Analysing the correlation between secondary mathematics curriculum change and trends in beginning undergraduates’ performance of basic mathematical skills in Ireland

Treacy, Páraic; Faulkner, Fiona; Prendergast, Mark A.

doi:10.1080/03323315.2016.1243067

Cited by 19 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…In this study, the mean score for the Understanding of Concepts IMB scale was 22.71 out of 30, the second highest scoring scale. Given that one of the main aims of the reformed Irish curriculum is to place greater emphasis on student understanding of mathematical concepts [42,43], this should be regarded as a positive finding.…”

Section: Do Students Believe That Understanding Concepts Is Importantmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating secondary students beliefs about mathematical problem-solving

Prendergast

Breen²,

Bray

et al. 2018

International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and

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Many studies over the past thirty years have highlighted the important role of students' beliefs for successful problem solving in mathematics. Given the recent emphasis afforded to problem solving on the reformed Irish secondary school mathematics curriculum, the main aim of this study was to identify Irish students' (n = 975) beliefs about the field. A quantitative measure of these beliefs was attained through the use of the Indiana Mathematical Belief Scale, an existing thirty item (five scale) self-report questionnaire. A statistical analysis of the data revealed that students who were further through their secondary education had a stronger belief that not all problems could be solved by applying routine procedures. In contrast, the same students held less positive beliefs than their younger counterparts that they could solve time-consuming problems and that conceptual understanding was important. The analysis also indicated that gender had a significant impact on three of the five belief scales.

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Section: Do Students Believe That Understanding Concepts Is Importantmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating secondary students beliefs about mathematical problem-solving

Prendergast

Breen²,

Bray

et al. 2018

International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and

Self Cite

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“…Manifestation of the 'mathematics problem' typically occurs in the first year of undergraduate studies and is characterized by the following: 1. A lack of core mathematical knowledge and skills which would be expected at the transition to higher education [1]; 2. A lack of fluency in applying mathematics and specifically an inability to solve and model unfamiliar problems [1] and 3.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A lack of core mathematical knowledge and skills which would be expected at the transition to higher education [1]; 2. A lack of fluency in applying mathematics and specifically an inability to solve and model unfamiliar problems [1] and 3. Students not studying sufficient mathematics prior to entry into higher education [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are first year undergraduates mathematically resilient? A comparison of a STEM and a non-STEM discipline in an Institute of Technology

Duggan¹,

Cowan²,

Cantley³

2017

IJCDSE

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The Transition from post-primary to higher education presents many challenges for students, both personally and academically. Widespread concern regarding students' lack of mathematical preparedness when negotiating the transition to higher education has also been widely documented. The issue of mathematical preparedness is colloquially referred to as the 'Mathematics problem' in the literature and specifically refers to the level of mathematical preparedness and skills of students as they commence their undergraduate studies. Mathematics is considered an important component of many degree programs and many students struggle with the mathematical demands of their degree programs due to inadequate and negative prior experiences. The number of disciplines affected by the existence of the 'mathematics problem' has also broadened to include disciplines classified as soft pure and soft applied. Several reasons are said to have contributed to the 'mathematics problem' within the Irish context and in an attempt to alleviate these concerns and to enable a smooth transition to higher education, the Irish government introduced the Project Maths curriculum. This paper reports on first year undergraduate students' experiences of the Project Maths curriculum and provides insight into whether students' 'mathematical resilience' prepares them for their higher education course.

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“…Although entrance into the STEM fields has grown, this growth is not keeping pace with the overall needs of the labour market (Hall et al, 2011;Hunt, 2011). Concern has also been expressed about students entering higher education without the necessary skills and knowledge to engage effectively with learning in the disciplines of STEM (Hunt, 2011;Treacy and Faulkner, 2015;Treacy et al, 2016).…”

Section: Concerns Regarding Stem Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More worryingly only 16% opted for the Higher level Leaving Certificate examination (SEC-www.examinations.ie). While these figures have increased since a reform of the curriculum, there are still many concerns regarding the mathematical ability of incoming university students (Treacy et al, 2016;Prendergast and Treacy, 2017).…”

Section: Concerns Regarding Stem Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trinity Walton Club: What is its Potential for Promoting Interest in STEM?

Prendergast

Murphy

O’Neill

et al. 2018

European Journal of STEM Education

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Concerns are growing in many countries, including Ireland, regarding an inadequate number of graduates to meet workforce needs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. These graduate deficiencies are the result of low student uptake of STEM subjects and courses at post-primary and tertiary level education. Low uptake is partly a consequence of negative student attitudes towards STEM. Many students are losing interest in STEM at an early age due to an inability to see any relevance in their everyday lives. In light of such concerns, a Saturday afternoon club entitled "Trinity Walton Club" (TWC) was established in Trinity College Dublin with the purpose of uniting like-minded students to express, shape, inform and grow their interest in STEM. This club attempted to 'bring STEM to life' through thought provoking content, real world problems, contextualised analogies and projects. This paper describes the background to the TWC, reviews the literature around promoting student interest in STEM and examines initial feedback from participants in the pilot year of the club. The findings of this preliminary study indicate that the TWC has the potential to promote interest in STEM. Many of the recommendations from the literature review about promoting interest in STEM were referred to by participants in their responses.

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Analysing the correlation between secondary mathematics curriculum change and trends in beginning undergraduates’ performance of basic mathematical skills in Ireland

Cited by 19 publications

References 21 publications

Investigating secondary students beliefs about mathematical problem-solving

Investigating secondary students beliefs about mathematical problem-solving

Are first year undergraduates mathematically resilient? A comparison of a STEM and a non-STEM discipline in an Institute of Technology

Trinity Walton Club: What is its Potential for Promoting Interest in STEM?

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