Service Learning in Liberal Arts Mathematics: Students Tutor Ged-Level Mathematics to at-Risk Youth

Abstract

Six liberal arts st udents tutored inner city at-risk youths as part of a mathematics course and kept journals. Three volunteered for in-depth study, including three interviews and entry/exit surveys. We anal yze and report impacts on: (1) their attitudes toward mathematics; (2) their views of themselves as learners of mathematics; and (3) their changing definitions of social responsibility. Students' ideas about what it means to be socially responsible tended to become less egocentric over the nine weeks. The students came to have an appreciation for the difficulty of teaching even elementary mathematics. One student's confidence with mathematics increased significantly and her anxiety was greatly mitigated. Additionally, there was a corresponding increase in her mastery of college mathematics.

Reducing Math Anxiety: Findings from Incorporating Service Learning into a Quantitative Reasoning Course at Seattle University

“…Another study utilized service learning in a discrete math class for liberal arts majors (Zang, Gutmann, and Berk 2000). Students were offered the opportunity to tutor teenagers preparing for their GED high school equivalency exam.…”