A sense of belonging to mathematics has been established as an important factor in predicting students’ further involvement in mathematics, particularly at the undergraduate level (Bartholomew, Darragh, Ell, & Saunders, 2011; Good, Rattan, & Dweck, 2012). This ‘sense of belonging to mathematics’ relates to whether students feel they fit in, or are members of,  a mathematical academic community, or if they feel valued and accepted by members of that community (Good et al. 2012).  It can also relate to whether students are experiencing learning of mathematics as “legitimate peripheral participation” (Lave & Wenger, 1991, p34) in that community. A student’s sense of belonging can be adversely affected through messages, perceived or otherwise, received from the environment. This has been especially highlighted in mathematics where students’ perceptions of messages they have received on the nature of mathematical ability as a ‘fixed’ entity and of gender stereotyping have affected their desire to pursue mathematics (Anderson, Valero, & Meaney, 2015; Good et al., 2012; Rattan, Good, & Dweck, 2012). 

Students perceive more positive messages around mathematics in classrooms which foster a classroom community (Goos, 2004) and which encourage constructivist approaches to learning where there are varied opportunities for students to communicate their mathematical thinking, where the teacher acts as a facilitator of learning, and where students are encouraged to solve unfamiliar problems (e.g. Boaler, 1998; Verschaffel et al., 1999) (Good et al., 2012).  Prior to a national curriculum reform in post-primary mathematics in Ireland, research shows that the majority of Irish post-primary classrooms did not subscribe to such constructivist approaches to teaching and learning mathematics (Lyons, Lynch, Close, Sheerin, & Boland, 2003). However, despite the introduction of the new mathematics curriculum encouraging reform of classroom practices, teaching and learning of mathematics in many post-primary classrooms remains teacher-centred (Jeffes et al., 2013).

A recent national report on why prospective Irish undergraduate students avoid choosing mathematics or science based undergraduate courses found a fear of “not fitting in” with classmates (i.e. a sense of belonging) ranked the number one reason why students opted out of these pathways of study (Kennedy & O'Dwyer-Duggan, 2014). In this research, we focus on students’ sense of belonging to mathematics in their transition from post-primary to university learners of mathematics. Transitions are critical times for development of and changes to students’ sense of belonging and mathematical identity and, at a time when low numbers of undergraduate students studying mathematics remains a concern (Bartholomew et al., 2011), it is important to investigate factors which may impact a students’ decision to continue pursuing their mathematical studies. Students in this study are all enrolled on a Science degree programme at a university in Ireland and, although their first year subject choice will enable them to pursue a mathematics (or mathematics-related) degree, they do not have to choose their major until the end of second year. These students therefore have the choice to opt out of further study of mathematics afterfirst or second year.

In this research we aim to:

• Identify the ways the transition from post-primary mathematics to university mathematics affects high-achieving students’ sense of belonging to mathematics.
• Determine whether high-achieving students perceive messages of an entity theory and/or gender stereotyping coming from their environment at post-primary and university level, and whether the transition has impacted on these perceptions.
• Identify environmental factors that influence high-achieving students’ sense of belonging to maths at post-primary and university level
• Identify ways in which high-achieving students believe that messages about the nature of maths ability and gender stereotyping have been/are communicated at post-primary level.

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