Causes of Failures in Mathematics by Engineering Students at Latvia University of Agriculture

The quality of teaching and learning mathematics has been one of the major challenges and concern of the educators especially for students of engineering. Mathematics comprises a wide variety of skills and concepts. One of the main roles of mathematics is the development of the ability to solve problems. Mathematics is often considered as a subject that students find hard to understand, therefore many universities are faced with the problem that students drop out due to mathematics. The aim of the research is to study causes for failure in Mathematics among engineering students. The study is based on the analysis of mathematics test results as well as the survey data analysis. The survey collected data and opinions regarding: 1) the curriculum, 2) the teaching process, 3) the learners: their low basic knowledge, difficulties to understanding, learning habits, attitudes toward learning process, home background, and the learner's emotional reactions and personality. The analysis of the survey results showed that the core problem at the Latvia University of Agriculture is not only insufficient students’ background knowledge in mathematics, but also their attitude towards learning, psychological reaction against the first failure and laziness to make efforts to do additional tasks or attend tutorials.