Measuring the mathematical maturity of students in an academic development programme

Abstract

This study focuses on students who are registered for the University of Pretoria’s academic development programme, the Four-year Programme (FYP). The programme was introduced as a gateway for students who are under-prepared but have the potential to succeed. This programme helps them to then continue their studies in mainstream science programmes. Our research focuses on measuring the change in the academic maturity of these students. In the theoretical framework that we developed, academic maturity is subdivided into two components, namely, non-subject based maturity, and subject based maturity (mathematical maturity). A mathematics test was also administered twice (at the beginning of the year and after the first semester) and was used to measure the subject based maturity of students. The results of the pre- and post-tests were compared to measure the improvement in students’ mathematical skills. The results showed that in all of the topics and constructs, there was an improvement in students’ mathematical abilities. The study also shows that students still struggle with the fundamentals of some mathematics topics, even after a semester of tuition in the FYP.