| Success in Mathematics One of the most intriguiging discoveries that teachers make early in their careers is that although a group of students hear the same lessons, receive the same notes, complete the same homework assignments, and take the same tests, some students will be extremely successful while others will barely scrape by. One might wonder if there are underlying factors or characteristics that differentiate between students who do extremely well in the classroom and those who do not. Without doubt, there are an infinite number of variables that impact how well a student performs in the classroom. It is satisfying to think that hard-work and good study habits define the most successful students, but is that really the case? Mathematical success can be looked at in two different ways. Successful math students may be classified as those who take and succeed in the highest levels of mathematics. Where this study was completed, those students are said to be in the "Honors" or "AP" track. These students can be considered successful in relation to all members of their graduating class. However, success can also be defined as making the most of your abilities. Under this definition, students of all levels can be classified as "successful" given that they experience success within their respective level of mathematics. These students can be considered successful in relation to all students who are in their particular level of mathematics. It is the attempt of this thesis, to describe, through privately conducted educational research, the main factors that define a successful mathematics student, and to put those factors to the test with a sample of 11th and 12th grade students, of various ability levels, in a public High School. Both definitions of success are studied, since all student characteristics included in the study were tested for the relationship that exists between them and the two explanatory variables: level of mathematics taken and success in current course (measured by current grade). |
