A Descriptive Study on Mathematics Course Memories of University Students Enrolled in Verbal Programs

The aim of this study was to examine the memories of students who preferred a verbal field at the university level about the mathematics course in the pre-university period. The study was designed as qualitative descriptive research and conducted with 184 graduate students studying in the departments of Geography, Theology, English Language and Literature, History, and Turkish Language and Literature. The data were collected via open-ended items and analyzed through a thematic coding approach. The findings suggested that memories were shaped around peer, family, school, math lesson, and teacher focus. In relation to these foci, specific factors that influenced the participants' relationship with mathematics and their effects were determined. We have also designated the turning points that changed the individual's approach to mathematics. The findings suggested that individuals' memories had traces accounting for their relationships with mathematics. Therefore, it has been argued that memories provide a useful perspective in making sense of the relationship of individuals with mathematics. The findings also indicated students internalized their negative experiences about mathematics by transforming them into established value judgments. Based on the findings, it was concluded that memories about mathematics were among the factors determining students' university-level fields of study. The study pointed out the importance of minimizing the factors leading to negative memories about school mathematics.