Expanding conceptions of utility: middle school students’ perspectives on the usefulness of mathematics

ABSTRACT

This research explores how adolescents conceptualize the usefulness of mathematics. Integrating sociocultural theory with the study of utility value, this study uses open-ended survey items and interview tasks to examine conceptions of usefulness among a group of predominantly Latinx middle school students. Findings reveal that students primarily conceptualized the usefulness of mathematics in two ways. First, students considered the applicability of mathematics content, focusing on applications of mathematics in everyday life and future jobs/careers. Second, students considered the usefulness of features of the learning experience, such as the form of interaction and structure of the activity. Both conceptions are compared to existing conceptions of usefulness in the literature, and implications for classroom practice and future research are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Utility value
• mathematics
• sociocultural context
• usefulness
• middle school

Acknowledgments

This research was supported in part by a grant from Northwestern University. The manuscript is based on dissertation research that was advised by Dr. Carol Lee and Dr. Edd V. Taylor at Northwestern University. I extend deep thanks to the students and teacher who participated in this research, as well as to Miriam Sherin, Carol Lee, Edd Taylor, and four anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful comments.

Notes

1. I use the terms Latinx and Chicanx as gender-neutral alternatives to Latino/a and Chicano/a that move away from the gender binary.

2. All names of people and places that are provided are pseudonyms.

3. Since surveys were completed by students on the computer, all survey responses are copied exactly as students typed them.