RUME 27
2025
Alexandria, Virginia
Examining Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions of Service Learning in Upper-Division Mathematics Courses for K-12 Teacher Candidates
Page: 141
Prospective teachers need hands-on experience in the field before they can independently manage their own classrooms. Although experiential learning is widely acknowledged for its benefits, its implementation in content-focused mathematics courses for prospective K-12 teachers remains limited. To address this gap, mathematics content courses for future teachers should offer experiences that extend beyond traditional classroom settings. One effective approach to achieving this is through incorporating service learning experiences. This paper explores the integration of service learning into three distinct mathematics courses for prospective K-12 teachers, including two upper division mathematics courses, highlighting how this approach was implemented in each course. Results suggest service learning in upper- division mathematics courses benefits prospective teachers by fostering experiential learning, enhancing collaboration, communication, and career skills, as well as deepening engagement with course content and the community.