| This study investigated the effect of the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project (UCSMP) program on girls' attitudes toward, and participation in mathematics. A total of eighty three girls, forty eight ninth graders and thirty five twelfth graders, from Kent Place School in Summit New Jersey, took the Mathematics Attitude Inventory, developed for the purpose of measuring attitudes toward mathematics of students in grades seven through twelve. Students also completed a questionnaire developed by the researcher to measure attitudes toward mathematics specifically related to the UCSMP program.;Results seem to indicate that the UCSMP program generates a positive attitude toward mathematics for girls. The program may also be responsible for increased enrollment in mathematics throughout four years of high school and in college.;Eight Kent Place School graduates were interviewed with regard to attitudes toward mathematics, with selection based on previous mathematics experience including traditional mathematics courses versus UCSMP courses. Scores from the mathematics section of the Scholastic Assessment Test I for two different years were compared, one year composed of students with a traditional mathematics background, the other with a UCSMP background. |
