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Student Attitude Surveys

Instrument 6: Student Opinion Survey About Calculus Courses

Project: Project CALC: Calculus as a Laboratory Course
Duke University

Funding Source: NSF: Course and Curriculum Development-Calculus (CCD)

Purpose: To gather information about student attitudes and beliefs about the course and its contents

Administered To: Students taking either a Project CALC or a regular calculus class

Topics Covered:

  • Attitudes & Beliefs (Student): content, engagement, impact, methods, practical value, skills
  • Course Evaluation: assessment, content, methods, opportunity to practice, rigor, satisfaction
  • Impact on Outcomes: confidence, knowledge, practical use, skills, student understanding
  • Self-Assessment (Student): confidence, engagement, skills, understanding

Format/Length: 40 closed-ended 4-point Likert scale questions that range from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree"

 

On the following pages is a series of statements. You will be asked to indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the ideas expressed. There are no "correct" responses for these statements. As you read each statement, you will know whether you agree or disagree.

Circle A if you strongly agree.
Circle B if you somewhat agree.
Circle C if you somewhat disagree.
Circle D if you strongly disagree.

Do not spend much time with any statement, but be sure to respond to every statement.

 

Strongly
Agree

Somewhat
Agree

Somewhat
Disagree

Strongly
Disagree

  1. The best way to do well in calculus is to memorize all the formulas.

A

B

C

D

  1. I've applied what I've learned in calculus to my work in non-mathematics courses.

A

B

C

D

  1. What I've learned in calculus will be useful to me after college.

A

B

C

D

  1. When I was in calculus, I could do some of the problems, but I had no clue as to why I was doing them.

A

B

C

D

  1. Just about everything important about mathematics is already known by mathematicians.

A

B

C

D

  1. Good mathematics teachers show students lots of different ways to look at the same question.

A

B

C

D

  1. My calculus class was too theoretical, not practical enough.

A

B

C

D

  1. After I've forgotten all the formulas, I will still be able to use the ideas presented to me in calculus.

A

B

C

D

  1. I feel that I can apply what I've learned in calculus to real world problems.

A

B

C

D

  1. Some people are good at math and some just aren't.

A

B

C

D

  1. To solve math problems you have to know the exact procedure for each problem, or you can't do anything.

A

B

C

D

  1. My math class really required me to think about what I was doing rather than just plugging numbers into formulas.

A

B

C

D

  1. I found what we learned in calculus to be dull, uninteresting and a chore to learn.

A

B

C

D

  1. In mathematics, you can be creative and discover things by yourself.

A

B

C

D

  1. My calculus class was boring.

A

B

C

D

  1. My calculus class gave me thinking and problem-solving skills.

A

B

C

D

  1. I enjoy doing mathematics problems.

A

B

C

D

  1. Most of what was presented to me in calculus was too difficult to grasp.

A

B

C

D

  1. My calculus course required much more thinking than memorization.

A

B

C

D

  1. My calculus class prepared me to take higher level math courses.

A

B

C

D

  1. My calculus course covered so much material too quickly.

A

B

C

D

  1. I'm glad I took calculus.

A

B

C

D

  1. When I learned calculus, I think I really understood and didn't just mimic techniques.

A

B

C

D

  1. Good mathematics teachers show you the exact way to answer the math questions you'll be tested on.

A

B

C

D

  1. My calculus class helped me see how math is useful.

A

B

C

D

  1. In mathematics, an answer is either right or it is wrong.

A

B

C

D

  1. My calculus course should have covered more material.

A

B

C

D

  1. Most of the work in my calculus class was pretty easy.

A

B

C

D

  1. I feel as though I have a secure foundation in the basics of calculus.

A

B

C

D

  1. In my calculus course, there was not enough time to fully grasp and understand all the important concepts.

A

B

C

D

  1. My calculus class gave me a good understanding of what calculus is all about.

B

C

D

  1. Math problems can be done correctly in only one way.

A

B

C

D

  1. Understanding of concepts was of little or no value on the tests in my calculus course.

A

B

C

D

  1. I see no practical use for what I've learned in calculus.

B

C

D

  1. My calculus course helped me understand the basic principles of calculus.

A

B

D

  1. In the long run, I think taking calculus will help me.

A

B

C

D

  1. My calculus class forced me to learn a lot of material.

A

B

C

D

  1. On the whole, I'd say my calculus class was pretty interesting.

A

B

C

D

  1. In my calculus class, I got to apply calculus to real world problems.

A

B

C

D

    I wish I had taken the other calculus course (i.e. Project CALC if you were in regular, regular if you were in Project CALC).

A

B

C

D