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An investigation of the relationship between academic numeracy of university students in South Africa and their mathematical and language ability

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Abstract

In South Africa many school-leavers are underprepared for higher education, especially in academic literacies, including numeracy. It is important for higher education to identify the students most vulnerable to failure in coping with the numeracy demands of the curriculum, so that resources available for interventions can be most fairly used. To this end, we seek to answer the question: ‘What is the relationship between students’ academic numeracy and their mathematical and language competence.’ We investigate the relationship between students’ academic numeracy scores (on a test reflecting the expectations of higher education) and their writing of four school-leaving examinations that reflect most directly mathematical competence and language ability. In a sample of 7464 students, only 13% had numeracy test scores that were classified as proficient, almost all of whom had studied Mathematics and English Home Language. Almost 90% of those who took Mathematical Literacy and English First Additional Language achieved scores in the lowest category. Comparing the test score distributions of groups of students defined in terms of the mathematics and language school subject combinations, reveals that mathematics competence and language ability are equally related to students’ academic numeracy. The results indicate the need for curriculum reforms in schools and in higher education. Ideally, development of students’ academic numeracy should be infused in the teaching of the disciplinary discourses. The effectiveness of interventions intended to improve academic numeracy will be enhanced if they focus not only on quantitative competence but also on language development.

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Notes

  1. Extended degrees are structured programmes that allow identified students to complete their degrees over an extended time, with additional support in the form of foundation courses.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the National Benchmark tests project team at the Centre for Educational Testing for Access and Placement at the University of Cape Town, who provided the opportunity to conduct this research, with the goal of contributing to the National Benchmark Test Project’s purpose of assessing the relationship between entry level proficiencies and school-level exit outcomes.

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  1. Centre for Educational Testing for Access and Placement, Centre for Higher Educational Development, University of Cape Town, Private Bag #3, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa

    Robert Prince

  2. Academic Development Programme, Numeracy Centre, Centre for Higher Educational Development, University of Cape Town, Private Bag #3, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa

    Vera Frith

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Prince, R., Frith, V. An investigation of the relationship between academic numeracy of university students in South Africa and their mathematical and language ability. ZDM Mathematics Education 52, 433–445 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-019-01063-7

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