ERIC Number: EJ1050239
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0020-739X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Consequences of FOIL for Undergraduates
Koban, Lori; Sisneros-Thiry, Simone
International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, v46 n2 p205-222 2015
FOIL is a well-known mnemonic that is used to find the product of two binomials. We conduct a large sample (n = 252) observational study of first-year college students and show that while the FOIL procedure leads to the accurate expansion of the product of two binomials for most students who apply it, only half of these students exhibit conceptual understanding of the procedure. We generalize this FOIL dichotomy and show that the ability to transfer a mathematical property from one context to a less familiar context is related to both procedural success and attitude towards math.
Descriptors: College Mathematics, College Freshmen, Mathematics Instruction, Teaching Methods, Mnemonics, Student Surveys, Instructional Effectiveness, Problem Solving, Mathematical Concepts, Concept Formation, Student Attitudes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Maine
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Author Affiliations: N/A