Mathematical Literacy of Students in First Year of Medical School at a South African University

Abstract

The literature pertaining to the definition of Mathematical Literacy (particularly in the Tertiary context) is briefly reviewed. A Mathematical Literacy questionnaire, designed in accordance with this definition, was administered to students entering the MBChB Program at a South African university in 2003. In general the level of Mathematical Literacy of Medical students is higher than that of entry-level Humanities students, and comparable with that of Science students doing Earth or Biological sciences. The response to the results of this testing, in terms of curriculum interventions in the first year of MBChB, are outlined and their degree of success is evaluated. The post-testing of the MBChB students indicated a statistically significant increase in the Mathematical Literacy of these students.