Attitudes towards mathematics among STEM and non-STEM students

Our first study asked how Norwegian university students relate to mathematics, and what shapes that relationship. In a survey of 264 students at UiT we looked at attitudes towards mathematics, mathematics self-efficacy, general study-efficacy, grades in mathematics-related courses, and intentions to drop out.

The clearest result concerns the role of upper secondary school: which mathematics courses students had taken there was related to every aspect of their attitudes towards mathematics at university – even after accounting for grades and general confidence as a student – whereas the field they were now studying mattered only for how much they valued mathematics. Confidence specifically in mathematics, not general study confidence, predicted grades in mathematics-related courses. Drop-out intentions did not differ between STEM and non-STEM students and were tied to general study-efficacy rather than to mathematics.

The findings point to the choices made in upper secondary school as a key place to intervene if one wants to change how students meet mathematics at university.

Gabriella Óturai, Cordian Riener and Sarah E. Martiny (2023). Attitudes towards mathematics, achievement, and drop-out intentions among STEM and Non-STEM students in Norway. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 4, 100230. Open access: doi:10.1016/j.ijedro.2023.100230 · Munin

Ongoing work

We are now extending the study internationally, to see whether the patterns found among Norwegian students – in particular the lasting influence of upper secondary mathematics choices – hold in other countries with different school systems and different routes into higher education.