The effect of a pre-university mathematics bridging course on adult learners’ self-efficacy and retention rates in STEM subjects

Abstract

In August 2008, the Mathematics Learning Centre at the University of Limerick initiated a mathematics bridging course, entitled ‘Head Start Maths’, to provide mathematics revision for adult learners about to embark on science or technology degree programmes. The aim of Head Start Maths was to revise mathematics fundamentals before the commencement of third-level education so as to lessen the anxiety levels of adult learners towards mathematics. Negative preconceptions have been noted as being of major concern with adult learners, both preconceptions of mathematics in general and also of their own abilities. In addition to this, it was hoped that Head Start Maths might lead to increased retention rates among adult learners and lead to less dropouts within the first semester. Results found that there were statistically significant increases in self-efficacy scores across some, but not all, of the mathematical topic areas and that there was an increase in the retention rates of adult learners who participated in Head Start Maths compared to those who did not.

Keywords:

• mathematics bridging programme
• self-efficacy
• retention
• adult learners
• STEM

Notes on contributors

Dr Patrick Johnson is a Lecturer in Mathematics Education and Course Director of the Professional Master of Education (Mathematics) programme at the University of Limerick. His research and publications focus on initial teacher education and problem solving in mathematics.

Dr Lisa O'Keeffe is a Lecturer in Mathematics Education in the School of Education at the University of South Australia, Australia. Her research interests include mathematics teacher education, mathematics support, language and mathematics, mathematics textbooks and analysis.

Notes

1. EGFSN – Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (Irish Government advisory board).

2. The University of Limerick defines an adult learner as any individual who is aged 23 or over at the time of registration at the University.

3. Students who answer less than 20 of the 40 questions correctly are identified as being ‘at-risk’, that is, statistically they are likely to fail their end-of-term examination and not proceed onto the second year of their degree programme.

4. Service mathematics refers to degree courses where mathematics is present, but is not the main focus of the degree. The two service mathematics strands that are referred to throughout this paper are Technology and Science mathematics.

5. Leaving Certificate Mathematics can be sat at three levels – Foundation, Ordinary and Higher, where Higher Level is the most challenging in terms of depth and breadth of material covered.

6. Non-standard students include all students who did not apply to their degree programme via traditional routes. Adult learners would be considered non-standard students.

7. According to Jamieson (2004) it is common practice to assume that a Likert scale is an interval scale (where the distance between values is assumed equal) hence validating the process of averaging means. This process of averaging means was originally intended and employed by Betz and Hackett (1993).

8. The student type classification records whether the student is an adult learner or not.