Mathematics is generally perceived as being dry and difficult. In particular, students at the
beginning of their university degrees find the transition from secondary school extremely
challenging and are under-prepared for the kind of mathematics they face during their third
level education. Researchers have documented this phenomenon, known as the ‘mathematics
problem’ in numerous countries, for example, in the United Kingdom [1–3], Australia
[4], Argentina [5] or theUnited States [4, 6]. These studies underline the progressive decline
in the mathematical abilities of students and the unease of both lecturers and students at the
level of mathematics in universities.