Counting on the basics: mathematical skills among tertiary entrants

An investigation of the mathematical literacy of first year third-level students in the Republic of Ireland

“…However, gender was also a contributing factor and this study showed males to be more confident that females, as had PISA 2003. It is worth mentioning that Wilson and MacGillivray's study [30] led to similar findings, with prior achievement and level of mathematics studied, gender, and self-efficacy all emerging as significant predictors of the score on the skills test administered. As in the study reported here, these predictor variables were found to be highly inter-dependent.…”

“…They claim that studying higher level mathematics at second level consolidates the student's basic skills allowing him to develop this "at-homeness" and apply his skills. In their own study of 566 third level students enrolled on an introductory data analysis course in Queensland, Wilson and MacGillivray [30] found that students' carelessness increased with problem complexity, and that multi-step problems and abstraction caused obvious difficulties for students. The problems were more pronounced for those who hadn't taken higher level mathematics courses at second level.…”

“…Wilson and MacGillivray [30] appreciate that third level educators require an awareness of the level of students' basic mathematical skills in order to help them overcome their difficulties. Many third level educators expect their incoming mathematics students to display the advanced mathematical and reasoning skills that mark out those performing at PISA proficiency level 6 from other students.…”

“…Aside from the knowledge economy, Wilson and MacGillivray [30] are interested in the certain "athomeness" with mathematics that enables any individual to cope with the mathematical demands of everyday life. They claim that studying higher level mathematics at second level consolidates the student's basic skills allowing him to develop this "at-homeness" and apply his skills.…”

“…One factor identified as contributing to this situation is the emphasis in post-primary school on students' examination performance (particularly in final examinations) and consequent examination-driven practice [26,27]. In an effort to investigate such under-preparedness, many studies have assessed the basic mathematical skills of students entering third-level education using diagnostic tests [28,29,30]. However, even students with a good grasp of these basic skills may have problems transferring their knowledge to a different subject or situation [26,31].…”