[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-588850-105":59,"doc-detail-588850-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","student-perceptions-of-mathematics-readiness-from-a-university-preparatory-program-to-undergraduate-studies","Student Perceptions of Mathematics Readiness from a University Preparatory Program to Undergraduate Studies","","For many mature-aged students, delays between completing formal study and beginning university can create a gap in readiness, especially in mathematics that may be dated yet still required. Although universities offer entry pathways—including school, vocational study, prior learning, and preparatory programs—success is not guaranteed because assumed skills can be degree-specific. This work surveys students’ perceptions at an Australian university and compares readiness for quantitative first-year undergraduate courses.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/student-perceptions-of-mathematics-readiness-from-a-university-preparatory-program-to-undergraduate-studies/588850/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/student-perceptions-of-mathematics-readiness-from-a-university-preparatory-program-to-undergraduate-studies/588850.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Chumphorn","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":29},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"Why do some students struggle when transitioning into first-year undergraduate mathematics?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"Many students face a gap between finishing formal study and starting university, and required mathematics skills may be outdated or specific to particular degrees. Universities often only advise students about “assumed” or “recommended knowledge,” leaving uncertainty about readiness.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How was students’ mathematical preparedness investigated in this study?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"A survey was conducted at a regional Australian university to examine students’ perceptions of how well pre-university studies prepared them for first-year courses requiring quantitative skills. The survey specifically investigated students who entered through the university’s tertiary preparation program.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What did the study find about TPP respondents compared with other pathways?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Most respondents who transitioned through the preparatory program felt well prepared for their undergraduate mathematics. However, compared with other respondents, a higher proportion withdrew from the quantitative course or achieved lower grades.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},588850,1792209179,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":29,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},2336475401981,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/22000c94efd8d5204d?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1786935347598174694","Student Perceptions of Mathematics Readiness from a University Preparatory Program to Undergraduate Studies  \nClare Robinson  \nLinda Galligan  \nZanubia Hussain  \nShahab Abdullah  \nAnita Frederiks  \nAndrew Wandel  \nUniversity of Southern Queensland, Australia  \n\u003C[Clare.robinson@usq.edu.au](Clare.robinson@usq.edu.au)>  \nAbstract  \nFor many mature-aged students, there can be a considerable gap between finishing formal study and beginning university. They are often required to draw on qualifications and skills, including mathematics, which are dated, but necessary for success. Most universities offer several pathways that prospective students can take to enter university: from school; from vocational education; based on prior learning; or via a university preparatory program. Even with extra preparation from a preparatory program, success is not guaranteed, as the assumed skills can be quite specific to particular degrees.  \nMathematics prerequisites for entry into undergraduate programs are not enforced in many Australian universities. Students are only advised of the level of senior mathematics that is ‘assumed’or ‘recommended knowledge’ for their degree and are often uncertain if their current mathematical skills are enough to understand the content of a particular course.  \nA survey to investigate students’ perceptions of how well their pre-university studies prepared them for first year undergraduate courses that required quantitative skills was conducted at one regional university in Australia. As part of this survey, the perceptions of mathematical preparedness of students who had qualified for entrance to undergraduate studies via the university’s tertiary preparation program were investigated. Most respondents who transitioned through the preparatory program felt well prepared for their undergraduate mathematics. However, a greater proportion of these students either withdrew from the undergraduate quantitative course that they had enrolled in or achieved lower grades when compared to other survey respondents who had entered university through more traditional pathways.  \nKeywords: mathematics; tertiary preparation; student perceptions; enabling; pre-requisites; STEM  \nIntroduction  \nWorldwide, there is government and industry impetus to lift the overall scientific literacy of their populations, as there is a strong link between nations with leading economies and strong science education and research systems (Marginson, Tytler, Freeman, & Roberts, 2013) . In many Englishspeaking countries, including the United States (Atkinson & Mayo, 2010), the United Kingdom (Morgan & Kirby, 2016) and Australia, there is concern over the declining trends in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) participation, and the longer tail of low-achievers at school level compared to many Western European and East Asian countries (Wright, 2010) .  \nAt the university level, mathematics lecturers have noted the increase in the number of students who lack the appropriate mathematical background to cope with first year science (Poladian & Nicholas, 2013a; Rylands & Coady, 2009) and mathematics subjects (Vandenbussche, Ritter, & Scherrer, 2018) . Many universities around the world attempt to ameliorate the difficulties encountered by mathematically under-prepared students by offering mathematics courses within various programs, often referred to as enabling, preparatory, bridging or remediation programs. The aim of these courses is to allow students to obtain prerequisite or assumed knowledge in mathematics before commencing their degree program (Croft, Harrison, & Robinson, 2009; Greefrath, Koepf, & Neugebauer, 2017; MacGillivray, 2009) . Successful completion of a mathematics component in such programs has been shown to be a predictor for engagement and success in further university mathematics studies (Varsavsky, 2010) .  \nMathematics is a major part of many Australian university preparatory programs (Irwin, Baker,& Carter, 2018) .","cbCaitSG5sVjd7GD","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaitSG5sVjd7GD","pdf",472889,17,"English","# Introduction\n## Mathematics prerequisites and enabling programs\n## The Tertiary Preparation Program (TPP) at USQ\n# Literature Review\n## Decline in mathematics and science participation in Australia","[{\"question\":\"Why do some students struggle when transitioning into first-year undergraduate mathematics?\",\"answer\":\"Many students face a gap between finishing formal study and starting university, and required mathematics skills may be outdated or specific to particular degrees. Universities often only advise students about “assumed” or “recommended knowledge,” leaving uncertainty about readiness.\"},{\"question\":\"How was students’ mathematical preparedness investigated in this study?\",\"answer\":\"A survey was conducted at a regional Australian university to examine students’ perceptions of how well pre-university studies prepared them for first-year courses requiring quantitative skills. The survey specifically investigated students who entered through the university’s tertiary preparation program.\"},{\"question\":\"What did the study find about TPP respondents compared with other pathways?\",\"answer\":\"Most respondents who transitioned through the preparatory program felt well prepared for their undergraduate mathematics. However, compared with other respondents, a higher proportion withdrew from the quantitative course or achieved lower grades.\"}]","Student Perceptions of Mathematics Readiness from a University Preparatory Program to Undergraduate Studies | PDF",1792066054,43]