The mathematics self-efficacy of rural central Appalachian undergraduate females.

178 Pages·2016·0.8 MB·English

by  Lisa J. Music

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Electronic Theses and Dissertations
5-2013
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Lisa J. Music
University of Louisville
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd
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Music, Lisa J., "The mathematics self-efficacy of rural central Appalachian undergraduate females."
(2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 1032.
https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/1032
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THE MATHEMATICS SELF-EFFICACY OF RURAL CENTRAL APPALACHIAN
UNDERGRADUATE FEMALES

By
Lisa J. Music
B.S. Morehead State University, 1994
M.A. Morehead State University, 2003

A Dissertation
Submitted to the Faculty of the
College of Education and Human Development of the University of Louisville
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

Department of Teaching and Learning
University of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky

May 2013

THE MATHEMATICS SELF-EFFICACY OF RURAL CENTRAL APPALACHIAN
UNDERGRADUATE FEMALES

By
Lisa J. Music
B.S. Morehead State University, 1994
M.A. Morehead State University, 2003

A Dissertation Approved on

April 22, 2013

by the following Dissertation Committee

________________________________________
Dr. Karen S. Karp
Dissertation Director

_______________________________________
Dr. Elizabeth Todd Brown

________________________________________
Dr. William S. Bush

________________________________________
Dr. Craig B. Howley

________________________________________
Dr. Robert N. Ronau

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

There are many people who have shown support for my educational journey. It
would be too difficult to name them all individually but I would like for them to know
that I appreciate each and every one. I would like to acknowledge the contributions of
the Appalachian Collaborative Center for Learning, Assessment, and Instruction in
Mathematics (ACCLAIM) program to my education. Without this program I would not
have been about to accomplish my dream of obtaining a doctoral degree.
I would like to thank my coworkers for their support and words of
encouragement during course taking and research. I would like to thank my committee
for the valuable input they have provided. I would like to extend a special thank you to
Dr. Karen Karp for her guidance and numerous edits.
Last, but certainly not least, I would like thank my family for their support during
this adventure. I would like to thank my parents for providing a supportive home
environment during my developmental years which has contributed to my lifelong love of
learning. Also, my wonderful husband, Ricky, has been there to encourage me when
things were difficult. Additionally, I would like to thank my beautiful children, Joshua,
Stephanie, and Kimberley, for understanding when I needed quiet time to work. I
appreciate and love you all.

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ABSTRACT

THE MATHEMATICS SELF-EFFICACY OF RURAL CENTRAL APPALACHIAN
UNDERGRADUATE FEMALES

Lisa Jane Music

May 10, 2013

This dissertation study was a two-part investigation with a sample of
undergraduate students from three community and technical colleges and one university
in the state of Kentucky. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that
contribute to the mathematics self-efficacy of rural Central Appalachian undergraduate
females. Two subscales of the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scale, the
Confidence in Learning Mathematics and the Effectance Motivation Scale in
Mathematics, were used to identify potential interview subjects. The 596 subjects,
including 360 females and 236 males, also completed a questionnaire designed to
determine their classification as being from rural Central Appalachia, other Appalachia,
or non-Appalachia.
Female students from rural Central Appalachia were divided into two categories:
negative mathematic attitude and positive mathematics attitude. Thirty-seven interviews
were conducted resulting in 15 interviews from students in the negative mathematics
attitude category and 22 interviews from students in the positive mathematics attitude
category. Interviews were coded according to the four contributors to self-efficacy as
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defined by Bandura (1997). The contributors are enactive mastery experiences, vicarious
experiences, social/verbal persuasions, and physiological and affective states.
Results indicate that students in the negative mathematics attitude category did
not receive regular feedback for their efforts to learn mathematics. They also identified
with peers that were struggling. Students in the positive mathematics attitude category
received regular positive feedback to reinforce their self-efficacy. The students in the
positive category also wanted not only to increase their mathematics abilities but to help
other students understand mathematics.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS…………………………………………………………. iii
ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………….. iv
LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………………. xii

CHAPTER

I. INTRODUCTION………………………………………….……… 1
Number of Earned Degrees………………………….……... 2
Degrees awarded to foreign students……….……… 3
Future Need………………………………………….……... 4
Future Degree/Career Plans…………………………........... 4
Gender Difference………………………………….………. 5
Gender equality…………………………………….. 6
Confidence………………………………………….……….7
Judgment of competence……………………............ 8
Gifted………………………………….…...………. 8
Believing in success………………………………... 10
Questioning ability…………………………. ………10
Female Need for Relationships…………………………….. 11
Sources of Self-efficacy……………………………………. 12
Primary sources of self-efficacy…………………… 12
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Achievement……………………………………….. 14
Career………………………………………………. 14
Rural Students’ Beliefs about Mathematics………………... 15
Lack of guidance……………………….…………... 16
Mixed messages…………………………..... ………17
Purpose and Research Question……………….…………… 18
Need For Further Research…………………….…... ……....19
II. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK…………………………………. 20
Career Choices……………………………………………... 21
Self-Efficacy Sources………………………………………. 22
Enactive Mastery Experience……………………………… 23
Effort……………………………………………….. 23
Activities………………………………………….... 24
Grades/test scores………………………………….. 25
Vicarious Experiences……………………………………... 26
Role models………………………………………... 26
Parents……………………………………… 27
Peers………………………………………... 27
Social/Verbal Persuasion…………………………………... 28
Support…………………………………………….. 29
Perceived by others………………………… 29
Encouragement…………………………….. 30
Stereotypes…………………………………………. 30
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Mathematics as a male domain…………….. 31
Female beliefs……………………………… 31
Environment………………………………………... 32
School……………………………………… 32
Home………………………………………. 33
Physiological and Affective States………………………… 34
Avoidance…………………………………………. 34
Influence of teacher anxiety………………….……. 35
Physical……………………………………………. 36
Rural Students……………………………………………… 36
III. METHODOLOGY………………………………………..……….. 39
Sample……………………………………………..………. 40
Appalachia………………………………..………... 40
Rural…………………………………….……......... 41
Community/technical colleges and universities........ 42
Data Collection Instruments……………………..………… 43
Survey instrument………………………….………. 44
STEBI-A and STEBI-B……………..……... 44
Mathematics Attitude Inventory….….…….. 45
Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitude
Scale……………………….………. 45

Demographic questionnaire………………..………. 48
Interview protocol…………………………..……… 49
Human Subjects Procedures………………………..……… 51
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