PROCEEDINGS OF THE 21ST ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2018
San Diego, California
Math Help Centers: Factors that Impact Student Perceptions and Attendance
Page: 301
Mathematics help centers have become common fixtures in post-secondary education, where undergraduate students can go for more assistance on typically first and second-year courses. However, there is scant research on them. In this study, we report on existing literature concerning Math Centers. Then, we use data collected at one university in the southwestern United States from 1088 students over six academic semesters and grounded theory analysis techniques to study and draw initial conclusions. For example, of the 14% of students who did not attend, 45% stated that they did not feel they needed any help. Roughly half of the 67% of students that went to the math center more than once a month felt as if the tutors were responsive to their needs and willing to help. We claim that more work needs to be done, specifically inter-institutionally, on math centers in order to corroborate many of our results.