Student achievement and attitudes in mathematics: An evaluation of the Twenty-first Century Mathematics Center for Urban High Schools

The primary purpose of this study was to compare the mathematics achievement and attitude of two groups of high school students. The secondary purpose was to examine the relationship that age, gender, grade, and race have on achievement and attitude in mathematics. Seventy-eight students who participated in the Twenty-first Century Mathematics Center for Urban Schools (The Center) were compared to seventy-eight students who did not. The students were then paired based on completion of Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, or Elementary Functions. Students were assigned to the experimental group through self-selection of participation in The Center.;The effects of an independent variable (participation in the Center) was compared to the dependent variables (mathematics achievement, attitude in mathematics, attendance, number of mathematics credits earned, and the total number of credits earned). Grade, race, age, and gender were used as moderator variables.;Mathematics achievement was measured using a score from the Mathematics Achievement Test. Attitude in mathematics was measured using responses from the Mathematics Attitude Test.;The research design utilized paper and pencil testing to gather data related to mathematics achievement and survey methodology to gather data related to attitudes towards mathematics.;The findings showed that participation in the Center had a positive impact on mathematics achievement. Two-tailed t tests revealed a significant difference in mathematics achievement between the treatment group and control group at a 0.05 level of significance. Although not conclusive, there was evidence of a positive effect on mathematics attitude for participation in the Center. An analyses of variance for achievement by score revealed a significant effect for the two groups (significance = 0.00, DF = 1, p ;The intent of the study was to enhance the body of knowledge concerning the improvement of mathematics achievement and the influence of attitude toward mathematics on achievement. It has implications for the teaching and learning of mathematics.