RUME 26
2024
Omaha, Nebraska
A “Different Vibe”: The Effect of Discrete Mathematics on Undergraduate Students’ Mathematics Beliefs
Page: 1017
This paper presents emerging results from an investigation of undergraduate students’ beliefs about mathematics (and themselves as learners) within the context of a discrete mathematics course. Our data sources include findings from a survey study with 11 participants and a follow-up interview study with 5 participants. Results suggest that students perceived discrete mathematics as being significantly different from their previous mathematics coursework, offering additional options for creativity and a shift in focus from computation to proof and logic. The impact of this shift on students’ mathematical self-efficacy was mixed, with some students reporting unchanged self-efficacy but multiple students reporting decreased self-efficacy (either temporary or permanent). These results have implications for the teaching of discrete mathematics courses and shed additional light on our existing knowledge of students’ belief change during the transition from K-12 school to undergraduate mathematics courses.