UMass Study Examines Student Attitudes about Science and Math

Tower Hill and nine other independent schools across the country have partnered with the University of Massachusetts at Amherst on a national research study on adolescents’ interests in math and science. The study, which is funded by a federal grant from the National Science Foundation, examines factors that promote and diminish students’ engagement and interest in math and science.

 

The study seeks to better understand how classroom environments and peer dynamics in middle school affect students’ attitudes toward math and science and their motivation, confidence and future aspirations in these fields. The study concentrates on early adolescence (8th Grade) because this represents a key period in the development of students’ interests and self-identity. Results from the study will help to inform what factors in math and science classrooms are most beneficial to students and help schools promote learning, engagement and interest in math and science.