Mathematics as a Tool for Social Awareness and Empowerment: A Case Study from the Philippines

• Main Authors: Miro, Eden Delight, Fernando, Maria Theresa, Guillermo, Mida, Sescon, Joselito T., Benito, Daniel Joseph
• Format: text
• Published: Archīum Ateneo 2024
• Subjects: Students; Educational institutions; Universities; Outreach; Education; Mathematics; Physical Sciences and Mathematics; Science and Mathematics Education
• Online Access: https://archium.ateneo.edu/mathematics-faculty-pubs/267; https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0205189
• Institution: Ateneo De Manila University

We explore mathematics as a tool for students to develop an awareness of the living conditions of communities in a rural Philippine province and to help them recognize their agency to stimulate change. Groups of college students from an urban university enrolled in a general mathematics course were given household survey data from the province. Each group built a community profile to identify their needs and vulnerabilities and crafted recommendations that may contribute to the development planning of the community.