| This is a case study of women who were taking math classes in preparation for entering a non-traditional trade program. Remedial math instruction is often necessary for women to succeed in the program. It is expected that the math concepts learned in remedial mathematics classes will transfer to job situations and also to personal finance tasks in everyday life. The purpose of the study was to learn what features of classroom-based mathematics instruction women in pre-employment programs identified as supports or impediments to learning and to discover whether the women perceived that mathematics knowledge developed in the classroom transferred to their understanding of mathematical concepts on the job and in personal financial management.; Eight women participated in the study. Demographic information was collected and the initial mathematics skills and math anxiety levels of each person were assessed. Each person was observed while learning mathematics in the classroom and using math concepts on the job. Each woman was also interviewed several times over the course of the vocational training period about her experiences learning and using mathematics skills in the classroom, on the job, and in personal finance tasks. Subsequently, the interview tapes and observation notes were transcribed and examined for themes.; There were four central findings. First, even when taught by a competent instructor, the women in this study had difficulty learning mathematics in a classroom setting. Second, although work-related mathematics tasks are often more complex than classroom-based math problems, the women in the study had an easier time learning and using mathematics on the job, in part because of the cognitive resources that are present in the workplace but absent in the classroom. Third, the women in the study didn't perceive any difficulties using mathematics in common budgeting and shopping chores because of the repetitive nature of the tasks. Finally, the women in this study were unable to use relevant mathematics skills in non-routine personal finance tasks such as the evaluation of investment options for retirement planning because they have incomplete and unhelpful schemas for the financial services industry. |
