Exploring Relationships Between Faculty Values for and Practice in Developing Student Quantitative Reasoning

Abstract

The American Association of Colleges and Universities listed quantitative literacy as an essential practical skill. Colleges and universities play a key role in preparing students with career skills. Building on two critical perspectives: the importance of quality teaching to quality learning and the importance of quantitative reasoning in workforce success, the study explores the relationship between faculty values for quantitative reasoning, how much faculty structure their courses to help develop students’ real-world skills, and to what extent faculty encourage students to participate in career-related activities. The findings show that faculty values for the importance of quantitative reasoning significantly predicted how they structure their courses to help develop students’ numerical skills and how they encourage students to participate in career-related activities.