Attitude of Junior College and Tertiary Students to Calculus*

ABSTRACT The main purpose of this study was to ascertain the students' attitude towards learning calculus. A survey was conducted among the calculus students of the junior colleges, polytechnics, and universities in Singapore. The study indicated that in general the students have a positive attitude towards calculus. A majority of the 932 students perceived that calculus is interesting and challenging. However, there is cause for concern because students are learning calculus by taking notes, memorizing and applying formulae and procedures and they find difficulty when they encounter more conceptual approaches at university levels. A substantial number also believes that practice is the key to scoring well and thus do not see the need for conceptual understanding. About a third of the students find calculus boring and they suggest that teachers and lecturers use more interesting ways of teaching calculus.