Abstract
Many students who take calculus in high school opt to retake the course in college. This study investigated the impact of that prior exposure. Students were invited to complete a survey about their experiences with calculus, with eight being interviewed afterwards. While students nearly unanimously agreed that prior experience with calculus was a benefit, none felt that it was a necessity to succeed in a college calculus course. Also, a few students identified some detriments to having taken calculus in high school, mostly stemming from an inadequate high school class. Despite the studentsâ perceptions, Pearsonâs Chi Square Tests identified a significant difference in both the studentsâ success (pass/fail) and letter grades based on the method of placement into Calculus I (testing in via a placement test did better than taking the pre-requisite courses), but not based on either prior exposure to calculus or type of calculus taken during high school (AP and taking the test, AP and not taking the test, non-AP, or no calculus). A survey on student perceptions identified calculus as the most beneficial class to take before Calculus I, but interviews indicated algebra and trigonometry as the most beneficial.
Highlights
Calculus is a required class for many majors
Course, who have been directly placed via placement criteria, have better end-of-course grades than students placed with pre-requisite coursework? 2) Do students enrolled in their first on-campus Calculus I course who have prior exposure to Calculus have better end-of-course grades than students with no previous Calculus experience? 3) Do students enrolled in their first on-campus Calculus I course, who have no prior exposure to Calculus, feel they are at a disadvantage when compared to students with previous Calculus experience; and why or why not? The answers to these questions could provide valuable insight into role that prior exposure to calculus plays in the mathematical experiences of college students
The population for this study was primarily comprised of white Americans, the survey and interview results supported the findings of [11] that students tend to study alone. [11] went on to note that poor performance in calculus has been identified as a barrier to those majoring in fields that depend upon mathematics
Summary
Students have failed to pass the class at a shockingly high rate. Reference [1] found that more than 40% of college calculus students fail. As noted in a Mathematical Association of America (MAA) study, the Characteristics of Successful Programs in College Calculus, about one-third of students who take calculus in high school take it again in college [4]. Given this information, the impact of that prior exposure to calculus proved to be intriguing
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