Investigating and Assessing Student Interest in a Math Seminar Class

Document Type

Presentation Abstract

Presentation Date

4-29-2014

Abstract

Interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields for 12th grade students in the U.S. sits at a discouraging 31% (Business Education Forum, 2011). The most recent curriculum development, the Common Core State Standards, does not specifically suggest what can be done to address this trend. Also, a “2010 Report to the President” states, “And we must inspire all students to learn STEM and, in the process, motivate many of them to pursue STEM careers” (p. 11). Building from personal experiences and research, a high school mathematics course, Math Seminar, was developed to increase student interest through the investigation of the history of mathematics and other topics usually reserved for undergraduate studies. In this talk, I will present the motivation and research that supported the creation of Math Seminar and an in-depth description of what Math Seminar entails. To measure student interest in the course, a survey of 293 Missoula high school students was conducted and the findings will be shared. Finally, future research-driven and curriculum-based goals for Math Seminar as a high school course are to be discussed.

Additional Details

Presentation of Master's Project.

Master's Advisor: Jim Hirstein (Mathematical Sciences)

Tuesday, April 29 at 2:10 pm in Math 305

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