RUME 28
2026
Alexandria, Virginia
The Impact of Attending Mathematics Tutoring on STEM Retention
Page: 1301
University students who choose STEM majors often do not complete their degrees in STEM. This study examines how attending peer tutoring for mathematics courses impacts STEM retention. We employed an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. Our first quantitative phase examined the statistical correlation between tutoring visits and STEM persistence. These results informed the second qualitative phase which consisted of interviews with seven STEM majors who attended tutoring. We found a statistically significant positive correlation between tutoring visits and persistence, and that the odds of persisting in STEM increases by 10.92% for each additional visit to the MLSC per math course. All seven of the interviewees reported positive experiences in their math courses and several mentioned the impact of the social aspect of the tutoring center.