Students' sense of belonging to mathematics in the secondary-tertiary transition

A “sense of belonging to math” (SBM) scale has been shown to predict undergraduate mathematics students’ intent to study mathematics in the future. In this study, we use the scale to examine the impact of the transition from secondary school to university on 33 first year undergraduate students’ SBM. Using a cluster analysis, we identify three clusters: students in both Cluster 1 (n=21) and Cluster 2 (n=9) display a strong SBM at secondary school. Following the transition, those in Cluster 1 exhibit a decrease in SBM, while those in Cluster 2 show only a marginal decrease. Students in Cluster 3 (n=3) show a strong increase in their SBM, but they started with the lowest SBM initially. From an analysis of interviews with seven of the students, factors that might impact students’ SBM during the transition are discussed.