'Applied mathematics' and algebra students' mathematics achievement and attitudes

The purpose of this study was to compare the achievement and attitudes of students who had completed "Applied Mathematics 1 and 2" with students who had completed one year of algebra. "Applied Mathematics" is a two-year program for teaching mathematics to high school and vocational school students using a laboratory approach that relates mathematics skills to real-life problems. The "Applied Mathematics" program now can be substituted for one year of algebra in Georgia Public Schools. The question investigated was whether two years of "Applied Mathematics" resulted in student achievement in mathematics comparable to one year of algebra. Because past research shows a relationship between attitudes towards mathematics and achievement, an additional question investigated was whether students in one group had better attitudes toward mathematics than students in the other group.; Data were collected from 224 students from seven high schools in Georgia. An analysis of covariance with the Scholastic Aptitude Test-Mathematics Section (SAT-M) as the dependent variable was used to compare the achievement in mathematics for the two groups. The students' eighth grade Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) mathematics total score was used as the covariate to adjust for initial differences in mathematics abilities between the groups.; The Mathematics Attitude Inventory (MAI) constructed by R. S. Sandman was used to compare the attitudes towards mathematics of the two groups. The MAI measures six attitude areas: perception of the mathematics teacher, anxiety toward mathematics, value of mathematics in society, self-concept in mathematics, enjoyment of mathematics, and motivation in mathematics. A t-test was applied to compare the attitudes of the two groups.; The results of the analysis of covariance showed a statistically significant difference for the two groups on both the covariate and the SAT-M. The "Applied Mathematics" group showed higher gains in mathematics achievement than the algebra group. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups on any of the six attitude areas measured by the MAI.