PROCEEDINGS OF THE 21ST ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2018
San Diego, California
Prerequisite Knowledge of Mathematics and Success in Calculus I
Page: 1325
This preliminary report describes how prerequisite content knowledge is related to success in a first semester calculus course. Data collected included adaptive assessments administered in both Pre-Calculus and Calculus I, standardized test scores, prior enrollment in Pre-Calculus, prior enrollment in Calculus I, and final grades in Calculus I. Analysis revealed that (1) standardized metrics such as ACT, SAT, and placement test scores did not reliably predict students’ success in Calculus I, (2) passing Pre-Calculus directly impacted students’ prerequisite content knowledge which in turn led to a stronger performance in Calculus I, and (3) students lost a significant amount of knowledge between the end of Pre-Calculus and the beginning of Calculus I. Lastly, in an effort to identify how deficits in specific knowledge domains impact student performance in Calculus I, additional analysis revealed that students’ ability to graph trigonometric functions was most predictive of their performance in Calculus I.