[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-588644-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-588644-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","adult-learners-and-mathematics-learning-support-paper","Adult Learners and Mathematics Learning Support - Paper","","Mathematics Learning Support (MLS) has become a standard feature in many higher education institutions across Ireland, the UK, and internationally, addressing the “Mathematics Problem” affecting incoming students with weak mathematical preparation. This paper analyzes large-scale student evaluation data in Ireland to compare adult learner responses and engagement with those of traditional age students. Findings inform best practice to improve MLS provision for a diverse student population, including adults with distinct motivations and learning approaches.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/adult-learners-and-mathematics-learning-support-paper/588644/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/adult-learners-and-mathematics-learning-support-paper/588644.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Rizky","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",7,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What problem does Mathematics Learning Support (MLS) aim to address?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"MLS aims to tackle the “Mathematics Problem,” where incoming students may lack required mathematical preparedness and face risk of failing or dropping out.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How does the paper compare adult learners with traditional-age students?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"The paper presents adult learners’ responses and engagement levels from a large-scale student evaluation and compares them with those of traditional students.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What motivational issues does the research focus on?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"The study investigates motivational factors for adult learners who seek MLS and explores why some adult learners of mathematics do not seek MLS.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},588644,1792171494,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,110,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":107,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":111,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":144,"read_time":108,"preview_page_count":4},962085564807,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_6f874abed73319feea01a86fa6f0fab8","Adult Learners and Mathematics Learning Support  \nOlivia Fitzmaurice  \nUniversity of Limerick  \n\u003C[Olivia.Fitzmaurice@ul.ie](Olivia.Fitzmaurice@ul.ie)>  \nCiarán Mac an Bhaird  \nMaynooth University  \n\u003C[ciaran.macanbhaird@nuim.ie](ciaran.macanbhaird@nuim.ie)>  \nEabhnat Ní Fhloinn  \nDublin City University  \n\u003C[eabhnat.nifhloinn@dcu.ie](eabhnat.nifhloinn@dcu.ie)>  \nCiarán O’Sullivan  \nInstitute of Technology, Tallaght  \n\u003C[Ciaran.OSullivan@ittdublin.ie](Ciaran.OSullivan@ittdublin.ie)>  \nAbstract  \nThe provision of some level of Mathematics Learning Support (MLS) is now standard in the majority of Higher Education Institutions in Ireland, the UK, and in many other countries. This provision is, in part, a response to the large numbers of students entering Higher Education who do not have the mathematical skills required and this cohort includes a significant number of adult learners. Research indicates that these students have different motivations and approaches to learning than traditional age learners. This paper considers the analysis of a large scale student evaluation of Mathematics Learning Support in Ireland. In particular, it presents the responses and engagement levels of adult learners and compares these to those of traditional students. The findings are key to ensuring best practice in the provision of MLS for the wide variety of students who engage with it.  \nKeywords: adult learners, engagement, evaluation , mathematics learning support  \nIntroduction  \nThe availability of some form of Mathematics Learning Support (MLS) is now what students can expect to find in the majority of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Ireland and the UK. MLS is also available in HEIs internationally, for example in Switzerland, Canada and Australia (Gill et al., 2008; Perkin et al., 2012) . MLS has been defined as a facility offered to students which is surplus to their traditional lectures and tutorials, the purpose of which is to  \noffer non-judgemental and non-threatening one-to-one support with mathematics (Ní Fhloinn, 2007; Lawson et al., 2003; Elliot and Johnson, 1994) .  \nThe main reason for the establishment and significant growth of MLS was to tackle the well documented ‘Mathematics Problem’. One of the ways O’Donoghue (2004) defines the‘Mathematics Problem’ refers to the mathematical preparedness of incoming students in terms of their mathematical shortcomings or deficiencies at the university interface. Significant numbers of students entering HEIs are deemed at-risk of failing or dropping out because they do not appear to be appropriately prepared for mathematics in HE and often exhibit very weak mathematical backgrounds. This ‘Mathematics Problem’ is common place in HEIs in Ireland, the UK and internationally (Gill et al., 2010; Lawson et al., 2012) . These at-risk students are the main target of MLS.  \nOne benefit of the economic downturn has been the welcome increase in adult learners returning to HE (Golding and O’Donoghue, 2005) . In the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), adult learners constituted one fifth of the attendants at the Mathematics Learning Support Centre (MLSC) in its opening year (Ní Fhloinn, 2007) . In 2012 adult learners accounted for 15.3% of full time students enrolled in HE in Ireland and 21% of full and part time students. Faulkner et al. (2010) stated that the presence of so many adult learners is one contributing factor to the increased numbers of at-risk students in first year courses.  \nIn order to establish best practice in the successful provision of MLS, it is essential that it is comprehensively evaluated on a regular basis (Matthews et al., 2012) . For example, quantitative research suggests that appropriate engagement with MLS can have a positive impact on student retention and progression (Lee et al., 2008; Mac an Bhaird et al., 2009). One of the initial aims of the Irish Mathematics Learning Support Network (IMLSN), which was established in 2009, was to conduct a large scale survey of st","cbCaig0bZOMR7IdG","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaig0bZOMR7IdG","pdf",518622,16,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction\n## Mathematics Learning Support and the “Mathematics Problem”\n## Adult learners and the need for evaluation\n## Research questions\n# Literature review","[{\"question\":\"What problem does Mathematics Learning Support (MLS) aim to address?\",\"answer\":\"MLS aims to tackle the “Mathematics Problem,” where incoming students may lack required mathematical preparedness and face risk of failing or dropping out.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the paper compare adult learners with traditional-age students?\",\"answer\":\"The paper presents adult learners’ responses and engagement levels from a large-scale student evaluation and compares them with those of traditional students.\"},{\"question\":\"What motivational issues does the research focus on?\",\"answer\":\"The study investigates motivational factors for adult learners who seek MLS and explores why some adult learners of mathematics do not seek MLS.\"}]","Adult Learners and Mathematics Learning Support - Paper | PDF",1792065660]