RUME 28
2026
Alexandria, Virginia
Factors Shaping Community College Math Major Motivations and Persistence in Mathematics
Page: 686
Given ever-declining numbers of undergraduate students choosing to major in mathematics, research in undergraduate mathematics education seeking to understand the motivations and perceptions of math majors is more important than ever before. Of particular interest in this report are community college mathematics majors-they make up a significant proportion of math majors in any given year and yet research on recruitment and retention in STEM fields that has been done has been nearly exclusively conducted with students at four-year colleges. We report findings from in-depth interviews with eight community college math majors regarding their motivations to major in mathematics. We then examine the ways in which such motivations interact with institutional and departmental structures traditionally noted to influence persistence in STEM majors. Implications are discussed for improving math major retention and advancing the field’s understanding of the influence of collegiate context on perceptions of mathematical culture.