PROCEEDINGS OF THE 18TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2015
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Instructional practices and student persistence after Calculus I
Page: 712
Classroom teaching in multiple sections of Calculus I at a large comprehensive research university was observed and coded using the Teaching Dimensions Observation Protocol (TDOP). Within lecture-based methods, multiple teaching styles were identified ranging from low to moderate to high engagement, sometimes including desk work or group work. A sample population of students from all three engagement groups was followed for one year in order to analyze persistence rates into Calculus II and retention rates in a STEM major. No significant differences were found in the retention rates either at the University or in STEM majors across groups, with an average of 43% of STEM majors having switched out of STEM or having dropped out of the University after one year. However, the group experiencing higher engagement instruction in Calculus I was found to have significantly higher grades in Calculus I and also in Calculus II.