Studying students studying calculus: a look at the lives of minority mathematics students in college

TitleStudying students studying calculus: a look at the lives of minority mathematics students in college
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication1992
AuthorsTreisman U
JournalThe College Mathematics Journal
Volume23
Pagination362-372
KeywordsAcademic preparation, Active learning, African-American, collaborative learning, Diversity Institute Literature Review, Gatekeeper courses, Group work, Mathematics, Motivation, Social support, Special programs
SummaryA department mathematics team extensively researched issues surrounding minority student performance in college introductory calculus. Their initial perception indicated that minority black students' low-performance relative to white and Asian American students could be attributed to one or more of four factors: income, low motivation to perform, inadequate academic preparation and lack of family support.Rigorous research saw every one of these hypotheses wholly refuted. The authors re-researchedthe issues and their subjects, found that course structure and student teamwork were critical, and in response designed a powerfully, demonstrably successful series of intervention programs. Treisman describes challenges and how they were overcome, and calls for supporting faculty who are interested in working on course and minority development to do so as part of their professional work, and for administration to re-think departmental collective responsibility for the future of mathematics.
Extended SummaryThis paper is a transcript of an inspirational lecture describing the efforts of a mathematics department to improve minority student performance in college introductory calculus. Students were extensively observed as to how they lived, their study habits, their interactions with other students and so on. No substantial differences in family income, motivation to perform, academic preparation or family support were found between blacks and other students. Their most significant finding was that while virtually all black students religiously studied, attended class and did their homework, they worked alone, in contrast to (for example) Chinese students, who most often formed informal academic networks and helped each other extensively.In response, the team developed workshop courses to assist black students to overcome patterns of isolation. Equally important, they developed a core of challenging and suitable problem sets that helped crystallize emerging understanding of calculus and fully demonstrate the beauty of the subject. They successfully demonstrated to their students that college success would require them to work with their peers and create a community based on shared intellectual interests and professional aims. Surprisingly, the team also had to teach its students how to work together. Results were dramatic.Black students with Math SAT scores in the low 600s were performing comparably to Asian students with Math SAT scores in the mid-700s. "In effect, the workshops provided a buffer easing minority students' transition into the academy."The author further describes efforts in the 1980s to explore student failure generally in introductory STEM courses, with a focus on physics. Again they researched the problem and again their initial hypotheses (student inability) failed. And again, alterations in the course structure (including reformatting the course's problem sets to make them both genuinely challenging and relevant) had enormous potential (in addition to supporting peer-learning) to positively affect student performance. A similar effort at CUNY, and its dramatic results in significantly elevating grades, GPA and retention in mathematics, is cited.
RecommendationsEngage African American students, as well as other students who do not study together, in collaborative learning. This is especially important in gatekeeper courses.