ERIC Number: EJ1207581
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0020-739X
EISSN: N/A
Examining Undergraduate Student Retention in Mathematics Using Network Analysis and Relative Risk
Woolcott, Geoff; Chamberlain, Dan; Whannell, Robert; Galligan, Linda
International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, v50 n3 p447-463 2019
Higher education faces challenges in retaining students who require a command of numeracy in their chosen field of study. This study applies an innovative combination of relative risk and social network analysis to enrolment data of a single cohort of commencing students from an Australian regional university. Relative risk, often used in epidemiology studies, is used to strategically investigate whether first year mathematics subjects at the university demonstrated a higher risk of attrition when compared to other subjects offered in the first year of study. The network analysis is used to illustrate the connections of those mathematics subjects, identifying service subjects through their multiple connections. The analysis revealed that attrition rates for eight of the nine subjects were within acceptable limits, and this included identified service subjects. The exception highlighted the issue of mathematics competencies in this cohort. This combined analytical technique is proposed as appropriate for use when investigating attrition and retention at faculty and institutional levels, including the determination of levels of intervention and support for any subject.
Descriptors: Network Analysis, Undergraduate Students, Academic Persistence, Mathematics Education, Foreign Countries, Numeracy, Risk, Social Networks, College Freshmen, Mathematics Skills, Intervention, College Faculty, Faculty Mobility
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A