A Study of Students’ Help-Seeking Behaviors in Undergraduate Mathematics Tutoring

Abstract

This observational study considers the help-seeking behaviors of students who drop in to receive free tutoring at a university’s mathematics tutoring center. It reports on how these students enter the tutoring space, act, and interact with others comparing the students in two different areas of the center. One of the areas serves students taking math classes for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students. The other area serves students taking applied mathematics classes for business, life science, and social science majors. Findings suggest that most students enter the center alone, stay for over an hour, and are industrious, no matter the area they visit. However, students in the STEM area were more social with others in the tutoring center, more focused on gaining a conceptual understanding, and less likely to be dependent on tutors than the students in the applied area. These results add to research literature on what is known about student actions and interactions in university tutoring centers and has implications for those who organize and lead tutor training that might help them provide better support to students.