RUME 28
2026
Alexandria, Virginia
The Role of Self-Efficacy in Student Personas for Redesigning a Calculus Recitation
Page: 1303
Many large research universities offer calculus in a large lecture format, supplemented by recitations. Merit recitations, which offer extended time, smaller class size, and trained graduate student facilitators, were offered as an alternative to undergraduate students enrolling in Calculus I. This qualitative study explores students' decision to enroll in Merit, their learning experiences, and mathematics self-efficacy. We used Bandura's sources of information to code end-of-semester focus groups with Merit students in order to create personas of students choosing to enroll in a Merit calculus recitation. Personas can illustrate user's motivations and needs, providing insight into aspects of the student experience for recitation designers. We created two personas and discuss their similarities and differences in terms of mathematical self-efficacy, parental influences, and aspects of the classroom environment that facilitated their ability to ask for and receive help.