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Views of mathematics of women restarting their education: Looking for safety in numbers
Abstract
Inclusiveness and usefulness are principles underlying community college education and reform in mathematics teaching. But adults restarting their education may view mathematics as inaccessible, threatening, and of limited personal use. The purpose of this study was to gain awareness and appreciation of the beliefs about mathematics and attitudes about themselves as learners of mathematics of a group of financially and educationally disadvantaged women preparing to enter community college and technical occupations. In the event that these beliefs and attitudes seemed to be counter productive to the effective mathematics education of the students, the study considered how they changed in a learning community where science, mathematics, communication, and career development skills were integrated and learned experientially. The methods used were qualitative and interpretive. The researcher interviewed six women at the beginning and end of the semester, and talked with the math/science instructors about their objectives and methods. She observed the students in the classroom and laboratory and administered an attitude questionnaire. Literature from the fields of human development, teaching and learning, and mathematics education formed the background for the study. The study found that the students varied in their attitudes and in their responses to the learning experiences. Students perceived little change in their own attitudes during the program, but the instructors and researcher observed positive change in the group, with the least change occurring in those expressing most resistance to the methods. The researcher found that the program was evolving from a learning community into a more traditional collection of subjects, that assessment methods conflicted with the experiential and integrated model, and that there was poor communication within the program. These problems seemed to work against some of the anticipated changes in attitude toward mathematics of the students and highlighted difficulties of putting theory into practice. The study verified that the relationship between attitudes and a program designed to affect them is complex and sensitive to many factors including the dynamics within the program itself and the developmental characteristics of the student.
Subject Area
Adult education|Continuing education|Mathematics education|Community colleges|Womens studies
Recommended Citation
MacLeod, Susan H, "Views of mathematics of women restarting their education: Looking for safety in numbers" (1996). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9619419.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9619419