Choosing the type of baccalaureate is not always an easy decision, especially when you want to study something like Business Administration and Management (ADE). Many young people find themselves hesitating between the Social Sciences baccalaureate, which seems the natural choice for the business profile, and the Science baccalaureate, which although it may seem less logical, gives a more solid mathematical foundation.

“Why should I take the Sciences course if I want to study Business Administration?” some students ask. Others respond: “But if you take the Social Studies course, then the maths course at university can be much more difficult.”

These kinds of conversations reflect how difficult it is to make this decision at 16 or 17. However, this choice can make a huge difference to how they do later in college, even if it doesn’t seem like it at first.

Starting university is a major change for students, especially those studying business administration, where they are faced with demanding subjects such as mathematics and statistics, which have a high quantitative component . These subjects require quantitative skills that not everyone has developed equally in high school.

For many, what they learned (or didn’t learn) during those years can make the difference between moving forward or giving up. That’s why the first year of college becomes an important test that, depending on how you pass it, can decide your success or failure in the rest of your career.

Dropping out of the degree because of maths

22% of university students in Spain have dropped out of their studies in recent years: a rate high enough to make us wonder what is happening and how we can reduce it. This is not only a significant loss for society, which finances a large part of these studies, but also for the students themselves who lose the opportunity to complete that degree and may even think about not continuing their studies.

In the case of Business Administration, the dropout rate in 2017-2018 was 26%: more than one in four students dropped out of the degree before finishing. We have analysed the role that prior training in mathematics from the Baccalaureate of Social Sciences (from which many Business Administration students come) has in this dropout rate.

The influence of mathematical literacy in business administration

In our recent work we analysed how “mathematical literacy” influences academic success in higher education business administration. We defined the degree of “mathematical literacy” of each student not only by the mathematics path chosen in high school, but also by the grade obtained in that subject in the university entrance exam or EBAU (High School Assessment for University Access).

That is, we take into account academic achievements prior to university and consider that university applicants with the best entrance marks in the EBAU mathematics exam and who have followed a Science path (which currently in Spain can be Technological or Health), have greater mathematical literacy than those who have followed a Social Science path in high school.

There are two major findings from our study. First, it shows that female students perform better academically than male students in Business Administration. Second, it shows a strong relationship between mathematical literacy and academic success in the first year of Business Administration.

Specifically, students who chose the Science track (with Mathematics I and II according to the curriculum of the two preparatory years for university) show greater mastery of mathematical skills and, therefore, obtain better results in first-year subjects, since they handle complex mathematical content.

This result indicates that the influence of mathematical literacy goes beyond the mastery of mere mathematical techniques or tools, since it allows the development of skills and attitudes that facilitate the ability to think abstractly.

Review of the Mathematics Curriculum for Social Sciences

These results should lead to a deep reflection on possible changes in the content of other pathways, including Mathematics for Social Sciences I and II, in order to ensure optimal academic performance of future Business Administration students. The current mathematics content of the Social Sciences option in high school may not be providing students with the minimum level of mathematical competence required for the desired degree. In this sense, our study confirms that students from the Mathematics for Social Sciences pathway have a worse academic performance in all Business Administration subjects.

It is essential that educational institutions review their curricula to better adapt them to the needs of degrees such as Business Administration, in which quantitative and numerical skills are key to academic success.

Frustration and the risk of abandonment

According to our analysis, students who enter the Business Administration degree after having studied Applied Mathematics for Social Sciences I and II have a lower academic performance than those who followed the Science path.

The frustration experienced when failing many subjects in the first year of study can be one of the reasons for abandoning this degree, although in our study we have not established a cause-effect relationship but rather a correlation.

If this were the case, the decision to drop out of school could be influenced by a lack of preparation that is not due to the students themselves, but to the Baccalaureate curriculum itself.

Strengthening preparatory education in secondary school

The results of this study highlight the importance of mathematical literacy as a transversal competence and call for serious consideration of its role in improving student performance. Public educational institutions must recognize this responsibility and make decisive changes to address the problem.

We therefore recommend training in advanced mathematical skills from secondary school.

Evaluation of mathematics leveling programs

Although short-term interventions exist, such as short pre-university courses offered in the first weeks of the academic year, we consider it important to re-evaluate their impact and determine whether they are effective.

Well-structured and sustained advanced mathematics training programmes could close the knowledge gap for those who arrive with more limited mathematical training. However, the effectiveness of these interventions must be carefully measured to ensure that they respond to students’ learning needs and support their long-term success.

Investing in students’ mathematical literacy and appropriate academic guidance from secondary school would not only reduce university dropout rates, but would also improve academic performance in general, at least for those who choose degrees with a business profile.

Author Bios: Inmaculada Galvan Sanchez has a PhD from the ULPGC in the field of Business Organization and researcher in Social Economy, Alexis Jorge Lopez Puig works at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Margarita Fernandez-Monroy is Professor of Business Organization and Sara Maria Gonzalez Betancor is Senior Lecturer all at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria