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A study of third level students' beliefs about mathematics

Breen, Sinéad orcid logoORCID: 0000-0001-7215-0460, Cleary, Joan and O'Shea, Ann orcid logoORCID: 0000-0001-8504-2290 (2007) A study of third level students' beliefs about mathematics. In: MEI 2, 14-15 September 2007, Dublin, Ireland.

Abstract
In 2006 and 2007, first year students in three third level institutions in Ireland were surveyed in order to gauge their attitudes to mathematics. In particular students were asked whether they believed that mathematical ability could be improved and were asked to rate their confidence in approaching mathematics. Dweck (1986) maintains that a student’s theory of intelligence (as to whether intelligence is fixed or malleable) and confidence in his/her present ability combine to influence the student’s behaviour when presented with an unfamiliar task. Bandura (1977 and 1993) postulated that self-confidence has a major influence on whether a person will attempt a task and with what determination and perseverance. As part of the survey the mathematical literacy of the students was also measured (Breen et al 2007) and the data collected will be used to investigate both of these theories. Moreover, the responses of the students with regard to theories of intelligence are contrasted with the responses of mathematics teachers to similar questions as part of the TIMSS (Beaton et al, 1996) and PISA (Cosgrove et al, 2004) studies. Gender and age differences in confidence levels and theories of intelligence are also explored.
Metadata
Item Type:Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Event Type:Conference
Refereed:Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords:Self-confidence, theories of intelligence, mathematics education
Subjects:Social Sciences > Education
Mathematics
DCU Faculties and Centres:DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science and Health > School of Mathematical Sciences
Research Institutes and Centres > Research Centre in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education (CASTel)
Published in: Proceedings of the Second National Conference on Research in Mathematics Education (MEI2). . St Patrick's College, Dublin.
Publisher:St Patrick's College, Dublin
ID Code:30683
Deposited On:24 Jan 2025 09:19 by Sinead Breen . Last Modified 24 Jan 2025 09:19
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