"But How Is This Helping Life?" Middle School Students' Conceptions of the Usefulness of Mathematics

• In Event: Roundtable Session 14
  In Roundtable Session: Teaching and Learning Math: Examining Student and Teacher Experiences With Math Education

Abstract

This study examines middle school students’ conceptions of the usefulness of mathematics and highlights the importance of expanding our definition of utility to include interdependent uses of mathematics. Participants in the study were four seventh grade mathematics classes in a predominately Latino/a working class suburb of a large Midwestern city. Questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations were used to explore students’ conceptions of utility, attitudes towards mathematics, and engagement with mathematics. This research contributes to our knowledge of students’ conceptions of utility and suggests ways of using that information to enhance perceptions of utility, make mathematics instruction more equitable, and improve student engagement in the mathematics classroom.

Author

• Tracy Dobie, Northwestern University