THE RELATIONSHIP OF ATTITUDE, MATHEMATICS BACKGROUND AND JUNIOR COLLEGE TRANSFER STATUS IN ENTERING ELEMENTARY EDUCATION MAJORS TO COMPETENCY IN ELEMENTARY MATHEMATICS

Entering elementary education majors at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) participated in this study to determine the relationships among attitude toward mathematics, mathematics background, and transfer versus non-transfer status upon competency in elementary mathematics. Seventy-seven subjects participated.;Multiple linear regression was used to test the hypotheses. Competency in elementary mathematics was the criterion variable in all analyses. The .05 level of significance was used. An iteration sequence for each model was detailed and discontinued when less than one percent variance was added to the equation by the predictor.;Comparisons of the means showed that the stronger the background in mathematics, the higher the competency score. Significant relationships were found to exist in three of the hypotheses: (1) A significant relationship existed between the composite set of predictor variables and mathematics competency (p. < .01). (2) A significant relationship existed between attitude toward mathematics and mathematics competency (p. < .01). (3) A significant relationship existed between mathematics background and mathematics competency (p. < .05). No significance was found to exist between junior college transfer status and mathematics competency (p. > .05).;Instruments for collecting data included the Mathematics Placement Test developed by USM, the Mathematics Attitude Scale by Aiken, and a questionnaire designed to gather information on mathematics background and junior college transfer status.