Challenges faced by specialist mathematics students at the transition to university: insights from across the UK

Although research has increasingly explored the challenges faced by specialist mathematics students when transitioning to university, most studies focus on students’ perspectives. This study instead examines how staff with departmental responsibilities describe transition challenges and the support practices they report within their departments. We analyse qualitative survey data from 30 UK universities using thematic analysis, reporting respondents’ perspectives. Our findings indicate that respondents commonly perceive students to struggle with proof-based courses and pure mathematics, often coupled with unrealistic expectations of university study. Respondents also highlighted problems with engagement, passive and assessment-driven learning and underdeveloped study skills. Yet respondents described limited structured interventions intended to address these perceived challenges. While some initiatives aimed to help students ‘learn to learn’, responsibility was more often placed on students themselves or attributed to inadequate pre-university preparation. With specialist mathematics students increasingly turning to mathematics learning support services alongside, or sometimes instead of, departmental provision, we also consider how lessons from these services might inform mainstream teaching practice.