Engineering students’ self-confidence in mathematics mapped onto Bandura’s self-efficacy

dc.creator	Sarah Parsons
dc.creator	Tony Croft
dc.creator	Martin Harrison
dc.date	2011-06-01T00:00:00Z
dc.date.accessioned	2015-07-20T22:34:25Z
dc.date.available	2015-07-20T22:34:25Z
dc.identifier	1750-0044
dc.identifier	1750-0052
dc.identifier	https://doaj.org/article/aabbeacd45eb4f4baddddb3e9057abcd
dc.identifier.uri	http://evidence.thinkportal.org/handle/123456789/22783
dc.description	In the UK since the early 1990s, there has been widespread concern and extensive reporting about the difficulties encountered by engineering students with the mathematical elements of their university courses. Students’ lack of previously expected mathematical skills is of particular concern and has prompted the provision of mathematics support in many UK institutions. A related problem is students’ lack of self-confidence (or self-efficacy) in their mathematical capability, and this paper seeks to explore how this has arisen and how it affects students’ learning, and proposes suggestions for improvement.Interviews were conducted with final year engineering students at Harper Adams University College in 2009. These explored students’ experiences of and self-confidence in learning and using mathematics before and during university and what they anticipate in the future. The seven students interviewed exhibited a range of self-confidence and achievement and their responses about self-confidence and mathematics support were analysed. Despite their wide ranging backgrounds, all of the students achieved well in their first year university engineering mathematics modules, which naturally increased their self-confidence. Several students described how using the mathematics support provision had helped them with mathematics and improved their confidence.In addition to analysing the interview scripts thematically, Bandura’s model of self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997) was used as a conceptual framework with which the students’ accounts were cross-matched. Bandura’s model proposes four sources of self-efficacy (past achievement; comparison with others; what others tell you; feelings or physical states) and four mediating processes (cognitive; motivational; affective; selective processes). Additional sources of self-confidence outside of Bandura’s model were also described by the students, in particular working with peers, appropriate speed of teaching and small group sizes.The most important source of self-efficacy was found to be students’ past experience of success or failure, and all four of Bandura’s mediating processes were referred to by the students. There was no mention, however, of verbal persuasion, and it is argued that lecturers and support tutors might do more to develop students’ confidence through this means. Most importantly, students’ opportunities for success should be maximised, including careful provision of challenging tasks at the right level, in order to build students’ self-confidence in mathematics.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	The Higher Education Academy
dc.relation	http://www.engsc.ac.uk/journal/index.php/ee/article/view/165/252
dc.relation	https://doaj.org/toc/1750-0044
dc.relation	https://doaj.org/toc/1750-0052
dc.rights	CC BY-NC-ND
dc.source	Engineering Education, Vol 6, Iss 1, Pp 52-61 (2011)
dc.subject	engineering mathematics
dc.subject	self-confidence
dc.subject	self-efficacy
dc.subject	Bandura
dc.subject	Education (General)
dc.subject	L7-991
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	DOAJ:Education
dc.subject	DOAJ:Social Sciences
dc.subject	Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
dc.subject	TA1-2040
dc.subject	Technology
dc.subject	T
dc.subject	DOAJ:General and Civil Engineering
dc.subject	DOAJ:Technology and Engineering
dc.subject	Education (General)
dc.subject	L7-991
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	DOAJ:Education
dc.subject	DOAJ:Social Sciences
dc.subject	Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
dc.subject	TA1-2040
dc.subject	Technology
dc.subject	T
dc.subject	DOAJ:General and Civil Engineering
dc.subject	DOAJ:Technology and Engineering
dc.subject	Education (General)
dc.subject	L7-991
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
dc.subject	TA1-2040
dc.subject	Technology
dc.subject	T
dc.subject	Education (General)
dc.subject	L7-991
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
dc.subject	TA1-2040
dc.subject	Technology
dc.subject	T
dc.subject	Education (General)
dc.subject	L7-991
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
dc.subject	TA1-2040
dc.subject	Technology
dc.subject	T
dc.title	Engineering students’ self-confidence in mathematics mapped onto Bandura’s self-efficacy
dc.type	article