Taught to non-mathematics undergraduates (business, science, engineering, and other technical programs), service mathematics is commonly associated with poor exam performance and low skill/knowledge attainment. The primary objective of the present study was to examine the range of factors thought to impact mathematics performance in higher…

This paper is about social class and initial teacher education, specifically the perspectives and experiences of those from lower socio-economic groups in an initial teacher education programme in Ireland. It draws on a qualitative study employing in-depth semi-structured interviews with 21 'working class' student teachers, exploring their…

While incorporating project-based exercise is a common practice in software engineering education, few studies have been conducted in investigating how real-world project development influences university students' proactive learning and knowledge transformation. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of developing real-world projects with…

Purpose: To explore young peoples' motivation for engaging in agricultural education. Autonomous and controlled forms of extrinsic and intrinsic regulation are discussed regarding young peoples' decision to pursue an agricultural education. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative research approach was applied comprising of purposive and…

Nearly all college students require some academic assistance throughout their learning experiences. Rather than a dependent act, help-seeking is a self-regulated and motivated strategy; however, there are mixed findings regarding the relationship between academic help-seeking and academic achievement. Thus, the current study used meta-analytic…

This research intends to provide understanding of the impact that a module consisting entirely of collaborative interdisciplinary science tasks had on students' group work behaviour, attitude and motivation. It was hypothesised that implementing a module based entirely of group tasks would develop positive attitudes and increase student…

Although considerable staff resources are often allocated to the teaching of undergraduate laboratory classes, there is a paucity of discussion regarding the extent and substance of the staff-student interactions that occur within classes and also whether these interactions benefit student learning in any way. Performed across four undergraduate…

Increasing numbers of students attending higher education institutions in Ireland take obligatory mathematics modules -- service mathematics -- as part of their programmes of study. A dislike of mathematics is frequently expressed among students, particularly mature students, some of whom experience mathematics anxiety. However, despite their…

The objective of the research is to investigate if certain demographics of students help explain four areas of potential improvements in predominantly short-term study abroad programs. These areas are motivation, experience enhancement, benefits from various learning activities, and students' concerns regarding their experience. Pre-trip and…

A teacher's attitude towards a subject has a major influence on their learning and subsequent teaching of that subject. This has a knock-on effect on the development of their own students' attitudes. However, despite such importance there has been a dearth of research in this area, particularly in relation to the attitudes of pre-service secondary…

Navigating the transition to college and persisting is crucial to student college success. This research aims to explore the promoters and barriers to first year persistence, the student support needs in relation to these promoters and barriers, who students need the support from and when support is particularly needed. A participatory…

This article explores the agency of the student in translation in language teaching and learning (or TILT). The purpose of the case study discussed here is to gain an overview of students' perceptions of translation into the foreign language (FL) (also known as "inverse translation") following a module on language and translation, and to…

An Irish Government directive to close colleges amid the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a switch to emergency remote teaching. Many lecturers unused to practicing online began teaching students who were unfamiliar with online learning. Completion of the semester does not necessarily indicate that it is practicable for a more extended period. This…

This study explores the library equivalent of the "towels on deck chairs" phenomenon of students reserving library seats: the practice of leaving personal belongings unattended at a library study space for long periods of time, rendering the desk unavailable for use by others. It presents highly inefficient use of high value academic…

Diversifying Ireland's relatively homogeneous teaching population has been a policy concern for over a decade in the context of the rapid transformation of Irish society and schooling. This paper draws on the Access to Post-primary Teaching (APT) project, funded by the Higher Education Authority, which supports the participation of those from…