week, with each problem being a development of the previous one, would scaffold the process for students whilst allowing them to develop their own solutions at the same time. Furthermore, in future I plan to ask students to make a group presentation at the end of the process and to ask a number of colleagues to come along to the groups. I ‘assess’ feel that it is more likely that students will stay interested in and committed to the process if they feel that they are building towards something important and that they will be presenting their work to people outside the process. In conclusion, my main dilemma throughout the pilot phase of the project was to ensure that students felt supported during and between tutorials and not to lead them down any particular road to a possible solution but to allow them to come up with their own. Participants in the main study The participants in the main study were first year students on a Mathematical Sciences degree programme and were enrolled in the module Foundation Mathematics 1 (MATH1801). Information was given to all participants at the outset of the project regarding the project (Appendices 3A & 3B). Whilst a total of 29 students were enrolled, only 26 students actually presented and participated in the module. The three students who did not participate were international students who had provisionally accepted a place on the programme but did not appear or register once term had started. Profile of the population Demographic information in terms of age, gender and mathematics attainment level at Leaving Certificate (LC) (or equivalent) was sought from all participants and the Admissions Office. The summary statistics of this demographical information are presented in Table 4.2 below. The majority of students surveyed were second-level leavers (coded 1 in Table 4.2) who were in the age group 17-19 years, while non-standard and mature students aged over 20 years (coded 2 and 3 in Table 4.2) represented 23% of the population sampled. The Central Applications Office (CAO) in Ireland set a minimum entry point requirement for each tertiary level programme in Ireland and this requirement is based on the number of places available and the demand for the programme. Students are allowed to
week, with each problem being a development of the previous one, would scaffold the process for students whilst allowing them to develop their own solutions at the same time. Furthermore, in future I plan to ask students to make a group presentation at the end of the process and to ask a number of colleagues to come along to ‘assess’ the groups. I feel that it is more likely that students will stay interested in and committed to the process if they feel that they are building towards something important and that they will be presenting their work to people outside the process. In conclusion, my main dilemma throughout the pilot phase of the project was to ensure that students felt supported during and between tutorials and not to lead them down any particular road to a possible solution but to allow them to come up with their own. Participants in the main study The participants in the main study were first year students on a Mathematical Sciences degree programme and were enrolled in the module Foundation Mathematics 1 (MATH1801). Information was given to all participants at the outset of the project regarding the project (Appendices 3A & 3B). Whilst a total of 29 students were enrolled, only 26 students actually presented and participated in the module. The three students who did not participate were international students who had provisionally accepted a place on the programme but did not appear or register once term had started. Profile of the population Demographic information in terms of age, gender and mathematics attainment level at Leaving Certificate (LC) (or equivalent) was sought from all participants and the Admissions Office. The summary statistics of this demographical information are presented in Table 4.2 below. The majority of students surveyed were second-level leavers (coded 1 in Table 4.2) who were in the age group 17-19 years, while non-standard and mature students aged over 20 years (coded 2 and 3 in Table 4.2) represented 23% of the population sampled. The Central Applications Office (CAO) in Ireland set a minimum entry point requirement for each tertiary level programme in Ireland and this requirement is based on the number of places available and the demand for the programme. Students are allowed to