, and faculty comments collected by the website. Response rates were 54.3% for paper surveys and 87.9% for electronically collected surveys. Recommendations for future research are listed.

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