PROCEEDINGS OF THE 21ST ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2018
San Diego, California
Could Algebra be the Root of Problems in Calculus Courses?
Page: 1023
Calculus serves as the gateway for most STEM degrees. Due to students’ challenges successfully completing calculus, more than half of students are deterred from a career in STEM. Our preliminary investigation indicates that students’ difficulties with algebra cause significant problems in many first-year math courses. The aim of this paper is to investigate in what ways the difficulties with algebra impact students’ success in calculus.