CQUniversity
Browse

File(s) not publicly available

Transformative learning : increasing the confidence of enabling mathematics students

journal contribution
posted on 2017-12-06, 00:00 authored by Nadine AdamsNadine Adams, Clinton HayesClinton Hayes, Sherie Elliott, Antony DekkersAntony Dekkers, Darron Johnston, Roland DoddRoland Dodd
A paradigm shift in higher education is occurring internationally, with universities changing the focus of their undergraduate degrees, increasing enrolments, and broadening participation. As a result, non-traditional students, who would once have been excluded from university studies, are now enrolling in enabling programmes to meet university entry requirements. Given the vast social and educational diversities of these students, just providing content is often not enough. Many educators are therefore left questioning how they can prepare these students for undergraduate study. Many students entering university through non-traditional means have decreased mathematical confidence and a diminished perception of mathematics and their mathematical ability. Previous studies have indicated that student confidence in their mathematical ability is important and has a direct impact on their success. Therefore, in order to be successful, enabling courses need to provide an avenue for transformative learning—students need to change their frame of reference. The Transition Mathematics courses at Central Queensland University, Australia (CQU) were designed to follow adult learning principles, providing content knowledge, and increasing students’ confidence, whilst also catering to the diverse social and educational backgrounds of students. A study conducted by CQU, examining students’ mathematical confidence prior to and after completing at least one Transition Mathematics course, found that students reported reduced confusion with mathematics and increased mathematical confidence.

History

Volume

21

Issue

3-4

Start Page

19

End Page

29

Number of Pages

11

eISSN

2327-915X

ISSN

2327-7971

Location

USA

Publisher

Common Ground Publishing

Language

en-aus

Peer Reviewed

  • Yes

Open Access

  • No

External Author Affiliations

Industry, Vocational Training and Access Education Division; Learning and Teaching Education Research Centre (LTERC); Office of Learning and Teaching; School of Engineering and Technology (2013- ); School of Medical and Applied Sciences (2013- );

Era Eligible

  • Yes

Journal

International journal of science, mathematics, and technology learning.

Usage metrics

    CQUniversity

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC