THE RELATIONSHIP OF ATTITUDE, ACHIEVEMENT, AND INTROVERSION-EXTRAVERSION AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN EUCLIDEAN AND TRANSFORMATIONAL GEOMETRY CLASSES

This study investigated the relationship between attitude, achievement, and the personality dimensions of introversion-extraversion among high school students enrolled in traditional Euclidean and transformational geometry classes. The rationale is based on: (a) the Eysenckian theory of extraversion-introversion which asserts that academic attainment in mathematics is generally associated with extroverts at the primary level while more stable introverts tend to do better at the high school and college level; (b) Cronbach and Snow\u27s aptitude-treatment interaction which asserts that instruction should be developed and personalized around individual needs; (c) prior research which indicates that achievement in mathematics is related to positive attitude; (d) national movements such as the Commission on Mathematics of the College Entrance Examination Board have called for full-scale renovation of the mathematics program and the inclusion of transformational geometry into the curriculum. It was hypothesized, after matching personality characteristics with the characteristics of the geometry programs, that extraverts with positive attitudes would achieve at a higher level in the transformational geometry while introverts with positive attitudes would achieve at a higher level in the traditional classes. There were 359 students from 4 suburban high schools: one upper middle class, one parochial, and two middle class communities. Ten additional and seven transformational classes were randomly selected. Attitude was measured by the Dutton Mathematics Attitude Scale. Personality characteristics were measured by the Eysenck Personality Inventory. IQ was obtained from the Otis Self-Administering Test of Mental Ability, Form A. Results were analyzed by means of analysis of covariance, with IQ as the covariate, and by the Pearson product-moment correlation formula. The study had six hypotheses. The first two dealt with achievement and attitude differences among students in each program. No significant differences were found. The remaining four dealt with introversion-extraversion and positive and negative attitude toward geometry. No significant differences were found. Positive correlations were found between IQ and achievement, IQ and sex, and attitude and achievement. Recommendations were made for alternative ways to study the relationship among these variables. This included different socioeconomic status students, different attitude instruments, and different personality inventories