Mindsets and diversity: understanding and addressing attainment gaps amongst undergraduates in highly mathematical subjects

Undergraduates studying highly mathematical subjects at university level often have a long history of success in mathematics, particularly in school-level mathematics. We report on the interim findings of a study of undergraduates who all achieved the highest possible grades in their school examinations but whose performance in university mathematics examinations reveal attainment gaps that are not predictable by prior attainment. Focusing particularly on attitudinal factors such as mindset and beliefs about ways of working with mathematics we examine students’ perceptions of what enables or prevents them from being successful with their mathematics at university level using a mixture of questionnaires and interviews.