A comparison of the mathematical performance of mature students and traditional students over a 10-year period

Abstract

Every student who enrols in a degree programme involving service mathematics in the University of Limerick in Ireland is given a mathematics diagnostic test. The diagnostic test was developed due to mathematics lecturers’ anxiety regarding students’ mathematical competency levels. Students receive the 40 question paper-based test in their first service mathematics lecture without prior notification. Initial analysis of students’ work revealed that many students were having difficulties with basic algebra and arithmetic in particular [Gill, O. 2006. “What Counts as Service Mathematics? An Investigation into the ‘Mathematics Problem’ in Ireland.” PhD diss., University of Limerick]. Further research highlighted the significant decline in diagnostic test performance and the changing profile of service mathematics students between 1998 and 2008 [Faulkner, Fiona, Ailish Hannigan, and Olivia Gill. 2010. “Trends in the Mathematical Competency of University Entrants in Ireland by Leaving Certificate Mathematics Grade.” Teaching Mathematics and Its Applications 29 (2): 76–93]. One of the most notable changes to the student profile over time was the increase in mature students (non-standard students) entering service mathematics programmes. Although non-standard students had a lower mean performance in the diagnostic test, they were found to have a higher mean performance in some cases in service mathematics compared to standard students. This paper explores some of the possible reasons for such findings.

Keywords:

• mathematics problem
• mature students
• learning styles
• declining mathematical standards
• diagnostic testing

Notes on contributors

Fiona Faulkner completed her Ph.D. in Mathematics Education in May 2012 from the University of Limerick. Currently she is Lecturer in Mathematics, Dublin Institute of Technology.

Ailish Hannigan is Associate Professor of Biomedical Statistics and Lecturer in Statistics, University of Limerick.

Dr Olivia Gill is Lecturer in Mathematics Education, University of Limerick.

Notes

1. A non-standard student is any student entering UL who has not come directly from second-level school in Ireland. Further details regarding what this constitutes will be outlined in Section 4.

2. Data on students gathered in 1997 have not been used as diagnostic testing was only carried out on Technology students; however, from 1998 both Technology and Science mathematics students were examined.

3. This figure was refined when discriminant analysis was carried out on the diagnostics test database (described in Section 2.3) after the analysis in this paper was carried out to someone being considered as ‘at risk’ if they receive 18/40 or below in the diagnostic test (Faulkner 2012). The cut-off remains at this point now.

4. Note that 273/339 standard Technology students sat the diagnostic test in 2008 and 30/35 non-standard Technology students sat the diagnostic test in 2008; 222/282 standard Science students sat the diagnostic test in 2008 and 15/21 non-standard Science students sat the diagnostic test in 2008.

5. Note that 33/35 non-standard Technology students and 316/339 standard Technology students sat the end-of-term examination; 17/21 non-standard Science students and 267/282 of the standard Science students sat the end-of-term examination.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Mathematics Applications Consortium for Science and Industry.