Exploring student expectations in mathematics learning and support

This article reports on the results of an empirical study of student expectations and mathematical anxiety among first-year students who must study mathematics as a supporting discipline. The article describes the model of support we have developed mixing, as it does, the more traditional ideas of ‘filling knowledge gaps’ with an exploration of student expectations at the start of a mathematics unit. The research attempts to ascertain whether student self-judgements about their mathematical abilities are accurate and tentatively suggests how we might use this as an alternative to more anxiety-inducing diagnostic testing.