An analysis of factors contributing to changes in basic mathematics skills of secondary students

The current movement for the improvement of education, especially basic skills, began in the early 1980's with The Unfinished Agenda and other similar reports. There have been calls for researchers and practitioners to develop quantitative data and research in basic skills to give practitioners and policy makers direction and fill substantive gaps in the literature concerning the preparedness of students in their basic academic skills.; The purpose of this dissertation was to (1) to determine whether students gain additional knowledge in basic mathematics in the secondary vocational programs of Principles of Technology, Agriculture, Business, and Trades and Industry and (2) to determine whether the number of vocational courses that a student completes have an effect on their basic mathematics knowledge. The data for this study were obtained from the Colorado Community College and Occupational System through an initial study that was conducted by the Denver Research Institute during the 1987-88 academic year. The sample for this study consisted of 305 secondary high school students in grades nine through twelve. These students were enrolled in mathematics courses and vocational courses in the public school system within the State of Colorado during the 1987-88 school year. For this study, the criterion referred basic skills mathematics test that was developed by the Colorado Community College and Occupational Education System was used as a measure of performance in basic mathematics and was administered in a pre-post design. An analysis of covariance via a multiple regression/correlation analysis was the statistical approach that was employed in the analysis of these data to determine what proportion of the variance in basic mathematics skills could be accounted for.; Based on the findings of this study the prescore on the basic skills mathematics test had both a very high multiple R and partial correlation, compared to the other variables in the equation. It was therefore concluded that secondary students have a very large amount of prior knowledge in basic mathematics, and that the number of vocational courses that a student completes and participation in Principles of Technology, Agriculture, Business, and Trades and Industry does very little to enhance their basic mathematics knowledge.