A one-group pretest-posttest study using quality engineering problem-solving techniques to examine 7th grade students' attitudes and motivation toward mathematics

It is essential that the work force of the future have strong math and problem solving skills. This research project took that message to school children with the help of examples from the quality engineering profession. The researcher constructed and administered a pretest questionnaire to seventh grade students with questions about their interests in math and problem solving and their knowledge of careers that use these skills. A six-week set of lesson plans followed that included traditional quality engineering functions and problem solving techniques. A posttest questionnaire was given after the lessons. A pretest-posttest analysis was performed on the questionnaire scores to study any change. The statistical summary showed that there was no significant difference in the before and after questionnaire scores, concluding that showing students practical applications of math from real life did not increase their desire to study the subject. In spite of that, there were indications that students will probably continue to study math in high school, and that they had already realized some benefits of math and problem solving abilities.