Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society

Algebra I is considered a gatekeeper course for highereducation, high-paying jobs, and access to STEM careers, yetmany students find themselves struggling to learn algebra.Prior research links intrinsic motivation for learning mathwith mathematics achievement, particularly duringadolescence. The current study measured middle schoolstudents’ interest in algebra and their procedural skills acrossthe span of an algebra unit to determine whether students whoshow declines in algebraic problem-solving also show adecline in a particular type of intrinsic motivation – interest inalgebra. Pre-test and post-test scores were used to categorizeparticipants into those who showed declines in problem-solving skills and those who did not. Of the overall sample (N= 367), a group of 25 students showed declining skills overthe course of the unit. These students also showed significantdeclines in interest in mathematics from pre- to post-test incomparison to students who did not show procedural declines.Our findings support the relationship between performanceand motivation in the classroom, particularly in algebra class.Educational implications are discussed.