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  Ability-Grouped College Math Students and Their Motivation to Succeed

  Luralyn Helming and Amy Schweinle

  The authors studied how math anxiety, motivation, and ability group interact to affect performance in college math courses. They introduced the study of college students as ability grouped students. College students in the highest ability group were most likely to receive a satisfactory grade (70% and above) regardless of their level of motivation. For students in the average and low groups, the likelihood of receiving a satisfactory grade was a function of their motivation. As expected, students in the higher groups had more positive motivational patterns from the perspectives of expectancy-value theory and goal theory. Thus, college students experience ability grouping in a manner similar to secondary students. Motivation is an important factor in predicting performance, especially for students in the average and low groups.