Factors associated with African American engineering student success in first-year college calculus

This study involved qualitative and quantitative analyses of the academic and non-academic factors related to African American engineering students' outcomes in first-year college calculus at a traditional research institution. This study paid particular attention to students' participation in small peer learning groups facilitated by math faculty. Psychosocial adjustments were found to correlate with both student motivation and academic outcomes. The findings also indicated that student performance on the math portion of the SAT and precalculus diagnostic examinations provided a good foundation for successfully placement of students into their first math class during their freshmen year. High school grade point averages and the number of previous math courses correlated significantly with student outcomes in first-year college calculus. However, the students' MSAT scores did not correlate significantly with final grades in this course; most students either did very well or failed, regardless of their MSAT scores.