A study of mathematics learning centers in Tennessee two-year colleges

The purpose of this study was to investigate the organization of and services offered by the mathematics learning centers in the two-year colleges in Tennessee and to investigate the student usage and the perceived effectiveness of the centers. The study was descriptive in nature and attempted to answer nine research questions based on survey responses from mathematics center directors at each of the two-year colleges in Tennessee and based on survey responses from a random stratified sample of students enrolled in mathematics courses at each of these colleges.

Sixteen mathematics learning centers were identified in the thirteen two-year colleges in Tennessee, and the characteristics of these centers varied among colleges. A variety of services was offered for a variety of student groups, with peer tutoring being the most commonly offered service. Of the 473 students surveyed from twenty-two developmental studies and eleven college-level course sections, 43.76% had used their mathematics learning center. Of the users responding, 67.98% reported that their success had been improved by use of their centers. The greatest percentage of student users had used the testing services, but faculty tutors ranked highest in helpfulness. Of the nonusers, the greatest percentage of students responded with "I did not have time to use the center" as their reason for nonuse. When asked which services they believed would be beneficial in the future, the greatest percentage of nonusers responded with tutoring. Information was also compiled based on class type, age, college load, and outside job categories.