The impact of the interdisciplinary mathematics and science program on students\u27 attitudes at Oakcrest High School

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects on students\u27 attitudes of an interdisciplinary program at a rural high school in southern New Jersey. The interdisciplinary mathematics and science program of Oakcrest High School that began in 1998 involved teaming a non-college prep ninth grade mathematics course with the same level general science course. A group of 30 students who had participated in this program were selected; then a Likert-style 22 question attitude survey was developed and implemented to determine the impact the program had on students\u27 attitudes. An analysis of the survey included a one-sample t-test on all questions, two-sample t-tests, an analysis of variance, and a correlation of means to determine significant differences between major areas. The analysis revealed significant differences related to all research questions. Student attitudes significantly differed when compared to their attitudes from previous mathematics courses. The interdisciplinary course impacted their choice of future mathematics classes. Attitudes of students were not significantly different based on age, gender, or ethnicity. And finally, students\u27 home environments impacted their attitude towards the interdisciplinary mathematics and science program