A phenomenological study of mathematics in the world: discriminate learning experience, impressions and actual encounters of students

Mathematics in the Modern World had become one of the subjects that undergraduates took in that was believed to be very useful in everyday living. However, some still perceived it as a boring, and hard subject to take. This study had used the phenomenology in which it allowed the researchers to examine, and discover Mathematics in the Modern World through the perspective of the students. The study utilizes an open-ended question centered on the detail of “what it was like to learn or teach Mathematics in the Modern World. The nature of the question being open-ended is to draw a wide range of responses in which one can verbally describe the experience. From this question and the tacit knowledge of the researcher, follow up questions were made to elucidate and even model the experience if necessary. The instrument was pilot tested and undergone pilot analysis to assure that it is sufficient to draw the essence of the phenomenon. Student participants from Northern Samar State University were randomly selected from a roster of students in the following substratum (a) those who failed in the course, (b) students with grade ranging from 3.0 to 2.6, (c) students with grades ranging from 2.5 to 2.0 and (d) those with grades from 1.9 to 1.0 distributed across the four colleges of the university. Responses were later on transcribed and analyzed using the MaxQDA. Findings was that positive views of students towards the subject provides for a connection to the feeling of belongingness in the class activities. The course was also described to be “easy” which translates to the appreciation to the course, to change in perception – the mitigation of the sigma that is math, and to the attitudinal levels of impact such as efficacy and sense of responsibility.