Factors affecting first, second and third year undergraduate engineering students’ perception of their mathematics modules

It is well documented in the literature that students entering their first year of university struggle with adapting to the new teaching style and environment. This is particularly evident in the literature among students enrolled in STEM courses at university, including those enrolled in engineering courses. One of the primary concerns around students entering engineering courses in university is their level of mathematics and its subsequent effect on their learning. The issues identified in the literature focus on students in their first year of university but this neglects students in later years who may also experience issues. Therefore, in this paper, we investigate, through survey responses, if issues which cause students difficulty are present for students beyond their first year of university. Specifically, we report factors that first, second- and third-year undergraduate engineering students at an Irish university have identified as causing them difficulty when studying mathematics. Moreover, we investigate what, if any, impact these issues may have on students' perception of mathematics and their stress levels due to mathematics.