PERCEPTIONS, BELIEFS, AND ATTITUDES OF FIRST YEAR THIRD-LEVEL STUDENTS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF PORTUGUESE, RUSSIAN, POLISH, FINNISH, AND IRISH STUDENTS

K. Brown1, A.P. Lopes2, F. Soares2, V. Larionova3, A. Cellmer4, J. Hurme5

1Letterkenny Institute of Technology (IRELAND)
2Polytechnic of Porto (PORTUGAL)
3Ural Federal University (RUSSIAN FEDERATION)
4Politechnika Koszalińska (POLAND)
5Oulu University of Applied Sciences (FINLAND)
The contemporary skillset of undergraduates includes a degree of sophistication in the application of ICT within their daily lives as well as within the higher education environment. The assumption of the student as a digital native, with the ability to cognitively process information in an ICT focused educational environment, is omnipresent in higher education. It has been suggested this assumption does not aid learning and adds an additional burden on the student.

This study investigated whether experiences and perceptions, of mathematics and online assessment, are common to students studying in different countries and their respective higher education systems.

The purpose of the investigation was to determine what issues influence the attitudes of students in the application of ICT for the online assessment of mathematics in the first year of undergraduate programmes.

The investigation was conducted online by means of a quantitative questionnaire, consisting of 16 survey items, using Google Forms to self-selecting students (n=374) across several academic disciplines including engineering, business studies, media, and tourism. The survey was delivered in English to the majority students and translated to Russian for the Russian students to enable each group to reply in their own native language. The questionnaire design utilized a 6-point Likert scale where students were asked to express their experiences and perceptions of mathematics and online assessment in their chosen programme of study. The data was exported to IBM SPSSv24 and regression analyses were conducted to ascertain possible associations and relationships between the two student groups in the case study.

The results of the investigation reveal some peculiar features and the respective investigation outcomes of the investigation will be utilized in the design of learner-centered assessments and shared with international partners.
keywords: freshman experience, first-year student experience, self-efficacy, expectancy, online assessment, mathematics.