Factors Influencing Mathematics Participation of Highly Able Mexican-American Adolescents

摘要

A two year longitudinal/cross-sectional project investigated the factors related to highly able Mexican Americans' decisions to avoid or persist in advanced math courses and examined the relative importance of those factors as well as their stability over time. Questionnaires were administered to approximately 350 highly able Mexican American students and an equal number of highly able Anglos distributed evenly among grades 9, 10, and 11. The data collection centered upon educational and occupational aspirations, overall attitudes toward school, participation in mathematics, parental influences, various self-descriptors and the influence of significant others in the students' lives. Additionally, in-depth interviews were conducted with the father, mother, and respondents of twenty-five sample cases. Correlations, anovas and path analysis were performed on the survey data to identify those factors which most affect persistence and achievement in mathematics.