Understanding Changes in Developmental Students’ Self-Efficacy Towards Mathematics: The Student Voice

Much work has been done to measure students’ self-efficacy towards mathematics. However, less attention has been given to reporting changes in self-efficacy among college developmental math students and even less to possible reasons for those changes. The current study, an extension of Cavner Williams (2020), looks at change in self-efficacy in a developmental math course as well as student-generated reasons for change. Students’ self-efficacy, as measured by the Mathematics Self-Efficacy Scale (MSES), five journals, and two interviews, showed increases. Data collection from three cohorts showed consistency. The data also uncovered the student voice. Participants emphasized course elements less than expected, instances of success/struggle revealed tendencies toward fixed mindset, and interpersonal factors had a substantial impact on the students’ thinking and feelings about mathematics.