PhD Proposal by Emmanuel Barton Odro (Mathematical Sciences, MSU)

03/12/2021  10:00 am  WebEx Meeting

Abstract:  At the university level and in STEM fields students’ dropout in part due to not being able to pass mathematics courses, particularly Calculus I (Roble, 2017). According to the Mathematics Association of America, Calculus I occupies a unique position as a gateway course to STEM degrees (2015). Almost all STEM majors need to take at least the first course in calculus. To many of these students, this first course in the calculus sequence is either an obstacle or a discouragement to continue in their degree programs (Ellis et al., 2016; Bressoud, Carlson, Mesa & Rasmussen, 2013).
As a matter of fact, many students have felt that they were strong in mathematics in high school, but after their first college course in Calculus, they become discouraged in their abilities in mathematics. Accordingly, possible reasons for dropout have been discussed and examined for decades for Calculus I and subsequently STEM fields (e.g. Bressoud, Mesa, & Rasmussen, 2015; Rasmussen & Ellis, 2013; Tinto, 1975), including students' lack of persistence and lack of confidence especially for women to mention a few.
Calculus I is a gateway course where many students struggle to succeed: the purpose of this study is to examine how gender identity shapes students' engagement experiences in an online Calculus I class. This study analyzes relationships between student engagement and reasoning and how these qualities differ between students with different gender identities in an online Calculus I class. Additionally, studying this relationship allows the researcher to gain insight on factors that could promote students’ retention in online calculus classrooms and, thereby, STEM fields, overall.