A Categorisation Of The Resources Used By Undergraduates When Studying Mathematics

This paper presents results from a survey exploring the kind of resources that engineering undergraduates (N=201) use when studying for their mathematics modules. By using Factor analysis, we were able to produce a typology of these resources. The resulted typology was further analysed by combining Leontiev's version of Activity Theory and Wartofsky's hierarchy of artefacts. This helped us to draw links between the tools that students use and infer about their learning actions.