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ALGEBRA AND PRECALCULUS SKILLS AND PERFORMANCE IN FIRST-SEMESTER CALCULUS

Zenia N. Agustin, Marcus A. Agustin

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Abstract

The high failure rate of students in calculus courses is an issue facing universities across the nation. This paper examines the level of preparation of students in a firstsemester calculus course. In particular, the authors focus on the algebra and pre-calculus skills of these students, and assess how these skills affect their performance in calculus. The results of the study indicate that students can understand generally the concepts presented in calculus. However, a weak foundation in algebra and pre-calculus hinders them from reaching their full potential. The data analysis revealed that the percentage of points students lost on exams due to a lack of having mastered prerequisite material is significantly higher than the percentage of points they lost due to mistakes involving calculus material.

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What this paper is about

The high failure rate of students in calculus courses is an issue facing universities across the nation. This paper examines the level of preparation of students in a firstsemester calculus course. In particular, the authors focus on the algebra and pre-calculus skills of these students, and assess how these skills affect their performance in calculus. The results of the study indicate that students can understand generally the concepts presented in calculus. However, a weak foundation in algebra and pre-calculus hinders them from reaching their full potential. The data analysis revealed that the percentage of points students lost on exams due to a lack of having mastered prerequisite material is significantly higher than the percentage of points they lost due to mistakes involving calculus material.

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OpenAlex reports 12 citations for this work. Citation counts describe recorded attention and do not establish research quality.

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Available abstract

The high failure rate of students in calculus courses is an issue facing universities across the nation. This paper examines the level of preparation of students in a firstsemester calculus course. In particular, the authors focus on the algebra and pre-calculus skills of these students, and assess how these skills affect their performance in calculus. The results of the study indicate that students can understand generally the concepts presented in calculus. However, a weak foundation in algebra and pre-calculus hinders them from reaching their full potential. The data analysis revealed that the percentage of points students lost on exams due to a lack of having mastered prerequisite material is significantly higher than the percentage of points they lost due to mistakes involving calculus material.

Key concepts: Precalculus, Calculus (dental), Algebra over a field, Mathematics education, Mathematics, Computer science, Medicine, Pure mathematics

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