Coping styles of new undergraduate mathematicians

ELLIE DARLINGTON

Abstract

The academic transition between school and university mathematics is challenging for many students, due to the nature of mathematics. This paper reports on the results of a study in which the Coping Styles Questionnaire (CSQ) was distributed to 186 first-year mathematicians. Barely-remarkable gender differences were found in students’ responses, which might suggest that gender stereotypes in mathematics may not be as extreme as many believe. Furthermore, findings suggest that questionnaires such as the CSQ could be used to identify students’ coping styles and consequently help them adopt effective coping strategies for the secondary-tertiary mathematics transition.

Keywords

Transition, mathematics, coping styles, higher education, assessment

Full Text:

PDF

References

Abouserie, R. (1994). Sources and levels of stress in relation to locus of control and self-esteem in university students. Educational Psychology, 14(3), 323-330.

Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education. (2009). The mathematics education landscape in 2009. Retrieved from http://www.acme-uk.org/media/1963/acme%20paper%20on%20the%20mathematics%20landscape%20for%20dcsf-dius%20hlsg%20meeting%20(june%202009)%20final.pdf.

Alcock, L., Attridge, N., Kenny, S., & Inglis, M. (2014). Achievement and behaviour in undergraduate mathematics: personality is a better predictor than gender. Research in Mathematics Education, 16(1), 1-17.

Anderson, L. W., Jacobs, J., Schramm, S., & Splittgerber, F. (2000). School transitions: beginning of the end or a new beginning? International Journal of Educational Research, 33(4), 325-339.

Becker, J. R. (1990). Graduate education in the mathematical sciences: factors influencing women and men. In L. Burton (Ed.), Gender and Mathematics: An International Perspective (pp. 119-130). London: Cassell.

Beilock, S. L., Rydell, R. J., & McConnell, A. R. (2007). Stereotype threat and working memory: mechanisms, alleviation, and spillover. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 136(2), 256-276.

Briggs, R. S., & Cheek, J. M. (1986). The role of factor analysis in the development and evaluation of personality scales. Journal of Personality, 54(1), 106-148.

Brougham, R. R., Zail, C. M., Mendoza, C. M., & Miller, J. R. (2009). Stress, sex differences, and coping strategies among college students. Current Psychology, 28(2), 85-97.

Calaguas, G. M. (2011). Sex differences and the relation of age in adjustment difficulties among college freshmen. Journal of Advances in Developmental Research, 2(2), 221-226.

Carver, C., Scheier, M. F., & Weintraub, J. K. (1989). Assessing coping strategies: a theoretically based approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56(2), 267-283.

Chatard, A., Guimond, S., & Selimbegovic, L. (2007). "How good are you in math?" The effect of gender stereotypes on students' recollection of their school marks. Journal of Experimental and Social Psychology, 43(6), 1017-1024.

Cooke, R., Bewick, B. M., Barkham, M., Bradley, M., & Audin, K. (2006). Measuring and managing the psychological well-being of first year university students. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 34(4), 505-517.

Crawford, K., Gordon, S., Nicholas, J., & Prosser, M. (1998). University mathematics students' conceptions of mathematics. Studies in Higher Education, 23(1), 87-94.

Danaher, K., & Crandall, C. (2008). Stereotype threat in applied settings re-examined. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 38(6), 1639-1655.

Darlington, E. (2014). Contrasts in mathematical challenges in A-level Mathematics and Further Mathematics, and undergraduate mathematics examinations. Teaching Mathematics and its Applications, 33(4), 213-229.

Daskalogianni, K., & Simpson, A. (2002). "Cooling off": the phenomenon of a problematic transition from school to university. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Teaching Mathematics at the Undergraduate Level, Hersonissos, Crete.

Department for Education and Skills. (2007). Gender and education: the evidence on pupils in England. Nottingham: DfES Publications.

Dweck, C. (2006). Is math a gift? Beliefs that put females at risk. In S.J. Ceci & W. Williams (Eds.) Why aren’t more women in science? Top researchers debate the evidence. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Elklit, A. (1996). Coping Styles Questionnaire: a contribution to the validation of a scale for measuring coping strategies. Personality and Individual Differences, 21(5), 809-812.

Endler, N. S., & Parker, J. D. (1990). Multidimensional assessment of coping: a critical evaluation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58(5), 844-854.

Felsten, G. (1998). Gender and coping: use of distinct strategies and associations with stress and depression. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping: An International Journal, 11(4), 289-309.

Fisher, S., & Hood, B. (1987). The stress of transition to university: a longitudinal study of psychological disturbance, absent-mindedness and vulnerability to homesickness. British Journal of Psychology, 78(3), 425-441.

Folkman, S., & Lazarus, R. S. (1986). Stress processes and depressive symptomology. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 95(2), 107-113.

Folkman, S., & Moskowitz, J. T. (2004). Coping: pitfalls and promise. Annual Review of Psychology, 55(1), 745-774.

Goetz, T., Bieg, M., Lüdtke, O., Pekrun, R. H., & Hall, N. C. (2013). Do girls really experience more anxiety in mathematics? Psychological Science, 24(10), 2079-2087.

Halpern, D. F., Benbow, C. P., Geary, D. C., Gur, R. C., Hyde, J. S., & Gernsbacher, M. A. (2007). The science of sex differences in science and mathematics. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 8(1), 1-51.

Hembree, R. (1990). The nature, effects and relief of mathematics anxiety. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 21(1), 33-46.

Heppner, P. P., Cook, S. W., Wright, D. M., & Johnson, C. W. (1995). Progress in resolving problems: a problem-focused style of coping. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 42(3), 279-293.

Higher Education Statistics Agency. (2015). Table 13 - HE qualifications obtained by sex, subject area, level of qualification obtained and class of first degree 2009/10 to 2013/14. Retrieved from https://www.hesa.ac.uk/dox/pressOffice/sfr210/071277_student_sfr210_1314_all_tables.xlsx.

Higher Education Statistics Agency. (2016a). Table 4 - HE student enrolments by level of study, subject area, mode of study and sex 2010/11 to 2014/15. Retrieved from https://www.hesa.ac.uk/dox/pressOffice/sfr224/061046_student_sfr224_1415_table_4.xlsx

Higher Education Statistics Agency. (2016b). Table SN3 - percentage of all UK domiciled entrants to full-time other undergraduate courses in 2013/14 who are no longer in HE in 2014/15. Retrieved from https://www.hesa.ac.uk/dox/performanceIndicators/1415_J62I/sn3_1415.xlsx

Holahan, C. J., & Moos, R. H. (1987). Risk, resistance, and psychological distress: a longitudinal analysis with adults and children. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 96(1), 3-13.

Hyde, J. S., Fennema, E., Ryan, M., Frost, L., & Hopp, C. (1990). Gender comparisons of mathematics attitudes and affect. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 14(3), 299-324.

Hyde, J. S., & Linn, M. C. (2006). Gender similarities in mathematics and science. Science, 314(5799), 599-600.

Inzlicht, M., & Ben-Zeev, T. (2000). A threatening intellectual environment: why females are susceptible to experiencing problem-solving deficits in the presence of males. Psychological Science, 11(5), 365-373.

Johnson, M. (2004). Approaching the salutogenesis of sense of coherence: the role of 'active' self-esteem and coping. British Journal of Health Psychology, 9(3), 419-432.

Joint Council for Qualifications. (2016). A-Level results. Retrieved from http://www.jcq.org.uk/Download/examination-results/a-levels/2016/a-as-and-aea-results.

Kantanis, T. (2000). The role of social transition in students' adjustment to the first year of university. Journal of Institutional Research, 9(1), 1001-1110.

Lawrence, J., Ashford, K., & Dent, P. (2006). Gender differences in coping strategies of undergraduate students and their impact on self-esteem and attainment. Active Learning in Higher Education, 7(3), 273-281.

Lengua, L. J., & Stormshak, E. A. (2000). Gender, gender roles, and personality: gender differences in the prediction of coping and psychological symptoms. Sex Roles, 43(11-12), 787-820.

Leong, F. T. L., Bonz, M. H., & Zachar, P. (1997). Coping styles as predictors of college adjustment among freshmen. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 10(2), 211-220.

London Mathematical Society. (1995). Tackling the mathematics problem. London: London Mathematical Society.

Ma, X. (1999). A meta-analysis of the relationship between anxiety toward mathematics and achievement in mathematics. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 30(5), 520-540.

Marsh, H. W. (1987). The big-fish-little-pond effect on academic self-concept. Journal of Educational Psychology, 79(3), 280-295.

Matud, M. P. (2004). Gender differences in stress and coping styles. Personality and Individual Differences, 37(7), 1401-1415.

McLafferty, M., Mallett, J., & McCauley, V. (2009). Coping at university: the role of resilience, emotional intelligence, age and gender. Journal of Quantitative Psychological Research, 1(1), 1-6.

McWhinnie, S., & Fox, C. (2013). Advancing women in mathematics: good practice in UK university departments. Oxford: Oxford Research and Policy.

Mendick, H., Moureau, M. P., & Hollingworth, S. (2008). Mathematical images and gender identities. London: UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology.

Miller, S. M., & Kirsch, N. (1987). Sex differences in cognitive coping with stress. In R. C. Barnett, L. Biener & G. K. Baruch (Eds), Gender and Stress (pp. 278-307). New York: The Free Press.

Parker, J. D., & Endler, N. S. (1992). Coping with coping assessment: a critical review. European Journal of Personality, 6(5), 321-344.

Parker, J. D., Summerfeldt, L. J., Hogan, M. J., & Majeski, S. A. (2004). Emotional intelligence and academic success: examining the transition from high school to university. Personality and Individual Differences, 36(1), 163-172.

Parker, J. D., Hogan, M. J., Eastabrook, J. M., Oke, A., & Wood, L. M. (2006). Emotional intelligence and student retention: predicting the successful transition from high school to university. Personality and Individual Differences, 41(7), 1329-1336.

Peel, M. (2000). 'Nobody Cares': The challenge of isolation in school to university transition. Journal of Institutional Research, 9(1), 22-34.

Peters, M. L. (2013). Examining the relationships among classroom climate, self-efficacy, and achievement in undergraduate mathematics: a multi-level analysis. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 11(2), 459-480.

Pritchard, M. E., & Wilson, G. S. (2006). Do coping styles change during the first semester of college? The Journal of Social Psychology, 146(1), 125-127.

Reis, S. M., & Park, S. (2001). Gender differences in high-achieving students in math and science. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 25(1), 52-73.

Richardson, F. C., & Suinn, R. M. (1972). The mathematics anxiety rating scale: psychometric data. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 19(6), 551-554.

Roger, D., Jarvis, G., & Najarian, B. (1993). Detachment and coping: the construction and validation of a new scale for measuring coping strategies. Personality and Individual Differences, 15(6), 619-626.

Sander, P., & Sanders, L. (2009). Measuring academic behavioural confidence: the ABC scale revisited. Studies in Higher Education, 34(1), 19-35.

Sax, L. J. (1994). Mathematical self-concept: how college reinforces the gender gap. Research in Higher Education, 35(2), 141-166.

Solomon, Y. (2007). Not belonging? What makes a functional learner identity in the undergraduate mathematics community of practice? Studies in Higher Education, 32(1), 79-96.

Solomon, Y., Lawson, D., & Croft, A. (2011). Dealing with "fragile identities": resistance and refiguring in women mathematics students. Gender and Education, 23(5), 565-583.

Spencer, S. J., Steele, C. M., & Quinn, D. M. (1999). Stereotype threat and women's math performance. Journal of Experimental and Social Psychology, 35(1), 4-28.

Sulkowski, M. L., Dempsey, J., & Dempsey, A. G. (2011). Effects of stress and coping on binge eating in female college students. Eating Behaviors, 12(2), 188-191.

Tall, D. (1991). Advanced mathematical thinking. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Thurber, C. A., & Walton, E. A. (2012). Homesickness and adjustment in university students. Journal of American College Health, 60(5), 415-419.

Walls, F. (2008). Girls, mathematics and the gendered construction of mathematical (dis)ability. Paper presented at the conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Morelia, Mexico.

Weko, T. (2004). Old dogs and new tricks: what can the UK teach the US about higher education? London: Higher Education Policy Institute.

Wilcox, P., Winn, S., & Fyvie-Gauld, M. (2005). 'It was nothing to do with the university, it was just the people': The role of social support in the first-year experience of higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 30(6), 707-722.


DOI: https://doi.org/10.26220/rev.2801

View Counter: Abstract | 11458 | times, and PDF | 874 | times



Re S M ICT E | ISSN: 1792-3999 (electronic), 1791-261X (print) | Laboratory of Didactics of Sciences, Mathematics and ICT, Department of Educational Sciences and Early Childhood Education - University of Patras.

Pasithee | Library & Information Center | University of Patras