Has the introduction of “Project Maths” at post-primary level affected the attitudes of first-year higher education engineering students in Ireland?

Abstract

Mathematics is increasingly a focus of educational studies nationally and internationally, due to the growing need of mathematical skills in today’s technological, economical, and industrial world (European Commission 2011, Conway and Sloane 2005). It is widely known that mathematics is a core subject for science and engineering disciplines. As Project Maths was implemented on a phased basis over a four-year period, our study is directed upon testing the mathematical skills and investigating first year engineering students' attitudes towards mathematics over the course of the implementation. In this paper, we give a detailed overview of the results of a pilot attitudinal survey conducted in 2012 on a cohort of students who studied phase one of Project Maths. Overall, the results show quite a negative attitude towards mathematics, a fact that is naturally of concern among a cohort of engineering students who will rely heavily upon mathematics for the duration of their studies and beyond. Possible reasons for these attitudes will be further investigated in the following years, along with comparisons as to whether there are any improvements in students' mathematical skills and attitudes evident in the data we collect