An Examination of one Group of Failing Single Honours Students in one University

We draw on data from an ESRC study: Students’ Experiences of Undergraduate Mathematics (R000238564). The aim of the study is to understand better the reasons why students experience undergraduate mathematics courses in different ways and why some maintain or develop more positive attitudes than others to the subject. Here we focus on one group of second year students who were ‘at risk’ of failure. By comparing the ‘failing’ students with the rest of the cohort and with each other we try to see if they could have been identified earlier. We also suggest ways in which the mathematics department might better support these struggling students.