First-year undergraduate business students’ choice of different sources of learning support for assumed math skills

Abstract

This paper explores the choice of math skills learning support by an undergraduate student cohort of Commerce and Business students at Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia. A survey methodology was used to determine the support students sought for the assumed math skills for a mandatory first-year microeconomics subject. The majority of respondents (71%; 120 of n = 169) sought support outside of class for their math skills during the semester. The major source of support was from informal networks of friends and family (62% of respondents), with 40% of respondents seeking help from only this source. University support services from the centrally provided learning center and individual tutoring at course and subject level, were used by 31.4% of respondents, with a minority (8.9%) of respondents utilizing only University support. Students who only used their informal networks for math learning support were more likely to have a recent high school graduate profile, and students using university learning support services were more likely to fit a more diverse entry pathway profile. Recommendations for math skills support include the communication of assumed skills explicitly, early self-assessment of assumed skills through diagnostic tests, the institution of a peer learning strategy and the creation of online learning resources.