Costa Rica 2006

Math Research ProjectSarah Caley

Trip Goals

• Speak Spanish• Meet New People• Ecotourism• Coffee• The Rainforest• Independent Research Project

My Research Project

• Math• Originally: Compare math use to math

education• Became: Attitudes towards math in society• Research Method:

• Surveys• Seattle • Mastatal

Survey Questions• Student Interview: (under 20)

– How much do you like math? (0-5)– How much math are you planning on studying? (0 (no math) to 5 (college))– Are you planning on going to a university? (y/n)– How much do you think you will use math outside of school? (0 (never) to 5

(every day))– How important is it for people to study math? (0-5)– On a scale of 0 to 5, 0 meaning women have a higher natural aptitude, 5

meaning that men have a higher natural aptitude, and 2.5 being that they’re equal, who has a higher natural ability for learning math?

• Adult Interview: (20+)– How much math did you study in school? (0 (no math) to 5 (college))– How much do you remember? (0-5)– How much do you like math? (0-5)– How much do you use math? (0 (never) to 5 (every day))– How important is it for people to study math? (0-5)– On a scale of 0 to 5, 0 meaning women have a higher natural aptitude, 5

meaning that men have a higher natural aptitude, and 2.5 being that they’re equal, who has a higher natural ability for learning math?

Mastatal

Pike Place Market

Example House

Education QuestionMath Studied - Seattle

00.050.1

0.150.2

0.250.3

0.350.4

1 2 3 4 5 6

Amount of Math Studied

Freq

uenc

y (%

)

Adults

Youths

Mastatal

Math Education

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

1 2 3 4 5 6

Level of Education Forseen

Freq

uenc

y (%

)

Adult

Youth

Math Use

Seattle Math Use

1

2

3

4

5

6

Math Uses• Seattle

– balance their checkbooks– pay their taxes– pay bills– evaluate investments– calculate gas expenditures– make measurements for

building– as an exercise to ‘keep the

brain busy.’

• Mastatal

– add up salaries– calculate savings and costs– help their children with their

math homework

Mastatal Math Use (1 = never to 6 = every day)

1

2

3

4

5

6

Age v. Views On Gender Aptitude

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

0 20 40 60 80

Age

Gen

der A

ptitu

de: 0

=

Wom

en h

ave

a hi

gher

na

tura

l apt

itude

, 5 =

men

U.S. Mastatal Data

Project Conclusion

• Development – math use

• Change v. Stability

• Gender and Generational Differences

Trip Conclusion

• The Rainforest• Speak Spanish• Meet New People• Ecotourism• Coffee