Assessment/Research (91) This project is engaged in the validation of a measurement model and the development of an assessment tool for measuring quantitative literacy of undergraduate students. Notions of quantitative literacy have been studied in several international studies (e.g., TIMSS). Many colleges and universities in the US have quantitative literacy requirements for all undergraduate students; however, in both research and educational situations, quantitative literacy is most often conceptualized and measured solely in terms of mathematics achievement. Such a conceptualization assumes that achievement alone can indicate a person's preparedness to function in a quantitative society. A more complete measure of quantitative literacy requires capturing both cognitive and affective aspects.
The goals of this project are both analytical and community focused. The analytical goals are: (1) to validate a current measurement model of quantitative literacy, and (2) to develop and make available a reliable and valid tool for assessing quantitative literacy. In addition, this project is nurturing a collaborative infrastructure for current and future research and development between four- and two-year college faculty and students.
Intellectual Merit: Although the notion of quantitative literacy is familiar within the mathematics community, there is no current measurement model or assessment tool that captures both the cognitive and affective aspects of this construct. This project is working to remedy that lack, thereby improving the assessment of student quantitative literacy.
Broader Impacts: Findings from this project will expand the ideas of mathematics education beyond traditional notions of achievement to encompass other aspects of learning associated with students' mathematical maturity. A better understanding of quantitative literacy will make it possible to better prepare teachers and teacher educators to provide meaningful learning experiences within mathematics and other quantitative courses that promote all aspects of quantitative literacy.
was to validate a current theoretical model of quantitative literacy (QLT) and to develop reliable and valid instruments for measuring and assessing QLT of undergraduates. The focus of K-16 mathematics education has been traditionally directed solely at mathematics achievement centered on a facility with mathematical skills and procedures. Seldom does current mathematics curriculum and instruction explicitly attend to students’ mathematical beliefs and attitudes. However, these affective variables are important components of a person’s quantitative literacy. Interestingly, the traditional view of mathematics as skills and procedures often promotes negative attitudes toward mathematics and its lack of utility in everyday life; and further promotes the belief that mathematical knowledge is static and unchanging, authoritatively transmitted from experts, and not readily accessible to everyone. However, like reading, being quantitatively literate is necessary for a person to successfully function in today’s quantitative society. Students must be given an opportunity to develop healthy views of themselves as participants in a quantitative world. Being quantitatively literate requires a willingness to engage in quantitative situations, and a confidence and belief in oneself to be successful in these situations. Being quantitatively literate does not require a knowledge of advanced mathematics, but instead, mathematical knowledge grounded in a breadth and depth of mathematics that is useful and meaningful in everyday life. In this project QLT is theoretically modeled as a relationship among a person’s mathematical cognition, beliefs, and dispositions. This notion of QLT extends beyond a more traditional view of mathematics, which is grounded solely in an achievement model, to a view of QLT as a multifaceted construct. In order to assess QLT, as outlined in this project, it is necessary to not only consider a person's mathematical cognition, but also their beliefs and dispositions as important components of their quantitative development. Instruments were designed to measure students’ beliefs and attitudes, as well as an everyday understanding of mathematics. The beliefs component focuses on a person’s views of the nature of mathematical knowledge. The disposition component focuses on a person’s views of themselves in terms of mathematical interest, usefulness, and self-concept. The cognitive component was designed to encompass the mathematical knowledge and skills important for success in daily life grounded in a breadth of mathematical topics including (a) Number and Operations (b) Probability and Statistics (c) Variable and Relationships, and (d) Geometry and Measurement. Results from this study provide evidence for the validity of the theoretical notion of QLT as a relationship among students’ mathematical cognition, beliefs, and dispositions. Preliminary instruments for measuring QLT were created and validated. This work serves as a baseline for further development of measurement instruments to aid in the assessment and documentation of QLT both in the United States and internationally. By better understanding what it means to be quantitatively literate, ultimately, mathematics curriculum and instruction can be designed to better promote student learning that attends to the multifaceted nature of QLT.
