Students’ experiences in learning centers: Socioeconomic factors, grades, and perceptions of the math center

In this article, we discuss the importance, specifically for developmental educators, of understanding diverse students’ use and perceptions of learning centers. Among the results of a survey of students’ perceptions of the mathematics program in the General College, University of Minnesota, we found statistically significant differences in how often students from different ethnic backgrounds used the Math Center. In addition, we found differences in students’ use and perceptions of the Math Center according to the students’ fall semester course grades. Based on these findings, we make suggestions for learning center administration and developmental education pedagogy as well as indicate directions for future research in this area.