Alma Moretta*, Giacomo Battipaglia, Antonio Proto and Vincenzo Venditto
Students’ logical mathematical skills are generally assessed as entry requirements for enrolling in scientific degree courses. At university of Salerno enrolled freshmen in environmental science systematically exhibit critical shortage in these skills. As only tiny percentages of students fit the entry requirements, high numbers of students are addressed to attend preliminary remedial courses and pass the relevant exams for obtaining additional learning requirements. In order to get better understanding of the reasons of students’ initial difficulties and of the possible impact on subsequent academic career development, a critical analysis has been performed, considering: 1) The results of remedial exams, to identify the most challenging topics; 2) The answers to a survey questionnaire, to acquire information regarding undergraduates’ school background and motivations; 3) The results of entry test simulations, to compare high school students’ skills with the academic entry requirements. Among the other issues emerged from our study we highlight: a) A worrying disconnection, in students’ perception, between the basic science studies and math studies, suggesting a widespread belief that mathematical skills are not fundamental to scientific careers; b) A weak students’ intention in the choice of environmental studies. These issues deserve further insight and urgent resolution at university of Salerno but, at the same time, can be framed in a more general perspective and constitute a basis of comparison with other scientific degree courses and other universities.
HTML PDFShare this article