The Impact of Prior Courses and Grades on STEM FTIC Likelihood of Passing Calculus 1:A Naïve Bayes Classifier  

作　　者：Jay Sparks Anthony Okafor Josaphat Uvah 

机构地区：[1]University of West Florida,Pensacola,U.S.A.

出　　处：《US-China Education Review(B)》2023年第2期75-88,共14页美中教育评论（B）

摘　　要：In this study,we investigate students’likelihood of passing Calculus 1,a keystone course,based on prior mathematics courses taken and their performance in those courses.With a sample of 918 First Time in College(FTIC)in Science,Technology,Engineering,and Mathematics(STEM)majors from 2015 to 2017 at a mid-sized public university in the United States,we used Naïve Bayes classification to analyze the data.We generated a predictive model with approximately 73%accuracy.Among the variables,receiving an A grade in a prior mathematics course was most likely to predict passing Calculus 1 at approximately 49%;it was also highly protective against failing.Our analyses showed that the type of prior course was only predictive up to 30%and was less useful than the prior course grade.Students’majors exhibited high variability and were not very predictive.Overall,courses that prepare students for Calculus 1 were less important than students’performance in those courses.In this regard,the higher the grade received in the prior course,the more likely the student was to pass Calculus 1.Thus,in terms of improving STEM retention and graduation rates,this suggests that improving students’performance would be more effective than revising curriculum in the prior courses.

关 键 词：first time in college(FTIC) STEM and Calculus 1 

分 类 号：O17[理学—数学]