Identifying and Supporting Numeracy Needs of First Year Undergraduate Education Students - Online numeracy support video development and evaluation

Oct 15, 2026

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Identifying and Supporting Numeracy Needs of First Year Undergraduate Education Students investigates specific numeracy support areas required by first-year primary education students in light of Australia’s Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students. Student understandings were inferred from analysis of examination scripts from 471 students, coded to reveal content knowledge gaps. Findings indicated needs in fraction operations, order of operations, line symmetry, fraction-to-decimal conversion, and metric conversions, which informed a series of online support videos evaluated via student focus groups and used to recommend further development and deployment.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Literature Review

Identifying and Supporting Numeracy Needs of First Year Undergraduate Education Students By Fiona Budgen􀀍 John West‡ Currently Australian pre-service teachers’ levels of personal numeracy are under a great deal of scrutiny. There are calls for universities to raise entry standards into teaching degrees and counter-calls that the output of universities should be gauged rather than inputs. In 2015, doubts about the ability of graduate teachers to convey the desired skills, knowledge and attitudes in mathematics led the Australian Government to mandate the introduction of the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students. From 2017, all pre-service teachers in Australia will be required to pass prior to graduation. The present research sought to identify specific areas of support that may be needed by first year primary education students in order to meet the anticipated numeracy requirements of the test. Students’ understandings were inferred from the analysis of the examination scripts of 471 first year primary education students. Common errors were identified and coded to reveal aspects of students’mathematical content knowledge requiring further attention. The results suggested that students would benefit from further support in areas such as operations with fractions, order of operations, line symmetry, converting fractions to decimals, and metric conversions. The results were used to inform the development of a series of online numeracy support videos. The perceived efficacy of these resources was examined in a series of focus group interviews conducted with students, leading to recommendations for the subsequent development and deployment of online numeracy support resources. Keywords: Numeracy, First Year, Online, Support Introduction The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL, 2011) require graduate teachers to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of the content they teach. This is a daunting prospect for some primary education students who enter the course with little confidence in their mathematical ability and unhappy memories of their mathematics learning in school. Numeracy support is crucial if these students are to meet the professional standards and graduate into their chosen profession. The first phase of the present study sought to identify priority areas of need for numeracy support amongst pre-service primary education students. In the second phase, a series of online numeracy support videos were developed using the SMART Notebook interactive whiteboard software (SMART 􀀍 Senior Lecturer, Edith Cowan University, Australia. ‡Lecturer, Edith Cowan University, Australia. [https://doi.org/10.30958/aje.5-2-2](https://doi.org/10.30958/aje.5-2-2) doi=10.30958/aje.5-2-2 Technologies, 2016) . The online numeracy support videos were trialed with students during a number of focus group interviews and data were obtained as to their perceived effectiveness. The primary aim of the research was to improve pre-service teachers’ content knowledge in mathematics; although a secondary consideration was production of videos that modelled good pedagogical strategies. Analysis of the data obtained from the focus group interviews looked at the effect of the online numeracy support videos on students’ mathematical content knowledge and their confidence in understanding the concepts, substance, and structure of the content they will have to teach. This research was seen as the first step in a longer process with the overall goal of producing a suite of research-informed numeracy support resources. The provision of high quality numeracy support has the potential to benefit the majority of students enrolled in primary mathematics education units on campus (currently more than 1,000 students) and, will be a practical means of providing support to online students in rural, remote, or overseas locations. Literature Review According to

FAQs

What prompted the research on numeracy support for first-year students?

Australia mandated the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students, creating concerns about whether graduate teachers can convey required mathematical skills and knowledge. This research targets support needs relevant to the anticipated numeracy requirements of the test.

How were students’ numeracy understandings determined?

Students’ understandings were inferred from analysis of examination scripts from 471 first-year primary education students. Common errors were identified and coded to highlight aspects of mathematical content knowledge needing further attention.

Which numeracy areas were identified as needing additional support?

The study highlights operations with fractions, order of operations, line symmetry, converting fractions to decimals, and metric conversions. These areas were used to guide the online numeracy support resources.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Mimi