Tutors’ opinions on students’ difficulties of learning mathematics in the distance higher education: A Delphi survey

Abstract

Learning in the distance in higher education was challenging since the students were supposed to study in a self-regulated learning mode. The difficulties were double in learning mathematics, especially for the students of the non-mathematics study program. The primary purpose of the research was to identify the students’ problems in learning mathematics at a higher education institution that implementing a distance education system. The method was a Delphi survey to 23 tutors for mathematics courses in the study program of a bachelor’s degree in elementary school teachers for identifying the student difficulties in learning mathematics. The research concluded that the problems of learning mathematics for the students in the distance higher education consisted in five components: 1) the nature of mathematics, 2) learning material, 3) the nature distance learning, 4) learning support services, and 5) motivation. The proposed recommendation was that to facilitate students’ learning mathematics, an institution of distance higher education should overcome the students’ difficulties in learning mathematics by preparing the learning materials and the student learning support services to accommodate the students.