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Abstract
Students become increasingly negative towards academics as they transition through the school years. Students, especially students with disabilities in the general education classroom, report a markedly decreased interest and level of participation in mathematics classes upon entering adolescence. A student with disabilities’ Motivation to participate and Attitude towards mathematics, his or her Thinking about mathematical abilities and perceptions of the Helpfulness of teachers have been found to predict academic success beginning in the middle school years and later into the high school and college years. These behaviors affect the performance and success of students with disabilities towards mathematics and form the acronym MATH (Motivation, Attitudes, Thoughts, and Helpfulness). The purpose of this review is to help middle and high school general and special education mathematics teachers to recognize how these factors will affect the performance and success of students with disabilities in their math classes.